전생검신 88권 08화

What the hell?

What is this brat talking about…

I shouted in bewilderment at Lee Hwan-woong’s words, completely taken off guard.

“No, but how can you kill someone?!”

“It seems like you don’t quite understand the situation.”

“What?”

“Think about it. Why do you have the full support of the Wheel King of the Underworld right now? It’s because you also have the right to be the master of the Underworld. You’re the legitimate successor, after all.”

Lee Hwan-woong’s next words made my head feel empty.

“You can pretty much control the Underworld, and you actually brought Cheongyang back to life once, right? So what’s the problem with killing the girl and then bringing her back?”

“……?!”

“You have the power over life and death, so the human morality of ‘murder is bad’ doesn’t apply to you. Since it’s come to this, let’s see whether Yuso’s prophecy is right or wrong by killing the girl once.”

A strange smile floated on Lee Hwan-woong’s lips.

“If the prophecy is true, that annoying Yuso will die at the same time, and we’ll have removed an obstacle. Even if the prophecy is wrong, we can manage the dead girl in the Underworld, which is a hundred times safer than leaving her in the human realm, right?”

“……!!”

Is that really so?

I couldn’t help but be flabbergasted by Lee Hwan-woong’s rather radical yet oddly logical arguments. While I was lost in thought, Yu Mang, who had been listening beside me, spoke up.

“That’s not wrong. Let’s give it a try.”

“Yu Mang, you too…”

“What are you so uncomfortable about?”

“Dying is painful.”

“Then just kill her painlessly. I mean, we have the divine powers; surely, that’s doable.”

“…….”

Huh… Am I the weird one…? Is killing the girl really the right thing to do?

While I was confused, the girl spoke up.

“Baek Woong, I don’t know what happens when I die. I’m not even sure if my soul will pass through the Underworld.”

“What do you mean?”

“Yuso and I originate from the source of chaos. I was born in a human body, but I can’t say whether I possess a human soul. So, when I die, my soul might get sucked into some chaos without passing through the Underworld.”

“Hmm.”

“If you can kill me without pain, that would be fine too. But please think a bit more carefully…”

The girl’s words had some merit. It’s true that a special being handling [Infinity] wouldn’t be just like an ordinary human soul, and if we’re not careful, the girl might die, and we could lose the maximum advantage we have over other forces.

While I was lost in thought, Lee Hwan-woong spoke up again.

“I knew you’d say that. So how about this? Girl, you’ll follow Baek Woong to the Underworld.”

“Going to the Underworld is the same as dying, isn’t it?”

“No. It just means moving your existence to the Underworld without a physical death. With this method, you’ll just be traveling to the Underworld, so the dangers you mentioned aren’t there. This way, we can have someone else protect you in the Underworld without needing to escort you ourselves.”

Lee Hwan-woong said this with a sly smile.

“And… if needed, the Wheel King can directly give you death. There, unlike the material world, you can certainly die without any interference or variables from other beings, no matter what schemes those sisters cook up.”

“…….”

The girl’s face turned a shade paler. If you put someone in the situation of being discussed whether they should live or die so openly, a normal person would definitely react like that.

And the first to react to Lee Hwan-woong’s words was Yeolsan.

Boom!!

Yeolsan, standing up with a furious gaze and silver hair billowing, shouted at Lee Hwan-woong.

“You!! Are you seriously saying you’d imprison my sister in the world of the dead?!”

“Just not killing her is already a massive concession, isn’t it? And do you think you can protect the girl against the Old Rulers and the Three Sovereigns that roam this land? Even sending low-level demons under your command wouldn’t stop them if Baek Woong isn’t around.”

“……!!”

“The Underworld isn’t the hell you think it is. In fact, you’ll be treated much better than in this primitive age, so don’t worry about the accommodation.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. You expect me to leave my sister in a situation where she might be killed at any moment in the world of death, dictated by your whims? I, Yeolsan, can never allow such a thing!”

Kugugugu!!

As Yeolsan roared, he started to unleash his power, creating a whirlpool of energy that swept through the clearing like a tempest. This was not just any gust but a solid mass of power, and the strength radiating from Yeolsan was far more intense than before.

Yu Mang, watching this, remarked.

“He’s a promising one. Even though he’s human, he’s surpassing even Demon King levels already… You can’t just have this level of potential because of a strong divine bloodline… There must be some secret.”

Suddenly, Yu Mang lifted his own sword and struck the air.

Clang!!

“……!!”

The burst of Yeolsan’s power stopped suddenly, making him stagger back. I noticed a deep sword wound etched into Yeolsan’s body and let out a low gasp.

‘Just as I thought, it’s Yu Mang.’

He simply utilized his ability to convert divine power into intent and struck down with a powerful blade of intent, easily suppressing Yeolsan! Considering that Yeolsan had been casually devouring mythological monsters of the Takrok Era, Yu Mang’s power was on an entirely different level.

With a chilling tone, Yu Mang said.

“Calm down, you little brat. Your anger as a blood relation is understandable, but the girl is far too suspect, and she hasn’t given us enough trust to dismiss that suspicion. In truth, this problem doesn’t need to be handled delicately with words; it could be resolved by simply cutting her down right now, and you know that too.”

“Ugh…”

“If that’s how it is, how about this? Instead of taking the girl to the Underworld, Yeolsan, if you achieve something in Takrok Village, you can meet her at any time. Additionally, Baek Woong will fully support your growth and vow to do his best for Takrok Village.”

“…….”

Yeolsan looked at the girl. The girl nodded, as if saying she was okay with it, and Yeolsan reluctantly spoke.

“……Also, if you can prove that Yuso and the girl aren’t suspicious, then don’t suspect them anymore and release them from confinement.”

“That depends on how Yuso and the girl behave moving forward.”

