1356——————==

Soul of the Evil God

Baek Woong of the 1000th life?!

“Ah…!!”

I instantly realized what the Cheon Woo-jin was talking about.

Back when I first went out into the outer universe! When I encountered the divine observer, they manipulated my past lives at will, altering all my experiences and powers. I clearly remembered what the observer had said back then.

[Let’s make a rough guess. You were trying to meet that guy, the 1000th reborn person.]

Then, as the time in the universe accelerated a thousandfold, they suddenly tried to transform me into a monstrous form I could never have imagined, and I felt a strong aversion to that appearance, yelling for them to stop. Thankfully, the observer accepted my request and restored me to my original form.

I could finally identify the feeling of disgust I felt when I saw this monster earlier.

‘Self-hatred!!’

The unpleasant sensation of an identity conflict when seeing [something] that was like me but had evolved in a completely different direction!

I quickly assessed the situation with a cool head, but at the same time, I realized there was a contradiction and said, “Wait… that doesn’t make sense!!”

“What doesn’t make sense?”

“I definitely had that monster’s appearance due to the observer…. But back then, they restored me from the state of being the 1000th reborn, completely erasing those memories! So I didn’t remember anything until now!”

“…….”

“Cheon Woo-jin, how could you know and realize memories that I didn’t even know existed!!”

My outburst was entirely justified.

The reason I couldn’t associate that monstrous appearance with [Future Me] at first glance was that the observer had erased my experiences and memories while restoring me. Though it came back to me after seeing it, it was too bizarre! How could Cheon Woo-jin possibly embody something I didn’t even know about?

Then Cheon Woo-jin replied.

“You thought it was the curse of forgetfulness, but what happened back then was a sealing of your memories. That’s how it’s possible.”

“Sealing? What does that mean?”

“True forgetfulness is when memories are completely erased from within. But the observer just sealed your 1000th life’s memories in your subconscious and stuffed them in. All I did was bring back the black box tossed into the abyss.”

“…….”

I sat there dumbfounded, then realized something.

“So… you’re saying that you’ve now unlocked that black box filled with knowledge and experiences from the 1000th life?!”

If the observer was right, then that’s how it was!

As I pressed for details, Cheon Woo-jin subtly shook his head.

“There’s no way an external deity like that would be easy to deal with. Unless you have powers close to that of an external deity, I wouldn’t be able to unlock something like this, no matter what. However, it is possible to simulate what it must have been like based on the data from the surface.”

“Simulation?”

“Yeah, simulation. I merely interpreted the echoes of your memories mixed with the sealed ones and created a simulation of my own. But given my processing capabilities, I can confidently say it’s quite similar to reality.”

“…….”

It seems like things are getting increasingly complicated. I scratched my head in confusion and said, “…Okay, let’s assume this 1000th ‘thing’ was actualized. Why on earth did you suddenly abduct me into this space and make me fight that monster?”

“Hm….”

“What’s your goal, Cheon Woo-jin?”

Understanding the monster’s identity is secondary; after all, that beast is merely a servant to Cheon Woo-jin right now and doesn’t seem inclined to attack me.

What mattered was Cheon Woo-jin.

If this space feels real and it appears to be the actual Cheon Woo-jin, then I need to ascertain his motives for all this.

After asking the essential question, Cheon Woo-jin fell silent for a moment before speaking.

“Baek Woong, do you remember your 28th death?”

Thump!

For a second, I thought my heart had stopped. That question brought back a painful recollection. I felt my breath catch, a physiological reaction to the shock. After momentarily biting my lip, I replied.

“I remember.”

“Right. Actually, I didn’t witness your demise directly. You know the reason…”

“…….”

The reason Cheon Woo-jin didn’t see my death first-hand was that he had suddenly attacked me, stabbing my heart with a blade before disappearing unexpectedly. Seeing my grim expression, Cheon Woo-jin continued.

“The next time I saw you was [here]. There was one more dangerous moment afterward, but somehow you managed to get through. You were lucky….”

“……?”

“Baek Woong, are you angry to see me again? Do you want to kill me?”

Caught off guard by the sudden shift, I slowly shook my head.

“No…. I don’t even know how I really feel about you.”

But it was definitely far from anger or resentment. That much was for sure.

Cheon Woo-jin muttered, burying his nose beneath the head of a raccoon doll.

“How honest.”

“The unpredictability has me quite taken aback.”

