전생검신 Volume 86, Chapter 8

Mangnyang chanted an incantation while swinging his fan, and as the spell finished, a long silver bridge appeared over the vast abyss. Miho smirked at the sight.

“I’ve seen it many times, but the Corpse Dissolution Technique is really convenient. The spell itself doesn’t mean much—it’s just your will manifested into divine power, isn’t it? If other sorcerers in the world saw it, they’d complain that it’s too powerful and way too easy to cast.”

Mangnyang chuckled.

“What’s wrong with being strong? You could easily do this much, so don’t tease unnecessarily.”

“Alright, alright. Let’s see some talent from this Maiden too.”

Whoosh!

A moment later, a large palanquin appeared alongside Miho’s clones. Miho bowed her head and spoke in a bright voice.

“Please, hop on, great God of Metal, Baek Woong.”

[…….]

“Hahaha!”

Seeing Miho laugh heartily made me feel a bit weak and I chuckled softly.

Sigh… I need to get my original body back quickly; it’s so depressing I can’t stand it.

“Since we’re heading to the Underworld anyway, let’s see if we can find the souls of Song Yu and Pan An this time.”

[……I bet Fuxi’s face was prettier than those two, right?]

“I just want to see a variety of handsome faces.”

[……]

Miho, whether twenty years or several reincarnations later, really hasn’t changed at all.

I somehow felt a sense of relief, as if I had finally returned home.

Tydaht…

After a while, as Miho’s palanquin bearers ran across the bridge, the palace of the Underworld finally came into view. And I frowned when I noticed that the gigantic gate of Hell at the front was broken.

[It’s destroyed? Could there be intruders?]

“There’s a possibility. With the Underworld in such a damaged state, anything could happen.”

Responding to that, Mangnyang stepped down from the palanquin and released the bridge from the Corpse Dissolution Technique, raising his fan.

“Let’s prepare for battle.”

[Hmm.]

Till now, it has mostly been reunions with comrades, but from now on, the enemies I face will genuinely be new threats. I felt a bit tense as I slowly moved forward.

Tap…

I noticed the uniforms of the Underworld scattered everywhere. They were likely the Underworld’s guards or judge officers that had perished at the hands of an intruder. It seemed that most high-level beings originally from this place had been wiped out, rendering it a mere ruin.

‘No strong forces detected…’

The disaster must have occurred some time ago, and we seemed to have arrived late to the scene. After walking for a while, we eventually reached the entrance of the true innermost sanctum, where the door was slightly ajar.

This was the hall of the Mirror of Clarity.

And also the chamber of the Wheel King.

Mangnyang’s expression darkened.

“Oh no… I never thought a guest could open this door! I thought it would be sturdy enough that even most high-level beings in the Underworld would struggle to open it.”

I inwardly agreed with Mangnyang. I even remember having taken refuge in this sanctum, believing in the strength of this door while it was still intact. It was nearly the strongest, so I never anticipated it would be opened.

Creeeak…

As we entered, Mangnyang glanced around, letting out a sigh.

“All the traps inside the sanctum have been destroyed. It seems they couldn’t be solved with wisdom, so they smashed them all through brute force.”

[How crude. Are there really that many who can do that?]

“Such things aren’t possible for mere mortals. Even a Great Immortal would find it nearly impossible. Only beings with divine status could have done this.”

[Hmm.]

“Something’s not right…”

Muttering this, Mangnyang finally reached the spot where the Mirror of Clarity had been. He slumped down, as if power had been drained from him.

“…This can’t be…!!”

The Mirror of Clarity—the only mirror of truth in the Underworld—lay shattered.

[……!!]

At that moment, I also felt my head grow dizzy.

The passage connecting to the Takrok Era!

I was bewildered, never having thought that the Mirror of Clarity would be broken.

‘What do I do now?’

According to Master Mangnyang, the greatest medium connecting the Takrok Era and now was the Mirror of Clarity. We needed to obtain it to attempt anything, but if it’s broken, what are we supposed to do? Does this mean it will be difficult to connect the past and future?

Miho, looking alarmed, frowned.

“Who on earth could have done this? The Mirror of Clarity is a treasure; if they wanted it, they could have just stolen it. Why destroy it? How wasteful.”

“……!!”

At Miho’s words, Mangnyang suddenly seemed to understand something.

“…That’s right. Whoever did this needed to destroy the Mirror of Clarity rather than take it. Paradoxically, that means they must have known its value very well. Also, they must be a being qualified to destroy it. Regular entities can’t break the Mirror through external force.”

“Do you know who it is?”

“Let me think… Hmm…”

As Mangnyang pondered, he glanced at me and said.

“Baek Woong. Please sit over there. It might clarify things.”

