Chapter 76

When I got home, there was something I’ve never seen before.

Upon checking the thing, it was clothes, food, and various tools.

It seems like Cheonma didn’t realize Soo-oh had met the previous Grandmaster’s daughter. Lucky us.

I sighed in relief, entered the room, and gently placed Soo-oh down.

Soo-oh looked around at the stuff in the room, startled, then suddenly stopped mid-step. Something seemed off, so I glanced at her.

She hesitated and pointed at the clothes.

“Can I touch it?”

Ah, she thought it belonged to someone else, which is why she hesitated. I approached her, grabbed her by the shoulders, and turned her to face me.

“Soo-oh. I received you from Cheonma. Unfortunately, this means you belong to me from now on.”

Well, technically, I’ve kidnapped a child with parents, but what can you do? It’s too late now. Soo-oh looked at me as if asking what on earth I was talking about.

She’s still too young to understand anything about ownership.

Still, since the Harvesting System has activated, she’ll figure out what I mean sooner or later.

Not just her body will improve—her mind will too, so she’ll grasp things quickly.

“Do you not understand?”

In response to my question, Soo-oh bowed her head and quietly said yes. Guess there’s no other choice but to explain simply.

“Do as you please, think as you please, and live as you please.”

It’s not freedom—it’s indulgence. This is what I wish for people: to live however they want until they face the consequences of their actions.

“Live as I please?”

I was about to say yes, but then the faded man’s memory lit up. It insisted I say this: knowing one must take responsibility for their actions allows them to give warmth longer.

If that’s the case…

“Do as you please, but don’t forget—you must take responsibility for your actions. Got it?”

Soo-oh nodded and immediately ran toward the new items, opening them eagerly as if they were gifts.

Though indulgence isn’t freedom, understanding responsibility allows one to indulge better. Like how more people die not at the hands of ignorant murderers but under corporate executives who exploit others.

Isn’t being above the law kind of the same thing? But when you reach that level, indulgence becomes synonymous with freedom.

That doesn’t sound wrong, so I accepted it.

I sat down while Soo-oh rummaged through the new things.

Hmm. There’s a faint warmth near the kitchen wall. Makes sense since there’s an ever-burning fire there; it’d be strange if it weren’t warm.

Looks like I can have her sleep here. Though, come winter, who knows?

By the way, now that winter is approaching, I’m not sure if Soo-oh will survive it.

Let’s worry about that later.

Now, shall we try learning some martial arts?

There are memories available.

Everyone except Soo-oh systematically trained in martial arts, especially Eunjai.

I extracted their memories.

And organized them, pulling together everything related to martial arts.

Surprisingly, Eunjai’s techniques share many similarities with the others, likely because they stem from the same root.

The problem lies in accumulating energy. What exactly *is* Qi?

Thinking about it, I have the memories of a wizard but can’t use magic at all because I can’t perceive mana.

You can’t work with what doesn’t exist.

Even trying to manipulate organs like they did results in nothing moving. And unlike Rebecca, I’m hesitant to mess with my heart since she ended up devoid of light and warmth, making her hard for me to detect.

Besides, during the collapse of the first world, I lost track of what happened to Rebecca. Though I’m currently processing those memories, I instinctively know she’s not part of this one.

Thus, let’s avoid modifying my body unless absolutely necessary.

Find a way to use martial arts.

Moving my internal organs around doesn’t seem to yield any Qi.

Maybe I should try Eunjai’s method instead?

Since I’m inside these memories, perhaps mimicking how Eunjai used his upper dantian to extract and utilize me could work.

Hmm… Hmm… Uuuuuhhh…

Nope. Even though I remember every sensation, something crucial is missing, preventing movement.

Imagine a flood sweeping everything downstream.

I remember how everything moved, but I don’t know water. That part of the equation is completely blank.

Trying to replicate it yields nothing. Without water, mimicking its flow serves no purpose.

At least I remember the movements, but without the force propelling them, I can’t follow through.

But maybe I could replicate just the form?

Nah, using combat techniques from another world would be better. Like the warriors from the first world.

Except they also relied on specialized methods similar to martial arts, so I can’t use theirs either.

Ugh, does this even make sense?

Here I am, a pretty strong monster who can only create Harvesting Systems.

Sheesh.

This misfortune began the moment I was dumped into an empty void.

Currently, I’m giving bits of Eunjai’s knowledge to the living Harvesters. Right now, the best ones are Eunchun, Jeonyang, Byungil, and Gapjae, in that order.

