전생검신 83권 10화

I was dumbfounded by the Wheel King’s words and asked, “Wait, did you say the Underworld is splitting apart? Last time you saved me just fine; why can’t you do it now?”

“…”

Swish

The Wheel King suddenly summoned the Book of Life and Death onto his hands. He glanced at me and said, “Have you ever thought about what would happen if I write your name in that book?”

“No…”

“Pay attention.”

Swish!

With a swift stroke, he seemingly wrote my name in the book without any hesitation. And in the next moment, I felt a violent jolt in my heart.

“Gah…!”

My heart hurt. No, it felt like all my organs were screaming in agony!

I realized this was a blockage caused by my heart failing, cutting off the blood flow to my brain and organs. At the same time, all my resistance crumbled away, and I was utterly startled by the encroaching sensation of [death].

Why is this happening out of nowhere…!!

Thud

“Ugh… cough…”

As I succumbed to the pain and collapsed, gasping for breath, the Wheel King merely looked down at me with cold eyes.

How long had it been?

“…?”

After an eternity, there was still no sign of me dying. To be precise, the pain continued unabated, while I couldn’t actually reach [death]. As I started to get a bit used to the discomfort, it diminished to a chronic headache that was manageable enough to move about.

As I puzzled over my condition and looked down at myself, the Wheel King remarked, “There are hardly any beings I can’t kill by simply writing their name in the Book. Mortals are bound to die, and even most gods will be killed in a single strike. You already know this because you’ve killed the gods of Venus before.”

“…”

I nodded slowly.

The gods of Venus!!

Even though they were weakened and confined, I had once annihilated hundreds of gods all at once with the Wheel King’s powers when I awakened them. The Wheel King continued as he vanished my name from the Book of Life and Death.

“It’s not because of your status that you survived my attack. You have already taken my divine power once when you were resurrected, hence you’ve become immune to attacks of the same nature.”

I was shocked at those words.

“Are you saying I… took the King’s power?”

“You must have confirmed it with your own eyes. You merely received a phantom pain to your spirit, leaving the essence of your true soul untouched.”

“Hmm…”

“At this point, there’s no existence more resistant to the powers of the Underworld than you. It’s possible because you’ve taken my divine power.”

Indeed, if the Wheel King had written my name in the Book and I hadn’t died but merely suffered, it was truly remarkable.

‘No wonder I felt stronger after returning from the Underworld…’

As I was left speechless, the Wheel King added, “The power you took last time was only about ten percent. Stepping aside my vast superiority, you probably couldn’t take more than that. However, if you were resurrected again, it would be a different story. The power gap would be reduced, allowing you to take even more from me.”

With remarks like that, I could only assume the Wheel King was speaking the truth. I found myself scratching my cheek absentmindedly and stammered, “I, I didn’t mean to take it…”

“I know. It’s likely a side effect of the [Great Cycle] that occurred due to the presence of the same being in this time-space… But now that it’s come to this, I cannot easily resurrect you.”

With that, the Wheel King turned abruptly and said, “For now, follow me.”

Clomp… Clomp…

As the Wheel King slowly walked away, I decided to follow him.

‘If he truly intended to erase me, he wouldn’t explain all this.’

Eliminating me outright would undoubtedly be a hundred times easier, yet he spoke kindly for a different reason. After a while of following behind the Wheel King, I noticed someone standing ahead, bowing their head and waiting.

“You’ve arrived, O Wheel King.”

The Wheel King regarded the figure with kind eyes and replied, “I’ve kept you waiting, King of Hell.”

“Not at all.”

“Lift your head.”

Indeed, the one in front of us was the King of Hell, dressed in official robes, the second in command of the Underworld. Behind him stood numerous Underworld judges, creating an intimidating atmosphere. As the King of Hell lifted his head, the Wheel King instructed, “From today onwards, you will teach Baek Woong the art of karma. Treat him with the same respect as you would me.”

“…!!”

The King of Hell seemed startled by those words. He then asked, “Is it truly acceptable to reveal such secrets? It encompasses all duties of the Underworld…”

“Of course. Once you teach him everything, send him back to me.”

“…Your Honor!”

