전생검신 80권 14화

It seemed tricky to tell what kind of ability Lee Hwan-woong had right away. He himself was only vaguely guessing, saying he needed to develop his powers further. So, I decided to leave the rest to that guy. When I glanced at Lee Kwang, he looked like he was frowning.

“Master. Do I have to do this too?”

Lee Kwang looked really annoyed, which made me feel cranky, so I responded bluntly.

“If you don’t want to, then don’t. You have a rare opportunity to strengthen your power, and if you just toss it away, I won’t press you.”

“That’s not what I meant! I just think it seems a bit inefficient!”

“…Inefficient?”

Lee Kwang pointed with his chin at Lee Hwan-woong, who was off in the distance honing his powers.

“That guy is a rookie and hasn’t really dug into any field yet. For a rookie like him, wearing a mask and randomly awakening powers wouldn’t matter. Since he has nothing, he can just develop his aptitude to suit new abilities.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“What I mean is, I’ve spent decades honing martial skills. If I awaken powers just like that rookie Lee Hwan-woong, can I honestly say I’ve gotten stronger?”

“……”

I crossed my arms and replied. I understood Lee Kwang’s point.

“Lee Kwang, you’re already a master of martial arts, so if you awaken talents unrelated to combat, it could actually be a setback, right?”

“Exactly. To be frank, I’d say that with the technique from Absolute Realm, I could likely replicate any lower-level supernatural ability. I just want to get stronger as efficiently as possible.”

“Hmmm…”

He was right.

If Lee Kwang’s martial mastery levels were at 100, any potential awakening of superpowers or techniques would be like starting from 0. Awakening superpowers would mean he’d have to start training in completely different fields. For someone like me, who needs to cover everything, it was inevitable, but for Lee Kwang, focusing on his field of talent would be the best path.

“Subori, for a moment, become human.”

[Of course.]

I reverted Subori to human form and asked.

“You must have heard the convo. Can we limit his awakening to only martial-related talents?”

“That’s possible.”

“Oh! If that’s the case, then let’s do it right now.”

“But it’s dangerous. Extremely.”

Subori added that with a slightly cold gaze directed at Lee Kwang.

“The warning I gave to Lee Hwan-woong was no joke. If you want to refine it as precisely as possible and carve out the subconscious, I’m not that powerful of a mask. If you want what you desire, you’ll have to recklessly smash the subconscious.”

“……”

“To reveal the deep talent related to martial arts, you’ll need to keep destroying the mental realm. If you’re ready to face that risk, I’ll gladly do it.”

Lee Kwang, who had been silent, finally spoke.

“Fine. If it’s possible, then go for it.”

“……!!”

I was a bit surprised by their exchange. Subori was essentially saying he’d use reckless methods to attack the subconscious without considering side effects, and Lee Kwang accepted this proposal. I knew how risky this was.

‘The chances of going insane are way too high!!’

The human psyche is delicate, and even minor missteps could drive someone completely mad. So I warned Lee Kwang.

“Are you sure you’re okay with possibly going insane? You know what Subori meant, right?”

“If I go insane, just kill me, Master. After all, I heard if you die and come back, this world returns to normal, so I could just ask that Mephisto guy to return me to my sane state before I lost it. From his perspective, I’m just part of this world.”

“Ah.”

“So, if what you said is true, I shouldn’t worry about going insane in this training world. That Lee Hwan-woong over there is probably thought about this at least, which is why he accepted your proposal without hesitation.”

Such a plan…!

‘As expected, Lee Kwang’s mind is extraordinary!’

Hearing such an unexpected angle made me realize his talent. Then, Lee Kwang looked into the void and continued.

“Also, after facing off against demons, I realized how vast the gap between gods and humans is. If I’m to overcome those monsters that swarm the demon realm, I’ll have to prepare to die! I won’t hold back on any methods if it means getting stronger!”

“…If you’ve thought that far.”

I winked at Subori, who immediately transformed into a mask without a word. I placed the mask on Lee Kwang’s face.

Kugugugu-

Just like Lee Hwan-woong earlier, a dark haze emanated from Lee Kwang’s masked face. It seemed those awakening talents through the mask all had to go through that dark residual light. After standing still for a good while, Lee Kwang slowly removed the mask.

“Phew……”

Swish

At the same time, Subori returned to human form, and I asked Lee Kwang.

“How’s it? Did you gain new talents?”

