“You’re... strong,” the red lightning guard said, quietly looking at the wound left in his upper body.
His turtle shell-like armor was cracked, revealing a deep wound that sizzled with sunset-colored lightning energy. He had tried to stop the attack with his spear, but the weapon had been cut in half and lost its sharpness.
Swallowing the blood he had almost coughed up back down, the red lightning guard asked, “What... is this?”
“[Dream-Eating Beast],” Chang-Sun replied.
“Baku, huh... Ha! Yeah, it’s said that a Baku can visit one’s dreams in secret and eat their opponent up in no time.[1] There couldn’t be a more fitting name. Hahaha.” The red lightning guard wished to laugh out loud, but could not because of the blood surging from his throat. He soon turned to look at the blue lightning guard, who had been his other half and shadow for a long time.
[The Authority ‘Avatar's Descent’ is active, imposing restrictions on the area.]
At the last moment, the blue lightning guard had been unable to help the red lightning guard. Due to Chang-Sun’s [Avatar’s Descent], the blue lightning guard had been unable to move, and by the time he freed himself, the red lightning guard had already been struck with a [Dream-Eating Beast] strike.
However, the red lightning guard looked happy despite his imminent death. In fact, he looked refreshed. The blue lightning guard could understand the reason behind the other guard’s reaction.
The reason why they had volunteered to be the Past Life Castle’s guards was to wait for the right time in their endless cycle of samsara. Reincarnation would arrive someday to allow their karma to pass on and free them from their curse, bringing their long ages of wandering to a close. The red lightning guard believed that time had finally arrived.
“Ahhh, I’ll finally be able to escape from this sickeningly tiring life.”
Pzzz―!
With that last remark, the red lightning guard disintegrated and turned into particles that circled Chang-Sun, who closed his eyes and let them all into his body. With those particles serving as kindling, the lightning energy around Chang-Sun blazed even more fiercely; it was a sunset-colored Spiritual Fire that was also mixed with <Darkness> and supreme sacred light.
Meanwhile, Chang-Sun was reading the karma and life of the red lightning guard, who had been nameless for his entire life.
Although his passion for martial arts was strong, he had almost zero talent, so no one tried to teach him, disdaining and criticizing him instead.
That was why the red lightning guard had to train alone. Secluded deep in the mountains, he built a small hut and swung a spear all day. In the morning he practiced thrusts, in the afternoon he practiced strikes, and at dawn he practiced swings. It did not matter whether it was sunny, rainy, or snowy. No, even if a storm raged or a landslide took place, the red lightning guard never left his practice area.
Dozens of years passed just like that. His chin was covered with a beard that was as white as the snow in the front yard, and his face was wrinkled and covered with age spots like his well-worn clothes. He felt that he now had some understanding of what the spear was, so he finally climbed down the mountain. However, he suffered a devastating defeat by a third-rate martial artist from the countryside.
The red lightning guard had dedicated his entire life to cultivation, and yet failed to exchange even one hundred attacks before his defeat. He thus fell into a swamp of despair. And yet, he eventually rose again. Although he understood what the spear was, he did not know the profound principles of battle yet, so he decided that he had to learn what battle was from then on.
He was a slow learner, but he was tenacious and patient enough to wait until he mastered a technique. That was how dozens of years passed again; he then climbed down the mountain for the second time.
After an intense fight, the red lightning guard earned his first victory against a wandering martial artist. Perhaps it would mean nothing to anyone else, but it was a big change for him. He could never forget how exhilarating that moment was, feeling that he could die happy and hoping he would have such fun in his next life again. His one little regret was that he could not enjoy that happiness a little longer.
“Can you protect this place if I help you enjoy your happiness a little longer?”
When he opened his eyes again, the red lightning guard found himself in a castle that stood alone in the center of a barren plain. The man who had made the offer introduced himself as the red lightning guard’s past reincarnation and first life. His name was Perkwunos, ‘Primordial Lightning Deity’ and the first spark from the <Fire of Origin>.
