Episode 69. < A world where constellations are dead. (1) >
———————==
One.
One winter day.
So Baek-hyang followed her mother across the snowy field.
The day was cloudy. Snow fell into the cloudy sky. In the pouring snowstorm, people were barely shadows.
The mother’s back was also blurry like a shadow.
So Baek-hyang raised her voice.
-mom!
So Baek-hyang suddenly became afraid. The noise was too loud. Her own voice could not be heard loudly, being obscured by the sound of her eyes.
-mom!
The mother’s shadow was still far away.
So Baek-hyang became impatient.
To chase its mother, it had to walk faster. But the more I walked, the more out of breath I became. The more I walked, the quieter my voice became. What should I do?
-eww······.
Should I stop yelling and walk faster to catch up with my mother? Or should I just stop walking and scream as loud as I can?
The young Heavenly Demon did not know.
Before you know it, the shadow has moved a little further away.
-mom!
Finally, So Baek-hyang stopped.
-mom!
When I stopped walking, my voice became a little stronger. Until now, he had been taking the space where his voice would go with his steps. So Baek-hyang thought that now her mother would turn her head to look at her, and the shadow would become that much clearer.
But what happened?
The shadow moved a little further away.
While So Baek-hyang was shouting, he got further away.
Eventually, the mother’s shadow was buried in a snowstorm and became no different from a snowy field.
-······.
Did his mother abandon him?
Was it intended as a natural farewell as an excuse to cross the snowy road?
Or has the mother really lost herself?
So Baek-hyang did not know.
I couldn’t figure it out.
2.
[You are dead.]
If you close your eyes for a moment and open them.
It was an endlessly dark space.
[The skill condition is achieved due to death.]
[Randomly copies So Baek-hyang’s skills.]
my hell
[Forms a skill card.]
Cards appeared before my eyes.
But my immediate interest was not skill cards.
I sighed and said to Bae Hu-ryeong.
‘Geomje nobleman. ‘Did you memorize the file?’
-Well, to a certain extent.
Bae Hu-ryeong scratched the back of his head.
A folder in which the pharmacist and the medicine king conducted desperate research and wrote down the results. That was important. Because the Heavenly Demon was obsessed with coinage and went on a rampage, I was unable to calmly memorize the contents of the file.
-If you combine what you memorized and what I memorized, the pieces will somehow fit together. I have to go back quickly before I forget…
‘okay. Then, let’s quickly select a skill first.’
-hmm.
Bae Hu-ryeong moved in the air. Then he looked at the back of the cards and recited them. There were quite a few skills that Heavenly Demon possessed, but one caught our attention.
+
[Magic Heavenly Art]
Rank: A+
Effect: Demonic Cult. They hate the laws of heaven. I curse you. They did not stop at hating and cursing, but created a denomination, and eventually formed a single doctrine. Macheon Shingong is a martial art that contains the essence of doctrine.
Those who have awakened the Demon Heavenly Demonic Art can tear the sky apart and crush Mount Tai! However, you must deeply understand the hatred and curse contained in the herbivores of Shingong.
The more you hate and curse the world, the more colorless the sky will be. A person who has mastered the extreme meaning of the Demonic Heavenly Art. He is the one who will soon overturn the sky, the Heavenly Demon. ※However, if you develop new skills, it becomes difficult to maintain your self-esteem.
+
Macheon Shingong.
It was a very outrageous name, but I couldn’t say anything sarcastic about it.
‘······This must be the martial arts we saw earlier, right?’
Because it really was that powerful.
He only swung his sword from afar, and the Medicine King’s head fell off. The poisonous snake died without being able to withstand three attacks. Even I, who prided myself on being quite disciplined while fighting the [Demon King of Autumn Rain], was unable to follow the sword path laid out by the Heavenly Demon with my eyes.
Truly the best season in the world.
-Tsk. It’s a typical magical skill.
Bae Hu-ryeong frowned.
-In the end, whether it’s martial arts or true fighting, it’s all a matter of how you deal with the world.
‘Coping with the world?’
——————
faqwiki.us
Join our Discord for new chapter updates!
https://discord.com/invite/xr7SxG5T6V
——————
-OK. If you try to accept the world generously, you will usually end up with political factions. If you try to claw at the world, that’s the devil’s religion. So, the martial people of the right sect make their bodies out of [vessels to accept the world], and those from the demonic cult make their bodies out of [nails that will scratch the world]…
“Hmm,” Bae Hu-ryeong crossed his arms.