“……Let’s spar a few rounds.”

With a whoosh, Lee Kwang wielded the training spear from the hall with his Ki, and I responded by dodging and getting into a stance. Whatever it was, Lee Kwang seemed eager to see what new abilities he had gained.

Smack!

Lee Kwang struck first. Using the technique of Ranna Chul, he initiated a basic yet straightforward thrust! I thought the speed of the thrust was incredible, but it didn’t seem any different from before.

‘He’s still at the level he was, before petrifying. His martial skill hasn’t improved, huh?’

Swish!

I dodged his thrust and countered with my own, executing a basic counter technique that allowed simultaneous defense and attack, a principle found in various martial arts. The simple nature of the technique made it quite hard to connect properly, but I managed to counter Lee Kwang’s thrust quite effortlessly.

Clang! Clang! Clang!!

For a brief moment, blue spear strikes danced in the air, clashing together. Utilizing just one arm, I found myself pushing Lee Kwang back with relative ease. It had barely been over ten seconds since the start, and Lee Kwang had already retreated seven steps from where he started, with sweat dripping down his face.

After bouncing the spear off the air, I asked, “Are you sure you want to keep going?”

At my words, Lee Kwang glared at me for a moment before looking back at the void and sighed.

“No. I don’t think I awakened the talent I desired.”

“What do you mean?”

“I wanted a talent that gets stronger with every fight. According to the master, that’s the talent Jin So-cheong will acquire in the future….”

“……!!”

“I thought there couldn’t possibly be a stronger talent than that. And yet, I couldn’t get it.”

Vibration!

I couldn’t help but be startled by what he said.

‘If, if I could definitely get Jin So-cheong’s talent…’

Jin So-cheong had once rapidly grown strong enough to slaughter the Demon King level Eight Parts of the Divine in mere seconds! That was her Absolute Realm ability, True East!! It was clear that after hearing about True East from me, Lee Kwang coveted that talent and attempted to gain it.

Subori smirked from the side.

“Hehe! Even if you awaken your latent ability through a mask, it’s impossible to awaken what isn’t there from the start. No matter how infinite the subconscious realm is, an individual has limits on their obtained spirit unless they surpass the cycles of existence!”

“Hm……”

“There’s no need to confirm it like this; you probably already subconsciously know what you’ve awakened, but it seems you don’t want to face reality… Lee Kwang.”

“……”

Lee Kwang didn’t argue with Subori and turned back to me instead, saying, “Master, you were never that remarkable at spear techniques before, but it seems you’ve significantly improved while I was away. But if your specialty is swordplay, why nurture spear techniques now?”

“Is that a question for a disciple to ask their master? How cheeky of you!”

I grumbled back.

“I’m aiming for 武魂, a level beyond the master of Thunder God Lineage! To obtain it, I need to master every aspect of spear techniques and Thunder God Lineage’s various trick techniques; it’s only natural, right?”

“……?!”

“Since I’m pursuing 武魂, you should help me train.”

At that, Lee Kwang’s expression completely morphed into one of shock. His expression got so wildly out of control that it was almost funny. Lee Kwang looked taken aback.

“You’re out of your mind! There’s no such thing as 武魂?!”

“……?”

What are you on about?

“What the hell are you saying?!”

Just as I was about to unleash some vulgarity, suddenly, Subori clapped his hands loudly.

Kuwuung!!

Along with that sound, a grand bell echoed through the hall, causing everyone present to freeze in their movements. I recognized that it must be a powerful technique, likely requiring at least Great Immortal Level to use. Subori smiled and said,

“Using the Great Flower Ring Bell’s technique, which can eliminate a hundred thousand demons, in a narrow range results in just temporary paralysis. Hahaha…”

“Subori.”

“Baek Woong, calm down. Engaging in a heated argument with Lee Kwang right now won’t solve anything. More importantly, are you two truly at a level to engage in serious dialogue about 武魂 right now?”

“Hmm……”

“A true being doesn’t focus on empty words. First, let’s handle what needs to be done.”

He was right.

I managed to suppress my anger and told Lee Kwang, “Anyway, you did awaken a talent, right? You just don’t know which one.”

Lee Kwang seemed a bit embarrassed at having lost his cool and replied in a quieter tone, “……It’s likely a talent that will help in training the Soul of the Four Gods.”

“The Soul of the Four Gods?”

