1322——————==

Soul of the Evil God (Four Spirits)

I was standing there absentmindedly when, without even realizing it, I swung my sword at Zhuge Hyun.

Swish!

“Kyah!”

A handful of tentacle monsters, looking like defeated soldiers, tried to ambush Mangnyang from behind but got torn apart by the Thunder Sword. When Zhuge Hyun turned around, startled, I sighed and said, “Looks like there’s nothing more for me to do here. Do you know where the Northeast Asian Liberation Army base is located?”

“Y-yes, of course. I can guide you!”

“Please do.”

As I followed Zhuge Hyun while taking out the remaining enemies, we returned to the base. After walking for a while, I asked Zhuge Hyun a few questions.

“Sorry, but can I ask you a few questions?”

“I’d love to ask more, but go ahead.”

“Do you, by any chance, go by the nickname Mangnyang?”

“…? That’s the first I’ve heard of it.”

“Then you weren’t living during the time of the Great Ming Empire, were you? It’s been like this since then…”

Zhuge Hyun looked at me like I was insane before responding, “I’m a 32-year-old graduate student from Guangdong this year, and I joined the military two and a half years ago. I joined this battle specifically to save my hometown, becoming a platoon leader, but all my platoon members were killed by aliens.”

“……”

“I’m not exactly in a mind to respond to ghostly nonsense, given the sorrow of my platoon’s death is still fresh.”

“Um, my bad.”

I scratched my head awkwardly. If what he said was true, my question must have sounded way too bizarre, like I was mocking him.

‘But he really does look just like Mangnyang.’

It was just a matter of whether he was wearing medieval or modern attire; his face looked like a carbon copy. Plus, his name was also Zhuge Hyun! It was hard to firmly believe he wasn’t Mangnyang in this situation.

As I pondered over this, we eventually arrived at the Northeast Asian Liberation Army base. As I arrived, a senior official, clearly moved, ran out from among the soldiers who had already set up camp.

“Oh, I never expected the commander’s reinforcements would be so powerful…!! Thank you so much!”

“Um, I’m glad to help.”

“Is there anything we can do for you…?”

I caught a glimpse of Zhuge Hyun following me and said, “I’d like to take this soldier named Zhuge Hyun with me. His contributions are outstanding.”

There was no way I could just fumble around and leave him behind. I needed to uncover the identity of this outrageous coincidence by any means necessary.

“Hmm…? Given your attire, you must be military personnel. Do as you wish.”

“How can I get to the main base where Seo Mun-gbaek is?”

“That’s about 300 km from here in the Galyung area (茄岭)…”

Just then, a melodic voice belonging to Nailatop rang out.

“Don’t worry. I’ll happily support you with space travel.”

Whoosh!!

In the next moment, the soldiers nearby vanished, and I found myself again in the command room with Nailatop and Commander Seo Mun-gbaek. As I sneaked a glance at Nailatop, he smiled.

“With power like yours, you could easily slice through a fourth-tier race like the Partelkwian. Truly impressive.”

“Now you’ve built up the fame you spoke of.”

“Not quite. I’ll need your help a few more times.”

“What? Now that’s a different story.”

As my expression twisted, Nailatop slyly glanced at Zhuge Hyun, who had teleported with me, before donning a curious look.

“…Oh, I suspect there’s more to explain.”

“Hey, what the hell are you talking about?”

“I’m suggesting we have another operation meeting.”

Nailatop waggled his thumb behind him, pointing to a location we had just spoken about. I sighed, realizing he was trying to explain something.

“Damn it.”

Boom!

We ended up in a corner room intended for the operation meeting, me, Nailatop, and Zhuge Hyun awkwardly positioned. Nailatop swiftly employed his scientific technology to transform the room into an elegant, Western-style vintage space and settled in, sipping tea.

After taking a sip, Nailatop said, “That guy over there is a human from this world who looks exactly like your companion ‘Mangnyang,’ isn’t that right?”

