Chapter: 315
The world in front of me is hazy.
A field of vision filled with crimson leaves seems a bit stuffy, yet for some reason, it feels warm.
“Ah.”
It feels distant.
Just a moment ago, my complicated thoughts cleared up, even if just for a brief second.
“Complicated thoughts?”
What was I thinking?
I felt something terrifying.
I can’t quite remember, but I can’t shake this feeling that I shouldn’t forget.
Turning my head, filled with headaches, I try to recall.
“…!”
Dazed for a moment from the comfort, I quickly remembered.
“You are a disaster.”
That’s what Yeon Il-Cheon said to me.
“Have you ever thought strangely about your regression?”
Those words burrow deep into my heart, taking root.
“That is fate.”
After feeling somewhat comforted, the worry crept back, painting me in darkness again.
“Disaster.”
The Blood Demon referred to it as a disaster.
If a disaster continues through karma…
Unlike the next disaster that Yeon Il-Cheon suggested might be the Celestial Demon, he called me a disaster instead.
“Am I a disaster?”
I’ve never thought about it before.
I returned through death.
Now that I’ve returned, I wanted to live a different life.
Did I wish for a smooth life for myself?
Or did I wish for a safe one?
If not that…
“…Did you wish for a happy life?”
Did I wish for her to be happy, not myself?
Whatever the case…
There’s a secret tied up with my return.
If that secret brings about disaster…
What should I do?
Such thoughts fill my mind.
In a conversation that lasted only a brief moment.
I wonder if I can truly let go of the mental strings I’ve been holding onto.
The sanity I thought I grasped.
Perhaps it was all just because of a flimsy hope.
“Is the feeling of guilt frightening now?”
Did I want to live, forgetting that I was a villain and a demon?
Did my hope inflate that I could erase all that I’ve done and would do?
And then I lived like that.
Hearing that you were the problem all along… was it that unfair?
“Damn it.”
A laugh escapes me.
Since when have I been a good guy?
I never intended to become a hero even after my return.
“Tell him to eat shit.”
I’m the type to always live as I please.
The reason I endure what I don’t want to do is…
Because it’s worth it.
But who marked me as a disaster?
If my return is also someone’s purpose…
“Fuck it, I won’t do it.”
Whoever it is…
I need to stubbornly refuse. I must find them and knock them down.
That’s fate.
If it’s said that it’s inevitable, and I can’t disobey…
I will find a way.
If I were the type to give up saying it can’t be done…
The moment I returned, I would have run away.
I must have lived in the mountains, farming or something.
I wouldn’t be dealing with all this nonsense.
Even if I have to break through it, I will escape.
Just like I always have.
“In the first place, I’m not even certain I’m a disaster.”
It’s merely a feeling.
There’s no evidence.
It’s certain that the Celestial Demon brought back the bloody calamity in the previous life…
That means it’s not me.
As I organize my thoughts…
I feel something brushing against my hair.
“…Hmm?”
It’s a rough and rugged hand.
The hand stroking my head, like the Elder, was gripping and shaking.
It’s a weird sense of dizziness I haven’t felt in ages.
Curious, I shift my gaze.
The plum leaves surrounding me seem to take on a human-like form.
They’re stroking my hair. What the heck is this? It’s creepy.
This might be…
“…Noya?”
[As you were acting all pathetic, I thought about hitting you in the head, but since I liked the ending, I’ll let it slide.]
“…Where have you been and what’s happening now?”
It’s been over a year.
Back then, I was punished by my father and locked up for nearly three months.
Noya had to disappear for about a year.
The problem is it ended up lasting much longer than that.
“Have you been hibernating this whole time?”
[Hehe, as soon as I woke up, I worked hard to keep my old body alive, yet my mouth is still empty.]
“…That’s a sign of happiness.”
[I might have two feelings of gladness and then be tempted to slap you in half.]
Haha.
The old man’s voice is dry and gravelly.
While his speech still matches that of a Taoist rather than a gentle elder.