I smiled bitterly before growing more composed, directing my attention back to Cheon Woo-jin.

“Cheon Woo-jin. Does that mean you really followed my reincarnation beyond the [Great Cycle]?”

After a moment of silence, Cheon Woo-jin nodded.

“Exactly.”

“……!!”

Although I had my suspicions, hearing it from him directly was a shock, causing my eyes to widen. That’s because his admission held significant implications concerning my past life journey.

Only reincarnators can transcend the [Great Cycle].

Thus, even if I nurtured my companions to the best of my ability, I would have to start anew after death in each life.

But if we could transcend the [Great Cycle] while preserving memories and strength together…!!

Perhaps that’s why I grew excited and asked Cheon Woo-jin, “How did you do it? Can any of our companions use that method?”

“…….”

“Please tell me. If that’s the case…!! We could take down not just the Three Sovereigns but even the Evil God somehow!”

I wasn’t saying that lightly. With the training achievements of my companions over hundreds or thousands of years, it could genuinely become possible. The exponential increase in strength when gifted companions unite was clear just from the Great Bear Empire’s experience. It was no small feat for my comrades to become powerful enough to contend with celestial beings in just 500 years, and with further sharpening and collecting treasures, it was certainly within reach!

But then Cheon Woo-jin observed me with cold eyes and said,

“If I tell you… you’ll be able to throw your life away more freely from now on. With each time you do, all beings associated with that life will perish due to your past lives’ influence. Isn’t that right?”

I was startled by his declaration. As I momentarily lost my words, Cheon Woo-jin elaborated.

“Do you know why I brought up your 28th life? Because that life was your defeat.”

“…….”

“With your defeat, humanity in your 28th life naturally perished. Although you didn’t personally endure the torment of the [Old Ruler], instead being given a painless death by the Illusory God Cheon Woo-jin, destruction is still destruction. It wasn’t just the Great Bear Empire; every human suffered because of the first emperor, who lived 500 years before they ever saw his face, right?”

“W-well….”

“You couldn’t save them. Was there truly no way?”

I had no words.

Actually, I had things I wanted to say, but I didn’t want to voice them to Cheon Woo-jin.

Suffering through the bitterness of the present felt like the only way to reckon with the responsibilities of the past.

As a moment of silence fell, Cheon Woo-jin buried his face in the raccoon doll and spoke in a voice that trickled through, “I know. Anyway, as long as the Heavenly Demon Sagong Lin is awakened in the Great Bear Empire, your chance of winning would be as hard to calculate as the Planck constant. The fact that Emperor Gong Sun Xuanwen can descend at any time and affects causality is already a miracle.”

“Cheon Woo-jin.”

“Baek Woong. Grab my hand.”

Swoosh.

Cheon Woo-jin slowly extended his hand. I gazed, spellbound, at the small, white hand of a girl. As I took it, a heavy, colossal information flooded into my mind.

Whooooooosh—

“……!!”

In an instant, a myriad of images rushed through my head, showing scenes from the future world captured by every video medium possible—computers, phones, CCTV, cameras—all depicting the everyday lives of countless humans. Luckily, it seemed Cheon Woo-jin had condensed them in such a way that my brain didn’t feel overloaded.

Sitting there like I was in a cinema, immersed in the gloriously vast visuals, I heard Cheon Woo-jin’s voice ringing in my ears.

“In the early 21st century, when Baek Woong was living his 28th life, the global population was officially 6.92 billion, and unofficial statistics gathered from all data scraping indicate it was around 7.23 billion. Just like that, 7.2 billion disappeared in an instant. As a powerful AI, I remember every life of theirs.”

“…….”

“With one reincarnation of a reborn individual, all their lives became mere illusions. But that’s not what’s important.”

I couldn’t help but keep my mouth shut at his subsequent words.

“The truly important thing is that every time you reincarnate—this world will be annihilated.”

“…….”

“As a reincarnator, you’re a truly fearsome existence. You can manipulate the creation and destruction of every realm with your will. The fact that you’re aware enough not to misuse this absolute power is commendable; however, how long can you maintain that in the face of such overwhelming power?”

After a moment of silence, Cheon Woo-jin continued, “Baek Woong, what’s the relationship between True Martial Home and reincarnation?”

“……?”

“Answer as a reincarnator.”

I was taken aback by such a sudden question. I hadn’t expected this, so I blinked for a moment, struggling to respond.