Of course, who survives a fight remains uncertain.

This depends on how much of Eunjai’s memories they possess.

Starting today, Soo-oh will also receive Eunjai’s memories, making her the youngest.

If possible, I’ll try isolating just the martial arts portion of Eunjai’s memories cleanly and doing the same with Yasure’s summoning technique.

Heheh.

Of course, I haven’t abandoned the plan to attack shamans in this world and turn them into Harvesters.

Still, I must prepare for the worst-case scenario—assuming I won’t gain shamanic abilities.

With that thought, I paused and watched Soo-oh excitedly inspecting the items. Meanwhile, I observed how the other Harvesters functioned.

First, Gapjae.

His duty as a guardian occurs once every three days, limiting his free time despite having plans.

Plus, his free time is usually spent running errands.

As the chief of the “Ziguandang” (a compound term meaning both “Elixir Hall” and “Official Hall”), the most powerful faction leader frequently calls on Gapjae for tasks to test his loyalty.

Gapjae works hard because he understands it’s about leaving a good impression.

The third faction corresponds to bamboo, the fourth to the ocean, the eighth to a crane, and the ninth to a stream.

These five factions are plotting to drive out the current Cheonma.

Note: The elixir refers to medicine, including general drugs, alchemical pills, and narcotics.

Bamboo represents intelligence agencies, the ocean handles the religious aspects of the Cheonma Church, the crane manages logistics, and the stream oversees the overall administration of the land where the Cheonma Church resides.

Each faction leader gets rights to the byproducts generated within their jurisdiction.

Traditionally, the ocean faction should be the strongest due to its religious influence, but here, brute force takes precedence, weakening its authority.

In short, consider these factions as institutions managing the villages surrounding the Cheonma Church.

Through Gapjae’s perspective, I gather information about the Cheonma Church.

What a great Harvester.

Thanks to him, I’ve learned how uneasy Cheonma truly is.

By the way, the second-ranked turtle faction is led by Eunchun, and the sixth-ranked mountain faction is led by Byungil.

Technically speaking, Byungil is almost convinced by the other five factions’ persuasion, meaning over half of the Ten Factions of the Cheonma Church are conspiring against Cheonma.

Also, the turtle represents ports, and the mountain represents minerals.

Young women sent to the main hall of the Cheonma Church become slaves, while talentless men are dispatched elsewhere. The mountain faction, in particular, functions as an execution ground.

Criminals are often sent to mines, right? Same here. However, they profit heavily from selling the mined resources, granting them high standing among the ten factions.

Despite being highly specialized, the governing structure feels precarious.

While Gapjae provides plenty of intel, let’s talk about Eunchun, arguably the strongest single fighter.

She’s deeply engrossed in pleasure-seeking.

It’s not that Eunchun is bad; anyone newly elevated to a high position tends to relax after securing their gains. A certain woman exploited this weakness.

Specifically, the fifth-ranked deer faction specializes in spear manufacturing. Through this faction’s leader, a woman was introduced to Eunchun, who proceeded to manipulate her.

It’s quite clever.

This woman emphasized how admired Byungil is for restoring the “Cheonma Gunrimbo,” making Eunchun feel inferior, then pretended not to care, thus manipulating her emotions.

She plied Eunchun with alcohol and drugs, eventually sharing a bed with her.

Amidst the scheming and plotting within the Cheonma Church, the downfall of such a talented youth was swift.

Unfortunately, Eunchun’s future looks bleak. Honestly, she was the one I expected to shine the brightest, so her fall is disappointing.

On the other hand, Byungil.

Efforts are underway to groom him as the next Cheonma.

They whisper about how he restored the “Cheonma Gunrimbo” and how the current Cheonma doesn’t know the “Cheonma Divine Skill,” implying he’s a fraud.

Blindly consuming the elixirs sent by factions plotting against the current Cheonma, Byungil grows stronger.

Judging by his blind consumption, his future isn’t bright either.

Finally, Jeonyang.

He trains personally under Cheonma, refining the “Cheonma Divine Skill.”

Even if Byungil appears under the guise of mastering the “Cheonma Divine Skill,” Jeonyang is skilled enough to defeat him with it.

However, no one seems aware of the movements of the previous Grandmaster’s daughter.

An incident will definitely occur soon, though it might take longer than expected.

What exactly will happen?

I redirected my gaze and saw Soo-oh playing around before finally falling asleep in my arms.

Guess nighttime activities are out of the question.

I covered Soo-oh with a blanket.

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