전생검신 80권 11화

I frowned at Shim Su-ryeok’s words.

“Lee Kwang? Are you telling me to learn spear techniques from him now?”

“Of course, compared to you, Lee Kwang’s level is significantly lower. However, you know he excels in the single area of spear techniques, right? Just as you reached your level through swordplay, Lee Kwang has navigated the perilous Jianghu of sword formations and has managed to overcome the treachery lurking in the imperial palace. He is undoubtedly a master of spear techniques.”

“….”

“You should know Lee Kwang better than I do, having met him directly. You once were his disciple, and now as his master, you should be the one who understands him best.”

Of course, I knew. Just as Shim Su-ryeok said, I was well aware that Lee Kwang’s spear skills were among the best in the world. There were techniques of his that I couldn’t even begin to imitate, ones that depended on his natural talent and his groundbreaking advancements in spear techniques. Even though I had stayed at the peak level due to not grasping the essence of intent, had Lee Kwang received proper training from Lee Cheong-un for another decade, he would definitely have been the world’s best spear fighter.

But I really didn’t want to, so I kept frowning as I said.

“…Of course, I acknowledge Lee Kwang’s spear skills. But now to cease my efforts in developing my spear techniques and rely on someone else’s help? No matter how stubborn my current progress seems, I don’t want to do that.”

“I’m not saying you should depend on Lee Kwang. Since we need to wake him from his curse anyway, why not get two birds with one stone?”

“What do you mean by that?”

I couldn’t help but startle at Shim Su-ryeok’s next words.

“Baek Woong. Are you really planning to leave everything inside the wooden armor petrified and return to the era of the Takrok War? If you intend to go back to that time to lift the petrification, that’s utterly foolish.”

“…!!”

“Eventually, you have to lift the petrification curse on all the artifacts within the wooden armor because you have to use them. Therefore, you’ll also have to lift the curse on Lee Kwang and Lee Hwan-woong. But do you seriously plan to do that in the divine age where groups of demons are running rampant? Have you considered how weak they are given that you might be exposed to the powerful figures of Takrok’s era?”

I caught on to something in Shim Su-ryeok’s words and said.

“Don’t tell me… you want me to make Lee Kwang and Lee Hwan-woong stronger during the remaining training period?”

“Exactly. That would be more convenient for you. Are you planning to keep them safely imprisoned in the wooden armor like pets? It would actually be easier if they were strong enough to protect themselves.”

“Uh… I suppose that’s true.”

“While you’re training them, you can also learn the intricacies of spear techniques from Lee Kwang. If it’s something you have to do, is it wrong to gain some benefits along the way? I think this is a reasonable and efficient conclusion.”

“….”

It sounded right.

“I haven’t counted closely, but there should be at least seventy years left in this training world. Helping them for just ten years should be enough to put their skills on track…”

I thought Shim Su-ryeok’s reasoning was persuasive, but there was still something I didn’t quite understand.

“Shim Su-ryeok. I’ll concede on that, but how do we lift the petrification? We’ve just stood by until now and suddenly trying to…”

“You already know how to lift the petrification, don’t you? Use the power of commerce.”

“Oh. The power of commerce…”

I had forgotten about it since I hadn’t used it for so long! Spending a few hundred years training martial arts, had I really forgotten such a thing?

I remembered the power of commerce but couldn’t help but worry.

“However, to lift the petrification for Lee Kwang, Lee Hwan-woong, and all the petrified treasures, we’ll need an enormous amount of money. I… had set the unit of that money to be the heads of Demon Lords, but right now in this training world, there are no demons or great demons around to earn that amount.”

“You’re right about that. I heard it all when you explained the past events to me. I’ve also thought about it whenever I had time… and it seems there’s a simple solution.”

“A simple solution?”

At Shim Su-ryeok’s next words, I couldn’t help but open my mouth in surprise.

“Gather all the Seven Luminaries in this world and excavate all the treasures you know about. After accumulating everything, exchange it all for Demon Lord heads at once, right? That should yield a significant amount.”

