전생검신 88권 14화

I was shocked by how much Lee Kwang’s skills had skyrocketed in such a short time.

‘Lee Kwang was a genius from the start. But he wasn’t exactly the type who could break through walls by himself without any help…’

Was there some kind of assistance involved?

Even while pondering this, I decided to approach him calmly. I spoke to Lee Kwang.

“Lee Kwang. Do you want to be alone?”

[……]

“It seems you don’t want to chat. Regardless, I should get straight to the point.”

Ping!!

After saying that, I generated a coin using my power on the palm of my hand and flicked it with my finger technique, sending it flying into the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School where Lee Kwang was. It looked like he casually caught my coin, and I spoke to the silent Lee Kwang.

“I just issued a special dividend from the company I started. That coin will boost your capabilities as an initial shareholder.”

The duel with Lee Kwang was just a side event. In fact, since Lee Kwang was also one of the ten initial shareholders, I had come to give him that coin.

[Is this made with divine power too?]

“Exactly. Since I, who hold your shares, allowed it, you are entitled to that coin.”

[I see.]

Lee Kwang, who seemed to quickly grasp the situation, unexpectedly did something.

Ping!

I swiftly snatched the coin that Lee Kwang sent back at me. He threw it back!

Understanding the implications of this action left me stunned.

“…What are you doing, Lee Kwang? Are you refusing power?”

A coin laden with the Law of Cause and Effect that could make an ordinary human strong enough to reach the Great Immortal Level!

The value of that coin was astronomical and all divine beings would be envious of it. Anyone with a bit of capability could become close to a god with it; it was essentially a privilege reserved for the ten initial shareholders. So I thought it was impossible for the covetous Lee Kwang to refuse it.

But to think Lee Kwang would actually reject the power of the coin!

I turned to Lee Kwang in shock as he opened his mouth, speaking not as a voice in the harmony assembly but in his own voice.

“Gaining that power now wouldn’t allow me to surpass your divine power, would it?”

His voice was slightly quieter due to the distance, but I could understand it perfectly since it was imbued with internal power. I listened to Lee Kwang’s words in a daze before slowly nodding my head.

“Yeah, you might be right.”

Though that coin granted great power, my divine power had reached a level where even higher divinities could barely reach me. The gap was simply too vast.

‘But even so, it’s an incredible advantage for a mortal…’

While I was thinking this, Lee Kwang continued.

“I’ve realized in life that simply chasing someone else’s back will never make you that person. Chasing after a master’s back would be no different.”

“…”

“I will surpass you with the clues I’ve grasped about martial arts. The power from that coin seems likely to hinder my understanding, so please do not bring me trouble.”

“…!!”

I was genuinely astonished by those words.

‘Lee Kwang… rejecting power…?’

His tone was almost like that of a monk!

I was taken aback, as this was nothing like the Lee Kwang I knew. Wasn’t he the type who would zealously accept anything to grow stronger? Yet here he was, pursuing the pure path of martial arts while rejecting other powers! Furthermore, the last time I saw him, he was the one begging to be included as one of the ten shareholders!

Feeling too shocked and flustered, I couldn’t help but ask Lee Kwang.

“…Lee Kwang, what has happened to you? You seem entirely different from the you I know.”

“…”

Lee Kwang fell silent for a moment before he spoke.

“Master. Have you not met Shim Su-ryeok before coming to see me?”

“…? You are the first person I’ve seen since returning to this world.”

“Is that so? Then it might be hard for you to understand…”

Muttering as if sighing, Lee Kwang continued.

“Meet Shim Su-ryeok. He is currently at Baekdu Mountain.”

“At Baekdu Mountain?”

“If you meet him, you’ll understand why I’m thinking this way. I realized that I can’t conquer power with power. Instead, I’ve decided to delve into the true essence of the Soul of the Evil God with my strength.”

Can’t conquer power with power?

“Hmm…”

I couldn’t quite understand why Lee Kwang mentioned Shim Su-ryeok. Was his explosive change related to Shim Su-ryeok?

I felt a strong desire to press Lee Kwang further, but since his demeanor was serious and it was indeed necessary to meet Shim Su-ryeok, I decided to retreat for now.

“Got it. Let’s meet later.”

“Wait.”

“Huh?”

Lee Kwang seemed hesitant before saying.

“…Be careful.”

“…?”

What should I be careful about? What a funny guy…

Bam!!

I used my divine power to teleport to Baekdu Mountain. When I arrived at the Heavenly Land of Baekdu Mountain, I tilted my head in confusion.

‘Huh… there’s nothing here…?’

All around me were peaceful grass, flowers, and trees, but there was not a single aura to be found. That also meant there was no trace of Shim Su-ryeok, which made me feel a bit troubled.

‘There’s a skill perfect for this situation.’

