전생검신 88권 11화

I just told him about what just happened. Then, Lee Hwan-woong seemed to be lost in thought before saying.

“That’s… no, it feels like you’ve received something monumental. You’ve got a reason to brag.”

“Why’s that? Do you know something?”

“More than that, Baek Woong. You tried to transfer memories to me, but I haven’t received any memories at all.”

“Really?”

“This implies two things. One is that there’s a separate memory transfer function, but you don’t know how to use it. Or, since the obsidian necklace has no memory transfer ability at all, it might only be a treasure that allows stealthy entry into that mysterious place.”

“Hmm…”

Was it true, as Lee Hwan-woong said? Did this obsidian necklace have the power of memory transfer or not?

I thought simply and said, “Well then, let’s try it again.”

“Ah, no wait! That’s a bad idea! We need to be really careful!”

Suddenly, Lee Hwan-woong panicked and stopped me.

“…?”

What’s up with him?

Then, Heuk Woong, who was listening from the side, interjected.

[That’s unlikely.]

“Why do you think so?”

In response to Lee Hwan-woong’s counter question, Heuk Woong crossed his arms and continued.

[I predicted the same as you. It seems that Tezcatlipoca’s ability to create such an incredible treasure is not just because of the power he obtained through his owner’s dominion but also because he holds the title of the [King of Obsidian].]

“Oh… I had that thought too.”

[The fact that you can reach an area that was originally out of your touch indicates that Tezcatlipoca has a bloodline deeply related to omniscience…]

“So, you’re saying that someone with the title of King of Obsidian can’t be without memory transfer ability?”

[Exactly.]

Listening to their conversation from the side, I was thoroughly confused and grumbled.

“Damn it. What are you guys talking about? Explain it so I can understand too!”

[Master. Let me simplify it for you.]

I was taken aback by Heuk Woong’s next words.

[You just entered a place called the Void Record, or possibly the Akashic Records.]

“…?!

[You mentioned that the book you randomly pulled had someone’s life recorded in it, right? Such a place could only be the Void Record.]”

Wha-what?!

I was so shocked that my hands began to tremble. Could it be that I entered the place I had only heard about?!

Heuk Woong continued speaking.

[And that absolute being you encountered was likely… Al Karda, a divine being of the prophet race, and the keeper of the Void Record.]

“……”

If Heuk Woong was right, it made sense that I didn’t even think about resisting.

That outer god Al Karda displayed a terrifying power by slamming down the universe’s greatest scientist, Nailatop, as if he were a book cover. To put it in perspective, it equaled capturing an emperor or an evil god in one move, making it utterly impossible for me to be any match for him at my current level.

I was still in shock when I suddenly focused and looked at Lee Hwan-woong.

“Are you saying the reason you told me not to try it again was…?”

“Of course, if you get caught by Al Karda again, you’d likely face total annihilation this time, wouldn’t you? Who knows if you’ll actually get caught, but jumping in without any preparation is practically suicide.”

“Yeah, I see…”

“Anyway, regardless of the risks, that obsidian necklace given by Tezcatlipoca is indeed an incredible treasure. The fact that it can sneak into the Void Record through the backdoor is something that would drive every sorcerer in the universe and the [Old Ruler] crazy with desire. It’s hard to understand why Tezcatlipoca would give this to you…”

As Lee Hwan-woong rambled on, he continued, “Baek Woong, that obsidian necklace is undoubtedly something hard to obtain even after hundreds of rebirths. It’d be wise for you to make the most of it in this life.”

Not fully grasping the situation, I muttered uncertainly.

“Um… But what’s so great about being able to enter the Void Record? I don’t really get it…”

“……”

[……]

Suddenly, Lee Hwan-woong, Heuk Woong, and even Emperor Lemuria I looked like they were in shock.

Lee Hwan-woong rubbed his head and then said, “Um… well, that would be really great. Anyway, don’t worry. Heuk Woong and I will think hard enough that we’ll definitely benefit from it.”

“Really?”

“First, let’s sort out what we need to do. It’s too dangerous to reactivate the functions of that obsidian necklace right now. Instead, we need to find out its more accurate functions, so let’s go look for Tezcatlipoca later.”

