The Witch's Successor

Whoosh!

A tremendous force crashed down like a storm, and instinctively, I tried to shake the black flames off my hand...

Huh?

"They're gone?"

The black flames that had been clinging to the floor just moments ago were nowhere to be seen. The instant I realized that...

"...!"

I felt a terrifying power pulsing inside my body. No one had told me—it was pure instinct. The black flames hadn't vanished; they'd been absorbed into me.

I already knew the Witch of Eternal Sleep was Oh Chae-rin's sponsoring constellation—I'd glimpsed it in Kang Tae-sik's memories. But what was this Guardian Stone? And why was I sharing her memories?

Just as my head tilted in confusion over all these questions...

A series of scenes unfolded in my mind like a panorama.

White light flickered, revealing a dimly lit room below. What the—?

"Are you saying you'll make me your successor?"

I gasped in shock without thinking. In my view from above, Oh Chae-rin shot up from her chair.

My gasp was pretty loud, so I figured she'd look my way... but no.

Can't she hear me? And what's with this floating body—like an out-of-body experience? This must be inside the Witch of Eternal Sleep's memories.

But unlike Greed Photography, which locked me into the first-person view of the memory's owner, this was a third-person perspective. I could move freely as I wished.

Seems like Oh Chae-rin's office... Let me check that calendar on the wall.

I floated my ghostly body over. The date: two years ago.

Then, Oh Chae-rin's ecstatic voice came from behind.

"To grant this lowly servant the chance to become your successor... Ahh! I don't even know where to put myself!"

Because I'm sharing memories? Even Oh Chae-rin's system messages, which only she should see, were crystal clear to me.

"Whoa!"

The sudden ding! made my heart skip. I wasn't alone in this memory space after all. Just like with Greed Photography.

"Give some warning before popping in, Mom... Anyway, 'promotion'?"

I knew about successors—special beings who receive a constellation's utmost favor. They get extraordinary sponsorships: items infused with constellation power, skills beyond normal limits.

Premium sponsorships, basically.

Just as apprentice constellations promote to official ones, agents advance to successors.

Eight out of ten top rankers worldwide are successors, right? Ranker pretty much equals successor.

"Of course I'll accept! This lowly servant joyfully embraces your trial!"

That explained why even lofty Oh Chae-rin was screaming in delight.

Mom once said an apprentice constellation promotes to official by having their agent achieve great feats in the mortal world. But that psycho really didn't seem to have any...

Ah!

"Two years ago—that's when Oh Chae-rin's Mad Dog stopped the blue gate outbreak and became a Giant."

It was a catastrophic disaster back then. Mad Dog led the early suppression, saving countless lives.

But looking back now...

They probably smuggled a ton of monster corpses to fuel those basement experiments.

The monsters from that outbreak matched the preserved specimens...

This wasn't suspicion anymore—it was fact.

Lost in thought, my mind wandered for a moment.

"Who's Lee Ji-yoon?"

I jolted at the sudden name. Oh Chae-rin narrowed her eyes, staring at the floating message.

"Why does Lee Ji-yoon's name pop up here all of a sudden?"

"And train and corrupt Lee Ji-yoon...? Could I get more details?"

Nice one, Oh Chae-rin. Ask away—I'm dying to know too.

"Ah... Yes... Forgive this lowly servant's impertinence..."

Damn, I wanna go back and punch her solar plexus again. Why's she so arrogant usually but grovels now? Dig deeper—get the info!

"Ah... yeah, right."

Parents—no, good constellations. I'd forgotten briefly thanks to mine. Back with the Central Plains Sword God, I groveled too.

Not that I pity psycho Oh Chae-rin, though.

"Ha, but my lord? Even if it's a trial I must navigate alone, the info's too scarce."

Finally, Oh Chae-rin demanded more details, unable to hold back.

Yes! Should've done that sooner. I was about to burst watching.

"Plus, Lee Ji-yoon's such a common name—probably ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠tons of duplicates... If I may humbly ask for at least a clue—"

"R-Really?"

"...Witch of Eternal Sleep, why's she suddenly so nice to her?"

Brutal shutdown earlier, now spilling everything? Her whims boiled over like hot porridge.

"Can a sponsoring constellation just hand out trial details like that, Mom?"

Makes sense. No teacher spells out answers and solutions during a test. If one did, they'd have dirty ulterior motives.

"Sounds like she's dead set on corrupting Lee Ji-yoon no matter what..."

Oh Chae-rin seemed blinded by joy at becoming successor, but from my third-person view, I sensed it clearly.

"The 'Witch of Eternal Sleep' is using Oh Chae-rin to pull some scheme on Lee Ji-yoon."

For the Witch, Oh Chae-rin becoming successor was secondary. Corrupting Lee Ji-yoon was her true goal.

...Why? That was the biggest question, but after shutting Oh Chae-rin up, no way to know.

"Th-Then tell me! What must I do?!"

What? Hold on. Why's everything blurring like static noise...?

"That's just mean."

Cutting off right there? Felt like a webtoon or novel cliffhanger mid-plot twist. Back then, I'd just rage, "Wanna deck the author!" But who do I blame here?

"Well, whatever..."

No real intel gained, but one thing was crystal clear.

Lee Ji-yoon became the calamity 'Oni' because of Oh Chae-rin.

Oh Chae-rin corrupted her to complete the successor trial. The fallen Lee Ji-yoon then massacred Oh Chae-rin and Mad Dog.

Why the massacre?