“Yeah, and his name is Zhuge Hyun. That’s Mangnyang’s real name.”

“Oh.”

“How did this happen?”

I felt my head throbbing, speaking in a suppressed voice, “How can someone who lived during my time, Mangnyang, happen to have such an identical face in this era? Especially right after I met you and encountered the aliens!”

“……”

Slurp.

Nailatop silently drank his tea, while Zhuge Hyun looked totally puzzled, blinking away. After a while, Nailatop finally spoke up.

“It’s astronomically low odds. The only explanation for this probability is karma.”

“Karma?”

What kind of random nonsense is that?

As I looked confused, Nailatop continued, “First, everyone take a seat. This may get a bit complicated, so please relax while you listen.”

“Sure.”

As Zhuge Hyun and I plopped down in our chairs, ready to listen, Nailatop continued.

“From what I can see, dear reincarnator, you don’t quite grasp the concept of karma yet. Can you tell me what you know about it?”

“Karma…?”

I hadn’t completely tuning it out. Having gone through plenty of learning from Mangnyang and Zhuge Sa, I understood the concept of karma. However, what Nailatop was implying felt completely different, so I hesitated to speak up. I cautiously started, “As far as I know… it involved a backlash when the law of cause and effect is misapplied. Or perhaps it’s a task bestowed by divine beings to mortals? Or is it the result that emerges over time…?”

“You have a general understanding, then, so it’ll be easier to explain.”

“Is there a different kind of karma than what I understand?”

“Hmm. Let me clarify first. What you refer to as karma here is known as karma in the Western world. Its meaning is essentially the same. In the end, karma signifies the law of cause and effect and symbolizes the results of any action. When good is performed, the good karma piles up, forming a foundation for future blessings; when bad deeds are committed, bad karma accumulates, serving as a basis for future destruction.”

“What? This kind of religious theory sounds familiar.”

“Well, as you’ve lived countless lives, you’ve undoubtedly come across esoteric studies and Buddhist scriptures in Sanskrit…”

“Yeah, it’s roughly the same as what I know. So what’s so complicated about it?”

“Let’s explore further.”

I started to get a little annoyed, and Nailatop calmed me down and continued, “Upon observation, karma and the law of cause and effect seem to be entirely conflated. However, the law of cause and effect refers broadly to all laws, whereas karma is more specifically the pillar that allows the law of cause and effect to function. And unlike the straightforward idea that there is a cause, so there is an effect, it has different properties.”

“Different properties?”

“There are two. Firstly, within this universe’s laws, karma is asymmetric and irregular. Secondly, it possesses a gravitational pull.”

“……?”

“You look confused. This is a crucial concept.”

What the heck is he talking about?

As I sat there blankly, Nailatop turned to Zhuge Hyun.

“Zhuge Hyun, I apologize for the sudden philosophical question, but do you typically believe that if one does good deeds, they’ll be rewarded right away, and if one commits bad deeds, they will be punished immediately?”

“Are you talking to me?”

“Indeed, grad student.”

Zhuge Hyun smirked slightly and replied, “Well, if good deeds reaped immediate reward and bad deeds faced immediate judgment, then there wouldn’t be aliens invading our Guangdong Province, resulting in the deaths of millions of people. The aliens who shot my platoon members should have been struck down by lightning. But in reality, it was that genius, Baek Woong, who served them judgment.”

Zhuge Hyun, who responded that way, guzzled down his tea as if he were thirsty. Then he remarked, “That was a rather rude question. Even though I may look like a grad student, that kind of question is a breach of manners.”

“He’s a bit self-deprecating, isn’t he? Hehe.”

Nailatop smiled brightly and turned his gaze back to me. “As Zhuge Hyun said, Baek Woong. In this world, it’s cruel that doing good doesn’t lead to an immediate reward, and even doing evil doesn’t yield immediate judgment. And isn’t the standard for good and evil rather ambiguous? Especially when it comes to a [Old Ruler] or divine matters.”