“Right… It’s funny how he just leaves without explaining how it works. But where could Tezcatlipoca be? I heard he roams the world freely…”

“I have a hunch on where he might be. But I don’t think he’ll be there right now, so let’s handle other things first…”

“Other things?”

“First, let’s head to Takrok Village and resolve the remaining issues. I have several things to handle, and we can address those before moving on.”

“Got it.”

Pa-at!!

I moved with my companions to Takrok Village. As soon as we arrived, Lee Hwan-woong guided me to find Yu Mang.

“Hmm? You’re here quickly. What’s going on?”

Yu Mang, who was teaching martial arts to Cheongyang in a clearing of the vast forest, looked down at us. Standing about 30 cm taller than others made him look colossal, making it hard not to look up. I shouted to Yu Mang.

“Can you possibly use a shrinking technique? It’s hard on my neck looking up all the time.”

“Hah… Asking a giant to shrink down? You’ve got some nerve!”

Swish!

Yu Mang chuckled but suddenly shrank down to the size of an average human. He looked at me with an unamused expression and said.

“Of course, every giant can perform such tricks, but we despise it. We think our huge forms are impressive and magnificent. Would you enjoy shrinking down to the size of a mouse?”

“Ah… I’m sorry.”

“Alright, what’s there to say?”

I glanced at Lee Hwan-woong, and he stepped forward and said, “Please teach Baek Woong the Power Field Style you promised to impart.”

“…?!”

Huh?!

I was shocked by a statement I never saw coming, and Yu Mang looked at both of us with an amused expression, then said.

“Indeed, I promised that. You two were delaying it under the pretense of initial shareholder signatures, but now it seems like you wish to learn?”

“Yes. I think it’s the perfect time now.”

I, overhearing them, questioned Lee Hwan-woong, “Hey. Power Field Style? Where did that suddenly come from?”

“Is there a problem with that?”

“The list of things that still need to be resolved seems infinite, so do we really have time to just sit and learn martial arts?”

My concerns were perfectly valid. Last time, Lee Hwan-woong had mentioned nine tasks piled up, and it was evident I’d be running around like crazy to finish them all. So I wondered whether that could really allow for the focus needed to learn skills, especially the peerless divine technique of Yu Mang.

Then, Lee Hwan-woong chuckled and said, “Think about it. The tasks I mentioned last time have essentially all been resolved.”

“What?”

“First, the matter with Yuso and the girl can just be handled by keeping an eye on the future Yuso. While he can potentially beat you, he can’t annihilate you. Secondly, the emperor and Fuxi are currently potential adversaries, but do you plan to formally declare war on them right away? This is a matter we can simply manage by strengthening ourselves and practicing restraint. Thirdly, as I now possess the rights concerning the business, even if you suddenly vanish in the future, it can be handled. Fourth, we can deal with the Three Great Spirit Deities Indra later. The dormant Indra wouldn’t attack you out-of-the-blue anyway. Fifth, we’ve forged blood alliances with the Three Great Spirits in Tianzhu. Sixth, you don’t need to worry about the powers of In-On in this life. Seventh, I’ve reinforced the folks in Takrok Village with the special distribution so they are now each contributing. Eighth, things with Quetzalcoatl turned into big benefits even though Tezcatlipoca was resurrected. Ninth, visiting Shim Su-ryeok and Lee Kwang can happen at any time since it’s not an urgent issue.”

“……”

“See? Other than meeting Indra from the Three Great Spirits and those two in the Heavenly Secret, nothing much needs immediate action, right? I solved it pretty quickly, if I may say so myself?”

I pondered Lee Hwan-woong’s words and grasped the truth. He had swiftly untangled all the complicated tasks that had felt like a nightmare.

‘He’s terrifyingly efficient!’

How impressive it was! Prioritizing based on what needed to be done while sorting out lesser concerns later!

There was no doubt about Lee Hwan-woong’s capabilities.

