The Core of Seo Hyeol (1)
Kwaaarrung!
I stared at the brain that had quietly accepted my death and led me to the next floor, offering no resistance at all.
'...This feels ominous.'
Working with Seo Hyeol had brought about more than one ominous situation, but this one carried a different kind of dread. If Seo Hyeol’s schemes had squeezed my throat like a vice, this pressure felt like being stripped naked in the depths of the abyss, watching the oxygen supply of my air tank steadily dwindle while something vast approached through the darkness.
Above all... no matter how powerful Takhonmancheon might be, we were already on the eighty-first floor of the Trial Tower. And yet, no reaction had come from Geumjinjo!
That was when I felt a chill crawl up my spine.
Oscill!
As I stepped into the eighty-first floor, goosebumps erupted across my entire body.
Pa-chik, pa-chi-jijik...
Heavenly thunder power vibrated across the entire universe, and an ominous sensation swept through my mind.
At the same time, a sudden, insane craving for banners flooded me—the urge to instantly create and admire a banner, like it was the most beautiful thing in the world.
'...Suddenly banners feel beautiful... This is...'
Kwoong...
Thunder, banners, and a love of banners.
Only one being was connected to those words in my mind.
The Heavenly Thunder Banner, Jeong-ryeo!
The moment I recalled her, I wanted to scream her name like a madman, but I clamped my mouth shut instead.
'What on earth did the Jeong-ryeo who appeared in the Noe-seonghae last time do to the Noe-seonghae!? Damn it... I absolutely must never speak that name!'
Suddenly, a memory flashed through my mind: the brain that had been quietly praying, hands folded in a respectful posture, moments ago.
'It's not that Takhonmancheon has taken control of them... No way...'
Recalling the nightmare from my time with the Geumsincheonroemun, I pushed forward toward the upper floors as quickly as possible.
No matter what, my mission remained the same.
In the blink of an eye, I crushed every brain on the ninety-eighth floor and reached the ninety-ninth.
I arrived at the place where the Queen of the Brain Beehive should be and scanned my surroundings.
Far below, a planet-sized tree and the honeycomb attached to it came into view.
I quickly entered the honeycomb. The moment I stepped inside, I saw countless brain beehives praying in the same posture as the others.
I headed for the center of the honeycomb, to the location of the Gaeyeol Brain Beehive Queen.
And right away, I could see her condition.
Pa-chik, pa-chi-jijik...
Her pupils were empty as she murmured endlessly toward some distant point while praying.
Every time she repeated a single line, the surrounding space shuddered.
'This is...'
I realized that the prayer the Gaeyeol brain queen—my counterpart—was half-delirious with was the Sutra of Returning to the Source.
Softly... softly...
Returning to the Source...
Returning to the Source...
Her prayer echoed with the roar of countless crowds from her mouth!
Kwuduk!
I immediately paralyzed the part of my soul responsible for hearing.
If I listened any longer, I would be eroded until I became a brain spirit and suffer the same curse of regression that had haunted me before.
'...Seo Hyeol...'
I ground my teeth as I finally understood where that bastard had led me.
'It seems the Noe-seonghae has been infiltrating into the owner of the Heavenly Tribulation... at some point...'
And Seo Hyeol must have known this and sent me here anyway!
'As I expected, I never should have trusted that bastard!'
I bit down hard and pondered for a moment.
And I reached my conclusion.
'Still, I must save Jeon Myeong-hoon first.'
After all, doom was approaching soon.
Before that, I had to try something.
The fact that Geumjinjo had kidnapped Jeon Myeong-hoon and didn’t care about the apocalypse might mean that the Noe-seonghae actually held the means to avoid it!
Therefore, fleeing unprepared was a terrible mistake.
'Turning back here would be the worst possible option. First, I have to break through and find Jeon Myeong-hoon! In the worst case... I can just shout for Geomgeukcheongun!'