“True.”

“Yet despite that, the progressive axis of cause and effect known as karma undoubtedly exists and functions. No sorcerer or magician can deny the existence of karma. When you take some action, karma accumulates, and it will return results in some form.”

“…What are you getting at?”

“This is the fundamental characteristic of karma’s asymmetry. Karma clearly embodies the law of cause and effect, with causes and effects existing. However, no one knows the details of how, when, where, what, how, and why those causes and effects operate. It’s bound up in infinite chaos and irregularity.”

“Hmm….”

“An evil deed from a decade ago could yield judgment today, ten years later, or even a hundred years down the line. In essence, karma seems to have no apparent rules or standards.”

I felt like I was beginning to grasp some of Nailatop’s words. Gathering my understanding, I shot back with a counter-question, “Are you saying that the beginning and conclusion of everything in this world operates chaotically and whimsically?”

“Precisely.”

“Man, you sure have a knack for getting to a simple point in such a convoluted way… Don’t people generally know that? It’s basic knowledge we all accumulate by living.”

Of course, anyone who doesn’t know that is a fool!

Seeing my blank expression made Nailatop shake his head again.

“No. Very few truly comprehend it. The asymmetry and irregularity of karma that I just mentioned can be somewhat felt, but understanding the gravitational aspect is a realm that remains elusive.”

“Gravitational aspect?”

“Yes, gravitational pull.”

As Nailatop put down his tea and interlaced his fingers, he said, “Based on my research during my voyages through the outer universe, I found that karma possesses gravitational characteristics, revealing a clear order. One of these rules is the power of attraction—[to pull in].”

“To pull in what?”

“It means that countless objects floating in the great chaos of the universe are drawn in due to the density of the law of cause and effect. The strength of this gravitational pull varies according to how closely related those strands of cause and effect are. Hence, the reincarnator at the center of these laws is bound to possess tremendous power.”

“……?”

“The results from using the ship Gaia to traverse the cycles of reincarnation were measured and established as law. I’m probably the only one in the entire universe who has confirmed this through a thesis!”

Nailatop spoke with pride, although I was baffled trying to comprehend his point.

“……?”

“……”

My olive branch didn’t seem to help at all, as Nailatop appeared more frustrated.

“Hmm… would it be easier to use Buddhist terms? Have you ever heard the expression ‘dependent origination’?”

“Uh… isn’t that a concept similar to the law of cause and effect? That there’s a cause, hence an effect…?”

“Similar, but it carries a different meaning. It’s basically an algorithm stating that results occur through relationships.”

“……”

“In other words, as I mentioned earlier, the six critical rules of the law of cause and effect operate in infinite chaos and are originally areas beyond a mortal’s power to measure. However, the stronger the relationships between beings, the more intense the interactions become, and those interactions can create new laws of cause and effect. Thus, while only the supreme divine beings can read the primal law of cause and effect, should one be able to read the laws of karma derived from it, they can indirectly read or manipulate the causes and effects! Do you grasp how amazing that is?!”

Nailatop spoke quickly and passionately, as though he were becoming visibly excited. I was utterly taken aback, having never seen him like this, and frantically waved my hands.

“Calm down.”

“Phew. Discovering the gravitational laws of karma was the greatest achievement of my life; it’s only natural I’d be excited about it. So do you understand?”

“No… what the hell are you blabbering about?”

“……”

Nailatop looked like he had just bitten into a sour grape. He then regained his composure and said, “Well, I certainly didn’t expect that. But it’s true.”

“……”

“Anyway, to put it simply… the more beings strongly tied by relationships there are, the stronger the gravitational force they generate, leading the law of cause and effect to converge towards them. I believe the improbable coincidence that just occurred might be a result of that gravitational pull.”

“Really? You’re saying it’s due to that gravitational pull?”

“Exactly.”