As I was silently amazed, Lee Hwan-woong leisurely stated, “Indra from the Three Great Spirits is a dangerous character who could kill you unexpectedly. You’d be better off growing stronger and preparing before discussing it. In fact, this is something you could resolve in your next life, isn’t it? So right now is a time for a temporary rest, and instead of simply goofing off, it’s a productive time to build strength for the next step.”

“……Sometimes I don’t quite understand the terms you use, but I get the general idea. So you’re saying that learning the Power Field Style is efficient?”

“Exactly.”

“But I don’t have the talent, so even if I learn the Power Field Style, I won’t pick it up quickly…”

“Of course! That’s why I’m going to learn with you.”

“What?”

“Even if you don’t grasp it fully, I can learn it and teach you intermittently. Isn’t that what a teacher is supposed to do?”

“Hmmm.”

There was a point in Lee Hwan-woong’s logic. His confidence in learning faster came off as a bit cocky, but it was the truth, so I couldn’t really argue. Lee Hwan-woong’s martial skills were certainly on a level where he might reach the Absolute Realm by his own effort, making comparison with me like comparing a phoenix to a frog.

“Learning the Power Field Style isn’t just to enhance your abilities. In truth, it would be more beneficial when other companions learn it. Once you learn it, they’d receive memory transmissions in the next round and further develop the Power Field Style.”

“Really? Ah… that could be the case.”

“Humans, unlike Yu Mang, don’t have the talent to convert divine power into intent, so they might not be super strong, but would be better off countering divine beings.”

Only then did I realize why Lee Hwan-woong had come all the way here just to learn the Power Field Style. Yu Mang’s style was known as the Giant God’s Might and had the ability to comprehend and neutralize the very waves of divine power. If humans wanted to stand against divine beings, the Power Field Style would be invaluable.

Suddenly, a strange thought crossed my mind.

‘Huh? Now that I think about it, the Power Field Style is a fantastic martial art for mortals to resist gods… but why hasn’t it been passed down in the later generations I live in?’

Did Yu Mang not pass it on because he was lazy?

But he had taught Cheongyang…

I felt dubious, but eventually nodded.

“Alright. I’ll learn!!”

“Hehe. So my martial arts will spread throughout the universe through the reincarnator? I like the sound of that.”

Yu Mang seemed to be pleased with that reaction. Seeing him like that, it appeared teaching me wasn’t too bothersome for him.

Then Lee Hwan-woong shot me a sideways glance and said, “And before training, you should meet Subori separately and then come back here.”

“Uh? Why all of a sudden…?”

Why is Subori coming up here?

I was baffled, but something clicked in my mind with Lee Hwan-woong’s next words.

“The guy we met in the future… I need to keep an eye on that countermeasure too.”

“…!! That’s true. I’ll be back.”

“Start learning first.”

Ta-at!

I left Lee Hwan-woong behind and returned to Takrok Village to find Subori.

“Subori. So you were here.”

Subori was sitting cross-legged in a hut, chanting an incantation while meditating. His whole body was exuding a jade-green spirit energy, and upon noticing me, Subori said, “Baek Woong. What brings you here?”

“To cut to the chase.”

I stared intently at Subori and said, “I met Ananda, the tenth disciple of Gautama Buddha, in the world of the future.”

“…!!”

Gasp!

Subori suddenly displayed great agitation on his face. His expression, failing to hide his emotions, reflected an inexplicable sense of inferiority, anger, and anguish. When Subori showed signs of distress, I continued, “He was a mask that achieved fusion. I saw him send the real Vishnu to the afterlife in a single strike!”

“…Huh, huh… I see…”

“Subori. You are also a tenth disciple, just like Ananda. And considering you mention him sometimes, it seems you already knew how significant he is. So why didn’t you properly inform me about such an important figure?”

Subori had never explained anything beyond briefly mentioning fusion masks during our hundreds of years of training in the Training World. Naturally, I had to question why he had withheld such vital information. After all, he was someone who came from the same lineage as Ananda.

“……”

After a moment, Subori clenched his fist and opened his mouth.

“Do you know how it feels to be treated like a bug by someone you regarded as such… suddenly realizing I was a bug myself?”