Seo Hweol's Memories (1)
The two Seo Eun-hyuns stare with hardened expressions at Oh Hye-seo and Seo Hweol, who has entered Seo Ran's body.
As soon as Oh Hye-seo sees Seo Eun-hyun's face, she is so terrified that she hiccups, but still raises both hands in the air.
"I-I plea to the High Spirit Grand Dao Nine Heavens Overseeing Fate Preserving Life Celestial Great Emperor! I beg thee, as the Owner of Names and the God of Mankind! Please reveal the real from the fake!"
At the same time, pale white vapor coils around the altar.
The vapor, responding to Oh Hye-seo's plea, sternly blocks Seo Eun-hyun from entering, as if declaring that no one may step inside while the distinction between truth and falsehood is being determined.
However, Oh Hye-seo can feel the 'gaze' of the two Seo Eun-hyuns piercing through the steam toward her.
That gaze!
For some reason, their terrifying gaze penetrates the vapor and fixes directly on Oh Hye-seo.
Suppressing her fear, Oh Hye-seo sneers at the Seo Eun-hyun outside the barrier.
"Ha, ahahaha! What are you doing, Seo Eun-hyun? Come on, do something! Try anything! You're currently flustered because I called in all the Immortal Beasts and can't do anything. You can never enter here! Never! To us, you're..."
Then, Seo Eun-hyun speaks.
"I'm sorry, Su In. Hong Yeon. Once Yeon Jin and Yeon Wei met you two...I should have foreseen your whereabouts being inevitably discovered by Seo Hweol. It's all...my fault."
Step.
Seo Eun-hyun begins walking into the barrier.
Oh Hye-seo collapses to the ground in shock.
"W-what...!? How...!?"
"The only apology I can offer you...is to remember you. And...to honor your deaths...by eradicating Seo Hweol and Oh Hye-seo, the ones who killed you. This is all I can do. Forgive me!"
Step, step, step...
Oh Hye-seo trembles in terror as Seo Eun-hyun cuts through the vapor and approaches. She grabs and shakes Seo Ran's body violently.
"S-Seo Hweol! Seo Hweol! He's coming! He's coming! He's, hesheshesheshescominghescominghescoming...!!!"
Seo Eun-hyun does not restrain his rank out of consideration for Oh Hye-seo.
He fully reveals the rank of his main body, which has reached the Sacred Vessel stage.
That alone is enough to cause Oh Hye-seo to start foaming at the mouth and cry out for Seo Hweol.
Finally, Seo Eun-hyun's form pierces through the curtain of vapor and arrives before Oh Hye-seo.
Unable to endure Seo Eun-hyun's rank, Oh Hye-seo collapses to the ground, trembling uncontrollably. Ignoring her, Seo Eun-hyun gently strokes Seo Ran's head.
Seo Eun-hyun closes his eyes for a moment.
A memory surfaces from not long ago.
—Senior, I have something to say.
—What is it, Seo Ran?
—Seo Hweol...will eventually try to devour me. If I disappear, Seo Hweol will also completely collapse. As time passes, Senior and I will grow more familiar with Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, and Seo Hweol will gradually be left with fewer options. He will try to make his move before that happens.
—Indeed.
—When that time comes...please do not stop Seo Hweol.
—...What?
When he first heard those words, he thought it was preposterous nonsense.
—What nonsense! Do you even understand the horrors of Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens?
—There's no need to worry.
Because of that, Seo Eun-hyun dismissed Seo Ran's words and resolved to face Seo Hweol alone.
But...
The eyes of Seo Ran at that time were filled with certainty unlike any before.
Moreover, his heart was clearer and brighter than ever before.
—I have already...become a body that cannot be harmed by Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens. Seo Hweol...is likely going to take a gamble in order to face Senior. But his gamble will fail. Because...
Seo Eun-hyun looked into Seo Ran's eyes.
He saw the will residing in his heart.
It was...
The same will Seo Eun-hyun had learned from Cheongmun Ryeong on Penglai Island.
It was a will capable of reaching Immortal Arts.
—Because I...have come to know that I have been loved. I am Seo Ran. Even if I step into Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, my mother. My master. Senior. Shi Ho. Great Master Young-hoon. Miss Buk. Great Master Kim Yeon. Great Master Min-hee. Great Master Hyun-seok. Hong Fan. Elder Yeon Wei and others... All the connections I've made thus far have given me love. I am...Seo Ran. Even if I enter Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, that will never change.
Immortal Arts change the world with the heart alone.
He felt that power, far stronger than the Immortal Arts used by ordinary cultivators that 'change the world through attraction force.'