In the direction Mangnyang was looking, the throne of the Wheel King awaited.

I walked over and sat on the throne, and shortly after, a strange divine power began to flow from it like an aura.

Sssssss…!!

The jade embedded in the throne glowed. As it illuminated, a moment of silence followed before I saw ten kings appear in the world of thoughts.

And the illusions of those kings seemed to want to say something but eventually vanished like smoke.

[……]

Is that it?

I conveyed the phenomenon I had just felt to Mangnyang. He sighed as if expecting it.

“Indeed… Just as I thought…”

[Mangnyang, you’re saying the criminal who broke the Mirror of Clarity is known to you even though nothing appeared?]

“Not appearing is itself telling us who the culprit is. Normally, when you sit on the throne of the Wheel King, the Ten Kings of Hell and the Seven Treasures should materialize to bind you. However, since neither the Ten Kings nor the Seven Treasures appeared, that means something.”

[…… Oh! Could the Ten Kings of Hell be the criminal?]

“That’s unlikely. The moment the Mirror shattered, the Ten Kings of Hell could not escape from the throne, and the really strange part is that the greatest treasure meant to protect the throne didn’t even reveal its form. It should have been even more closely tied to the Wheel King.”

I grasped something from Mangnyang’s words and my expression hardened.

[Could it be… the culprit is…?]

“……”

Mangnyang’s expression darkened.

“The Seven Treasures broke the Mirror of Clarity on their own will. Moreover, they seem to have escaped the Underworld.”

The Seven Treasures are the culprits behind the destruction of the Mirror of Clarity!

I was in shock at the unexpected theory.

[They’re treasures! How could they even have their own will? Why would they destroy the Mirror of Clarity?]

“I don’t know the reason. However, since the Mirror of Clarity is a treasure directly under the Wheel King’s authority, it cannot be broken by external force. It is connected to the very essence of the dimension. The only ones who could shatter it are beings aligned with the authority of the Wheel King, and the Seven Treasures qualify for that condition.”

[……]

“It seems something tremendous has occurred here. If I had known, I would have hastily retrieved the Mirror of Clarity, even if it meant overlooking the chaos on the surface… I didn’t expect that my hesitation to fight the high-level beings of the Underworld would lead to this outcome.”

As Mangnyang muttered painfully, I found myself speechless.

‘If the Seven Treasures destroyed the Mirror of Clarity… what do we do now?’

Miho, overhearing, crossed her arms and said.

“Didn’t Master Mangnyang say he’d gather the Law of Cause and Effect to send Baek Woong back to the Takrok Era for a bit? Is the Mirror of Clarity truly necessary for that?”

At Miho’s words, Mangnyang shook his head.

“Master can only help connect the interconnections of the past and present, reflecting the changes of the past into the present.”

“Isn’t that enough? What more do you need?”

“What Master provides is just a brief reenactment of past moments. Baek Woong cannot freely act in that era. True freedom requires the Mirror of Clarity that connects the past and present, and it’s ideal to link the Laws of Cause and Effect through that medium.”

Miho, upon hearing Mangnyang’s words, seemed to finally recognize the gravity of the situation.

“So… the possibility for Baek Woong to freely roam the Takrok Era was linked to the Mirror of Clarity, and now that’s broken?”

“Exactly. It’s a huge deal.”

“……”

After a moment of contemplation, Miho spoke again.

“It is indeed a loss, but if Baek Woong can operate in this era just fine, wouldn’t that suffice? If the present is doing well, is there really a need to go back to the Takrok Era?”

“That’s uncertain. When connected, the past and present do not belong to either side. Perhaps…”

For the first time, Mangnyang looked at me with a hint of fear in his gaze.

“For Baek Woong, being active in the Takrok Era might even be a better situation…”

“Hmmm, that doesn’t quite make sense.”

“You won’t understand it right now. But as time goes on, even a single card will feel valuable…”

Seeing Mangnyang getting overly gloomy, I tried to comfort him.

[Mangnyang, don’t worry too much. As Miho said, losing the Mirror of Clarity doesn’t mean things are doomed… What’s important is the future, right?]

“It’s true.”

[So what should I do now? If the Seven Treasures broke the Mirror of Clarity, what’s next?]

After some thought, Mangnyang opened his mouth.

“There’s a high probability that the Seven Treasures were pressured or threatened by that mysterious divine being that intruded into this throne. They wouldn’t have shattered the Mirror on their own, that’s for sure. If I assume that, the Seven Treasures likely broke the Mirror because of coercion and then followed that intruder.”

[Hmm! Now we have no clue who that intruder is…]

“Since all the high-level beings in the Underworld have perished, uncovering the truth won’t be easy. But there’s someone who would likely know what happened.”

[Who would that be?]

