Chapter 106

A day’s passed.

Yesterday, on the way home…

I carefully observed him, wondering if he had an affection deficiency and was fixating on his relationship with others, especially me, but there were no such signs.

He doesn’t seem overly anxious about my absence either.

Kids are tough to figure out.

Still, with four years left, I’ll just keep a close eye on things until then.

And today, finally, the Organization arrived.

As soon as the Organization showed up, Soo-oh clung to them and chattered nonstop about what happened yesterday. She talked so much that halfway through, the Organization even asked me for help because she wouldn’t let go.

But I found it amusing, so I pretended not to notice and went outside saying I’d exercise.

I headed toward the ruins further north.

It’s been a while since I last came this far to run. While thinking about that, I glanced around and noticed a corpse right in the middle of the ruins.

Huh?

A corpse?

Well, sure, there are plenty of bones scattered around here that are weathering away, but this is a fresh one—its insides haven’t completely dried out yet.

Judging by the hole in its head, it doesn’t look like it was stabbed with a sword or anything.

Why would someone be alone and die here?

I approached the corpse and examined its clothes.

There’s nothing identifiable in its pockets, or at least nothing I recognize. But there’s still a faint warmth lingering.

So, I pressed my hand against its chest.

Crunch.

The warmth from the corpse seeped into me just before it crumbled away. A dark light enveloped it, shrinking until it detached from the body.

That’s when it happened.

Bam!

Suddenly, the ground rushed toward me.

No, more accurately, I’d been attacked and fell forward. The hit landed on the back of my head.

Of course, even if my body gets damaged, I don’t lose consciousness. Unlike Choseol’s body, mine doesn’t sleep or even faint.

Even if my head flies off, I can still think. At this point, I’ve long since transcended physical limitations.

“Damn it, you heretic bastard. How did you notice? If things are like this, has Sanho been dealt with too?”

A man’s voice came from behind where I’d fallen.

Here, no one calls the Organization “Demon Sect.” It’s used by outsiders.

Like the Five Great Peaks Sword Sect or the Nine Sects who dominate the martial world. That’s their terminology.

The guy who fell is from the Nine Sects. Though I also know that even the Five Great Peaks, now united as one, sent several spies.

The man kicked me with his foot to push me aside.

Though my eyes are closed, I can hear him rummaging through my clothes.

“Aha, here it is. Hmm… O Myeong-seong, Demon Sect follower. Supreme level or higher. Dangerous faction. Further judgment required. Hmph, so you betrayed us after all.”

Before obtaining the warmth, I didn’t realize, but hidden within the cloth in his possession was an encrypted record. The person who ambushed me seems to be reading it.

Not long after, his footsteps faded away.

I regenerated my torn neck and stood up.

Having roughly figured out the situation when I crushed the man earlier, I decided not to steal his warmth.

Hehe, good call.

Turns out this guy wasn’t specifically sent because of O Myeong-seong. According to his memories, the intelligence agency he belongs to holds promotion battles around the same time every year, sending people to scout.

To monitor changes in the power hierarchy within the Organization.

This time, they also wanted to check on O Myeong-seong’s status.

Hehe.

Things are getting interesting. There’s a high chance the martial world will make a move. Of course, given the distance, they might just handle it casually.

Fear of immortals still lingers in the current martial world.

Yes, the incident that earned Eun-jai the title of Immortal.

That’s why they’ve always kept an eye on the Organization.

Now, having gained insight from someone outside the Organization, I understand things better. People need to venture out to learn.

Though somewhat faded, the memory of how the martial world was reshaped by Eun-jai still remains.

I finally understand why monks suddenly declared O Myeong-seong a demon master due to changes in his hair color and energy usage.

And O Myeong-seong himself was unaware of all this.

I get it. Sure, if I thoroughly search his memories, I find that he learned some things at Huashan, but he didn’t really care about studying.

His great-grandmaster vaguely remembered a past tragedy, which influenced him further.

If only these thoughts had surfaced more often, he might have understood sooner.

In short, there was reason to suppress the Harvesting System, and now there’s reason to suppress it again.

Whether they’ll invade this far is uncertain, but it should be taken seriously.

After loosening up my body, I resumed my usual running route and returned home.

I intentionally arrived a bit late.

Around the time the Organization left.

Soo-oh lay sprawled out on the porch like half-melted ice.

She must have been harassed upon arriving home because this time her hands were unusually rough.

“Got beaten up a lot, huh?”

“I thought I was gonna die!”

While grumbling, Soo-oh complained that Master Musabu was too harsh, saying she was just asking questions but ended up experiencing everything firsthand.

Maybe there’s something else on her mind. Thinking about that, I went back to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

***

Without sunlight, the air has grown extremely cold, signaling the arrival of winter.

Some parts of the forest are already turning red and yellow.