It’s strangely comforting to hear.
But anyway…
“…Can I ask what’s going on?”
[What nonsense are you talking about?]
“The current circumstances.”
Even the situation when I encountered what had claimed to be Yeon Il-Cheon just before.
I asked the elder Noya.
Noya replied to me.
[How would I know?]
“What?”
[Asking trivial things to someone who just woke up? If I knew that, I’d be a shaman, not a Taoist.]
“…”
A shaman is kind of like a Taoist priest in a way, right?
A silly thought crosses my mind.
“Since when have you been awake?”
[From the moment you set foot in Vigo.]
If that’s true, it means it wasn’t that long ago.
A fleeting memory suddenly springs to mind.
I felt something in the air.
Another presence inside my body, not a beast.
That must have been the presence of Elder Noya.
“…So, why didn’t you react?”
[…]
Noya pauses for a moment before answering my question.
I wondered if he was choosing his words carefully.
Noya gives me an answer.
[Because that guy was watching you.]
If he says “that guy,” then it must be about the man with dark blonde hair.
That must mean Yeon Il-Cheon.
“That punk… No, is he really Noya’s colleague?”
[If you’re going to cuss, do it properly.]
“Even so, cursing in front of someone is a bit…?”
I feel miserable, but I can’t really curse Yeon Il-Cheon in front of Noya.
After all, we’re still friends.
“So, is he really King Kwon Chul-geum?”
[I don’t know.]
“…What?”
I couldn’t help but recoil at Noya’s answer.
You don’t know? What does that even mean?
“You clearly acknowledged him back then, didn’t you?”
I distinctly heard Shin Noya say that it was good to see the ending toward the end.
[I meant it was nice to see your face.]
“What does that even mean?”
[What else would it mean?]
This is ludicrous.
[What’s certain is that it’s the thought left by the guy Il-Cheon.]
“But you’re saying you don’t know whether it’s him or not?”
[That room and that thought are Il-Cheon’s strength. But thoughts are just thoughts, you see.]
“…I can’t make heads or tails of this. So, is this Noya’s power?”
The plum leaves surrounding me.
And the nonsense I feel all around.
Is this Noya’s power?
Noya speaks in response.
[He said that place was prepared for me.]
“…Yes.”
And not just that.
Perhaps the countless strange encounters I experienced…
Might have all been organized for Noya.
[This is the setup.]
“Is this really it?”
The energy that’s wrapping around me—like the essence of a human that represents Elder Noya.
With just a glance, I could tell.
How immense the pure power encapsulated here is.
“…Then this is Noya’s original strength…?”
[You’re talking nonsense.]
“Isn’t that so?”
At my words, Noya bursts out laughing as if he finds it ridiculous.
[Did you think this little amount of strength was all I had?]
“…”
[I’m not that weak.]
This power? I’m momentarily dumbfounded.
The energy I’m sensing right now is truly exceptional.
It’s only because it’s nurturing and surrounding me.
If this energy were to turn into a blade and strangle my neck at this moment…
I wouldn’t last more than a few seconds at my level before being ripped apart.
That’s how much power there is…
And Noya thinks that’s “just” that?
‘…How strong was he really?’
I can’t picture what Noya must have been like when he was alive.
Even if he was a master of the past, enough historical records are written down.
When I consider it from a high perspective, I thought he was on par with the current Samjon.
‘Could he really have been even stronger than that?’
If he could describe that power as such…
It wouldn’t be impossible to assume.
Perhaps, he was at the same level as the so-called Divine Sword, Wisul-Ah…
‘No, that can’t be right.’
I erase that thought.
They say there were five people like that.
‘What kind of Blood Demon could contend with beings at that caliber?’
Including Yeon Il-Cheon, who, as a reincarnator, overpowered Noya and became the strongest in the world.
Confronting those kinds of people—ultimately not through death, but…
At best, the conflict could only end in sealing.
