Chapter 178
As I looked up at the stars, I made a vow to myself. But before I could finish, I received a call from Yeom Hwa.
-Yu-hyun! Yu-hyun, can you hear me?
-Kang Yu-hyun. Can you hear our voice?
‘Yes. I can hear you well.’
I realized that I should have contacted them sooner.
I was so engrossed in listening to Seo Sumin’s story that I forgot about them.
‘Where are you two right now? Are you okay? Did you get hurt anywhere?’
-Yes. We’re fine. We don’t have any injuries.
-We’ve infiltrated the information department at the front line of the Heavenly Demon Sect.
‘What?’
I was surprised that they had joined forces, but I was even more shocked by the fact that they had sneaked into a place that I never expected.
‘How did you get there?’
-That’s not important right now. We’ve found out some things here, and there are some things that you need to know too.
‘What are they?’
Kwon Jia told me everything she had learned.
How the fight between the Heavenly Demon Sect and the Martial Alliance was going, and how the factions within the Heavenly Demon Sect were splitting and changing.
And how the Blood Eagle Group was preparing to betray the Heavenly Demon, and how the opposite faction had some traces of collusion with the Martial Alliance.
‘…I see. So that’s how it is.’
-You don’t seem very surprised.
‘I’ve found out some things on my own too. But thank you for telling me. The puzzle was not complete yet, but thanks to you two, I could fill in the gaps. You’ve done a great job without me.’
-Heheh. You’re welcome.
-Ahem. It was nothing.
They sounded modest, but their sincerity was evident.
Until now, I had helped them a lot with what they should do. But I also wondered if I had interfered too much with them.
If they were left alone without me, would they be able to handle things properly? That small doubt was put to rest by their actions just now.
Kang Hye-rim and Kwon Jia had grown splendidly as I wished.
They could do well on their own without me.
‘The incident will happen tomorrow at noon. It’s the decisive event that will determine the end of this world of thought. You two should keep acting as informants for the Heavenly Demon Sect and monitor the situation.’
-What about you? What are you going to do?
‘I’ve found the two people who were involved in this, so I have to decide what to do while protecting them.’
I didn’t tell them that one of them was the person who became the axis of this world of thought.
It was Seo Sumin’s personal matter, and it was not something that a third party should blabber about.
Still, I couldn’t keep everything secret from them.
They were my collectors, after all. I decided to give them some hints.
‘If you feel like something is dangerous, you have to get out of there right away. There are other tellers and spirits involved in this situation.’
-Okay.
-Got it.
‘That’s good enough. Then, see you tomorrow.’
I ended the call with them.
I stayed in my place for a while and looked up at the sky.
The moment of showdown was tomorrow at noon.
That’s when everything would be decided.
***
Shamath waited quietly in the room of the observer.
He was secretly observing the inside of the world of thought.
Where the flow came from and where it went.
And how the conflicts between the characters progressed.
How the fights broke out, who died, and who survived.
What was the final outcome of the story that unfolded in this world?
He saw all those things with his eyes and judged what would happen next.
Shikik.𝗻𝒐𝐯𝙚𝐥𝖇ì𝖓.𝙣𝖊𝒕
Shamath licked his tongue.
His already sharp eyes with vertical pupils became even colder.
“The showdown is tomorrow.”
Shamath had been watching what Yu-hyun was doing in the world of thought, and where Seo Sumin was.
He couldn’t analyze what they were talking about or what they were doing exactly.
He was not opening his library right now, but secretly watching them instead.
But he knew that everything was going as he had expected.
‘It’s a pity that I can’t show this spectacle to my viewers.’
He felt bitter when he thought about the points he could earn by showing this to them.
Shamath decided to think positively.
He couldn’t risk opening his library and revealing that he had a connection with Paradise and that he had intervened in this boundary.
Instead of showing the story as it is, showing a story that has been ‘manipulated’ by someone is a taboo for a teller.
That was what the spirits hated the most.
If that was exposed, bad rumors would spread and the subscription spirits that he had barely gathered would all leave.
“Anyway. How do you like it?”
Shamath asked, looking at the air.
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He had not opened the library, so there should have been no one here, but.
Just one person.
He had a guest that he secretly invited.
[What answer do you expect from me?]
A voice that seemed to resonate even with his soul, and Shamath thought ‘as expected’.
Paradise did not just entrust him with something.
They also sent a spirit to this side in case of any unforeseen circumstances.
