1088——————==

Soul of the Evil God

Time travel?

I asked in response to that statement.

“Are you saying it’s an artifact that can turn the [Small Cycle]?”

If that’s the case, then it’s definitely something impressive. Only immensely powerful divine beings could rotate the [Small Cycle], and even they had to deal with considerable energy consumption or restrictions. Then, Batoli replied to me.

“Just once, but when I moved the hands of that clock, I went to a completely different timeline. It felt like a totally different time and space… So I suspect it has the ability to move through time.”

“You mean to say ‘suspect’ means you’re not sure?”

“That’s right. The clock has an expanding ability and contains hidden laws, but we haven’t completely figured it out yet… We need to do more research.”

“So that’s why you tried to steal the clock from me.”

“…….”

“Explain what an ‘expanding ability’ is.”

Batoli flinched at my words and pointed to the clock.

“The pocket watch has a second hand, a minute hand, and an hour hand. You just need to align all three hands to 12 o’clock.”

“Like this?”

Click

I moved my fingers to align the three hands to 12 as Batoli instructed. Just like before, as time froze in that moment, the scenery around me shimmered with strange light. The outlines of reality faded away, and a white-lit door appeared before me, which I stepped through.

Thud

Clank!

As I entered through the white door, I suddenly realized the pocket watch I was holding had transformed into a gigantic size.

“Whoa.”

It used to fit perfectly in the palm of my hand, but now I had to hold it with both hands! And the now-massive pocket watch had numerous dense grids etched onto it and boasted a whopping seven hour hands that were clicking away.

The seven hands were moving without overlapping. Since the spaces didn’t intersect, it seemed that some method was allowing them to penetrate without overlapping the internal space.

‘Seven means…’

I contemplated the concept of time. Time is usually divided into seconds, minutes, hours, days, months, and years, so there should actually be a total of six hands. But the existence of seven indicates there is one more concept of time aside from the standard six.

‘What other concept of time besides seconds, minutes, hours, days, months, and years? Is it the extreme slivers of time broken down from seconds?’

Or perhaps it could be a grand scale of time that can’t even be measured in years?

While pondering, a thought suddenly struck me: What if I aligned all the clock hands in a straight line? Since I aligned the three hands to 12 o’clock when I entered this peculiar space, I figured replicating the same method might instigate some change.

Creak…

“Ouch! That hurts.”

As I attempted to move the clock hands, my finger almost got cut. Astonishingly, the second hand sliced through my protective energy just slightly, nearly causing my fingertip to be injured. However, the second hand didn’t even budge.

‘What, what the hell is this?’

Does that mean they won’t move under sheer strength?

‘Then would divine power work… Hm, no.’

I considered using Spirit Power to manipulate the clock hands, but soon gave up. If Heuk Woong was here, it might have been possible, but without him, it’s impossible to finely adjust divine power. Not to mention, it was also impossible to reshape Spirit Power into the form of a spear or sword; I could only release it.

Thinking I couldn’t do anything for now, I looked around. I realized this bizarre space was actually a white room filled with clocks, approximately a hundred pyeong in size, all ticking away in various forms. There were wall clocks, sundials, and water clocks among them.

Tick-tock

“A clock room, huh?”

It felt like there might be a clue among those clocks…

I observed the clocks closely, fiddling with them as I considered smashing one with my fist but ultimately refrained, thinking it would be a foolish endeavor.

‘What if I accidentally break one and end up stuck here for life…’

I pondered for a while and decided to exit through the door I came in.

Whoosh

Once I returned to reality, Batoli asked,

“How was it?”

“What do you mean, how? I just visited a clock room. How does that equate to time travel?”

“……What?!”

Batoli exclaimed in shock at my answer.

“Wasn’t it supposed to be an empty wasteland? A clock room, you say?”

“…….?”

“Based on the clock’s response and the placement of the stars, I thought I was seeing the future from thousands of years ahead.”

What is this fool talking about?

I was bewildered. When I recounted what I saw to Batoli, she remarked incredulously,

“Maybe that artifact has different effects depending on the user. We definitely need to conduct more research.”

“…….”

Batoli didn’t seem to be lying. That meant this chronowatch, Hidden Piece, indeed had secrets. Deep in thought, I inquired,

“Do you know who’s most adept in the knowledge of time or clocks, or alchemy?”

“Of course, it’s Dr. Faust. He was originally known as the greatest genius of the West in alchemy… But now that he’s missing… it would be our top technician of Quartz Agentur, Caliostro.”