Nailatop glanced at Zhuge Hyun before continuing, “You, having reincarnated thirty times, are an entity that has accrued a significant law of cause and effect. The karma concentrated within that law is something even I cannot fully measure… It’s likely that despite coming from the outer universe, the karma of relationships formed in your previous world led you to encounter someone resembling Mangnyang here.”

“Uh… so…”

Even though my head throbbed, I tried hard to understand, and I spoke out what I understood.

“Because I had a strong relationship with Mangnyang in my original world, that gravitational law allowed me to encounter someone who shared the same name here. Is that what you’re saying?”

“Oh, you’ve grasped it pretty well. That is precisely it.”

“Does that even make sense?! You’re saying this ridiculous astronomical coincidence is explained by just that gravitational law?!”

My disbelief erupted into a loud shout, but Nailatop calmly replied, “It makes sense. Why? Because that so-called inexplicable attraction is a core element contained within the law of cause and effect.”

“……!!”

Wait, wait! He’s not just messing around; he’s serious?!

Realizing my confusion, Nailatop spoke slowly, “Initially, I couldn’t believe it due to its overly superstitious and occult elements. But the higher I cultivated science… the more I realized that in this world, science or probability are merely someone’s playthings.”

He declared with conviction, “What’s truly vital is the law of cause and effect itself and the laws operating within karma. As long as the gravitational force of karma exists, probability becomes a secondary factor. Probability can be adjusted in alignment with karma as needed.”

As I processed what he said, one specific word caught my attention and made me respond, “Toy?”

“Exactly. To put it simply, science is like the basic tools or coded program for creating an open world. But really, the player enjoying that open world doesn’t need to concern themselves with the intricate details of that coding… After all, those tools are merely a matter of preference.”

In a strangely gloomy manner, Nailatop suddenly jerked back to the topic.

“Anyway, that’s the deal. It’s likely that by hastily departing to the outer universe, your karma attracted that unexpected twist. The reason Mangnyang appeared in this era is probably because of that.”

“Hmm. Something feels off…”

I sensed that this wasn’t entirely accurate but held back on saying it.

What should I say? It felt like just half the truth!

But while I was mulling it over, Nailatop had yet another point to make.

“And one more thing… I wanted to mention this before. Your battle against the alien Partelkwian is far from over.”

“…Huh? What are you talking about?”

Stunned by this sudden statement, I growled, “If Lee Hwan-woong had been there, it would have taken him 50 days to defeat them, right? I smashed them in less than half a day! Isn’t that more than enough?”

“Sure, but that’s the problem.”

“What?”

Beep beep.

As Nailatop pressed an almost transparent keyboard in the void, he said, “Because you defeated the Partelkwian too quickly, aliens from tiers two to four have become curious and are now formulating plans to invade humanity. If it had been Lee Hwan-woong’s weaker power, they wouldn’t have cared at all, but your martial prowess was too overwhelming.”

“Huh?”

“Humans are practically insects to these aliens, but when it turned out that those insects were wasps, it’s only natural they’d want to start targeting those first.”

“……”

“Let’s see… If you take down four or five more tribes, they might start feeling an awareness of all that power and adjust things back according to the original law of cause and effect.”

I was left utterly flabbergasted by Nailatop’s words. “What the hell! Do you think I’m just some pushover who’ll fight without any compensation?!”

“No compensation? The peace and well-being of humanity await you. Besides, you’ll soon devour the core of the World Tree; is that not enough?”

“Ugh.”

Damn it… I feel like I’m being used repeatedly.

I couldn’t trust that guy had done any calculations on the laws of cause and effect; it felt like he was just using me to his advantage.

As I glared at Nailatop, who I viewed with skepticism, Zhuge Hyun, who had been listening quietly, spoke up.

“That’s an interesting story, but I have one question.”

“Oh? What is it?”

Scratching his head, Zhuge Hyun said, “If karma includes gravitational pull, does that mean I’ll encounter other companions of Baek Woong in this world as well?”

“……”