We were imprisoned in the Namgung Clan’s thunder prison.

Honestly, I wondered if it made any sense to throw us in jail just because we badmouthed their dumplings, but the group called the Five Great Clans wasn’t normal either.

The moment we stepped into the thunder prison, what greeted us was the existing prisoners.

“Keuhahat, looks like another newbie came in.”

From old Murim-era brutes to New Murim criminals. The prisoners who spotted Yoo Joonghyuk pressed up against the bars and smacked their lips.

“What a nice, soft little kid.”

“You’ve got bad luck, kid. Once you’ve made it in here, your life’s obvious.”

“That little bastard’s so plump—should we boil him, or roast him—”

Yoo Joonghyuk looked at those prisoners with indifferent eyes, then singled out the two men who looked like the strongest among them.

“Blood-Handed Beast Jeon Geuk. Sloth Sword Lee Cheolgun.”

The men whose epithets were called widened their eyes and muttered.

“H-how do you know our epithets……?”

“You die in 28 days, on the ‘Fear Commandery Expedition.’”

At Yoo Joonghyuk’s death curse, a sudden silence spread through the prison.

Belatedly, a middle-aged man who had been locked in the opposite thunder prison sprang up in outrage.

“Such an ill-mannered little brat—are you out of your mind!”

“White-Killing Sword Ma Hyeong.”

White-Killing Sword Ma Hyeong, whose name had been called, glared at Yoo Joonghyuk with bulging eyes.

Yoo Joonghyuk looked at him for a moment, then declared.

“You die now.”

“What? Kehahahaha—”

White-Killing Sword Ma Hyeong laughed for quite a while, as if he’d heard some ridiculous joke. And a moment later, Ma Hyeong clutched his heart, dropped to his knees, then vomited blood and died.

“W-what’s going on! What is this!”

“Ma Hyeong?”

“How did that happen? You’re messing around, right?”

“Guard, where’s the guard!”

A short while later, a guard who rushed out confirmed White-Killing Sword Ma Hyeong’s death. An unexplained heart attack.

“If there’s anyone else who wants to know their lifespan, come out.”

After that, the prisoners’ mockery disappeared.

I admired it inwardly and asked.

—How did you do it? Did you kill him with your presence?

—A guy who was about to die anyway showed up. That’s all.

As expected of a 41st regression regressor. Scary.

Of course, it wasn’t only prisoners who found Yoo Joonghyuk scary.

“So you really are the Heaven-Sundering Sword Saint’s disciple? Incredible.”

Maybe they found Yoo Joonghyuk’s knack fascinating, because the guards didn’t hold back their praise.

“Did you really foresee Ma Hyeong’s death? I heard the Heaven-Sundering Sword Saint has foresight too……”

“Also, he’s a really handsome kid.”

Watching the guards gush over Yoo Joonghyuk’s looks, I remembered reading a study result once that ‘handsome criminals’ were more likely to receive lighter sentences in court.

“Just endure here for a while. Food will come out on schedule. Our thunder prison food is more edible than you’d think.”

“…….”

“Don’t worry too much. If you just apologize well, the clan head will probably let you go soon. The Namgung Clan isn’t that stingy a place.”

Is Yoo Joonghyuk replaying life on easy mode just because he’s handsome?

Well, anyway.

—It’s fine. We’ve come this far, so we’ll be safe today.

Just in case, I used the fairy tale fragment 「Walls Have Ears」 once more, but unlike earlier, I didn’t sense any presence watching us.

The Namgung Clan had a small number of masters who had reached transcendence, and incarnations that appeared in higher scenarios.

And this thunder prison was even designed so that even most hero-grade constellations couldn’t freely enter and exit it.

As long as we were in Murim, it would be hard to find a place safer than here.

While there were no sentries, I quietly released ‘Thoughts About Almost Everything.’

—That’s a dangerous thing to do.

—I can’t help it. There’s a transformation time limit.

In the cramped solitary cell, we suddenly became two prisoners, but it wasn’t a situation where I could keep ‘Thoughts About Almost Everything’ up forever.

