Chapter 257
Chapter 257
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 257
Chapter Title: The Outsider
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"...How do you know that?"
A rare shaken expression on Yeo So-cheon's face.
Yeo So-cheon hardened her features and shot back at the fox spirit standing before her.
Because it was a fact she had no business knowing.
And her answer to that question...
"As expected, I was right."
"...Pardon?"
"I wasn't entirely sure, but that reaction of yours confirms my guess was spot on."
"?!"
It was more than enough to throw Yeo So-cheon into complete disarray.
"Wh-what are you..."
"Even for me, sifting through hundreds or thousands of those delicately concealed threads isn't easy."
"Eek..!"
Yeo So-cheon looked ready to whip out her sword, her face flushing beet red, but she couldn't bring herself to do it for real—just flailed at thin air.
"...Haa. Fine, my bad. I just blurted it out in the heat of the moment."
"Since you've spilled that much, how about fielding a few more? I've got plenty of questions about my disciple too."
Yeo So-cheon wore a pensive look for a moment before letting out a sigh and speaking up.
"Hoo. Fire away. No point holding back now that that's out."
"What's that boy's real deal?"
"...Pardon?"
Yeo So-cheon was more flustered than usual today.
"I pegged him as an otherworlder the moment I laid eyes on him, but the deeper I look, the weirder it gets. At least two scents from alien worlds tangled up in that soul of his. Can a human even pull that off?"
The otherworldly fragrances wafting from his soul.
Impossible, by any logic she knew.
Crossing dimensions meant breaching the barriers encircling each one—twice over. Not even a normal soul could survive it once.
If he'd barely scraped through once somehow, that'd be one thing. But multiple times? That changed everything.
"A soul that mighty must carry a hero's fate. The kind that reshapes the world's destiny in his wake."
"And?"
"You saw it yourself. He's no hero material."
She reminisced on their time together, shaking her head once more.
"Scared stiff of a single bug, sets free every trapped critter out of pity. Bursting into tears at the drop of a hat or clinging with childish whims—how's that a hero?"
Born under a hero's star, yet too terrified of solitude to sleep alone.
An age where he could've had a family and kids, but his antics were pure child.
No wonder he wouldn't dream of ditching his master and running off.
"Hmm... yeah, he's a far cry from hero."
Yeo So-cheon knew it too, so she had no choice but to nod along.
"I'm not exactly in the know on that front either. What he shares with me is pretty limited."
"Not winning much trust, eh?"
"Ha! If you're needling me, make it believable. Humans stick to human business, gods to divine. Even serving him, a mortal like me has no call to know godly secrets."
Seeming scatterbrained at times, but rock-solid in her convictions here.
"Still... I know a bit."
"What?"
"Every now and then, souls like that pop up. Ones that slip dimensional barriers without a hitch... a sort of mutant, you could say."
"...Never heard of it."
"No surprise. Scour thousands of dimensions, you might find one—if you're lucky. What's the point in knowing?"
"..."
Absurd odds.
Even for a long-lived fox spirit with mountains of tales, ignorance was par for the course.
Factor in humanity's numbers per realm, and pondering the possibility was pointless.
...Yet here it had happened.
"So... that's impressive, right?"
"You could see it that way, but nah, not really."
"Hm?"
"Sure, the soul can cross dimensions, but not solo. You still need a way to bridge that insane distance unscathed. If the body can't hack it, you haul the soul over and rebuild a fresh one... but otherworlders aren't worth the hassle."
"That so?"
"Curiosity or lab rats? Way too pricey. And the soul you snag? Total crapshoot. Hero stock or just some rando? Drag over a dud, and you're out big time. Consent or not, it'd be straight-up abduction."
"Hmm."
She knew interdimensional jaunts were brutal, but not the economics behind it.
Over endless years, rumors here and there, never a success story. Made sense now.
Still, doubts lingered.
"So how'd the kid cross over? Who summoned him?"
"...That's a messy tale."
Yeo So-cheon grimaced like a headache was brewing, folding her arms.
"His original destination wasn't this world. Somewhere else—no Central Plains vibe, full of weird sorcery. The one with that white witch you crossed paths with briefly."
"So how'd he end up here?"
"What else? While reading the stars, the merciful one spotted him marching into hell of his own accord and graciously let him stay."
Yeo So-cheon puffed out her chest proudly, but her listener just cocked her head.
"...So you intercepted him from his planned spot?"
"Intercept? I saved him! No one's right in the head enough to waltz into that world willingly. White witch swears it was a fair deal, but it's obvious fraud."
"What kinda shape was he in for that?"
"Th-that... Hoo. Drop it. Tough to explain."
She didn't know the details, but the reaction screamed bad news.
"After that, it's as you figured. No sending him back home now, can't dump him in hell—so he stays here."
"Roughly get it... but one more head-scratcher."
"Curious cat today. Shoot."
Unlike her snappy prior questions, this one came after a long pause, like debating whether to voice it.
"That body he possessed... what the hell is it?"
"..."
Even Yeo So-cheon, ever quick with replies before, seemed to balk here.
"First time I found him, soul and flesh were mismatched, all twisted. That's what tipped me off he was otherworldly."
"...Go on?"
"But after some time and a bit of patching... it fused too perfectly. Like it was made for that soul."
"..."
"Otherworlder means no body here, right? A body's proof you're in the wheel. Souls and bodies pair one-to-one. Forge a new one for him, cycle glitches. Snag someone else's, the old soul's lost and cycle glitches again."
"Ugh.."
"Don't feed me 'lucky match.' Doubted my own eyes, checked nonstop. It's... his body. Not anyone else's."
"...Can't spill details. Complicated on my end too."
"...So?"
"But... it ties into your first question. Why the Heavenly Demon pops up in every one of his fortunes."
"..."
Nine tails had sprouted unnoticed, flicking as she glared daggers at Yeo So-cheon for ages. Then she reeled them in and started walking.
"That's enough. Questions answered—time to head back."
"...Hold up. That's it? Just grill me? What about mine?"
"Ask away, I'll spell it out. Nothing stopping me from explaining."
"Sounds loaded."
"Spill it. His erogenous zones got you wondering?"
"Not even! And that perv's whole body is... Argh, whatever!"
Yeo So-cheon went crimson in a flash, yelling louder to mask her shame.
"I asked why he risked his neck saving us!"
"Ah. Yeah, you did."
"No clue what you're scheming, but don't expect me to buy it easy. Why risk your life for us..."
"As his master, how could I stand by while my disciple's wives got offed?"
"..............Pardon?"
Yeo So-cheon tilted her head, expression screaming did I hear right?
"Didn't wanna watch him lose the bonds he'd built out there. Or see him grieve."
-Thud thud
Yeo So-cheon could only stare blankly at her retreating back for the longest time.