Chapter 107

It’s gotten really cold at night, and even during the day, it’s chilly now.

All the trees that were supposed to change colors have done so, and there are more bare branches now too.

Winter is coming fast.

Just like when a desolate season arrives, something happened far away.

Byung-il and Jung Jae-woo…

These two got captured by the Murim Alliance organization.

Yeah, those two who fled from the Cheonma Cult three months ago.

They were caught by martial artists because of their purple hair and were escorted to the Murim Alliance where they were interrogated.

That’s how their Cheonma Cult origins were discovered.

In short, they were drugged and tortured.

And not just simple torture either.

Their identities were thoroughly exposed using some unknown technology.

Compared to what I remember in my faded memories, this world of martial arts shouldn’t have such advanced tech.

This is suspected to be related to Dae Gon, the leader of Tongcheon, but it’s not his technology. His stuff focuses on bioengineering, so it works differently.

But Dae Gon isn’t the only immortal around here. There are others too.

Originally, Dae Gon was chased out of another world, invaded this one, lost, and fled deep underwater.

Meaning, there are immortals stronger than him living in Kunlun Mountain.

The traces of their techniques are showing up.

Like the technique that extracts a person’s soul while they’re still alive and probes their memories—technology way beyond anything else here.

And projecting images into thin air? That kind of thing was considered pure sci-fi back in my faded memories.

Of course, worlds with harvesters like me do have such tech, though it’s way out of reach for someone like me—I’ve only seen it from afar.

They used some wooden sculpture floating in mid-air to extract light from the harvester’s body.

A dark violet light burst out of the flesh.

Inside the room where the harvester’s soul was being extracted, someone gathered everyone together and explained that the light represented corrupted souls eaten away by the Reverse Heavenly Demon Energy.

They claimed this color symbolizes chaos that turns the world upside down—a malevolent force you mustn’t associate with.

You think that’s harsh?

Turns out the light *was* the soul.

Finally, they figured it out. But that wasn’t all the information they uncovered.

One of the people across from the experts asked if the soul could be restored to its original state. The presumed expert bluntly replied that once a soul is tainted, there’s no way to cleanse it.

At least, not in this world.

If they can strip away my blessings, then my warmth would vanish too. If I’m classified as a disease that can be cured…

Ugh. That’s terrifying.

Though, faintly, there might be such technology somewhere in this world—they just don’t know about it yet. Only humans were present in that place.

Based on the evidence, it seems the origin is Kunlun.

Maybe the immortals living there possess such abilities.

Immortals, collectively referred to as such, are actually individualized beings, each belonging to their own unique race or form of life.

Well, some aren’t even technically alive.

I thought they’d at least feel warm…

Nope. Cough cough.

Be careful around them.

Judging by the lack of any massive light presence, there doesn’t seem to be an immortal among the people analyzing the harvester inside the Murim Alliance.

But there are individuals handling special techniques.

From Byung-il and Jung Jae-woo’s memories, they found a woman who turned people into harvesters.

She was labeled as an evil seductress who corrupts humanity.

Yep, that’s me.

Upon discovering my existence within the Cheonma Cult, many lamented that countless people had already fallen under my control. They announced that they needed to strike the Cheonma Cult before more celestial demons appeared.

At the end of their announcement, they demonstrated a strange device claiming it could purify malevolent energy. They inserted the light into it.

The light slowly melted and disappeared inside.

At the same time, the connection I had been observing was severed.

They can break light.

Right, you can destroy the vessel. Thinking the vessel was indestructible was irrational anyway.

They erased the soul. My traces were incinerated without leaving a mark.

So such technology exists.

Still, I’m not overly worried because I remember what Eun-jai did.

After becoming a harvester, Eun-jai went berserk in the martial arts world, killing people freely.

He said it was for revenge and kept slaughtering until his heart felt lighter, then returned to the Cheonma Cult, started a family, and eventually died of old age.

Even though he showed signs of dementia in his later years, I’d say he achieved everything he wanted.

So if the martial arts world handles things similarly, having just two people—Cheonma and Oh Myeong-seong—won’t cause much trouble.

Thus, in other words…

When winter passes and spring comes, there’ll be a mass absorption event of warmth!

Considering the era we’re in, fighting during winter will be tough.

Even with rudimentary knowledge, it seems likely to happen late this spring at the earliest.

At worst, it could be delayed a few years, but they don’t seem like they’ll let things slide easily. Based on what Jung Jae-woo and Byung-il confessed through what amounted to torture, these people will definitely attack.

They’re terrified of the possibility that more celestial demons like Cheonma could appear.