“Deep down, if I couldn’t get Jin So-cheong’s True East, I had a second choice. I need to master the Soul of the Four Gods if I’m going to go against the gods, so I needed a talent that speeds up my training, and it seems I’ve obtained that. What type of talent it is, I guess I won’t know until I start training.”

“Hm, that’s true.”

Lee Kwang had a good point.

If we mastered the transformations of the Soul of the Four Gods, we could definitely take on divine beings with martial arts alone! For instance, Shim Su-ryeok’s current power level could easily knock down most low-level divine beings. If one wanted to fight with martial arts against gods, the Soul of the Four Gods was the only option.

‘It looks like my main training focus for the time left will be teaching Lee Kwang and Lee Hwan-woong about the Soul of the Four Gods.’

Just then, Shim Su-ryeok, who had been silently observing, spoke up.

“Baek Woong, leave the teaching of the Soul of the Four Gods to me.”

“You?”

Shim Su-ryeok nodded.

“If we have just over seventy years left, spending decades teaching disciples would be a tremendous waste of time. You should focus on your own training, while I take on the role of instructor. It’ll be far more beneficial for you.”

“……!! Thank you very much if you can do that.”

Now that I thought about it, if Shim Su-ryeok could teach in my stead, I’d get to save time and skip the hassle! Having felt how much energy and mental strength it took to teach others at Soeul Village, this was an appealing proposition. But I also worriedly added,

“Shim Su-ryeok, will it be fine for you to teach the Soul of the Four Gods when you still have much to train yourself?”

Shim Su-ryeok shrugged.

“Once we switch to the era of Takrok Battle, upper-divine beings will run rampant. Whether my strength increases by a little or not, it won’t matter. If we can’t have a personal influence in the situation, the remaining parts will rely on tactics and strategies. Contributing to the broader picture would be a more worthwhile endeavor, wouldn’t you agree?”

“……You have a point.”

“And you must’ve noticed it by now, but the training requirements for the Soul of the Four Gods are far greater than can be expressed in words. The method of ‘growing via reincarnation’ is simple, but realities of mastering the techniques of both the Sun and Moon Spirit and the Soul of the Four Gods leave a multitude of training tasks to be completed. In reality, both of us have barely scratched the surface of this martial art; achieving great success will take an unfathomable amount of time, minimum a few thousand years, so there’s no need to rush.”

I jolted a bit at those words and asked in astonishment, “Thou… thousands of years? Isn’t that a bit much?”

“Why are you surprised? Didn’t you feel it faintly? The training for the Soul of the Four Gods is so vast it’s hard to articulate. No matter how much of a genius you are, achieving that with a mere human lifespan is nearly impossible. To achieve greatness may take at least a few thousand years, if not over ten thousand.”

I briefly lost my composure before managing to respond, “I didn’t feel like it would take that long. The time spent in this space isn’t that great…”

“Well, you’ve just felt that time has flown during your intense focus on training these few hundred years, but in reality, an infinite amount of time has passed in the human world.”

“……”

“By all means, you’ve crossed over into the realm of humanity.”

When Shim Su-ryeok said that, he took Lee Kwang and Lee Hwan-woong and remarked, “You two follow me. Mastering the basics of the Soul of the Four Gods will take at least 20 years, so keep your wits about you.”

Pa-at-

The three of them vanished from the hall. Observing this, Subori stated, “Those last words were probably made for your sake, Baek Woong. It means to come back in 20 years.”

“……Seems so.”

“I’m going over there too. I may not know much about martial arts, but that young man Lee Hwan-woong will likely need my help to develop the talent he’s just awakened.”

“Go ahead.”

“Hmm… but I have something to tell you before I go.”

“What is it?”

“Before starting your training, pay close attention to the Golden Crow’s Egg. If you don’t do it now, you’ll struggle to uncover its secrets from the outside world.”

Shu-uk-

Subori vanished with a spatial movement technique. After hearing his last piece of advice, I thought, ‘The Golden Crow’s Egg…’

I slowly took out the Golden Crow’s Egg I obtained in this world. This was the one item I hadn’t recklessly sold while gathering demon path items.

The Golden Crow’s Egg required a monumental amount of Spirit Power just for a single first release, and once cracked, it would transform into a Scarlet Egg. Attempting a second release from that was out of the question, so I had given up. This egg demands an astonishing price and possesses immense value, yet I still didn’t know what its true identity was.

