1347——————==

Soul of the Evil God

I found myself completely at a loss in this unexpected situation of choices. To be precise, I was flowing along a straight path when suddenly Hermes popped up with another option. The problem was that I couldn’t dismiss that option because my helper, Nailatop, looked just as suspicious in this very situation.

“…Damn… there’s no one I can trust.”

While wandering in the outer universe, it hit me hard that I didn’t have a single companion I could rely on. Of course, it was the same in the universe of Dalma, but at least Dalma and the Divine Thief were people who could team up briefly for a common goal, while Nailatop and Hermes both seemed like sneaky tricksters.

What on earth should I do?

‘For now, let’s go back to Zhuge Hyun.’

In the midst of my worries, I decided to find Zhuge Hyun. Initially, I had gone to meet Seo Mun-gbaek at his suggestion, only to get swept up in various issues. I quickly headed to the main base of the Ilpenred Tribe and was able to meet Zhuge Hyun, who was recovering from injuries there.

“Have you come?”

I glanced at Zhuge Hyun. His body had been struck by lightning to the point that smoke was billowing out, but he looked completely healthy now. It seemed the medical techniques of Ilpenred were no joke.

“I have something to discuss.”

“You look like you’ve got something on your mind. There are many ears here, so let’s go to the base of the Northeast Asian Liberation Army.”

“Sounds good.”

I took Zhuge Hyun to his hotel accommodation at the base. Just as I was about to share my thoughts with him while he sat on the large hotel sofa sipping coffee, I suddenly hesitated.

“Hm… he’s sporting a wristwatch of Mephisto. If I talk about my situation, all of it will slip to Nailatop through Mephisto, and the plans of Hermes will immediately be revealed.”

While Hermes must have controlled what happened within the Wooden Armor using divine power, once it came to reality, every move I made would be monitored.

If that’s the case, I’ll have to use obsidian to pass on my memories. Fortunately, I recently made a magical offering using the Divine Sword, so my magical power was significantly depleted, and using what little I had left should allow me to employ the obsidian. With that thought, I cautiously spoke to Zhuge Hyun.

“…I’m considering channeling my magical power to the Four Great Spirit Deities; what should I do to maximize efficiency right now?”

Without elaborating that I intended to use obsidian to pass my memories to Zhuge Hyun once my magical power was depleted, he seemed to understand right away and nodded before speaking.

“Ask Agni, the Flame Deity, to wipe out the alien race at Hengshan.”

“Eh? Is that really okay?”

“Of course… I’ve already investigated that the guys at Hengshan are a vicious alien race. No need to feel guilty about it.”

“Well, if that’s the case.”

I went to the Four Great Spirit Deity Agni and requested him to judge the alien race at Hengshan in exchange for my remaining magical power. Agni then said,

[That is doable. However, you need to directly maneuver me to attack them as the cause.]

“You’re making it sound complicated. I just need to go and shoot, right?”

[Exactly.]

Boom!

I instantly used Mephisto to teleport near Hengshan and immediately summoned Agni. The moment I manifested Agni into a gun-like shape, I could feel my remaining magical power being completely drained, and though I felt a slight sting of pain, I aimed Agni straight ahead.

Bang!!

Boom, boom, boom!

Just like when I wiped out the slave market in the original world, Agni obliterated the nameless alien race at Hengshan in one go. After completing the series of tasks, I returned to where I was, and Zhuge Hyun expressed his satisfaction.

“Well done. Now that we’ve achieved the task, Nailatop shouldn’t be able to bring up Lee Hwan-woong’s cause against you. It’s better to clear a debt while you can.”

“I see. It’s advisable to handle potential issues beforehand.”

“Precisely…”

Noticing Zhuge Hyun was catching on, I cautiously infused my memories into obsidian and handed it to him. Once the transmission was complete, Zhuge Hyun seemed to widen his eyes momentarily. Then he cautiously said,

“Baek Woong. It’s quite fascinating that the constellation’s blessing has been granted inside the Wooden Armor. I believe we need to enter the Wooden Armor together and check it out.”

I picked up on the subtle hint in Zhuge Hyun’s words and presented the Wooden Armor.

“Let’s go.”

Zhuge Hyun realized the inside of the Wooden Armor was likely the only place to avoid Nailatop’s scrutiny.

Whoosh!

I entered the interior of the Wooden Armor with Zhuge Hyun. I laid my hand on Hermes’ staff that was stuck inside.

With a humming sound, Hermes appeared, and as soon as he showed up, Zhuge Hyun greeted him respectfully.

“O Great God of Magic Hermes! I am Zhuge Hyun, a graduate student.”

“A tenacious person who leaps into the world of knowledge and endures as the lowest of beings. Welcome for paying a visit.”

“May I ask you a few questions?”

At this, Hermes smiled oddly.

“There’s no need, but you seem eager to play the strategist. Perhaps that’s your ploy?”

“……”

“Anyway, that’s alright. I’ve been wanting to plan with someone who can comprehend, unlike that fellow.”

“Thank you. So, for my first question…”

Zhuge Hyun’s eyes sparkled.

“Please tell us your purpose, Hermes. Are you aiming for ascension like the Emperor or the Evil God?”

“You’re rather direct. I will agree to that statement.”

“So, it’s as I suspected.”

“If the Reborn Person could seal the Emperor, it would have been impossible not to meet my foolish disciple. He must have openly spoken of the existence of the Demiurge, so I won’t hide my aim.”

