Chapter 182
Chapter 182
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 182
Chapter Title: The First Success
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“I...”
Not all of his memories were clear yet.
In fact, the overall picture had grown even hazier, but one thing stood out in sharp relief.
“What the hell is this?”
The fact that he had been reborn from that heart, repulsive enough just to look at, enough to make him retch.
Memories from before that.
‘My wife.’
His own life, his parents—all of it seemed wiped clean, vanished.
All that remained was a vague sense that something had once been there, muddled together.
“And...”
Crunch.
Blood dripped from the fist Park Dong-uk clenched so tightly.
It was too hard to accept, impossible to believe, so he had no choice but to doubt.
“Sung-hu...”
Park Sung-hu, the son he had tried so desperately to protect—was he really his son?
“Sung-hu is indeed your son, Mr. Park Dong-uk.”
And the answer came immediately.
Kang In.
“The age lines up, too. Though at the time he was being experimented on by On Wi-seong, he seems to have forgotten even that much.”
“What do you...”
“Sung-hu was abandoned for over three years.”
“...!”
Park Dong-uk’s eyes widened to the point of tearing.
“While you were being experimented on in Ondo, he was left as good as discarded. And by the time you woke up, it looks like On Wi-seong tracked him down.”
He could guess the purpose without being told.
“Your chains... But seeing potential in Sung-hu as well, he ran experiments—only for them to fail.”
Kwaaaa!
An explosive aura erupted from Park Dong-uk.
It was so destructive and volatile that even Kang In had to grimace and summon protective mana.
It was unbelievable that Park Dong-uk—someone who had lost his system and hadn’t been all that impressive to begin with—could unleash such power.
Kwaaaa!
Park Dong-uk didn’t even seem aware he was emitting it himself.
“Uwaaaaaah!”
His roar shattered the air.
Zzaaang!
Glass shattered, shards flying everywhere.
In that instant, fragments of erased memories sharpened into focus.
-Dad.
-Our Sung-hu.
-Honey.
Memories that had been forcibly forgotten.
“Kill... I’ll kill...”
His eyes reddening, the moment Park Dong-uk was about to lose all reason.
Tap.
Go Yohan’s hand, which had silently approached, gently pressed his temple.
In that instant.
Paat!
As if the previous outburst had been a lie, Park Dong-uk’s aura vanished clean away.
“You shouldn’t use that power lightly.”
“...!”
“You asked what you are.”
Go Yohan’s sky-blue eyes fixed on Park Dong-uk.
In that gaze, Park Dong-uk felt as if he were being dismantled piece by piece.
“Before that—do you want revenge?”
“Revenge...”
On Wi-seong.
The man who had stolen his life and now sought to take his son too.
And.
-Good test subject.
The man who had stolen even the one love from his resurfacing memories.
-We need to give him a proper shock.
-Funny thing. Who’d have thought willpower could boost the experiment’s success rate.
-That idiot won’t matter even if we let him loose. Might even be more useful that way.
-Either way, he’s the only survivor.
On Wi-seong’s voice echoed in his head like a curse.
“Revenge...!”
On Wi-seong. Revenge against him.
“I want it.”
That was when it happened.
Thud!
Something crashed down from the broken ceiling.
It was On Wi-seong, crumpled beyond recognition.
“Do as you please.”
Go Yohan said.
“From what I’ve seen in the past, those who sell their souls to demons crave revenge above all else.”
Step.
Go Yohan stepped back.
“Grant them that much, and they won’t need to rely on demons anymore, right?”
Paat.
As Go Yohan spread his hand, On Wi-seong began regenerating to his original form with astonishing speed.
“Grr... grraaaaaah!”
Screams that hadn’t emerged before now rang out, filling the air, and On Wi-seong’s newly regenerated eyes trembled in agony as the pain began to subside.
He had been raised as a secret agent of a nation.
He even had the talent to become a compatible host for a demon seed’s mutation.
“Impressive, really. Setting up a breeding facility of all places in South Korea.”
He had established a breeding facility in Go Yohan’s domain—South Korea—right under Go Yohan’s watch.
The reason was obvious, but it was commendable that the church hadn’t caught on despite years of experiments.
“You picked the wrong side.”
Go Yohan said from where he stood against the wall.
“You can at least be glad you’ve found some use like this.”
That was when it happened.
On Wi-seong, acknowledged by Go Yohan, began to move in a way befitting that recognition.
“Graaaaaah!”
He lunged at Park Dong-uk, thrashing like a madman.
*
*
*
“You can stop anytime. Just say the word.”
Go Yohan’s voice echoed hazily.
“One word is all it takes.”
It sounded like a demon’s whisper.
