The Freed Slaves Are Obsessed

When people speak of a Defier of Heaven, they usually refer to one of two types:

The first is someone who, resisting an unjust fate, embarks on a treacherous journey.

The second is one who, unable to accept their fate yet too fearful to resist, chooses an easy way out.

In the case of the former, history books would call them heroes; in the latter, they would be dismissed as cowards, like a disgraced monk.

A hero.

A hero isn’t necessarily someone who fights on the frontlines of a battlefield.

For a little girl in a remote mountain village, even the mischievous boy next door could be a hero. Grandeur is not a requirement.

So, which of these does Karami belong to?

At the very least, he didn’t seem to be the latter. By process of elimination, he might lean more toward the former.

It wasn’t surprising. Heukbi herself wasn’t an ordinary fox, and in her long life, she had occasionally come across those called heroes.

Even so, Heukbi found herself surprised.

It wasn’t Karami’s defiance of fate that astonished her.

“So, you’re the one who awakened the Gumiho?”

“Awakened? I’d say she sought me out first.”

Karami responded with a sly smile, as if it wasn’t a secret worth keeping.

It turned out he was the one who had not only awakened the Gumiho but also nurtured her into an eight-tailed fox. That was what surprised Heukbi.

“So, you didn’t seek me out just for a fortune.”

“It wasn’t the main reason, but let’s call it a side task. You could say I handled business and indulged in a bit of a hobby at the same time.”

Heukbi’s refined way of referring to herself as “a young maiden” was a manner of speaking that one rarely heard on modern Earth.

If Karami were to compare his conversation with Heukbi, it would be like talking to a character voice actor who had taken their role very seriously, complete with cosplay.

From the moment he encountered Heukbi, Karami’s heart had been racing with excitement.

Of course, the feeling wasn’t mutual. To Heukbi, he had gone from being an insignificant man to an individual as dangerous, if not more so, than the Gumiho.

If she had a scouter to measure danger levels, it would have exploded.

“Fate isn’t something that can be flipped like the palm of your hand. The same goes for fortunes.”

Karami’s fortune wasn’t just his own. It encompassed everyone tied to him, including the Gumiho.

“But didn’t I already change the fortune?”

“It was forced.”

“Then it shouldn’t have changed even if a disaster struck. A wind should’ve blown it away or ripped it before I had the chance. Why would you get my hopes up only to say it’s impossible?”

“What nonsense...”

“Regardless, I’m going with this one, so act like you understand.”

What kind of unreasonable man was this? Was this truly the man who drew the ox tile? Perhaps it was tenacity, or maybe he had the stubbornness of a three-year-old child.

It was almost preferable to someone who’d beg her to reverse their fate. At least then, she could have driven them out with force.

But as he was actively changing his own fortune, Heukbi couldn’t simply dismiss him.

Being around him was exhausting. She needed to get rid of him as soon as possible.

“It seems you’re here chasing the Gumiho, but unfortunately, she’s not here.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

Heukbi’s voice and gaze remained composed. Even when Karami looked at her intently, she didn’t waver, as if she were completely confident in her truthfulness.

“I see. If she’s not here, I suppose I have no choice.”

Karami got up calmly. He collected the three tiles he had drawn and held them up to Heukbi.

“Mind if I take these as souvenirs?”

“Do as you please. Why not take them all while you’re at it?”

“Oh, can I? Yay~”

Karami didn’t hold back. Humming to himself, he gathered all twelve tiles.

“Well then, I’ll be on my way.”

“Yes, please, by all means.”

Heukbi followed behind Karami, almost as if she were escorting him out of Umwolsan, as one would shoo away an unwanted animal.

Once outside, Karami looked around, craning his neck as if searching for something.

“This seems about right...”

Just as he was about to pull a red bead from his pouch and toss it—

Smack!

Moving with uncharacteristic speed, Heukbi suddenly surged forward and seized Karami’s wrist roughly. The bead slipped from his grasp and fell to the ground.