And I had measures prepared for when we got found out.

[Item, ‘Scent Removal Spray’ has been used.]
[Item, ‘Simple Bed’ has been used.]
[Item, ‘Someone’s Old Blanket’ has been used.]
[You have completed a hidden item combination.]
[Special option, ‘Outside the Blanket is Dangerous’ activates.]

It was a ‘sleeping-rough sweet item’ combination Kim Dokja taught me once.

The completed blanket tent naturally blended into the prison’s background.

I warned Yoo Joonghyuk, who was staring at me with an incredulous look.

—From now on I’m going to do something important, so don’t talk to me.

After I crammed myself into the blanket, I immediately turned on the smartphone, Kim Dokja’s holy relic.

「Three Ways to Survive in a Ruined World.」

[There is an unread ‘bookmark’ in this file.]
[Move to the bookmark page?]

As expected, there was a bookmark the ‘Demon King of Salvation’ had marked.

It was probably a page with information needed for the current situation.

Flipping through pages quickly, I checked the tasks facing me right now.

One, find a way to repair my incarnation body.

If I didn’t repair my incarnation body within three or four days, I would die.

Two, enter a new main scenario.

Even if I repaired my incarnation body, if I didn’t enter a ‘Main Scenario’ and escape the status of an exile, I would still die.

Fortunately, both tasks could be worked out somehow as long as we met the ‘Heaven-Sundering Sword Saint.’

The problem was the third.

Three, find the ‘Second Kim Dokja.’

The Demon King of Salvation said so.

That somewhere in this universe, there was a ‘Second Kim Dokja.’ And that for some reason, contact had been cut off.

Fortunately, the Demon King of Salvation knew the last place the ‘Second Kim Dokja’ had been detected.

The problem was that in this <Star Stream>, the ‘entrance’ that could lead to that place was extremely limited.

「Read the 999th regression. You’ll probably be able to get help.」

Checking the memo the Demon King of Salvation had left, I slowly turned the page.

Even a thousand-li journey begins with a single step, but I couldn’t leave right away to meet the Second Kim Dokja. For now, the best thing to do was reread the ‘Ways of Survival’ given to me, and check the roadmap.

With a calm mind, I started reading the ‘Ways of Survival,’ sentence by sentence.

I knew one volume of ‘Ways of Survival’ was strangely long, but I was newly shocked again.

Anyone who wrote this, and anyone who read it, wasn’t in their right mind.

「The items that can be obtained in the ‘Number One Murim’ are as follows.」

Sentences so boring that even someone trapped on a desert island with nothing left to read would probably refuse them.

「The method to obtain the Martial Arts Manual of Extermination…….」

Overly vast settings and descriptions listed in concrete detail.

「Thus, the Transcendent ones finally decide to elect the ‘King of the Transcendent Ones.’」

「The base materials required to craft the Dark Heaven Moon Extreme are as follows.」

Reading those dry sentences, I couldn’t help thinking about the person who must have pressed down each ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) character, one by one, to write them.

Han Sooyoung really did want to save Kim Dokja.

—Is that important?

When I looked up, Kid Yoo Joonghyuk was lifting the blanket flap and looking down at me as if I was pathetic.

—It is.

—What are you doing?

After a moment’s thought, I decided to be honest.

—I’m reading a novel.

I thought sharp condemnation would follow, but unexpectedly, Yoo Joonghyuk just let out a quiet sigh and sat down.

—You should rest too. You don’t get many chances to rest comfortably like this.

Receiving the moonlight that seeped between the bars of the thunder prison, Yoo Joonghyuk began circulating his energy and regulating his breath. Resting as energy-circulation and breath-regulation—it made me think he was a little off in the head, but even that felt like Yoo Joonghyuk.

In a situation where it wouldn’t be strange to die tomorrow, one person does breath-regulation and one person reads a novel.

「“When do you rest, Captain?”」

It was the scene where Lee Hyunsung asked Yoo Joonghyuk of the 999th regression.

