IRNH C77

Chapter 77

Sihyeon hadn’t even had time to think.
Faced with a completely unexpected situation, he unleashed lethal strikes on instinct—
yet in the end, he withdrew the finishing blow and forced out a question.

“Y-You… you really… really are the Blood-Heaven Demon Blade!!!”

But the young man didn’t answer.
Instead, he recited that cringe-inducing title again.

Sihyeon wanted to yell shut the hell up with that embarrassing nickname,
but he pretended to remain composed as he slowly approached.

The man stared up at him—mouth dry, swallowing repeatedly—
and in that moment, memories from the past year slammed into him:

The brutal training he endured to enter the information business…
and the underground rumors whispered within the organization.

Th-Then the person behind him… is the Heavenly Demon?

If that was true—
he had no options left.

“T-The Heavenly Demon reigns eternal! May ten thousand demons prosper!!!”

He flung himself flat on the ground in surrender.

“…Ha…”

Sihyeon wanted to pass out from secondhand embarrassment before he even understood the situation.

“Close your mouth.”

“Y-Yes, sir! Right away!”

“Master, he is suspicious. Shall I kill him?”

“Stay put, you.”

His headache worsened.

And Hajung, staring at all this like it made no sense, wasn’t helping.
They came to get information—
not to stack new problems on top of old ones.

He expected—at worst—a small fight.
He absolutely did not expect to meet someone who recognized his past.

Sihyeon slumped onto the sofa, pressing a hand to his forehead.

“So you’re Sima Yun.”

The initial dominance reversed completely.
The crushing tension evaporated, leaving only an upside-down scene:

Sihyeon seated calmly,
and the so-called master of Black Butterfly prostrated on the floor.

With his forehead pressed into the soft carpet, Sima Yun cursed Liang Chaoxia internally.
Why had she sent these walking disasters his way?
They had maintained a decent business relationship until now—
but this was the end.
He ground his teeth in pure resentment.

“Y-Yes…”

He had once seen the Blood-Heaven Demon Blade from afar.
The man looked quite different back then—
so he hadn’t recognized him at first.

But that face wasn’t one a person could forget.
His name slipped out unconsciously.

To think the very same man had appeared in the Dreamwalk world he experienced…
it was unbelievable, even now.

But survival came first.

“And you’re the one who created Black Butterfly.”

“I woke up and found myself a Hunter… and got myself a skill for managing information… heh.”

“A low-ranking brat who got lucky.”

Sima Yun wanted to correct him—
he wasn’t low-ranking at all.
He was heir to the Demonic Brain, Sima Cheon—
a position both powerful and terrifying.

But he swallowed it and smiled like an idiot.

Those involved in Sima Cheon’s faction who lost his favor did not live long.
Yun had arrived near the end of the war and never saw firsthand how long Sihyeon or Taewoon had been present—
but even believing half the rumors was enough to chill him to the bone.

And after enjoying such a luxurious life here, he had no intention of dying.

“Y-Yes, yes…”

Sihyeon massaged his temple.

Hearing the name, he finally understood the man’s abilities.

In the Demonic Cult, there were many subdivisions under the Heavenly Demon—
but only one group didn’t fight:

Sima Cheon’s faction—
the brain of the cult,
responsible for information, strategy, prediction.

Their craft rivaled the famed Zhuge Clan on the righteous side.
Sima Cheon himself had supported Sihyeon and Taewoon’s plans extensively.

But despite that, Sihyeon could not remember anyone named Sima Yun.

Is he lying? But if so, how would he know all this?
He didn’t touch my mind either… no sign of mental intrusion…

“Hey, explain. I deserve to know what’s going on.”

Hajung crossed his arms, frustration spilling out.
He had ignored the weird behavior so far, but this crossed the line.

Black Butterfly—
the monster they were supposed to negotiate with—
was apparently some acquaintance?

What kind of ridiculous movie plot was this?

Sihyeon let out a heavy sigh.

“For starters… I’m a Dreamwalker.
Well, Taewoon too.”

“I figured that much.”

“And… it seems this guy had the same dream as us.”

