전생검신 94권 03화

I looked at Al Karda with bleary eyes.

‘My brain… is still not back to normal…’

The pain and mental shock I’d just endured was too intense. I had felt pain in past reincarnations, but that last experience struck at my very soul, making it hard to regain my composure. It felt like I was deeply asleep, unable to open my eyes, while a throbbing pain in my chest kept me frozen.

Al Karda, staring at me, spoke up.

“Wasn’t that just the first round of the match?”

“……”

“You’ve already crossed five thresholds. You need to keep it together from now on.”

Moving forward.

Doing this more than five times…

‘Ugh!’

I suddenly snapped to attention at Al Karda’s words. It was no joke to fight the Great Dragon while being Yeodong-bin. I realized that if I had just slipped up a little, I could have died or failed along the way. The mental blow was so severe that it was torture to think about it.

But this kind of thing again…?

‘N-no way.’

Now I grasped how reckless I’d been to start this fight. While it seemed like a fair brawl at first, it also meant Al Karda would impose strict missions and deadly temptations. It might be better than losing, but it was still no walk in the park. Just defeating the Great Dragon as Yeodong-bin was incredibly tough, so what would happen if even harder tasks came up?

Realizing this, I grit my teeth, forcing myself to focus.

‘Get it together! Or this is the end!’

It wasn’t working with sheer willpower, so I resorted to stabbing a sharp pen into my thigh to inflict pain.

Crunch!

Blood poured out. An overwhelming yet painfully real sensation spread through my body, allowing me a brief moment of clarity. I quickly pressed down on my thigh to stop the bleeding and spoke.

“…Please wait just a moment.”

“Take your time. There’s plenty of it.”

“Huff….”

I took a deep breath to clear my mind. Then, with a flash of determination, I declared.

“This is… unfair!”

Even if it’s not, I’m raising a complaint!

Otherwise, I can’t endure it!

“……”

Without a word, Al Karda just looked at me, then replied.

“What’s unfair? Tell me.”

“Well…um…”

Desperately racking my brain for a response, I realized it had been a random thought I threw out to buy myself time, meaning I had no logical argument. But then an idea popped into my head, and I blurted it out.

“In a match… a proper fight should be equal, right? Was the last situation equal? I don’t think so!”

“It wasn’t equal… in what way?”

“How can you expect me to take down the Great Dragon in Yeodong-bin’s body when my divine power and most of my techniques are sealed? If it were my own body, I wouldn’t have even raised this concern!”

“……Hmmm….”

It seemed like Al Karda was pondering my words. I thought to myself that maybe my statement actually made sense.

‘Uh… yeah?’

Even though I just threw something out there, the previous situation was indeed unreasonable!

Yeodong-bin awakening his martial soul to slay the Great Dragon was a heroic feat! Accomplishing that with nothing but my soul jumping in was practically impossible. Though I managed to pull it off halfway using the Soul of the Evil God and the Nine Chambers of Thunder Technique alongside the Black Sword, I could just as easily have failed without any excuses to give.

Finally, Al Karda opened his mouth after a pause.

“So I aimed to help you solve that disadvantage by granting you the abilities of the Demon Mask. But you chose not to accept it.”

Feeling my mental strength slowly returning, I scoffed at Al Karda’s comment.

“Hmph! The abilities of the Demon Mask would’ve only hindered me in that situation. Presenting a poisoned cup while flaunting your authority is hardly the way of a great leader!”

“Oh? Is that so?”

“Indeed. When I was casting in the Divine Realm, the confusion from having the Demon Mask mixed in with my heart gave me a hard time.”

“……”

Al Karda seemed to contemplate my words before continuing.

“No… as a leader, I must point out… if you had used the Demon Mask as a ‘mask,’ you would have gained enough power to slay the Great Dragon. Even if it wasn’t the power of the Divine Realm.”

“……?!”

“You simply didn’t prefer that method of usage. I did not lose my sense of fairness.”

W-what?!

I couldn’t help but be astonished. No way Al Karda would make such a statement under the name of a leader! If that’s true, then could that really mean the Demon Mask could grant that kind of power if used properly?

‘What? Is the Demon Mask that strong as a mask?’

But suppressing my surprise, I replied.

“…If you insist it’s fair without a single explanation, I have no reason to believe you. I’ve already lost trust.”

“So, what do you want to say?”

With a glint in my eye, I asserted strongly.

“In the next reincarnation, it must be fair enough that I can’t even raise this kind of issue! Otherwise, this fight can’t possibly reflect the struggles of a proper game of Go.”

…If I say this much, surely I’ll feel a slight relief!

I hoped at the very least it would be easier than what I went through with the Great Dragon!

“……”

Al Karda simply stared at me, as if he knew what I was up to. After a while, he spoke with a transparent gaze.

“Alright. If you desire fairness, I’ll grant it.”

“How do you plan to do that?”

“You’ll understand once you experience it directly.”

With that, Al Karda slowly picked up a stone and moved toward the battlefield where the thresholds existed.

Thump

“However, keep in mind the word ‘fair’ can be interpreted in many ways…”

*

“……?”

Once again, I found myself in an unknown place.

I glanced around, wondering if I had stepped into something unpleasant, and realized I was sitting at a round table.

“Huh?”

My voice sounded completely foreign to me.

‘Whose body am I in now?’

As I fiddled with my neck, the figure sitting across from me spoke up.

“Why do you look so puzzled, Master?”

Master?

Are they talking to me?

I looked around in confusion and saw thirteen people sitting at this table, including me. When I finally met the gaze of the person who spoke, I was taken aback by the familiar face.

“Bathory Erzsebet?”