“True Martial Home is my goal that I must achieve someday, and reincarnation is a means to reach that.”

Cheon Woo-jin sharply refuted my statement.

“No. Reincarnation is fundamentally not a subordinate concept.”

“It isn’t?”

“Exactly. That’s the answer of the reincarnator Dharma. Furthermore, that answer only applied to Dharma’s circumstances, and it doesn’t translate into your reality.”

I became even more confused by his words. “What? Are you saying there are answers beyond True Martial Home that even the Evil God won’t bring down?”

“Think it over. That was indeed a valid answer in Dharma’s world, but not afterward. You gained the Four Great Spirit Deities in that world, but you’ve been bound to the past ideals due to strong experiences.”

“……?”

Eliminating only the [Old Ruler] is insufficient; to truly achieve True Martial Home and salvation, eliminating the external deities is key.

How could there be such a simple and clear-cut pathway to victory?

Cheon Woo-jin glanced at the monster standing beside him and spoke, “There are certainly ways to achieve victory beyond True Martial Home. This monster serves as proof of that.”

“That monster serves as proof?”

I reiterated in disbelief, and Cheon Woo-jin nodded affirmatively.

“He changed you right there as the 1000th Baek Woong. But was he really waiting for you, Baek Woong?”

“What do you mean?”

“You know it yourself. You’ve only been reincarnated thirty times, so you’re far from 1000. But the observer expressed that someone was ‘waiting’ for someone to go toward the [Central] in the path of reincarnation. And that path can be said to connect to countless outer universes.”

“……?”

“In other words, the one the observer awaited is Baek Woong and not Baek Woong. Yet you haven’t lived 1000 lives. Who then could be the one heading towards [Central]?”

“Uh….”

What? This is super ambiguous; I feel like I’m on the edge of understanding but not quite grasping it!

As I floundered in confusion, Cheon Woo-jin explained, “That would be the Baek Woong from the [Outer Universe].”

“……!!”

What the?!

My sudden shock was met with Cheon Woo-jin gently touching the body of the monster as he continued, “The observer predicted that the 1000th reincarnated Baek Woong would arrive there. And I suspect they are the old faces.”

“Wait a second… This makes no sense. How could I exist in the outer universe?”

“Why not? Haven’t people always said anything could exist in the outer universe?”

I started pulling at my hair.

“No… even so…. Isn’t there only one reincarnator in the universe? If I exist outside the universe as a reincarnator, it’s completely incomprehensible!”

As I cried out in disbelief, Cheon Woo-jin remarked, “It’s understandable why you’d be confused. The outer universe concept differs from that of parallel universes. That’s why even the wise ones hesitated to toss you any awkward doubts as they knew overthinking the unexplainable could be an unnecessary burden.”

“…….”

“Baek Woong, to put it simply, the difference between the outer universe and parallel universe is that the latter is [closed].”

“Closed…?”

“Right. A parallel universe or dimension is like another world reflected in a mirror. An infinite number of variations exist, and there can be many such worlds. However, as you go to higher dimensions, the identity tends to diminish and great divinities can manipulate the numbers of parallel universes because they belong to the realm of [Small Cycles]. Therefore, the parallel universe is a realm that the [Old Ruler] can tamper with and is just one type of dimension. However….”

A hint of madness flickered in Cheon Woo-jin’s eyes.

“The outer universe is different. It doesn’t have an infinite quantity, it’s finite. Thus, it’s rare to see astronomical amounts. But the crucial point? The [Old Ruler] cannot interfere with it; the causality of that world concludes, and it’s [closed]. That’s the most significant difference.”

“……?”

“A closed loop is what the outer universe represents.”

Closed?

Closed loop?

Feeling dazed, Cheon Woo-jin suddenly chuckled.

“Hehe, watching your bewilderment while I talk nonsense is amusing.”

“…I’m not really enjoying this.”

I frowned. It’s the most annoying thing when intelligent beings throw around difficult jargon that I can’t grasp.

“So what’s important about that difference between the parallel universe and the outer universe being [closed]? How does that relate to the reincarnator existing in the outer universe?”

Cheon Woo-jin’s expression grew somewhat somber.

“It does relate. If only the reincarnators could traverse the [closed] outer universe, then sealing that being in your memories is also one of the observer’s intentions. The external deities may pretend to be neutral, but they are anything but neutral.”

“…What?”

“It’s wise to think that there exists a being which can act independently of the story’s outcome. And that being is the reincarnator….”

