전생검신 87권 13화

I took a moment to look around.

‘I’m in Wheel King’s room…… which means……’

I glanced at the Wheel King with a hopeful look, and he, resembling my former self, smiled knowingly.

“I’ve read all your memories. Master Mangnyang has sent you back to the past of [Great Cycle].”

“……This is convenient. It was annoying having to explain things to the other companions every time due to restrictions using obsidian.”

Mumbling to myself in relief, the Wheel King replied,

“You’re quite accustomed to the convenience of obsidian. Is it really right?”

“Huh?”

What on earth was that supposed to mean?

Caught off guard by his unexpected comment, the Wheel King looked at me with a serious gaze.

“Have you ever thought about why the use of obsidian’s techniques is prohibited for you, who has returned from [Great Cycle]?”

“I’m not entirely sure……”

“You attempted to transfer memories to Fuxi using obsidian’s techniques but failed, causing the explosion involving the Prophet’s planet and the royal family. Fuxi interpreted that the contradiction of cause and effect touched the hidden archive connected to the Void Record. To lift the restrictions of obsidian, you would need to access the Void Record and obtain permission.”

“……Oh, right.”

As the Wheel King summarized the events, my memories became clearer, and I nodded. He continued speaking.

“If my assumptions are correct…… Baek Woong, don’t you feel anything strange during this process?”

“Strange? What do you mean?”

“That the techniques of obsidian have been artificially restrained. That’s the flaw right there.”

“What’s so strange about that?”

“To put it another way, if there was no contract between you and the Void Record, the obsidian techniques could easily bypass [Great Cycle] and transmit memories. [Great Cycle] is a boundary that even divine status cannot cross, and do you really think it makes sense for an intangible medium like ‘memory’ to transcend time and space?”

“……?!”

Oh? I hadn’t thought of that…….

Surprised, the Wheel King continued.

“The techniques of obsidian are directly connected to the archive of the Prophet’s clan. You might have used it without much thought, but that alone constitutes one of the most formidable techniques in the universe. Isn’t it like borrowing the power of the omniscient outsider indirectly?”

“……!!”

“However…… this is an extremely dangerous matter. You need to try to break away from relying on obsidian as much as possible.”

“Why should I? If it’s such a powerful technique, wouldn’t it be better to keep using it vigorously while lifting the restrictions?”

When I asked back, the Wheel King looked at me with a somewhat cold expression.

“Baek Woong, do you really think the information manager is managing the archive without any cost? Do you even understand what ‘memory’ truly is?”

“……?”

“You’re still naive. You say you will question everything, yet you don’t consider uncomfortable situations for yourself.”

The Wheel King sighed and touched his forehead.

“Baek Woong! If, as the Evil God said, the scope of this battle spans over omniscience and omnipotence…… then there can be no outsiders or outliers. Everyone’s fate is at stake; how can you afford to stand by as a third party without purpose? Don’t delude yourself into thinking that someone will help you out of pure goodwill!”

“…….”

I didn’t quite grasp what the Wheel King was saying, but it felt like there was a deep meaning behind it. As I mulled over his words, I suddenly said to him,

“You too are cooperating with me for a purpose, aren’t you? If your intentions are clear, isn’t that a relief?”

“Interpretation is yours to make. However, I genuinely want to ask.”

The Wheel King stared at me intently.

“Are you sure your purpose is clear? What are you reincarnating for?”

“…….”

Suddenly I was at a loss for words. Hit with the truth like that, I had no clue what to say.

I blinked and thought for a moment before speaking.

“Purpose is the result, isn’t it? I believe the process is just as important as the result.”

“Interesting. Is this a defense for advocating a purposeless life?”

“……If not a defense, then it would be a lie. But…….”

I sighed and continued,

“Everyone I meet, whether enemy or ally, is asking me for life’s purpose. ‘For what purpose’ do you live? Yet…… no matter the purpose, no matter how many times I reincarnate…… this is still my life.”

“…….”

“It’s correct that my life should have a purpose, but right now I want to focus on every moment before me. My convictions haven’t changed, but I still want to recognize this as my own life.”

That was the sentiment I felt when I had my first breakthrough with the Dark Night Slash.

“Are you saying life cannot be blind?”

“It might be.”

The Wheel King stared at me in silence, and I met his gaze firmly.

Then he seemed to faintly smile.

“You were never meant to align with the Emperor’s ideology from the start……”

“……?”

What does he mean?

Confused, I heard the Wheel King continue.

“Life is meaningful because there is death. And what you gain here today is…… precisely [Death].”

Whoosh!!

Suddenly, in the next moment, my vision swirled in a dark breeze as I was transported somewhere.

A little while later, I found myself with the Wheel King on a desolate, dark desert. Since I had been here once before, I involuntarily gasped.

“……Desert of Isolation……!!”

A primordial calamity that could seal even divine powers and annihilate the entire universe!

I was nervous since I never expected to return to this demon realm where the Wheel King was born, and he spoke.

“Now that you have somewhat grasped life, you should be able to train in the power of isolation.”

What?!

I felt my eyes light up at those words.

The power of isolation!

Are you saying I too can wield the absolute power of death that the Hat Warrior uses?!

I was overjoyed but quickly recalled some previous events and told the Wheel King,

“……To train in the power of isolation, didn’t you first demand I swear to sever all chaos and order as a mediator? I was supposed to hear the Emperor’s proposal before deciding whether to make that oath.”

“Indeed.”

“Then why are you suddenly offering to teach me the power of isolation……? Do you have a change of heart?”

“It’s because you’ve encountered the Evil God.”

“Huh?”

What on earth does that mean?