With a firm resolve, I plunged my hand into the Queen’s chest and retrieved the key to the hundredth floor inside her body.
Pa-sa-sa-sa!
In an instant, the door to the hundredth floor opened, and the familiar scenery came into view.
It was a desert of red poppies.
A gigantic celestial body the size of a planet was floating and moving across the sky like the one I had seen with Young-seung.
'This is the hundredth floor... And...'
Uuuuu...
I closed my eyes and expanded my consciousness.
At the same time, a halo appeared behind my head.
It was a halo shaped like a chariot wheel.
'Through the Wheel of Reincarnation, I find the entrance to the hidden space.'
Up to the Star Shattering stage, it was still stars and other objects. But from the Seongban stage onward, it began to transcend the object.
Now my core itself was the [flow] that rotated.
It was a part of the universe’s flow.
Kiiiiing!
[There you are!]
I spat out a curse and thrust my fist straight toward empty space.
Kwaaa-aang!
The space instantly collapsed, and the entire hundredth floor shook.
Kwoong!
I quickly created an entrance to the one hundred first floor and stepped through.
Pa-aat!
'This is... I see.'
I realized I had left the Trial Tower.
Far below, the gigantic Trial Tower stood, and beneath it stretched an endless blue sea, while above, the sky opened into an endless cosmic void.
This was the one hundred first floor of the Noe-seonghae.
'Though called the one hundred first floor of the Trial Tower... in reality, it was merely a space gradually distancing itself from the tower. The real concept of the “next floor” didn’t exist.'
I scanned my surroundings, tensing in case Geumjinjo would suddenly attack.
Fortunately, Geumjinjo did not pounce on me.
Perhaps she was also busy preparing against the infiltration of the Heavenly Tribulation.
'Then, next floor!'
Kwang!
I smashed open the door to the one hundred second floor.
Upon reaching the one hundred second floor, the Trial Tower looked smaller.
It had shrunk from the size of a proper tower to that of a two-story building,
and the sea that had seemed endless before now had a clear end.
'Is there nothing here too?'
Kwoong!
One hundred third floor.
The Trial Tower was now the size of an adult man, and the sea it had stood on had become a small pond.
The surroundings were shrouded in eerie fog, beyond which nothing could be sensed.
Slosh, slosh...
'The fog beyond is the one hundred fourth floor.'
After recognizing it, I stepped into the fog and tried to walk beyond it.
No matter how far I walked, I knew I was not moving away from the Trial Tower.
'I see. It looks like an ordinary space... but the distance of several hundred million light years is compressed here...'
I had no intention of arguing about it.
Wiiiiing!
I activated the chariot wheel floating behind my head.
I still didn’t know the name of this wheel.
But I knew one thing for certain: this wheel was a kind of powerful auxiliary technique.
And the power of this wheel was [reset].
The authority to temporarily reset the phenomenon in front of me.
Of course, this was only a fragment of the true power of the wheel, but it was more than enough for now.
[I, who will change the space before your eyes.]
Kiri-riririk!
The chariot wheel spun.
At the same time, the fog in front of me cleared, and I instantly reached the one hundred fourth floor.
'As expected, this is the one hundred fourth floor.'
Having escaped the fog, I arrived at the familiar garden.
Looking back, I saw a small pond and a pagoda-shaped stone tower in the shape of the Trial Tower inside it.
The very place where Geumjinjo had first brought me—the management space of the Noe-seonghae.
I scanned my surroundings while keeping a wary eye on Geumjinjo.
'There’s nothing here either...'
She was nowhere to be seen.
I climbed to the observatory where Geumjinjo had guided me.
'I feel no trace of her anywhere in this garden. That means she must be on the next floor...'
I closed my eyes at the center of the observatory and realized that the entire Noe-seonghae was visible.
'I see. So this is how you reach the next floor.'
From inside the observatory, I learned the methods to the one hundred fifth, one hundred sixth, and one hundred seventh floors.
