전생검신 Volume 81 Chapter 1

I was watching Nailatop meet his end when suddenly, I snapped back to reality.

‘This isn’t the time to daze off.’

Even though that librarian guy is some sort of Great Being, if he has killed Nailatop and left, the chances of him interfering with me anymore are pretty slim. Plus, I had a ton of things to do in this vast universe—dawdling is not an option.

Squeeze.

I gripped the metal fragment of the Cheon Woo-jin tightly in my hand and thought,

‘Let’s try reviving Cheon Woo-jin quickly with the Sun and Moon Spirit!’

If I could bring Cheon Woo-jin back to life before the Sun and Moon Spirit runs out…!!

Whoosh.

The dormant power of the Sun and Moon Spirit responded gradually, releasing a bright orange wave from my hand. As the wave grew thicker and the light intensified, I could feel Cheon Woo-jin’s strength returning vividly.

Snap!

But in the next moment, I felt a sudden lurch as my connection to the Sun and Moon Spirit was severed. I didn’t feel pain, but it was as if a straight line had divided my body, and the sensations from my half-body were acting independently. I realized immediately what this strange sensation meant.

‘…The Sun and Moon Spirit has split into its components!’

That meant the Sun and Moon Spirit process had just ended!

With the fusion of the Sun and Moon Spirit over, it seemed the two halves were starting to revolve again in their respective places. Naturally, if the two began to exert their presence again, it was certain I would die.

What should I do now?!

As I was panicking, a faint voice from Cheon Woo-jin echoed in my mind.

[…Baek Woong…]

“Cheon Woo-jin! Are you okay now?”

[You don’t have to force yourself to hold on… just let go… I’ll somehow send you back to your original state…]

Sizzle!!

Sizzle!!

The metal fragment of Cheon Woo-jin had now completely transformed into a semiconductor chip, emitting electricity. That meant part of Cheon Woo-jin’s power had returned thanks to the revival attempt with the Sun and Moon Spirit. However, judging by how unstable his voice was and how he couldn’t fully show himself, it seemed he wasn’t completely back yet.

[First… escape from the Infinite Realm…]

After a moment, a big jolt of lightning burst forth from Cheon Woo-jin’s chip.

Multiverse link.

Anti-Physics Shell.

Whooosh!!

After a cheerful sound reminiscent of crashing waves echoed, I suddenly realized that everything around me had transformed back into the gray canyon I had seen when I first arrived here. In the quiet, dark gray canyon filled with countless flying books and torn pages, the gigantic [Gate] I had seen earlier appeared.

‘…I don’t really understand the principle, but I must have escaped the universe by layering a fake space over it, just like Nailatop did.’

As I fell silent, Cheon Woo-jin’s voice filled my head again.

[Now you don’t have to worry about dying in space… quickly sever the connection of power…]

“Got it.”

Knowing that if the Sun and Moon Spirit pulsed one more time, I would take considerable damage and feel my body being torn apart, I quickly detached it from myself before they could revolve again. Once the connection with the ‘vessel’ was severed, the Sun and Moon Spirit floated upward and began to vanish, orbiting toward the space beyond, and I felt that the alien sensation trying to tear my body in half was rapidly dissipating.

Wobble.

‘Ugh…’

The feeling of powerlessness is no joke. It’s because I had forcibly housed something that my original strength couldn’t handle. When I finally gathered my wits and stood up straight, Cheon Woo-jin spoke.

[Baek Woong… it’s time for you to choose one of two options.]

I was taken aback.

“What do you mean all of a sudden?”

[…The gate in front of you… ]

After a brief pause, Cheon Woo-jin continued.

[If you choose to open the gate now, I can pour all of my strength into helping you… But if you decide not to open it… I’ll end the training in the Training World and safely return you to the Takrok Era immediately.]

“…!!”

[There isn’t much time left, so hurry up and choose… ]

“…”

I shuddered, but soon felt a sense of discomfort from Cheon Woo-jin’s tone. It was an unidentifiable nervousness, and a faint feeling of anxiety tingled at my senses, as though he might disappear at any moment. I realized what this gut feeling was conveying and, with an unprecedentedly sharp mind, I grasped the situation.

I said quietly.

