The blazing sun and a clear sky filled my vision.

As I sat up, ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) the sting of sunlight on my face mixed with a cool breeze brushing past.

—Ssshhhhh.

Far off in the distance, the sound of crashing waves.

In my now-clear vision, a slightly exotic palm tree swayed gently in the wind, welcoming me.

I’d seen this place before.

“A...island?”

Perhaps it was because I connected to both Orange and Yeondu at the same time—what spread out before me was a natural landscape that unmistakably felt like an island.

Mental worlds usually reflect either where their owners lived or the characteristics of the spirit beast itself, so this one seemed to be shaped more by Orange, who had lived in Yizhou.

It matched almost exactly what I’d seen there.

“Let’s see... where am I?”

I had come to on the side of a valley stream that flowed down to the distant beach. Since Yeondu had lived by a valley, I figured I should follow the stream upstream.

If this place was shaped like Orange’s Yizhou, then it only made sense that the kids would be in a valley like Yeondu’s.

Different mental worlds or not, I’d done this enough times to know roughly what to expect.

“Alright, let’s go see Orange and Yeondu.”

Tap. Tap. Tap.

With a light heart, I stepped across the valley’s rocks like stepping stones, using light footwork to glide upstream.

After spending time in the dry climate of eastern India, this sudden transition to the lush, subtropical environment of Yizhou—even if it was a mental realm—felt incredibly refreshing.

Eastern India had been dry and dusty; this was like a breath of life.

As I followed the valley, a familiar stony streambed came into view—the place where I’d first met Yeondu. Soon after, I reached the spring where the water burst forth.

Flat stones lined the center.

Crystal-clear spring water surged up from a crack in the rock.

Of course, Yeondu and Orange were both there.

“Hey, you two!”

They had their heads pressed together, clearly fascinated by something. When I called out, they looked up at me with bright expressions and called back:

“So-ryong!”

“Big Brother!”

Wait—they spoke?

I froze for a moment, stunned.

Sure, I expected them to look happy to see me. But speaking? That wasn’t something I’d anticipated.

Until now, none of the beasts I’d linked with had ever spoken inside the mental world. Conversations had only been possible after the connection was complete.

Could it be because I opened the Serpent’s Gate?

That was my best guess as I landed beside them.

“Surprised, huh?”

“Wow, Big Brother, you’re telling me. Even though I heard myself talk, it’s still so weird. That’s me?”

“It’s really strange...”

Turned out they had been staring into a still patch of the spring water, seeing their own reflections. Orange in particular kept shifting around, trying to get a better look at his face.

“Even in the mental world, Orange is a handsome guy.”

“You too, Big Brother! C’mon—like I could compare! Ahaha.”

Orange had the easygoing look of a well-tanned, rugged man. He wore loose orange clothes, matching his scales—exactly like the image I’d always associated with him: bold, cheerful, magnetic.

But as he spoke and moved, something odd stood out.

He wasn’t using his hands at all.

His arms sort of just dangled like ornaments, swaying awkwardly.

Even his walking seemed a bit off?

I shot him a look—what’s with your arms?—and Orange tilted his head.

“What’s up, Big Brother? Why’re you looking at me like that?”

“Uh... why are your hands like that?”

“Oh, that? Well, I... don’t really know how to use them?”

As he answered, I glanced over at Yeondu. She nodded along.

Yeondu had the grace of a refined young lady—like someone raised in a noble household, untouched by hardship.

The kind of girl you could imagine saying elegant things in the most ladylike tone.

Her vibe explained why some of her expressions felt so unusually delicate.

And suddenly, I felt a pang.

When I’d first captured Yeondu, I’d essentially tied up a noblewoman and threatened her. That realization hit me like a rock to the gut.

Man, I really was a scumbag back then.

I mumbled an inner apology: “Yeondu, oppa’s gonna treat you better from now on.”

But first, I had to figure out why they walked awkwardly and couldn’t use their limbs.

Maybe something had gone wrong in the mental world?

Let’s see... so far I’d linked with Cho and his siblings, Hyang and Bini.

Then Seol, Bing, and Dong from the Snow Armored Stone Gecko.

Then Cheong-yu, the Golden Wasp Queen, and Cheongwol the Stone Armored Scorpion.

And of course Hwayang, the Azure Fire Magma Toad.

Aside from Cheong-yu—who was split into a human form and beast form—every single one of them had legs. Multiple legs, even. That meant they had natural experience moving with limbs.

They adapted quickly to human movement inside the mental realm.

But Orange and Yeondu? Neither of them had legs. Not front legs, not back legs—nothing.

Of course they didn’t know how to use arms and legs. They’d never had any.

Snakes don’t have hands or feet.

They were kind of dragging their bodies around using tails—doing their best to “walk”—but they had no muscle memory for arms at all.

Creatures with multiple limbs? Hand movement was second nature. But limb-less ones? Learning to use arms and legs was like asking a fish to climb a tree.

“Oh, this must be your first time with hands and feet. Alright... I’ll guide you. Let’s get a feel for how they move.”

“Yes, Big Brother.”

“Okay, So-ryong.”

We couldn’t stay in the mental realm forever, but there was still time to teach them the basics. And if we met here again, I didn’t want them stuck like this.

I took their arms and gently moved them, rotating their wrists and fingers, showing them what muscles to engage.

As expected of spirit beasts, they picked it up quickly.

“Wow, hands are really convenient, huh?”

“Right?”

“Yes, So-ryong.”

Yeondu watched her fingers wiggle with wonder in her eyes.

