âGah!â Seol-Hwi managed to climb out of the latrine. His body was covered in a foul stench, but his expression couldnât be brighter.
[Critical hit. The opponent took 1,404 damage.]
The words danced in front of his eyes over and over again. Seol-Hwi turned to Jeok Myungâs dead ass.
Health: 0/1,404
âRun out of health, you die.â The number had changed on his opponentâs status window. The internal energy was at 0 as wellâsince he was dead.
âWhat I just didâcould I do it again?â When the sword moved, a tremendous energy radiated from it without his intervention.
âHuh? It doesnât use internal energy?â
Internal Energy: 240/240
Seol-Hwi examined his status window. For some reason, his internal energy hadnât decreased despite using his swordsmanship.
âGreat Sword?â An instantaneous power. He didnât understand itâhe was just trying to avoid getting splashed by shitâŠ
âI donât know. Letâs just wash off first.â The stench was positively clogging his nostrils.
Seol-Hwi dumped Jeok Myungâs corpse into the toilet pit and ran out to find his clothes.
âAhhhh!â Seol-Hwi came to the lakeside to wash himself, avoiding any lurking eyesâbut no matter how hard he scrubbed, the stench wouldnât leave him. His entire body itched, too.
âFinallyâŠâ Seol-Hwi brightened. New words floated over his head.
Coin 3 [Three chances]
âI can live again!â
Seol-Hwi instinctively dropped his gaze to his right shoulder. Even if he went back, he wouldnât be able to change the situation for the better.
âShould I head back to the Earth Demon?â Now that his target was dealt with, he had to let the Earth Demon know.
âNo. I need to think carefully.â Seol-Hwi shook his head. He couldnât trust the man just yetâto be precise, he couldnât grasp his intent for giving him such an impossible mission.
âOkay. I need to go to Sama Gwi instead.â Assassinating Jeok Myung could put his life in danger hereâto say nothing of his missing arm.
He pondered how to plan his future; if only the weak points of the Lord of the Supreme Pavilion could be caught⊠if only he had information the Earth Demon could use.
Seol-Hwi put on his clothes. The stench still wasnât gone.
âLetâs go.â
He moved to the Supreme Pavilion.
âWho came?â Sama Gwi was rather surprised. An unexpected visitor had come in the night.
âIt is because I need to tellâŠâ
Sama Gwi stared at him coldly.
âS-sorry! I can head backâŠâ
âEnough.â
âHuh?â
âIf he came to see me in the middle of the night, he must have a reason.â Sama Gwi abruptly smiled and nodded. âTell him to come.â
The messenger left. After a while, Seol-Hwi appeared.
âOfficer of the Heavenly Library greets the Lord of the Supreme Pavilion.â Seol-Hwi prostrated himself as he had in the beginning and waited for the Lord to speak.
He was met with silence, but he knew the old man hated it if people didnât greet him like this.
âDoes this make you feel great?â As expected, his first words were sarcasm. âTo step into my place fearlessly. Who do you think you are? YouâŠâ
The man stood and approached Seol-Hwi, only to wrinkle his nose.
âYou reek.â
âIt couldnât be helped.â
âWhat?â
âIf not, how could I dispose of the captain of the Black Moon with my own hands?â
Sama Gwi gazed down at Seol-Hwi expressionlessly. That was his character: be it any situation, he would approach it with a calm face.
âHmm.â Sama Gwi eyes Seol-Hwi like he was trying to look into his skull. âI wonder how you killed him, but firstâŠâ
The Lord slowly approachedâcloser and closer, making Seol-Hwiâs breath catch in his throat.
âYou. Whom did you meet?â Sama Gwi got close enough to touch his face.
Seol-Hwi gulped.
âHuh? Whatâack!â Sama Gwi grabbed Seol-Hwi by his collar.
âDonât try using your brain. If your mouth says a single wrong thing, you die.â
âKack- Uck.â
âI ask again: Whom did you meet?â Sama Gwiâs eyes bored intently into Seol-Hwi.
Did the Earth Demon sell me out? Although, Seol-Hwi wasnât overly concerned with getting the right answer.
âIsnât it more important to know what the Lord of the Supreme Pavilion is hiding rather than whom I met?â
âWhat?â Sama Gwi scowled at him and snorted. âAfter going to the library, it seems like your way of thinking has changed. Do you have a death wish?âyou must. Didnât you always want to kill me?â
Sama Gwi sighed. He was flustered enough to crack his calm facade.
