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725——————==

Dark Heaven Village

As we arrived at Master Mangnyang’s village, Cheon Woo-jin said,

“I’ll ask about the master’s intentions first.”

With that, Cheon Woo-jin entered the village. Oddly enough, he didn’t come back for a long time. If it were just a matter of asking a question, it shouldn’t take this long. I was starting to feel suspicious when suddenly—

Hwaaat!

A thick fog began to roll out from the village at an incredible speed. Before I could react, I was engulfed in the mist and felt myself dozing off rapidly. I thought I had avoided it with the Soul Removal Technique, yet the fog had reached where I escaped to!

“Ugh…”

Looking around, my companions were indistinguishable in the fog, which felt like I was lost in a dream. Unable to endure the mystical pressure any longer, I fell asleep.

…

I found myself standing on a familiar path. How many times have I walked this way? Despite the familiarity, it always left me in a daze when I returned. I called out,

“Master Mangnyang!!”

A response came almost immediately.

[You’ve managed to return from Dark Heaven Village.]

A black cat appeared with a fish in its mouth. Master Mangnyang seemed to sift through the fish scales with his paws before suddenly pushing the fish toward me with a paw.

[Wash it and grill it.]

“……”

Why me?!

But considering my past experience when I fed him treats, this act had to be significant. With no other choice, I grumbled internally and took the fish to wash it in the river, gathered some twigs, and started a fire to grill it. As the fish’s stench faded away, turning it golden brown, Master Mangnyang watched and commented.

[You seem to be getting the hang of it.]

“Well, that’s what happens when…”

When doing escort work, if you don’t get the food supply right, you often have to fend for yourself in the wild. Especially since not all escort missions are group affairs, knowing how to hunt wildlife and cook is essential. Plus, I was trained in at least the basic pursuit techniques in case I got left behind.

After a while, I filleted the fish and handed it to Master Mangnyang. The sound of munching came from him as he devoured it silently, lifting his head to look at me once he finished.

[The reason I didn’t meet you last time was that I felt an artificial flow of causality.]

I jumped!

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

[It was a flow intricately woven from the very source, one that cannot easily be unraveled by a mere Small Cycle. I thought if I met you, I too would get caught up in the flow of causality until I figured out whose work it was.]

“……?”

What the heck does that mean?

I must have looked a bit lost because Master Mangnyang continued,

[But now it’s resolved. I know who made it.]

“Who? And what happened to me?”

[……]

Master Mangnyang fell silent for a while before asking me,

[If you could save humanity but the world would perish, what would you do?]

“Uh… what kind of situation is that?”

[It’s something possible, and currently the most easily observable situation. I want to hear your choice.]

“What happens if I don’t choose?”

[Then it’ll be the reverse. Humanity will perish, but the world will be saved.]

I was taken aback,

“… Huh? What do you mean, the world will be saved if humanity is wiped out?”

[I want your answer.]

“Um…”

I hummed in thought. Why on earth was Master Mangnyang asking this bizarre question out of the blue? It wasn’t surprising that he liked to drop strange lines, but this felt like a weighty choice. I had to be careful and not lash out at the annoying cat.

Save humanity but the world perishes.

Humanity perishes, but the world is saved.

… I don’t get it.

What’s the difference? Besides, what’s the point of saving the world if every human is tossed into despair? I wanted to protect humanity, after all.

Logically, I should pick the first option, but it felt like a thorn stuck in my throat. It felt like there was a trap hidden in the words. So I told Master Mangnyang,

“Then let everything perish.”

[……]

Master Mangnyang seemed surprised by my unexpected answer, his eyes widening. While it felt oddly cute to see those mystical eyes wide open, I was reminded of the true nature of that creature, making me think I might be the crazy one.

Master Mangnyang perked up,

[So, you didn’t think both options were right and just took a shot in the dark?]

Ugh.

I felt like I was struck right at the core, but I decided to give a response anyway.