“…One more thing. Honestly, we have no grounds to be certain whether what you showed us about Soeul Village is magic or an illusion. If you could show us more concrete evidence, we would be willing to cooperate fully with your plans.”

“You’re digging to the core. I like that…”

While Hermes wore a curious smile, he suddenly glanced at me and gestured with his finger.

“Baek Woong. Come here.”

I walked toward him, puzzled, and as I stood next to the crystal orb, Hermes said,

“Even if Zhuge Hyun devises a scheme, the final decision rests with you. I will now reveal to you the greatest reason I can send you back to Soeul Village.”

“How do you intend to reveal it…?”

“Place your hand on the crystal orb.”

“……”

“I swear by my name that it won’t harm you.”

As he uttered the oath, I hesitated but eventually placed my hand on the staff’s crystal orb. The moment my hand touched it, Hermes began to chant.

“O Great Sephiroth… intertwining with the Qliphoth, I now traverse the boundaries of demise. This is a pact permitted by the Outer God and is an embodiment of cause and effect, acknowledging the inverted wheel. O Great Beings, please accept this cause.”

Boom!

“……?!”

While he was chanting the spell, my heart suddenly raced, and I noticed an unseen, intangible thread briefly brushing past my eyes. It was so fleeting that I couldn’t discern what it was, but at the same time, a round shape emerged in my mind.

Round.

But it merely appeared round — in reality, it’s a line.

Therefore, it’s incomplete….

While incomprehensible concepts lined up in my mind, Hermes completed the chant.

“And thus I, Hermes… wish it upon the name of the immortal serpent…”

Swoosh!

The wooden mask Hermes was wearing seemed to evaporate into a brilliant white light. The mask radiated a flash so bright that it was almost blinding, illuminating his entire being with a brilliance even greater. When the light became so intense that I couldn’t even keep my eyes open, a short completion phrase surfaced in my mind.

“Bridge the boundary of the closed world!”

Bang!!

“……!!”

When I regained my senses, I discovered I was standing in a familiarly secure place. I looked around, hearing the shocked cries of people nearby.

“Ch-Chieftain!!”

“Chieftain Baek Woong has returned!”

“What? Is that really true?”

“Yes, Master.”

“I’ve been counting the days for this!”

At the same time, I could see someone sprinting over from a distance, who had been training.

“Master, take this move that I’ve been honing for so long!”

Huh?! Why are you attacking me out of the blue?!

Zoom!

I could feel a spear attack rushing towards my temple at breakneck speed. I sensed it with the touch of the Absolute Realm and barely avoided it, invoking the Three Treasure Techniques and attempting to seize his hand with the Golden Nail Technique. However, he countered my strike with his superior spear techniques to try and capture my neck with the Golden Nail Technique.

‘Huh? How did he become this strong…?’

I couldn’t easily shake him off, and before I knew it, we had both grabbed each other by the collars. From there, using various struggles, headbutts, and fist techniques to create distance and engage in combat would be a typical spar between Thunder God Lineage members.

At that moment — the space flipped again.

Bang!

In the blink of an eye, I found myself back inside the Wooden Armor’s inner space. The sound of Hermes, who seemed to have just taken a deep breath, resonated through the chamber.

“Haah, haah… this Outer God’s spell truly wears me out.”

“……”

Hermes pretended to wipe sweat from his chin as he spoke.

“Did you see that? It barely lasted a mere ten seconds, but you just went to the Soeul Village of the original world. Right now, I lack the strength and the principle of cause and effect to stay for more than ten seconds, but if you bring back the core of the World Tree, that time can be greatly extended, and I could completely [open] the door for your return.”

“……”

“Now, can you trust me?”

Though Hermes spoke in a boastful tone, I actually couldn’t hear a word he was saying. Hermes seemed to realize something was off and widened his eyes.

“Wha-what? How could this happen?”

I was face to face with someone, both of us locked by the collars. With a spear gripped tightly in one hand, we were pausing right from the earlier tussle. The person looked shocked and examined the white space of the Wooden Armor, finally speaking.

“Master. Where on earth is this? Have you cast some kind of evil arts?”

A deep, mature voice. It sounded remarkably familiar.

Zhuge Hyun watched the situation unfold blankly, then said, clearly flustered.

“I… I truly can’t predict what you will stir up, Baek Woong. I remember it once, but how could this possibly happen?”

Though Hermes and Zhuge Hyun were aghast, the one most shocked was me.

I slowly released my grip on the opponent’s collar, my energy seemingly drained.

“…It’s not returning. Hmm…”

“Master. I deeply despise these ghostly tricks. Enough with the jokes, send me back to Soeul Village.”

He released his grasp as I loosened my grip, speaking with determination.

“I just awakened through our clash. Soon, I will reach a higher level, and I need more time to train now.”

“Uh, no, that’s…”

“Hurry. Whatever you’re doing with your comrades is none of my business. By the way, is this place called Dongyoung?”

Caught off guard and feeling a little apprehensive, I hesitated and finally mumbled,

“…This isn’t Dongyoung. It’s another universe, Lee Kwang.”

“…….”

The surprise encounter with my current disciple, Lee Kwang, had him trembling with scruffy hair. I could feel the tension in the grip he had on my collar tightening again.

Lee Kwang yelled out, grabbing my collar hard.

“Are you looking down on me? If you joke around carelessly, I’ll take you down, even if you are my Master!!”

“…….”

Hearing Lee Kwang’s furious voice as he gripped my collar only made me chuckle helplessly.

“Heh, heh heh heh heh….”

What on earth is going on here?

Out of nowhere, Lee Kwang had become part of this outer universe adventure.