âIf you are curious, I met with a disciple of the Heavenly Demonâthey sent me here.â That was a lie. It didnât matter, though; Seol-Hwi had to figure something out.
âHo-ohâŠâ Sama Gwi moved. Anger flashed through his eyes for a brief moment.
âWell, no wonder. You couldnât have killed Jeok Myung without help.â
So thatâs why! Now Seol-Hwi understood why the old man asked him who he met. The Lord knew that the Earth Demon was in the Heavenly Library, and heâd expected that the Earth Demon had helped Seol-Hwi kill Jeok Myung.
âRight. What does the disciple want to know?â Sama Gwi walked away to stare at a painting.
âHe asked when and where you had secret conversations with Goo Jung-Myung of Mount Hua.â
Sama Gwi stiffened.
I knew it. Seol-Hwi was observing him. Revealing sect information to an opposed sect was treason.
There was a long silence.
ââŠThe disciple asked that?â Sama Gwi spoke without turning around.
âYes.â
ââŠAnything else?â
âWhen and where the next meeting isâŠâ
There was no reply as if the man was struggling to hide his emotions.
âLord. The fourth disciple has been pondering this issue for a long time. However, since this could be a serious issue, he spoke through me. Answer honestly.â
Seol-Hwi was overjoyed. This was information he never could have gotten if he hadnât come back.
âKhmm!â Sama Gwi seemed troubled.
Please tell me. Seol-Hwi had no way of knowing if he would tell him truth or liesâor he could just have Seol-Hwi killed. Seol-Hwi just wanted a clue.
âEarly next month. Weâll meet at Mount Hwanga.â
Got you! Seol-Hwiâs eyes glittered. After several regressions, heâd finally got some information!
Huh? Something caught his eyes. Down in the bottom right, exactly in front of the chair: two dim characters, blinking in and out.
Seol-Hwi crawled a little forward to get a better look. He would never dare to do this in the past, but it was different now; it could be something that could help him. Whatâs more, the opportunity buoyed his courage.
Thereâs nothing there? Seol-Hwi shook his head. It was completely empty.
Still, the light blinked. Seol-Hwi decided to reach out towards the light.
Hah! Seol-Hwiâs eyes widened. Words appeared again.
[You received a map: Secret Map of the Supreme Pavilion.]
A map?
[See details? Accept/Reject]
Accept, of course. The window immediately spread out across his vision.
[Map]
Description: A book that displays places of interest in the central plains and the Supreme Pavilion. Here is the man on Mount Hwanga, the place where you first encountered Goo Jong-Myung of Mount Hua. Every quarter-year, they meet.
So this is where they meet. Seol-Hwi was delighted by the new information, but there was more.
[Toolbox has been created.]
How strange.
Medicinal Herb: 1
Confectionerâs Bar: 1
Map: 1
Medicinal herb? What is a bar? He could only shake his head at these oddities.
âButâŠâ Sama Gwi suddenly started speaking. âWhen did the fourth disciple teach you martial arts?â
âHuh? Ah, thatâŠâ Seol-Hwi paused for a long moment. âHe taught me a few days ago.â
âWhen did you meet?â
âThe day I joined the library.â
âAh?â Sama Gwi looked away. However, there was something strange to his faceâthe calm was gone, replaced by a heated expression.
âIt hasnât been long since I sent you⊠but he trusts you enough to teach you martial arts and kill Jeok Myung? And trusts you enough to go here and gather information?â
Something was wrong. The way he talked, his expression, that gaze. He was getting closer.
âAhck!â Seol-Hwi fell back and the Lordâs sword pierced his abdomen.
âYou must think Iâm some kind of pushover. Do you know where you went wrong? You see, the Earth Demon doesnât teach anyone martial arts.â
âAck⊠AghâŠâ
âHe only uses martial arts bestowed to him by the sect leader.â Sama Gwi grinned at his pained expression.
However, Seol-Hwiâs eyes glittered.
âWhat? Youâre making that kind of expression even now?â
â⊠donâtâŠknowâŠ?â
âWhat?â
âYou donât⊠know?â
Sama Gwi stared blankly at him.
âYou lost⊠to me.â
âYou bastard!â
Sama Gwi stabbed him in the chest again. In his darkening vision, Seol-Hwi saw it once again.
â¶ Restart from beginning.
â· Continue.
â· Restart from save point.
He longed for another life, andâ
-Returning to âBefore your private meeting with Sama Gwi.â
âEagerly awaited his life.
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