1323——————==

Soul of the Evil God

I was shocked by Zhuge Hyun’s words.

‘Huh, I guess that could be possible?’

Is he implying that if I ran into Mangnyang in another form, I could also meet Zhuge Sa, the Sword Demon, and others? Nailatop chuckled softly at that.

“I can’t fathom that realm. I lack the ability to measure a Reborn Person’s karma.”

“…….”

Zhuge Hyun stared intently at Nailatop and suddenly turned to me, asking.

“Did you say your name is Baek Woong?”

“That’s right.”

“My power is quite weak, but for the time you’re in this world, could you allow me to be your companion?”

“Uhm?!”

“Though it may not look like it, I’ve been a graduate student for five years, and I’m confident in my intellect.”

Surprised by the unexpected proposal, I eventually nodded.

“Sure. Teach me more about this world.”

After all, it wouldn’t make sense to just let go of someone I met by such a crazy coincidence, and getting some information from Zhuge Hyun, who could be considered a native of this world, would be beneficial. Nailatop smiled and agreed.

“Great! I was tired of explaining everything to Baek Woong from A to Z.”

“Nailatop, what should we do next?”

“I told Seo Mun-gbaek to arrange accommodation for you. You’ll stay there, and while you rest and have your meals, I’ll inform you about the next battalion schedule.”

“Got it.”

“See you later, then.”

We wrapped up the conversation and stepped outside, where we faced Seo Mun-gbaek.

“Thank you so much for saving Guangdong Province. This victory has surely expedited the liberation of Northeast Asia by at least a few years.”

“I want to rest because I’m tired…”

“Please get plenty of rest, heroes.”

Boom.

I parted ways with Nailatop and took a military vehicle with Zhuge Hyun to a nearby lodging. It wasn’t a fancy place due to the wartime constraints, but upon arrival, Zhuge Hyun looked at the accommodations and seemed awestruck.

“This is Xianwei Village, a five-star hotel before the war!”

After being shown to my room, I cleaned myself up from the blood and gore, changed into the provided clothes, and then stepped outside to eat the meals provided by the Liberation Army. After finishing the buffet, I was resting in my room when I heard a knock.

“May I come in?”

“Come in.”

When Zhuge Hyun entered my room, I sat across from him. He hesitated briefly before speaking.

“I am grateful for your grace. With your strength, you could have easily refused my proposal….”

“That’s fine. From what you said earlier, you’ve grasped the situation, more or less.”

“To some degree.”

“If it’s alright, could I send you my memories? It might convey my circumstances more clearly than a hundred words.”

“Memories…? Alright.”

I wasn’t entirely sure about my current magical power status. But right before, I had sacrificed the name of a demon beast in the duel with an angel and used the Four Great Spirit Deity Agni, so I figured I probably didn’t have any magical power left right now.

Woosh!

After a brief moment, as the memories transmitted, Zhuge Hyun’s face lit up with understanding. Then he said,

“Goodness, what insane records of life…!! If it were a martial arts novel, it would easily exceed seventy volumes!!”

“Wait, there are martial arts novels in this world too?”

“…Actually, in stark contrast to here, it seems like martial arts novels were widely popular in a world where martial arts truly flourished.”

Zhuge Hyun muttered something else before continuing.

“Now I understand. That Mangnyang Zhuge Hyun and I look almost identical. Our thoughts and intelligence are probably nearly the same as well. Our inclinations and tastes are almost identical too….”

“Is that so?”

“Hmm. Let me think this over for a moment.”

Zhuge Hyun, who had been silent for a while, finally spoke up.

“Baek Woong, can you promise me one thing? If you do, I will dedicate everything I have in this world to giving you valuable advice.”

“What sort of promise?”

What Zhuge Hyun was about to say was utterly mind-blowing.

“With the power of a Reborn Person, help me become a god!”

“……?!”

“That’s all I need from you.”

A god?!

I was taken aback by such an unexpected request. I gathered myself and asked, “Are you saying you want to become the Old Ruler?”

“I’m fine either way, even if I become a being like the Shennong or the Heavenly Mysterious Woman of Nine Heavens from your memory.”

“That’s absurd. How would I help you with that?”

“You can totally do it. I’ve already discovered how to do it within your memories.”

“Wait?!”

This was truly shocking. Who would have thought that Zhuge Hyun, who looked exactly like Mangnyang, would say such things?!

Rather than asking him about that “method,” I became more curious about why he wanted this.

“I don’t get it. Why do you want to become a god? Is it a desire to be a greater being than humanity?”

“…….”

Zhuge Hyun fell silent for a moment before he replied.

“Imagine that if you die in another universe, the outer universe will also be swept away into the Great Cycle?”

“Of course, that would be the case, right?”

Zhuge Hyun shook his head.

“You’ve never clearly observed the consequences after dying in an outer universe from your memories. In the 26th death, you died on the Throne, and in the 27th death, you were completely annihilated at the end of True Martial Home. Neither of those deaths provided the basis for the outer universe to perish along with your death.”