She was the CEO of Quartz Agentur during the Great Bear Empire era, a Grand Witch of the Western Magic Society!

Also a member of the Zodiac, she was the blood magic master who had bathed Constantinople in blood in the past. Of course, she didn’t scare me since I beat her the last time we fought. When I questioned her, Bathory tilted her head.

“Why call my name all of a sudden? Did you want something…?”

“……”

I scanned the rest of the individuals around the table, confirming their identities, and let out a sound of disbelief.

“…King Arthur, Merlin, Vivian… Matteo Ricci, Caliostro….”

Most were familiar faces. Of course, I recognized them since I had faced them multiple times in the past.

Members of the Zodiac!

The secret society of humanity in the West fighting against the minions of the Old Ruler! They were gathered around the round table, totaling thirteen members. Having met the Zodiac members several times during my previous lives, there was no way I couldn’t recognize them.

But if that’s the case…

‘Am I also one of the members of the Zodiac?’

Curiosity piqued, I turned to Bathory.

“Bathory, can you give me a mirror?”

“…? Here you go.”

Whoosh

Bathory cast a spell, teleporting a hand mirror in front of me. I picked it up and looked at my own face, only to feel shocked.

“…Who is this?!”

I genuinely didn’t know who it was?!

Reflected in the mirror was a handsome man in his mid-twenties! However, it was a face I had never seen before, and I could assuredly say I had never encountered this person in any of my past lives.

‘No way… I know every Zodiac member’s face and name?! Yet there’s no one like this!’

Overwhelmed with shock, I asked Bathory.

“Hey Bathory! What’s my name?”

“…?”

Even Bathory seemed taken aback by my reaction. She exchanged glances with the other Zodiac members near her before speaking.

“Master. You are the Earth Emperor, a representative of the Galactic Federation, the ruler of this round table, the guardian of the Ancient Gods, and the hero who overthrew the Old Ruler. However, you have never shared your name with us.”

“……?”

What?!

I’m the Earth Emperor and the Galactic representative?

What the heck is going on here?

At that moment, a translucent screen appeared in front of me, revealing the familiar face of an alien.

[Hello, Master! I hope you’ve been well.]

Seeing that face left me dumbfounded, and I reflexively replied.

“…The leader of the Galactic Tribe Alliance, Kalbiog?”

Indeed. He was the alien leader of the Galactic Tribe Alliance, a powerful coalition of aliens! I had encountered him several times during the era of the Great Bear Empire and memorized his face because of it. As I instinctively responded, Kalbiog proposed with what seemed to be a smile.

[Hehe. Regarding the rights to colonize the Alpha Centauri system you mentioned earlier… approval has been granted. Your species will be recognized with exclusive status in that star system for 500,000 years starting from Earth.]

“……”

[If you need a warp gate, I can send one over. Although considering your ability to instantaneously teleport to the Galactic Tribe Alliance’s meeting hall, it might not be necessary…]

“Oh, I get it. But by the way, do you happen to know my name?”

[Master, I believe?]

“……”

No. No matter how I looked at it, ‘Master’ wasn’t this guy’s name.

It was just a vague title he used so he wouldn’t have to share his real name with others.

The issue was that I truly had never met this ‘Master’ in any of my past lives.

‘What the heck is this guy?’

Was he among my allies?

At that moment, something appeared before my eyes.

[The individual you’re possessing is someone you have met before.]

Huh?

[Guess their identity.]

……!

As I looked at the screen, I realized.

‘This mission is a riddle?’

Unlike a task where I defeat an enemy, trying to figure out the identity of the person I’m possessing is a riddle!

Since I’d never anticipated such a thing, curiosity started to rise within me. If the screen was telling the truth, then this guy was someone I had met before—who could he be to be both the Earth Emperor and a Galactic representative?

While I was mulling over this, King Arthur, who was seated next to me, spoke cautiously.

“Um… a report has come in. It seems that the Old Ruler, who had been in slumber in China, has returned and is rampaging.”

“…….”

“It appears that the time of doom is drawing near…”

Hmm, could it be the Three Sovereigns? Or perhaps one of their subordinates?

‘Then I guess I’ll have to deal with it myself.’

I thought about it and said to King Arthur.

“If you tell me where he is, I’ll go catch him myself.”

“Would you really?”

“But first… could you find the individuals I mentioned?”

“Yes. Which individuals?”

“Mangnyang, Jin So-cheong, Cheon Woo-jin, and Master of the White Lotus Sect Dokgo Uncheon… Oh, and just in case, Master of the Twelve Joules Ha Eun-cheon…”

I relayed the names and characteristics of my key allies. The members of the Zodiac around the round table seemed to bustle with activity, appearing to gather information for a while.

‘Alright. First, let’s meet my allies again.’

Once I meet them, I’ll be able to see the next steps!

However, my hopes were dashed when Bathory Erzsebet spoke up after a bit.

“Master. We couldn’t find a single one of the individuals you spoke of.”

“……What? Are you sure you looked properly?”

Buzz

Bathory, unlike her usual self, conjured a translucent VR panel in the air, continuing to explain.

“Yes. Our current round table has utilized quantum computing to gather information on all 7 billion human beings on Earth, using both science and sorcery. However, the individuals you mentioned are nowhere to be found.”

“What… What do you mean?!”

I couldn’t help but be shocked.

Why were the members of the Zodiac present but none of my companions were here?!

‘What… is going on?’

Where am I, and who am I for that matter?

As I was feeling bewildered, King Arthur urged me on.

“Master. Time appears to be of the essence. The Chinese authorities are about to fall…”

I nodded.

“Let’s go!”