Seo Eun-hyun granted Seo Ran's request.
—Furthermore...if it's you, Senior, even if I am devoured by Seo Hweol...wouldn't you still be able to overcome him?
Seo Ran ultimately extracted a promise from Seo Eun-hyun.
—Please do not worry about me, Senior. And, if by chance I should fall and be consumed by Seo Hweol, I ask that you avenge me in my stead. I believe that Senior is more than capable of doing so.
Seo Eun-hyun recalls Seo Ran's smile.
—Will you...promise me?
Clench.
Seo Eun-hyun clenches his fist.
"Oh Hye-seo."
"NonononononodefnitelydefinitelySeeHweolwillwinSeoHweolwillfreemeSeoHweolwillproperlyreclaimhisbodyand..."
"This altar you've summoned...it must be that, isn't it?"
Seo Eun-hyun slowly gazes at the altar.
The reason he wasn't able to properly respond a moment ago was because Seo Hweol used Oh Hye-seo's power to wield her authority in her place and summon the power of the Owner of Names.
Because of the aftermath of the [Owner of Names]'s authority, Seo Eun-hyun had nearly failed his advancement ritual to the Entering Nirvana stage, leaving him temporarily unable to suppress the chaos caused by Oh Hye-seo and Seo Hweol. That's all.
Seo Eun-hyun analyzes the altar and begins to slowly dismantle the one summoned by Oh Hye-seo.
"Are you using the power of the Immortal Beasts to trace back their strength one by one until you reach and can borrow power from the one at the pinnacle, the former Immortal Beast King?"
Kwajijijijik!
As Seo Eun-hyun clenches his fist, the altar summoned by Oh Hye-seo instantly crumbles into dust.
However, the power of the vapor still envelops them completely.
Seo Eun-hyun, interpreting the lingering power of the vapor and the spell circulating within it, speaks to Oh Hye-seo, whose body is beginning to sprout glass all over.
"I can see through your plan. The former Immortal Beast King, also known by the title [Owner of Names]... You are trying to use Them to determine who between [Seo Ran] and [Seo Hweol] is the 'fake,' and erase one of their [names]; isn't that right?"
Seo Eun-hyun looks down at Oh Hye-seo and smiles.
"But have you never considered this, Oh Hye-seo? What exactly determines the standard for deciding the 'fake'?"
At Seo Eun-hyun's words, Oh Hye-seo, despite trembling as glass sprouts from her entire body, raises herself shakily.
"In the end, whoever possesses the 'main body' will likely be deemed the 'real' one. But...why assume Seo Ran would lose the main body to Seo Hweol? From the start..."
As she looks up at Seo Eun-hyun, who gazes down at her with a sneer, Oh Hye-seo grits her teeth as she trembles in terror.
"Why did you assume Seo Ran would be determined as the 'fake'? Did you ever consider the possibility that Seo Hweol might be the 'fake'? A being with a 'heart' is a 'fake'?"
Seo Eun-hyun looks at Seo Ran's face, his eyes gleaming.
"A being with a heart can never be a fake. Therefore, I believe in you, Seo Ran! Defeat Seo Hweol and come out!"
Deepest depths of Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens.
Inside, Seo Ran wears a peaceful smile.
Dark-red shadows writhe, attempting to invade Seo Ran's body, but they cannot penetrate the warm light radiating from within Seo Ran's heart essence.
Seo Ran smiles softly and gazes warmly at the darkness before him.
"It seems I am the victor. Grandfather Seo Hweol, no...Seo Hweol."
"..."
"Your darkness cannot invade me. Because I am..."
"Loved?"
Seo Hweol cuts off Seo Ran's words and gazes at him with an expressionless face.
"That's right. I do not know what you experienced in the past...but your darkness will never be able to consume me. I have received the hearts of so many people. Therefore...as long as this heart resides within me, I will never disappear!"
Deeeeeng—
Seo Ran looks up at the sky of darkness.
Chiiiiiiii—
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Vapor!
Before a colossal giant of vapor.
At some point, they arrived there.
The giant of vapor holds a scale in one hand, and Seo Ran and Seo Hweol each occupy one side of the scale's plates, staring at each other.
The plate holding Seo Hweol begins to sink lower, while the one holding Seo Ran gradually rises higher.
"I am the 'real one.' Therefore, admit defeat, Seo Hweol...!"
"...Hah."
Then, Seo Hweol smiles.
It is not his usual gentle smile.
Exposing his teeth and awkwardly moving his muscles to form a grin...
Seo Hweol's signature...
Sincere smile.
"You pathetic thing, what do you even know?"