So I infused my eyes with divine power and activated the ability I had previously possessed.

Fire Eye Golden Spirit!

This ability, bestowed to me by the Celestial Sage, allowed me to perceive all things by looking at the spirit power one possessed. Naturally, it was highly effective for scouting as well. If I employed this Fire Eye Golden Spirit to examine the depths of Baekdu Mountain, I could probably discover where Shim Su-ryeok was.

Ku-gugugu

“…Huh?”

In that moment, I was startled. The Fire Eye Golden Spirit suddenly encountered something dark blocking its sight. I was flustered by the mysterious barrier obstructing the vision of the Fire Eye Golden Spirit, but soon recalled a memory from the past and grimaced.

‘…That’s right!! This Baekdu Mountain has the Demon Sorcery Pillar and an underground sealed place! And within that sealed place…’

The last time, I had used Subori’s mask to employ a powerful technique to break through, but now Subori was not accompanying me. Moreover, this place was heavily guarded, and if I made a mistake, even a Demon King could be scorched to death. Given these circumstances, it was needless to say I couldn’t use techniques as skillfully as Subori, which left me in a bind.

“Hmm… could I break through…?”

Swish

Just then, Heuk Woong appeared next to me, looking astonished.

[You’re worried that your power can’t break through such a facility?]

“Do you have a method?”

[Just smash it all to pieces!]

Graaaaahh –

As soon as Heuk Woong finished speaking, he lifted three massive hidden weapons and hurled them directly at the underground facility.

Boom!

Simultaneously, Baekdu Mountain erupted with a thunderous sound, as if a meteor had fallen, creating a gigantic dark hole. It was clear he had destroyed all defensive measures of Baekdu Mountain in one go. I was left dumbfounded by Heuk Woong’s reckless attack.

“…Hey!! What if Shim Su-ryeok happens to be down there and got killed from that hit?”

[Can’t you just resurrect him?]

“……”

[Owner, if you have strength, you don’t need to use your head. Let’s just roll with it.]

“Tsk, can’t argue there…”

I licked my lips and dove into the wreckage of destruction made by Heuk Woong.

Shoo-wwoom

As I flew through the air, I caught glimpses of the remnants of high-tech facilities here and there. Just as Heuk Woong said, when true divine power was unleashed, even advanced technology couldn’t hold it back. Of course, if humans were stationed there and deployed stronger barriers, it might be different, but there is a limit to automated defenses.

After flying for a while, I spotted a figure.

“Shim Su-ryeok!”

I called out to Shim Su-ryeok as I landed. He was quietly seated in a cross-legged position, and as I arrived, he slowly opened his eyes and spoke.

“Oh, you’ve come.”

“I was hoping I’d find you here.”

I muttered with a bit of hesitation while gazing at the massive heart in front of Shim Su-ryeok.

“This… [Heart of Chi You] in front of me.”

Indeed, beneath the underground facility of Baekdu Mountain lay the [Heart of Chi You]. For some reason, Shim Su-ryeok appeared to be training right in front of this heart. Shim Su-ryeok smiled at my words and replied.

“It’s my greatest blot and regret in life, so it’s only natural.”

“This is just a training world.”

“True enough. But it has significantly helped me in my training.”

“Helped you?”

When I questioned him, Shim Su-ryeok stood up and walked toward the [Heart of Chi You], staring blankly at it.

“Once, jokingly, I mentioned that eating the Heart of Chi You would be of great help.”

“Ah… I remember you saying something like that.”

“Indeed, that it was.”

“…? Huh?”

In that moment, I realized something from Shim Su-ryeok’s words, and I was taken aback. I shouted toward Shim Su-ryeok.

“Could it be… the reason you were training here is…!!”

Shim Su-ryeok remained fixated on the gigantic heart, which was still bubbling in a glass enclosure, and replied.

“I have been absorbing the infinite energy from the [Heart of Chi You]. That is the only way I could achieve the essence of the White Lotus Spirit.”

“…!!”

“The reason I expressed it as [eating] was that the assimilation of this infinite energy was actually possible.”

White Lotus Spirit!!

The moment I heard that term, memories of Shim Su-ryeok’s past words flooded back.

[The realm temporarily dubbed as the White Lotus Spirit.]

[The Spirit of the Sun and Moon is the domain of the “Chosen One.” Neither the sun’s vessel nor the moon’s vessel can be attained through regular training. Merging that power is impossible in the realm of martial arts. No matter how much I think about it, only Baek Woong could manage that. However, indirectly reaching the laws of the Great Universe is possible with human strength by approaching the source element. It is using the principle of harmony.]

[Once you can handle harmony, the counteraction completely disappears. Moreover, using that reaction, the Soul of the Evil God can be amplified without waste, allowing you to reach other source elements’ vessels previously out of reach. Doing so will make the Soul of the Evil God the ultimate martial art, worthy of being called the White Lotus Spirit.]