I’m not quite sure what latitude this place is at. Searching through the second set of memories I obtained, this isn’t ancient China from my faded recollections.

Though the names sound similar, they’re subtly different.

Let me just say this:

This world’s Kunlun Mountain has floating lands in the sky.

Of course, these memories belong to Daegon, and it’s from long ago, so I don’t know the current state.

Meanwhile, many events have unfolded within the Organization.

First, Byung-il left the Organization.

At the Mountain Stone Hall, he tried to assert authority by killing those who didn’t follow him, but he killed too many and angered other hall leaders.

According to Insimwon, who always tags along with me whenever I visit the village, Byung-il was initially seen as a potential successor to the Organization, receiving various supports. However, he took it for granted and made excessive demands, leading to additional resentment.

In reality, several hall leaders and enforcers attempted to ambush and kill him, but he sensed it and fled the Organization.

They tried to kill him using specialized insects, but apparently, the insects were already dead. Of course, Insimwon didn’t tell me this directly.

I only realized it after viewing things from Insimwon’s perspective. Since I told him I dislike insects, he avoids mentioning them in front of me.

Byung-il continues to flee endlessly toward the north.

And someone is following him.

The enforcer of the Heavenly Palace Hall, Jungjae-woo.

Under the pretext of pursuing Byung-il, he left the Organization. He claimed that ordinary people couldn’t handle the Harvesting System and offered his support.

However, he has no intention of bringing Byung-il back.

Using this as an excuse, he plans to escape the Organization entirely.

Once he flees far enough with Byung-il, he intends to cut off all communication. He already knows there are no insects inside his body.

How do I know?

Didn’t I say he’s following him?

He’s already met with Byung-il and shared his intentions.

Under the guise of maintaining a certain distance while chasing him, he’s steadily moving farther away from the Organization.

It’s delightful watching him act purely on his own desires.

Next is Gapjae.

Originally the lowest-ranked among the top three, in just one year, he’s climbed to the highest position within the Organization.

Gapjae became the leader of the Mountain Stone Hall, originally led by Byung-il.

Unlike Byung-il, he maintains a gentle approach. Of course, part of this is because the hardliners were killed by Byung-il.

Thus, without much resistance, he’s learning the ropes of being a hall leader. Due to the lack of people, he’s had to recruit from elsewhere, making him somewhat dependent on other hall leaders.

That’s a challenge he’ll need to overcome.

Insimwon is handling the affairs of the Moon Robe Hall.

But it’s not exactly the same. He’s completely abandoned practices related to Hematoma Mystic Art and is documenting the severance of ties with it in books.

These include contents about the Heaven-Piercing Sect leader and fish-human hybrids.

Since this information shouldn’t be known to me, it’s difficult to ask Insimwon why he’s writing it.

So, I’m slowly gathering intel.

As for the girl he sought to rescue, she’s stepped away from the main duties of the Moon Robe Hall. Though still affiliated with it, she’s been assigned tasks closer to those done at the Heavenly Palace.

Simply put, she’s been removed from dangerous and difficult work and placed in a more approachable position.

Of course, the girl finds this favor burdensome.

It’s unclear how this situation might twist.

Lastly, O Myeong-seong.

He’s happily married to Gumilmil.

On the day of the promotion battle, the Organization granted him the position of Bright Right Guardian.

I initially thought it was just a role akin to chief bodyguard, but it turns out it’s also a position likely to inherit the Organization’s leadership.

There are two roles: Bright Right Guardian and Bright Left Guardian. One of them has already retired under the pretense of recuperation.

This is because the Bright Left Guardian sided with Gyeongyuong-yong when he tried to assassinate the Organization’s leader.

Thus, Gumilmil and O Myeong-seong are cautiously plotting to bring him back under the Organization’s watchful eye.

The Organization?

She knowingly lets it slide. During idle chatter while Soo-oh trains, she mentioned that if political maneuvering can successfully retrieve the Bright Left Guardian, he’ll be rewarded with his old position.

Until then, she’ll test his reluctance.

“Are you considering him as the next Organization leader?”

One afternoon, while Soo-oh lay sprawled out in the courtyard as usual, I asked the Organization, who sat on the porch. But she simply smiled silently in response to my question.

It’s unclear what she’s thinking.

Meanwhile, the person who fled from the Nine Sects side has strangely vanished, leaving no trace.

If the martial world moves, news would reach the Organization, but none of that is in the reports the Organization receives.

At most, the alliance leader of the Five Great Peaks submitted to the Nine Sects, forming the massive Murim Alliance?

Though some factions of the Five Great Peaks belong to the Nine Sects, it’s not a complete merger, making things complicated.

I hope this is a sign of impending war.

While pondering that, I poked the Organization’s cheek. Suddenly, she burst out laughing.

I have no idea why.

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