‘Is it more for dealing with situations outside of their expectations than not trusting me? But, I wonder. Why did the spirit come here in person?’
Even if he failed his mission in the worst case scenario, Shamath did not think that the guest spirit could do anything.
‘Well, even so, he is not an ordinary spirit.’
He did not know his real name.
All Shamath knew was that the spirit was a second-generation spirit of Paradise, and his name on the Genesis Network was [Black Stained Pure White].
And, he had a rather blunt personality and felt somewhat stubborn.
From the perspective of Shamath, who was playful and cunning, he was an awkward guest, but he decided to think positively.
‘As long as I show him what I’m good at here, I can score points.’
The situation was progressing as he had hoped.
The last thing would happen at noon the next day in the time of the world of thoughts. Shamath looked forward to it.
‘The outside situation seems fine too.’
Shamath glanced at the entrance of the world of thoughts. There were still assassins of the White Night Society waiting for him.
Five people standing still at the entrance of the world of thoughts looked quite out of place. It seemed like someone passing by would report them, but that did not happen.
It was because of the talismans that surrounded them along with the entrance of the world of thoughts.
“You’re doing well.”
-Yes. I’m doing as you told me to do.
Lao Chen answered immediately. One of his four subordinates, a sharp-tempered woman, was casting a barrier.
Luo Yan, Lao Chen’s subordinate, was a collector who mainly dealt with puppetry and talismans.
She installed talismans around them to deceive the eyes of ordinary people, and around them were members of the Twilight Veil Clan who were blocking the road without anyone knowing.
With this, the world of thoughts was completely isolated from the outside.
“How long can you maintain it?”
-It’s possible for up to three days like this. It’s thanks to this place having few people around.
“You don’t have to do that much. One day is enough. And you’ve prepared the items well, right?”
-Of course.
Shamath handed over a jinsin flower to Lao Chen.
Of course, he did not just give it to him.
He put it in a special necklace so that it would not be affected by the jinsin flower, and even handed it over indirectly through a puppet controlled by Luo Yan.
He could not let his chess pieces be affected by the power of the jinsin flower.
“Don’t forget. You must never open it carelessly. You can’t even touch the necklace itself. Only handle it indirectly through Luo Yan’s puppet.”
-I understand.
“Once tomorrow passes, you will receive more of my favor, Lao Chen. Please bear with it even if it’s annoying or hard.”
-If that’s what you want, I’ll do anything.
Shamath smiled contentedly and ended the call.
Now all he had to do was wait.
Shamath put his hands together and felt his mouth twitching at the thought of watching what would happen tomorrow.
‘Agael. Watch carefully. How I succeed in what you failed.’
He had not much left until he secured his position within Pentagram.
***
The day dawned.
Seo Sumin woke up from her sleep, but Kang Yura was still lying down as if she had fainted.
Considering that she usually did not faint for more than a day, there might have been some problem somewhere, but Yuhyeon told her not to worry and waved his hand.
“It’s okay.”
“Really?”
“It’s common for people who enter the world of thoughts for the first time. To be precise, minors are like that.”
The world of thoughts is a completely different place from Earth, which is a material world.
If you have to express it, it is closer to a hybrid world where concepts are materialized.
Kang Yura, who was born in the material world and influenced by it, had not been awakened as a collector for long.
Just like people feel strange in their bodies when they dive deep into water or go up high on a plane.
People who are still young and enter the world of thoughts for the first time usually end up like that.
“It’s a kind of immune system. Newly awakened collectors, especially minors like Yura, if they get caught up in the world of thoughts suddenly, they become like that. At least half a day. At most, they will regain consciousness within two days.”
“So, you’re saying we don’t know when it will happen?”
“Probably.”
Yu-hyun looked outside.
He didn’t expect anything to happen in this ruined city.
Seo Sumin had told him that the betrayal had happened somewhere else.
Then, maybe he could avoid that incident by just staying here.
‘But, the assassination is the most decisive event in this world. Is it okay to deliberately avoid it?’
Yu-hyun’s dilemma was short-lived.
His top priority was to get Seo Sumin and Kang Yura out safely.
He knew that, but he didn’t leave right away because of the guys waiting outside.
‘Even though the world was created, there was no one from the association or other places who entered. Someone must have interfered from the outside. In the worst case scenario, the enemies might have taken over the entrance. If we go out without thinking, we’ll run into who knows how many enemies.’
He didn’t think he would lose if he just fought, but he had two people to protect on his side.