Swish

As soon as the words left his mouth, the Wheel King disappeared from the spot. I stared in shock at the spot he had just vacated, then glanced at the King of Hell, who asked, “Do you know what karma is?”

“…Hmm, that’s…”

I began focusing on recalling the memory of the pain that came with my name being written in the Book of Life and Death. I definitely received the Wheel King’s powers, so I should have some kind of idea about this unfamiliar term locked somewhere in my mind. After a while of pondering, it finally clicked, and I responded, “It’s the treasure of the Underworld that determines where the soul goes when it reincarnates among the Six Realms, right?”

“Correct. I see you have some knowledge.”

“…”

“It is one of the greatest treasures in Hell, alongside the Mirror of Clarity.”

Yes, I knew because of the powers I had received, but I had never had the chance to use it.

That was because, after the death of the Wheel King, the treasure of karma had been utterly destroyed. If only I had that treasure, the Underworld’s reincarnation cycle could have been easily restored, but without it, even after successfully resurrecting the Wheel King in the future world, I couldn’t stabilize things.

‘In the ancient times, the karma treasure must have still existed… Then again, it’s the peak of the Wheel King’s reign now.’

While I was organizing my thoughts, the King of Hell said, “Please ride in the cart.”

Swoosh

I hopped into the cart summoned by the King of Hell and felt it glide through the skies, pulled by the Underworld horses. The cart soon landed in a rather eerie, unidentifiable place where the King of Hell began walking towards a small palace atop the Manjangan Cliff. Before I knew it, even the judges retinue had vanished; it was just me and the King of Hell walking together.

Clomp

Creak…

Upon reaching the palace, the King of Hell opened its doors, revealing a massive round disk that appeared to be about the size of this room. The disk was segmented into six parts, each marked with indecipherable incantations written in ancient language. I stared at the disk, feeling a spark of realization and asked, “Could that disk be the karma?”

“Indeed.”

“Are we supposed to rotate the disk and send the soul to the Six Realms based on the outcome?”

“Correct.”

Rumble

As the King of Hell stepped closer and exerted his strength to turn the karma disk, it began to revolve with a profound sound. I, caught slightly off guard by the sight, exclaimed, “Wait a second. Isn’t the idea to peek into the soul’s life with the Mirror of Clarity, judge its sins, and send it to an appropriate place? Why do we need to spin the karma disk at all?!”

“Do you not understand the reason…”

“I don’t know! I only learned it existed; I’ve never seen it in use before!”

Being honest about my confusion, the King of Hell replied, “Do you know how much power is needed to reincarnate a soul?”

“…?”

“This reincarnation system is not part of the natural order of the universe. It’s an artificial construct created out of pity by the Wheel King for the mortals. Judging a soul and sending it to the Six Realms means ensuring the soul doesn’t disintegrate when it crosses the dimensional boundaries.”

“…!!”

“In this world, there are countless dimensions, but most are permeated by the influence of the [Old Ruler]. Preventing the souls from being devoured by them, guiding them through the myriad of dimensional coordinates… All of this consumes an incredible amount of power.”

As he spoke, the King of Hell suddenly reached out and slapped the spinning karma disk.

Boom!!

When the King of Hell’s strike caused the disk to halt, an inexplicable, bizarre force seeped out of it like vapor. Staring at the ensuing energy, the King of Hell remarked, “No matter how mighty the Wheel King is, if he devotes all his power to maintaining the system, his abilities will dwindle. Hence, this karma disk helps souls channel their karma to reincarnate with their own power as much as possible. This way, the King’s power is largely preserved while growing stronger in the long run.”

“So, they channel their karma…?”

Not quite understanding, I tilted my head, and the King of Hell explained, “I shall now demonstrate how to judge a soul. You will see for yourself.”

With that, the King of Hell waved his hand.

Boom

In a moment, two Underworld judges appeared, kneeling before us. I was taken aback as I recognized them.

“N-Namdu and Bukdu!!”

Once high-ranking figures in the Celestial Realm, but now just betrayers dressed in Underworld robes!

Caught off guard by their unexpected presence—the notion that they, once mighty, were captured was shocking beyond belief. Bound and trembling, they implored the King of Hell, “P-Please spare us!”

“What exactly have we done to deserve this…?”