Seo Eun-hyun looks down at Oh Hye-seo, who has crawled slowly up to his ankles, even as glass protrudes from her entire body.
"Ah, ahh, uahhh...ahh..."
Trembling from the rank emanating from Seo Eun-hyun, Oh Hye-seo continues crawling.
Slowly, and slowly.
Then, she lifts her head and speaks to Seo Eun-hyun.
"Wro...ng..."
"What is wrong?"
Seo Eun-hyun looks down at Oh Hye-seo with a detached expression.
Oh Hye-seo smiles.
"It's not simply...an altar built to reach the [Owner of Names]."
"And the reason you're telling me this?"
"...You. Among your comrades, isn't there someone you've forgotten?"
At those words, Seo Eun-hyun flinches.
Then, as Seo Eun-hyun sweeps his consciousness rapidly across the entire Cedarwood Painting, his face twists like a fierce evil spirit.
Kwajijijijik!
Seo Eun-hyun grabs Oh Hye-seo by the collar, glaring at her intensely.
[Return. Him. Immidietely.]
"...I can't...do that."
Even though she is trembling in fear of Seo Eun-hyun, she does not move.
Instead, she simply smiles.
Then, under her shadow, a fragment of the altar that Seo Eun-hyun destroyed.
The one fragment that depicts the Immortal Beast Heavenly Fox (天狐) shines ominously.
Deepest depths of Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens.
At the same time, the place where the real and the fake are being distinguished before the [Owner of Names].
Seo Ran widens his eyes as he looks at the 'someone' who appears there.
It is Shi Ho.
"Using Oh Hye-seo to confuse the Sacred Master's eyes, and while his focus is distracted, using the authority of the Immortal Beast Heavenly Fox to bring the Fox Race soul that can be considered its distant descendent."
Seo Hweol snaps his fingers with a face devoid of any emotion.
In the next moment.
Seo Hweol's Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens begins to envelop Shi Ho's soul and writhes.
Immediately after.
A horrifying scream echoes from within the sphere of Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens that envelops Shi Ho.
"From now on, I will torture your beloved."
"...! Seo Hweol!!!"
Seo Ran's face twists violently.
At the same time, the light emanating from Seo Ran's heart essence flickers and wavers.
Seo Ran forces himself to maintain composure as he looks at him.
Seo Hweol raises the corners of his mouth, looking at Seo Ran.
"Why are you so concerned with that? It's meaningless. Do you really believe you love that thing? You're wrong. It's simply because I poured all the maternal nature within me into you that you took it upon yourself to claim to be a female. It's only because you grew up with all positive connections severed by me that you fell into a state of affection deprivation."
With each word he utters, the light within Seo Ran shakes violently.
"You do not love it. And it does not love you either. That thing simply fell to your Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens while being beaten by the one named Kim Young-hoon. It fell in love with Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, not you. It's a false connection. You, trapped in affection deprivation, placed Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens on that Fox Race to seek an outlet for the maternal nature you had suppressed within yourself. It's no different from a burst of lust. Seo Ran. The hearts of connections or whatnot. From the very beginning...you were never a being capable of giving or receiving any love."
As Seo Ran's light flickers, the darkness of Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens seems to dig further and further into him.
Kkiiiiiiiiik...
The balance of the scale they stand on begins to shift.
Seo Ran descends, while Seo Hweol rises.
But all of a sudden—
Surururuk...
The rays of Seo Ran's light stabilize.
Seo Hweol sees this and erases his smile.
"...Do you not understand? From the beginning, you have never received any..."
"No, Seo Hweol."
Seo Ran meets Seo Hweol's eyes.
"You're wrong."
At the smile that blooms on Seo Ran's face, Seo Hweol's eyes tremble violently.
"I have never brainwashed Shi Ho with Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens. And my sexual preferences are normal. I absolutely have no inclination to be penetrated by a cross-dressing male fox who likes men while moaning in pleasure."
"...How vulgar."
"Yes, truly vulgar. But that's how it ended up."
Seo Ran smiles with a slightly embarrassed expression.
It is Seo Ran's sudden confession, one that does not match the atmosphere of the moment at all.
Seo Hweol, however, looks even colder. His gaze shifts to the Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens sphere, where Shi Ho is trapped.
Inside, the groans of agony have noticeably weakened.
'With just that one joke, he interfered with my Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens. Is he gradually becoming more adept at handling it?'
Seo Hweol heightens his vigilance as he glares at Seo Ran.
Seo Ran continues to speak.
"I didn't want my master to die. But my master trusted me and passed away. And...even Elder Jeon Hyang, who acted differently from how you wished, loved me before she departed. All of this points to one undeniable truth."