-Let me give you the simplest example. This is an upper cut where the sword is slashed from above the head. In some schools, it is called the sword strike of Hose (虎勢), as it is similar to the stance of a tiger charging.
Swish!
Bae Hu-ryeong took a stance and swung both arms.
‘······!’
It was only for a moment, but I flinched. It really felt like a wild beast was charging at me.
It was strong.
His speech and behavior are so pathetic that I sometimes forget about him, but the Bae Hu-ryeong in front of me is Geomje. He was a warrior who almost conquered the tower with a single sword in his hand.
-what. Actually, it doesn’t matter whether it’s a tiger, a bull, or anything else. Chosik varies greatly depending on what enlightenment the founder of martial arts, Gaepajosa (開派祖師), achieved. Anyway, it’s important to [imitate] a tiger or a bull even a little bit.
imitate Imitate.
In this way, you make something in the world your own.
That is what Bae Hu-ryeong meant by “accepting the world.”
-But magic is different.
Bae Hu-ryeong took his stance again.
The same posture as when I swung my arm earlier.
-In demonic religions, they say this when teaching herbivorous eating.
Bae Hu-ryeong sighed and took a step.
-Remember the anger you felt the moment you were stabbed in the stomach by a thief.
The empty space split apart.
Faced with that, I inadvertently took a step back.
face.
It was none other than Bae Hu-ryeong’s face.
Infinite cold anger was written on his expressionless expression.
As if I were a completely different person.
-Recall the moment when your younger sister was taken away by the magistrate. Remember your weakness in not being able to do anything. Picture in your mind the face of your younger brother, who waited in silence in front of the government office all night long, only to return at dawn as a cold corpse.
Bae Hu-ryeong performed a sword dance.
Even though I wasn’t holding a sword, for some reason I felt like I could see Bae Hu-ryeong’s sword. The sword was as pitch black as the space we were standing in.
-Recall again the scene of burying your younger brother’s body alone. Was it winter? The ground was frozen so it didn’t dig easily. Did you crawl through the poorly dug soil with your fingertips? Are your nails broken? Did blood flow from a broken fingernail?
‘······.’
-In the end, did you put your younger brother’s body in a hole that wasn’t even able to be dug? Did he bury his feet first? Did he put a pile of cold dirt on his brother’s body? Did you take the dirt with your own hands and sprinkle it by the handful on the face of your younger brother, whom you were unable to bury until the very end?
I was out of breath.
As Bae Hu-ryeong’s sword dance continued, the endless space seemed to become narrower by a span of time. His head felt a little dizzy. Even though it was just a hand and arm gesture, Bae Hu-ryeong’s resentment was palpable.
-Remember the feel of that grain of soil. Hold the sword with the same hand that used to dig up the dirt. Swing his sword in a gesture that scattered dirt at his brother. Lament your helplessness and resent the cruelty of the world.
I mumbled like I was moaning.
‘Fingernails scratching the world…’
-okay.
Bae Hu-ryeong lifted his arm.
Finally, my blocked breath was released.
-Should we call it a mental method of managing internal energy? It’s literally a way to stimulate and push your mind. Whether you are a powerhouse or a hunter, the outcome will ultimately depend on how well you use your internal strength and aura.
Bae Hu-ryeong shrugged his shoulders as if nothing had happened.
-To put it simply, it’s a battle of momentum. Magong is a bit energetic.
‘······.’
-Anyway, you don’t need to learn zombies.
I quietly looked at the silver skill card.
-No, there is no need to learn any other martial arts. Who is this body? Isn’t it the Sword Emperor? This is because he is the best martial artist in this universe. I don’t know, but you’re already slowly learning my season! Compared to the martial arts skills of this body, they are nothing but trash…
‘I want to learn.’
-······uh?
Bae Hu-ryeong blinked.
‘I’m learning. this. ‘Infernal Heavenly Art.’
-Uh, uh… Uh oh…
Flash. Flash.
It was about three seconds later that Bae Hu-ryeong regained his speech.
-why!?
‘I want to learn.’
-Compared to my martial arts skills, this is rubbish!!
Bae Hu-ryeong started going wild.