「“When the long dream ends.”」

Watching Yoo Joonghyuk constantly strive, I thought.

For someone born as ‘Yoo Joonghyuk,’ would proper rest ever truly be allowed. If he reached the end of this forgotten worldline, would his long dream finally end.

I don’t know.

Kim Dokja or Han Sooyoung probably didn’t know either.

In a way, the 41st regression was being written right now.

What we could predict right away wasn’t some distant future like that, but only tomorrow.

—That rod beating is going to hurt like hell.

*

The next day, Yoo Joonghyuk didn’t get beaten with a rod. He was even released from the thunder prison.

A bad feeling rose.

Did that King’s Sword, Namgung Jincheon, try to erase Yoo Joonghyuk’s insult as if it never happened?

If so, the plan I’d built up until now would become nothing.

More than anything, once we went outside the Namgung Clan, even our safety wouldn’t be guaranteed.

“Serve them with utmost care. They are honored guests.”

Being guided by attendants, I couldn’t understand what was going on.

Overnight, from Namgung Clan prisoners to VIPs?

—Did the Heaven-Sundering Sword Saint come looking for us?

—I didn’t get that feeling.

Our treatment changed even though the Heaven-Sundering Sword Saint didn’t come?

No matter who looked at it, it was a situation with an agenda.

—Looks like your plan succeeded.

—I don’t know if I should call this a success.

A Namgung Clan guest room where only elders of the Nine Sects and One Union, or famous Murim masters, could stay.

On the table set before us, dishes cooked by trained chefs were being arranged. Whenever I thought of Murim, I always only pictured chicken broth, thin noodles, and Murim dumplings, so it was surprising to see there were this many foods.

Dongpo pork that melted in your mouth, five-spice jangguk. Even Peking duck.

If there was one regret, it was that in the state of being a tiny person with ‘Thoughts About Almost Everything,’ I couldn’t eat these foods to my heart’s content.

On the other hand, Yoo Joonghyuk was eating well.

—But can you eat that?

—What?

—You don’t eat food other people make.

—What are you talking about?

With his cheeks stuffed full of food, Yoo Joonghyuk looked at me like I was talking nonsense.

Ah, this bastard.

Did he even forget the setting that he couldn’t eat ‘food other people make’?

—No, just eat a lot.

It felt like a relief. If it turned into that situation again, I would’ve had to feed him dirt.

Things were going strangely, but in any case, situations where you could eat your fill and rest comfortably didn’t come easily.

[Fairy Tale Fragment, ‘The Man Who Eats Eight Meals a Day’ begins the story.]

Maybe the fairy tale fragment was excited too, because it encouraged Yoo Joonghyuk’s binge-eating. Watching Kid Yoo Joonghyuk’s belly swell in real time, I also picked up food and ate now and then.

While we richly enjoyed eight meals, including breakfast, lunch, and dinner, a full day passed.

The Heaven-Sundering Sword Saint did not come looking for us.

Instead, the one who came looking for us was the King’s Sword, Namgung Jincheon.

“Seeing you eat well, Young Hero, makes me feel good.”

Namgung Jincheon came with his characteristic friendly smile and nodded with satisfaction as he looked at Yoo Joonghyuk’s puffed-up cheeks.

“When you spat out our dumplings, my heart hurt quite a bit.”

“That was trash.”

“I admit it. It didn’t bring out the taste of true Murim dumplings.”

Unexpectedly, Namgung Jincheon admitted it readily.

As a rule, in Murim, when the other side lowers themselves, you need to be careful. It meant they definitely wanted something from you.

“Are you truly the ‘Heaven-Sundering Sword Saint’s’ disciple?”

“And if I am?”

“Can you prove it?”

Just as I’d mentioned beforehand, Yoo Joonghyuk gripped a pair of chopsticks and slowly reenacted the forms of [Heaven-Sundering Sword Dao].

Maybe because no magic power was infused, and because it was a form swung by a chubby-bellied kid, it looked like swordsmanship that couldn’t break a rice bowl, let alone split the sky.