The red lightning guard was surprised to discover how great his past reincarnation was, in contrast to himself, who did not have any talent. Regardless, he rejoiced about the fact that he would be able to spar against countless warriors on this long journey, practicing again and again.
That was why he volunteered to be the castle’s guard, thinking that this place was his paradise... and he was right.
Chang-Sun opened his eyes again, harmonizing with the red lightning guard’s life, happiness, and despair. Right at that moment, the two were one and the same.
When he re-established his identity as Chang-Sun, he exhaled for a long time. “Phew...!”
Chang-Sun had the experience of killing Balor and the other past reincarnations, but it was totally different now. While that previous experience entailed one-sided extortion, this one was about understanding and synchronization through watching a person’s entire life. The red lightning guard had been a separate being, but his life was now Chang-Sun’s past memory, bringing him mixed feelings.
“Unlike my friend, I won’t be an easy opponent,” the blue lightning guard said, leaning forward slightly.
It was the guard’s first time taking a specific stance before launching an attack, so Chang-Sun instinctively realized that he was trying to finish this fight with one attack.
“I unde—no, good, Chang-Sun began with a nod, but changed his reply midway.
Right at that moment, Chang-Sun was the red lightning guard, the blue lightning guard’s old friend. Perhaps the blue lightning guard had noticed that, as his eyes widened for a moment; he then tightened his grip on his spear, smiling. As he turned serious, the air around him changed completely.
Pzzzzz!
Blue lightning sparks flew up fiercely from the guard’s spearhead.
Rumble―!
His lightning bolt struck the realm.
* * *
[The first trial has been completed!]
“...The guards are dead! Idiots!” Tomte the ‘Small Elemental and Magical Spirit’ exclaimed, kicking a stone on the ground in annoyance.
Pzzz―!
The stone was blasted into sand, but that was not enough to calm Tomte’s anger.
“Perkwunos! Are you seriously going to wait and see until you get eaten like Balor?!” Tomte yelled after quickly turning back.
In contrast to Tomte, who was all worked up, Perkwunos the ‘Primordial Lightning Deity’ was nonchalantly sitting on his throne, frustrating Tomte immensely. If Perkwunos had responded in any way, Tomte could have brought up the topic of coming up with a solution, but he did not get any response back and lost all faith in Perkwunos.
Thud!
In the end, Tomte punched a wall hard to quell his anger. When Chang-Sun first started to accumulate gnosis and the Past Life Castle was rebuilt, Tomte had believed that it was a very good opportunity to escape from the suffocating subconscious realm and go out to the free world; it was a chance to start over!
Just like all the past reincarnations in the Past Life Castle, Tomte also had a wish he had been unable to fulfill, giving him a powerful urge to go outside at all costs. From Tomte’s perspective, Chang-Sun had been tasty prey whom he could eat any time he wanted, so he would have attempted that if not for Odin and Perkwunos.
However, Chang-Sun had somehow made incredible progress and eaten Balor in the end; that frightened Tomte, as the same thing could happen to him too. Nevertheless, Tomte had believed that he would somehow be able to survive...
And yet, Odin had recently gone outside by some inscrutable means. On top of that, the two guards, whom even Tomte was unsure he could defeat, had just been defeated and absorbed by Chang-Sun. The very threat Tomte had been dreading was imminent.
‘If I knew things would turn out this way, I wouldn’t have listened to them, and I’d have extorted the body first...! Shit!’ Tomte bit his lower lip.
Even if he regretted his previous choice, it would change nothing, but Tomte had still been holding on to the hope that Perkwunos would come up with an answer. And yet, Perkwunos still seemed uninterested in anything. In fact, nothing about him had changed at all, since he was always like that.
“Fine! If you continue to sit idly on the sidelines, I’ll just find my own way to deal with him! You’ll regret it once I take control of the body!” Tomte snapped at Perkwunos, walking away.
While watching Tomte, Perkwunos inaudibly muttered, “Now I can get something done.”
Perkwunos finally stood up and slowly walked in the opposite direction from Tomte.