And after learning how to reach the one hundred eighth floor that Seo Hyeol had mentioned, I left the observatory and summoned power.
Kuguguguk!
With the power, I tore a crack in the empty air and leaped through it.
The method to the one hundred fifth floor was to “ascend” from the one hundred fourth floor.
I grabbed the great flow of power from the Noe-seonghae crack as if ascending to the Central Boundary and clung to it.
Unlike real ascension, the one in the Noe-seonghae was short.
Pa-aat!
'Here is...'
Looking down, I saw a gigantic continent below.
Red poppies bloomed vibrantly across that continent.
And the garden I had been in moments ago was located at the center of the continent.
Looking back, I saw a divine palace floating there, where a faint thunder flowed.
The thunder was mainly of two colors—red and gold thunder.
And what was strange was that the red thunder would flare like lightning from the sky and bloom like poppies before disappearing.
'This palace is not the end.'
I saw a staircase leading to an even more distant sky behind the palace and confirmed what lay at its end.
At the end of the staircase was another divine palace through which only complete red thunder flowed.
I recalled the knowledge of each floor I had obtained from the one hundred fourth floor observatory and the Noe-seonghae management space.
'That place is the one hundred sixth floor. And after clearing the Poppy Maze inside it, you can reach Yang Su-jin’s treasure vault.'
I entered the red-gold thunder divine palace on the one hundred fifth floor.
For some reason, the structure of this divine palace was familiar.
'I see. The layout of the buildings of the Geumsincheonroemun is exactly the same.'
More precisely, the front halls, rooms, and furniture of the Geumsincheonroemun matched perfectly.
I could feel faint power and fate flowing through everything inside the divine palace, so it was probably a kind of altar for attempting to exchange fate.
At the same time, I saw a stone tablet inscribed in some letters I had never seen before.
'English!?
Why are they all in uppercase? After roughly translating the English sentences, I understood their meaning.
'This is...
A way to summon one of the powers of the Trial Tower in the Noe-seonghae.
And the power written here was none other than “completely erasing Geumjinjo.”
'If I use this method... Geumjinjo will be turned into countless small brain beings and completely erased. Still, she was no different from his own god... Why did Yang Su-jin leave this behind, forcing his descendants to treat her so harshly?'
I felt a bitter taste and memorized the curse written in English.
And at that moment, I flinched upon reading the final sentence Yang Su-jin had left.
The sentence was short and concise.
However, I felt something strange from that sentence.
-May they find rest.
"...Wait a moment."
I had to check Geumjinjo’s condition on the one hundred sixth floor, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the sentence.
Because hidden in those few words was the cruelty behind Yang Su-jin’s ruthlessness.
'They... I wonder if...'
I seemed to understand why Yang Su-jin had locked Geumjinjo in the Noe-seonghae, endlessly erased her for a thousand years, and torn her into countless billions of pieces.
I briefly stared at the stone tablet, then left the red-gold thunder divine palace and entered the red thunder divine palace on the one hundred sixth floor.
Pa-chik, pa-chi-jijik...
The more I ascended to the one hundred sixth floor, the heavier the ominous feeling pressing on my shoulders grew.
Pa-chi-chi-ji-jijik...
In front of the Red Thunder Palace.
I spent a long time considering whether to open the palace door.
'Something terrifying feels beyond this door.'
Perhaps Jeong-ryeo had directly descended.
Perhaps Geumjinjo had been captured by her and still hadn’t reacted to me.
I adjusted my breathing for a while in front of the Red Thunder Palace, then threw open the door without hesitation.
'Even if it’s really Jeong-ryeo... I must save Jeon Myeong-hoon!'
Kwa-chi-jijik!
The door opened.
And in the next instant.
I saw a horrifying monster burst out from inside.
:::: Kiiiiiaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!! ::::
It was a monster with thousands or billions of bird heads.
The monster, which had been shooting thunder while retaining bird heads, fled in terror as if it were a flowing river, exiting the inside of the Red Thunder Palace and disappearing somewhere.
