That night—
Seol-Hwi could not sleep until late into the night.
There was of course the need to kill Goo Jong-myung, the warrior of Mount Hua sect, but he was not so worried about that.
He now had 100 lives to try.
Even if he failed a few times, he had many extra chances to complete the mission. The real reason he could not sleep was due to the memory of his previous life.
Is Seo Ryeong still waiting for me?
In a way, she was his first love.
Every time he thought about it, it felt like his heart was choking.
At first, he thought he would be fine, but as time went on, the feelings did not disappear, but instead things felt clearer.
A year later, the day I said I would meet her in person.
He still could not forget the look in her eyes. There was a fluttering heart, a pleasant tremble, and a cozy feeling. If there was such a thing as happiness, it surely must be that.
A shelter where he can quench his thirst for a short while on the battlefield where his life was on the line. Because it was the driving force which made him walk without losing his purpose.
Maybe it was because he came back to the Supreme Pavilion, he wanted to see her more today than usual.
The troops must have been chosen now. They must be training…
From what he knew, in the next year, the Earth Demon will pick someone for the vacant position of the scouting troops.
It meant that someone would take the place of Seol-Hwi’s post. Perhaps it would be one of the other captains.
In the first place, before Seol-Hwi appeared, it would not be strange for the person to be added.
What do I do?
Seol-Hwi’s mind was full of complicated thoughts. He had a strong desire to see her, but he knew he had to control his feelings.
In a situation where he did not have the power to change the future, if he saw her for no reason, she would be disturbed.
Even so, should he soothe his regrets by seeing her or bury his emotions and move on?
It was a time when it was hard to make a decision.
<Would you like to see ‘Episode’? Accept/Reject>
This!
Seol-Hwi felt his intuition at work as the words suddenly appeared. This thing, he had seen it before.
It showed the things which happened while he was doing other things like the time when they were hanging out at the training hall.
In other words, it was a story arranged by system.
Hmmm.
He thought about it for a while, and there was no reason to refuse the offer. Anyway, everything he experienced now was also caused by the System.
Shhhh
So he agreed, and soon darkness took over before the surroundings turned bright.
With words which made no sense—
[Part 6: The Supreme Pavilion Lord’s Inner Thoughts]
There were people sitting in what appeared to be a secret room. It was like looking around in different spots from a hole in the ceiling.
All of the people there were people Seol-Hwi recognized.
The First Disciple and Hyang Gae, along with a Supreme Demon next to him. And on the other side was the Supreme Pavilion Lord.
“Are the complaints growing?”
The First Disciple opened his mouth.
It was not known if he had just started speaking or if they were in the middle of a conversation.
“Yes they are. It seems that the complaints keep coming. If the fulfillment of the promise continues to be slow, this time, the elders will raise the issue to us.”
The person who answered the question was not the Supreme Pavilion Lord, but Hyang Gae.
The atmosphere was subdued, whether it was because of the closed space on all four sides or because of the subject.
“Didn’t you explain that the situation at the sect has changed?”
“I did, but I didn’t want to believe it. It has been a long time and the ties are thin. But fortunately…”
When the End Demon raised his gaze, Hyang Gae continued.
“Goo Jong-myung is still on our side. As long as his voice within the Mount Hua sect is strong, there is nothing to worry about.”
“Then that is good. But he is a very peculiar guy, unlike a normal elder of a sect, he is ambitious.”
“Visiting the sect once seems to have worked well. Since there is nothing wrong with each side, we will be able to continue our good ties.”
Did they bring them already?
Seol-Hwi doubted his ears. From what he heard until now, Mount Hua was already dissatisfied. And Goo Jong-myung had already stopped by the sect to see the situation with his own eyes.
Then even…
Seol-Hwi thought for a moment about the scene he had encountered with him in the past. However, it was soon set aside.
Even if he entered the main sect, the timing was not right. What he saw was much later.
“I apologize. All of this was my mistake.”
Kwang!
Just then, the Supreme Pavilion Lord hit his head on the table. Seeing that, the End Demon shook his head.
“No. Anyone can make mistakes. In addition, we have made some progress, so don’t worry about it.”
Seol-Hwi was a little surprised by the End Demon’s behavior.
It seemed that they were talking about the map, but he never thought that there would be such a benevolent side to him.
“So, have you come up with a countermeasure?”
The topic came back. When asked about countermeasures, Supreme Pavilion Lord immediately said,
“Yes. I am going to send people to the meeting of the justice faction.”
“Is it fine? Even though we didn’t find the guy who took the map?”
“Even more so. This is a situation where we need to tie it down. I think we should show sincerity to them before other unexpected issues arise.”
“Right, what about the other ones? Nothing on the Earth Demon’s movements?”
The End Demon turned his head and asked Hyang Gae.
“Not yet.”
“Hmm.”
The End Demon expressed an uncomfortable feeling. Judging from the question, he seemed to be sure that the Fourth Disciple took the map. It was more worrisome that they had been silent for over a year now.
“How many people have you decided on?”
The End Demon asked the Supreme Pavilion Lord.
“About 60 people.”
“Will that be enough?”
“There are many eyes to see. Too many traces can be left…”
“Well. I guess so.”
The End Demon paused for a moment before continuing,
“Black Land and Black First troops?”
“We decided on Black Land and Black Moon.”
“Black Moon? Do we have to consume them?”
“There is an interesting one there.”
“Interesting one?”
At those words, the Supreme Pavilion Lord paused and he said,
“I told you before… didn’t I say there was a guy I suspected who might have taken the map?”