Tap, tap.
* * *
[The next Scenario Quest (Identity Search Ⅱ) has been created!]
[Identity Search Ⅱ]
· Type: Scenario.
· Description: You have successfully won a victory against your second and third past reincarnations just now. You have not only proven your martial prowess to them, but also embraced their accomplishments, getting one step closer to your soul’s secrets. Keep up this momentum and pass the second trial.
Your second trial is an all-out brawl against your over 600 past reincarnations. There will be no teams or rules. It is a battle royale that will last until there is only one survivor, whom you must become.
· Time limit: Until the last survivor remains.
· Quest Failure Penalty: Mind Incarceration.
· Quest Reward: ‘Identity Search Ⅲ’.
After absorbing the blue lightning guard, Chang-Sun walked through the castle gate and passed through a long, narrow pathway to reach the central yard. The yard was shaped like an amphitheater, just as he remembered it to be. All of the past reincarnations were waiting for Chang-Sun, glaring and unleashing their full Classes as the Quest description indicated; it seemed they were bracing themselves for this battle in their own way.
They all shared one similarity: All their murderous intent was directed at Chang-Sun. He chuckled and looked at Tomte, the most likely mastermind.
“The Quest description said it was a brawl, but I guess that isn’t going to happen,” Chang-Sun said.
Scowling at Chang-Sun, Tomte coldly said with a half-smirk, “Rules depend on how you interpret them. It doesn’t say anything about creating teams being forbidden, and as you can see, everyone finds you a threat.”
“So you’re going to join forces and take me out first?” Chang-Sun asked.
“We need to kill the main personality first to have a chance of going outside,” Tomte answered.
Chang-Sun nodded in agreement, knowing it was their best shot at having any kind of second chance. Besides, they likely thought that they could outnumber Chang-Sun, seeing him as prey who had voluntarily walked into a lion’s den.
“Of course, not everyone is going to attack at once, since that’s inefficient,” Tomte continued.
“Then?” Chang-Sun asked.
“Hassan,” Tomte called out to one of the past reincarnations instead of answering Chang-Sun.
Hassan looked at Tomte in surprise, his lip trembling slightly. However, Tomte just narrowed his eyes and pointed at Chang-Sun, saying, “Go.”
“...But!”
“Go now.”
Even if Hassan went up against Chang-Sun right now, the outcome was obvious, so Hassan wanted to protest.
Tomte firmly continued, “Or do you want me to make you go?”
“...Fuck!” Hassan cursed. His legs trembled, but he forced himself to walk toward Chang-Sun. Tomte and all the other past reincarnations were giving him death glares, peer pressuring him to start the fight and leaving him helpless.
Looking at them, Chang-Sun chuckled dumbfoundedly, saying, “You people are going to take turns and exhaust my stamina.”
“There’s no better way to ensure a victory,” Tomte said, confident about his choice.
Judging from how the other past reincarnations nodded, it seemed they had agreed on the strategy beforehand.
“I see.” Chang-Sun could not help but smile coldly as he asked, “In that case, I don’t have to follow the rules word for word either, do I?”
Chang-Sun’s cold smile was similar to Tomte’s own; perhaps it was because they shared the same soul, or perhaps there was some other reason. Whatever the reason was, Tomte felt a premonition for some reason, so he intended to press Hassan to start fighting.
Staaaab!
That was why Tomte failed to notice the attack coming from behind. When he looked down due to the extreme pain, he saw a sword protruding out of his body.
“H... ow...?” Tomte groaned as he looked at Chang-Sun, swallowing down his blood.
One of the past reincarnations was driving the sword even deeper into Tomte, gritting his teeth.
“You’re not the only one who can scheme, and...” Chang-Sun trailed off.
Pzzzz, pzzzz!
“...I’m better at backstabbing than you.”
Rummmble!
Lightning sparks flew up from Chang-Sun and turned into a lightning cloud that filled up the amphitheater.