Even after saying it himself, Sihyeon couldn’t fully wrap his head around it.

He had physically disappeared into the game world—
not merely dreamed.

And yet Sima Yun—
a Dreamwalker—
was supposedly in the same world?

How did that make sense?

As he tried to process the situation, his gaze drifted to the strangest factor of all: Taewoon.
He shut his eyes and inhaled deeply.

“Hm… well, it isn’t impossible.”

“…What?”

Hajung’s voice was surprisingly calm.

There were three documented cases worldwide.
Extremely rare—
but people had shared dreams before.

It had caused massive public fascination.

Sihyeon knew this was far beyond “shared dreams,”
but Hajung seemed satisfied with that explanation, so Sihyeon nodded reluctantly.

“Still, three people at once is new.
But honestly, how much do we know about this whole phenomenon?
Not even ten percent.
Anyway… isn’t this good?”

“…Good how?”

“The man was your subordinate, right?
He’s way weaker than you.”

A switch flipped in Sihyeon’s head.

“Oh. Right. This is great.
Tell me everything you know about the Villain Union.”

“…P-Pardon?”

“Are your ears clogged? Want me to unclog them?”

Hajung meant to say “negotiate nicely”—
but Sihyeon had already raised his hand out of ingrained habit.

Cultists only behaved after you displayed overwhelming force.
He couldn’t help it.

Sima Yun slapped his hands over his ears—
shaking violently—
before slowly lowering them again.
It sounded far too much like a threat to crack his skull open.

“M-My skill’s good, but… unless I plant my eyes and ears somewhere, I can’t gather proper intel…”

“Explain in detail.”

His ability allowed him to plant “eyes” and “ears”—models of them—within a certain range.
He could collect both current and some past information from those points.
Predictions came from cross-referencing the huge pile of data.

But that meant he didn’t have high-level intel.
Sihyeon wanted information about the core members of the Villain Union—
not street thugs.

Yun answered honestly.

“Tch. Figures.
It wouldn’t be that easy.”

Sihyeon clicked his tongue.
He felt as though a crucial lead had slipped just out of reach.

“Master, then we should deal with him. For future safety.”

Taewoon rose slowly.
Sima Yun’s eyes bulged—nearly rolling out of their sockets—
and he smashed his head into the ground.

“L-Lord Cult Leader!
Though my time was short, I served you faithfully!
Please show mercy!!”

Instead of looking at Taewoon,
he scuttled toward Sihyeon, desperate, tearful—
because the rumor was crystal clear:

If you want to live after provoking the Heavenly Demon,
you must first win the favor of his master—
the Blood-Heaven Demon Blade.

Sima Yun, who used to compile lists of dangerous demonic figures for self-preservation, clung to that belief now.

“No, I—”

“Blood-Hea—no! Sir! I have always respected and admired you!
Your single step shakes the heavens—when you suffer, how could I—”

He had no idea he was digging his own grave.

Sihyeon’s ears turned red, his expression crumpling—
and Taewoon’s eyes sank into chilling darkness.

“A-And! Also—!
Your skills are unparalleled and—”

Feeling the threatening aura spike,
Yun panicked and screamed at the top of his lungs:

“Y-You’re the PERFECT MATCH!
Together, nothing in this world could stand against you!!”

The room echoed like a mountain valley.
That’s how silent everything had become.

“Master, should we spare him?
He could be useful.”

Taewoon gently swept a finger over Sihyeon’s reddened ear and smiled sweetly.

“…Hey.”

Sihyeon jerked away immediately.
Feeling that brief touch sent his nerves scrambling.

“…Call me by name…”

But when Taewoon pretended to be wounded—eyes lowered, looking utterly heartbroken—
Sihyeon lost the ability to speak.

W-What…

Who was Yeon Taewoon?
The Taewoon he knew could be clingy, sure—
but not like this.
Not after that incident.

Memories he didn’t want to revisit bubbled up,
and he forced them down violently before turning back to Sima Yun.

“A-Anyway.
We’re not killing you, so stop and talk.”

“For real?!”

Sima Yun nearly sobbed in relief.
He wanted to hug his past self for preparing for this moment so diligently.