Before coming here, Sung Yu-chan had said.
The opponents were assassins from the Chinese mafia, Baek Ya Hwe.
They were specialized in killing people.
He couldn’t be sure that he could fight them and keep Seo Sumin and Kang Yura safe.
‘I can’t gamble with someone else’s life. I have no choice but to wait here safely and hope that the situation outside gets better.’
Anyway, he had taken ‘contact’ in case of any situation.
He watched the situation quietly and staying here was the best option.
Yu-hyun thought that was enough.
“Aah!”
Until Seo Sumin suddenly complained of a headache.
“Sumin? Sumin!”
Seo Sumin clutched her head in pain.
Yu-hyun couldn’t ask her what was wrong. Or if she was okay. Because the house they were staying in was shaking as if there was an earthquake.
That wasn’t all.
The book that Seo Sumin had also shook violently.
Dududududu!!
[What is this? What’s going on?!]
‘I don’t know.’
As he panicked, the scenery around him changed.
The shape of the building became blurry and slowly changed into something else.
Soon, the shabby house disappeared and the ruined city also disappeared.
It seemed like it collapsed due to an earthquake.
And everything returned to nothingness.
And then, as if time was rewinding, the collapsed things began to rise again.
However, when they were reassembled, it was a very different background from before.
“Where is this…”
It was a lush forest with a huge monument as a backdrop.
Yu-hyun was startled by the sudden change of environment.
This kind of thing never happened in his memory of this world.
If he had to guess, it was because this world was different from normal ones.
And the reason for that was none other than Seo Sumin, who was the origin of this world.
“Sumin!”
“Ugh.”
Seo Sumin still suffered from a headache and clenched her head.
Yu-hyun looked at her and confirmed it.
This world was leading Seo Sumin somewhere like a living being.
Like a child who doesn’t know anything shows their parents the toy they made.
The world also invited Seo Sumin here to show her the story it wanted to show her.
Without knowing what consequences it would bring.
Yu-hyun quickly sent a message to Yeom Hwa.
‘Jia! Hye-rim! It’s an emergency! Come to where the assassination of Heavenly Demon is happening!’
-What? Yu-hyun. Why are you suddenly…
-I got it. I’ll be right there.
Yu-hyun only said what he had to say briefly to Kang Hye-rim and Kwon Jia, and then checked on Seo Sumin’s condition again.
[Most of the spirits are curious about what’s going on.]
[Some spirits recognize that something bad has happened.]
“Sumin. Are you okay? Wake up.”
“I’m fine.”
The scenery changed completely and Seo Sumin’s headache ended.
She lifted her head that had been bowed down. Seo Sumin’s pupils dilated. Her lips trembled.
“Here, here. Why are we suddenly here…”
“Sumin. Now is not the time to ask that. Let’s get out of here quickly.”
“No. No. It’s too late.”
Seo Sumin muttered hopelessly as if she realized what was going to happen next.
Before Yu-hyun could ask what she meant by that,
Kwaang!
A loud explosion rang out.
A huge explosion occurred in the forest far away.
It was not an ordinary explosion.
A deep darkness rose like a pillar tens of meters high, making my skin crawl just by looking at it.
“It’s too late.”
Bang! Bang!
Aaah!
Screams and blasts followed one after another.
The intervals between them became shorter, and they got closer to this side.
Darkness was approaching.
A darkness that was deeper and purer than anything else.
Shhh!
The first ones to show themselves from beyond the forest were people in black outfits.
I knew who they were.
They were the warriors who moved with the old man Huang on the first day I came here.
They were the Blood Shadow Squad, one of the combat units of the Heavenly Demon Sect.
Their condition was not good, to say the least.
Many of them had torn or bloodstained clothes. Some had serious injuries, such as missing an arm or a leg.
‘That means.’
My eyes turned to the inside of the forest where the Blood Shadow Squad had emerged from.
A sticky darkness flowed out of there like a newly bloomed dawn mist.
I felt the same chill as when I first saw the black pillar.
‘I’ve seen few things as ominous as that even in the apocalypse.’
Soon, a person appeared from the forest.
She was a beautiful woman with a terrible magic power wrapped around her body like a cloak, and black eyes that showed no trace of reason.
The current leader of the Heavenly Demon Sect.
The peerless warrior above all others.
“Heavenly Demon…”
It was Seo Sumin, who had once stepped on the threshold of transcendence.
