Chapter 92

The midday sun had grown scorching hot.

Geez.

Before you know it, summer had arrived, and yet nothing out of the ordinary happened within the Organization.

On the contrary, events unfolded outside—in the world of martial arts they call Murim or Jianghu.

To cut a long story short, O Myeong-seong eventually became a Harvesting System.

But it wasn’t like he just held on until becoming one.

For some reason, after whatever those monks did, my coating process almost stopped entirely. Scary unknown tech, huh?

But even there, people live, and incidents happen.

A merger event took place among five famous mountain swordsmen groups, and O Myeong-seong participated since he was one of those swordsmen too.

Calling them “swordsmen” though… it makes me flash back to faded memories. Wait, what’s so weird about calling a Sword Sect a group of swordsmen?

They’re basically gangs, right?

All these guys gather together to fight bigger groups by picking the strongest person as their leader in a super simple ranking competition.

He entered that competition.

Once…

When he lost, the monks who had paused me let me start moving again.

And not long after, once more…

He was attacked by a man named Yoo Jo-young, his former master. He fell with fatal injuries after failing to defeat Yoo Jo-young.

But when Yoo Jo-young tried to kill Goo Ji-na, the daughter of Goo Sung-yong—who had been his lover and died here a year ago—he called for me.

Well, he didn’t specifically call *me*. He just addressed this terrifying power, ready to use it no matter the cost.

Words have power.

So I recited the contract document through our connection, and he agreed.

Yes.

With all wounds regenerated, he stood up, drew upon my power, and killed Yoo Jo-young.

Somehow, the faded memory he read seemed different from what he knew, like a summary handed over.

No, seriously, why don’t you understand? The real world and the story are different things! Even if they’re similar, a different name means everything is different!

Anyway, things got interesting.

The monks who had always defended him suddenly branded him as a demon, and the Five Great Mountains Sword Sect, now merged under Yoo Jo-young, labeled him a criminal.

Yes.

Kill-or-be-killed situations began.

He fled with Goo Ji-na, Goo Sung-yong’s daughter, since they were lovers.

But wherever he went, swordsmen would shout that he was a public enemy of the Murim world and charge at him. At first, O Myeong-seong tried to avoid killing, but eventually, he started cutting people down.

Because Goo Ji-na was in danger.

Once you start, it gets easier.

See someone blocking your way? Just slice them.

Now he walks a path paved with blood and corpses. Moreover, Goo Ji-na, standing beside him, tells him it’s only natural and breaks his spirit further.

Fitting for someone born into the Organization—no amount of good deeds could erase the preconceived notions already ingrained in him.

Maybe she meant well by comforting him, but if she truly wanted to bring him back, she should’ve scolded him instead.

Thus, O Myeong-seong changes.

To survive.

At first, he only killed those trying to kill him.

But gradually, his heart hardens. After some time, he kills anyone who stands in his way.

The fine distinctions between friend and foe, the attempts to resolve conflicts verbally—all gone. Now, any hint of hostility results in immediate beheading.

It’s not strange for his mind to deteriorate when relentless pursuers never stop trying to kill him day after day.

Apparently, that was their plan—to wear him down until he broke. But he quickly began using the Sangdanjeon technique, spreading me everywhere.

As long as he clings to life, his strength will never run out.

There’s no stopping him by force.

And so, the wheels of hatred gain speed and roll forward.

Enough to make me consider shaking things up around here while staying longer with the Organization—a river of blood begins to flow.

Members of the Five Great Mountains Sword Sect come and die, monks come and die, and eventually, the whole world becomes his enemy.

They leave trails of bloody footprints, gradually heading this way—not directly, but because this is one of the few places the righteous Murim world hasn’t touched, and it’s a location somewhat known geographically.

More accurately, it’s a place Goo Ji-na knows.

And the Organization is aware of this.

The Organization, which has sought to control the Murim world since before Goo Sung-yong’s time, has ways to gather information.

Despite being purely recognized for their might, somehow, during this past year, the Organization’s head diligently performed their duties as the sect leader. Whether it’s because of that or not, the members, including the current leader, now revere the Organization head as their true leader.

Thus, such information flowed freely without hindrance.

The purple-haired man staining the Murim world with blood.

The unstoppable powerhouse defeating every opponent with endless strength.

People immediately think of the legendary martial artist who entered the Murim world as “Chienma” and left it as “Mushin.”

