Reincarnated Swordmaster

Translator: Aoe

Chapter Title: Dark Heaven Village

Next, Zhuge Sa pulled out gold bars totaling about 200 nyang from who-knows-where and stacked them up. It was an enormous sum that would leave any ordinary person slack-jawed, but it held little meaning to me, so I felt no particular excitement.

"This is operating funds for the road ahead."

"And this is ripped off from someone else too?"

"There are plenty of rich idiots in the world!"

Zhuge Sa replied nonchalantly and continued.

"And I bought information on Changhil from that guy."

"Hmm?"

"With info on Changhil, we can move forward."

I focused intently on Zhuge Sa's words, but he just hung a carrot and said nothing more. He stopped abruptly, so I asked him.

"What's wrong?"

Zhuge Sa glanced at Cheon Woo-jin beside him and said to me.

"We can't talk about the rest unless we make this secure."

"Secure how...?"

"That thing. That."

I could guess Zhuge Sa's intent.

'Black Obsidian.'

It was necessary to show him the black obsidian, share the secret of my reincarnation, reveal what I'd uncovered so far, and bring him on board as a comrade. Sharing the secret meant there was still room to pull Cheon Woo-jin to our side going forward.

But as I pieced together Zhuge Sa's intentions in my head, his transmission reached me.

[ I recommend not sharing the black obsidian. Up to you, but ideally, get Cheon Woo-jin out of here right now. ]

His unexpected advice left me baffled.

[ What? Weren't you saying to use the black obsidian spell because Mang-ryang's here? ]

[ I said that outwardly for Mang-ryang's sake. But Cheon Woo-jin already knows quite a bit about the world's secrets, and there's little reason for him to share our grand cause with you now. Plus, he really hates your guts. If we take him in like this, betrayal is obvious. No, he wouldn't even think of it as betrayal—he'd stick a knife in your back without hesitation. ]

[...... ]

[ Up to your choice. ]

It was a complicated decision.

Zhuge Sa had outwardly suggested offering the black obsidian to initiate the comrade ritual, mindful of Mang-ryang, but that wasn't his true feeling. He strongly opposed accepting Cheon Woo-jin as a comrade. Sure, his personal dislike for Cheon Woo-jin played a part, but it seemed Zhuge Sa saw him as overflowing with betrayal potential.

Tough call.

This needed careful handling. Zhuge Sa's advice on human trust had never been wrong so far. His cynical, harshly critical view of people allowed him to see human nature objectively.

"......"

After deep thought, I said to Cheon Woo-jin.

"Cheon Woo-jin. Step out for a bit."

"Hah... Want to have a secret chat?"

"No..."

"I'll oblige."

Cheon Woo-jin sneered and strode out without hesitation. I tried to say something, but Zhuge Sa instantly cast a soundproof barrier over the space he'd left. It was so immediate that when I looked at him, he said.

"He doesn't see us as comrades either. Don't feel guilty or make excuses over something like this."

"Hmm..."

Mang-ryang, sensing the situation, spoke bitterly.

"Uncle. Cheon Woo-jin isn't like that. I believe he'll help us."

"You sure?"

"Yes."

Zhuge Sa shook his head.

"You see it that way, but I don't. He's a genius who's lived in a sterile bubble of his own superiority until now—he only came here out of concern for you. Cheon Woo-jin would never betray Mang-ryang, but he'd betray me or Baek Woong anytime."

"But..."

"Mang-ryang, do you not grasp what it means to hand over Baek Woong's black obsidian right now?"

"I do."

"It's no different from giving an apostle of the gods. It contains the secrets of the world and the Seven Jewels he's uncovered alone, plus Cheon Mang-ryang's spell knowledge, Taepyeong sorcery, decades of martial arts training, peerless divine arts, and secret techniques. The black obsidian's capacity means not everything transfers perfectly, but you know even that much is incredible."

"......"

"We can't predict what Cheon Woo-jin might do with those memories. Unless he has some special bond with Baek Woong—and assuming he's rational—he'd exploit them to seize hegemony over the world."

Zhuge Sa spoke so decisively that Mang-ryang fell silent for a moment. But he pressed on with firm resolve.

"I trust my junior brother. We must consider that he's different this lifetime. We can't reject him rashly. It could cost us every opportunity."

Mang-ryang had a point.

Sharing the black obsidian meant it would include even our back-and-forth debate over Cheon Woo-jin just now. I could consciously omit it, but he'd likely notice the inconsistency. Worst case, we'd lose his trust twice over and forfeit any chance to bring him aboard.

