101st Round: Paewang 1
A man awoke from the sleep of regression and sat up on his bed.
His features were soft in line yet sharply defined, enough to captivate any woman's gaze. In stark contrast, his deeply sunken eyes and the overwhelming pressure that dominated his surroundings created a profound sense of alienation. He exuded a depth and maturity that transcended his apparent age, as if time itself bowed before him.
"Late again this time."
His voice was dry, stripped of any inflection or variance, utterly devoid of emotion and refined to an inhuman degree. It evoked the stillness of a windless lake. He had simply woken from sleep—any sign of agitation might have seemed more unnatural. Yet for those who knew his inner truth, few would remain calm.
In reality, he had traversed back four hundred years. Regression. An inscrutable defiance of causality's laws.
Paewang Gu Cheon-woo. The unparalleled conqueror of the world, unmatched through the ages. Martial artists who reached the pinnacle of wu and left their mark on the jianghu appeared from time to time, but none had ever unified the martial world and reigned supreme. Only the Paewang possessed the qualifications to be called invincible, having surveyed the entire history of the jianghu.
The Paewang had achieved everything as a martial artist. He could have rested content, having etched an eternal glory into history. But humans were imperfect beings, forever shackled by regret and torment. Even an absolute sovereign was no exception.
If he could erase his regrets and seize a chance to start anew, he ought to rejoice. But what if this was not the first iteration, but the hundredth?
With each successive round, regression ceased to be an opportunity and morphed into an infernal abyss. Even if one accomplished everything, only to see it vanish like a wisp of smoke—what mortal could endure that infinite void?
Moreover, Gu Cheon-woo had lived four hundred years in every round. An ordinary man would have shattered long ago. Endless regression could be a blessing or a curse.
Yet Gu Cheon-woo maintained the same serene composure as ever. Even for an absolute ruler who had dominated eras, this was an extraordinary feat. One might pity him if he had crumbled or fallen into depravity.
"This time, I'll shave off five more years."
Even amid the karmic burdens of reincarnation, Gu Cheon-woo reviewed his previous rounds with unflinching resolve. His immovable mind remained unshaken.
The Paewang had devoted his life to eradicating evil. Mireok Paedo—the Path of Dominance Through Destroying Evil—was the immutable conviction that sustained him.
Evil could turn a single spark into the hell of Yama. Only by swiftly achieving eradication could a peaceful world be attained.
Shorten what now?!
……?
Gu Cheon-woo furrowed his brow at the sudden enigmatic transmission. It wasn't quite telepathy or a mental seed—it was imprinted directly into his mind as crisp text.
Though his internal and external energies had vanished upon his return to the past, his soul had been tempered like diamond over a hundred rounds.
Impressive.
Not even the infamous villains renowned for their sorcery and illusions had shaken the Paewang's spirit. To pierce his mind so effortlessly...
His combative aura flared as he sought the intruder.
What're you looking for? You think searching will find me?
It scolded him as if privy to his every intent. A novel experience for Gu Cheon-woo.
It felt directly linked to his soul, beyond sensory range. Had he ever failed to pinpoint an opponent like this?
He had to concede it.
What is your purpose in approaching?
No chit-chat, huh? Well, you didn't even ask who I am. So typical of the Paewang.
Hmph. Gu Cheon-woo surmised the intruder's identity. No one in this era knew the Paewang. It had to be either the omnipotent being who enabled his regressions or another regressor. Given that it had breached the pinnacle mental barriers of Paewangmudo so easily, the former seemed more likely.
Still, why had this silent entity for a hundred rounds chosen now to converse?
Was my direction wrong?
If it was right, you'd still be regressing, wouldn't you? Why do you keep shortening time in the wrong direction? If it's wrong, try another way or something different—that's common sense! Are you a blockhead?
First time hearing such words.
Who'd call a lunatic like you a blockhead to your face? They'd all have their heads smashed!!
I merely eradicated evil.
Oh sure, only you are righteous!!
Mu-myeong, the entity imprinting words into Gu Cheon-woo's mind without revealing its identity, was seething with frustration.
Over a hundred rounds, Gu Cheon-woo had repeated the same actions, treading the path of Mireok Paedo ever faster and more precisely. Thus, he couldn't comprehend Mu-myeong's outburst.
