NOVPUBHwang Ho stared intently at Yong Jegyeon.
There was an overwhelming sense of pressure in his gaze.
Currently, Hwang Ho was in the form of Hwang Ji-ho, dressed in a school uniform, while Yong Jegyeon, despite his appearance, was a teacher.
Though they were student and teacher in reality, Hwang Ho’s gaze on Yong Jegyeon didn’t feel awkward at all.
As Seong Guk-eon made his evaluation, Hwang Ho continued his train of thought.
‘Yong Jegyeon is deeply connected to Kim Shin-rok and the recent Yonggung incident, and he owes a great debt to Jo Ui-shin. I saw him get severely injured during the broadcasting station incident. He must be shaken by the news of Jo Ui-shin’s injury.’
After seeing where Jo Ui-shin’s left eye had once been, Hwang Ho felt uneasy.
However, he knew that unless he saw the injury firsthand, Jo Ui-shin would be even more unsettled, so he couldn’t afford to show his own concern.
Hwang Ho interpreted Yong Jegyeon’s provocative demeanor as an expression of anxiety.
‘Not just Yong Jegyeon, but Kim Shin-rok and Seong Guk-eon both don’t seem at ease. In such a situation, I can’t allow myself to be caught up in Yong Jegyeon’s anxiety.’
Kim Shin-rok appeared preoccupied with Jo Ui-shin’s injury and with Yong Jegyeon’s blunt concerns, while Seong Guk-eon seemed lost in thought.
Hwang Ho had encountered countless instances of instability throughout history.
In every case, he had managed to steady himself and resolve the crisis.
While the three of them were faltering, Hwang Ho had become even more composed.
‘Even without the help of the Dragon Clan, Jo Ui-shin can be healed. Li Wei, who can wield the power of the immortal Emperor Shen Nong, and the cherished Yu Sang-hee from Akeia are both potential allies. One...’
Hwang Ho had made a promise to help Li Wei with revenge, and as part of that agreement, Li Wei was expected to stay on the Korean Peninsula.
However, that wouldn’t happen until Li Wei graduated next year, as he was currently in China.
It would take time to summon him.
Yu Sang-hee could arrive immediately if summoned, but the problem was with Jo Ui-shin.
‘No matter how powerful Yu Sang-hee is, restoring that eye will require significant power. Jo Ui-shin probably wouldn’t willingly receive the treatment.’
If the treatment were to disrupt Yu Sang-hee’s daily life, Jo Ui-shin would likely choose to leave his eye as it was.
Hwang Ho’s thoughts didn’t linger long before Yong Jegyeon impatiently spoke.
“Also, I heard there’s a cloud entwining with Ui-shin’s eye. You know that the priestesses of the Dragon King can manipulate clouds, right?”
In truth, Hwang Ho had no intention of relying on the power of the Dragon Clan.
The Dragon Clan frequently invoked Jo Ui-shin as a benefactor, dumping troublesome tasks like the Dragon Palace incident onto him.
It would be great to repay that so-called "favor" and cut ties with the Dragon Clan, but seeing their behavior, it was clear that they would only ask for more and cling to him like family.
However, in case of emergency, he still wanted to leave the option open for assistance.
Thinking this, Hwang Ho replied in a very gentle voice.
“It’s impossible to forget. The priestesses who betrayed the Dragon King contributed to casting a cloud over Eun-gwang High on Christmas Eve, spreading evil eyes. As a protector of the divine realm, it’s only right to remember such things.”
Hwang Ho’s voice, though seemingly kind, was cold in its content.
Seong Guk-eon, observing the conversation between the Dragon Clan members, doubted his ears after hearing Hwang Ho’s words.
Yong Jegyeon seemed to have regained his composure, but it seemed he still had more to say.
“That’s true. But as you know, those priestesses have continued their work.”
“I know. It’s been less than a year since they inherited the full power.”
“Though inexperienced, one of them possesses the greatest power among all the past priestesses of the Dragon King. If Jo Ui-shin couldn’t be entrusted to them, I would have granted the wish myself.”
Hwang Ho nodded at Yong Jegyeon’s words and responded.