“Caliostro? So he’s the one who opened the lid on this pocket watch?”

“That is correct. After he suggested how to open it, the rest was done using our Quartz Agentur’s technological prowess and magic…”

Curiosity piqued, I told Batoli,

“Bring him in. And if he tries to flee or do something shady… you know what I mean?”

“…Understood.”

Snap

As Batoli disappeared using her space movement, I glanced at the swordmaster, Hans Talhoffer, who was beside me. Then I spoke up.

“Long time no see. A lot of time has passed; how are you still alive?”

“You have a question for me… I’ve attained longevity because I became the offspring of the Great Witch through magical rites. There aren’t many sword heroes in the West, so the Guardian didn’t want me to die of natural causes.”

“I see.”

“Baek Woong! Where have you been all this time? How could you have manipulated the Great Bear Empire from behind the scenes for 500 years without showing yourself?”

It seemed Hans Talhoffer thought I was simply hiding in the shadows, not dead. It was natural for him to think that way. I didn’t see the need to explain my circumstances in detail and replied,

“Stuff happened. But don’t worry, I’m not aiming for world domination right now.”

“With the end times approaching, what does that even mean…? You’re not sharing what’s truly important.”

“That could be it. Is Matteo Ricci still alive?”

“He has entered the Guardian’s estate. His mission in the East was perilous, and he’s been waiting there until the end times.”

“I see.”

I studied Hans for a moment before asking,

“Swordmaster, do you know about the Martial God?”

He blinked in surprise before responding.

“I’ve heard about him being mentioned by my master, Johannes Lichtenauer.”

“…What?”

In that instant, I remembered the name.

Johannes Lichtenauer!

He was the name of the spirit I had summoned using Heavenly Secret Techniques during my very first venture to the West near Germany. I had summoned a strong spirit as I needed a translator, and by chance, recalled that he was a master of swordsmanship. I described the spirit’s appearance and traits to Hans Talhoffer, and he nodded.

“Yes. That must be him.”

“He was your master?!”

“Furthermore, he’s considered one of the greatest swordmasters in the West. He reached the Grandmaster level before he died defending against the corrupted Ten Thousand Holy Roman Emperor’s Blood Dragon Knights… After his death, I led the Marcus Brotherhood in revenge against them.”

Hans Talhoffer closed his eyes in remembrance, lost in thought. I was taken aback by this unexpected revelation.

“Really?”

I had casually forgotten about him, thinking he was just one of the spirits I had summoned, but he turned out to be such a remarkable figure? I felt the urge to summon him once again next time.

“But if he was a Grandmaster, isn’t it odd that he fell while fighting merely ten thousand of them?”

“Your Holy Roman Knight order is the strongest in the West. Therefore, there were certainly many powerful warriors there. Quite a few in the West can wield Sword Qi and Sword Strength too. In fact, he fought bravely and managed to slay most of them single-handedly; it truly was a heroic feat.”

“…….”

“Anyway, he often shared tales about meeting the great god of martial skills while teaching me sword forms… He said that this god instills the desire for improvement and gave him the courage to face demons.”

It was reminiscent of tales shared about the Master of the White Lotus Sect, Jin So-cheong, and Jang Sam-bong. Thus, Johannes Lichtenauer’s encounter with the Martial God likely wasn’t a lie but the truth. I felt a a strange sense of wonder at the notion that a Martial God had also appeared to someone in the West.

“And you? Have you met the Martial God?”

“I have not.”

“Why? Is it because your skills aren’t up to par?”

“That isn’t the case… I’ve lived over 500 years and reached the level of Grandmaster, becoming stronger than my master in life. Yet, I’ve never met him. The existence of a Martial God likely isn’t something one can encounter merely through martial prowess.”

Hans Talhoffer responded while looking at me with meaningful eyes.

“You’re quite sly. It seems you do wish to meet the Martial God quite a lot.”

“Hmm… Maybe.”

I didn’t deny it outright. Even though Hans saw through my inquiries about the Martial God, I didn’t feel any animosity. Instead, the ambiance around me became thoughtful.

‘What exactly is this Martial God?’

A being that instills the desire for growth in individuals across both East and West.

Then, what purpose does this desire serve?

Additionally, while Johannes Lichtenauer met the Martial God and became a spirit responding to the call of Heavenly Secret Techniques, his circumstances suggested another fact.

Those who met the Martial God aren’t necessarily bound by its call, nor does it indicate a reservation of the Martial God as their own.