-Surely you, Zombie, were captivated by the swordplay performed by the Heavenly Demon? Wow Mr. It’s going to turn. That’s just because he poured out his true energy and entered the world of life and death for a moment! It’s called ‘Bongppal’, ‘Jingippongppal’! It’s a zombie. Since ancient times, unmanned people should not get drunk on Jingipong!
I chuckled.
‘Are you upset because I tried to learn martial arts from someone other than you?’
-What?
‘Don’t worry. After all, our Sword Emperor’s martial arts skills are the best in the universe. ‘Why would I try to learn the Demon Heavenly Art because I don’t know it?’
-hmm···.
Bae Hu-ryeong twitched his nose.
Still, it seemed like his pride was satisfied because I gave him a little boost. Anyway, this ghost is really easy to deal with.
-cancer. I am the strongest. …But then why are you trying to learn the magic of the Demonic Cult?
‘To attack this stage perfectly.’
In other words, it is to bring the right ending to this world.
‘Suppose a cure is created. At any rate, it’s the end after saving the two people, Cheonma and the Murim Lord. Even if he were another human being, he had been dead for over two years… Even if you get treatment, there is no way you will survive. ‘Isn’t that right?’
-Uhm.
Bae Hu-ryeong narrowed his eyebrows.
-You’re right.
‘Then what will the ending be like? In a new world reborn, the Murim Lord and the Heavenly Demon [become Adam and Eve]? Geomje nobleman. Does this seem like a good ending to you?’
-······.
Bae Hu-ryeong looked like he had chewed shit.
You’re probably thinking of the image of the Heavenly Demon and the Murim Lord becoming a couple.
-No, that’s not right… Not really. I can’t imagine the scene where these two become a sweet couple. Upset···.
‘Really?’
I looked ahead.
[Please select a skill card.]
Whoosh! Easy profit!
Cards flew around chaotically in the air. But I had already marked one card. My eyes didn’t miss the silver card.
‘Creating a cure is just the first condition needed to create [a good ending]. In the end, a great ending really depends on whether the characters in the work are satisfied…’
I stretched out my arm and snatched the card.
‘I want to present a completely satisfying ending to the Heavenly Demon and the Murim Lord.’
[Selection completed.]
[Copy the skill.]
Of course, it didn’t end here.
[Your modern hunter rank is D.]
[There is a penalty due to the skill.]
A nightmare that the Heavenly Demon has.
Resentment pooled in her heart.
Another hell I have to cross.
[Relive the trauma of the enemy who killed you.]
[Penalty depth is medium.]
However, this was not the first hell I would traverse. It won’t be the last either.
[This is Agwido.]
I will have a chance to talk calmly about the hellish landscape I passed through.
3.
After returning to a day ago.
I committed eight more suicides.
It was to return to the ‘first day’ where we fell into the Apocalypse.
“—cold!”
Just like in the last episode, the poisonous snake screamed in surprise. The Alchemist and the Medicine King instinctively hugged themselves. A terrible cold struck our group.
Gooooo!
A snowstorm raged and roared. Etch! The pharmacist had already started coughing.
“Well, why is it so cold? “Wasn’t this Moorim?”
“Hey. What a Siberian plain…”
It was a white snowy field.
It is a sight that has become familiar to me over the past ten days.
However, the other party members were embarrassed and panicked, and I held the pharmacist’s hand without saying a word.
“ah.”
The pharmacist carefully lowered his head.
“Okay, thank you. “Death King.”
“······.”
A recent memory flashed through my mind.
“I continue to believe.”
The upper body of an apothecary scattered across a snowy field. And the bright red snowfields came to mind one after another. My heart pounded a little.
I spoke quietly without showing any signs of it.
“It’s natural, well. “Please take care of the Medicine King.”
“OK!”
“And just now I caught a glimpse of a human shadow out there.”
Unlike last time, this time I led the group. Soon the snowstorm subsided, and in front of us was a forest of human figures. no. A forest of corpses unfolded.
The viper was confused.
“···what. these are? Why are all the humans frozen?”
“It looks like a zombie.”
I touched the corpse’s face.
“ok? zombie?”
“yes. “Look at this.”
I’m in the zombie’s mouth. More precisely, it pointed to the teeth.
“There’s a lot of flesh on my teeth. People here may not have the habit of brushing their teeth after eating, but even so, this is a bit harsh. “It’s a baby that bites something like an animal…”
“······.”
The pharmacist’s expression changed at my words.
She looked inside the corpse’s mouth with more serious eyes. After a while, the pharmacist looked surprised.