I pondered the Golden Crow’s Egg, recalling past memories.

[An egg, you say?]

[Yes. It was an egg secretly held by the Golden Crow Lord……]

[…Then, perhaps this isn’t from Nüwa after all.]

[In the universe, there’s only one being, aside from Nüwa, that could possess something like this. That being might have left it with Pangu.]

When I offered the soul string of Nüwa, I remembered the primordial deity who rejoiced, Rainbow Snake. That being had given me clues regarding the Golden Crow’s Egg!

‘The chaos-born soul string that creates life might not belong to Nüwa, but to another being… while it’s not a direct hint regarding the egg, it seemed like the Rainbow Snake reacted as if it knew what the egg was. Why would it think it’s not from Nüwa as soon as the egg was mentioned?’

No, I must be missing something.

I furrowed my brow, and an epiphany hit me as I slapped my hand against my palm.

“Ah!”

The idea that another being could possess a similar object as Nüwa meant the life strings were two in existence.

Why did I overlook such a simple matter?

Why are there two life strings?

‘The life strings were copied…? No, it’s more like… from the very beginning, there were two life strings… a pair to begin with.’

A pair of life strings created from the primordial times.

One was held by Nüwa, and another could belong to a being similar to her.

The answer was obvious from the start.

“Fuxi!!”

The Primordial Dragon Fuxi, who was born as Nüwa’s twin sibling during the creation, couldn’t be the only one!

Since Nüwa and Fuxi shared everything, it was only natural they would have one pair of life strings!

Contrary to that, assuming any answer other than Fuxi doesn’t even make sense!

That clarified everything.

Nüwa and Fuxi each had one life string from the primordial pair.

For some reason, the life string that Fuxi possessed ended up with Pangu, and upon accepting my offering of the Golden Crow’s Egg, Pangu returned the life string he had to me.

‘Then why did the Rainbow Snake think it wasn’t Nüwa’s when the egg was mentioned? As if it thought it must be Fuxi’s life string…’

As I pondered, something became clear.

‘…Right. The causal connection of the Golden Crow’s Egg relates to Fuxi, not Nüwa. Hence, it’s likely that Fuxi has a closer link to it… could it be…?’

I blinked in disbelief.

“Is this egg really that of the Three Sovereigns, Fuxi?”

Oh, wait! Isn’t Fuxi a male?

Can a male dragon lay an egg?

But if this were indeed Fuxi’s egg, it would explain a lot. It makes sense that you’d need an enormous amount of divine power to hatch it, and it makes perfect sense for such an egg to be valued so highly. If such an egg were indeed laid by one of the Three Sovereigns, wouldn’t it eventually grow into a Primordial Dragon? If it’s the original source of the Divine that shakes the universe, then such a scenario would indeed seem plausible.

Then it makes sense why Rainbow Snake said such things. Surely, it would surmise it’s the egg laid by Fuxi, and if the life string gained in return for the egg, it would logically deduce it must really belong to Fuxi rather than Nüwa, who has shared all.

‘Maybe, as gods, the distinction between male and female might not matter when it comes to laying eggs…?’

Once I reached that conclusion, I realized what I needed to do.

“Daegwi!! Show me the demon path needed for unsealing the Golden Crow’s Egg.”

[Understood.]

The summoned Daegwi immediately displayed it before my eyes.

[???’s Egg (1st Seal / 2nd Seal / 3rd Seal)

Total Price: ?????????????? Demon Path

Unsealing Price: Impossible (不可能)

Substituting and setting collateral: Impossible (不可)]

“……”

Yup, it’s still absurd.

The total price wasn’t even indicated, just a bunch of question marks floating there.

‘This means with my current merchant rank of level 4, I cannot determine the exact value of the Golden Crow’s Egg.’

Moreover, the unsealing price is impossible!

All other treasures, though pricey, at least displayed some figures, while I can’t even attempt unsealing the Golden Crow’s Egg with demon path. This means it’s outright blocked from any commercial ability from the beginning. Even divine-level treasures wouldn’t typically have this happen.

Also, substituting and setting collateral is impossible! This means borrowing to buy is not even an option here.

This very fact had made me uneasy, which is why I hadn’t sold it off willy-nilly when gathering demon path items.

What in the world is this egg for it to receive such judgments?

“Alright…”

I narrowed my eyes and held my hand over the Golden Crow’s Egg.