“Jo Ui-shin would never wish for something for himself. That’s why he lost his left eye, and now you mention the priestesses. It’s better to think of a way to reduce the burden on the benefactor.”
For a moment, Yong Jegyeon was left speechless by Hwang Ho’s words.
Hwang Ho had spoken to him as if dealing with an equal, yet when he said those words, it felt more like comforting a close friend.
Hwang Ho waited for Yong Jegyeon to speak again, but when he remained silent, Hwang Ho resumed speaking.
“I value Jo Ui-shin’s treatment highly. But for now, I would prefer to discuss other matters. Once this task is completed, we can focus fully on his recovery, don’t you think?”
At Hwang Ho’s words, the atmosphere shifted entirely.
Even the difficult Yong Jegyeon didn’t press the issue further, and Kim Shin-rok’s expression returned to normal.
Seong Guk-eon, watching the interaction, admired Hwang Ho inwardly.
‘As expected of the head of the Ho Clan. He didn’t simply give in to Yong Jegyeon’s words, but didn’t reject his suggestion outright, leaving room for possibility. Yet, he managed to calm the atmosphere.’
Now, Hwang Ho turned his attention toward Seong Guk-eon.
His expression was friendly, but Seong Guk-eon couldn’t read his true intentions.
“The enemy hasn’t yet discerned the truth about the false Seong Guk-eon. If we use that to our advantage, it will be easier to hide Jo Ui-shin’s existence and strike at the enemy’s vulnerability.”
Seong Guk-eon didn’t understand exactly what Hwang Ho was feeling, but he quickly grasped the meaning behind his words.
Seong Guk-eon casually responded.
“I might suddenly develop an eye disease. I should wear an eye patch for a while.”
“Come to the Hwangmyeong Eungwang Hospital. If needed, I’ll provide a diagnosis.”
“I’ll visit with Mu-yeong.”
The meeting proceeded smoothly.
Hwang Ho and Seong Guk-eon were mostly speaking, but occasionally Kim Shin-rok would ask questions, and Yong Jegyeon would chime in now and then.
While they were deep in conversation, Hwang Ho’s response suddenly slowed.
‘Is something happening with his clone?’
As Seong Guk-eon speculated, Kim Shin-rok spoke up.
“I think Hwang Ho has started combat.”
At the crossroads, Hwang Ji-ho multiplied his clones.
Though Jo Su-hyeok had known Hwang Ji-ho could handle clones before coming to this world, it was his first time seeing the process of creating more clones.
‘He can even create clones of the same age group.’
Though Jo Su-hyeok had seen Hwang Ji-ho’s clones, it was his first time seeing clones of the same age and appearance.
Until now, the clones Jo Su-hyeok had seen from Hwang Ji-ho each had distinguishing features.
The clones varied in age or had differences in clothing and hairstyles, making them seem like different people or distant relatives, even though they were all technically clones.
But now, the clones Hwang Ji-ho had created all looked identical to him.
‘It must be more difficult to create clones in different forms. Given the urgency, he probably made clones with the same appearance for efficiency.’
Jo Su-hyeok had seen Hwang Ji-ho appear somewhat dazed when handling multiple clones, so he understood that creating too many at once could be exhausting.
Usually, he kept the number of clones limited, so increasing their numbers all of a sudden might not be ideal.
Jeon Mu-yeong was purely admiring.
“Such incredible abilities. Even the clothes are replicated. Can items be replicated as well?”
“The clothes I’m wearing were made from a special material that reacts to my energy and gets replicated. Not all my clones wear those special clothes, but some of them are always prepared.”
The fact that the clones were wearing identical clothing wasn’t just a simple replication.
It seemed like the clothes had special abilities, and given the strength of someone like Hwang Ji-ho, these were items that only he could use.
The items didn’t seem to be naturally occurring, so it seemed likely they were custom-made by Hwang Ji-ho.
The Ho Clan, having had immense wealth and power for years, probably had no trouble creating specialized items to enhance Hwang Ji-ho’s abilities.
As these thoughts crossed his mind, Jo Su-hyeok noticed something.
‘There’s no tie.’