The Wheel King gazed at the distant sky and continued speaking.

“According to your memories, the Evil God wishes for this game to advance quickly and come to an end. The seals constraining him have partially loosened. Given that, you may end up facing the powerful Hat Warrior much sooner than I desire.”

“……!!”

I could only be shocked by those words. Did the loosening of the Evil God’s seal carry such significance?

With a hint of worry, I asked the Wheel King,

“Is that Evil God nurturing the Hat Warrior?”

“I couldn’t say. However, the Evil God is not a singular entity; he embodies the principles of oblivion and calamity. Therefore, it’s natural that as the executor of doom grows stronger, your fate as a reincarnator is significantly affected. Whether directly or indirectly, the Evil God will surely shorten your reincarnation count and duration.”

“Ugh……!!”

“Baek Woong sensed that and thought the most valuable asset you must acquire in this age is my power of isolation, and that’s why he hastily killed you to send you to me. If you can obtain isolation, at the very least, you won’t incur a loss.”

“…….”

Did Heuk Woong think that deeply?

As I was processing that, the Wheel King reached out and made a gesture as if to cover my face. He slowly spoke while maintaining this posture.

“Is my hand extended towards [Life] or [Death]?”

Upon hearing that, I recalled the time the Wheel King explained isolation to me.

I stared at his outstretched hand and said,

“I still cannot recognize it.”

“Indeed…… crossing the recognition threshold to harm others and sever the cause is precisely isolation.”

“…….”

“To wield the power of isolation, fundamentally, you must endure the wicked mana and vengeful energy existing within this Desert of Isolation. Can you endure it?”

“I’ll give it a try.”

“Good. Now, receive the essence of the Desert of Isolation that I possess.”

Vroooom!!

In the next moment, a massive dark energy burst forth from the Wheel King’s hand and enveloped me. As that energy surrounded me, I felt an overwhelming force gnawing at my divine power, and I realized that my strength to resist had disappeared in an instant.

‘Ugh…… ughhh……!! It hurts. But still, I’ll……!!’

However, within just ten breaths, I realized that all my endurance was gone, and I was weakening rapidly.

‘…… I can’t do it!! Aaaaah!’

Despite having endured countless slashes, this pain was on a completely different level. The excruciating sense of loss that seemed to tear apart my very being surpassed the range of endurance of willpower or mental strength.

Thud!!

“Cough…… urg…… ughhh…….”

Powerless and left with only pain, I squirmed on the ground like a worm. It felt as if half of my brain was being gnawed away by some bug, and now my body felt foreign. Almost delirious, as I wriggled on the ground, the Wheel King remarked as if he expected this.

“Do you comprehend how malevolent this vengeful energy is? No torture in this world can match the agony of this twisted vengeance tearing apart the soul.”

“Ugh…… Aaaaah!!”

Crackling

As I screamed and began to tear at my own facial skin, the Wheel King abruptly placed his hand on my head and infused his power into me.

Bzzz

“Ugh.”

Covered in blood, having half-torn off my facial skin, I was finally pulled from madness. I hadn’t even realized that I must have plucked out my own eyes. Meeting the Wheel King’s cold gaze, I remained dazed.

“Do you have the confidence to comprehend this pain and grievance and wrap it in kindness?”

“…….”

I quickly gathered my divine power to heal my body and shook my head vigorously.

“…… I can’t. This is…… not a realm that can be handled by mental strength.”

I could declare confidently.

No matter how incredible one’s mental strength might be in the human realm, the pain I just experienced is beyond endurance. Having felt various pains throughout thirty reincarnations, the vicious energy of Isolation was on a completely different dimension.

“Indeed. This is the essence of the Desert of Isolation. It embodies the energy of death from the entire universe.”

However, I was jolted by the following words from the Wheel King.

“But the teachings of [Great Cycle] allow one to control and manage this energy of isolation with great compassion. I have mastered that principle, which is why I can wield the power of isolation.”

“……The teachings of [Great Cycle]? Now that you mention it, I feel like I’ve heard something like that before.”

“It’s vital to accept the principle of the colorless law not through theory but through experience.”

In a brief statement, the Wheel King then brought up something perplexing.

“What do you think is the foundation of compassion?”

“Compassion? Um…… that’s a warm and kind heart, isn’t it?”

“That shows you don’t properly understand compassion. Compassion is the nurturing of love and pity, and the most fundamental reason that brings forth that emotion is indeed selflessness.”

“Selflessness?”

You mean having no self?

Why’s that?

While I was perplexed, the Wheel King replied.

“What you and I share in helping each other for our own gain is not compassion but a transaction. Furthermore, even great evildoers can feel pity and love for each other, so you can’t reach the state of enlightenment with merely emotional feelings. Ultimately, to understand cause and effect, you must release the self.”

“Releasing the self means abandoning self-awareness…… abandoning the ego? If that happens, wouldn’t I cease to be myself?”

“Do you know what happens if you maintain the ego?”

“…….”

“Maintaining the ego fosters selfishness. Any love born from selfishness remains confined within the limits of selfishness and cannot become true altruism. The selfishness that exists in the universe is ultimately the root of evil and chaos, so when trying to abandon selfishness, you inevitably must abandon the self.”

“But…… if I abandon the self, what on earth remains?”

“Ha ha.”

The Wheel King spoke as though he found it amusing.

“Earlier, we had a debate about what [Death] is. And [Death] depends on how far your self recognizes it.”

“Indeed.”

As the Wheel King continued, my eyes widened in astonishment at the thought I had never considered before.

“Therefore, if the self of a reincarnator like you disappears entirely into a state of emptiness, would you not truly transcend [Death]?”