'W-what was that just now!?'
I felt a shiver, knowing the identity of the monster that had just appeared.
The aura I sensed from it was definitely Geumjinjo’s.
'What the... Did Geumjinjo turn into a monster and suddenly flee as if she had seen something impossible?'
I tensed and slowly entered the interior.
And there I saw...
Jeon Myeong-hoon.
"...Huh?"
His shirt removed, Jeon Myeong-hoon sat calmly in seiza, facing me.
His hair had grown much longer than before.
His hair half-covered the interior of the Red Thunder Palace that looked like a bedroom.
"Jeon Myeong-hoon, are you all right? Safe?"
At my words, he smiled faintly.
The smile seemed too calm for Jeon Myeong-hoon, and I felt an inexplicable dread.
'Normally, this would be the sign of having been infected by Seo Hyeol...'
"...Are you possessed by someone? Who are you?"
At my question, he chuckled and stood up.
Pa-chi-jik!
Thunder seemed to surge around him, and his hair shortened.
"Is this enough? If it’s the form from my memories, this should be the most appropriate. I am Jeon Myeong-hoon."
"...Then, what do you cherish most?"
"What I cherish most... is the Heavenly Thunder Banner of the Geumsincheonroemun that the Geumsinja stole and took as a divine object."
"...You should at least speak reasonably..."
Kwoong...
I ground my teeth and looked at the being in front of me.
"What Jeon Myeong-hoon cherishes most is Geum So-hae’s hand. It’s not something like the Heavenly Thunder Banner! Who are you!? A Gaeyeol true immortal? No, definitely not. A fellow brain of Geumjinjo!? Get out of Jeon Myeong-hoon’s body right now!"
Despite the ominous feeling emanating from the being in front of me, which made me feel as if my reason had gone numb, I resisted with all my strength and shouted at it.
"A fellow brain of Geumjinjo... I’ve heard it said that you have a talent for making people laugh."
"What..."
Pa-chi-jik!
In the next instant, the being appeared in front of me, brutally grabbed my mouth, and lifted my body.
I struggled to break free from his hand, but I realized I couldn’t escape.
Jeon Myeong-hoon smiled faintly, golden lightning flashing from his eyes.
"How unpleasant. A bug like you dares to use my body."
'What the...'
I was bewildered, but I knew one thing.
The being in front of me was at least a true immortal or higher!
Kuguguguk...
'This isn’t Jeon Myeong-hoon’s strength...!'
Just as I was desperately searching for a way out of this situation while bewildered,
Thud!
The being possessing Jeon Myeong-hoon’s body dropped my face.
I fell in front of him and knelt, coughing.
'My situation... You are too great. I cannot oppose you..."
But what was truly frightening was that the form the being had just shown was not even a fragment of it.
The being possessing Jeon Myeong-hoon briefly looked at his own hand, then smiled faintly.
"...We have been caught. That bastard... finally arranged for me to reach the body here. His prophecy has surpassed the body. Hahaha... It is impossible with just his power. It must have borrowed the power of the [Oldest One]."
He spoke with a vague tone.
"The revival is not yet complete, so I will temporarily entrust the fate of the body to your hands. Do as you wish. I will find an escape route for the body as I please."
"...Who are you? And what was that just now?"
"There is no need to ask. The cruel thing I have stuck in my chest will soon tell you everything. Do as you please."
After saying that, he assumed seiza in front of me and simply closed his eyes, hiding all his aura.
I briefly stared at him and said,
"...I must save my comrade, Jeon Myeong-hoon. I don’t know who you are. Perhaps you are a true immortal similar to the Heavenly Thunder Banner or Geumjinjo. It seems you wish to take over my comrade’s body, but I can never allow that. Therefore, I will find my comrade’s body at any cost!"
I placed both hands on his shoulders.
He did not resist, unexpectedly.
No, he seemed to have no resistance at all.