Since Jo Su-hyeok had used his tie as an impromptu eye patch, it made sense that the clones wouldn’t be wearing one.
Considering the special nature of Hwang Ji-ho’s custom items, it was unlikely the tie was easily reproduced, and it seemed wasteful to use such a precious item just to cover his eyes.
If he had known, maybe he would have just used the tie he was wearing.
Hwang Ji-ho, seeing Jo Su-hyeok’s thoughts, spoke.
“Before you start overthinking, it’s better to get moving.”
Jeon Mu-yeong, though curious, followed his words.
Thus, the three of them moved forward.
Now that Hwang Ji-ho had created three clones, their party had grown to five.
Though Jo Su-hyeok had initially thought they would split into three pairs, Hwang Ji-ho and Jeon Mu-yeong had a different idea.
“I’ll take care of the other two paths using my clones. One path, we’ll go together.”
“I think that’s a better idea. There shouldn’t be any problems strategically.”
It was fine for Hwang Ji-ho to handle one path alone.
Even if the worst-case scenario happened, the clones would be the ones affected.
However, there was still some doubt.
‘If a clone is attacked, how much will it affect the main body? If I ask now, I doubt Hwang Ji-ho would tell me.’
As Jo Su-hyeok followed behind, Hwang Ji-ho asked.
“Is it surprising that we’re going together? Were you planning to go alone?”
Jo Su-hyeok hadn’t really considered going alone.
If acting alone would increase the chances of retrieving the Shaman, he might have considered it, but right now he was injured, and his combat ability was significantly reduced.
Since Hwang Ji-ho had divided the paths, there was no need for Jo Su-hyeok to insist on acting alone.
If necessary, he would do so, but there was no reason to take that route when it wasn’t needed.
‘Considering Seong Guk-eon’s abilities, it would be strange for anyone to insist on going alone.’
The atmosphere didn’t seem to call for such a response.
Jo Su-hyeok picked a response Seong Guk-eon might use.
“No, I wasn’t.”
“I’m curious what made you come to that conclusion, but I’ll let it go since I like the answer.”
If Hwang Ji-ho was satisfied, there was no need to probe further.
The three of them chose the central path and proceeded.
Though it wasn’t obvious, Hwang Ji-ho’s sharp demeanor seemed to calm slightly.
‘Hwang Ji-ho seems more composed now. Did he focus after facing the enemy?’
He could have been affected by events elsewhere involving his clones, but it was also possible that he calmed himself now that they were close to retrieving the Shaman.
It was said that the Shaman had the power to summon dark clouds, and as they moved forward, the clouds seemed to darken.
This was a sign that they were entering an area where the Shaman’s power was strong, meaning they were getting closer to the Shaman.
‘There’s something up ahead.’
This path was the hasty move of their enemy.
The path wasn’t long, and they were quickly nearing the end.
Beyond the narrow passage, something awaited them.
Hwang Ji-ho and Jeon Mu-yeong must have sensed it, as they prepared to use their powers.
The thick, dark clouds that made up the Garden rippled.
Seeing the disturbance caused by the power, Hwang Ji-ho sighed.
“They’re still using this much power.”
Hwang Ji-ho wasn’t worried about the upcoming battle but about the Shaman, who was the source of the power.
He knew well how Mujeong and Gugalanna had lost their power.
At that moment, Hwang Ji-ho’s eyes suddenly turned golden.
“Two of the clones have started fighting. They’re each facing an enemy of Floor Master-level strength.”
When Jo Su-hyeok heard the mention of Floor Master-level enemies, he immediately realized what kind of opponents they were about to face.
Now that they had dug this deep into the Garden, the enemy could no longer afford to just watch from the sidelines.
The reason they had created three separate paths was likely to eliminate their team one by one.
They probably hadn’t entrusted the entire process to the Floor Master.
‘So, it’s begun.’
Hwang Ji-ho’s pace quickly changed.
He sped up, but no one in the group complained.
When they emerged from the path, the landscape transformed dramatically.
It was hard to believe they had just walked through a narrow corridor.
Ahead of them was a massive furnace, its flames burning brightly.
Something was burning inside the furnace.
