abcnovels
Chapter 259:
Chapter 259:
Chapter 259:
“How dare these scum ignore me in front of them?!”
The nine-tailed fox bristled its fur and emitted a cold aura.
The two people in front of it showed no signs of tension even though the fox had revealed its true form a while ago.
To a predator who regarded humans as nothing but prey, this was an insult to its pride.
“Oh, right. I forgot we had to catch a phantasm.”
“It’s not as impressive as I thought, so I didn’t pay much attention.”
Kang Hye-rim and Kwon Jia added fuel to the fox’s anger.
“Kill them all!”
The fox leaped from the roof and charged at the two.
***In a room on the second floor for receiving guests, Yu-hyun sat face to face with a man who looked like a lump of flesh.
A neatly trimmed mustache and beard.
A hairstyle that revealed his forehead and swept back his white hair.
Clothes that were too big for him but still seemed to burst with his muscles.
Military God Wi Muhyuk.
He was a collector who was famous not only in Korea but also in the realm.
He was the undisputed first place in the Korean ranking and there were only a few people who could match him in the whole realm.
He did not reveal his status window that changed after the second phantasm shock, but according to third parties, his estimated level was over 90.
‘It’s hard to increase your level after 80, and the difference in power between each level is huge. Unless you’re really strong, you can’t do it.’
But the rumor that he was over 90 showed how amazing Wi Muhyuk was in the eyes of the public.
The dazzling golden book above his head.
The color of the cover and the light from the book were almost identical.
He was not called Military God for nothing.
‘He really seems to be over level 90, not just a bloated rumor.’
This was the first time Yu-hyun met Wi Muhyuk, who rarely had any external activities.
His first impression of Wi Muhyuk was like seeing a living steel.
The man who sat quietly on the sofa with a neat posture did not show any movement since a while ago.
If he made a mistake, he might have mistaken him for a finely made doll.
Baek Seo-ryeon, who was next to Yu-hyun, was restless.
“Director.”
“Yes, yes! Mr. Yu-hyun!”
“I can’t leave my seat because I have to deal with the guest who came to see me, so I’ll ask you to do me a favor for a moment. Please bring us something to drink.”
“O-of course!”
Baek Seo-ryeon was asked by Yu-hyun to bring tea.
If it was the usual Baek Seo-ryeon, she would have protested how he could do that, but now she was so glad to hear Yu-hyun’s words.
Baek Seo-ryeon left her seat as if she had been waiting for it, and only Yu-hyun and Wi Muhyuk were left in the room.
Yu-hyun opened his mouth to start a serious conversation.
“There are no ears or eyes here now. So why did you come to see me? A teller you don’t even know.”
“I have something I’m curious about.”
Wi Muhyuk opened his mouth.
A deep voice that matched his appearance.
Even though he had the title of the number one ranker, his tone of voice was polite without a trace of arrogance. I couldn’t find any hint of haughtiness even if I washed my eyes.
“I came to look for you, Teller Kang Yu-hyun, because you are different from other tellers. Other tellers look down on humans and don’t want to share the information or facts they know. Ah, I apologize if you feel offended by me saying that about your colleagues.”
“No, I can’t deny it. It’s not a false statement.”
“But you, Teller Kang Yu-hyun, were different. You fought for your life in the Mental Realm with other collectors. Your actions and beliefs were sincere.”
“It’s an honor to hear such praise from you, Lord Wi Muhyuk.”
Yu-hyun’s natural compliment made Wi Muhyuk lower his head.
“Lord is too much of a title for me.”
“I see. So what are you curious about?”
“I heard that in the mixed world, there is almost no concept of complete death.”
Why suddenly the concept of death?
It seemed like a random question, but I could see a longing in his eyes that he wanted to hear a certain answer.
I didn’t bother to deny it.
“…Well, that’s true.”
It was as Wi Muhyuk said.
On Earth, the death of the flesh meant the death of existence.
But in the mixed world, the disappearance or destruction of the flesh did not mean the death of existence.
Memories, thoughts, rumors that circulated among people, etc.
As long as these ‘stories’ were alive and breathing, the remnants of people remained in the realm.
The true death in the mixed world was only one thing.
To be forgotten by everyone, without anyone remembering them.