Whoosh

While I was deep in thought, Batoli returned with a brown-haired man wearing thick glasses. The brown-haired fellow looked at me with his distinct blue Western eyes and spoke.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Emperor Baek Woong.”

“Did Batoli tell you my identity?”

“I didn’t want to offend you.”

He adjusted his thick glasses and smiled widely.

“Allow me to introduce myself. I am Caliostro, the top technician of Quartz Agentur, a Zodiac member, and the current guildmaster of alchemists.”

“I see.”

Looks like he is indeed one of the top 13 officials in the Western Jesuits.

I shrugged off Caliostro’s self-introduction nonchalantly and crossed my arms.

“Let’s skip the small talk and get to the point. Batoli said you used this pocket watch to go to the future wasteland, but I ended up in the clock room. Why did that happen?”

“Hmm… The times we’ve experimented didn’t yield a clock room on our part. Pardon me, but may I accompany you this time when you go to the clock room?”

“Sure. Let’s go.”

Creak

Vrooom…

I took Caliostro along and once again set the three hands of the Hidden Piece, the pocket watch, to 12 o’clock, heading towards the clock room. Once we entered the inner sanctum of the clock room, Caliostro was taken aback.

“Um…!! This is impossible.”

“Here, the clocks won’t move anymore. I can’t physically move the hour hands with strength.”

“That sounds right. It must have been controlled by laws governing it.”

As Caliostro surveyed the clock room, he stated,

“It seems Faust predicted that you would come to our alchemist guild and posed this problem accordingly.”

“What? What do you mean?”

“The arrangement of this clock room is akin to what is recorded in the ancient grimoire Titanomachy. When the Demon God Cronos was sealed in the underworld during the Mythological Age, he hid treasures in the celestial realm, creating a nightmarish maze… Wizards that handle time-based magic gain ‘power’ by interpreting this maze. Thus, only our alchemists can solve this problem.”

Caliostro began meticulously adjusting the hour hands of the clocks one by one, eventually wiping sweat from his brow before saying.

“I’m sorry. I can’t solve it.”

Huh?!

He had been so close to solving it!

I exclaimed in disbelief.

“Hey! You seemed like you were doing just fine, so what’s the deal?”

Caliostro hung his head low and responded.

“My abilities don’t measure up to the levels of my predecessor, Faust. After he went missing, I had to reluctantly pick up the mantle… The time magic spell problem is simply too complex for me.”

The word ‘problem’ conjured a thought in my mind, and I responded.

“Is it like the Eight Trigrams from the East?”

“Pretty much. As it has divine power embedded within it, scientific knowledge is necessary. However, the Eight Trigrams borrow the power of the creator, Fuxi, while our time-based magical abilities derive from the Ancient God… All in all, knowing the Eight Trigrams allows you to use our magic too. Theoretically, it connects.”

“Do I not have to review the Titanomachy or anything?”

“…If you’re well-versed in the principles. But as far as I know, no master of the Eight Trigrams has that level of expertise…”

Caliostro, trailing off in thought, then said,

“Anyway, I apologize for being unable to assist you. My skill level simply isn’t enough to solve this problem.”

“…Damn it. Why does it feel like we’re going in circles?”

I mumbled and addressed Caliostro.

“So ultimately, what does this all mean? Can you explain why I ended up in the clock room?”

“It seems that Faust has specifically set things for you to arrive at the clock room. And the rest of the humans end up in entirely different timelines. In other words, Faust proposed the clock room problem, and only by solving it will the clock’s abilities unlock.”

“The unlocked ability is time travel, right?”

“That… may not be the case.”

“What? But you said we could travel to the future.”

“I didn’t share this with Batoli, but the future of that wasteland is quite peculiar. Though it seemed to be thousands of years ahead, it didn’t feel like the [Small Cycle] had turned.”

So, I proposed something.

“Let’s just simplify this!”

I had a suspicion flutter through my mind. If solving the problem felt like navigating the Eight Trigrams, I believed I could fully unravel the enigma of this Hidden Piece. However, I was feeling somewhat ambivalent about it.

‘Is it worth all this hassle to decipher the secret of the Hidden Piece?’

While the ability to turn the [Small Cycle] is impressive, I’m unsure if it’s absolutely necessary given the current situation. Moreover, it felt like there was a more significant reason why Faust indirectly handed over the Hidden Piece to me. I had a gut feeling that if I didn’t comprehend that reason, I would suffer consequences later.

Whoosh!!

Just then, spirits emerged simultaneously from Su-yo and Hwa-yo. Startled, I shouted.