“On Wi-seong will either suffer eternally in that state,”
Kwaaang!
“Or I’ll make him die completely, leaving no trace behind.”
In the basement of the Ondo Guild House.
Kwaaang!
Surrounded by Black Watch members, with Go Yohan overlooking from the head seat, the place looked like an illegal fighting pit.
“Dieee!”
On Wi-seong’s frenzied assaults, now fully monstrous.
Facing him was.
Drip, drop, splat...
A battered human—Park Dong-uk.
“Haa, haa...”
Panting raggedly, Park Dong-uk looked as if he’d lost his mind.
-Anytime.
Only Go Yohan’s voice circled in his head, blotting out the world.
And in that void, one thing stood crystal clear: On Wi-seong.
‘How am I still alive?’
Park Dong-uk marveled that he had survived this long.
Against the monster that was On Wi-seong, he was woefully inadequate.
Yet.
Kwaaang!
He had barely dodged vital strikes before, but now he evaded On Wi-seong’s attacks by a hair’s breadth.
And right now.
Fwaaak.
His eyes began to glow.
Reddened eyes, pupils splitting open in eerie fashion.
At the same time, the world seemed to accelerate.
Shraaak!
Like a god’s rough brushstroke on pristine white paper.
“Uwaaaaaah!”
Vomiting out the pent-up rage in his heart, awakening forgotten memories.
Shweeeek!
The moment Park Dong-uk swung his arm.
Shrrrk!
His ordinary human arm transformed into a whip-like form.
There was no time to be shocked.
“Dieee!”
On Wi-seong whirled around, sensing the attack, shifting his stance.
And as he crouched low to boost his defenses, turning his body into a ball—
Shleeeek!
On Wi-seong’s hardened flesh tore away like paper.
“Guh, guhuk!”
His scream followed, but he realized it.
“Ah...”
This was just the beginning.
“Nooooo!”
Park Dong-uk’s erupting fury began shredding On Wi-seong to pieces.
His whip-arms lashed out, generating sonic booms, and though On Wi-seong flailed to dodge and block,
Puhwaaaak!
He was simply torn apart.
Sulk.
Kang In, who had stood guarding Go Yohan, stepped back slightly.
The Black Watch members did too.
“Urk!”
Unable to withstand the shockwaves, they retreated further.
The only one standing firm was.
“......”
Go Yohan alone.
He watched the rampaging Park Dong-uk with his usual calm gaze.
How much time passed?
Shrrrk... Kwaang!
Part of Park Dong-uk’s whip-like arm shattered and fell, crashing into the floor with a boom.
“Huhk, huhk.”
Park Dong-uk collapsed, utterly spent, gasping for air.
Before him.
“I... I...”
On Wi-seong was no more.
The man with supreme regeneration and transformation powers had been slain by Park Dong-uk—a mere unremarkable player.
“You asked what you are?”
From behind Park Dong-uk came Go Yohan’s voice, accompanied by a warm hand.
“Ah.”
A groan or a gasp of awe escaped Park Dong-uk’s lips.
The energy surging through his body began regenerating his near-dead flesh.
His mind grew hazier, but the pain of his shredded body was fading.
“Demons sought to birth new beings through Trbania’s humans.”
Exhaustion washed over him, sleep beckoning.
“Using the flesh of an ancient demon god to create something neither demon nor magic beast.”
He closed his eyes.
“I don’t know why they needed it, but all their experiments failed. No mere human could withstand the body of an ancient demon god that even archdemons couldn’t handle.”
Go Yohan continued.
“You.”
Thud.
“Are apparently their first success.”
Though the ancient demon god’s body hadn’t fully taken root, of course.
Go Yohan scooped up the fallen Park Dong-uk.
“...Captain. Let me.”
Kang In approached to take him, but Go Yohan shook his head.
“He suffered because of me. I can at least do this much.”
“...Understood.”
Kang In bowed deeply.
“Lift your head. It’s not your fault, Kang In.”
Sensing Kang In’s feelings, perhaps—Go Yohan’s words made him tremble briefly.
The Black Watch had been monitoring such activities in South Korea.
So in the end.
“I didn’t know they’d rebuilt the breeding facility. Far more deeply hidden than I thought...”
Go Yohan looked up and said.
“The demons seem to be lurking deeper than we realized.”
He had thought black gates were the only way demons emerged.
Even if some slipped through cracks, their numbers would be few.
But.
‘If the current quiet means they’ve already infiltrated to a certain extent.’
Then they wouldn’t need to force open black gates.
“The war might already be in its mid-stages.”
“Se-hwa.”
“To the Magic Tower.”
Swish.