It must have been nearly impossible for the Blood Demon to have been a true god.
[You seem to be thinking a lot again.]
“…I just heard some ridiculous tales.”
Haha.
Things have gotten so complicated I feel like I’m going to die, yet Noya simply laughs.
“Are you seriously laughing?”
[How could I not laugh? Your expression is ridiculous.]
I feel overwhelmed with confusion, yet it’s like it’s someone else’s issue…
No, it’s not someone else’s problem—now that I think about it, Noya appears to be pretty heavily involved too.
[Don’t hesitate.]
The hand that was shaking my head becomes rougher.
[Nothing is more dangerous than losing yourself.]
“…I know.”
[You understand, but still can’t help yourself—that’s what makes you human.]
“Noya, did you know?”
[What?]
“About what he said, regarding disaster or fate.”
This world was meant to be destroyed by the Blood Demon’s hands.
Even if we seal him away…
As time passes, another disaster is bound to arise.
As his comrades were aware…
Did Noya know as well?
[No, I didn’t know.]
“…What?”
[The reason I was dormant within your body is to recover my memory.]
“Memory?”
From the very first moment I laid eyes on Elder Noya.
Noya told me,
His memories were hazy, riddled with broken fragments.
Because of that, I had foolishly teased him about being fake and all.
[It took longer to regain them than I thought.]
“So you found them…?”
I asked in hopes of unearthing some information,
But Noya shook his head in denial.
[I almost recovered them, but I can’t remember the final moments.]
“The very last moments?”
[The last memory I have is the battle against the Blood Demon.]
A significant showdown between five warriors and one blood demon.
That was the last thing Elder Noya could recall.
“…That.”
[It’s true. I know that my end was not then.]
Elder Noya did not fall in the clash with the Blood Demon.
According to records, it’s said the volcanic sword thwarted the blood calamity before returning to being the Volcano’s protector…
Where he lived out the rest of his days.
[I should have been reincarnated and sought out Vigo as instructed. They told me that.]
Including Hwang A-bul-yeong and King Kwon Chul-geum as well.
The voice of Namgung Myung, the Brain Heaven Sword, also insisted that Noya seek out the Brain.
All of them were speaking in reference to his reincarnation.
[I do not know the secrets of this world.]
What was meant to be destroyed yet still remains alive…
The Central Plains, along with the Blood Demon, deemed a disaster, and the Celestial Demon yet to arrive.
[Thus, those damned souls may have attempted to bring me back.]
[Ilcheon always was full of secrets. The shrewd one appeared meek but was really deceptive, Myeong was an annoying brat, and the other was clearly out of their mind too.]
What can I say…
They’re saying the so-called heroes were nothing but peculiar individuals.
It felt truly strange.
In those words…
Was a faint heaviness I couldn’t delve into.
[I have an odd personality—the words I speak are quite rough.]
You knew that…?
You really did know.
[If I’ve asked at least once, I would never let it go. They might have figured it out and tossed it in your path as a means to mess with you.]
“In the end, they just pushed the buck to me.”
[I seriously think they’re a bunch of bastards.]
No, I didn’t say that exactly.
[But eventually, their attempts failed.]
“…What makes you so certain?”
To a soul that still can’t clarify its memories…
I don’t hold any concrete information.
You never know.
This is now, as Elder Noya has merely become an echo of what he used to be, much like Yeon Il-Cheon.
While Noya’s reincarnation might have succeeded, it’s possible he was killed while growing.
“Hah!”
Elder Noya laughs heartily at my notions.
[If I had truly reincarnated successfully, the Central Plains would probably be a cacophony by now.]
“Why do you say that?”
[When I see how pathetic the current warriors are, they’re all fools. How could I remain quiet after a genius like me is born?]
“…!”
What’s with that insane confidence?
[If I were reborn, I’d already be called something like the Plum Blossom Sword!]
“Even after being reincarnated, you’d still be a master of the Hwasan sect?”
[You’re just stating the obvious.]
Sap!