In response, the King of Hell coldly said, “You will betray the Wheel King in the future. This is his decree, so accept your fate!!”

“…!!”

“No way… this is nonsense! How can that be?”

Namdu and Bukdu cried out in sheer horror, and I suddenly understood the situation.

‘The Wheel King read my memories!’

Naturally, throughout my previous life, I would have learned about the future traitors, Namdu and Bukdu, so the Wheel King couldn’t let that slide. Nevertheless, seeing them punished again felt oddly satisfying.

A moment later, the King of Hell summoned a massive executioner’s blade that was nearly eight feet long and walked towards Namdu and Bukdu.

“You have been ordered not to be killed gently by the Book of Life and Death; prepare yourselves!”

“Uwahhh!”

Slash

Thud

Moments later, a bloodbath ensued as the King of Hell’s blade shredded Namdu and Bukdu into countless pieces like sushi. As the entrails and blood pooled on the palace floor, the King of Hell glanced at me while holding up the remnants of their heads.

“Observe. When a judgment concludes this way, the soul of the sinner receives karma based on the weight of their crimes. This energy flickering above their heads is very similar to what swirls around the karma disk, does it not?”

“….”

Although I was disturbed by the horrifying sight, I remained calm and compared the two energies as the King of Hell had instructed. I soon realized that while different from divine energy, this mineral-like essence resembled that of the karma disk quite closely.

“I see.”

“And if you offer the sinner’s body or the purified soul to the karma disk…”

Swish

As the King of Hell threw the two severed heads into the disk, a giant hole formed at the center of the karma disk, absorbing the heads of Namdu and Bukdu. Moments later, the karma disk began to tremor violently.

Whoooooosh –

Rumble!!

The karma disk spun with ferocious speed!! It soon stopped spinning, and the previously divided segments became drenched in red, on which ancient language was inscribed. At that moment, I felt like I was interpreting those ancient words in my mind.

Hell

Boom!

In the next instant, two souls glowed and seemed to spring from the karma disk, flying away to an unknown destination. After demonstrating the entire process, the King of Hell said, “The strength of one’s karma determines their fate. Moreover, the King’s power is hardly diminished.”

Self-inflicted consequences, huh.

“That could be one way to put it.”

As I listened to the King of Hell’s explanation, something felt off, and I voiced, “But wouldn’t it be easier to just toss souls into the karma disk instead of judging them in the Underworld? Why bother with the hassle of judgment?”

“That is not the case.”

The King of Hell spoke gravely. “By judging the souls, we assure that the Wheel King can vouch for their nature as either good or evil. A virtuous soul receives stronger aid for a better chance at reaching a good realm, while a wicked soul is more likely to descend into the underworld. It’s the Law of Cause and Effect at play. Additionally, if the judgment is executed properly, it yields a clear Law of Cause and Effect.”

“The Law of Cause and Effect…”

“Now, your task is to operate this karma disk. Once deemed skilled enough, you will send the souls back to the Wheel King.”

“…”

I failed to grasp the intentions of the Wheel King.

Why was he assigning me such tasks?

I assumed there must be some significance behind it, but at the moment, I was clueless…

However, I finally nodded my head.

“Let’s give it a shot! So who will I be judging?”

“The judgments are complete by our judges; you only need to use your power when operating the karma disk.”

“…”

As I scratched my head in embarrassment, the King of Hell seemed to chuckle.

“Of course, if you think our judges’ judgment is incorrect, you can overturn it with your reasoning. After all, you are quite capable. I shall now summon the first soul.”

Swish

Moments later, a familiar face appeared summoned before me.

“…”

As soon as I recognized the soul, I stumbled back in shock and exclaimed, “Y-You? Did you seriously die in that short span of time?!”

“…”

The soul looked at me, equally surprised, then lowered its head in resignation, saying, “It hasn’t been a short time. It’s been a year since you mysteriously vanished after meeting Yu Mang… I died while fighting an unprecedentedly powerful Demon Clan that invaded Takrok Village.”

“Gah…?! What about everyone else?!”

“Hopefully they’re safe. The Giant Race came to assist…”

The soul managed a bitter smile. “I don’t wish to be revived. Just let me go to a good place.”

“…”

The soul before me was none other than Cheongyang, a resident of Takrok Village.