1. The Baku only eats nightmares in the actual mythology. ☜
“You’re... strong,” the red lightning guard said, quietly looking at the wound left in his upper body.
His turtle shell-like armor was cracked, revealing a deep wound that sizzled with sunset-colored lightning energy. He had tried to stop the attack with his spear, but the weapon had been cut in half and lost its sharpness.
Swallowing the blood he had almost coughed up back down, the red lightning guard asked, “What... is this?”
“[Dream-Eating Beast],” Chang-Sun replied.
“Baku, huh... Ha! Yeah, it’s said that a Baku can visit one’s dreams in secret and eat their opponent up in no time.[1] There couldn’t be a more fitting name. Hahaha.” The red lightning guard wished to laugh out loud, but could not because of the blood surging from his throat. He soon turned to look at the blue lightning guard, who had been his other half and shadow for a long time.
[The Authority ‘Avatar's Descent’ is active, imposing restrictions on the area.]
At the last moment, the blue lightning guard had been unable to help the red lightning guard. Due to Chang-Sun’s [Avatar’s Descent], the blue lightning guard had been unable to move, and by the time he freed himself, the red lightning guard had already been struck with a [Dream-Eating Beast] strike.
However, the red lightning guard looked happy despite his imminent death. In fact, he looked refreshed. The blue lightning guard could understand the reason behind the other guard’s reaction.
The reason why they had volunteered to be the Past Life Castle’s guards was to wait for the right time in their endless cycle of samsara. Reincarnation would arrive someday to allow their karma to pass on and free them from their curse, bringing their long ages of wandering to a close. The red lightning guard believed that time had finally arrived.
“Ahhh, I’ll finally be able to escape from this sickeningly tiring life.”
Pzzz―!
With that last remark, the red lightning guard disintegrated and turned into particles that circled Chang-Sun, who closed his eyes and let them all into his body. With those particles serving as kindling, the lightning energy around Chang-Sun blazed even more fiercely; it was a sunset-colored Spiritual Fire that was also mixed with <Darkness> and supreme sacred light.
Meanwhile, Chang-Sun was reading the karma and life of the red lightning guard, who had been nameless for his entire life.
Although his passion for martial arts was strong, he had almost zero talent, so no one tried to teach him, disdaining and criticizing him instead.
That was why the red lightning guard had to train alone. Secluded deep in the mountains, he built a small hut and swung a spear all day. In the morning he practiced thrusts, in the afternoon he practiced strikes, and at dawn he practiced swings. It did not matter whether it was sunny, rainy, or snowy. No, even if a storm raged or a landslide took place, the red lightning guard never left his practice area.
Dozens of years passed just like that. His chin was covered with a beard that was as white as the snow in the front yard, and his face was wrinkled and covered with age spots like his well-worn clothes. He felt that he now had some understanding of what the spear was, so he finally climbed down the mountain. However, he suffered a devastating defeat by a third-rate martial artist from the countryside.
The red lightning guard had dedicated his entire life to cultivation, and yet failed to exchange even one hundred attacks before his defeat. He thus fell into a swamp of despair. And yet, he eventually rose again. Although he understood what the spear was, he did not know the profound principles of battle yet, so he decided that he had to learn what battle was from then on.
He was a slow learner, but he was tenacious and patient enough to wait until he mastered a technique. That was how dozens of years passed again; he then climbed down the mountain for the second time.
After an intense fight, the red lightning guard earned his first victory against a wandering martial artist. Perhaps it would mean nothing to anyone else, but it was a big change for him. He could never forget how exhilarating that moment was, feeling that he could die happy and hoping he would have such fun in his next life again. His one little regret was that he could not enjoy that happiness a little longer.
“Can you protect this place if I help you enjoy your happiness a little longer?”
When he opened his eyes again, the red lightning guard found himself in a castle that stood alone in the center of a barren plain. The man who had made the offer introduced himself as the red lightning guard’s past reincarnation and first life. His name was Perkwunos, ‘Primordial Lightning Deity’ and the first spark from the <Fire of Origin>.