“Whoa! What the heck? Why did you guys pop up out of nowhere?!”

“Hah! Spirits….”

Caliostro beside me widened his eyes in astonishment when the spirit from Su-yo spoke solemnly.

[Baek Woong! It seems there’s a powerful spirit sealed in this place. It’s dangerous.]

The spirit from Hwa-yo nodded in agreement.

[It’s probably not a good idea to stay here too long. It seems the spirits are growing increasingly agitated since we offered a wrong answer.]

“What? The spirit is getting angry?”

[As a fellow spirit, I can feel it. The spirit sealed here is a highly powerful entity and is not particularly merciful.]

“Uh-huh.”

[Originally, the angered spirit would have sought to punish immediately upon hearing a wrong answer, but we’ve been able to momentarily stall its fury. We should make haste to escape.]

If both Su-yo and Hwa-yo are advising me like this, this must be serious!

Though I was experiencing something I had never anticipated, I nodded.

“Alright, let’s bail!”

Snap

I swiftly escaped the clock room with Caliostro close behind. I glared at him with narrowed eyes.

“This is just ridiculous…! You nearly got me killed!”

“I-I’m sorry.”

“If you’re sorry, you’d better agree to every request I make in the future. And without a doubt, you three—if you even breathe a word about meeting me to anyone, you won’t see the light of day again.”

As I shot him a piercing look, they all flinched simultaneously. Bowing, they replied.

“Understood!”

“Great. We’ll wrap this up here. But before you go, just tell me what effect the Holy Lance Longinus has.”

As I withdrew the Holy Lance Longinus, Batoli seemed frightened, but Caliostro maintained a composed demeanor. He adjusted his thick glasses, peered at the spear, and remarked.

“Stabbing with this won’t kill a god, but it can definitely ensure death to an already fallen divine body. That is indeed the effect of the Holy Lance Longinus.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“It’s designed to inflict catastrophic damage on divine entities that are either in a sealed state or gravely injured. As it pierced the avatar of the Guardian of the West, it has garnered anger and now contains a curse from the Ancient Gods.”

“……!!”

“However, keep in mind that it has minimal effect in a direct confrontation with a divine entity….”

Oh ho!

I comprehended Caliostro’s response and couldn’t help but feel triumphant.

‘This could be really useful!’

With a smirk, I said,

“Well then, everyone, until next time!”

Snap!

I activated Golden Lamp and returned to the training ground. I was inwardly satisfied with all that I had learned about the Hidden Piece.

‘Now would be the time to utilize the Heavenly Secret Techniques.’

If only I could understand the Eight Trigrams, then the Zhuge Clan would be the answer!

But Mangnyang had gone to the Celestial Realm, and Zhuge Yulong had lost his soul to the Apostle Halchi Olleifra. Plus, the Zhuge Clan had become the Demon King, making them essentially unreachable in this reality. That left only Zhuge Bu.

‘Let’s search for Zhuge Bu’s soul and summon him.’

Zhuge Bu might just be able to interpret the Hidden Piece using the Eight Trigrams.

With that thought, I set out for Munich, the battlefield where Zhuge Bu had fallen.

Snap

Arriving in Munich, I employed Heavenly Secret Techniques to search for powerful souls. However, while I felt several red souls, I quickly realized Zhuge Bu’s soul was absent, leaving me vexed.

“What? Zhuge Bu’s not here?”

For someone as powerful as Zhuge Bu, he should inevitably summonable with Heavenly Secret Techniques, right?

But then it hit me, and I was alarmed.

“……”

It appears Zhuge Bu had not fulfilled the conditions to be summonable through Heavenly Secret Techniques after his death.

This meant that – upon passing, he had straightforwardly moved to the Underworld.

He hadn’t lingered on Earth.

His spirit must have been approached by the Apostle of Heavenly Secret Techniques, but evidently, he must have rejected the offer.

“Why… why?”

I couldn’t understand Zhuge Bu’s choice. Surely he knew that merely transitioning to the Underworld meant heading straight into the belly of the [Old Ruler]?

So why did he make such a choice?

It’s a riddle.

There seemed to be some movement I couldn’t comprehend. There was no way the memories of Cheon Woo-jin contained Zhuge Bu’s post-mortem choices, so this was an entirely unknown domain.

“……”

It appeared that flying solo was nearing its limits.

I reflected on all the information I had gathered so far and made up my mind.

‘It’s time to visit Cheon Woo-jin.’

“`

 

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