Seo Ran's eyes burn brightly in the darkness.
Within the darkness, his gaze begins to drive away the darkness of Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens.
"A person's benevolence...stands above Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens! Above anything else!"
Even though Seo Ran didn't wish for his master's death, Song Jin passed away without regret because he trusted and loved Seo Ran.
Even though Seo Ran didn't initially accept Shi Ho, Shi Ho connected with him because Shi Ho loved him so deeply that he transcended gender, race, and the brainwashing effects of Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens.
Even when everyone shunned Seo Ran under the influence of Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, only Jeon Hyang genuinely cherished him, preventing him from commiting suicide.
And...
Yu Oh, who was fated to be entirely corrupted by Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, instead brought forth 'Seo Ran' in place of 'Seo Hweol' because of her love for him.
"I will not lose, Seo Hweol. Nothing about me is fake! Because it isn't fake, I believe Shi Ho will endure. Because I, too, now love him!"
Paaaatt!
The brilliant light bursting from Seo Ran's eyes illuminates the deepest depths of Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens.
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Kiiiiiiiik—
The scale upon which Seo Ran and Seo Hweol are seated evens out once again.
Seo Hweol stares at Seo Ran expressionlessly.
"...Love, huh? How pretentious."
He speaks while glaring at Seo Ran.
"You, who were so jealous over Yuk Yo, dare to speak of love?"
At Seo Hweol's words, Seo Ran breaks into a cold sweat.
'Now, this is where it truly begins.'
Seo Ran steels his heart against the ominous malice emanating from Seo Hweol.
Seo Hweol snaps his fingers with lifeless, hollow eyes.
"If you want it so much, I will show you. If you...can bear this hatred, then it doesn't matter if I lose. Now, let us both recall my oath, my other self."
Immediately after.
In the deepest depths of Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens.
The memories of Seo Hweol's 'childhood,' carefully preserved there, engulfs Seo Hweol and Seo Ran.
Shi Ho, writhing in unbearable agony, suddenly regains his senses.
'This place is...'
It is the deepest depths Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens.
Dragged here by Seo Hweol and Oh Hye-seo's schemes, Shi Ho was swept into this place by the authority of his distant ancestor, without even the chance to properly resist.
Here, he finds himself caught between Seo Hweol and Seo Ran.
He is merely a sacrifice in the battle between the two personas that form one essence.
The last thing Shi Ho remembers is that Seo Ran, through a joke, briefly awakened his consciousness, and immediately afterward, Seo Hweol moved a dark red wave to engulf both Seo Ran and himself.
'What happened? The result is...?'
As he regains his senses, he looks at Seo Hweol and Seo Ran, both seated upon the strange scale.
At that moment,
Kiiiiiik...
The balance scale lurches, and Seo Ran and Seo Hweol both regain their senses and open their eyes.
And Shi Ho can only be struck with shock.
'D-Dyed?'
Seo Ran!
He is now dyed in the same dark-red light as Seo Hweol.
Seo Ran is shedding tears of blood.
"...I see. So that's why I was jealous over her. That's why I wanted to destroy Yuk Yo so desperately. This world truly is..."
Seo Ran's anguished gaze meets Shi Ho's.
Shi Ho feels deep despair, pain, and sorrow in Seo Ran's eyes.
'Seo Ran...'
He likes Seo Ran.
It's not because of something like Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens.
He just likes him.
From the day they first met, even though nothing about them matched whether race, gender, status, or cultivation realm, Shi Ho wanted to be with Seo Ran.
Because of this, he cannot simply stand by and watch Seo Ran in such pain.
Even amidst the torturous torment of Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, Shi Ho looks into Seo Ran's eyes and shouts.
"Seo Ran!!!"
Seo Hweol turns around with a meaningful smile.
Seo Ran stares at Shi Ho with blank eyes.
"Don't forget me!!!"
Seo Ran's pupils widen.
The despair clouding his eyes seems to retreat slightly.
Then, Seo Hweol's pupils split vertically.
Buuuuk!
That is the end.
Shi Ho's life ends just like that.
Seo Ran stares ahead with vacant eyes.
Shi Ho's soul is being torn apart.
Shi Ho's spirit body.
Its neck is severed.
The arms, legs, and tail of the spirit body are all torn apart, and Shi Ho's shattered spirit scatters deep into the darkness of Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens.
Shi Ho is dead.
It is over.
At the most critical moment, Seo Hweol killed Shi Ho who had intended to act as Seo Ran's greatest support, all while wearing a gentle smile.