Actually, they witnessed firsthand a simple enforcer become capable of using the Celestial Demon Technique. Would they just sit idly by and watch the martial arts world get devastated again?

Fear is a powerful motivator.

Heheh.

Now all we can do is wait.

While observing events unfolding far away in the distant north, Soo-oh enters the room.

“What are you doing, Choseol?”

“Nothing.”

“So that’s why you’ve gotten so fat?”

Soo-oh stealthily approaches and places her hands on my chest.

They’re pretty big, sure. Given my build, the circumference alone surpasses Rebecca’s. In terms of proportions, I’m just a tall woman.

Though in this world, being tall is a disadvantage. Even if you’re beautiful, if you’re too tall, people consider you ugly.

Or maybe they think I’m ugly, which is why people don’t turn into harvesters?

Could be.

But I can’t choose the vessel. Well, strictly speaking, I *could*, but when the opportunity arises, I don’t have the luxury to reject someone for looking terrible.

Still, both bodies were quite attractive. Beauty standards vary by era, but compared to that perspective, Soo-oh is too skinny.

“You’ve been too skinny lately, Soo-oh. You should tell your martial arts master that. Lately, she says she’s been exhausted. Instead of gaining weight, you’re losing it.”

Soo-oh pouts and sprawls herself on my lap.

Ever since the weather got colder, Cheonma and Soo-oh have started practicing swordplay together.

Judging from my memories, this feels a bit premature.

Considering Soo-oh’s late start… Hmm. Cheonma probably knows better and will teach accordingly.

“I don’t know much about fighting, so I’ll just follow what Cheonma teaches.”

“Hmmph!”

She doesn’t refuse, though.

Looks like she wants to grow stronger too.

Yet Soo-oh keeps staring at me intently.

I can see how my gaze or posture moves, but I can’t read her thoughts.

If I don’t know, I should ask.

“Why?”

“It’s just… Choseol insists on using formal speech, no matter who she’s talking to.”

Yes, I use formal speech.

Respect and etiquette can sometimes be powerful weapons. It’s more advantageous for me to stay beneath others rather than above them.

Dominating others can wait until they fully understand me.

“Is it weird?”

“I think it’s odd when you use honorifics even with younger kids—or servants.”

That’s referring to herself.

I thought she accepted it without question, but apparently, she finds it strange.

Originally, Soo-oh was sent here as my maid, and I inherited ownership from Cheonma.

But I gave her freedom—the freedom to do whatever she wants.

“It can’t be helped. I decided from the beginning to act this way.”

My response makes Soo-oh stare at me with a mix of confusion, disappointment, and other emotions.

“Yeah, it feels like you’ve built a wall.”

Yeah, you’ve nailed it.

There’s a wall.

An extremely, extremely solid wall.

I’m deliberately building it to ensure no one ever sees what’s behind it.

Behind the wall is nothing but the screams of someone driven mad by the cold.

Cheonma may have glimpsed a trace of it, but judging by his sympathy, he hasn’t truly seen it. The reality is far worse and disgusting.

Once the door in that wall opens, it’s over.

It’ll be like taking a drug that completely destroys brain cells—there’ll be no going back.

If that door opens, I’ll commit monstrous acts until I hit a dead end, never regaining warmth again.

“This is something I want to show but simply can’t.”

“You’re not planning to open your heart, huh?”

That’s cutting straight to the core.

This topic is uncomfortable.

At least while pretending to be harmless within the Cheonma Cult.

Let’s shift the focus of the conversation.

“Oh ho, looks like you’re full now. Is what I’ve given you still insufficient? I’ve offered so much already, but you still want more? Fine, try taking it if you can!”

I grabbed Soo-oh and tickled her sides.

She shrieks and tries to escape.

I chase after her, and she giggles as she runs outside.

“Uh… Should I have come at a different time?”

A stunning beauty in white stands awkwardly at the entrance.

She didn’t know harvesters exist, so she probably mistook this place for somewhere a stray cat might wander into.

“Soo-oh, we have a guest.”

“Welcome!”

Soo-oh, forgetting the earlier moment, cheerfully greets Goo Mil-mil and leads her inside. Meanwhile, I head to the kitchen to prepare tea that Insim-won gifted me recently.

“Choseol, apprentice of Cheonma.”

Goo Mil-mil speaks awkwardly, adding polite suffixes.

“You’re not a direct disciple, so there’s no need for such formalities!”

Soo-oh bursts into laughter while chatting with Goo Mil-mil. A direct disciple inherits everything from their master, but Soo-oh only learns martial arts—nothing more.

“You’re higher ranked than me, Miss Goo Mil-mil.”

What kind of relationship is forming between them?

While pondering this, I boiled water over an unextinguished flame.

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