The red lightning guard was surprised to discover how great his past reincarnation was, in contrast to himself, who did not have any talent. Regardless, he rejoiced about the fact that he would be able to spar against countless warriors on this long journey, practicing again and again.
That was why he volunteered to be the castle’s guard, thinking that this place was his paradise... and he was right.
Chang-Sun opened his eyes again, harmonizing with the red lightning guard’s life, happiness, and despair. Right at that moment, the two were one and the same.
When he re-established his identity as Chang-Sun, he exhaled for a long time. “Phew...!”
Chang-Sun had the experience of killing Balor and the other past reincarnations, but it was totally different now. While that previous experience entailed one-sided extortion, this one was about understanding and synchronization through watching a person’s entire life. The red lightning guard had been a separate being, but his life was now Chang-Sun’s past memory, bringing him mixed feelings.
“Unlike my friend, I won’t be an easy opponent,” the blue lightning guard said, leaning forward slightly.
It was the guard’s first time taking a specific stance before launching an attack, so Chang-Sun instinctively realized that he was trying to finish this fight with one attack.
“I unde—no, good, Chang-Sun began with a nod, but changed his reply midway.
Right at that moment, Chang-Sun was the red lightning guard, the blue lightning guard’s old friend. Perhaps the blue lightning guard had noticed that, as his eyes widened for a moment; he then tightened his grip on his spear, smiling. As he turned serious, the air around him changed completely.
Pzzzzz!
Blue lightning sparks flew up fiercely from the guard’s spearhead.
Rumble―!
His lightning bolt struck the realm.
* * *
[The first trial has been completed!]
“...The guards are dead! Idiots!” Tomte the ‘Small Elemental and Magical Spirit’ exclaimed, kicking a stone on the ground in annoyance.
Pzzz―!
The stone was blasted into sand, but that was not enough to calm Tomte’s anger.
“Perkwunos! Are you seriously going to wait and see until you get eaten like Balor?!” Tomte yelled after quickly turning back.
In contrast to Tomte, who was all worked up, Perkwunos the ‘Primordial Lightning Deity’ was nonchalantly sitting on his throne, frustrating Tomte immensely. If Perkwunos had responded in any way, Tomte could have brought up the topic of coming up with a solution, but he did not get any response back and lost all faith in Perkwunos.
Thud!
In the end, Tomte punched a wall hard to quell his anger. When Chang-Sun first started to accumulate gnosis and the Past Life Castle was rebuilt, Tomte had believed that it was a very good opportunity to escape from the suffocating subconscious realm and go out to the free world; it was a chance to start over!
Just like all the past reincarnations in the Past Life Castle, Tomte also had a wish he had been unable to fulfill, giving him a powerful urge to go outside at all costs. From Tomte’s perspective, Chang-Sun had been tasty prey whom he could eat any time he wanted, so he would have attempted that if not for Odin and Perkwunos.
However, Chang-Sun had somehow made incredible progress and eaten Balor in the end; that frightened Tomte, as the same thing could happen to him too. Nevertheless, Tomte had believed that he would somehow be able to survive...
And yet, Odin had recently gone outside by some inscrutable means. On top of that, the two guards, whom even Tomte was unsure he could defeat, had just been defeated and absorbed by Chang-Sun. The very threat Tomte had been dreading was imminent.
‘If I knew things would turn out this way, I wouldn’t have listened to them, and I’d have extorted the body first...! Shit!’ Tomte bit his lower lip.
Even if he regretted his previous choice, it would change nothing, but Tomte had still been holding on to the hope that Perkwunos would come up with an answer. And yet, Perkwunos still seemed uninterested in anything. In fact, nothing about him had changed at all, since he was always like that.
“Fine! If you continue to sit idly on the sidelines, I’ll just find my own way to deal with him! You’ll regret it once I take control of the body!” Tomte snapped at Perkwunos, walking away.
While watching Tomte, Perkwunos inaudibly muttered, “Now I can get something done.”
Perkwunos finally stood up and slowly walked in the opposite direction from Tomte.
