Chapter 260
Chapter 260
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 261
Chapter Title: Jin Cheon-woo's Apostle
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……Jin Cheon-woo's apostle?
I was momentarily taken aback by Kim Chang-hyun's unexpected true identity.
I didn't know exactly what "apostle" meant, but it probably referred to someone who devoted themselves to another person.
All the apostles I'd encountered so far had been like that.
"So, Kim Chang-hyun is acting according to Jin Cheon-woo's will?"
—That is correct. That child was created to carry on Jin Cheon-woo's work after his death.
At that moment, I sensed a commotion from the side.
Yoo Ah-yeon was trembling slightly, her face filled with shock.
……An apostle? What does that mean? Does that make Kim Chang-hyun Jin Cheon-woo's successor or something?
—No, it's not exactly the same as successor. It's merely a being that received a part of him to inherit his will. Gack!
This time, I stepped forward to ask.
"What do you mean by 'a part of Jin Cheon-woo'?"
—It is his soul.
"Soul?"
—Yes. A fragment of Jin Cheon-woo's soul is contained within that child's body. However, heugh! because the experiment wasn't perfect due to human limitations, the soul remains unstable. Gack!
My mouth went dry.
And my mind was thrown into chaos by this unimaginable truth.
The idea that a part of Jin Cheon-woo's soul was inside Kim Chang-hyun sounded like Jin Cheon-woo could resurrect in his body.
……But according to the original story, Jin Cheon-woo's resurrection had no major connection to Kim Chang-hyun.
Lee Seo-jun might be different.
With a hunch, I asked them one more thing.
"Do you know about Lee Seo-jun?"
—Lee, Seo-jun?
"Yes."
The grotesque figure rolled its eyes as if thinking. The black slime covering half its body writhed once more.
Soon, it tilted its head and spoke.
—Are you perhaps referring to Jin Cheon-woo's deceased blood kin?
Jin Cheon-woo's deceased blood kin.
Lee Seo-jun had experienced death once in Lee Yun-kyung's womb, so from their perspective, it fit.
"That's right."
—Of course we know. We were somewhat involved in that child's experiment as well. Gack! That child, along with the child of the Meteor Clan, was created for Jin Cheon-woo's purpose…… another human.
The grotesque figure chuckled, shoulders shaking.
—Heh heh. Perhaps that child could even be called Jin Cheon-woo's apostle, just like the child of the Meteor Clan……
As it muttered that, the figure looked at me.
—But how do you know such information?
"What do you mean?"
—Things like the Laws of the World, and other knowledge that ordinary people couldn't possibly know. You possess it.
At the grotesque figure's words, Yoo Ah-yeon glanced at me.
I pondered how to respond before speaking.
"I learned it naturally while pursuing Jin Cheon-woo."
—Is that so? Heh heh.
The figure let out a low laugh.
"So, how does escaping one's predetermined fate relate to everything you've said so far?"
—It's simple. The child of the Meteor Clan will grant Jin Cheon-woo freedom. I don't know the exact method. Jin Cheon-woo hid many things in this experiment, so even I don't know everything.
—In any case, all of this is the process he desired to become a true god. An immortal body made from the flesh of his blood kin, gack! And freedom……
As I expected, Jin Cheon-woo's idea of becoming a "god" wasn't just about immortality.
I continued with the next question.
……By any chance, does Kim Chang-hyun have the power of regression?
—Regression?
My question seemed abrupt, as the figure tilted its head.
"Like returning to the past upon achieving certain conditions."
—……Regression. I don't know.
Kim Chang-hyun's statements from the dimensional observation had many elements reminiscent of a "Regressor."
I thought it might know about this, but apparently not.
—However, it's not impossible.
"What do you mean?"
—That child possesses, albeit faintly, the power of chaos. On top of that, it also harbors heugh! the power of mystery. The force resisting the Laws of the World is distinctly different from others. If a method of regression is found, it's not impossible.
In summary, it meant that theoretically, regression was possible if the method was discovered.
—But even if regression occurs, would it hold much meaning?
I felt doubt at those following words.
—Though that child possesses a power resisting the Laws of the World, gack! it is not completely free. Even if it returns to the past, gack! it won't be able to change the future.
The grotesque figure looked at me.
—Because the power of freedom it holds is too weak to forge a new fate. Even if it goes back to the past, it must live according to the predetermined fate. Regression cannot change the future. It's a pipe dream.
That a Regressor couldn't change the future was something I'd already learned from the Apostle of Observation.
But Kim Chang-hyun's actions and speech made him seem unmistakably like a Regressor.
That might mean he regressed but ultimately couldn't change the future.
……I see.
—Do you have any more questions?
I shook my head.
"No, this is enough."
A few doubts remained, but I doubted this thing knew the answers.
To resolve them, I'd need to speak with a being like Mystery itself.
—Then, as promised, kill me.
I nodded and manifested a spell.
Wooo—!
A brightly glowing magic sphere formed in my palm.
Killing an opponent who showed no hostility toward me felt a bit off, but I'd keep my promise.
Finally, to clear one last doubt, I used [Character Insight] on it.
Name: Park Sung-tae
Age: 36
Race: ???
Status: At peace
Mana Rank: D
Interest Level: 0
I checked the race displayed in Character Insight.
It looked far from human, making me wonder if I should even call it one, and it showed as ???
Which meant it was no longer human.
I took a deep breath and released the spell.
Paaang—
A flash burst forth, accompanied by the gruesome sound of something bursting.
[You have achieved the 'Grotesque in the Lab Defeated' accomplishment.]
[You have obtained 5,000 points as a reward.]