“Uh… that might be true, but the amount of Demon Lord heads needed to lift the petrification is astronomical. Even gathering all of those might not be enough.”

Shim Su-ryeok chuckled softly.

“Then just commit suicide.”

“…?!”

“After suicing, when you resurrect, doesn’t the world regenerate along with the treasures? You can just collect them again.”

“Ugh…”

Seriously… that’s a method?!

But then I suddenly realized one thing and pushed back.

“Even if I do resurrect, it’ll just be in the same spot, and the lost treasures won’t magically regenerate, right? In that case…”

“That would only happen if the world was completely destroyed. It would only happen in the case of world destruction.”

“Don’t tell me…”

“I’m not just telling you to commit suicide.”

Shim Su-ryeok smiled wickedly.

“I’m saying to attack Chi You’s heart beneath the Demon Sorcery Pillar and self-destruct to bring upon world destruction. That way, that Mephistopheles guy or whatever he is would have no choice but to regenerate the world and create the treasures again.”

“……!!”

“Normally, it would be hopeless, but finding Chi You’s heart has turned out to be a boon.”

Indeed!!

Shim Su-ryeok’s plan was something I had never considered. No, maybe I could have thought of it, but I had never thought that I would have to go that far with the power of commerce. Apparently, Shim Su-ryeok had thought of every possible detail during his spare time from training.

Shim Su-ryeok rolled up his sleeves and said.

“Time is wasting. Let’s set off right now!”

“Understood!”

Pa-at

I quickly flew south alongside Shim Su-ryeok. Soaring through the azure skies at a speed several times faster than a future aircraft, I sent a secret transmission to Shim Su-ryeok, who was beside me.

[Will it really regenerate again?]

“It’s certain. If the entire world was revived, there’s no way it wouldn’t be there.”

Ta-at

I arrived at the Huaying ruins in Ululu with a bit of skepticism and entered inside. Upon inspecting the area closely, it was clear the Huaying was indeed there, and I could also see the sapling of the Dragon Flower Tree. Upon seeing that sapling, I couldn’t help but exclaim.

“…It really is here.”

Shim Su-ryeok approached the sapling of the Dragon Flower Tree, grasping its trunk, and said.

“According to you, there should originally be a seed of the Dragon Flower Tree here, but the existence called Cheon Woo-jin has somehow turned it into a sapling for convenience’s sake. You inferred it was a sapling just by sensing its energy.”

Ha-drook

As Shim Su-ryeok yanked out the sapling in one go, I nodded.

“I noticed it from the energy exclusive to the Dragon Flower Tree. However, I wonder why Cheon Woo-jin chose to transform a seed into a sapling.”

“I think I know. Naturally, a sapling is much more valuable than a seed, right?”

“Eh? What do you mean?”

“Think about why we are here.”

“…Oh!!”

“If Cheon Woo-jin is as intelligent as an AI, he surely anticipated that I would come around to collect treasures for the sake of lifting petrification.”

“…….”

Indeed. While seeds have their own value, considering the effort and time required to sprout and grow sufficiently, it makes sense that a sapling would hold far greater worth in terms of Demon Lords. Cheon Woo-jin must have predicted that an opportunity like this would arise someday.

“I’m somewhat grateful though…”

While I was lost in thought, Shim Su-ryeok glanced at the Huaying on the altar and remarked.

“Considering its value, we can’t overlook the Huaying. But it’s said that the fiery energy accumulated over thousands of years is embedded as a curse, and originally, it was absorbed using the Fire Dragon Sword, right?”

“That’s correct.”

“But we don’t have the Fire Dragon Sword. Is there a way to take this now?”

At Shim Su-ryeok’s words, I couldn’t help but smirk and reached out silently towards the Huaying on the altar.

Fwooosh!!

