The 31st Piece Overturns the Game Board

"Aah…"

Chi Woo, who felt like his heart was about to explode due to the immense pressure, felt as if he had faced the palm of Buddha. His veins were bulging all across his body before he passed out.

"What's going on… Ugh…"

Even Seol's memories had been altered.

- You're Kang Seol…?

- Kang… Seol?

"Ugh…"

It was Seol Hong and Chi Woo’s reactions when they first learned of Seol's name.

Although it wasn't a huge change, it created a sense of dissonance.

Chi Woo and Seol Hong, who had met Hye Myeong in person, must have suffered even more severe damage.

A few moments later, when Chi Woo and Seol Hong woke up, they explained all their altered memories to Seol.

"Hye Myeong… Was looking for me?"

Seol looked into the distance.

'Hye Myeong, where are you now?'

His ten legendary pieces had all disappeared after attempting ascension, so there was no way to know what kind of life they were living.

'Or maybe…'

Seol recalled the promise he had made with Mi Ah before leaving.

- You want me… To hold onto this?

- Yes. I'll come and get it on the promised day at the promised place.

- Okay…

"Promise…"

"Th-that's right! We were supposed to meet Mi Ah, right?"

"Isn't this… not the place?"

Seol frowned as he checked his surroundings.

"The terrain is similar to back then…"

"But the house is gone…"

"Could it be that Mi Ah…"

It was possible Mi Ah could have broken her promise, forgot, or something went wrong.

Thinking about these possibilities, they went down to the village to inquire.

'Today is the last day we agreed to meet.'

They had set a generous deadline because they didn't know how time would flow, but now, the promised day with Mi Ah was almost over.

'Could it be… things went wrong…?'

It was at that moment.

"Seol! It's here!"

Chi Woo came running up to Seol.

"I heard about a famous artist living on this mountain!"

"An artist?"

"Yes! It seems she has a studio where she has students. She also seems to be quite famous in the area."

"When we came before…"

"You're right. There wasn't anyone like that. Maybe we didn't notice because we weren't interested. Anyway…"

"Right…"

"Yes, I think it's her."

Seol and the group hastily set off to the artist's studio.

They couldn't afford to be late because they didn't know what might happen if they missed the promised date.

Seol was half-excited and half-afraid.

- Haha. I'll be waiting there too. See you then!

Hye Myeong also promised to come see Seol. If he kept his promise, he would be there with Mi Ah.

'If Hye Myeong has returned…'

Wasn't that something frightening?

What happened with his ascension? Why was the present so tangled?

As the villagers said, the artist's studio was there.

However, they approached it cautiously because it was late at night.

When they approached, a peculiar door stood before them.

Gulp…

They grabbed the doorknob and knocked.

Thud… Thud…

After a brief moment, they heard someone moving from inside.

Creak…

"Who…"

They were greeted by a woman with blindfolded eyes.

"…"

"Sob… Sob…"

"Mi… Mi Ah?"

Mi Ah welcomed Seol's group, "I've been waiting for you all along…"

She then began calling out their names, one by one.

"Kang Seol, Seol Hong, Chi Woo… I'm now about the same age as you all."

Having stopped crying, Mi Ah guided them inside.

"Come in…"

Seol asked the most pressing question.

"Mi Ah, about Hye Myeong…"

"He…"

Mi Ah stopped for a moment and answered.

"He left…"

"…"

It was still the same ending. Was Mi Ah's world still in ruin? Upon noticing Seol's bitter expression, Mi Ah continued.

"Seol, I asked you for a favor before, right?"

- Don't let me give up on painting. Tell me that my paintings… aren't bad. So I can start painting again.

As they moved deeper into the studio, numerous paintings began appearing. Seol could tell that these paintings had been made by Mi Ah's hand.

Depicted in each painting was Hye Myeong's figure. Before, it was rare to see Hye Myeong in any of her works, but now, it seemed harder to find a painting without him.

"I've lost my power… But just looking at these paintings makes me feel like I'm going back to those days. Memories are valuable just by recalling them. They are precious moments I wouldn't exchange for anything."

That was all Mi Ah had wanted since the beginning. She never intended to keep Hye Myeong by her side.

"Thank you for granting my wish."

"Ugh…"

Overwhelmed with emotion, Chi Woo trembled.

This brief experience had delivered a powerful impact.

It was the same for everyone.

Seol then asked Mi Ah.

"Have you seen Hye Myeong since you parted ways?"

Unlike in the past when he used to speak formally to her, he now spoke in a more comfortable tone.

Mi Ah shook her head in response.

"I see… So this is the end."

So, this marked the end of their encounter with Hye Myeong.

