Chapter 50
Chapter 50
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: The Third
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Cliché as it might sound,
a familiar ceiling came into view.
Or was it?
'This is the dorm, but... it doesn't quite feel like my room.'
And there was this strangely fragrant scent filling the air, making it clear this wasn't his own space.
'Hm?'
The moment he turned his head, he saw Mi-na asleep beside the bed, her arm propped under her head.
...No way. Was this Mi-na's dorm room?
'Ugh. Not a place to linger...'
Bi-hyeong hurriedly tried to get up from his spot.
That was the moment.
'...What's this?'
A sudden headache crashed over him.
But in the blink of an eye, the pain vanished, and an unidentified voice began echoing in his ears.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ "All sides are sealed shut." "Nothing but darkness in sight. And oppression." "'Argh! This is so damn suffocating!'" "'Just let me out. I'll smash the skulls of everyone who locked me up!'" And then the voice cut off.
'...Huh?'
To be precise, it kept mumbling afterward,
but strangely, he couldn't make out the words.
'Not qualified enough, or something?'
Bi-hyeong guessed this was the 'legacy' bestowed by the shadow.
But,
'What even is this? What am I supposed to do with it?'
A reward, they said?
Even those beings up in the heavens were shocked, right?
'But that's it? No immediate payoff?'
Bi-hyeong was utterly bewildered.
'Has anything changed at all... Hm?'
Right then, he felt his presence begin to sprout.
It grew bit by bit, soon surpassing the limits he knew, becoming even denser.
A chill ran down his spine!
Even though it was his own presence, it gave him goosebumps for a moment.
'...The price of accepting the legacy?'
But it didn't feel like that was the end.
The incomprehensible voices kept coming.
If he gained the qualifications and fully accepted it, his presence would rise even more.
'...Good or bad?'
He had to live among exorcists— was this really okay?
'Hoo... Still, it opened up the negotiation table for me, so it can't be all bad.'
Clinging to that belief, Bi-hyeong opened his system for the first time in ages.
And there it was—a new entry.
【Legacy】 (new!) 'Huh?'
A first-time sight.
Unlike his other stats, skills, or bloodlines, it was highlighted in bold,
and it kept flashing as if screaming, Look at me!
Impossible not to notice.
'Should I tap it?'
The moment Bi-hyeong touched the entry,
a second voice rang in his ears—familiar now, if only slightly.
⚙ LEGACY VOICE LOG ⚙ "Ah, ah. Mic test." The shadow.
The negotiation partner who had granted him this segment of legacy.
It was his voice.
"What... Does this mean we can talk...!"
Forgetting Mi-na was asleep,
Bi-hyeong startled at his own loud outburst,
but the shadow's voice continued unabated.
⚙ LEGACY VOICE LOG ⚙ "If you're asking if we can communicate, nope. Sorry, but this is just a pre-recorded message where I guessed what you'd be thinking." Heh heh!
Whatever was so funny, the shadow kept chuckling as his words flowed on.
⚙ LEGACY VOICE LOG ⚙ "No clue what a legacy is, right? I wanted to explain it right there, but... junior, you saw them. All those old fogeys around. So I recorded this separately and sent it over." "Alright then..." "Shall I explain what our curious junior wants to know?" The cheerful voice pressed on.
⚙ LEGACY VOICE LOG ⚙ "Legacy. To put it simply, it's the 'story' each of us has built up?" 'Story?'
⚙ LEGACY VOICE LOG ⚙ "Tch. Too vague? Easier terms: think of it as 'footprints.'" The tone suddenly grew serious.
⚙ LEGACY VOICE LOG ⚙ "The events, insights, and deeds a person—or yokai—experiences in life. All of it weaves into a single story, becoming the legacy that proves their existence." "In essence, the legacy is the being itself. For existences like us, we don't die unless every trace of our legacy is erased from the world. Immortality, you could call it." "Junior. You've inherited a piece of this body's legacy. You're not qualified for the full thing yet, but even just stepping into it will greatly aid your journey ahead." "It'll create a 'miracle' whenever someone tries to oppress you." The voice lightened up again.
⚙ LEGACY VOICE LOG ⚙ "Congrats, junior. With this segment of my legacy, your growth rate is about to skyrocket. This body was a genius among geniuses, after all." "Oh, and just in case—your goblin presence getting stronger isn't bumming you out, is it? Like, 'Oh no... I have to live among humans...'" Bi-hyeong silently glared at the message.
...This guy wasn't lying about no real-time comms just to eavesdrop, was he?
But how irreverent that thought was became clear with the next words.
⚙ LEGACY VOICE LOG ⚙ "Ahem! No need to worry about that. This senior adjusted your presence with you in mind. Your ghostly aura won't raise suspicions even if you let it out around people. Hell, they might even worship you." 'Ah...'
So that's what it meant!
'Presence boosted, but no worry about humans noticing, plus two bonus effects?'
One conditional on oppression, but the other a constant EXP boost.
Adding the reverse scale from the dragon made it two EXP dopes!
'Whoa, damn...'
This was insane!
He'd done everything!
'Choosing the legacy was the right call, huh?'
Bi-hyeong smiled in satisfaction.
But the voice hadn't ended.
⚙ LEGACY VOICE LOG ⚙ "Oh, right. No more storyline rewards from now on since you got this?" Huh?
'What now...'
⚙ LEGACY VOICE LOG ⚙ "I explained it earlier, right? Legacy is you yourself—your accumulated story." "Normally, it'd only unlock after the set storylines end... Oops. Can't say more due to restrictions. Anyway, you've jumped ahead into that content. You'll rack up more than others, so no complaints." "Those old storyline rewards will just fuel your legacy now." With that, the voice cut off completely.