A burst of cursed flames shot up, but I held my ground without a care. Unlike before, the flames couldn’t touch me easily without me needing to raise my internal power. And as the flames grew stronger, in that moment, I widened my eyes and activated the Ultimate Technique.

Soul of the Evil God

Flame Soul Transformation!!

Crackle!! Crackle!

Swoooosh…

For a moment, clear flames and black cursed flames clashed around me before finally, the black cursed flames were completely extinguished. I casually undid the Flame Soul Transformation and said.

“Using Soul of the Evil God was enough. If it’s the same flames, how can flames burn flames?”

“Ha-ha. Indeed… this is proof that the power of Soul of the Evil God can more than contend with divine power.”

“Wait a moment.”

I shouted loudly.

“Oh, power of commerce!”

Woo-woong

Then I sensed the activation of the power of commerce and summoned a turtle shell on my palm. I quickly wrote on the turtle shell.

[Huaying]

Then, a foreign ancient script appeared before my eyes.

[Huaying (Flame Curse Lifted / Sealed with ‘The First Character’)

One-Time Price: 2,359,400 Demon Lords

Unsealing Price: 4,720,000 Demon Lords

Payment and Collateral Options Available]

“Hmm. Quite pricey.”

About 2.36 million Demon Lords is a fair chunk of change. Since the price for the petrified grimoire, ‘Nightmare Monument,’ was around 37,560, it would take about 70 of those petrified grimoires to match the price of Huaying. Nevertheless, I murmured in disappointment.

“But only 236 million for the Seven Luminaries… why is it valued so low?”

Even so, it was the Seven Luminaries and Huaying. Among the legendary treasures, it was one of the most sought-after ones by the Three Sovereigns, so why was it priced this low?

“What’s going on?”

Hearing my lament, Shim Su-ryeok questioned, and I explained why I was disappointed. After a moment of thought, he replied.

“I’d say it’s still undervalued because the seal hasn’t been removed.”

“Unsealing?”

“The first-level Flame Curse has been removed, but that’s just the energy accumulated over time. The true seal on Huaying hasn’t been lifted yet, right?”

“Oh, I see.”

“According to you, the price for unsealing will only reveal the true value once you pay the 4.72 million Demon Lords.”

“Hmm! That makes sense.”

Then, it’s definitely a lot of money compared to the Demon Lords earned from hunting dragons in the Takrok era!

I grinned as I looked at the sapling of the Dragon Flower Tree beside me.

“Now, let’s see about this….”

I swiftly wrote the Dragon Flower Tree on the turtle shell.

[Sapling of the Dragon Flower Tree (World Tree / Sprouting / Growing)

Super Rare Item

Selling Will Greatly Decrease Fame

Selling Will Greatly Decrease Cause and Effect Value

Selling Will Displease the Observer

Not for Sale / Ownership Recommended

One-Time Price: ??? Demon Lords

Payment and Collateral Options Available]

“….”

Uh… What… what’s this…?

I unknowingly rubbed my eyes and glanced again. No matter how I looked at it, something was off compared to anything I had seen so far.

“Why is the price not displayed?”

This was a complete first!

I wanted to sell it at once, but just then, Shim Su-ryeok was looking at me suspiciously.

“Hey. Can you tell me what it says?”

“…Alright.”

I relayed the selling conditions of the Dragon Flower Tree sapling to Shim Su-ryeok. Listening carefully, he then asked curiously.

“Forget everything else, but who exactly is this observer?”

“The observer is a being that transcends infinite chaos beyond the outer universe, and observes the world.”

“Hmm. So it’s an outer god… but aren’t you afraid that this outer god will be displeased?”

“…….”

“What if, during the next time you cross over into the outer universe, that outer god decides to kill you without a second thought?”

Uh… good point?

Shim Su-ryeok chuckled and then said.

“Haha. Now that I think about it, since I’ve already been cursed by that outer god after eating the sapling, I might as well sell it without hesitation. Do as you wish.”

No way!

Why so frightening!

“…Ah, no. It’s probably better not to sell it.”