Squeeze.

“Ugh.”

Heukbi’s grip tightened. Her strength exceeded that of an average woman, making Karami wince. Still, he forced a strained smile.

“What is it? Have you grown attached already? Feeling lonely now that I’m leaving? Shall I stay and keep you company?”

“Nonsense. What were you about to do?”

“I need to fetch my slave.”

“Slave...?”

“You didn’t know? The Gumiho is my slave.”

Not understanding, Heukbi frowned, glaring at him. Karami just smiled, staring at a seemingly empty spot in the air.

“Didn’t you say the Gumiho wasn’t here? Well, technically, that’s true, but she’s nearby.”

“...How did you figure that out?”

“When someone’s this close, even if they’re in another space, I can sense them.”

Poof!

The bead on the ground exploded, releasing a puff of red smoke.

Heukbi didn’t have time to analyze what it was.

Another of Cheonho’s magic beads.

Its effects were unknown.

Heukbi reversed the bead’s existence entirely. In an instant, it vanished with a faint puff of smoke.

“Impressive reaction time.”

“I knew what it was. It won’t work a second time.”

“That was your reversal, right? Using the Silver Eyes.”

“So Cheonho told you that much...”

“Oh, no, not at all. I already knew.”

“You shouldn’t bother lying if it’s so obvious.” 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

“But it’s true...”

If Cheonho were to hear this, she’d feel wronged. She hadn’t told him anything. Karami had already known everything before she had the chance.

Naturally, Heukbi didn’t know this, nor would she believe it if he told her.

“Even if you know my ability, it changes nothing.”

“Hmm, are you sure? It has a clear flaw.”

“A... flaw?”

Karami laughed casually, continuing.

“The Silver Eyes reverse things that exist in reality. They don’t annihilate. So, where do those reversed things go?”

“That’s...”

“Hmm, perhaps to a mirror world?”

At that moment, the languid look in Heukbi’s eyes vanished, her gaze widening sharply.

She had to admit, it was an impressive reaction. Surprising someone as dignified as Heukbi was highly entertaining. Karami couldn’t resist a low chuckle filled with base amusement.

“The weakness of such a space is that it can’t withstand simultaneous impact from inside and outside. Like this.”

Shing!

Something whizzed by Heukbi at bullet speed, stirring her black hair wildly in the wind.

It was a blue bead.

Where did that come from?!

Heukbi whipped her head toward the direction from which the bead had flown, scrutinizing the area intently.

It was a considerable distance from Umwolsan. Only by focusing intently could one detect the faint presence.

“Damn it, why do I have to do this crap!”

There, stationed far away in line with Karami’s signal, was Hilde, grumbling as she followed his instructions.

When she saw his signal flare, she threw one of the beads he’d handed her.

The blue bead exploded upon reaching the barrier.

It was infused with Yuha’s final reserves of energy, a force intended to restore the natural flow of fate—a direct threat to both the Gumiho and Ahmo.

Crack.

With a shattering sound, fractures spread through the empty space.

The dimension seemed on the verge of collapse but ultimately held. Yuha’s weakened state had diminished its power.

Heukbi let out a small sigh of relief, then turned her sharp gaze back to Karami.

“I was too complacent. Allowing you to leave would be a great danger to the world.”

“Didn’t you just tell me to leave a moment ago? Now you’re changing your tune?”

“Of course. I am Ahmo, after all. If I can reverse fate, what’s a simple change of words?”

“Acting all high and mighty... ugh.”

Heukbi tightened her grip on Karami’s wrist until he buckled under the pressure.

As he knelt, Heukbi gazed down at him coldly.

An ordinary human, yet one with the audacity to defy fate itself. She had to nip this threat in the bud before it grew.

The surest way to do so.

Heukbi’s Silver Eyes locked onto Karami’s form.

The target of her reversal: his very life.

“Die.”

It was a single, succinct command.