Then I caught Orange moving his hand toward Yeondu—then flinching when he saw me looking.

He clearly wanted to rest it on her shoulder. Probably just wanted to feel her warmth. Isn’t that what you do when you care about someone?

You better cherish her, Orange. Seriously.

Resolved to help him out later, I decided to wrap up our time here.

“Alright, let’s get you two registered and head out. Time flows differently here—too long here and days pass outside.”

“Got it, So-ryong.”

“Yes, Big Brother.”

Orange looked devastated.

That kid had the saddest expression in the world, trying so hard not to show it.

I pretended not to notice and spoke casually:

“Both of you—kiss me on the cheek at the same time.”

“Not the hands?”

“I mean, yeah, that’s what I said last time, but the cheek works better. It didn’t go so well with Cheong-yu, remember?”

"Ah, I see."

Outside, I’d said to kiss the back of my hand—but I changed it to the cheek.

Even so, the two of them took position on either side of me without a hint of suspicion.

I checked both sides and gave them instructions.

“When I say one, two, three—kiss me right away, got it?”

“Yes, So-ryong.”

“Yes, Big Brother.”

“One, two, three.”

Just as they leaned in to kiss my cheeks on both sides, I swiftly pulled my body forward—

—and yanked them into the spot I’d just vacated.

And so, with lips still slightly puckered, the two ended up kissing... each other.

‘Damn. So-ryong really is the god of setups.’

To come up with this angle even inside a mental realm—now that’s classic So-ryong.

“Oh my...”

“WHAAAAT!”

Snakes don’t have a kissing culture, obviously, so when Orange’s lips met Yeondu’s, she blinked in shock.

As for Orange, the moment he felt her soft lips on his, his face froze in disbelief.

Even without a kissing culture, he had just touched the softest, most tender part of the one he adored.

The most intimate place you can feel someone’s warmth without crossing the line—what lovers call “just enough.”

Probably the softest thing he’d ever experienced in his life.

Orange... you’d better stay loyal to your Big Brother for life.

I let him linger in the moment for a while.

Then, once he came to his senses, I gave him a playful wink and pulled both their hands toward me, kissing the backs of their hands.

And slowly, my consciousness began to fade.

***

“Oh, he’s waking up. He’s waking up.”

As my senses began to return, I heard Seol-noona’s voice near my ear.

Followed by Hwa-eun’s.

“So-ryong, are you waking up?”

“Nnngh... how many days this time?”

I asked, stretching my stiff, heavy limbs. Hwa-eun gently massaged my arm as she answered.

“Three days.”

“That’s faster than usual. No wonder my body isn’t all stiff.”

“Yes, you woke up incredibly fast.”

It usually took ten to fifteen days minimum. But just three days?

It must have something to do with my improved cultivation stage—or maybe how time flows inside the mental realm.

I’d come out okay, but I had to check on the others.

“How are they? The kids—are they alright?”

“They came to just yesterday. They’re doing fine.”

The two had apparently woken up a day before me.

I called out to them in my mind.

Yeondu.

—Shaaa. 『Oh my, I really can hear your voice! Ah—but this isn’t the time! So-ryong! You’re awake? I was so worried!』

The moment I directed my thoughts toward Yeondu, her voice echoed clearly in my mind.

Then I reached out to Orange.

Orange, Big Brother’s awake.

—Skah! 『Big Brother! You’ve awoken!? I was just standing guard but stepped away for a moment. I’ll come right now!』

Whether it was the mental link or the shared kiss, I could feel their loyalty had surged dramatically.

With a mischievous thought, I asked:

Orange, you’re going to treat Big Brother right, yeah?

He paused for just a second—and then answered with a voice bursting with loyalty.

—SKAAAH! Big Brother is my eternal Big Brother!

Yeah. He clearly loved it.

***

Three days later, we gathered beneath the bodhi tree to register Hwanji and Hwana.

There were a couple of reasons we waited three days and chose the bodhi tree again.

First, Hwa-eun had told me to wait at least two days to let her body recover after going without food—then proceed with Hwanji and Hwana.

Second, I’d originally wanted to do it inside the cave for privacy, but Hwanji and Hwana had flat-out refused to go inside.

Even though the cave widened deeper in, the narrow entrance must have put them off.

So we returned to the bodhi tree and prepared to enter the mental realm.

As I was making final preparations, Tenzin approached and asked in a cautious tone:

“Heavenly Master... may I ask something? When you accept them into your mental world... are you teaching them the Dharma and helping them attain enlightenment?”

At this point, Tenzin had completely mistaken me for the Heavenly Master.

I’d learned something while dealing with the Nāga business in that Indian village:

It doesn’t matter how many times you deny something—people believe what they want.

Once someone decides they believe something, they only hear what supports it and ignore the rest. You can’t convince them.

So I gave up trying.

Whether I was the Heavenly Master or a Tolku or whatever, I just gave him a vague reply and went about my business.

“Hmm. Something like that.”

“I knew it!”

Whatever. I’m stealing the spirit beasts and running anyway. No point in arguing.

I turned back to Hwanji and Hwana.

“You both heard the explanation, right?”

—Shuuu. 『Understood, So-ryong.』

—Shhh. 『Got it, So-ryong.』

I’d already prepped their saliva samples.

Avoiding Tenzin’s gaze—he kept throwing me these overly reverent looks—I quietly summoned the aura of the Beast Heart Art.

As my vision began to blur—

—one final thought crossed my mind.

Wait a second. What are they going to look like inside the mental realm?

A mix of anticipation and dread stirred in me as the mental link began to form.