"So, what'll it be, Baek Woong?"

The two strategists turned to me. I hesitated, then said to Mang-ryang.

"Mang-ryang. It's not about whether I trust Cheon Woo-jin or not. I sent him out not to ditch him, but because we needed time to sort things out ourselves. We hadn't even discussed it until moments ago."

Both Mang-ryang and Zhuge Sa nodded as if that made sense.

"True enough."

"And doesn't bringing the three of us together to deliberate on accepting him make this process necessary? Taking him in on my whim without this talk would've been wrong too. Because we're comrades."

Mang-ryang's face lit up at my words.

"To think that far ahead... You've truly grown into a different caliber."

Zhuge Sa cleared his throat.

"Ahem. So, what's the plan?"

"Can't trust Cheon Woo-jin blindly, like you said. First, drop the soundproof barrier, call him back in, gauge his true intentions. Then I'll decide on sharing the black obsidian."

Zhuge Sa frowned.

"Isn't that too risky? If a grand sorcerer like Cheon Woo-jin betrays you, you might never reincarnate again. He could seal you eternally."

"Don't worry."

I replied firmly to Zhuge Sa.

"I'll stake my trust in him on my trust in you, Mang-ryang."

Mang-ryang vouched for him fully. So it was only natural he'd take responsibility for that trust.

Even if betrayed this time, I wouldn't resent it.

Because I wouldn't resent Mang-ryang even if he betrayed me.

That was what backing trust meant.

Psst!

"Come here."

Zhuge Sa released the soundproof barrier, and I called Cheon Woo-jin back. With all four of us gathered, I cut straight to it.

"Cheon Woo-jin. You know I've got a big secret. And now I want to share it with you."

He sneered at my words.

"What do you want? Did I beg to be told?"

"Don't act like that. Mang-ryang said he wants to trust you."

Flinch.

Cheon Woo-jin reacted slightly at Mang-ryang's name. I seized on it and pressed forward.

"I'm sharing this secret with you because it's essential to protecting Mang-ryang going forward. We need it to keep him safe. You're here to protect him too, right? This makes achieving your goal easier."

"Hah! How grand must this secret be to warrant such solemnity."

I grinned and dangled the bait.

"It's a huge one. Can't topple the Sea God without harboring something that massive."

"......"

"I want to hear your thoughts."

Cheon Woo-jin pondered deeply. Then, with colder eyes fixed on Mang-ryang, he said.

"Senior brother. Is the 'secret' this guy wants to tell me closely tied to why you've been working for him?"

Mang-ryang nodded.

"Of course. It's the also secret behind Baek Woong's power."

"...I don't get it. If you don't trust me, just kick me out. Why drag it out like this?"

As Cheon Woo-jin grumbled, Mang-ryang said.

"Junior brother. I trust you."

"......"

Silence stretched on. Finally, Cheon Woo-jin broke it.

"No reason to refuse a secret being offered. Go on, teach me."

"That's not the attitude."

"What?"

I stared at him steadily.

"I need assurance. Say it yourself: even after learning this secret, you'll never betray us or leak it."

"And if I won't?"

"Our ties end here. As promised, I'll give you the fire oil, settle the debt, and you head back to the village."

He scoffed at my calm words.

"Hmph, playing hardball... Fine. I won't leak it or betray you. Satisfied?"

"Take this black obsidian."

Flick.

Cheon Woo-jin caught the black obsidian I tossed. Without delay, I activated the spell.

Wooong.

"......!!"

Cheon Woo-jin's face twisted in shock as memories flooded in. He stared vacantly at the distant sky, sorting through the massive influx of information. Once his mind cleared, he gaped at me.

"Y-You, a reincarnator?"

"Just like you saw. I'm a reincarnator, and Mang-ryang and Zhuge Sa are helping me."

"Impossible. That can't be..."

Cheon Woo-jin groaned.

"... But it explains how you amassed such incomprehensible power and treasures at your age."

Mang-ryang spoke.

"Junior brother. What now?"

"What do you mean?"

"Baek Woong overcame about twenty deaths to fell one [Ancient Ruler]. Don't you wonder how far we could go helping him?"

Cheon Woo-jin retorted.

"As I said, my view hasn't changed. It's futile effort, same as with that damned sorcerer."

That damned sorcerer?

I glanced at Zhuge Sa, but his expression didn't shift. Cheon Woo-jin continued.

"Because the Sea God is low-tier among [Ancient Rulers]. He's at the very bottom. I've told you before—there are far greater divinities. There could be ones a hundred times stronger than the Sea God. That's the true terror and despair of this world."