Tap, tap.
* * *
[The next Scenario Quest (Identity Search Ⅱ) has been created!]
[Identity Search Ⅱ]
· Type: Scenario.
· Description: You have successfully won a victory against your second and third past reincarnations just now. You have not only proven your martial prowess to them, but also embraced their accomplishments, getting one step closer to your soul’s secrets. Keep up this momentum and pass the second trial.
Your second trial is an all-out brawl against your over 600 past reincarnations. There will be no teams or rules. It is a battle royale that will last until there is only one survivor, whom you must become.
· Time limit: Until the last survivor remains.
· Quest Failure Penalty: Mind Incarceration.
· Quest Reward: ‘Identity Search Ⅲ’.
After absorbing the blue lightning guard, Chang-Sun walked through the castle gate and passed through a long, narrow pathway to reach the central yard. The yard was shaped like an amphitheater, just as he remembered it to be. All of the past reincarnations were waiting for Chang-Sun, glaring and unleashing their full Classes as the Quest description indicated; it seemed they were bracing themselves for this battle in their own way.
They all shared one similarity: All their murderous intent was directed at Chang-Sun. He chuckled and looked at Tomte, the most likely mastermind.
“The Quest description said it was a brawl, but I guess that isn’t going to happen,” Chang-Sun said.
Scowling at Chang-Sun, Tomte coldly said with a half-smirk, “Rules depend on how you interpret them. It doesn’t say anything about creating teams being forbidden, and as you can see, everyone finds you a threat.”
“So you’re going to join forces and take me out first?” Chang-Sun asked.
“We need to kill the main personality first to have a chance of going outside,” Tomte answered.
Chang-Sun nodded in agreement, knowing it was their best shot at having any kind of second chance. Besides, they likely thought that they could outnumber Chang-Sun, seeing him as prey who had voluntarily walked into a lion’s den.
“Of course, not everyone is going to attack at once, since that’s inefficient,” Tomte continued.
“Then?” Chang-Sun asked.
“Hassan,” Tomte called out to one of the past reincarnations instead of answering Chang-Sun.
Hassan looked at Tomte in surprise, his lip trembling slightly. However, Tomte just narrowed his eyes and pointed at Chang-Sun, saying, “Go.”
“...But!”
“Go now.”
Even if Hassan went up against Chang-Sun right now, the outcome was obvious, so Hassan wanted to protest.
Tomte firmly continued, “Or do you want me to make you go?”
“...Fuck!” Hassan cursed. His legs trembled, but he forced himself to walk toward Chang-Sun. Tomte and all the other past reincarnations were giving him death glares, peer pressuring him to start the fight and leaving him helpless.
Looking at them, Chang-Sun chuckled dumbfoundedly, saying, “You people are going to take turns and exhaust my stamina.”
“There’s no better way to ensure a victory,” Tomte said, confident about his choice.
Judging from how the other past reincarnations nodded, it seemed they had agreed on the strategy beforehand.
“I see.” Chang-Sun could not help but smile coldly as he asked, “In that case, I don’t have to follow the rules word for word either, do I?”
Chang-Sun’s cold smile was similar to Tomte’s own; perhaps it was because they shared the same soul, or perhaps there was some other reason. Whatever the reason was, Tomte felt a premonition for some reason, so he intended to press Hassan to start fighting.
Staaaab!
That was why Tomte failed to notice the attack coming from behind. When he looked down due to the extreme pain, he saw a sword protruding out of his body.
“H... ow...?” Tomte groaned as he looked at Chang-Sun, swallowing down his blood.
One of the past reincarnations was driving the sword even deeper into Tomte, gritting his teeth.
“You’re not the only one who can scheme, and...” Chang-Sun trailed off.
Pzzzz, pzzzz!
“...I’m better at backstabbing than you.”
Rummmble!
Lightning sparks flew up from Chang-Sun and turned into a lightning cloud that filled up the amphitheater.
1. The Baku only eats nightmares in the actual mythology. ☜
