Chapter 67
Chapter 67
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: A Watered-Down Earth
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“That, possession, predation, and proliferation factors—if we just implant those, wouldn’t it work somehow? It’d be great if we could do it, but processing souls like that is something only you can manage…….”
It was a suggestion to implant only the factors needed for Onbiroad residents’ soul bodies to survive in the Demon Dimension.
But Geon-woo shook his head.
“If something goes wrong in the Demon Dimension, it means eternal annihilation. You know that, right?”
After learning jiangshi arts and handling souls and soul bodies, Geon-woo had thought deeply about death.
He’d concluded that the death of the body and the death of the soul were worlds apart.
Naturally, the soul was far more important than the body.
Yet without the system’s permission to cross dimensions, a soul lost the protection of its native dimension.
In other words, upon death, it couldn’t reach the afterlife it was meant for and faced a high risk of total annihilation.
That was why Geon-woo couldn’t easily accept Kolon’s proposal.
“Annihilation of the soul. Yeah, that could happen. But I’m saying this with that risk in mind.”
Kolon was claiming he’d already factored that in.
“My lord, this isn’t something to take lightly. Annihilation of one’s existence is like the end of the world for that individual.”
“The end of the world for the individual?”
“What remains when a being is annihilated? It returns to nothingness.”
“But Onbiroad remains, don’t they? Family, friends, territory folk, citizens, all of Onbiroad’s humanity. That’s the sacrifice they’re prepared to make.”
“Ugh. It reminds me of that saying about courage born of ignorance. Do they even grasp what soul annihilation or existential erasure truly means?”
Their enthusiasm was admirable, but they were speaking out of ignorance.
They didn’t understand the terror of soul annihilation—or how trivial a short mortal life seemed when weighed against the soul’s eternity.
If they did, much would change.
That’s what Geon-woo thought.
“Maybe. There are plenty more ignorant and shortsighted than you. But even so, it’s their choice. Those who face death bravely, thinking it’s the end, steeling themselves to fight to the last. That resolve they’ve forged.”
Kolon said that, then fixed Geon-woo with a steady gaze.
Even if their decision stemmed from ignorance, it couldn’t be dismissed lightly.
That’s what Kolon’s eyes were asking.
“What exactly do you want?”
In the end, a question tantamount to permission slipped from Geon-woo’s lips.
No matter the choice in life, one couldn’t belittle what the decider saw as their best option.
Even if it seemed laughable from a higher vantage, what could you do when those below insisted it was their utmost?
“Send volunteers’ souls to the demon territory with only the possession, predation, and proliferation factors implanted—no restrictions.”
“…….”
“That way, their souls retain their lifetime judgment, letting them survive in the Demon Dimension, right? It might even have a higher success rate than sending restricted demon soul bodies.”
“…….”
“With their full lifetime intellect intact, they could accomplish far more than restricted demon soul bodies. So I’m asking you.”
Kolon pressed his earnest case to the stone-faced, silent Geon-woo.
And then.
“If I ever end up in an irrecoverable state without dying and hang on, send me to the Demon Dimension like them. Even if it ends in annihilation, I’ll go.”
With that, Kolon fell silent, staring intently at Geon-woo as if he’d said his piece.
Geon-woo sensed from those eyes that he could never refuse her request.
“Haaa.”
As a deep sigh escaped Geon-woo’s lips, Kolon’s face broke into a bright smile.
She knew that sigh meant surrender and acceptance.
* * *
“The world’s spinning in the craziest way.”
Back on Earth, Geon-woo sprawled on the living room sofa like a ragdoll.
“Tell me about it. What’s even the point of all this?”
Paeng echoed him from his identical slump on the adjacent sofa.
“Neuron Age is in an uproar too, from what I hear. Whew.”
Ilryeong sat off to the side, sighing as she watched the two.
The reason they were lounging like this was the joint statement from the US, China, Russia, and the European Union on demons and bio-armor implanteds.
While Geon-woo’s group had been in Onbiroad, those powers had issued a consensus on demon-possessed bodies and bio-armor implanteds.
The gist: recognize demon autonomous zones and grant official status to bio-armor implanteds.
In short, they were declaring demons and implanteds Earth residents from now on.
With a caveat for demons: possession allowed only for people inside demon autonomous zones going forward.
But that essentially meant handing over those zone residents as demon possession fodder.