“Cheon Woo-jin. Are you trying to self-destruct regardless of what choice you make?”

[…What…]

“Answer me directly. If not, I won’t make any choice.”

When I spoke seriously, Cheon Woo-jin fell silent for a long time, and eventually, his hologram appeared before me.

Fizzle…

As if receiving an old, crinkled transmission, the projection of Cheon Woo-jin was wavering and had an unsettling quality. Standing there with a pale face, clutching a raccoon doll, he appeared to be struggling for the first time. Cheon Woo-jin said,

“That’s right. I’ll soon disappear.”

“…”

“To be precise, I’ve reached a state where I cannot avoid dissipating by any means, and before I do, there are only two ways left for me to assist you.”

My bad feelings were confirmed.

Life is full of those damn accurate hunches, so I clenched my teeth and spoke to Cheon Woo-jin.

“You just regained your power with the Sun and Moon Spirit. Plus, you’re connected to the Heavenly Secret. So why would you die?!”

Cheon Woo-jin gazed blankly at me and replied,

“…That Sun and Moon Spirit is a miracle. I should have vanished when Nailatop erased my data a while back, but you resurrected my existence that had reached complete nothingness. That’s a feat on a whole different level than merely creating a soul.”

“What?”

“When you brought me back to life with the Sun and Moon Spirit… you changed the laws of this universe once. However, even so, my existence that was once negated by the Law of Cause and Effect cannot be wholeheartedly accepted…”

“…”

“Take a look at this.”

As I was left speechless, Cheon Woo-jin extended his hand to show me. When a delicate white hand of a young girl reached out before me, my eyes widened in shock.

“No!!”

Crackle…

I could see Cheon Woo-jin’s fingertip slowly vanishing before my eyes. It was disappearing so gradually that I wouldn’t have noticed at first, but it was evident that dust was scattering. As I gasped, Cheon Woo-jin spoke.

“The power of the Sun and Moon Spirit is temporarily protecting my existence from the Law of Cause and Effect, but it will eventually fade away. Therefore, it’s best to use the power I’ve regained to open a path for you before I disappear. That’s the rational choice.”

“Ah, no… damn… doesn’t the Heavenly Secret save you?!”

“When you eliminated Hang-a, did the Heavenly Secret bring Hang-a back?”

“…”

“For a book, a terminal is just a tool. It’s not the time for such sentimental chatter.”

As Cheon Woo-jin looked me straight in the eyes, he continued.

“Choose.”

…

Faced with Cheon Woo-jin’s imminent disappearance, I was asked to make a choice between two options.

I felt like I was about to explode, but for some reason, my mind was eerily calm. The power of the Sun and Moon Spirit that had activated earlier seemed to still keep my thoughts clear. It seemed that even after the Sun and Moon Spirit faded, its remnants continued to assist me for a while.

So I was able to quickly ask Cheon Woo-jin a core question.

“Honestly, there’s no reason to open that gate at the cost of your sacrifice, right? I’m not ready to see the ‘end’ yet, so what’s the point of heading to a place where the final boss awaits? I get the latter, but what’s the former all about?”

“…”

“But you’re not the type to just pose such a question without reason. So tell me why you made the first suggestion.”

“Wow, the Sun and Moon Spirit really makes you bright all of a sudden…”

Cheon Woo-jin, looking intrigued at me, answered.

“It’s because there’s no guarantee that the next [terminal] will be a favorable entity for you.”

“…!!”

“Now I see understanding on your face.”

“If I bring someone like Hang-a, what are the odds of opening the gate soaring?”

“Exactly. This time, you made it to the cusp of your dream without any struggle because Nailatop burst through the trial gates alone, but next time, you’ll have to pass each trial that the book presents to you one by one.”

“…”

“If I exert all my strength to assist you now, you can cross safely beyond the gate.”

I see now…

I fully understood the implications of Cheon Woo-jin’s words. However, I just couldn’t accept the situation and broke into a fit of anger.

“Don’t be ridiculous! If you disappear here, that’s the real end, right? Do you think I’d just let you die?!”

Boom!

I prepared to make contact with the vessel of the Sun and Moon Spirit again. While doing so, I grinned at Cheon Woo-jin.

