Chapter 184 – The Strongest Serpent (2)

Choi Seol-ah’s shoulders began to tremble slightly.

‘All of this…?’

Human statues filled the area. From their gestures and expressions, it seemed like they’d been alive only moments ago. Their tragic screams still felt as if they lingered in the air.

The deeper they walked among the statues, the more color drained from Seol-ah’s face. She walked in a daze, staring around in shock.

Ten, twenty, thirty, fifty… Once they passed a hundred, Seol-ah stopped counting. There were too many victims. Far too many.

Choi Seol-ah urgently called out to Horn.

“Hey, big-ears! Are you saying all these people died because of your brother?”

Horn turned her head halfway. Her face, barely visible, reflected a deep sorrow. She, too, was shaken by the atrocity committed by her own brother.

She nodded heavily.

“…Yes. All of them were victims of Basilisk’s power, the ‘Petrifying Eye.’”

A rare power, even among demons the magical eye. Those who awakened it gained a unique special ability. Basilisk had awakened his from a young age—unlike his sister Horn.

“We knew that before coming here, but this—this is a massacre!”

Such overwhelming power always came at a cost. The magic eye consumed a tremendous amount of mana.

Even among demons, two or three consecutive uses were enough to drain one’s life force entirely. Many died from their own power, which earned it the nickname the eye that devours its bearer.

That’s why even those who had it used it only as a final move. Without that risk, it would be practically invincible.

But… what if someone could bear the mana cost? It meant unleashing lethal attacks like they were nothing.

Horn scanned the statues and murmured with a somber voice.

“I didn’t think it would be this bad…”

“Hey, big-ears! That’s your excuse? You said he could only use it maybe five times! But looking at this, it’s like he was petrifying twenty people with one blast!”

Choi Seol-ah yelled furiously at Horn’s vague response. It was enough to drive anyone mad. Coming here had already been insane. If she turned back now, she’d have to face the edge of a cold blade.

As annoying as it was, she had started to feel some sympathy for big-ears. That’s why she came. At least with her Lord, her life would be safe.

But with each step forward, her anxiety grew. Maybe she’d survive, sure… but would she leave with all her limbs intact? What if part of her body turned to stone?

There likely wouldn’t be a cure. The only option would be to amputate before it spread. A clean slice from the sashimi knife, and goodbye to a petrified limb.

Choi Seol-ah’s teeth chattered like castanets.

She wanted to live to old age with all four limbs attached.

‘Should I just run now? Better to take a stab to the stomach and end up in the hospital than lose an arm.’

That’s when Kang Geom-Ma placed a hand on her shoulder.

A chill ran down her spine like a jolt of electricity.

Kang Geom-Ma looked at her silently.

“…….”

“Hehe.”

Choi Seol-ah put a hand over her mouth, mimed zipping it shut, and nodded rapidly.

Sorry! I overdid it! Her eyes sparkled with a plea for mercy.

“You’re an adult, so please learn to listen when someone’s speaking calmly, okay?”

“Yes, sir!”

Only then did Kang Geom-Ma withdraw his hand—and his killing intent. Horn watched the two of them with curious eyes.

Horn was a perceptive dragon. The fact that she learned Korean so quickly proved it. That’s why she understood, if only vaguely, how human society worked.

‘Humans really respect age.’

Among demons, age meant nothing. Only strength mattered. With lifespans over a thousand years, a few more didn’t make a difference.

But humans honored the elderly. When Horn first came to the human world, she found that fascinating—almost charming.

‘They value experience because they live so little.’

And yet…

The relationship between those two was strange.

Even though Kang Geom-Ma was clearly younger, he treated the “purple woman” with total superiority. If she talked back, he would shoot killing intent at her without hesitation. And she’d instantly shrink away.

Only the strong had the right to speak, and the weak could only nod. It was just like the demon ecosystem. Even the titles were strange. Choi Seol-ah called him “Lord,” “Master”…

And yet, before long, she’d be annoying him again. As if she forgot everything. Then the cycle repeated punishment, silence, sass.

‘Does she… like it at this point?’

Horn smiled faintly. Thanks to the chemistry between those two, the heavy, stone-like atmosphere became a little more bearable.

And deep down, she felt satisfied too.

All that complaining about her eating too much meat!

***

Suddenly, I asked Horn a question.

“The Petrifying Eye turns to stone anyone who makes eye contact with the user, right? Then wouldn’t it be enough to fight with your eyes closed?”