“That would be… Chulu Dragon.”

Chulu Dragon!

The moment I heard that name, I ground my teeth.

[That… bastard… knows something!!]

He’s the root cause behind forcing debtors to come to me for interest after thousands of years!

I had always planned to settle things with him someday, and now I found myself hearing about him here.

Mangnyang nodded.

“Chulu Dragon has continuously consumed souls supplied by the Underworld. Naturally, he has a keen interest in the current state of the Underworld and knows it well. It seems our first priority is to find Chulu Dragon and ask what happened here.”

Miho chimed in.

“Could Chulu Dragon himself be the culprit?”

“That’s entirely possible. So even if we find out where he is, we mustn’t rush in. We should at least have the strength to confront a being of Chulu Dragon’s level.”

“That means Baek Woong needs to get stronger.”

“Exactly. It might be tough at the moment…”

Mangnyang’s words trailed off as he gazed at me.

“Baek Woong, I’m sorry if I seem pushy, but you must quickly gain the trust and faith of the people to recover your divine power. The pace at which you recover your divine power will alter every plan.”

[Of course, I understand. So does that mean there’s no need to linger here any longer?]

“That’s right. Let’s head back.”

It felt like we had made some progress. I cast one last glance at the shattered Mirror of Clarity with mixed feelings.

‘Why does it feel like the shattered Mirror of Clarity isn’t that significant…?’

This must be my [Reborn Person’s Intuition].

And that intuition was also telling me.

There’s some other truth, and when I face that truth, I must make choices.

[……]

It must just be my feelings.

Pa-at!

I returned to the surface with my companions. As soon as Mangnyang returned, he took out a fish container from his possession, examined it here and there and said.

“Indeed, an unstable Underworld is dangerous. The divine power given to us for protection by Behemoth has been quite consumed.”

[So this divine entity protected us?]

“Indeed. Though it seemed like nothing happened, if not for this divine presence, we would have suffered facing dimensional traps or divine beings from other realms. We must be thankful to Behemoth.”

[So now we’re just waiting for the Subjugation Squad to return…?]

“Hmmm. That seems to be all we can do… I can only hope my father returns with the Subjugation Squad within a month.”

We stayed in Constantinople for a few days while waiting for Zhuge Yulong and the Subjugation Squad.

About ten days later, an unexpected event occurred.

Crackle…!!

A dimensional door opened in the Inner City and a massive light floated above the summoning circle. At last, the Subjugation Squad was returning!

‘Finally…!!’

Pa-at!

Moments later, three figures emerged.

The one at the front grumbled.

“Damn it… at this point, I think I might just give up.”

The one standing behind him said coldly.

“Why make such a fuss? We’re not fighting at the front lines.”

“No… it’s just so ridiculous. What could possibly be in that innermost sanctum?”

The last one spoke as if he was annoyed.

“Enough already. Let’s just report in and get ready to rest.”

The instant I laid my eyes on them, I recognized two of the three faces. In my excitement, I couldn’t help but shout out.

[Zhuge Yulong!! Berus!!]

No doubt! The stern figure was definitely Zhuge Yulong, and the one looking annoyed and wanting to rest was surely Berus!!

‘Berus is the strongest sorcerer in the Western Regions! Who would have thought I’d see him here again?’

He’s the strongest who can even return to the [Small Cycle]—naturally, he must have joined the Subjugation Squad.

When I called out to them, they turned to face me, and Zhuge Yulong looked confused.

“Who are you?”

[I am… Baek Woong.]

“……”

Zhuge Yulong’s face filled with disbelief, but at that moment, it was as if they had made a promise, and Zhuge Bu and Mangnyang stepped forward.

“It’s true.”

“I vouch for the fact that it’s really Baek Woong.”

As the two brothers spoke in unison, Zhuge Yulong’s face soon turned to one of astonishment. He exclaimed, seemingly shocked.

“Really…? Is it truly you…?”

[Yes, Zhuge Yulong. I came with a request for you.]

“Oh, a request…”

[But I recognize Berus. Who’s that guy?]

My gaze landed on the young man who had first grumbled. He was wearing hero garments but what was peculiar was that instead of a longsword, he had two daggers at his waist.

“Oh…”

The young man seemed to understand the situation after meeting my gaze and, with a twinkle in his eye, said.

“Are you the legendary Greatest Thief, Baek Woong?”

[Hmm?]

“I never expected you to be a human rather than an automaton. Hehe.”

He grinned slyly and started sauntering my way. Then he flashed a mischievous smile.

“It’s because of you that I’ve constantly been compared to the Greatest Thief, unable to find my own identity. Even Jin So-cheong said she could never catch up to you. Mind showing me some of those skills of yours?”

“`

 

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