“……?!”

“In other words, even if you die in this world, there’s a possibility that this outer universe can still survive. Such advice could only come from someone living in the outer universe like me.”

“Uh…. I… I don’t quite understand what you’re trying to say.”

“After all, you’ll obtain the core of the World Tree and leave this world in a month, right?”

Zhuge Hyun looked directly into my eyes and continued speaking.

“I believe that whether you die in this world or return to your original one, this outer universe will still exist. So, with your help as a Reborn Person, I intend to gain divine powers to transform this world into a better place!”

“……!!”

“I don’t want to be a pawn of circumstances; I want to control them. I can no longer bear the helpless reality of my hometown collapsing and my comrades getting killed by aliens. If I get a rare opportunity, I must bet on the best possible outcome to achieve results!”

“Umm…!!”

The moment I heard those words, I understood.

‘The Zhuge Hyun in front of me bears the same appearance and personality as Mangnyang, yet… fundamentally, he’s different. And his stance is completely different from Mangnyang’s. He genuinely wants to become a god.’

He was utterly different from Mangnyang.

While Mangnyang desired great power, he was reluctant about becoming the Old Ruler or a spirit god himself. Mangnyang believed that becoming an Absolute Being wasn’t the path to victory.

Why was there such a difference?

In that moment, the existence of Master Mangnyang flashed in my mind. That alone wasn’t the only reason, but for some reason, I had a gut feeling that his existence made an absolute difference.

After pondering for a while, I nodded.

“…Alright. If I can help, I will make you, Zhuge Hyun, into a god.”

I’ve never turned someone into a god, but why not give it a shot!

Zhuge Hyun then jumped up joyfully and exclaimed.

“Thank you so much!”

“Tell me how to become a god. Let’s try it out.”

“Oh, that’s not something we can do immediately, so let’s put a pin in that for now. As an honorable graduate student, I’ll offer you helpful advice first. That would be a fair exchange, wouldn’t it?”

“Is that really okay?”

“I’m in a significantly subordinate position. Just evaluate whether my advice is beneficial to you.”

With a casual wave of his hand, Zhuge Hyun continued.

“First piece of advice: Nailatop is hiding a fact.”

“Wait?! I suspected that guy was hiding something, but what exactly is he hiding?”

“According to your memories, a mortal must possess advanced technology alongside the Fruit of Good and Evil to cross into the outer universe. Yet, it seems like Nailatop can traverse the outer universe almost endlessly just by riding on the ship Gaia. That raises some logical doubts.”

“If I should be suspicious…?”

“There’s something shifty about that. No matter how much he has reached the pinnacle of science, crossing such vast dimensions without any cost doesn’t match your memories. And this secret most likely relates to him persistently pushing for the World Tree as a price.”

“……!!”

“While Mangnyang might have avoided letting you in on this fact just to cover up any accidental slips, I think you can handle yourself well enough as an actor.”

“Umm. Got it.”

I quickly realized what he was implying. Nailatop wasn’t just helping me out of pure goodwill; he definitely had some underlying motives! And this was advice to be suspicious without exposing it in front of Nailatop.

“Second piece of advice: While battling the aliens, you also need to find a certain individual and a world.”

“Individual? World?”

Zhuge Hyun gulped down some apple juice from the table and continued.

“Dr. Faust. And the Celestial Realm. You need to locate both within a month.”

“Dr. Faust… the Celestial Realm… why those?”

“Did you not feel something odd upon entering this world? Humanity is embarrassingly outmatched by aliens compared to your world, yet the Celestial Realm is nowhere to be found.”

“Oh!”

“If the Overlay Technique had participated, at least the form of a nation would have remained.”

Come to think of it, I hadn’t even considered the Celestial Realm!

When I made a realization upon Zhuge Hyun’s words, he said,

“I didn’t know anything about the Celestial Realm until I saw your memories. But if your world and mine share this level of similarity, the Celestial Realm must have existed. And if it did exist, we need to find out why it hasn’t assisted humanity. Figuring out the existence of the Celestial Realm will connect to knowing whether the Three Sovereigns exist.”

“Hmm… That makes sense. Should I look for the Heavenly Altar then?”

“Since Nailatop is helping with spatial transportation, ask him to take you to five Heavenly Altars. No matter how quick the Divine Technique is, you shouldn’t waste stamina and time moving for no reason.”

“Sure thing.”

“Another thing: there’s a vital reason you must find Dr. Faust.”

Zhuge Hyun’s eyes sparkled.

“According to your memory, Faust, aside from Nailatop, is the only one who can collaborate with a strong AI to uncover the method for crossing the outer universe using the power of the World Tree. If there exists a Dr. Faust in this world like in your original one… you could find a way back without relying on Nailatop.”

“……!! I see!”