"Then tell me this, junior brother. You saw Baek Woong's memories from his first or second cycle, right?"

"I did."

Mang-ryang shouted passionately.

"Who could've imagined that clueless Baek Woong back then toppling the Sea God? Sure, massive luck played a part, but is there anyone in the mortal realm who could smite the Sea God even with luck? Even those lofty Great Immortals would be scared to death!"

Cheon Woo-jin seemed at a loss.

"Hmm... Well..."

"A reincarnator's potential is beyond what mere mortals like us can measure."

With that, Mang-ryang approached and grasped Cheon Woo-jin's hand.

"Junior brother? Please help. I beg you."

"Senior brother."

"I've been aiding reincarnating Baek Woong for ages, but I'm hitting my power limits. Enemies grow endlessly stronger, and keeping up takes more time and effort than I have. I risked Divine Inflammation this time because I felt powerless—I'd be useless to Baek Woong and slaughtered helplessly."

"......!!"

"Felling the Sea God will shatter the world's balance, thrusting another demon to the forefront. Monsters as terrifying as that are rare. Using it on Cheon Woo-jin now means fewer for others. I'd everywhere without warning. Without your help, Baek Woong might drop dead before even finding Changhil."

Cheon Woo-jin stood stunned, then clutched his forehead.

"G-Give me a moment to think."

Mang-ryang released his hand, and he sank into genuine anguish. Then he spoke.

"Do you really think you can stop Le Rue's rise at the apocalypse?"

"No such confidence. Claiming otherwise would be a lie."

I continued.

"I'll do what I can to the utmost. Even if I fail, fighting it out might uncover ways to avert the worst."

"... Hmm. One condition."

"What? What..."

"I won't help for free. Transfer all spell knowledge, starting with Taepyeong sorcery, via black obsidian. Do that, and I'll give my all."

"But that would require..."

The spell data's volume demands a massive black obsidian several times human height. The problem: such giant ones are rare. Using it on Cheon Woo-jin now means fewer for others. I'd been saving it to rapidly empower Mang-ryang, Zhuge Sa, Sword Demon, or Jin So-cheong.

Cheon Woo-jin suddenly looked annoyed.

"If you need a giant black obsidian, just find more. Damn, after all that talk, you're still this dense—it's infuriating."

"Urk."

"Senior brother really is a living Buddha. Working beside an idiot like this... No cancer yet?"

Muttering that, Cheon Woo-jin said.

"Anyway, I'm in."

"Thanks!"

I knew then Cheon Woo-jin was solidly on board. I'd been doubtful, but Mang-ryang's push convinced him on multiple fronts. Without Mang-ryang, recruitment would've failed—so I was newly grateful for him.

'Did he even calculate getting Divine Inflammation to this point...?'

The thought flickered, but if Mang-ryang orchestrated that, he was a genius at human psychology. Of course, he'd never admit it, so I could only speculate.

With things settled, Zhuge Sa finally revealed the Changhil intel.

"The info from the slave trader was a bit unusual."

"How so?"

"Changhil closely watches this world and has sent many avatars to the mortal realm for surveillance. We already knew that much."

Zhuge Sa stroked his chin and went on.

"The issue: exactly eight avatars."

"Eight?!"

I blurted in shock.

"Can someone normally make that many avatars?"

Avatars!

Avatars were constructs powerful Great Immortals or apostle-level beings created to act in the mortal realm when direct manifestation was undesirable. Weaker than the original, but still proxying divine will—beyond ordinary humans. Even divinities expended great power to make them.

Zhuge Sa looked uneasy.

"It's nonsense by any standard. Changhil's more special than we thought."

"Hmm."

"Worse: these avatars weren't recent. They've been active since ancient times—maybe from the dawn of Zhongyuan's history."

Zhuge Sa continued.

"I tried for names and identities, but the trader jacked up the price, so I backed off."

"So... we know Changhil has eight avatars. That's the gain?"

"Not just that. To learn about his avatars, he said seek Tianzhu or Thunder Sound Temple."

Tianzhu was the vast western continent; Thunder Sound Temple, a lama temple at Zhongyuan's border with Tianzhu. Classified as a martial force because its lamas mastered high-level martial arts.

"Tianzhu... Thunder Sound Temple... No clue. Observing Zhongyuan continent, yet tied to the west?"

Changhil's intent eluded me.

Mang-ryang, who'd been listening, summed up.

"From now on, we move on multiple fronts. Storming straight through Dark Heaven Village to the moon for Changhil is last resort. Track and capture an avatar, wring out the truth."

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