'......'
Bi-hyeong blinked silently.
Was he supposed to be happy about this?
'...It's good, though. Per the hint, legacies normally start only after fixed storylines end.'
That meant a gap existed between his envisioned ending and theirs.
Now he knew, and could prepare.
Actually, that made it better.
'Whatever comes, I can stay one step ahead.'
Build a legacy.
He didn't fully grasp it yet, but if it was worth mentioning, it had to be good.
Plus,
'Immortality, was it?'
As long as the legacy persisted in the world, the existence wouldn't die?
'To prepare for what's ahead, that's essential.'
He'd taken the first step toward his own.
The negotiation table had overflowed with gains already.
Steeling himself, Bi-hyeong looked away from the legacy entry.
That's when a new message alert popped up.
"Oh, forgot. Can't use the warehouse without storyline rewards, right? Here's a free one-time key as service." The voice was truly gone now.
'Uh... yeah...'
Seeing the key in his warehouse tab, Bi-hyeong nodded.
'He really did everything.'
Alright.
Whoever you are, no backstab worries.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Fairly satisfied with the rewards, Bi-hyeong prepared to slip out of Mi-na's room.
No sense overstaying in a lady's space.
As he pushed himself up from the bed,
'Ugh!'
An indescribable pain surged from his lower abdomen.
'Ngh...'
Swallowing a groan with effort, Bi-hyeong examined his internals.
His qi and blood were a mess.
'...Yin-Yang Reversal backlash?'
Makes sense.
It was tremendous power, after all.
'For that instant, I nearly got swept away by the sheer ferocity of the energy.'
To quantify it roughly: using it felt like jumping an entire realm in an instant.
That much power could erupt.
That was the Yin-Yang Reversal he'd been developing—a trump card to overturn the gap with an opponent in a single moment.
'...Status says it's too risky to force right now.'
If needed, just once.
Use it as a joker to flip desperate situations.
'For now, anyway. Once I grow stronger, it'll change.'
Higher realms toughen both body exterior and interior.
Meaning higher qi-blood capacity for energy.
And he was half-demon.
His muscles, bones, and qi-blood density outclassed peer exorcists.
'Oof, this sucks.'
That was that, but the pain was real.
Bi-hyeong slipped out quietly so as not to wake Mi-na, then sat in the living room for meditation.
Yang exorcism energy activated his body, soothing damaged channels, followed by yin yokai energy stimulating his half-demon recovery.
Under the Heavenly Time Meridian flow, the dual energies circulated, swiftly mending his internals.
His qi-blood stabilized somewhat.
'Still hurts, though. Backlash must be severe.'
Recovery at about 20%?
But that was lightning-fast.
Normal internal injury healing took a month at best, years at worst.
'Faster than top-grade yokai healing pills.'
Grateful for his half-demon constitution, Bi-hyeong rose—
'Hm?'
Something tugged at his dantian.
Specifically, the Demon Core inside his lower dantian.
'What the?'
Probing deeper in curiosity, he spotted a faint, hazy form within the core.
...No way the Demon Core ate their souls!?
'This guy...'
Bi-hyeong's brow furrowed, anger rising naturally.
But something felt off.
'...Why are the kids' souls silent?'
If digested, no hazy form would remain.
'Yokai power hasn't increased either. Just... settled in.'
Which meant one thing.
“The souls ascended, but the corporeal soul remained?”
Soul and corporeal soul were linked, yet distinct.
The soul was mind or will; the corporeal soul was body or vitality.
“Together they form existence?”
When the soul ascends, the corporeal soul returns to the earth as nourishment — so they said.
'The kids ascended, leaving their vital force in the Demon Core?'
Vital force was energy.
The primal drive moving humans—or, in his prof's terms, innate essence.
'...Their gift to me?'
Bitter smile touched Bi-hyeong's lips.
But next instant—
Smack!
Bi-hyeong slapped his own face hard, snapping to.
"No moping. Be grateful. Thankful."
Thank you.
I'll put your gift to good use.
With that vow, as he opened his eyes—
"...Bi-hyeong?"
A voice from the bedroom.
Then thudding footsteps down the stairs—Mi-na rushed in.
"You okay? Nowhere hurting!?"
"Huh? Yeah, why?"
"Phew... Good. You were out for three days straight."
Pardon?
Not three hours—three days?
"...So it's Monday?"
"Yeah."
"Classes?"
"I told them you couldn't make it. Said your qi-blood got messed up mid-training with me, so rest a week."
Bi-hyeong finally relaxed.
'Phew.'
Couldn't skip without leave.
'...Unauthorized absences flag you for academy scrutiny.'
Then no aid in crises.
Audit Division could swoop on mere suspicion...
'...Legacy hid only the presence. Half-demon body still at risk.'
Stay cautious.
He eyed Mi-na again, vowing inwardly.
She still looked worried.
"...You're really fine, right?"
"Yeah. Just some internal damage, but it'll heal quick."
"Good, but..."
"They said a week off?"
"Yeah. Your advisor approved it personally."
Bi-hyeong nodded.
'Then, use that time to recover... and...'
Claim those pending rewards?
'Saving the kids was heartfelt, but take what's due.'
As Bi-hyeong resolved to check the unclaimed derived storyline reward—without even glancing at its name—
💓 HEARTBEAT 💓 ─Thump! A pulse from his lower dantian.
Along with it—
📜 UNIQUE STORYLINE ALERT 📜 [Conditions fulfilled.]
[Unique Storyline germinates.]
...The third Unique Storyline had already begun to germinate.