CHAPTER 130: SECOND ENCOUNTER, SAME SONG

The system, thoroughly annoyed, reluctantly opened Illiya’s status interface.

The current host interface was still very rudimentary, displaying only a single progress bar.

Unlike previous hosts, who started as fully formed beings, Illiya had begun his journey as a seed, so his status screen was different.

The host interface would only fully unlock once Illiya reached the maturity stage.

At this point, even that single progress bar was already nearing its end.

[ Almost there, almost there. With the current conditions in the Demon Realm, it won’t be more than a few days before you’re fully mature. ]

Satisfied at last with the answer, Juwon didn’t press further. After dismissing the system with a casual wave, he let himself sink into his own world.

There was no one around who could understand what he was saying anyway, so there was no need to worry about embarrassing himself.

Just as the system was about to slip away, it keenly picked up on Juwon’s thoughts and paused its data stream.

When it first appeared, it had scanned the surrounding environment—and if it hadn’t misjudged, there was a familiar golden-haired figure outside the demon horde.

But the system had no intention of kindly reminding its host.

After all, Juwon had threatened it using the complaint button.

Heh, let that useless host get ready to face the consequences of a second encounter.

As for itself? It hadn’t noticed anything at all.

"Everyone, don’t be mistaken. This is indeed an ice flower from the alpine glaciers. You all know how rare and precious ice flowers are—but that’s not even the most important thing here."

"What truly makes this ice flower extraordinary is that it has achieved sentience. A sentient ice flower is a world apart from ordinary magical plants; they’re simply incomparable."

As the servant’s words fell, a wave of shock rippled through the crowd of demons.

The mere mention of a sentient ice flower was like pouring water onto burning oil—the flames roared to life.

If it were just a normal ice flower, it wouldn’t be the rarest thing at the festival.

The demons here had money and power, and who knew what the final result of the auction would be? But a sentient ice flower? That was a whole different story.

To even compare something to this ice flower, it would have to be another sentient magical plant.

And in these times, who would be willing to hand over a sentient magical plant for display? Besides, every plant showcased at this festival had to be personally grown by the owner.

To be able to personally cultivate a sentient magical plant... what kind of insane luck was that?!

Damn those two demons for not playing fair!

Even the onlookers around them, who weren’t direct participants, couldn’t help but feel a sour sting in their teeth, like they’d bitten into a whole lemon.

Ba’aode and Ke’Oth, the two demons responsible, were keenly aware of the envy and jealousy radiating from the crowd.

The more they sensed those admiring and resentful stares, the straighter they stood.

Heh, who would’ve thought? Envy us all you want!

In that moment, Ba’aode and Ke’Oth felt a surge of gratitude for Illiya.

If not for Illiya, they wouldn’t have been able to grow such an extraordinary plant, nor would they have realized that the land they tended actually held an ice flower.

Sniff, sniff—they were truly, profoundly grateful to that elf!

Elves really were the most adorable race in the world—of course, except for their most beloved Majesty!

Illiya’s sharp ears twitched lightly, sensing a powerful wave of emotion directed at him. Following it, he saw the proud faces of the third and fourth-ranked demon lords.

Glancing at the ice flower on stage and piecing things together, he instantly understood what had stirred up this reaction.

A faint, satisfied smile curved at the corners of Illiya’s lips.

But he didn’t get to enjoy it for long. Suddenly, he felt a familiar mental fluctuation in the air—something he could not only sense but also understand in its entirety.

He’d felt this same sensation once before.

It was when he’d used a growth buff on the ice flower.

So, was Juwon once again lost in his own world? He couldn’t help but wonder if he could catch that strange mental fluctuation from last time—because it had really caught his attention.

Before he could think further, the magic power in the air began to tremble.

Illiya noticed it and his expression became strangely unreadable.

Was the frequency of this mental fluctuation a little too regular? It was as if he had heard it somewhere before.

With that thought, Illiya simply closed his eyes and began to sense the magic power in the air.

The moment he touched it, that familiar voice instantly rendered him speechless, making him wish he could go back in time and stop himself from trying to sense it at all.

Help! Why was there someone who could sing in a way where not a single note was on pitch?!

And this voice was particularly familiar—so familiar that Illiya’s usual secondhand embarrassment almost kicked in.

He still remembered the first time he met Juwo ; what he had "heard" was this very song.

So how was it that, on their second meeting, he was hearing the same song again?

What kind of fate was this? Or did it mean that in this world, there really was no one else Juwon cared about?

Illiya withdrew his magic power and pretended as though nothing had happened.

Now, two choices lay before him.

The first was to reach out to the drifting magic power of Juwon’s and gently remind this person who is so immersed in his own world, to tone it down a bit.

Honestly, spirits were not a big deal, but the top combat power in the demon realm was standing right here.

Once magic power reached a certain level, one could vaguely sense the emotions within another’s magic power.

If that happened, it would be a truly epic social death moment.