A plum leaf suddenly drops and lands on my nose.
[I was born in a volcano and left my cause and virtue there. Even if I were to be reborn, I would still be a child of the volcano.]
Though the reasoning seems flimsy, there’s a sense of firmness in his conviction.
[I am the god of the volcano. Despite the blank memories—regardless of life ending and taking this form—it doesn’t change that.]
[So don’t waver either. If you can’t trust in yourself, what’s to become of you?]
“…!”
Upon hearing what he said last, I felt a small twinge in my chest.
He brought up his words to console the me that was floundering, unable to find peace.
[It’s been a long time since we’ve met, yet you haven’t grown much. How old are you to act so childish? Tsk tsk.]
“…If you’d left that last comment out, it would have been cooler.”
Bang!
“Ugh!”
As I utter another word, a shock jolts through my head.
He swapped his gentle touch for a fist, giving me a smack on the head.
[I’ve always wanted to do that once. Feels good as hell!]
“…Ugh…”
[Stop fretting over disasters or any of that nonsense. Focus on what you wanted to do.]
“…!”
[If you don’t know where to go, move forward regardless of whether you can or can’t. That’s something you’d already know as a rookie.]
“…Yes.”
Swish!
As I answered…
The plum leaves that filled my view started shifting.
The rough touch on my hair ceased.
[Time to rise! Now you have to bear my share of work too. Thanks to you, I have a busy schedule ahead. Hehe.]
His words hit me oddly.
“…Why must I also take on Noya’s work?”
[Since I can’t do what I aimed for because of my current state, shouldn’t you step in instead?]
“That’s… what?”
[Hey, the old man poured all his strength into saving me—so do it out of kindness as well. Considering we’re doing the same job, why are you whining? Tsk tsk.]
Essentially implying I should deal with the Blood Demon while I’m at it.
How incredibly audacious!
This guy who doesn’t even contribute is now trying to stick his duties on me.
‘I intended to do it anyway, but this feels weird.’
However, thanks to that, my head clears up.
Whether I’m a disaster or not…
I am myself.
And if I don’t wish to become a calamity…
I should believe it is within my ability.
Noya, with his remarkably casual tone about this nonsense, possibly attempted to impart me wisdom.
Much like he said, how old am I?
How am I still receiving guidance like this?
I suppose I still have a long way to go before I mature.
Saaaaaah…
[Cheer up.]
Suddenly, Noya’s voice resonates.
Gradually, the plum leaves dissipate, unveiling the sky.
The night sky remains, with the moonlight glowing prominently, casting light upon me.
“…Ah.”
With that, I immediately prop myself up.
Having just come from within the Bigo, I need to assess my surroundings.
But for some reason, I now find myself in the midst of a grassy field.
To be precise, where I initially entered the vault.
That means I’m lying over there…
“Oh, you’re awake.”
As I attempt to assess the situation, I hear a voice drifting toward me.
It’s the voice of the Sleeping Dragon.
Fortunately, it seems he made it out of the Bigo safely…
But how did I end up sleeping here?
“If you’re awake, could you help me out now?”
“…Huh? What?”
At the Sleeping Dragon’s troubled voice, I turn my head towards the sound.
“Ah.”
There’s the Sleeping Dragon laughing away…
And in front of him…
Geom-hu and Cheong-hae Il-geom are looking at me with strange expressions.
“…”
This doesn’t seem good at all, does it?
“Phew…”
I turn my head in a flash.
I need to find a way out of this situation.
“…!”
It springs to mind.
I quickly point at the Sleeping Dragon and shout toward Cheong-hae Il-Geom.
No hesitation here.
“That guy suggested it! I was merely following his lead!”
Selling out my friend in a moment of panic.
A skill I have finely honed all my life, you know.
“…Is that really how you talk?”
Since I haven’t had friends to use it with much, it clearly hasn’t worked well.
“…Damn it.”
Clearly, talking out of panic isn’t going to cut it.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.