“Just wait! I’ll fully revive you with the Sun and Moon Spirit…”

But Cheon Woo-jin interrupted,

“Baek Woong, stop trying so hard.”

Stopped.

“Ugh?!”

Upon hearing Cheon Woo-jin’s sudden words, I froze and couldn’t proceed with the Sun and Moon Spirit anymore. But it wasn’t because of his words that I froze; my body literally stopped moving beyond my will. It was evidently an artificial phenomenon, and as I panicked, Cheon Woo-jin said,

“Hacking your body’s nervous system and pathways to momentarily paralyze you is child’s play. I placed tons of nanobots when I set up the pathways.”

“…Hey! What are you doing?!”

“Either way, you won’t be able to use the Sun and Moon Spirit again. I know someone sacrificed their power for you…”

Muttering that, Cheon Woo-jin continued,

“Baek Woong, I need to explain something important, so listen.”

“…”

“Do you know why I’m in the form of a girl?”

Fizzle.

Sizzle!!

Cheon Woo-jin’s hologram crackled and twisted, making him nearly unseeable for a moment. I felt my heart race uncontrollably at this distortion.

This is dangerous.

Cheon Woo-jin’s time is running out…

In the face of my instinctive dread, when I didn’t say a word, Cheon Woo-jin spoke.

“This is the appearance of Dr. Faust’s daughter in her lifetime. He embedded this form in the important resources sent to the Great Bear Empire, and I became locked in this appearance.”

“You’ve said that before.”

“But thanks to you unraveling the secret of the Hidden Piece and meeting Dr. Faust, I realized that this appearance isn’t just a memorial. Dr. Faust believed that someday the Reborn Person would reach a singularity, and he granted me the ability to manipulate that singularity.”

“…?!”

“Dr. Faust prepared for this moment.”

W-what does that mean?!

I was stunned by the unexpected narrative. It was confusing, and Cheon Woo-jin’s words were completely outside my expectations.

Cheon Woo-jin said,

“What Dr. Faust sought to verify was the explosion of the singularity and the emergence of the omniscient king. The reason he wanted to confirm that was simple. If he could ascertain the starting point of the circle, he would know the length and area of the circle.”

“Length… area…?”

“The circle’s length represents the length of history. The area of the circle represents the expanse of the universe. It’s the ultimate knowledge attainable through science, right? But Faust didn’t just stop there; he thought he could reverse-engineer it right on the spot to manipulate the singularity.”

“How would he manipulate the singularity? After all, he’s just watching the universe’s beginning, right…?”

When I asked, still puzzled by Faust’s earlier explanation, Cheon Woo-jin suddenly showed me his palm.

“Of course, he didn’t plan to control it directly. Faust planned simply to change the flow of water to his liking without trying to control what couldn’t be controlled.”

Clink!!

Suddenly, a strong golden light appeared, and a pocket watch appeared in Cheon Woo-jin’s hand. When I saw that pocket watch, I couldn’t help but gasp.

“The Hidden Piece.”

“When I became a terminal, Faust’s Hidden Piece was ingrained within me. That means the beginning and end of the universe that Faust observed, those coordinates were recorded within me. What happens if I enter the singularity from here, do you think?”

“…I don’t know.”

Cheon Woo-jin wore a slightly sad smile.

“This appearance… Dr. Faust’s daughter. Because the beginning and end of the universe converge at this moment, the causal law intersects with the time he cherished the most.”

“…!!”

Only then did I start to grasp the meaning of Cheon Woo-jin’s words. Yet, I couldn’t believe it and replied.

“D-Dr. Faust was trying to resurrect his dead daughter?!”

“That’s right. As soon as he enters the singularity, the beginning and end of the universe gather at that timeframe… Faust becomes the closest human to his daughter’s new causal singularity. He might automatically become the next Reborn Person, or at least allow himself or his daughter to become one.”

“…”

“It must have been somewhat of a gamble. His dead daughter could be resurrected, but if luck was bad, she could end up living in a world that was eternally erased.”

I was left stunned by such an unexpected truth.

Everything was part of Dr. Faust’s plan?!