[Your Karma has increased by 0.5.]
……Hoo.
I let out a heavy sigh. I'd gained points and karma, but it didn't feel good.
When I turned my head, Yoo Ah-yeon was gazing at me with a thoughtful expression.
……This is confusing. I thought I knew a lot from investigating Jin Cheon-woo all these years, but it was just the tip of the iceberg.
"I feel the same."
"I have a lot of questions for you, but let's talk later. For now, let's look around more."
Instead of answering, I nodded.
And so, Yoo Ah-yeon and I explored the lab interior.
Since the Association hadn't discovered this place, there were many traces left behind.
Corpses in horrific forms scattered here and there.
Bodies with silver hair, dead from Mystic Fever. It was a gruesome scene that made my eyes narrow involuntarily.
I averted my gaze from them and checked the scattered documents on the desk.
［Experiment Report on Resisting the Laws of the World］
Date: 2016.05.22
Subject: Meteor Clan Survivor C-21
Confirmed no onset of Mystic Fever.
However, side effects such as complaints of pain occurred.
Possibility of lifelong mental aftereffects.
The document included a photo of Kim Chang-hyun as a child.
Thinking of him being sacrificed in such experiments at a young age stirred a bit of pity.
Then, a question arose.
Had the current Kim Chang-hyun's personality changed due to Jin Cheon-woo's experiments?
"This is horrific."
Lost in thought, I heard Yoo Ah-yeon, who was examining documents beside me, speak up.
"Jin Cheon-woo and the Seonhyeon family…… They were crazier than I imagined."
We checked all the documents in the lab.
Unfortunately, nothing new came up.
It was all what we'd heard from the grotesque figure.
"Looks like the investigation's mostly done. Shall we head out?"
"Yes, let's."
Yoo Ah-yeon and I exited the basement. As we emerged, the basement door sealed shut with a spell.
We then passed through the long corridor and stepped outside the building.
"Hoo."
Coming out from the enclosed space into the open air felt refreshing somehow.
I gazed blankly at the sky.
The once-blue sky had already turned red; it was evening.
I hadn't felt like much time had passed, but apparently more had gone by than I thought.
……Just who the hell are you?
A voice came from beside me then.
Yoo Ah-yeon was looking at me with strange eyes.
"What do you mean?"
"I've spent my life chasing Jin Cheon-woo. But today, I realized you know far more information than I do."
……I told you earlier. I've been chasing Jin Cheon-woo too.
At my response, Yoo Ah-yeon stared straight into my eyes.
"What exactly are the Laws of the World?"
Yoo Ah-yeon asked me.
I pondered how to answer.
How much should I reveal? To make her a proper ally in tracking down Kim Chang-hyun, did I need to tell her everything?
In the end, I decided.
"It's the world's coercive force that prevents changing one's predetermined fate."
"Coercive force?"
After that, I explained the story of the Laws of the World as told by the Apostle of Observation in the past.
Yoo Ah-yeon listened with interest at first, then wore a bewildered expression later.
At some point, her face darkened, looking pained.
……So, you're saying this world's future is set in stone?
"That's right."
At my answer, Yoo Ah-yeon crossed her arms, deep in thought.
Unlike me, an outsider, she was a native of this world, so it was hard for her to accept.
"I learned a similar theory before. Determinism, I think…… Hold on, does that mean even this current situation is predetermined?"
"I don't know. From what I understand, the world has both fixed futures and unfixed ones. We can't tell which this moment is."
"I see…… But thinking the future is set kills my motivation. No matter how hard you try, you can't change your fated destiny. That makes me understand Jin Cheon-woo's mindset to some extent."
Muttering that, Yoo Ah-yeon looked me straight in the eye.
……In any case, the most important thing right now is Kim Chang-hyun, right? Whether he's a victim of the experiments or not, the fact that he's become Jin Cheon-woo's apostle hasn't changed.
I nodded.
"Yes. Actually, I've been trying to find him for a while, but he's completely gone to ground, making it hard to track."
"Leave that to me. I'll look into it."
Hearing the powerful "Witch of Fire" say that made me feel reassured.
I already had too much on my plate right now.
Personal growth, monitoring the Mine and Ja-un's gang, and watching for potential changes around Lee Seo-jun.
Having a strong ally like Yoo Ah-yeon to lighten my load wasn't a bad thing.
"Kim Sun-woo."
Lost in thought for a moment, I noticed Yoo Ah-yeon glancing at me.
"Want to join Blade of Dawn by any chance?"
Blade of Dawn.
A guild boasting numerous top-tier wizards, one that exerts a massive presence in the mid-to-late original story.
It also becomes the biggest threat to Ja-un in the story.
If I joined Blade of Dawn, it would undoubtedly help with future developments.
……However.
"No. I prefer working alone."
I had no desire to affiliate with any group.
With the Mine incident requiring my attention, joining Blade of Dawn—which had no connection to Mines—might hold me back.
"I see?"
Yoo Ah-yeon nodded. She must have sensed my firm resolve. Probably judged I couldn't be persuaded.
"If that's your choice, nothing I can do. Still, if you need help with anything, let me know. Thanks to you today, I got a lot of assistance……
Yoo Ah-yeon trailed off before adding.
"Thanks."
I chuckled softly.
"Sure."
Then, I remembered something important I'd momentarily forgotten.
I quickly opened my smart student planner and checked the piled-up messages.
Sensing the seriousness on my face, Yoo Ah-yeon gave a puzzled look.
……Something wrong?
"Yeah, I need to head somewhere urgently, so let's split up."
"Oh? What's the emergency?"
I shook my head.
"No big deal. Group assignment issue I need to check."