“···Really. The owner of this corpse, the flesh in the mouth, and the DNA do not match. “We are completely strangers to each other.”
“Isn’t it true that you ate human flesh?”
The Medicine King was disgusted.
“why. In the past, people ate human flesh, right? “It’s not a zombie…”
“The date of death is strange in that sense.”
The pharmacist adjusted his glasses.
“The body’s date of death was about 3 years ago. On the other hand, the owner of the flesh died two years ago. This would be impossible if the corpse had not been alive and moved for a year. It’s hard to imagine, but… yes. “I guess it’s a zombie-like creature like Death King said.”
“I just hate monsters like those in horror movies! “Do something!”
“Eh. Old man. No matter what you say to me…”
The pharmacist looked embarrassed.
‘okay.’
The progress went much faster than the last episode.
Even if the zombies start moving like this, there won’t be any panic like last time. Are you predicting the situation or not? This alone changed people’s reactions completely.
More than anything.
“hmm.”
In my mind, I remember the research results of the past few days.
“president. “Medicine King.”
“yes?”
“Ugh?”
“I have an amazing skill. I can’t tell you what skill it is, though. According to what my skills analyzed…”
I explained the research results step by step.
My memory wasn’t perfect. There is no way I could have memorized the file all at once. However, when I was killed by the Heavenly Demon and went back 24 hours ago, I was able to once again have time to carefully memorize the file.
Bae Hu-ryeong even memorized it with me.
“Ummmm…”
After hearing my explanation, the pharmacist became lost in thought.
“···It’s amazing. It’s the perfect research method. There is no flaw. This is exactly what I did… but the terminology used is completely different from mine. No, it’s really, really awesome. “Death King, you have great skills…?”
The pharmacist looked at me with admiration.
From my perspective, the pharmacist is praising himself.
is it. The boss evaluates himself as a ‘really, truly amazing’ person. In this dreary world, isn’t that confidence truly the greatest thing? At least that’s how I see it.
“hmm. “Isn’t it a good thing that research time is shortened?”
The Medicine King thought it was easy.
“Anyway, I want to get away from the zombies. Ugh. “It would be nice to have a warm place to stay…”
at that time.
“—Hahaha!”
Laughter was heard.
In the last episode, it was unclear who was the owner of the laughter. But not this time. Murim lord. The old man, the head of the royal family of the Namgung family, was the one who burst into laughter.
“The world of magic ends today!”
“under.”
and.
“A passing dog will roll over and laugh.”
Of course, the voice of the Heavenly Demon could be heard.
“······.”
I held my breath and walked towards the direction from where I heard the voice. Bassuk. Snowballs got crushed under my shoes. As the voice got closer, the scene where Cheonma confessed her feelings became clearer in my mind.
“afraid.”
“As long as the main throne is intact, the world of magic is also healthy.”
“Even the world is afraid.”
“Buwol Line. “You are the one to say goodbye to the True Sect Murim.”
“Where is Namgoong Un! Call the Taesang family head of the Namgung family and come! Let the Murim Lord become a commander!”
The best in the world.
The most powerful in this world.
This is precisely why she survived until the last moment.
In an infinitely sad sense, the martial arts person who realized the sole existence of infants in the world.
“after.”
The warrior was still smiling.
Still showing off his confident smile, he was facing the world in the middle of a snowy field.
Like a single dot on a blank sheet of paper.
“The old monster’s tongue is really long. The blood demons only went out of the country for a while under secret orders from the main body… … hmm?”
I just.
I hoped that the points would connect into one line.
“You guys…?”
The Heavenly Demon’s eyes widened. The Heavenly Demon watched me in disbelief as I walked towards him. It was worth it. For her, it would be the first living person she had seen in many years.
“Uh, uh-huh. Are you saying I am looking at nothing right now? It’s as if a living person is moving…”
“Heavenly Demon.”
I arrived in front of the woman.
And then I slowly got down on my knees.
The cool snow fell gently under my weight.
“uh?”
“I heard about the majesty of Heavenly Demon from far away and came here to find him. “I have heard about and deeply admired the reputation of the best person from ancient times since ancient times.”
I don’t know how much time it will take from now on.
I made up my mind and shouted to the Heavenly Demon.
“Please accept me as Heavenly Demon’s disciple!”
“······.”
The Heavenly Demon opened its mouth as if it had seen a ghost.
etc,
