75 – Wood’s Vision 2 –
The demonic spirit, the origin of the Wood’s Vision, was a being defeated by the ancient empire in the past.
It was called the “heavenly killer,” but even after death, it somehow survived and settled here.
It is a presence born with the element of being obsessed with slaughter.
That’s why the one called “the heavenly killer” eventually killed even the members of the royal family who shouldn’t be killed.
He was ultimately defeated in his battle against Geomseong.
However, he possessed a powerful force that changed this place into a magical realm.
And thanks to the magical realm, the distorted environment allowed him to move freely even in a state of being without a physical body.
The result is the Magical Necklace around his neck.
‘How strong must he have been to create a magical realm? And how strong is Geomseong, who defeated him?’
Of course, I must eventually reach a level where I can fight against the embodiment of evil.
If I want to defeat the final boss, the embodiment, with minimal damage, I really need their help.
Of course, it would be best if I can defeat it alone.
There are those crazy people in WFS who can defeat bosses solo.
A vast, gaping Earth.
The forcibly opened sinkhole matched what I had seen.
If I enter here, I can face it.
After a long time, I made a seamless jump.
When I entered, the ground closed its mouth once again.
As if nothing had happened.
I free-fell for quite a long time.
I don’t know how long I fell.
I simply spent the time as it passed.
This land is a magical realm, a land distorted by a powerful force.
Any situation could happen.
The most important thing is not to forget to remain calm.
The origin of this magical realm is the moment I lose my composure, so they will underestimate me.
At some point, my speed started to slow down.
I instinctively knew.
I am approaching the origin.
Since I didn’t react for a while, they must have allowed me to approach out of boredom.
Finally, after a short wait, I reached the bottom.
Naturally, there were no safety measures.
Immediately, the air dispersed to slow down my speed.
I slowly descended to the ground.
“Kikik. What’s this? You can even use empty space to support your posture? Can you also use ore reinforcement?”
“Well, that’s about the size of it.”
In this vast, desolate space, a man slowly emerged. At first glance, he didn’t look that old, with an appearance that resembled a young boy even when taking a good beating. He stood at less than 170 cm, with a slight build. His peculiar attire, completely incomprehensible in terms of modern fashion sense, didn’t make him seem threatening at all on the surface. This raised the question of why he had earned the nickname “Daechon Assassin,” as he didn’t appear menacing.
Of course, that was merely based on his outward appearance. Given that he was a figure from centuries past, he would have likely had an average height and build according to the standards of his time. Just consider that during the time when Napoleon was alive, 165 cm was the average height for men, which was relatively taller compared to the average height of East Asians.
“So, what brings you here? Kikik. If it’s not fun, I’ll kill you.”
“Don’t worry; I’ve brought something quite entertaining. You have nothing to be concerned about.”
Though I might not know, it would certainly be amusing for him, considering the kind of person he was.
“I’ve come to learn your martial art, the Guhong Sword Technique.”
Kang—
The sound that burst from my mouth reverberated in his ears. Suddenly, two swords shot out from his body, crossing at my neck. I found myself in a situation where the blades were pressed against my throat.
He spoke, “You… find this amusing? Huh? How did you know about it? Who told you? Who’s the one who spilled the beans? Huh? Was it that bastard Gomseong? Was it? Tell me quickly! You do know I have a filthy temper, right? I can kill you in an instant. It won’t be difficult. I’ll have to kill you.”
He didn’t have the habit of mincing words. He went straight to the point before things got out of hand.
“Don’t you want to leave?”
He hesitated for a moment.
“This place is called the ‘Marayang’ outside, as you must know. And Marayang existed even in your time, so you understand how Marayang is treated.”
With a sharp breath, he continued,
He quickly slashed my throat without any patience.
Blood oozed along with his dagger, staining his hand.
A moment of instant action.
As impatient as he appeared, he treated me roughly.
“Get to the point.”
“Yes. Let me get straight to the point. I will provide you with a vessel for your soul to inhabit. In return, you will teach me the Art of Soulbound Swordsmanship.”
There is no vessel right now.
But I know.
The ones who can create vessels.
From the year 1500, those dwarves.
The alchemist of Fayre Yenguk, the inventor.
The fruit of the Tree of Life, the fruit of the World Tree.
If these three entities can be united, results will follow.
“By now, I’m sure there’s a big commotion over the stolen branch of the living World Tree. And that branch… If certain conditions are met, it will bear the fruit inside. Combining the techniques of Yenguk’s inventor and the Reverse Unicorn… It can be created.”
This is creating an entirely new vessel.