“I think what’s crucial now isn’t whether to sell it or not but why the price isn’t showing.”

“Right. Everything else has a price, so why is only the Dragon Flower Tree not displayed?”

“Hmm….”

Shim Su-ryeok thought hard before saying.

“Hey. Didn’t you mention before that there are different ranks in the power of commerce?”

“Oh!”

I recalled that fact.

“Right. From the first-level ‘Money God’ to the tenth-level ‘Low Merchant,’ it exists, and I’m currently a tenth-level merchant.”

“Just so.”

“The ranks of merchants don’t just suddenly….”

“What if a lowly wandering merchant from the countryside received treasures normally handled by nobles? Can that wandering merchant really sell the treasures properly?”

That was an unexpected comment. But I grasped something in Shim Su-ryeok’s words and said.

“So if I don’t increase my merchant rank, I won’t be able to sell treasures beyond a certain level?”

“Exactly. Their value is hard to judge.”

“But even so, the costs for unsealing were generously communicated to me, amounting to several hundred million.”

“That’s because it’s not a direct profit for you. It’s kindness not to begrudge you info on target prices while you’re collecting your funds. However, if it’s treasures of significantly high value, they simply aren’t assessable at a low merchant rank.”

“Hmm.”

If that’s the case, I’d need to boost my merchant rank above tenth level to be able to sell the sapling of the Dragon Flower Tree.

‘And it’s not just the Dragon Flower Tree sapling but likely for other high-value items too.’

I felt a sense of challenge welling up.

“I got it! If I conduct multiple transactions, my merchant rank will rise!”

I stored the sapling of the Dragon Flower Tree and Huaying into the wooden armor.

Shim Su-ryeok asked.

“Now, among the remaining Seven Luminaries, which ones can we gather?”

“Let’s see. I know the locations of the Moon Sovereign, Water Sovereign, and Golden Crow, so I can get them quickly. For the Earth Spirit, I need to go to Dark Heaven Village, but there won’t be one in this training world, so I won’t be able to gather it. So, we can obtain a total of three.”

“Huh? Why can’t we get the Wood Element and Sun?”

“The Wood Element has been carried around by the Master of the Twelve Joules, but I have no way of knowing its location. And the Sun can only be acquired after gathering all the Six Needs and passing the Trial of the Seven Luminaries.”

“You’ve had quite the extravagant adventure… Anyway, if we can at least gather three, let’s get going quickly.”

“Let’s do it.”

I swiftly traversed the world to gather the Seven Luminaries. The Moon Sovereign and Water Sovereign were simple to secure once I knew their locations, and for the Golden Crow, I merely needed to smash the seal at the designated location using divine power to retrieve it. Upon gathering all the Seven Luminaries I could, Shim Su-ryeok said.

“We’ve collected all four of the Seven Luminaries. Do you have any other treasures in mind?”

“Hmm… The Fire Dragon Sword, National Seal, Divine Sword, Twin Broadswords, Yodo Muramasa, Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng, Black and White Lotus, Sacred Lotus… the Gold Bars… the Three Sovereigns’ Inner Gate, the Golden Eagle, the Egg on Golden Crow Island, the Crystal Stele, the statue of Jeon Wook, a few Grimoires, and the Suspicious Fishhook… among others!”

“…….”

“I should also head to Dongyoung and get the Amenohabaki and, on top of that, the Manpasikjeok from the eastern sea.”

Shim Su-ryeok stared at me wide-eyed as if astonished and then said.

“…I don’t think you mentioned before just how many treasures you planned to acquire, though?”

“Uh, well… I guess it looks like I’ve gathered quite a lot.”

“That’s crazy… dying thirty times must have allowed you to learn everything.”

Shim Su-ryeok chuckled hopelessly and said.

“Alright. Anyway, let’s hustle!”

Then not long after, I was able to collect most of the treasures I mentioned. Shim Su-ryeok followed behind all the way, unable to hide his surprise.