Mireok—destroying evil outright. A righteous act, so why the frenzy? Was it some demonic fiend?
If only a couple humans got swept away by you, I wouldn't say a word! How do you kill more each time?!
Those who commit crimes deserve death as consequence.
Reward virtue, punish vice? Fine. But can't you show a little mercy? Why kill everyone?
It was efficient.
This madman! He's not right in the head. Judging human lives by efficiency defied common sense. Mu-myeong couldn't pinpoint where it all went wrong.
To reclaim his humanity, it had sent him back to an era when his family was safe, hoping for change. Instead, he rampaged even more wildly.
What began as a century-long conquest accelerated with each round, shrinking to fifteen years by the hundredth. And now, upon returning, he aimed to cut it further.
This was inhuman. He might truly end it in five years this time.
That alone wouldn't be an issue. The problem was his lifespan. Four hundred years per round was baseline. At the martial world's average of under forty, he'd lived tenfold that. Worse, his arts bordered immortality. Given time, he'd become a true immortal.
Human ambition wanes—hence "three days of resolve." But this one only grew more zealous, be it drive or stubbornness.
This time, I can do even better.
Who said better?! Stop it, you lunatic!!
After a century of secluded meditation, regressing this wallflower had made Mu-myeong's existence miserable. If he'd just died of old age, the world might have reset. But he wouldn't die.
I merely fulfilled heaven's will.
Keh! You know heaven's will? When did heaven ever tell you to do that crap? You're just doing what you want.
Valid point. True enough. Then why not speak sooner?
……?
Mu-myeong was speechless. Admitting it would make the hundredth round's failure its own fault. Rage boiled, but logically, no counterargument existed. Its composure crumbled further.
A sense of crisis loomed—it bore sole responsibility. It had to steer him differently. This was the last chance, and he had become causality itself.
Damn it!! Immortal, refusing ascension to purge the world's evil. Sending him up as-is risked catastrophe. The upper realms already finger-pointed daily, a hellish ordeal. It might truly plummet to hell.
Humans are flawed, destined to err, redeemable through regret and torment, reborn anew. But you swept away all human strife with your path of dominance.
Did I?
You bastard!! Ah~! Sure, you suffered too, so you wanted to fix this unfair world. But there's a line! You crossed it!!
In exchange, the world attained peace.
As Gu Cheon-woo cited his achievements, Mu-myeong barely suppressed surging fury. To the ignorant, it sounded reasonable—even the world had appeared peaceful. Yet the path of Mireok Paedo was paved in mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
Peace is forged only through strength and blood. Forgiveness and harmony are mere ideals.
This conviction alone proved it. No matter how much blood villains spilled, protecting the innocent sufficed. Who else but him? He alone could do it. The world called this "solitary virtue."
Granting that, just punish the guilty. Why slaughter even those who haven't sinned yet?!
Left alone, they sinned anyway. Preempting saves time.
The reason it accelerated per round. Using four centuries, he rooted out future evildoers. Killing nascent evil was efficient logic, honed by the hundredth round.
Sacrificing few for many has limits. You stripped even the chance for redemption. Even if for all, you lack the right.
Hard to understand.
Gu Cheon-woo had walked Mireok Paedo for forty thousand years unbroken. To now deem that path wrong sowed confusion. Another's words would ring hollow, but this was his guide.
Ignore evil?
Who said that?! At least look around you, give a chance to reflect.
Evil is evil.
As if. Cultivate self, then family, rule state, pacify world. Know your parents' and siblings' dreams?
……?
And you dare speak of the world!!
No time for wasting.
First, tend your house. This is the last time.
Please! It desperately wished he'd abandon that damned Mireok Paedo. If not, the world's fate was unpredictable. Hence the constraint: prioritize family. Staying home might benefit the world more.
Simple.
Could the iron-blooded lord who ruled the world fail at family? An insult to the Paewang.
Simple? He knew nothing. Mu-myeong's head throbbed. It was a warning, a plea—yet felt like a nose-ring.
Stagnation had cracked reality, layering twisted causality into a rift. Even one who'd dominated the martial world a hundred times should manage... right?
Mu-myeong couldn't predict how the rifts and karma from a hundred regressions would manifest.