Such tales couldn’t fail to reach the Organization.

Other stories included the blind man becoming the leader of the Five Great Mountains Sword Sect, a certain sect entering isolation due to excessive casualties, and rumors of a nearby sect disappearing because of monsters—but the main topic remains O Myeong-seong.

Within the Organization, discussions began on how to handle him.

But unlike there, we lived our daily lives here.

Soo-oh has become quite skilled with her sword, and she’s grown taller too.

I’ve grown taller as well. Already above average height for women, I’m now catching up to men. And thanks to better nutrition, I’ve gained weight.

Back when Choseol was treated as raw material, I was practically fed survival rations, so it’s natural that proper food made me gain weight.

If I keep growing this way, I’ll likely develop a very feminine figure.

Anyway.

Late afternoon.

After assigning Soo-oh a task, Chienma came and sat on the porch where I was sitting. Then, out of nowhere, she mentioned the currently famous person’s name.

“Do you know O Myeong-seong?”

I turned to look at Chienma. I understood why she suddenly asked, so I thought for a moment about how to respond but decided to stick with my usual approach.

“Yes. I know him. He’s the man who used the Heupsung Grand Law on Eunchun to take part of me.”

I told the truth.

Upon hearing my words, Chienma’s expression shifted as if she realized something. She must’ve wanted to ask how the contract worked, right? It’s a suspicious situation.

Once doubt arises about what I am, it takes a long time to dispel.

So I gave her an understandable reason.

“How do you know his name?”

But then Chienma threw an unexpected question.

Huh?

Why is she asking that? Of course, it’s because I was introduced… oh wait.

I’ve never been formally introduced to their names!

Hmm. While avoiding lies, I need to hide the fact that I can learn so much. Reading the memories of contracted individuals and seeing through the eyes of the Harvester—that’s my weapon, and I can’t reveal it.

Alright.

Let’s make it seem like I only know names.

“What’s so strange about knowing the name of someone I’ve contracted with?”

Normally, during contracts, both parties exchange names. Sure, some people lie, but pushing this as mysterious and monstrous works.

With that mindset, I faced Chienma.

“Do you also know my name?”

“Jeongha. Or should I include the surname Im?”

Chienma’s eyes widened.

“I’ve never told you that surname.”

“No, you haven’t. But I know.”

Because I carry your memories. The moment I touch light, I gain memories. When the Harvester dies and takes warmth, I don’t gain new memories then.

That’s because, from the moment someone becomes a Harvester, I experience everything they see, hear, and feel.

Which means I know what they thought before becoming a Harvester but not afterward.

That’s one of my weaknesses.

Though I can infer thoughts through physical reactions using what’s called cold reading!

“So, you also knew O Myeong-seong’s name.”

“Yes.”

I even know he’s coming here. Though his route zigzags, sometimes crossing mountains or deep forests instead of roads, he’s slowly heading toward areas with fewer trackers.

Like how air flows from high-density to low-density zones, he’s gradually moving toward less crowded paths.

After answering, I stayed silent, waiting for more questions, but Chienma didn’t ask.

“Master Musa! I’ve finished what you asked!”

“Forty repetitions of yesterday’s practice. Do it.”

“Aaaaah!”

Soo-oh screamed and ran off again.

She’s full of energy even though it’s summer. Is it the power of Chienma’s special training or the Martial Art Technique? She seems highly resistant to heat and cold.

Since there’s a separate energy source called Qi, I suspect she uses it to regulate her body temperature.

Me?

I just deal with the heat or the cold as it comes.

My body may suffer, but my heart isn’t troubled.

If my body breaks, I regenerate.

While watching Soo-oh run off, I sat there as Chienma spoke again.

“You don’t ask questions, do you? Aren’t you curious why I mentioned O Myeong-seong?”

Swallowed the response: “Because I probably know more than you.”

Still, in conversation, give-and-take is necessary. If someone brings up an unfamiliar topic, it’s polite to ask what it is.

Continuing might lead to mistakes, so I decided to change the subject.

“Chienma, I’ll leave here in a few years.”

I added a vibe that I’m not particularly interested in the Organization, even though I actually am!

If she offers me followers from the Organization, or tells me to leave, it benefits me either way. The worst case would be sealing, but I know she won’t choose that.

I’ve grown attached.

Chienma wore an expression like a student facing a tough question. Watching her, I urged internally.

Answer.

What choice will you make?

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