"...Wake up!"

"Mmm..."

"I said, wake up!"

A sharp, nagging voice pierced her eardrums, forcing Gumiho to awaken begrudgingly. She clutched her throbbing head and sat up.

She was still in the reversed world, a place filled with mirrors. Heukbi was nowhere to be seen, as if she’d left Gumiho alone in this space.

Yet, a different voice echoed around her.

When Gumiho looked down, she realized the mirror beneath her was also looking back at her. The only difference was in the subtle movements.

It was as if it were someone else.

The posture was different, and the aura felt off.

"You..."

"How many times did Lin call you? Why are you only waking up now?"

The reflection in the mirror was Lin—her other self that shared the same body, now appearing on the other side of the mirror.

"Weren't you just sobbing yourself to sleep?"

This was the same Lin who had fled in tears after being caught stealing her master Karami’s life force, wounded by harsh words. And yet, here she was, perfectly fine.

"What are you talking about? Because of you, Lin had to wake up against her will."

"What?"

Gumiho double-checked her own state.

Was she the one in control of the body?

Did the reversal wake Lin, while her own personality was somehow pushed aside?

But everything felt vivid, as if they both existed simultaneously, separated by the mirror’s surface.

Seeing Gumiho looking dazed, Lin raised her voice, irritated.

"Now isn’t the time to sit there like that! Master’s outside!"

"He’s... here?"

Gumiho lifted her head, gazing into the void.

Sure enough...

Outside the barrier, she could sense his presence, or more precisely, the binding chain that linked to his soul. She’d told him to stay away because he’d just get in the way, yet here he was.

Why had he come?

He was powerless.

No matter how much she thought about it, Gumiho couldn’t figure out the reason.

"We have to get out of here quickly! Otherwise, Master will be in danger!"

She was right.

There was no way Ahmo would leave Karami alone.

And even if that weren’t the case, Gumiho had no intention of staying here forever.

"It’s not like I want to be here. I’m stuck because I can’t find a way out."

The problem was that she still hadn’t figured out how to escape.

The Reverse Heaven Realm was a space crafted by Heukbi’s power, making it hard for Gumiho to fully use her strength or break through the barrier.

Even if she managed to get out, Heukbi could just create another domain, rendering all her efforts useless.

"Aren't you supposed to be this great and powerful Gumiho? How can you be stuck here so easily?"

"At least I lasted this long. If it were you, you’d be dead already."

"You're all talk for someone who lost!"

"..."

Since she had, in fact, lost, Gumiho held her tongue. Talking back would only make her look bad.

Instead, she focused on finding a way to escape.

If only I had my full power...

If she still had the power of the Moon Eye, the counterpart to her Sun Eye, she could shatter a space like this as easily as breaking a rice cake.

While she was clenching her lips in frustration—

Thud.

A bead suddenly fell from nowhere and rolled across the floor.

Pssss...

The bead emitted a red smoke, but it seemed to be losing its strength, the plume of smoke fading.

Yet Gumiho could sense the faint energy within the smoke. It was one of Cheonho’s beads.

Why had it suddenly appeared here?

Was Karami doing something outside?

She couldn’t begin to guess what was happening.

"What’s with this green bead?"

Apparently, Lin had found a bead on her side as well.

Why does she always manage to say things that get on my nerves? She really is my match.

"What are you talking about? How is this green? It’s clearly red."

"Did you mess up your eyes after losing? It’s definitely green. Could you stop mishandling Lin’s body? That belongs to Master."

"Why would it be... yours?"

Gumiho was about to snap at Lin when she looked down and saw a red bead. It was definitely red.

And on the other side of the mirror.

In the same position, an identical bead emitted green smoke. The bead itself was also green.

It was unmistakably the same bead, yet the colors were opposite.

"Reversal..."

Gumiho unconsciously repeated the word.

A reversed world.

A domain where even personalities were inverted.

A light bulb went off in Gumiho’s mind.