Therefore, in theory, any soul can be possessed.
And this is his only chance to leave this land.
“You lost your vessel after losing to Geomsung. I don’t know if it’s because of the Heavenly Death’s power you possess or because of something else. But in the end, you succeeded in turning this land into Marayang.”
Of course, the reason it’s called Marayang is probably because it’s harmful to humans.
The Silver Branch Forest that Seonghwangcheong possessed is also a case of the environment being distorted by a powerful force, just like Marayang.
It’s not harmful, so it’s just a matter of getting close.
“Marayang distorts the environment with its powerful force. So you ignored the main premise that the souls that lose their vessels go to the afterlife and were able to stay in this land. But in exchange, you can’t leave this place. Those rules only exist within Marayang.”
So, he’s quite dissatisfied.
Depending on his mood, this land is overflowing with blood and flesh.
That’s why it was classified as Marayang, and people stopped coming here.
However, it cannot be changed again.
What he desires is bloodshed and slaughter.
What he pursues will eventually be classified as a massacre.
“So, this is a deal. I will let you escape in return, but you have to teach me your skills.”
Superficially, there is nothing to lose in this proposal.
However, he is not easily fooled.
He is just a madman who finds it difficult to control his desires.
“Hmm~ Why me? hahahahaha. There is no guarantee that you will be able to obtain it.”
“That’s right. It is almost impossible to obtain a new body. As strong as your ego is, it conflicts with the physical body.”
If it were easy to transfer souls, people would not consider Hohmunculus the pinnacle of alchemy for no reason.
Recreating the human body is easy, but interfering with the soul is difficult.
The reason why black magic is shunned is also similar.
Because it is difficult to manipulate the soul, it was combined with necromancy, which means to force movement.
“But it is not impossible.”
Inductive reasoning negates the assumption with just one exception.
Since all humans have died, the conclusion is that all humans will die.
If there is a human who does not die?
Then that proposition is false.
That is why I exist as an exception. It is possible to move him.
“But it is full of doubts.”
How could I, who grew up differently, enter this current body?
Although the body may be the same based on the fact that it looks the same as when I was in Korea.
The problem does not end with the compatibility of the soul and the body.
The soul and body at one year old and at twenty-seven years old cannot be the same.
I can only speculate how the gods did it.
“And conversely, it means that his body can also be transferred.”
If it is not impossible, then it is possible.
A very simple logic.
That’s why I gaze at him with confident eyes.
He sneers at me with a contemptuous expression.
“Sure… even if it’s possible to save you, there’s always a ‘what if’… What if you can’t be saved… What would you do? Huh? Shouldn’t there be collateral!? hehehehe!
Huh? Even if there’s a contract magic, if you’re impossible, then nothing will work, right! hahahahaha!”
Collateral.
Those are the right words.
Because this world doesn’t always go as you want it to.
But because of that, it’s possible for words beyond his response to come about.
“Collateral? Yes, there is.”
“Oh really? What is it? Don’t say they’re just ordinary people who can be easily killed.”
As soon as he looked at the person I pointed at, his eyes trembled.
He had no choice.
Because the person I pointed at was…
Me.
“The collateral is ‘me.’ If I learn your skills, I become the most similar soul to you among the people remaining in this land. So you can create your own vessel. The body you will occupy.”
He creates the body he will occupy himself.
He does what he needs to do for himself, not for me.
It’s the best way to deal with an existence that doesn’t adhere to common sense.
If I bring back a physical body, of course, he can leave.
Even if I couldn’t bring one back, if he occupies me, he will be able to escape.
I offer him a proposal with no disadvantages.
At least on the surface.
“You’re right, I can’t bring one back. But then shouldn’t you just take over my body? Are you afraid of taking the body of a child who hasn’t even lived a hundred years?”
“You… you’re quite aggressive, huh? Did you come here to die? hehehehe!”
“If you lacked confidence, would you have entered the Mausoleum alone?”
“Fine… I underestimated you too much. I thought you were just a parasite based on your appearance… Fine! I’ll teach you from now on. hehehehe.”
Once he gives his permission, the earth starts to change again.
There’s no guarantee of anything actually happening.
But he gave me his permission with just my courage.
It seems he wanted to go outside that much.
“So how did you learn this technique? Did you learn it from a master like an ordinary person?”
First, I need to know.
If it’s a matter of revealing the origin, then I can just mention it when the inspector asks about it later.
It’s going to be a teacher-student relationship, so there wouldn’t be any particular reason not to ask.
Upon hearing my question, Yggdrasil opened his eyes and said,
“Ordinary? Do you think I learned this skill with something like that?”