“Right. You mean the guy who is said to be under the Fourth Disciple and disappeared into the library?”
“He showed up after a year.”
“What!?”
The End Demon’s eyes twinkled.
In an instant, he read the intentions of the Supreme Pavilion Lord.
“Then where is the child staying now?”
“Black Moon Troops.”
“I see.”
At that, the End Demon relaxed his expression. It was the first bright expression he put on since the meeting.
“A person highly likely to be related to the Fourth Disciple. If we get rid of him right now, we can reduce any future issues and it will be a warning to the Earth Demon.”
“I see that too.”
“It is just that we don’t know how many people are assisting…”
“I will seek help from Hyang Gae for that part.”
The End Demon nodded.
It was like losing a tooth that had been suffering in pain.
“If you are going to do something, do it properly. Hyang Gae is actively supporting this. This time, not just Mount Hua, but Wudang and Shaolin are also participating, so keep Goo Jong-myung active.”
“I understand.”
“I will do as commanded.”
The conversation ended there.
It got dark again, and then as his vision brightened, someone knocked on the door.
Drrrr
Seol-Hwi did not open the door because the other person did and came in.
“Hey, come out.”
As soon as they checked out the face of Seol-Hwi, they threw a few words and turned around.
It was supposed to be an atmosphere of intimidation.
Step
Seol-Hwi followed them without answering. It was currently night and dark, and soon they left the building and came close to an empty lot.
There was a bonfire in the middle, and quite a few people were gathered around. It was easy to tell that they were members of Black Moon Troops without seeing their robes.
“I brought him.”
All eyes were on Seol-Hwi as if they came to question him. A man in the center came ahead and growled,
“You… what happened?”
It was Jeok Myung. The question showed he was being wary but also angry, so Seol-Hwi asked back,
“What do you mean?”
“What! I am asking if you know Shin Bi-rang?”
Jik San, the guy next to him, intervened.
Seol-Hwi nodded.
Shin Bi-rang… maybe they were questioning what happened earlier. From their point of view, there should have been a riot, and Seol-Hwi should have died and become a corpse now, but such a thing did not happen.
“Well, if I know him, so what?”
“Well?! This jerk. Do you think the words of the captain are a joke?”
As if Jik San had been waiting for this, he ran out. It might have been a surprise attack, but it did not scare Seol-Hwi at all.
Puak!
Seol-Hwi’s feet moved lightly, and he came running as his body floated up.
Thud. Roll.
And rolling a few laps, he moved far.
“Did something pass by?”
“This brat!”
When Seol-Hwi pretended to not see, another one jumped out. This time, unlike Jik San, he punched straight from close range.
Puak!
But the result was the same. Seol-Hwi, who moved to the side, made him fall on his own.
“You!”
“Kill him!”
This time, three or four people were enraged at the sight. Just when they were trying to move—
“Enough!”
Jeok Myung shouted.
He focused the attention of everyone gathered there, and then glared at Seol-Hwi as he said,
“Seol-Hwi.”
“Go on.”
“Whose side are you on?”
“…?”
“What side did you come from? Over the past year, where have you been and who did you meet?”
Jeok Myung was being cautious. It was thought that the skills shown earlier and him not returning until now were both due to Seol-Hwi’s greed to grow.
Shh
Seol-Hwi looked around.
Everyone at the Black Moon Troops were looking at him with serious eyes. Someone caught Jeok Myung’s eye.
Some people were curious. And some guys just were just looking because of the situation.
The gazes filled with emotions, which had not been looked at before, reached Seol-Hwi.
Maybe… everyone will die.
It was a crossroads in this life.
That choice changed not just the future of Seol-Hwi’s future but also their own.
Originally, those who would not die or those who would die later, would all disappear this time.
Of course, because of the bullying in the past, it was fine even if a few people died, but Seol-Hwi now had no such feelings.
This was because the resentment of Jeok Myung and Jik San had been settled through several lives. Maybe that was why for some reason he felt a sense of pity.
“Whose side are you on?”
Seol-Hwi fixed his gaze on Jeok Myung.
Then he spoke with an emotionless expression,
“I can tell you, it isn’t the golden side.”
“…What?”
“I will tell you one important piece of news.”
To Jeok Myung who did not understand what it meant, Seol-Hwi continued,
“We will be assigned one mission today or tomorrow. It wouldn’t be too difficult to know that we will head out to the main sect and investigate the land of several places and the surrounding situation. For some, it will be a getaway.”
Seol-Hwi slowly looked around and continued,
“But it is actually a suicide order. Because the Black Moon Troops mobilized for this mission will die there.”
“…!”
“…!”
Whisper
Everyone was confused about this. There were those who wondered what this absurdity was, and there were those who seemed to be motivated by their instincts to survive by Seol-Hwi’s sudden words.
“You now…”
Among them Jeok Myung was unable to express his emotions.
Oddly enough, it must have been because there had been a lot of ill conflicts in the past, but it seemed that what Seol-Hwi said did not seem like a lie.
But even so, he couldn’t change his stance.
Originally, this place was where everyone of Black Moon Troops gathered to beat Seol-Hwi up. When Jeok Myung who was now struggling between the two, felt something—
“Vice captain is here!”
A shout in the distance came.
“What?”
“This late?”
Everyone was bewildered, and Jeok Myung was confused.
“I will give you just one chance. Speak.”
Seol-Hwi’s words turned shorter. His force changed.
Shhh
A little energy flowed from his body as he looked at everyone and said,
“If you don’t want to be killed, that is.”