“Got it.”

I could see that the conversation had concluded. However, looking at Lee Hwan-woong’s grinning face, I felt a sense of foreboding.

‘That guy… Surely he never intended to kill the girl from the beginning, right?’

Of course, Lee Hwan-woong could’ve been counting on me to interfere and push back against his intentions to kill the girl. Then he might have threatened her with a gruesome end, only to propose taking her to the Underworld as a way to get through easily. In this series of events, Lee Hwan-woong had achieved his goal of sending the girl to the Underworld without much resistance. If all of this was a cunning plan, Lee Hwan-woong was a terrifying character indeed.

“……”

I sensed I shouldn’t let my guard down.

While I was deep in thought, Lee Hwan-woong spoke again.

“Now, we’ve decided to take the girl to the Underworld… I have some personal assumptions about how Yuso has been hiding.”

“What assumptions?”

In response to Yu Mang’s question, Lee Hwan-woong replied calmly.

“Yuso was confident that Baek Woong couldn’t find her no matter what she did in this time, right? So, if that’s true, it’s simple. Yuso isn’t in this era.”

“……? Are you implying that…”

“Indeed. I suspect that Yuso might have traveled through time using the girl’s omnipotent ability.”

“……!!”

Murmurs erupted.

Everyone present seemed taken aback. Even Yu Mang looked slightly stunned by the idea of time travel, and so did the girl and Yeolsan, who were related to Yuso.

Time travel!!

Could anyone have even considered such an absurd possibility?

Yu Mang said.

“Divine beings sometimes use the [Small Cycle] to send their apostles or avatars to the past or future. But even then, records of time travel remain, allowing you to infer their movements somehow.”

Lee Hwan-woong smirked playfully.

“Hmph, why are you avoiding what you already know? You have already guessed that what I’m talking about isn’t [Small Cycle].”

“……”

“It’s borrowing the powers of [Omnipotence], so it can’t possibly be small-scale. Yuso, being the embodiment of chaos, could very well have surpassed the [Large Cycle] using the [Omnipotence].”

Yu Mang looked slightly bewildered and inadvertently cursed.

“You madman… Do you even know what you’re talking about? Do you really think crossing the [Large Cycle] would be that easy?”

“Of course, it wouldn’t be easy. No divine being in this world can do it artificially. But here we are with someone who has undoubtedly crossed the [Large Cycle], aren’t we?”

At that remark, all eyes turned toward me, including the residents of Takrok Village. As their gazes made me feel uneasy, Lee Hwan-woong continued.

“Baek Woong crossed the [Large Cycle] using the Heavenly Secret artifact known as the Heavenly Secret. Yet, while Baek Woong possesses divine power, he can still be considered human, and he is not a [Outer God] who has surpassed the Cycle. Even if he isn’t an Outer God, his existence shows that crossing the Cycle is possible. Therefore, it’s reasonable to consider that Yuso, as a being born from the chaos, could use the power of [Omnipotence] to cross the [Large Cycle] too.”

“……”

Yu Mang, after thinking for a long time, shook his head.

“While it may be possible, that leap is too significant. More importantly, when one uses someone else’s powers, doesn’t the ability weaken? Even with [Omnipotence], using a degraded version to cross the [Large Cycle] doesn’t seem plausible.”

“Doesn’t that seem odd?”

“What do you mean?”

“Divine beings are chasing after the girl who has the power of [Infinity] out of greed. She’s capable of true [Omnipotence]. But in contrast, is the ability of omniscience really a secondary skill? If both sisters are not on the same level of true omnipotence, then the omniscience of Yuso could hold equivalently strong capabilities as well.”

As he finished speaking, Lee Hwan-woong’s eyes narrowed, filled with unmistakable suspicion.

“Omniscience… knowing everything… that could mean she knows the possibility of crossing the [Large Cycle] using the degraded power of [Infinity].”

“What? Where’s the method for that?”

“We don’t know. But someone with omniscience should know. Especially someone who has abilities comparable to the girl.”

“You’re really overly confident.”

“I can’t help it.”

Lee Hwan-woong said confidently, pressing his thumb against his chest.

“I’ve implanted advanced AI technology in my heart, and its range of thought and creativity is beyond imagination. If mere human technology can achieve this level of intelligence, wouldn’t true omniscience derived from chaos have comparable abilities?”

“……”

“There might even be a more fearsome being than one who utilizes omnipotent abilities.”

Sensing the unwavering confidence in Lee Hwan-woong’s words, Yu Mang fell silent. I felt the sincerity in Lee Hwan-woong’s statement and gulped.

‘That’s right… Lee Hwan-woong is the direct disciple of Nailatop, the greatest scientist in the universe, and he possesses advanced AI… of anyone, he should have a clear intuition about the abilities of omniscience.’

This didn’t seem to be mere speculation from Lee Hwan-woong, but rather a genuine possibility.

Lee Hwan-woong continued.

“That’s why I think this.”

“What do you mean?”

“What if Yuso is actually waiting for Baek Woong in the [Future]?”

“What…? Waiting for Baek Woong?”

“She already made it clear to the girl. That the Reborn Person would be the one to change their fate. And if she deliberately disappeared from Takrok Village to travel across the [Large Cycle], where would be the most fitting place? It has to be the place most related to the Reborn Person Baek Woong, which is exactly his homeland in the future, in the Central Plains continent.”

“……!!”

Could that be possible?!

I was taken aback and stared at Lee Hwan-woong, who met my gaze without flinching.

“Baek Woong, do you know what’s truly terrifying?”

“What is it?”

As Lee Hwan-woong continued, I felt chills running down my spine.

“……If Yuso really is that type of omniscient being… then the fact that you and I are having this conversation has probably been predicted long ago.”