"I've won. Seo Ran. Disappear."
Kiiiiiik...
Seo Ran's spirit body lowers its head blankly.
The plate holding his body begins to gradually descend.
After witnessing Seo Hweol's memories, Seo Ran was thrown into despair, struck by the overwhelming truth of his own essence. Then in that moment, he saw his cherished beloved ripped apart and killed as he was cheering for him.
It's an irreparable wound.
As the scale gradually tilts downward, the light protecting Seo Ran is devoured by the darkness.
And then, just as Seo Ran's spirit body is about to completely fall and dissolve into the darkness,
Thunk—
The scale stops.
Seo Hweol looks down with a puzzled expression.
Seo Ran, with nails torn out and bleeding, scratches desperately at the bottom of the scale as he looks up at Seo Hweol.
Though his face is clearly filled with despair and defeat, a single glimmer of determination rests in his expression.
"Seo Hweol. Yes. For now, I have lost."
Even as he speaks, his body continues to dissolve into the darkness.
But for some reason, Seo Hweol feels that the light in Seo Ran's eyes hasn't entirely disappeared.
"But...just because I'm in despair, it doesn't mean that my connections, or the fact that I was loved, will vanish. Never."
Kik, Kikikik, Kikikikikik!
The scale holdChapter 525: Seo Hweol's Memories (2)
The first memory of the 'existence' called 'Seo Hweol' was their 'mother' and 'father' enveloped in a pure white light.
The two smiled brightly at them, who was then just a baby.
In their childhood, 'they' grew up receiving abundant love from their parents.
Memories of childhood are generally blurry.
Seo Hweol's memories are also hazy.
However, one thing is certain.
Seo Hweol, while they may not have always been loved, was undoubtedly happy.
And that continued even after their personality fully developed and learned that their 'name' is Seo Hweol.
Seo Hweol was a happy person.
Though their life was a bit shabby, they could read some words as the child of a family that ran a bookstore and was considered one of the brightest among the village children.
Seo Hweol mastered all written characters and basic learning materials by the age of five.
However, despite possessing such genius, Seo Hweol's parents neither urged nor pressured them.
They simply loved them as they were, and whenever they excelled at something beyond others, their parents simply praised them, saying they did well.
Seo Hweol's mind became sharper by the day.
Simply observing something was enough for them to grasp its principles, and through that, they understood the world.
Seo Hweol, while observing lightning strike the ground, attempted to guide it with a kite and even created a lightning rod.
They also invented a waterwheel, which their village lacked, and crafted saddles and stirrups.
The children, young adults of the village, Seo Hweol's friends, all of them liked Seo Hweol.
Everyone said the same thing.
That Seo Hweol would surely grow up to be a great figure.
However, Seo Hweol still did not have a clear goal.
It might be more accurate to say that because they possessed the ability to do anything, they didn't know what to pursue.
Martial arts? Scholarship? Cooking? Farming? Inventing? Hunting?
Whatever it was, Seo Hweol would perfect it and even identify ways to improve and refine them further. This was Seo Hweol's talent.
So what exactly was such a Seo Hweol supposed to do?
Seo Hweol did not know.
Thus, they began to observe the people around him.
As Seo Hweol's friends grew older, they got married.
Seo Hweol also asked their parents.
They asked if they, too, needed to marry a man or a woman.
Their parents replied,
—Everything under Heaven and Earth follows the principle (理) of Taiji, pairing as it should.
Seo Hweol decided to follow their words.
However, Seo Hweol couldn't decide whether they should marry a man or a woman.
While contemplating, they reasoned that if they married a woman and became a 'husband,' they could travel the outside world, observe more, and better comprehend the principles of the world.
Thus, Seo Hweol became a man.
He became a man, chose a girl who liked him, held a wedding, and became someone's 'husband.'
After marrying the girl, Seo Hweol gradually matured, taking charge of all the village affairs and broadening his horizons.
At times, he went on journeys. At times, he visited the capital to learn more about the world. And at other times, he joined wars, galloping to the ends of the earth beside a conquering king.
In this way, Seo Hweol aged.
He traveled the entire world and grasped the principles behind countless events that occurred within it.
With his old, near-death body, he eventually returned to his home village and peacefully closed his eyes amidst the blessings of his home village's people.
He lived one life, full of happiness and satisfaction, and departed as such.
Seo Hweol.
He lived to the age of 90.
Seo Hweol opened their eyes again.
It felt as though they had woken up from a long dream.
Seo Hweol realized that something was strange.
A powerful sense of déjà vu washed over them.
At the same time, they saw the faces of their [parents] within the radiant light.