“To think there would be treasures in places like this… We’re finished gathering, right?”

“Ah! Now that I think about it, I still need to go to Taekyung Village and the Dadu Kingdom!”

“What treasures are waiting there?”

“I can collect two Silver Phoenix Fragments. Combining them would yield great value.”

“Alright. In that case, let’s move out!”

Ta-dat

After acquiring the Phoenix Fragments, Shim Su-ryeok asked.

“Are we done now?”

“Ah!”

“Is there still more?”

“I need to visit the residence of Seojin. He got a precious pearl from the Dragon King of Dongjeong Lake when he married the Dragon King’s daughter.”

“…….”

Ta-dat

I got the pearl of the Dongjeong Lake Dragon King in my possession!

Shim Su-ryeok asked.

“Is that everything now?”

“Ah!”

“…Hmm… is that it?”

“I still have the Pasagi that I found while looking for the Yeosichunchoo! And I need to dig up the Divine Blood from Mount Ye!”

“Divine Blood? What’s that?”

“An alien metal!”

“…….”

Ta-da-dat

I acquired the Pasagi and Divine Blood!

With a slightly exhausted expression, Shim Su-ryeok said.

“Isn’t that everything now?”

“Ah!”

“….”

“The Moon!”

“The Moon?”

I nodded and gazed at the moon in the sky.

“The treasure of Banwang Hall on the Moon! We have to grab that too!”

While the Dark Heaven Village seemed unattainable due to resource constraints, places like Golden Crow Island and Phantom Realm had already been manifested. Therefore, it’s highly likely that Banwang Hall also existed!

Shim Su-ryeok seemed startled as he said.

“Y-you mean… the Moon? Have you ever been there?”

“I once saw the destruction of Earth from the Moon! By the way, Banwang Hall is Jeogok’s Divine Temple, and it’s located on the Moon.”

“…….”

“You won’t be able to go to the Moon, so I’ll go by myself.”

Pa-bat

I flew to the Moon. Using divine power, I scouted the surroundings, and indeed, the entrance of Banwang Hall was still there.

‘The Dark Heaven Village would be difficult to manifest since it’s filled with [Old Rulers], but this shouldn’t be a problem.’

I knew that special commands or rituals were required to enter Banwang Hall, but I created a key with divine power and inserted it into the altar at the entrance.

Creeeak – !!

Suddenly, I felt my divine power-made key catch fire, and at the same time, a crack appeared at the entrance. I quickly used the Technique of All Things to swiftly unlock the door, sneaking inside.

Fwoooosh

After sweeping every treasure in Banwang Hall, I immediately used the Golden Lamp technique to return to Earth.

‘The flow of magical power in this world isn’t unstable, so it’s fine to use the Golden Lamp here.’

No wonder I always felt something was off when gathering treasures—It was because I hadn’t raided the Banwang Hall vault!

I felt a sense of relief wash over me and turned to Shim Su-ryeok, who was blankly watching me.

“I still feel like I have a few more left, but for now, I’ll exchange everything I’ve gathered for Demon Lords!”

“…….”

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

Shim Su-ryeok sighed after a long moment.

“…I’m really curious what you’d have been doing if you weren’t trying to save the world.”

“Don’t be ridiculous! I’ll just tally everything up at once and see how much it amounts to in Demon Lords!”

“Wait a second.”

“Yes?”

When Shim Su-ryeok stopped me, I turned to him, and he said while crossing his arms.

“You shouldn’t be recklessly adding dozens of items one by one. After all, what’s important is how to earn a large sum of money at once, right?”

“I suppose that’s true…”

“The most expensive item you possess now is the Seven Luminaries. However, selling the unliberated Seven Luminaries as is would yield a pittance. So…”

As Shim Su-ryeok continued, I realized what I needed to do.

“I will sell all the miscellaneous items first and use the proceeds to lift the seals on the four Seven Luminaries. Once that’s done, selling the liberated four Seven Luminaries will yield the highest value.”