“I heard that if someone remembers them, they can come back to life.”
“Well, there are cases like that, but it’s not an easy thing to do.”
It was a disappointing answer for Wi Muhyuk, but I thought it was necessary to correct this part.
“Just by remembering them, they won’t die. Then attention seekers who try to get noticed would be immortal beings. Even if their existence itself is not erased, it’s almost like death if they have no flesh or lose it. Resurrection…I can’t say there is no such thing.”
“But there is a possibility.”
“It’s very difficult and almost impossible to meet the conditions for that. It’s something that you wouldn’t even dare to try.”
If there was such a thing, Yu-hyun in his previous life would have done his best to survive and save his precious people.
He didn’t do that because it was almost impossible to revive someone.
The various and detailed memories that make up an existence.
The huge amount of points and materials needed to create a new flesh.
And also, there had to be someone who had the ability to perfectly weave them together.
Even if he was lucky enough to make it possible, how could he be sure that the person who was resurrected was exactly the same as before?
But Wi Muhyuk seemed to feel some hope in my words, and his voice was filled with excitement that I hadn’t seen before.
“So it’s not completely impossible.”
“I’m not sure either. There is nothing perfect in this realm.”
I couldn’t understand what this man’s purpose was for coming to me.
He said he came because he was curious, but the questions he asked were about the possibility of reviving the dead.
I answered him as much as I knew, but I couldn’t help feeling a strange sense of alienation.
“That was enough of an answer for me.”
With that, Wi Muhyuk handed Yu-hyun something.
‘No, not something… this is, a point, right?’
This thing with white texts clustered together was TP, the origin and currency of the mixed world.
The lump that filled Wi Muhyuk’s palm as big as a pot lid looked like at least 500,000 TP.
“This is a token of my appreciation for answering my question sincerely.”
“No, this is too much…”
“It’s just spare change for me. Please accept it.”
“…”
If I could get 500,000 TP with a few words, it would be a great deal. But Yu-hyun felt more suspicious of this man who was trying to force such a generous reward on him.
“…I know this is rude, but what are you trying to do, Mr. Wi?”
“I’m sorry. I can’t answer that. But I can assure you that it’s not what you’re worried about. I stake my honor on it. I’m sure it’s something that won’t harm anyone.”
“…”
“I won’t pry any further.”
“Thank you for your hospitality, even though I came here without notice.”
“No. It’s an honor to have the strongest collector in the country visit me personally. I’m sorry I couldn’t treat you better.”
“No. As I said before, that title is too much for me. I’m not that great of a man.”
Despite having the title of Military God , he said he wasn’t a great man.
If someone else had heard this, they would have laughed and said that Military God had a sense of humor.
But Wi Muhyuk’s words were sincere, without a trace of falsehood.
His face, which downplayed himself as not great, was full of deep sorrow.
What showed on his expression was sadness, pain, and longing.
Wi Muhyuk got up from his seat. He wanted to ask him to stay longer, but he didn’t dare to do so because Wi Muhyuk looked busy.
“It was very nice to meet you today.”
“It was an honor to meet you, Mr. Wi. I hope we can meet again if fate allows.”
“That is… yes. I hope so too. But I’m afraid that might be difficult.”
“What?”
It was just a polite remark, but Wi Muhyuk apologized seriously, making Yu-hyun confused.
But Wi Muhyuk seemed determined to say this.
“I probably won’t be able to meet people often in the future.”
“Do you have something urgent to do? Or are you going into training because of some new insight?”
“Something like that…”
Military God answered vaguely, but Yu-hyun knew he was lying.
He didn’t ask about reviving the dead or the meaning of memory in the mixed world, and he didn’t answer as if he had made up his mind about something.
‘There must be something.’
But he couldn’t know what it was right now.
“Please take care.”
Yu-hyun smiled and saw him off, while casually taking his book.
As long as he had the book in his possession, he could keep it for at least three days even if the owner disappeared or went far away.
He couldn’t take the book from somewhere the person wasn’t, but the authority over the book he had already taken was surprisingly generous.
‘Maybe this became possible because my level went up.’
Yu-hyun looked down at the golden book in his hand with a sunken gaze.
***
“Huh? Military God came here? I came back early to see him, but he already left?”
