921——————==

True Martial Home

“Long time no see?”

I looked up at the Observer.

That being was literally a gigantic eye. In the emptiness of space, a single eyeball floated, staring at me without even a blink. It felt creepy, as if only an eye was floating in the void.

I hesitated before speaking.

“Uh, is that you talking to me, Observer?”

There was no answer, and a long silence settled in. I looked around, but the Giant God’s Beast had disappeared; just moments ago, I’d been perched on its helmet, but now it was completely gone.

I waited for a response, but when nothing came, I decided to move somehow.

‘Even if it’s chaos, I feel like I’ve adapted to it.’

The incessant feeling of existence twisting was gradually fading. It seemed there was some kind of vibe in this outer universe, and I somehow felt like I could match that wavelength. Gradually, the queasiness was dissipating, allowing me to take steps.

Even with no ground beneath my feet, I could walk. Fascinated, I kept taking steps, and suddenly, my legs stretched down to the end of the world.

“Ugh!!”

What the hell is this?!

My legs just grew… no, what’s happening?!

I was bewildered, but at least my legs didn’t hurt, and I kept moving. After taking a few more steps, my arms and neck started stretching too. It seemed unreal, but it was actually happening.

As I was too stunned to process this bizarre experience, the Observer spoke.

[You’ve come quite well. This is the west of the Cycle of Rebirth.]

“……?”

What kind of nonsense is that?

The Observer didn’t stop there and made another bizarre statement.

[If you can get to the center, your journey will end.]

“Excuse me? What’s at the center?”

[……?]

This time, the Observer tilted its eye in confusion.

Is it puzzled?

In that moment, something astonishing happened.

Swoosh

“Huh!!”

The Observer conjured another eyeball!!

Now, a pair of eyes were rolling strangely, seemingly looking behind me. Then, the Observer spoke as if it finally understood something.

[The time axes crossed. I got confused.]

“Time axes?”

What does that even mean?

[Let me adjust things.]

Without waiting for a reply, the Observer closed its left eye and opened the right one. Suddenly, I felt all the strength drain from my body.

“Uh… ugh!!”

What the?!

What’s happening?!

At that moment, I realized all my internal power had vanished, and along with it, my Spirit Power disappeared as well. I thought maybe the Observer was trying to kill me, but then I simultaneously grasped something strange.

‘My… memory is hazy…?!’

I was forgetting.

The knowledge and experiences of martial arts I had built up over hundreds of years were collapsing into the void. Everything I learned about martial techniques, magic abilities, and adventures felt like they were being tossed into a trash can. It was as if I was changing to be ‘as if I never knew in the first place.’ Overwhelmed by this helplessness, I found myself trembling and unable to move.

What’s happening to me?!

After a while, the Observer spoke.

[I adjusted it as best as I could; I wonder if this is correct.]

“……”

I couldn’t quite figure out what was happening, but instinct as a Reborn Person kicked in, and I felt something. In a trembling voice, I said.

“Uh, can I see a mirror…?”

[Sure.]

Ching

The Observer kindly conjured a mirror in the air, and when I looked in, I shut my eyes tightly.

‘No way!’

Just as I thought.

There I was, the Middle-aged Man I used to be, Baek Woong, who died by accidentally falling into a trap while looking for the Heavenly Secret after catching a cold while wandering down a mountain! I immediately realized what the Observer had done and shouted.

“Observer! This isn’t me now!! This is my past self!!”

It’s undeniable.

The Observer had reversed my Rebirth! That feeling of loss and memory lapse I just felt came from all the results of my past life being turned into ‘nothing.’ Therefore, the wisdom and strength from my first life were reflected weakly.

‘I don’t understand this confusion, but… I can’t let it be like this!’

The Observer then asked.

[Hmm. Which ‘one’ are you?]

“Uh…”

I hesitated to answer, suddenly reminded of the taboo that forbids me from revealing my past life to anyone else.

I must never speak of my previous life to anyone other than a completely trustworthy entity!

Naturally, I couldn’t trust this Observer, so I hesitated. The being seemed to know I was a Reborn Person already, but still, keeping the taboo was a different matter. Seeing my reaction, the Observer spoke as if it had anticipated my hesitation.

[Ah… I see. Have the Coming Chaos’s senses finally picked up? I summoned a creature in a complicated time.]

“……”

[Let’s guess. About the 1000th Reborn Person… that’s who you were trying to meet.]

What?!

What are you talking about now?

I yelped in shock.

“Wait, what? A thousand…?! What the… hold on!”

Ignoring my shout, the Observer closed its left eye and opened its right one again.

[Universe, speed up a thousandfold.]

Whoooosh

“……!!”

Suddenly, my body was filled with internal power, and my Spirit Power returned. My martial arts memories and experiences also came flooding back, but unexpectedly, knowledge and experience concerning magic had become vast. It felt as if I had completely absorbed Ji-seon Mang-nyang’s knowledge of magic.

Piying

Simultaneously, six divine techniques sprang to mind. My expanding Spirit Power manifested into eight dark bird wings sprouting from my back, and a third eye opened in my vision.

As time passed, I realized I could now employ several Absolute Realm techniques. I became aware that I could use Asura’s Nirvana of the Absolute, and my Sacred abilities had begun to manifest. The balance of the Sixth Sephiroth started sprouting within me, leading me to a divine state.

Tzzak

The Mark of the One Who Killed the Jeogok appeared on both palms, and the Mark of the Rejector of God was stamped on my forehead.