Then I quietly muttered, “This time, I’ll risk everything and try to unseal it entirely.”

In this rebirth, I’d wager all the divine power I’ve accumulated and get to the bottom of this egg!!

‘I infuse my divine power!’

Kuwaaa!!

Moments later, an incredible surge of divine power began pouring into the Golden Crow’s Egg like a waterfall. Just like in the past, my hand felt glued to the egg, drawing in my very soul in real-time. I gritted my teeth and endured.

‘Ugh!’

I can do this.

Unlike before, when I couldn’t adequately utilize my divine power, scraping by on surface-level Spirit Power, this time, with Heuk Woong awakened and after becoming accustomed to using divine power in this world!! Having gathered tremendous divine relics, I expected a significant increase in the amount of divine power I could channel than before.

Kuwahak-

Suddenly, with a sound reminiscent of an explosion of lava, crimson light surged upwards as the outer shell of the egg cracked. Moments later, with the sound of cracking shells, the egg within came to view, appearing just like the red Scarlet Egg I’d seen before.

Kuuooo!!

‘Perfect!! I still have more than enough divine power!’

This felt worlds apart from my previous attempt at releasing it using Spirit Power. Unlike the last time, I could distinctly feel I had at least ten times more power to spare! After the first release, my stamina was still robust enough; I confidently moved ahead for the release of the Scarlet Egg.

Zzuzuzuz……

As I began the second release, a noticeable increase in the consumption of divine power hit me. It felt several times faster and more intense in drawing upon my energy than before. As the level of that consumption hit dizzying heights, I was momentarily taken aback.

‘This level must feel like 1,000 years… 2,000 years… no, 5,000 years…?! What in the world!’

Well, the rate of consumption from the second release was beyond anything I had anticipated. I suspect, by this level of divine power, I had already reached the intermediate divine level! The rate of absorption was so insane that even the Demon King or Apostle could be drained of their strength in moments, and I felt my limbs trembling uncontrollably.

‘This… is madness…! This item is something even gods wouldn’t dare unseal!’

Making sense of what I was challenging put me briefly in a stupor, but I quickly shook myself back to focus, gritting my teeth.

“Damn it…!! This is going to kill me!!”

Wuuung!!

A moment later, I sensed that at least a ten-thousand-year worth of Spirit Power had been drained.

‘Ugh… it’s tough…’

No matter my stature, this was hard. My divine energy dropped drastically in one swoop, and I felt my recovery abilities surfacing faintly. With my level of divine power, if it’s this taxing, it’s clearly absorbing endlessly.

Suddenly, the once crimson egg shook violently before pausing, and then it began to shatter.

Chirring –

What emerged from the shattered Scarlet Egg was a bright, golden egg. At that point, I examined the golden egg through Daegwi’s eyes.

[????’s Egg (1st Unsealing / 2nd Unsealing / 3rd Unsealing)

Total Price: ?????????????? Demon Path

Unsealing Price: Impossible (不可能)

Substituting and setting collateral: Impossible (不可)]

Hmm… not much has changed…

When I was feeling disappointment, a sound of crackling echoed.

Daegwi suddenly screamed.

[AGH!!]

“Hey, are you okay?”

[I-I can’t handle the overwhelming law…! Hurry, turn off the identification screen…!! It’s terrifying!!]

Daegwi appeared genuinely petrified. Seeing smoke rise from its body and flailing around revealed something unusual was happening.

‘What’s wrong with it?!’

While I was feeling puzzled, I noticed the state of the egg was changing.

Chirring…….

“……?!”

[???’s Egg (1st Unsealing / 2nd Unsealing / 3rd Unsealing)

Warning: An Outer God is trying to call you.]

Total Price: ?????????????? Demon Path

Unsealing Price: Impossible (不可能)

Substituting and setting collateral: Impossible (不可)]

Huh?

Shuuaaaa!

While I felt confused, I suddenly realized I had been transported to a place I couldn’t comprehend.

The very fabric of time and space had changed entirely, and I could barely make sense of it all only after the transformation.

In an empty void…

No, it was more of a chaotic, white space.

‘No, d-don’t tell me….’

I was taken aback when suddenly, an enormous eye appeared from the emptiness, and upon seeing it, I felt a darkness descend upon my vision.

[Reborn one.]

The Outer God, Observer, spoke to me.

[It seems too early, but do you wish to create a world?]