'He said he was in the process of revival... While reviving inside Jeon Myeong-hoon’s body, he cannot use power for a while! He cannot resist... Is “do as you please” really true...? I don’t know. But whether it is or not... my task is decided!'
I briefly stared at him, shouldered Jeon Myeong-hoon’s body, and left the Red Thunder Palace.
I headed toward the center of the red bedroom.
The further I went into the center, the stronger the scent of poppies began to fill the air.
'If you pass through the Poppy Maze, you can reach Yang Su-jin’s treasure vault.'
But since Geumjinjo could not enter that place, she had never been able to go there.
However, the moment I reached the entrance of the Poppy Maze, I immediately realized that I had gained the “qualification” to enter here.
'It opens far too easily for someone who has mastered Myeonsingeobcheon...!'
Pa-sa-sa-sa-sa!
A maze-like space suddenly appeared before me.
But the space instantly distorted the moment it touched my Myeonsingeobcheon power and became a straight corridor extending forward.
I quickly ran down the straight corridor.
Poppy scent wafted from all directions, and beyond the scenery, I saw something resembling a vision.
A figure resembling Yang Su-jin and a white-haired woman walking through a poppy flower field.
They stood at the center of the poppy field, exchanging rings.
'...I see.'
I realized the role of the Noe-seonghae.
The space excluding the Trial Tower was all bedrooms, gardens, and flower fields.
This place... was a space where Yang Su-jin could be with his most precious person.
For a while, the vision of Yang Su-jin and the white-haired woman flew through the Poppy Maze.
I finally arrived at a new space.
Pa-a-a-aat!
'There it is!'
In an eerie space that felt like a dream or like being underwater, I reached out toward the familiar auras floating in that space.
Pa-a-a-aat!
The symbols of the five Central Boundaries rapidly entered my inner world of the soul.
'Now I just have to exit...'
But when I looked back, the path I had taken through the Poppy Maze had completely disappeared.
"What...!"
That was when the being possessing Jeon Myeong-hoon’s body gave me advice.
"You cannot go back to before the one hundred seventh floor of the Noe-seonghae. From the beginning, Yang Su-jin created the Poppy Maze and this one hundred seventh floor with the intention of making a firm resolve. That means the one hundred seventh floor is a structure where you can only go to the one hundred eighth floor."
"...!"
I felt the path to the one hundred eighth floor.
'Damn it... I hesitated because I didn’t know what trick Seo Hyeol had pulled...'
It didn’t seem like I had any choice.
I clenched my teeth and threw my body toward the one hundred eighth floor of the Noe-seonghae.
Pa-a-a-a-aat!
And a pure white light covered my eyes.
* * *
"...Eh?"
I looked around with a dazed expression.
It was familiar.
This place was unbearably familiar.
I swung my hand.
Kwaa-aang!
The ceiling of the familiar underground room was torn away, revealing the scenery around me.
"...Ha, ha ha, hahaha!"
Only then did I realize where the one hundred eighth floor of the Noe-seonghae was.
And why Seo Hyeol had told me to investigate Yang Su-jin’s shrine if I wanted to conquer the Noe-seonghae.
"...I see. It was here."
The one hundred eighth floor of the Noe-seonghae.
It was the Dabcheon Desert of the Water Realm.
Won Rip’s black star had been here.
* * *
Ilwol Cheonyeok.
The Star Realm.
In a certain place of that Star Realm, the constellation of Hyeon-eum.
There, Seo Hyeol’s eyes snapped open.
"...It’s over."
He stood up, spread both arms wide, and laughed.
"Finally, the box has returned to the Water Realm."
Chuk!
He smiled faintly and made a vow.
Chuk, chuk, chuk, chuk!
And across the entire Ilwol Cheonyeok, all the Seos Hyeol began to make the same vow simultaneously.
At the same time, the same sentence emerged from every Seos Hyeol’s mouth.
[Activation. Takhonmancheon.]