Constellations screamed. The contract I made with the Celestial Characteristics was drawing on the power of the galaxy behind me, merging with divinity to elevate me to a higher existence. A scientific device governing the laws of quantum mechanics began to absorb into my being, enabling me to control time and space.

Ugh… stop!!

Please stop!

What is this…!! If this continues, I won’t even be myself anymore!

Feeling intense frustration, I yelled out.

“Stop it!!!”

Startled!

At that moment, the Observer seemed taken aback, and its eyes popped open wide.

Pah!

Whiriririck!!!

As soon as the words ended, I felt everything return to normal. I quickly checked my body. My memories had returned to their original state. It seemed the Observer fast-forwarded my past life to the ‘future’ but stopped it, reverting me back. The downside was that I had utterly forgotten the powers and strengths I had gained during that brief glimpse into my future life.

I was sweating profusely, gritting my teeth as I said.

“Please stop toying with me!! What do you mean by confusion?!”

[Heh… I see… has another [branch] formed in the universe? That’s why I saw your [father]’s shadow.]

“……?”

[I sincerely apologize, Reborn One. I was supposed to meet you, who is and isn’t you, here, but the time axis got confused. When observing the cycles, the future and past always mess with each other.]

I could feel beads of cold sweat forming along my spine as I looked at the seemingly delighted Observer.

‘I know…’

The Observer definitely knows I am a Reborn Person, and if they wanted to, they could quickly rewind or nullify my past life!

I’ve never encountered such an absolute being before. Those divine entities I’ve seen were impressive, but they had their limits; this presence before me had none! To notice something like my previous life that no one else could before, and to have control over it, was astounding!

‘This is… an Outer God!’

Even the [Old Rulers] worship such beings!

Could I trust this Observer with the knowledge of my past life? If it’s already known, what does it matter?

But unsure of myself, I hesitated, and the Observer commented.

[Feel free to share. After all, the influence of the [Coming Chaos] doesn’t reach this far.]

“Really…?”

[On my name as the Observer, I can guarantee. That being is an outsider here. It cannot interfere with me.]

“……”

I felt somewhat reassured. If an Outer God swore on their name, this place truly was safe.

I collected my thoughts and asked.

“Observer, you know I’m a Reborn Person. Do you also know about the Heavenly Secret?”

[You refer to it as the Heavenly Secret? In the past, it was called #%&*^@&$^… or maybe %^&@#&.]

“……?”

[That book changes names whenever it appears.]

I couldn’t understand what the Heavenly Secret’s previous name meant, being an alien language, but it was now clear the Observer knew about it. I felt my heart race as I asked.

“Please tell me the… identity of the Heavenly Secret!!”

Could it be?!

Surely an absolute being of this level must know?!

I looked at the Observer with hope, but their answer was curt.

[That’s something you must discover for yourself.]

“What?! Why…?”

[Because it’s just ‘the rule.’ In other words, only you can find out the identity of the Heavenly Secret yourself.]

“……?! I don’t understand! So you know about it but won’t tell me… Did you create the Heavenly Secret?”

[That’s not it. It’s impossible for me to create the Heavenly Secret. It’s impossible for all Outer Gods as well. It’s entirely different from the Grimoire.]

“……”

[Let me explain it to match your intelligence level.]

The Observer continued slowly.

[Reborn One! You’ve been caught up in the great game of the universe. You are engaged in a match against someone invisible, and I’m merely an audience watching from the side. That’s why the [Coming Chaos] cannot interfere with me.]

“…So you’re saying you’re just spectating.”

[That’s correct.]

“What if one side cheats?”

[Like you’re doing now?]

“……”

[You’re not exactly cheating. However, minor infractions are usually handled directly by that book.]

The Heavenly Secret?

Perplexed, I looked at the book in my possession, but there was no response.

Continuing, I addressed the Observer.

“Then, can’t you neutralize the anomaly in my Law of Cause and Effect? I came here because…”

[I know. You’re trying to use the Four Great Spirit Deities to ultimately erase the anomaly, right?]

“That’s right.”

The Observer spoke.

[I can’t allow that.]

“What?!”

[To put it in terms of the prior situation, what you’re trying to do would be like suddenly asking the audience for a move while playing a game of Go. Does that even make sense?]

“Uh… I guess not…”

[Hmm… However, I’ll give you a chance to find the Four Great Spirit Deities here.]

“……”

Sssss

[Leave from my throne, then. The true outer universe begins from here. Find the Four Great Spirit Deities with your abilities.]

As the Observer finished speaking, its eyes gradually faded away, revealing the starlit universe—like a sea of stars or a cosmic mist. I screamed.

“Are you telling me to find the Four Great Spirit Deities in this universe?!”

Isn’t that a million times harder than finding a needle in a desert!!

As I cried out, the Observer responded with a faint smile.

[… This definitely isn’t something you can finish within 666 attempts. I’m more intrigued by why ‘that’ made such a choice in the end.]

Pah!!

A moment later, I found myself sitting on the head of the Giant God’s Beast, staring blankly at the cosmic space.

“……”

[Has your conversation with the Great Being ended?]

“Uh, well…”

[Is it now time to search for the Four Great Spirit Deities?]

“Yes.”

Only moments ago, I felt like I had gained some incredible information, but I wasn’t sure what it truly meant. The only certainty was that those referred to as [Outer Gods] might indeed be aware of my past life, or at least the Observer was. Despite knowing this, they still only chose to spectate from afar.

Additionally, my questions about the Heavenly Secret deepened. As I pondered what to do next, I said.

“…I guess I have to trust this.”

I slowly took the Primordial Void from my wooden armor.