Bio-armor implanteds faced no restrictions, as long as they didn’t commit crimes.
What drained Geon-woo most in light of this statement was how many in Neuron Age supported it.
That’s what had Bayron’s CEO seat under threat, apparently.
“Maybe it’s an unstoppable tide.”
Paeng muttered, hauling his limp body upright to fix his gaze on the wall-mounted giant monitor.
The screen still buzzed with talk of the statement.
“A tide?”
Geon-woo bolted upright, glaring at Paeng.
“That’s right. We went to Onbiroad over dimension invasions and all that, but look where we are now.”
“Look where we are? What’s happened?”
“You asking ’cause you don’t know? People see things as third-party spectators unless it hits them directly.”
“What’re you getting at?”
“I’m saying people aren’t that fussed about the demon invasion.”
“Not fussed about an invasion?”
“They see more possessed as just one more patient, and implanteds as no different from awakened users.”
“So they don’t feel threatened?”
“Exactly. And that’s what birthed this statement.”
“But plenty are fiercely criticizing the situation, right?”
Ilryeong countered Paeng’s point.
“Every issue has its extremists. But they don’t last. Those folks on screen? It’s all a ploy for ratings—stirring drama to draw eyes.”
Paeng scowled at the screen.
“But that shapes opinion too.”
Geon-woo murmured with a sliver of hope.
“Get real. The big powers have spoken. Unless something extreme blows up, it’ll just simmer along until everyone’s numb to it.”
Paeng spoke with obvious certainty.
And deep down, Geon-woo figured Paeng was right.
“The situation’s flowing strangely.”
Ilryeong picked up via their mental link that Geon-woo agreed with Paeng.
She murmured resignedly, abandoning any schemes.
Earth’s politics shifting like this meant little to her anyway.
Geon-woo mattered, and he seemed to accept this tide.
“The flow of the world…….”
Geon-woo murmured, eyes drifting shut.
“That’s what I’m saying. Honestly, over half of Earth’s humans are just shrugging it off.”
Paeng nodded.
“So what happens down the line?”
Geon-woo opened his eyes to peer at Paeng.
“How should I know? If we trust humanity’s survival instinct, demons and implanteds might coexist. Or demons could conquer Earth someday.”
“Implanteds could become the ruling class?”
Ilryeong finished Paeng’s thought.
“Who knows the future? Could happen.”
Paeng nodded at her.
“Doesn’t sit right with me.”
Geon-woo grumbled, face twisting.
“No kidding. But so what? What’re you gonna do?”
Paeng shot back at him.
“Hmm, keep doing what we’ve been doing.”
“That’s your answer?”
“What we’ve been doing? What?”
“Keep hunting!”
Geon-woo declared.
After that, he shifted his main ops to Onbiroad.
Back on Earth, talks swirled around recognizing demon autonomous zones and full isolation.
Not just banning exits from the zones—entries too.
That made demon hunting on Earth impossible for Geon-woo.
“At least Onbiroad natives have no need to negotiate with demons.”
That’s what Geon-woo said starting activities there.
“Well, soulstones? Only place to farm ’em.”
Paeng, tagging along, offered that excuse.
But.
“For easy soulstones, cracking awakened capsules on Earth is better.”
Geon-woo scoffed at Paeng’s rationale.
That’s how he’d rapidly fused 50,000 souls—nabbing villains, extracting their soulstones.
“Psh, mess with awakened users and you’re instantly wanted as a villain. Capsules have killer emergency alerts now.”
“So hunt villains. Their wanted capsules are fair game.”
“Pass! Villains are a pain to track these days. How much air mileage you want me racking up?”
No way he’d globe-trot villain-hunting.
Paeng brushed it off, yanking Geon-woo’s arm.
“Anyway, enough of that. Let’s go. You’re on date with me till midnight! Forget hunting for one day.”
“This is the last time, got it? Third strike!”
“I know, so shut up and follow. There’s a great spot over there!”
“…….”
After jumping from Earth to Onbiroad, Geon-woo had thrown himself into capturing demons, turning them into jiangshi spirits, and shipping them to the Demon Dimension.
Without Paeng’s occasional drags like this, he’d have had no breaks.
Maybe that’s why Geon-woo didn’t mind Paeng’s forceful whims much.
= My lord, you’ve changed a lot since we first met.
Ilryeong smirked at Geon-woo’s not-unpleasant expression as Paeng pulled him along.