Wait a second.

Did this guy forget [Heaven-Sundering Sword Dao] too?

“Don’t reveal that martial art outside. It will definitely cause an uproar.”

Namgung Jincheon nodded, but I couldn’t tell what he was thinking at all.

Is he believing that?

Do I have no eye for martial arts?

“It is the first time a disciple of the Heaven-Sundering Sword Sect has come to the Namgung Clan.”

The King’s Sword continued, looking at Yoo Joonghyuk with a serious gaze.

“Our Murim, including the Namgung Clan, has owed a great debt to the Heaven-Sundering Sword Saint for generations. If you want something, say it.”

What kind of scheme was that.

While I was thinking, Yoo Joonghyuk spoke first.

“We need a physician who can repair an incarnation body.”

Yoo Joonghyuk’s judgment wasn’t bad. I couldn’t know the other side’s plot, but in any case, at this point, using the Namgung Clan was the best method.

“I will summon the divine physician through the main house.”

A divine physician. If we could call one, it was one of the best options right now.

Because the ‘divine physician’ was one of the few ‘fairy tale experts’ in the ‘Number One Murim’ who could repair fairy tales.

“And also……”

“But why do you need a physician? You don’t seem to have any internal injuries or external wounds, Young Hero.”

For a moment, I wondered if we’d leaked too much information. Yoo Joonghyuk’s expression hardened and he was about to open his mouth—

“Is it you who needs a physician, or the friend hiding in your little pocket?”

I had no choice but to admit it. We’d underestimated the King’s Sword too much.

Even so, we were a group of incarnations that could, in their own way, fend off ‘hero-grade constellations,’ and yet we thought my existence wouldn’t be noticed.

Before Yoo Joonghyuk made a mistake, I slipped out of Yoo Joonghyuk’s pocket and released ‘Thoughts About Almost Everything.’

“I have been rude.”

As I bowed my head, the King’s Sword, Namgung Jincheon, slowly rose from his seat.

A strange color flashed through his eyes.

Normally, it would’ve been a welcome situation, but it wasn’t now.

A divine physician. If we could call one, it was one of the best options right now.

Because the ‘divine physician’ was one of the few ‘fairy tale experts’ in the ‘Number One Murim’ who could repair fairy tales.

“And also……”

“I know you.”

Damn it, of course.

“Your story is famous even in this ‘Murim.’”

Honestly, I was afraid of what kind of story had spread. But the King’s Sword’s expression as he opened his mouth wasn’t bad.

“The jianghu was in an uproar over the story of you persuading the Yongdu Bangju, Cheon Gae, and sending him back to the sky.”

The Yongdu Bangju, Cheon Gae.

It was a name I hadn’t heard in a long time.

Had the scenario from Seoul Station already spread all the way here?

“It hasn’t become a rumor yet, but I also know that recently, at the recycling center, you fought a fierce battle with the ‘Master of the Spear.’”

Something came to me belatedly.

The ‘Master of the Spear’ was a being who had once been a supporting constellation of the Namgung Clan. And at the ‘recycling center,’ I killed that guy.

But the King’s Sword looked rather pleased by that fact.

“I express my gratitude to you.”

That made sense. The ‘Master of the Spear’ was the constellation that ran away first when the ‘Outer God incident’ broke out.

The Namgung Clan hadn’t forgotten that grudge even now.

I nodded and replied.

“I’ll accept your thanks. But it doesn’t seem like you came just to say that.”

“You’re sharp, just as I heard.”

The King’s Sword’s expression, after taking back his light smile, became much more serious.

“I know that the constellations of the giant nebulas are looking for you.”

I narrowed my eyes and swallowed my tension.

Honestly, if the King’s Sword reported us to <Asgard> or <Olympus> right now, there was nothing we could do.

“I have something I’m curious about.”

But if that were his goal, the King’s Sword wouldn’t have come to find us separately.

“The one before my eyes right now—are you the incarnation ‘Kim Dokja,’ or the constellation ‘Demon King of Salvation’?”