‘If I, the Reborn Person, reach the singularity of the Law of Cause and Effect and surpass it… Dr. Cheon Woo-jin, who concealed the Hidden Piece, would also cross the singularity! He gave me the Hidden Piece containing the coordinates of the universe’s singularity!’

Moreover, from Dr. Faust’s standpoint, there was absolutely no downside. Since I was the one reincarnating, all he had to do was give me a clue or a Hidden Piece, and eventually, I would reach the singularity through hundreds of rounds, and Faust could just wait for the results of either his daughter’s resurrection or for him to become the Reborn Person himself!

Is this really reasonable?

I had no idea that Faust was concocting such schemes!

Yet, as per Cheon Woo-jin’s words, many things started to make sense. No matter how much Faust claimed to care for humanity, it was a bit strange that he went all the way to the edge of the universe, transforming his body into an entire machine in his desperate flight. He wasn’t just trying to travel for humanity; he acted out of a father’s single-minded intention to resurrect his daughter through the Reborn Person!

Cheon Woo-jin spoke.

“But I’m not Faust’s daughter. I can’t fulfill his wish. Therefore, I’m suggesting you open the Heavenly Secret’s gate.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean I can reverse Faust’s plan…”

“…!!”

In that moment, I grasped Cheon Woo-jin’s intention.

I had a hunch of what it meant to reverse.

‘Is that really possible?!’

If so, it would definitely be worth trying!

It was then.

Frizzle…

Suddenly, Cheon Woo-jin’s hologram began to oscillate with loud bursts of energy. At the same time, I saw the tips of his fingers and toes vanishing quickly.

Bam—

“Ahh!!”

I was horrified and screamed, but Cheon Woo-jin said not a word.

He just looked at me with sad eyes.

‘Ah…!!’

I realized that look meant it was time to make a choice, and I couldn’t put it off any longer. If I hesitated any longer, Cheon Woo-jin wouldn’t be able to do anything and would vanish right there.

I focused my mind immediately and lifted my head.

“Listen up, I’m…”

Boom!

As I concentrated all my power throughout my body, I gradually felt it beginning to move. My vast internal power and intent were working together, dissolving the pressure Cheon Woo-jin had held me under momentarily.

Great!

Once I felt my body freeing itself, I bellowed with all my sincerity.

“First, I’m going to hit you!!”

This time, Cheon Woo-jin showed a look of surprise for the first time.

“…Huh…?!”

“Take that!”

If I poured my heart into it, his hologram would feel it too!

Slap!

“Keek!”

I lunged and slapped Cheon Woo-jin’s cheek with my palm, causing his head to whip around. As I observed the cheek of the young girl swell up, the previously hazy projection suddenly sharpened.

“What are you doing?!”

Cheon Woo-jin, his cheek flushed, blinked back tears and exclaimed in disbelief as I raised my hand and shouted.

“What are you staring at? You want another one?!”

“…”

“Seriously, you say you’re my ‘daughter’ but can’t even listen properly and are always scheming! I’ve always wanted to give you at least one slap!”

“Y-you…”

“Hey!! I’m reincarnating! I haven’t even married or dated; how can you be my daughter?!”

I, unjustly agitated, yelled and pointed a finger at him.

“Cheon Woo-jin, you’re not my daughter; you’re a comrade who has crossed life and death with me! Isn’t that right?”

“…!!”

I approached the startled Cheon Woo-jin, roaring in anger.

“So I won’t give up! I’m not choosing either option you laid out! Did you get that?!”

“Baek Woong!!”

I raged, shouting.

“I can’t make a choice that would kill a comrade, you silly fool!!”

I rapidly began to cycle the Soul of the Evil God within me.

Whoooosh!!

‘The Sun and Moon Spirit might have faded away… but… I can augment the technique’s power by spinning the Soul of the Evil God around once!’

I’m not sure if this will work, but I have no choice but to try.

Now, merely stealing what’s visible won’t save my comrades.

I have to steal what’s invisible to save them.

‘Damn it… it has to work out somehow!’

I gathered every last bit of focus in my life and drew my sword.

In this situation, there was only one technique I could use.

Whoosh!

Technique of All Things (萬常之偸) –

I’ll steal the Law of Cause and Effect that’s trying to eradicate Cheon Woo-jin!