“Moreover, Dr. Faust is someone I’ve heard mentioned before. He shouldn’t be that hard to find.”

I was astonished and asked back.

“You’ve heard Dr. Faust’s name?! Seriously?”

“Yes. While we’re not personally acquainted, he’s quite famous.”

Zhuge Hyun smiled wryly.

“Germany’s foremost genius engineer and widely recognized as the greatest mind of this era. It’s nearly rude for a provincial graduate student like me to bring him up.”

“Germany…!! So, if I go to the German academic community, I can look for him.”

“…That might be tricky.”

“Why’s that?”

“Germany has already been destroyed by aliens, and over half of the land in Western Europe, including Germany, has been consumed by extraterrestrial creatures. There’s practically no academic community left.”

“…….”

The reality seemed far more horrifying than I expected. Zhuge Hyun said,

“If you want to find Dr. Faust, it might be better to ask Commander Seo Mun-gbaek, whom you met earlier. Being the supreme commander of the last resistance force on the Ancient Middle Kingdom, he might know how to locate him.”

“Thank you. I’m lost in this unknown world and don’t know what to do, so this advice means a lot.”

“Thank you! If I could become a god through your help, I’d do anything.”

With a chuckle, Zhuge Hyun continued,

“Let’s act right away. It’d be to our advantage to move before Dr. Faust issues the order to purge.”

I immediately dashed out of the lodging and went looking for Commander Seo Mun-gbaek as Zhuge Hyun had suggested. Commander Seo was just heading out for the night shift when I approached him, and he looked momentarily surprised.

“Baek Woong. What brings you?”

“Commander Seo Mun-bake, I have a favor to ask. Could you help me find a scholar named Dr. Faust?”

“Hmm…!! Why do you need to find him?”

“I’ve heard he possesses technological prowess that may greatly assist in the war against the aliens. We need to find him before it’s too late.”

After I vaguely explained, Seo Mun-bake nodded his head in understanding and said,

“Dr. Faust is likely at the headquarters of the Human Alliance. I saw him sitting next to the alliance commander during the last resistance meeting.”

“……!!”

Just as Zhuge Hyun said!

Seo Mun-bake knows!

Upon realizing that matters were unfolding smoothly, I felt a wave of relief and exclaimed to Seo Mun-bake,

“So I just need to go to wherever the Human Alliance commander is located? Where’s that?”

“The South Pole.”

“The South Pole?! Why would the headquarters be in such a desolate place….”

“From our perspective, it’s as barren as it is a place aliens would find difficult to invade.”

“I suppose that makes sense….”

“Considering how intense today’s battle was, you’re still able to keep moving… perhaps you should rest and go tomorrow?”

I shook my head at Seo Mun-bake’s concern, saying,

“I can’t afford to waste time. My comrades are likely injured by now, and I need to do something.”

“…I see. Your urgency is palpable. Then I will inform the commander that you’ll be arriving right away.”

Beep!

Seo Mun-bake turned on his computer and started typing something. Then he handed me what looked like a recommendation letter.

“Show this, and you’ll be able to meet him right away.”

“Thanks.”

As soon as the discussion ended, I called upon Nailatop for spatial movement, but suddenly paused. I turned back to Seo Mun-bake and asked,

“Do you really not know the Sword Demon Seo Mun-dae-ryong?”

“…….”

“Something feels off. I overlooked this earlier, but it feels like you’re lying about something.”

My instincts as someone who has been honing their skills in disguise told me that Seo Mun-bake was definitely hiding something. Then Seo Mun-bake, with an expression of gloom, said,

“I don’t even know who you are. Asking me to reveal the shameful secrets of my clan, which I’d rather forget, is quite bold of you.”

“You do know the Sword Demon Seo Mun-dae-ryong after all.”

“Huh. Why are you so curious about that?”

“Whether you believe it or not, I’m someone from the past—specifically, the era when Seo Mun-dae-ryong was alive.”

At my response, Seo Mun-bake’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“What… what did you just say?!”

I decided to lie nonchalantly.

“I’m a traveler who inexplicably time-traveled. The last time I saw the Sword Demon Seo Mun-dae-ryong, he was a magnificent martial arts expert, and since we share the same surname, I was just curious. But why do you consider him a disgrace?”

Is there really much difference?

The histories of this world and my own seem almost identical, so there’s really no way for Seo Mun-bake to discern the truth.

As I made the cheeky comment, Seo Mun-bake stared blankly for a moment before throwing in the towel with a resigned expression.

“…If you came with Nailatop, that could indeed be the case.”

“So you do believe me?”

“Sword Demon Seo Mun-dae-ryong. That man has no doubt brought shame upon our Seo family.”

Seo Mun-bake gritted his teeth for a moment before spitting out his words.

“After losing his daughter, he became a demon, annihilating eight out of ten of the martial world. The Crazy Sword Demon Seo Mun-dae-ryong. If you truly are someone from the past, then you should feel embarrassed for being associated with him!!”