Chapter 102

When I got home, Soo-oh was sprawled out like a starfish in the yard.

Cheonma was quietly sitting on the porch, waving a hand at me.

“How long do you think it’ll take to reach Cheonma’s level?”

I was about to ignore Soo-oh, who was pretending to be unconscious with her eyes closed on the ground, but decided to ask Cheonma instead.

“If she trains properly, it’ll take about forty years.”

After hearing my question, Cheonma thought for a moment and gave an answer. Forty years. Really that long? And by then, Cheonma will probably be even stronger.

“Vulnerability!”

“Huh? No, lie down again.”

Pfft.

A soft popping sound echoed as Soo-oh, who had tried to sneak up behind me and avoid Cheonma’s gaze, got hit in the stomach. She’d just barely gotten up and grabbed her iron sword when something struck her chest, sending her back down.

“What did you shoot?”

“Qi. Can’t you feel it at all?”

“Yes.”

Based on the information I’ve gathered so far, it seems I’m not supposed to be able to sense it. But I learned that if some monstrous power were shoved into me, it might work—though the monster would be consumed as fuel in the process!

“I couldn’t sense the Qi of Tongcheon Sect Leader either.”

“That’s right.”

Come to think of it, he wasn’t originally from this world but crossed over from another one. Somewhere out there, there must be a place where worlds fight against each other. If I ever get there, maybe I’ll meet people battling with glass bottles?

It makes me excited just thinking about it.

If I can reach them, I could learn how to control things. Meaning, if I join that battlefield, I could gain warmth.

Warmth would spread like an epidemic, and if there are enough people… it would truly feel warm, wouldn’t it?

Heheh…

Ehem. No, let’s stop daydreaming about excessive warmth. It’s making me colder somehow.

“You’re really something else.”

I sat next to Cheonma, who was staring at me intently. After empathizing with her from a human perspective, I said what I could.

“You called me. Unfortunately.”

People shouldn’t summon monsters like me just for warmth. To get it, I’ve even deliberately advertised my location to destabilize the Cheonma Church and invited Gu Milmil and O Myeongseong.

That’s the price to pay. After all, you held onto me for four years, didn’t you?

But Cheonma crossed her legs and rested her chin on her hand.

“That’s not your decision to make. None of us here regret meeting you.”

Soo-oh crawled over from the floor and clung to my back. Although I saw everything through both her and Cheonma’s gazes, I let her be.

“Me too!”

She’s completely covered in dirt now. How am I supposed to clean her up?

With one hand, I gently pressed her face, which was sticking up beside me.

“Wait! No, Choseol, you weren’t supposed to do that…”

It’s not about strength—it’s pressing on a sensitive spot. Plus, I’m naturally pretty strong due to my size.

Have you forgotten about all the housework and extra exercise I’ve been doing?

“Soo-oh, you smell.”

After saying that and letting go, Soo-oh quickly retreated and sniffed her own clothes. Then she wrinkled her nose.

“It’s sweat! You can’t help it!”

“You avoided me because you smelled fishy earlier!”

Bringing up that recent incident made Soo-oh look guilty as she backed away.

“That’s different!”

“Go fetch some water while you’re at it.”

Telling her to bring water back while washing herself, Soo-oh grumbled and headed toward the kitchen. Carrying a large jar, she jumped straight off the cliff.

An ordinary person would’ve turned into mush, but Soo-oh slowed her descent by stepping on the cliff walls a few times and landed safely.

Even considering her size, that jar is enormous.

Qi allows humans to perform superhuman feats.

It’s mind-blowingly powerful. The gap between those who can use Qi and those who cannot is astronomical.

This is why the Murim—a society of superhumans—exists alongside regular society.

Thinking about it rationally, this setup is weird.

The physical capabilities of these individuals are practically on a different biological level, yet it doesn’t pass down genetically but rather through knowledge of martial arts.

To me, it seems like martial arts are information-based life forms coexisting with humans.

Of course, bloodlines that have practiced the same martial art for generations may evolve alongside the information life form for mutual benefit, but it’s not exclusive to bloodlines. Anyone can learn.

So the realm where humans coexist with these information life forms is the Murim, while those outside it live in the normal human world.

I came to this conclusion based on information from Daegon.

Daegon no longer has a physical body. He once did, long ago, but became a god in his original world and transcended into pure spirit.