It was just a brief and fleeting meeting.

"He… Left something behind."

Seol's face lit up at Mi Ah's words.

"Really?"

"Yes, follow me."

In a secret space hidden within the studio, Mi Ah’s touch could be seen everywhere.

She opened the door of a certain room and invited Seol and others inside.

"Hye Myeong left you this letter."

Rustle…

Seol began reading Hye Myeong's letter.

- Kang Seol, I'm not even sure if this letter will reach you. I know you made a promise to Mi Ah, so I hope it will be delivered by then.

He was referring to the seed of the One Body, Multiple Avatars Seol had entrusted to Mi Ah.

- You will for sure appear on the day to retrieve it. If my predictions are correct… I will be there too. However, if I'm not, then it means I'm in a situation where I can't.

"Is that so…"

No one knew what future he had envisioned, but he had attempted ascension and failed.

Seol didn't know what had become of Hye Myeong's life afterward.

- I am leaving Mi Ah. She no longer needs me by her side. Now that things have come to this, I do have one desire… I want to talk to you again, with the changed me and the unchanged you.

Seol's grip tightened.

- I regretted not asking you this back then… So let me do it now.

Written at the very end of the letter.

- Am I your friend?

Seol stood frozen, staring blankly at the last sentence.

At that moment, Mi Ah removed a cloth that had been covering something on the wall.

Swoosh…

"Huh?"

"That…"

Chi Woo and Seol Hong were surprised.

There was a drawing there.

It was a drawing that depicted Seol, Chi Woo, Seol Hong, Hye Myeong, and Mi Ah together. Their faces were drawn on a large sheet of paper.

This drawing was likely from the world Seol and his group had just visited. It captured their memories of that place.

Seol touched the plaque with the drawing's name.

It was a drawing named ‘Friend’.

Lost in thought, Seol looked at the drawing for a while.

"Huh…?"

He realized something was off, but it wasn't just him. Chi Woo and Seol Hong were also taken aback.

"The drawing…"

"Why is Mi Ah…?"

Mi Ah was in the drawing.

'Come to think of it…'

No one noticed when they were standing side by side on the plateau. It was as if their awareness was limited.

'Why didn't anyone realize it wasn't Mi Ah who drew this?'

Suddenly, Chills ran down Seol's spine.

Mi Ah asked.

"I wonder… Who drew this."

"Was there someone in the spot where it was drawn?"

"There wasn’t. Just the painting tools that were left behind. However, Hye Myeong left a message regarding this."

The message Hye Myeong left was on a small note—big enough to hold a single sentence.

"Hye Myeong left a message for me?"

"What could it be…"

Seol quickly opened the note.

On the note, it said.

- Seol, someone is watching you. Be careful.

"…"

"Someone who could have been there at that time… Who could it be?"

They couldn't guess.

'Who could have… How could someone have deceived all of us and been there?'

Given that the place Hye Myeong and Seol had existed together was rather special, this issue was clearly not a trivial one.

"Oof, I don't know…"

"You might not be able to figure it out right away. Hye Myeong also said that."

"I see…"

WHOOM…

Then, a voice echoed from the Void.

- This is interesting.

'Ur?'

- Don't worry about this. I'll analyze this.

While Ur taking charge was reassuring, it made Seol feel a bit uneasy since it also meant that this wouldn't be a trivial matter.

Noticing Seol's darkening expression, Mi Ah said something that might cheer him up.

"Since you've fulfilled my request, it's my time to fulfill yours, Seol."

"My… request."

"Yes, this way."

A door with numerous locks.

It was the door they had passed by earlier.

The dust that had gathered suggested that no one but Mi Ah had been there for a long time.

Clank…

Clank…

Mi Ah unlocked the door.

Creak…

"I'm finally giving you what I've been keeping for so long."

"You went to such lengths to secure this…"

"You'll understand when you see it yourself."

"What?"

The seed of the One Body, Multiple Avatars was small enough to hold with both hands, so setting up such a space seemed a bit excessive.

However, Seol's jaw dropped upon seeing the massive object filling the room.

"Is this…"

"Yes. This is the seed Seol entrusted me with."

"No way…"

The seed had grown massively.

It had grown so large that it filled the entire room, towering over a person.

Yet its golden light hadn't diminished.

In fact, it even seemed to be emanating more light.

Badump…

Badump…

Fwoosh…

The golden energy that had briefly resided in Seol's chest began reacting.

And.

Crack…

Crack…

The massive seed began cracking.

[The seed of the One Body, Multiple Avatars has withstood the test of time.]

[The seed of the One Body, Multiple Avatars is blooming.]