However, Seo Hweol found it strange.
These [parents] were not Seo Hweol's parents.
Their 'parents' found it strange that Seo Hweol was not crying and smacked their bottom.
—A baby girl not crying but only rolling her eyes? How ominous!
Seo Hweol pretended to cry for the time being to grasp the situation.
And then they understood what was happening.
Seo Hweol had reincarnated.
But it was a bit peculiar.
For one, the beings who were now their parents were clearly people Seo Hweol had seen in their previous life.
That's right.
Seo Hweol was born to their former life's father-in-law and mother-in-law.
As Seo Hweol grew older, they gradually came to confirm their existence.
Seo Hweol had reincarnated into the body of their own wife, returning to the childhood of her past.
It was such a bizarre event that Seo Hweol was always lost in thought, trying to explore its principles.
And watching such a Seo Hweol, their new parents—their in-laws from the previous life—despised them, saying,
—A girl who doesn't speak and whose thoughts are impossible to know is utterly ominous.
Then, Seo Hweol discovered something strange.
The [parents] who had been their [parents] in their first life did [not exist].
Following this, the [Seo Hweol of the previous life] also naturally ceased to exist.
As a result, even though Seo Hweol had been reincarnated into their wife's body, they were able to retain the name [Seo Hweol].
They—or rather, she—continued to ponder.
Why had such a thing occurred?
However, Seo Hweol's parents came to view her as increasingly ominous, and as soon as Seo Hweol grew mature enough, they sold her to a beggar on the street.
Seo Hweol became the beggar's wife, lying beneath him, observing and analyzing new experiences she hadn't gained in her previous life.
But for some reason, Seo Hweol could not have children.
In fact, it was the same in her previous life.
Seo Hweol had lived an entire lifetime without having children, and this life was no different.
The beggar, angry at Seo Hweol for her inability to have children, beat her savagely and roughly violated her body.
And one day,
Seo Hweol was eventually beaten to death by the beggar.
She died at the age of 18.
Seo Hweol opened their eyes again.
Once again, [parents] were looking down at them from within the radiant light.
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Seo Hweol understood what had happened.
They had reincarnated again.
And this time, to an earlier point in time.
Seo Hweol figured out who they had reincarnated as this time.
One of their friends from their first life.
This time, he was a boy again.
Reincarnated as a boy, he observed his surroundings.
And he began to feel an inexplicable sense of déjà vu.
It was such a strange déjà vu that Seo Hweol instinctively understood.
This strange déjà vu was the very cause of his repeated reincarnations.
Thus, he grew up under new parents.
As Seo Hweol grew under his new parents, he realized two things.
First, these new parents didn't like Seo Hweol either.
Like the previous life, his new parents disliked how Seo Hweol constantly brooded over something.
Seeing him observe the world and explore its principles, they accused him of simply playing around and frequently scolded and beat him.
Second, the 'Seo Hweol and his parents from the first life' and the 'Seo Hweol of the second life' had all [disappeared].
The Seo Hweol from the previous life.
In other words, the Seo Hweol who had reincarnated into the body of his wife in the first life, had disappeared in this life.
Word was that his previous parents—his in-laws from the life before that—ended up in such a way that the father-in-law became an eunuch and could no longer consummate their marriage.
The very casuality (因果) that would have led to the birth of Seo Hweol's wife in the first life had been erased.
Seo Hweol did everything he could from his current position to figure out what was going on.
First, he utilized the knowledge from his previous life to restore his family's fortunes.
Then, using his family's power, he gathered shamans, sorcerers, monks, and daoists from all over the country to investigate whether such a phenomenon had happened before.
Seo Hweol absorbed their knowledge, learning everything he could, and read every piece of literature dealing with strange events (奇事), supernatural forces (怪力亂神), and ancient myths from all corners of the world.
However...
He could not find a single clue.
Nevertheless, Seo Hweol did not give up and scoured the world for all kinds of information on sorcery, spells, ghosts, and heavenly deities.
And...
Seo Hweol failed to realize that his parents and siblings feared him.
No, he knew.
But...even if he knew, he never thought that parents could harm their own child.
Because in the common sense Seo Hweol knew, parents might beat, scold, or berate their children...but they were still parents.
Even if they could sell their daughters to beggars, they were still parents.
For that reason, while collecting information on all kinds of ghosts and supernatural powers, Seo Hweol naively trusted them.
No matter what, he never thought his family would harm him.
Seo Hweol, trusting the parents who feared him and living comfortably in their house even after reaching adulthood,
Was strangled to death in the middle of the night by his parents and siblings.