However, this made him poorly adapted to reality. While he can exert great influence, he also undergoes tremendous changes from reality.

In gaming terms, it’s like boosting attack power at the cost of defense.

Thus, he stays slightly detached from reality, using intermediaries or bodies like the one I inhabit when necessary.

This reminded me of martial arts.

Considering the ones that cause users to lose their self-identity, it doesn’t seem much different from summoning something powerful into oneself to grow stronger.

While pondering these thoughts, Cheonma smiled at me.

“What’s wrong?”

“You see yourself as a monster, but you look more like that kid’s mom to me.”

If people perceive me as human, then my disguise is working. There’s satisfaction in successfully portraying humanity while keeping my true nature hidden.

Or… wait.

“Mom? No way. At best, we’re friends. Both of Soo-oh’s parents are still alive, right?”

I know where they are too. Though Soo-oh passed out during her abduction, I can deduce their location based on the landscape and mountain positions she remembers as a child.

At my words, Cheonma maintained a calm expression.

“So you plan to leave Soo-oh behind so easily?”

Ah, right. When I went to the village, Soo-oh consulted Cheonma. She predicted I’d leave after four years. Since students seek advice from mentors, I assumed it meant we had a good relationship and didn’t think much of it.

And calling it abandonment is a misunderstanding.

“It’s not easy.”

I shook my head. It’s not about leaving lightly. We aren’t family, but we’re close like family.

“There’s just something more important.”

“Warmth, right?”

“Yes.”

Cheonma’s face showed understanding. She’s experienced the cold I feel.

Cheonma straightened her posture.

Facing me directly, she asked cautiously.

“That day, when the Tongcheon Sect Leader turned into a monster, you said it felt warm, didn’t you?”

Huh?

Wait. Back then, I was so caught up in joy that I lost track of everything. I don’t know how Cheonma looked at me or what state I was in.

Oh no.

What should I do?

But… Daegon was genuinely warm. Every time I stood naked in Antarctica, occasionally finding a hand warmer and then entering a hot spring, it felt amazing.

My whole body melted, and it was such blissful heat.

The problem was being abruptly thrown back into Antarctica afterward. It nearly drove me insane, but I managed to keep my sanity.

“Are you still cold?”

In response to her question, I nodded. I didn’t dare speak, fearing all my emotions would spill out.

That should be enough.

Warmth is fleeting; cold is eternal. Not only that, but the cold grows progressively worse. There’s no limit to how freezing it gets, yet my nerves remain intact.

Humans suffering extreme cold eventually damage their brains and perceive warmth, leading them to strip naked—but not me.

Every day, every moment, it gets colder.

At times like this, I envy dead monsters being teased.

No, don’t think about that.

Then Cheonma asked me.

“How can you become warm?”

Hmm… Hmm…

If Cheonma goes out into the Murim and slaughters people, it would make me warm. Those words almost slipped out, but I swallowed them back.

Yes.

Discipline must be maintained. If I slip even once, I doubt I could regain control. I know that without obsessively adhering to strict rules, I’d never return to normal.

It’s not about whether someone sees me. I simply couldn’t bear it.

I clearly foresee a future where I degenerate into a single-celled organism obsessed only with warmth, unable to exist anywhere.

Even the occasional warmth I receive is fading, and that future is clear.

With intelligence comes foresight.

Therefore, I must shout about loving freedom above all else. Strictly speaking, it’s less about freedom and more about indulgence since there’s no responsibility involved—but indulgence sounds bad, right?

“Cheonma.”

“Speak.”

“You should live freely. Ignore my wishes. You don’t need to care about them. Don’t empathize with me. Even if no one understands you, follow your desires.”

I believe if humans were given infinite freedom, they’d endlessly kill each other to survive forever.

Staking everything on that belief, divide me.

Then eternal warmth will come to me.

“If that desire moves for your sake?”

Cheonma carefully observed my expression as she spoke. So I shook my head again and quoted her own words.

“Don’t move for nothing. Do you remember Jeonyang?”

Mentioning the man she loved made her expression stiffen.

This proves it.

“I wish for Cheonma and Soo-oh to live doing whatever they want.”

Only then…

Can I become warm.

After my answer, Cheonma sighed deeply and returned to the Cheonma Church Main Hall, muttering about mentioning the dead being excessive.

This is right.

I silently waited, pretending not to notice Soo-oh eavesdropping from behind the house.

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