“Hmm. I heard he doesn’t show himself much in private, but that’s surprising.”
Ten minutes after Wi Muhyuk left.
Kang Hye-rim and Kwon Jia returned from the Mental Realm.
They looked disappointed because they wanted to see Wi Muhyuk in person, but they heard he had already left.
“By the way, what’s that white scarf?”
Yu-hyun asked about the item Kang Hye-rim brought.
“Oh this? It’s a reward I got for clearing the Mental Realm today. A fox fur scarf.”
“It looks pretty luxurious. It doesn’t seem like an ordinary animal’s skin…”
And there were nine scarves like that.
Did they catch a nine-tailed fox or something?
He wondered that for a moment, but that wasn’t important.
Yu-hyun asked Kwon Jia quietly.
“Do you know anything about Military God ?”
He said that, but what he meant was ‘did you have any contact with Military God in your previous life?’
Kwon Jia shook her head.
“Military God was always shrouded in mystery. He rarely showed himself even when something big happened. Even if he entered the Mental Realm, he would only do his business and disappear like the wind. He’s not someone you can easily meet even if you want to.”
“I see.”
As I thought about it, I remembered that even in my previous life as Yu-hyun, Military God was a famous name, but I had never seen him in action.
Even after the apocalypse, Military God seemed to stay in one place, and as time went by, the rumors about him faded and he was naturally forgotten.
“Why do you ask?”
“No, I was just curious.”
Yu-hyun dodged the question and recalled what had happened 10 minutes ago.
Military God disappeared, and Yu-hyun immediately opened the book he had left behind. And he read the book of Wi Muhyuk carefully, not wanting to miss a single letter.
‘He said he lost his family on the day of the Ideological Integration.’
He had a wife and a daughter. But on the day of the Ideological Integration, when the phantoms poured out of the Ideological World, Wi Muhyuk lost his wife and daughter.
And, as if fate was playing a cruel joke on him, he awakened his power.
It was the moment when a man who had lost everything became Military God .
Wi Muhyuk fought like a madman, swinging his sword at the phantoms.
He had no grandiose motives like saving the realm or saving people.
He just fought like this because if he didn’t, if he didn’t burn his life away, the faces of his dead family would haunt him.
‘Revenge… Is that it? He didn’t seem like that.’
Years passed like that.
And Wi Muhyuk earned the title of Military God .
The realm stabilized, and the threat of the Ideological World running wild disappeared. The Collector Clan and Management were rampant, and people called Collectors heroes.
The government thought of the Ideological World as a treasure trove of resources and deliberately left it uncleared.
Wi Muhyuk, who had fought like crazy, didn’t like that at first, but maybe because he felt a kind of emptiness, he soon settled in his own home.
And he never showed himself outside except for really important moments, when there was a national crisis.
‘That man suddenly started to move actively recently.’
There must have been a reason for that.
And when Yu-hyun tried to read the contents of that reason in the book,
The letters emitted a golden light and then disappeared.
No.
‘They didn’t disappear. The letters themselves were hidden by the dazzling light.’
Something similar had happened just before.
The future that he tried to see with Laplace’s power, the unknown power that obscured it like fog.
Military God Wi Muhyuk was connected to a being with golden light.
It was a pity that he couldn’t see his book.
‘But there’s something I can tell from just not seeing it.’
Who was the owner of the golden light that was connected to Wi Muhyuk? Yu-hyun naturally thought of an organization that was active in Korea recently.
‘Unleashed. They’re in contact with Military God and plotting something.’
Military God asked if he could bring back the dead.
He came to ask Yu-hyun that question to get some certainty about Ban Shin Ban Eui.
If a man who didn’t usually show his whereabouts came so blatantly, it was likely that Wi Muhyuk was very desperate despite his appearance.
‘Could it be that he wants to revive his dead daughter and wife? In this realm?’
It would be hard even if the earth was completely dyed by Mental Realm, but it was practically impossible at a level where only 30-40% of it was done.
Wi Muhyuk must have known that too, but seeing him like that…
‘Maybe there’s another way. Maybe Unleashed bastards are up to something.’
He didn’t know enough to be sure right now.
But Yu-hyun had a hunch that he would soon be involved in some kind of incident with Wi Muhyuk.