“No, I want to save everyone if I can. Is that not possible?”

[What if it isn’t?]

“I mean, if it’s impossible to save everyone… then it seems both will eventually end in ruin. Maybe it would be better to let it all definitely perish?”

[Even if humanity perishes?]

“I don’t think humanity would be all that happy continuing to exist in the latter scenario. Often, it’s better to die cleanly than to live in pain, you know? That choice isn’t the future I want.”

[That’s not a normal person’s thought process.]

“Sorry for not being normal.”

I grumbled, but saying it made me feel like it held some truth. If hope is lost to that extent, maybe it’s better for everyone to vanish together than to suffer in a living hell? I often saw situations worse than dying, so it felt oddly realistic.

Master Mangnyang said,

[But pain is a part of emotion, a mere biological signal. Mental pain, to transcendent beings, is just a game played by a great mind. For them, your emotions or reasoning are mere entertainment. Can the existence of the world be determined just by the existence of pain?]

“Is that the perspective of transcendent beings?”

[Maybe.]

I smirked and responded,

“Everything will eventually perish! But what’s more important is whether the strong bully the weak, right? If I can’t save everyone, I’d prefer everyone to perish equally. That way, no one would feel wronged.”

[Wronged, you say… then why not just become a god and not risk saving humanity? If you become a god, you can enjoy the same pleasures until the universe ends. You can experience levels of joy beyond imagination that you could never comprehend as a human.]

“But don’t those self-proclaimed gods wait for apocalypse and revelations too? That means they also have their limits, making it meaningless.”

I couldn’t help but feel anger twist my face.

“… And I don’t want to become like them.”

That was the most intense emotion I felt when my 19th life met its end. At that moment, I deeply sensed the limitations of humanity while also feeling an unimaginable, overwhelming fury. That very fury continuously burned within me, driving me to witness the apocalypse of those gods, burning away all the pain and hardship of every death I faced.

I would never accept those beings dominating the universe.

“Even if the universe collapses, I will make sure those self-proclaimed gods all perish. If I can’t save everyone, then that’s even better!”

I shouted, filled with rage.

Master Mangnyang fell silent for a moment before saying,

[So, you’ll choose the worst if you cannot choose the best? How interesting.]

Something feels off today.

Has Master Mangnyang been this talkative?

Or maybe it’s just that he feels unusually animated.

I suddenly thought of something and said,

“Oh, but what exactly is that woven flow of causality?”

[I can’t tell you. You’re still within that flow.]

“What?! Am I caught in a trap?”

[Maybe a trap…? But your companions might like it.]

“……?”

Master Mangnyang, who had been speaking in riddles, continued,

[That flow won’t bring you direct destruction or misfortune. However, it ultimately benefits another rather than you. Of course, due to the law of causality, I can’t reveal who that is.]

“Damn it! If I offer a sacrifice, will you tell me? No, unravel that flow!”

[No.]

“Why not?”

[Because I want to see your choice at the end of that flow…]

“……”

So Master Mangnyang, likely the one who tangled me in this weird causality, knew how to untangle it but refused to do so to satisfy his curiosity. I shouted in frustration,

“This damned cat! Why did you make me grill the fish then?”

[How can a cat grill fish? Make some sense.]

“This is your dream! Since you are the creator, do as you wish.”

[Not entirely so. That fish was special.]

“Who gave it?”

[It’s a secret.]

Master Mangnyang continued with his cryptic dialogue,

[Just flow with it. As a reward for grilling it, you’ll get a chance to choose in this life.]

Pa-at!

A moment later, I felt pain in my head and got up from my position.

“Ugh, that damned cat… Is everyone safe?”

Silence.

“Uh.”

I felt something was off. I expected that once Master Mangnyang’s fog lifted, my companions would wake up around me, but that wasn’t the case. Instead, they were nowhere to be found, and I was alone.