Revenge for being treated like a hunting dog? Or does corruption force obsession with blood and slaughter? Or some other reason I don't know?

Could be all of it.

Either way, one more reason to crush Oh Chae-rin. Because of that psycho, Lee Ji-yoon fell, and humanity got hit with the 'Oni' disaster.

A skill out of nowhere? Wasn't expecting that.

"What even is this Guardian Stone...?"

Thanks for the explanation, Mom. Still don't get why Oh Chae-rin's clone dropped such a vital stone, but...

Info check first.

Beautiful Ex grade. And it fulfills a man's dream of a "one-man army." I could cheer with arms wide...

...If not for the lifespan penalty per use.

...Not like it's some snot-covered top-grade steak.

Damn, feels like a cold bucket of water. Fine, time for more intel.

Two key pieces I couldn't get from memory sharing: Why the Witch obsesses over Lee Ji-yoon. And how to corrupt her.

Missed the juicy bits, but no worries. The object of her obsession was right beside me.

"Lemme ask a few things—"

Turning to Lee Ji-yoon as I spoke, I froze solid.

Her eyes—whites blackened entirely—stared right at me.

"L-Lee Ji-yoon?"

"......"

No response to her name. She just stood blankly, pitch-black eyes silently fixed on me.

Wait. Hold up. This is seriously creepy. Her state looked off, so I cautiously stepped forward to check...

Talk to my precious agent later, yeah?

"...!"

A thorny young man's voice leaked from Lee Ji-yoon's lips. But no time for shock.

Rumble!

A numbing torrent of power surged around her, overwhelming my senses. Like hundreds of iron chains binding me—I couldn't budge.

I'd felt this before.

Focus on my words now, mortal.

Mom's sponsor, War Incarnate. The same crushing pressure from our one-on-one.

"Y-You're... Lee Ji-yoon's...?"

Been ages since I breathed mortal air. Yeah, that's right.

Unleashing inhuman presence unchecked, the being possessing Lee Ji-yoon revealed itself.

I'm her sponsoring constellation, the Sublime Transcendent.

...Knew it.

Not indirect system messages—direct divine words. Dizziness-inducing, but not unprecedented.

Descended, huh.

Constellations possessing agents wasn't new.

Damn... Possession costs a ton—ah, that'll get filtered. Anyway, I came directly, risking the damage, 'cause I have crucial words for you.

"Crucial... words...?"

No intent to possess this frail body over 5 minutes, so straight to the point.

Placing a hand on Lee Ji-yoon's slender frame, the Sublime Transcendent spoke.

Save my precious agent. I'll repay you properly.

Constellations can issue Entrusted Trials to non-agents with mutual agreement. Mom, judging no malice and potential gain, approved after brief thought.

I snagged hefty God Coins too. But the trial's content...

The pressure was killing me, but I had to ask.

"Save... Lee Ji-yoon...?"

Yeah. Her sponsor's me, but she's always buddy-buddy with that psycho Oh Chae-rin. Can't just watch my cherished agent get poisoned. That's why I'm asking you.

Casual tone, but descending personally showed he took it seriously.

Kill Oh Chae-rin, grill her, whatever—as long as that psycho can't approach my agent. That's my definition of salvation.

"......"

You've got questions, I see. Sorry, but we can't chat leisurely—you're hurting, she's hurting.

Fair point. Prolonged divine words might knock me out too.

As thanks... excuse me.

Lee Ji-yoon's body, slick with cold sweat from possession strain, approached slowly.

And... thud! Hand on my chest.

"...?"

As I furrowed my brow at the meaningful gesture...

Fwoosh.

A nauseating sensation hit, and black flames erupted from my body—the Guardian Stone I'd absorbed.

Hmm, 'Corpse Revival'... Guessed as much, but yep.

The Sublime ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Transcendent's eyes chilled, glaring at the stone.

As expected, huh. What?

Tell me too, please.

Unaware or not of my frustration, he smirked, waving the stone teasingly.

Lifespan penalty makes it tricky, right? I'll take it and mod it for you.

"......"

What? That look—like I'll run off with it?

Spot on. His thuggy speech didn't help.

Sigh... What a worry.

Scratching his head sloppily with Lee Ji-yoon's body, the Sublime Transcendent swiped the air.

See? Trial designs bind even us constellations with absolute force. Falsify it, and fines are brutal.

If Mom says it's true, it is. Dropping suspicion.

That's all for you.

Through blurring vision under the pressure, I saw the Sublime Transcendent's solemn face.

She's my agent, but since losing her parents, she's drawn only weirdos... Until she met you.

Right—Lee Ji-yoon lost her parents in that outbreak two years ago. Government traced the 'Oni's' history.

His next words carried bitterness.

...Earlier, when you all were drinking. Seeing her smile after so long... dunno.

"......"

Damn. I'm a fool too, overimmersed in 'raising mortals' or whatever.

With that, Lee Ji-yoon's body crumpled like a puppet with cut strings. The oppressive aura vanished.

"Phew!"

Breath rushed in like surfacing from depths. Jerk leaves after dumping his spiel, total nuisance.

"Well..."

Wiping cold sweat from my chin, I recalled his proposal and final grumbles.

"Not a total lost cause deep down."

Regardless, he offered to mod the trashy Corpse Revival—barely usable garbage.

I'd crush Oh Chae-rin anyway, trial or not...

"Guess I gotta beat her extra hard now?"

A smile crept across my lips. Time to kick off that plan.