“Yes.”
“If that’s how it seemed, then there’s nothing to say. Heh. It’s not something you could come up with based on your common sense.”
I wasn’t interested.
I didn’t learn how amazing or splendid the Baekje Gilt-bronze Incense Burner was at school.
I didn’t learn how difficult the process of excavating it was.
I didn’t want to hear about that, but that guy was unexpectedly easy to provoke, so I just listened quietly.
“My teacher was a rascal. He kidnapped a hundred children, saying he would raise the best assassin or inspector.
Then he made them kill each other. After that, he held a massacre until only one person was left, and then he raised that person.”
It was banal.
From Noble mtl dot com
You might feel the horror in the fact that he actually did it.
I’ve encountered all sorts of things through too many media outlets.
Of course, killing a thousand people in the media and killing a thousand people in reality feel different.
But I live in a world where the media has become reality.
Whether or not I say it, Yggdrasil continued to speak.
“When a hundred of them gathered like that, we repeated it. Do you know what he said then? He said he would find their parents if they were the last ones. Heh. Looking at it now, it was nonsense.”
Orphans have fundamental questions.
Curiosity about their parents.
Usually, the media portrays the relationship between parents and children as close.
Orphans also speculate about what circumstances their parents might have had.
With their fragile mental strength, they would crumble when they realize that even the parents who brought them into this world did not want them.
From an adult’s perspective, they know they will never find them.
But children have much they don’t know, and when adults older than themselves say something is possible, they often believe it.
It’s just an ordinary tragedy.
“After all those years, I was the one left. I was the most outstanding. Heh. Thanks to the Thousand Killing Star, it was incredibly easy.
My teacher also finally thought he found the material and said he would find his parents. And that’s how I… grew up.”
The reason he became an orphan is, in a way, simple.
It is impossible for an ordinary family to handle the Thousand-Slaying Saint.
So, as soon as the family found out that he was the Thousand-Slaying Saint, they abandoned him.
However, being the Thousand-Slaying Saint doesn’t mean he is a lunatic like that guy.
He just often acts impulsively when his anger boils up.
It is a form close to uncontrollable anger management disorder.
He even gets beaten up easily by strong guys.
If it were in the realm of Yggdrasil, he could endure it with patience.
“It’s been a few years. But… have you become strange as you grew up? Why doesn’t your master help you find your parents? Why were there no news related to your parents despite having the means to find them?”
So, I asked someone else. If there were means to find the parents of an orphan… But guess what they said?”
“They said there is none, unless you are a majestic figure.”
“Yes! hahahaha. That day, I killed my master. He was a pathetic human. I thought he wouldn’t find out until the end…”
If I had maintained my advantage in strength, I might not have been found out and I would have been able to complete my own vision technique!”
In that way, he became someone that nobody could trust and eventually walked the path of the Slaughterer.
Alive, he was the Thousand-Slaying Saint, and in death, he became Yggdrasil, also known as the Grim Reaper.
What his master taught him was the incomplete Soul Reflection Sword Technique.
However, upon hearing those words, I had one question.
And I relayed it to him exactly as it was.
“You are truly foolish.”
“What?”
He asked me in doubt.
Before that, I felt a cold sensation on my neck, and when I looked down, the tip of a sword was pressed against my neck.
But if I resisted here, there was a possibility that he would become excited and stab me.
So, I calmly spoke my words.
“After all, kids can’t remember their own parents’ faces, right? Memories disappear when they’re young. So, you could have just brought a prostitute and lied that she was your mother, and then threatened them with that.”
If you give money to a prostitute, you can easily produce an acting performance that resembles maternal love.
Naturally, the child would think that person is their real parent.
And if you manipulate and intimidate them, the child will listen.
At the child’s level, they wouldn’t think that their parent, showing them motherly love, would be lying.
However, upon hearing these words, Yggdrasil seemed to have been hit on the head by something.
He looked at me with a vacant expression.
“What? Why?”
“You can’t possibly have such thoughts?”
He casually unsheathed his sword.
Then he cheered with great exhilaration.
“You… Among the people I’ve seen… You’re the best… Kkkkkkkiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!!!!!”
Why is he like that?
With a normal point of view, it was difficult to understand someone with such extreme emotional fluctuations.
If I push a little further, I could provoke Yggdrasil’s anger by making him think that someone like him should disappear and be replaced by a prostitute.
There is also a way to gain Yggdrasil’s trust by personally killing that prostitute and telling him not to disrespect my disciple.
Anyway, Yggdrasil seemed to like me.
And so, I was able to learn the Qihun Sword Technique.