Not in the vicinity of Master Mangnyang’s village either.

Instead of seeing the familiar fields of Jungbonggoryeong, I was surrounded by cold stone pillars and floors. It didn’t take long to realize where I was.

‘ The Imperial Palace!’

I couldn’t be mistaken. Having gone through countless lives, I knew the architectural style and structure of the Imperial Palace like the back of my hand. I probably knew it better than any civil official working there for years. And this place was enveloped in silence with no signs of life around.

“Lady Heavenly Mysterious Woman!”

I urgently called out for her. But she did not summon me and only my empty cries echoed back.

‘ Why can’t she respond?’

I couldn’t comprehend the current situation. Why was I inside the Imperial Palace, and why was Lady Heavenly Mysterious Woman not summoned? Feeling helpless, I thought of using space movement to escape quickly.

Tydaht!

I dashed out the door, planning to use space movement and the Soul Removal Technique to flee, but it didn’t work. Because there was another room outside. No matter how many doors I opened, I kept seeing room after room. I quickly realized it was a formation created by techniques in a loop.

‘ Damn it. Who made this formation?’

To break such a formation, I would have to either smash my way through or follow a specific method to dismantle it. However, if I broke it through force, someone might notice my presence right away.

I hesitated and swiftly pulled out Zhuge Bu from my wooden armor. I commanded him,

“Zhuge Bu! Break this formation!”

Zhuge Bu chose a direction without hesitation and dashed off quickly. As he moved according to the dismantling method, I could tell the formation was being undone.

Creak!

I returned Zhuge Bu to the wooden armor and opened the door. The room I was in wasn’t very large, and stepping outside, there was someone waiting.

This place was the royal court.

Inside the hall stood eight figures clad in Sword Forms. Their formation was clearly divided, and it was evident it was a 1 vs 7 scenario. On the side where the seven stood, there was a throne reserved only for the emperor, and the one seated on the throne was staring at the one across from him.

‘ The Emperor?’

No, it didn’t seem like the emperor. The emperor wouldn’t look like that.

Far from it— I couldn’t even tell if that being was human.

There was clearly a humanoid appearance, but the moment I looked at that face, all memories escaped me. Saying I couldn’t remember that face would be more accurate. The being’s face was a chaotic blend, making it feel utterly uncomfortable.

Kuuooo!

The figure facing him was the same. Dressed in the ancient king’s robe, it had massive blue wings stretched wide and radiated an overwhelming aura. That energy was so strong, I felt the other seven being pressed down.

And the moment I broke free from the formation, all eight of their gazes shifted towards me. I shrank back a bit and one of them spoke,

“Your Majesty, this person is Baek Woong. We do not know how he appeared here.”

It’s a Yacha.

[……]

The one referred to as the master on the throne remained silent. His chaotic visage showed no sign of change in emotion.

Suuuuu!

At that very moment, the two strongest figures in that room turned their attention to me. The moment I felt their gazes, an indescribable fear engulfed my heart, squeezing it in a way I couldn’t articulate. I had met many otherworldly beings, but I had never felt this from even a Demon King.

But I had felt this level of power before.

I didn’t encounter it often in my past lives, but I knew precisely who could be this powerful. That’s why I hated admitting the reality.

I had been summoned straight into hell.

‘ No way…’

The ancient king, who was looking at me, seemed to smile for a brief moment.

[You possess the Seven Luminaries, Mortal.]

“……”

[If you offer them to me, I will make you a servant of me, Jeogok.]

Only then did I come to understand where I had instantaneously been transported.

‘ Damn it…!!’

A meeting between Chi You and Jeogok!

I had been pulled into a setting where Chi You brought all the Eight Parts of the Divine and negotiated with the Three Sovereigns, namely Jeogok. The place I was summoned to was an area where Zhuge Yulong usually maintained defensive barriers, and with the gods directly guarding this place, there was no way I could summon the Heavenly Mysterious Woman here.

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