Seo Hweol opened their eyes again.
Amidst the pure white light, they saw new 'parents.'
Seo Hweol felt a strong sense of déjà vu.
They recalled how their parents and siblings from the previous life had strangled them in their sleep and decided to reassess the situation.
However...
Realizing that they had been directly killed by their own parents brought forth an indescribable flood of tears, leaving them unable to think clearly.
The fourth life of Seo Hweol was once again as a girl.
She was one of the girls who had followed the Seo Hweol of the first life, admiring him.
The parents of this life, seeing Seo Hweol barely speak, refuse to eat, and often sobbing quietly, believed she was possessed by a ghost.
Thus, when Seo Hweol turned five, they sold her to a pavilion in the city.
Seo Hweol, sold to the pavilion, did menial work and eventually grew into a courtesan.
Utilizing her unique analytical skills and ability to grow, she quickly rose to become the top courtesan in the brothel.
None could match her in poetry, calligraphy, music, and dance.
She learned much at the pavilion.
The art of captivating people, the techniques to seize their hearts, the ways to keep them clinging, and more...
However, because she never thought favourably of the pavilion itself, she persuaded those who clung to her to walk the proper path, arranging good marriages for them so they would never return to the pavilion.
While Seo Hweol's reputation grew, the pavilion faced declining patronage, gradually falling into poverty.
Regardless, Seo Hweol used her status and position to continue investigating this phenomenon.
As she was bound by her status as a courtesan, she could not leave the pavilion and had to rely on others to continue her investigation.
She realized it was the same in this life as well.
The Seo Hweol of the first life and the causality that brought him into being.
The Seo Hweol of the second life and the causality that brought her into being.
And...the previous life, the Seo Hweol of the third life and the causality that brought him into being—all of it had disappeared.
The parents who had killed the Seo Hweol of the previous life had become infertile and could no longer have children, preventing the birth of the existence that was Seo Hweol's former friend and Seo Hwel themself.
The same was true this time as well.
Every time Seo Hweol was reborn, the connections from the previous life were being erased one by one.
At this rate, all the connections that the Seo Hweol of the first life had known would eventually vanish.
Before it came to that, Seo Hweol resolved to solve this situation and once again retraced the events of her past life.
As a courtesan, she gained access to forbidden books and texts she had never seen before in her previous life.
Seo Hweol summoned countless shamans, daoists, monks, and priests, accumulating their knowledge.
And finally, she realized something.
Monks, daoists, and shamans could not provide the answer to this situation.
Although she had read all the scriptures and legends they provided, none of them explained the phenomenon she was experiencing.
Thus, she continued to ponder what method itself could explain this phenomenon.
But one day, the pavilion owner attacked Seo Hweol.
Knowing the lust the pavilion owner harbored for her, Seo Hweol pretended to give in.
However, after violating Seo Hweol, the pavilion owner cut off her tongue.
Then, after severing the tendons in one of her legs, he sold her to a red pavilion specializing in prostitutes.
The reason was absurd.
The owner claimed that because of Seo Hweol's whispers, too many patrons had stopped coming to the pavilion, worsening its finances.
And so, Seo Hweol was sold to a pleasure pavilion.
Having experienced being pushed beneath a man in her past life, she did not fear receiving many men.
She engaged with men, and at times women, gradually understanding humanity.
Although her tongue had been cut out, such a thing was not particularly necessary for her learning.
She was able to learn much in the red pavilion.
She went beyond merely captivating or binding people to her; she learned how to make them devote everything to her.
The art of completely seizing control over people and manipulating them.
She learned how to exploit human desires.
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Amidst a world overflowing with countless desires and lust, Seo Hweol came to understand humanity.
And...
Eventually, while manipulating and captivating people, she became entangled in a love-driven conflict and had her neck cut by a man who claimed to love her.
Seo Hweol died at the age of 36.
Seo Hweol opened their eyes.
Amid the radiance, new parents appeared before them again.
Once more, they felt a strong sense of déjà vu.
They recognized who they were in this life.
Seo Hweol was born as the beggar.
He was the beggar who had been the husband of the Seo Hweol of the second life.
Once again, Seo Hweol's parents in this life were not good people.
Seo Hweol remembered how, on his first birthday, one of his parents, drunk on alcohol, had tried to strangle him to death but fell asleep in the process.
As the days went by, Seo Hweol was beaten more and more.
His father and mother were both the same.
They were always eager to kill Seo Hweol.
And Seo Hweol once again felt that the physical bodies of his previous lives had completely disappeared along with the casualty.
However, at this point, Seo Hweol no longer knew what else to do.