That’s right. The last time I saw Shim Su-ryeok, he had been conceptualizing the new realm of the White Lotus Spirit with the principle of harmony in mind.

It seemed like I had only thought he was diligently training because I didn’t fully understand what he meant by the principle of harmony, but to think he was actually training using the [Heart of Chi You]!

Feeling flustered, I said.

“Well… infinite energy would surely help anywhere… but I honestly don’t understand. Why do you need infinite energy to cultivate the White Lotus Spirit?”

“Do you remember the principle of harmony I mentioned earlier?”

“Making the very rotation of the Soul of the Evil God itself a vessel was harmony, right?”

“That’s correct. But as you know, controlling the backlash from that rotation is no easy feat for an ordinary human. The immense force generated as the axis shifts cannot be resisted with mere internal power. Even our extraordinary powers would mean nothing against it.”

“Of course, I know that.”

To put it in perspective, if an ordinary martial artist’s internal power is like a small handful of stones, mine and Shim Su-ryeok’s internal power could be compared to giant boulders. However, when the Soul of the Evil God’s [Rotation] occurs, it feels as if entire continents are rising, shaking dozens of mountain ranges, so the difference in power is an entirely different dimension.

Shim Su-ryeok spoke calmly.

“I’ve borrowed the infinite power residing in the [Heart of Chi You] to achieve harmony in the White Lotus Spirit. I needed to buy time to suppress the colossal power of the moving Soul of the Evil God with strength.”

“…!!”

“As a result, I succeeded in making the rotation itself a vessel and stepped into a new realm of the Soul of the Evil God.”

Shim Su-ryeok looked up at the sky before continuing.

“Just now, the reason you were able to rain divine power to obliterate all these ruins without being harmed was also thanks to the influence of the White Lotus Spirit.”

“……”

If that were true, then it was definitely as I had feared earlier; Heuk Woong’s mighty attack had swept away everything, including Shim Su-ryeok. But Shim Su-ryeok had resisted it with the White Lotus Spirit and emerged unharmed, proving that his power had indeed grown immensely since the last time I saw him.

‘If he could withstand Heuk Woong’s sincere strike, then…’

Could Shim Su-ryeok’s power now match that of a deity?

Realizing this, I exclaimed in surprise.

“That’s amazing! Can I learn the White Lotus Spirit too?”

“Sure… if you want to learn, I’ll teach you. You, of all people, should learn it.”

Shim Su-ryeok, wearing an enigmatic smile, pointed to the Heart of Chi You.

“Place your hand on it and draw in its energy. While doing that, use the Soul of the Evil God you know, and you’ll absorb its power right away.”

“Hmm…”

The White Lotus Spirit could be that simple?

Feeling skeptical, I walked closer to the Heart of Chi You and placed my hand on the glass barrier. Just as I attempted to draw in the energy, I felt something odd.

“…”

Wait a minute…

This doesn’t feel right…

Thud

Feeling an unsettling sensation, I immediately withdrew my hand from the glass barrier. I turned to Shim Su-ryeok and said.

“Shim Su-ryeok. You’ve been with Lee Kwang this whole time, haven’t you?”

“That’s the case.”

“Lee Kwang mentioned a development realm for the Soul of the Evil God called Heavenly Flower. Is that level something you taught him?”

“Hmm… so that’s what it’s called. Rather than me teaching him, he attained that level through his own rigorous training.”

“Then the White Lotus Spirit and Heavenly Flower are different?”

“Indeed. Since Lee Kwang was desperate to avoid death, he trained like his life depended on it and attained that level, but he didn’t kill me.”

Gasp!!

I spun around to look at Shim Su-ryeok in shock. I was genuinely startled.

“…You mean to say… you’ve killed Lee Kwang before?”

“Why wouldn’t I? I’m part of the Four Great Families, so I couldn’t let that arrogant brat slide. After beating him a few times, he got so furious that he attacked me, leaving me no choice but to kill him a couple of times.”

H-Hold on, he really did kill him!

“Ah, no… We’re comrades, right? Even if you can resurrect each other in this training world, killing him…”

Reacting in horror, I noticed a dark aura pool in Shim Su-ryeok’s eyes.

That aura was something I had never seen before.

“Comrades, you say? You just shoved him into the same space as me, but I’ve never thought of him as a comrade. I might respect him as a junior, but it’s only a matter of time before I realize he’s temperamentally incompatible with the thugs of the Thunder God Lineage.”

“……”

“Why the long face?”

I stared at Shim Su-ryeok and finally said what had been on my mind.

“Shim Su-ryeok, you…”

I hesitated for a moment, then mustered up the courage to speak.

“I feel like something is written between the lines.”