“That’s not viable in practice. The petrification doesn’t just affect living things. It can harden the ground, lava—even things like wind. If you close your eyes during battle, my brother will definitely use the terrain against you to limit your movement.”

“…Ah.”

I let out a short sigh. The Petrifying Eye was completely broken.

The [Blessing of the Sword God] was also an ocular-type ability. To use it to its fullest, I had to strike following the red lines marked on enemies.

I planned to rely on my experience fighting All Mute… but if Basilisk could manipulate the terrain, it would be utter chaos.

‘But then, how did Horn plan to fight someone like her brother?’

As I thought about it, Horn was going over her strategy while we walked.

“Even so, I doubt he can use the ability continuously. No matter how much magic he has, there has to be a limit. When that time comes, I’ll transform into a dragon and use spells. You two back me up from behind.”

“You’re going to transform? That means releasing your restraint, right?”

“Yes, exactly. It’ll probably consume almost all my magic, but there’s no other way. Only a dragon can fight him on equal footing. Luckily, Basilisk relies heavily on his Eye, so he’s not good at other spells. So basically, you two—”

“Pffft!”

Out of nowhere, Choi Seol-ah burst into laughter. A lock of Horn’s hair popped up like an exclamation mark, and her brows arched slightly.

“…What’s so funny?”

“Nothing, it’s just the first time someone’s asked our Lord to be support. I just found it too funny.”

Choi Seol-ah wiped tears from her eyes as she laughed. Horn just blinked with wide eyes.

“Tell me, have you ever seen someone give a monster a heart attack with a sashimi knife?”

“……?”

“Who cares if it’s the Petrifying Eye or whatever! Our Lord can slice anything in one swing, right?!”

She turned to me with a pleading expression. I completely ignored her look begging for praise.

Seeing that, she lowered her head, muttering something like “praise… praise…”

“…….”

I ignored her and turned back to Horn.

There was a lot I wanted to know about Magic Eyes. In the future, I was bound to face more enemies who had them. Learning now would help later.

“Horn, from what you said, is the Petrifying Eye the strongest of all the Eyes?”

“Currently, yes. But in history, there’s one even stronger.”

The ability to petrify not just living beings but also terrain already sounded incredible. And there was something even stronger? I could hardly believe it.

“The Eye of the Ring. It’s said to be able to distort, just once, the past, the future, infinity and eternity, structure and interpretation.”

Thanks to birth, there is death. Thanks to destruction, new things emerge. Everything in the world follows an endless cycle.

And this ability could alter the outcome without breaking that cycle. It was hard to grasp, but if you thought about it, it was terrifying.

Put simply it was like rewriting 1+1=2 into 1+1=3. An ability that defied the laws of the universe.

Horn explained that this ability wasn’t just a Magic Eye but bordered on the concept of a Divine Eye.

And who had used it? I asked Horn, and she answered without hesitation.

“The bearer was the first Dragon Lord, Ouroboros. But 700 years ago, he passed that power to a human… and died.”

“I thought only demons could use Eyes? Don’t they require magic as fuel?”

“The Eye of the Ring is different. It doesn’t use magic—it uses the user’s life. That’s why, even if a human has no magical power, they can use it. Though, of course, the human had to be stronger than the Dragon Lord.”

“A human stronger than a Dragon Lord? Someone like that existed?”

“…Yes. Only one. The only one Ouroboros ever respected.”

Horn pressed her lips together uncomfortably.

“A name everyone knows. Humans, demons—everyone.”

A chill ran down my spine. Horn opened her mouth.

“Balor Joaquin.”

“……!”

“There’s still debate over why Ouroboros gave him that power. But they say he never regretted it. When he died, he left these words behind.”

***

In Miracle Blessing M, there are many unresolved mysteries. Maybe it was the studio’s design, but some were never revealed.

The most representative.

— The true identity of the Demon King.

— The power of Balor Joaquin.

The first, maybe you’d find out at the end.

The second probably never.

And now it seemed like I…

Was the only player who knew the game’s greatest MacGuffin.

‘Did the founder hero have a Magic Eye…?’

As I sank into confusion, Horn spoke again with a reverent voice.

“Balor Joaquin wanted to stop the inevitable destruction. To find the answer, he left for distant lands… and to do that, he needed the Eye of the Ring…”

Before she could finish, an overwhelming energy surged ahead of us.

Swoosh…

A slippery, slithering sound echoed through the air. All of us turned our gaze forward.