He had investigated every myth and legend.
Moreover, he had read through countless texts and scriptures from the Shaman Family (巫家), Immortal Family (仙家), and the Buddhist Family (佛家) on supernatural powers.
He learned about Buddhist Family entities, such as the Seven Brilliances (七華), Twin Venerables (雙尊), and One King (一王).
He also came to know of the Eleven Governings (十一御) of the Immortal Family.
He even heard countless stories about minor gods and ancient deities (古神) from the Shaman Family.
All of them were bizarre and astonishing, but that was all.
None of it provided a solution to Seo Hweol's situation.
Moreover, the situation only continued to worsen.
For some reason, the parents of his fifth life gradually came to hate him more and more and eventually sold Seo Hweol to a labor camp.
Seo Hweol became a mining slave, working in a mercury mine.
While extracting mercury ore, Seo Hweol was gradually exposed to heavy metal poisoning, his body growing weaker.
Realizing that this could not go on, Seo Hweol used all of his abilities.
Using his skills, he captivated the mine overseers and managers, subtly manipulating their psychology until, at the perfect moment, he seized an opportunity and escaped the mine.
However...after escaping the mine, he was overwhelmed with despair.
What on earth was he supposed to do?
What more could he possibly do?
Seo Hweol was in so much anguish that he no longer wanted to do anything at all.
He drank the mercury elixir that the mine owner occasionally consumed.
It wasn't just the mercury elixir.
He gathered hallucinogenic plants and made drugs that pavilion customers used to smoke, and consumed them himself.
Everything seemed about to end.
But...
At that moment.
While high on drugs and his body soiling itself in the drugs' intoxication, Seo Hweol felt something through the drug-induced hallucinations.
It was [déjà vu]!
Seo Hweol felt an overwhelming sense of déjà vu and instantly sobered up from the drugs.
That was it!
The strong sense of déjà vu Seo Hweol felt each time he started a new life!
Finally, in the depths of his wretched existence and under the influence of drugs, Seo Hweol had managed to uncover a clue about his life!
From that day forward, Seo Hweol sought out and inhaled all kinds of drugs.
The initial sense of déjà vu became harder to feel the more drugs he consumed.
Seo Hweol felt it was because he was getting accustomed to the drugs.
Thus, he began seeking even stronger drugs.
Addicted to drugs every day, he begged and labored to obtain them, hoping to feel that powerful sense of déjà vu once again.
Though his intellect and skills could have allowed him to earn money quickly, his drug intoxication made even that difficult.
His thoughts became limited to only base and degrading ideas.
Simple labor or begging were the only ways he could obtain drugs.
However, he needed increasingly stronger drugs to feel the déjà vu, and the stronger the drug, the more expensive it was.
As a result, at some point, Seo Hweol began stealing.
Seo Hweol displayed talent even for theft.
Each day, he broke into the apothecary's storeroom, producing drugs even while intoxicated by them.
He had expertise even in making drugs.
As he manufactured drugs daily, he could create countless varieties of drugs through his own unique formulas, and lived everyday drenched in those countless drugs.
But then...on one such day.
Seo Hweol, in a state of weakened reason due to drug intoxication, created the 'ultimate drug.'
Upon consuming the 'ultimate drug,' he finally succeeded in partially uncovering the nature of the déjà vu.
Seo Hweol felt the boundary between this world and the illusory world created by the drug growing faint in the midst of the déjà vu,.
He didn't know exactly what that meant.
But one thing was certain—hope had emerged.
However, while intoxicated by the ultimate drug, Seo Hweol was caught stealing from the apothecary that day. Flayed alive, he was turned into human jeotgal (젓갈).
He died at the age of 45.
Seo Hweol opened their eyes once again.
In this life, she was reborn as a girl.
Ignoring the parents gazing down at her in the radiance, Seo Hweol quickly analyzed the situation.
It was still one of the women who had followed Seo Hweol around in the first life.
Seo Hweol began living her life in the body of the woman.
However, this family was even more of a dead end than the previous one.
Seo Hweol's parents were quickly taken by the plague, leaving her to be raised by one of her relatives.
Under her relative's care, Seo Hweol endured all manner of humiliation and abuse from a young age.
But none of that mattered.
At some point, Seo Hweol stopped caring about concepts like ethics.
She simply used her abilities to take control of her relative's household and bent it to her will.
Then, to ensure they could not fear her or even have the thought of fearing her, she directed their attention elsewhere.
She created a target for their hatred.
By subtly whispering that the elderly scholar from the neighbouring house was stealing the harvest from their fields, she provoked them into conflict