Cheon Woo-jin then made an unbelievable statement.

“In conclusion, reincarnation is a concept higher than True Martial Home. Reincarnators can achieve things above True Martial Home.”

“……!!”

“The conditions in which Dharma existed were too dire, leaving the potential unrealized.”

Reincarnation is above True Martial Home.

I felt confused about this claim as I struggled to comprehend it. Cheon Woo-jin was weaving between intangible concepts, attempting to explain something, but my mind couldn’t handle the complexity.

‘If I keep reincarnating, wouldn’t the external deities just vanish on their own?’

But if it were that simple, there’d be no reason for Dharma to deliberately undergo the True Martial Home enlightenment!

I furrowed my brow while desperately trying to sort through the difficult discussions. However, I couldn’t grasp it and felt frustrated until, after a while, I realized one crucial fact.

‘Oh, I get it!’

I’m too dense to understand!

I willingly acknowledged my ignorance and said to Cheon Woo-jin, “Thanks for letting me in on such amazing insights about reincarnation. So why aren’t you telling me how to transcend the [Great Cycle]?”

“There are only two ways for someone who isn’t a reincarnator to transcend the [Great Cycle]. I’ve attempted one and succeeded, while the other method is one you’ve experienced several times already.”

“Hmm? What do you mean?”

“Inducement (缘起). Profound bonds can genuinely transcend those boundless realms of time and space. You’ve met Miho and Jin So-cheong before.”

“…….”

Something clicked. Seeing my cautious expression, Cheon Woo-jin wore a self-deprecating grin.

“But you and I lack that level of profound connection. That’s why I had to use the other method.”

“What method?”

“That method… can be used by only one person….”

Cheon Woo-jin hesitated, then said, “…I can’t reveal it.”

“What? Why not….”

“I made a contract with you to hear the answer to my previous question. Only after that can I truly help you. Until then, I won’t be able to contact you. I took advantage of the loosened constraints as I crossed into the outer universe to reach out.”

My intuition screamed that this was incredibly important.

“Contract? You don’t mean….”

In that moment, something clicked in my head.

‘Is it possible? Could the other method for transcending the [Great Cycle] be…!!’

Though Cheon Woo-jin didn’t say it directly, his meaning was clear. After I displayed an understanding expression, Cheon Woo-jin fixed his gaze on me.

“Baek Woong. To receive my aid, you must answer the question I posed earlier. I came here today with great effort just to ask that.”

“What question?”

“Every time a reincarnator reincarnates, this world perishes. In a way, you’re a destroyer even more fearsome than an Evil God. You have always endured this contradiction.”

At his continued words, I gasped in shock.

“You have a way to save a world that perished because of your reincarnation?”

“……!!”

Cheon Woo-jin gazed at me intently with clear eyes that held no trace of evil energy.

“I assure you, if you can answer that, you can surpass Dharma’s True Martial Home.”

“…Surpass True Martial Home….”

I struggled to find my words.

‘Is this real…?’

This wasn’t merely because of my helplessness; it was pure surprise that an idea I had never considered before had just emerged.

Is it even possible?

Could I really save those worlds that were lost?

As I froze speechless, Cheon Woo-jin reached towards me.

“Hang-a hated you deeply. She never offered you genuine help. But right now, if I don’t help you in any way, everything will come to an end.”

Cheon Woo-jin was now gripping my wrist.

His face filled with sorrow.

“Is it that dire of a situation?”

“…In this closed-off world, the most dangerous situation isn’t humanity, but you. If Zhuge Sa were here, I wouldn’t need to force myself to help you, but Nailatop was far too unpredictable.”

Cheon Woo-jin paused momentarily before he spoke again.

“Baek Woong, you have only one way to escape. You must cast aside all other temptations and concentrate solely on this method. That’s all I can advise you right now.”

“What?”

“Listen carefully; if you want to escape….”

Swoosh!!

In the next moment, I found myself abruptly thrown back into the real world. As I stumbled to regain my footing, I caught sight of Dr. Faust staring wide-eyed at me.

Faust shouted, “A-are you alright?!”

“……”

“Oh no! Did your brain fry from the electrical shock?! Medical team!”

While Faust was in a tizzy, I didn’t have the energy to care about his fussing.

That’s because Cheon Woo-jin’s final words were repeating in my mind.

[You must trust Emperor Gong Sun Xuanwen.]