Survival Guide for the Reincarnated - Chapter 319

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 319
“You can learn the details through informants or hear them directly. There is only one thing I can tell you: do not worry.”
“Do you know something?”
“Much. Who do you think I am?”
“The Martial World Supreme.”
“How could one who stands above the heavens be ignorant of what transpires below them?”
…
“Do not fret. Your youngest son has greater deeds ahead of him—he will not perish over something so trivial.”
Seol Jung-cheon slowly approached the Ice Heaven Go Board and settled down with a heavy sigh.
“Hyeon Sim.”
…Yes, Palace Lord.”
“We have a guest. Bring tea.”
Hyeon Sim glanced furtively at Cheon Do-ja.
Then Seol Jung-cheon’s voice reached his ears.
“Do not poison it.”
Hyeon Sim flinched.
…Yes.
Hyeon Sim departed, and Cheon Do-ja burst into laughter he had been suppressing.
“Snow Mountain is already beginning to improve.”
* * *
After the fierce battle with Mae Wi-dong, my consciousness drifted through darkness.
It was a dream.
Or rather, it was closer to a memory.
A memory from the distant past of my previous life.
“Seol Woon-hwi.”
A low, resonant voice echoed. The very sound made the surrounding air grow heavy.
“Yes, Cult Leader.”
A young man in black robes knelt and bowed his head. His eyes burned crimson, and Blood Energy flowed softly from his entire body.
Cheon Do-ja.
The Cult Leader of the Origin Blood Sect, known as the Martial World Supreme, gazed down at him slowly. His face bore both majesty and a peculiar gentleness.
“Rise.”
Seol Woon-hwi rose slowly.
He was different then than now. Far sharper, far more destructive.
In the Murim, there were countless who trembled at the mere mention of his name. Though Cheon Do-ja was undoubtedly the Martial World Supreme, he did not involve himself deeply in Murim affairs.
Unifying the Murim was also Cheon Do-ja’s will, yet in reality it was carried out under the name of Blood Heaven Middle Commander Seol Woon-hwi.
Once, Seol Woon-hwi had said that his share in the unification of Murim was not insignificant. But that was excessive modesty.
It was Seol Woon-hwi who actually conducted the unification of Murim, and it was he who completed it. Not insignificant? No—all but a small portion belonged to him.
And so Seol Woon-hwi asked Cheon Do-ja:
“What will you teach me today?”
“Heh, what could I possibly teach you now?”
Cheon Do-ja rose from his seat and walked toward the window. Beyond the glass lay the vast territory of the Original Blood Sect, sprawling endlessly.
“A genius who has already reached the Primordial Sole Existence at forty-six—my teachings would only hinder you at this point.”
“It was you, Cult Leader, who made me what I am today.”
“How humble of you.”
“Because it is the truth.”
“Heh heh… Very well then. Let us share some tea together.”
I nodded in acknowledgment.
“Sit.”
Cheon Do-ja began brewing the tea himself. Tea prepared by the hands of the Martial World Supreme—that alone was an honor beyond measure.
“Cult Leader, have I committed some transgression?”
Cheon Do-ja shook his head.
“If you had committed a transgression, I would mete out punishment, not offer tea.”
“….”
“You are doing well. So well, in fact, that it troubles me.”
“Troubles you, you say…?”
“How many years has it been since you became the Blood Heaven Middle Commander?”
“Fourteen years have passed.”
“In those fourteen years, you have accomplished countless deeds for the Original Blood Sect.”
Cheon Do-ja paused.
“Yet in that process, you have been losing something, bit by bit.”
“Losing something, you say…?”
“Your humanity.”
Cheon Do-ja handed me the tea as he spoke.
“A martial artist must be strong. But strength alone is not everything. Before being a martial artist, one must remain human.”
I accepted the tea and asked, “Am I not human enough?”
“Not yet. But if you continue down this path…”
Cheon Do-ja’s gaze deepened.
Cheon Do-ja’s eyes grew deeper.
“You will ultimately perish by the sword—not another’s blade, but your own.”
“My own sword, you mean.”
“The path of a martial artist is solitary and treacherous. All the more so for one as formidable as you. Yet even within that loneliness, you must not abandon your humanity.”
Cheon Do-ja took a sip of tea and continued.
“Strength is merely a tool. The question of why you grow stronger—that is what truly matters.”
I gazed at Cheon Do-ja in silence.
“Why do you seek to grow stronger? Years have passed since you reached the Primordial Sole Existence, yet you continue to gaze beyond it.”
“….”
“You have even touched upon the Maitreya Brahma Heaven Sect and the Heaven Gate. Most martial artists are unaware of their existence—they care so little for the affairs of the Murim.”
“Are you saying that my path as a martial artist is not righteous?”
“No. How could I not understand your path? It is the Path of Supremacy, yet also the Demonic Path, and at the same time the Righteous Path—a way that belongs to you alone. But viewed broadly, the Path of Supremacy lies at the center of your journey. Still, there are moments when you stray from that path.”
“….”
“It seems even you do not understand the standard by which you break free.”
“I apologize.”
“An apology is fine, but let us discover it now. For what reason did you draw your sword? For the Original Blood Sect? Or for me? Or perhaps for yourself alone?”
I could not answer easily.
Not before anyone else, but before Cheon Do-ja.
He clearly sought a deeper answer.
And I was not prepared to voice that deeper answer aloud.
This much had to be certain.
I did not lack knowledge of my own path.
Breaking free? It would appear that way. But everything is connected as one.
I could have answered. With clarity and conviction in my tone.
But I could not.
Because Cheon Do-ja was one I followed like my father.
Cheon Do-ja smiled gently.
“You need not answer immediately. But someday you must speak it aloud. Your own answer.”
“What is your answer, Cult Leader?”
“My answer…?”
Cheon Do-ja paused in thought before speaking.
“I fight for my yearning.”
“Your yearning, you say.”
“Yearning—within it dwells humanity itself.”
“…”
“The followers of the Original Blood Sect, and all people in this world besides.”
I wore a puzzled expression.
How old was Cheon Do-ja?
No one knew.
Why had he founded the Original Blood Sect?
That too remained unknown.
Then what was his yearning?
At least, I did not know.
The Great Demon Lord who had stained the world in blood was now a name applied to me, but before that, it had been Cheon Do-ja.
It was no accident that all of the Murim feared the Original Blood Sect.
Yet “all people in this world”?
Cheon Do-ja, who despised hypocrisy above all, now donned the mask of hypocrisy himself?
He was absolutely not such a person.
For such words to emerge from his lips meant truly, genuinely, that it was righteous.
“You hold many secrets, Cult Leader.”
“Heh heh… And that is precisely why I am the Supreme One of the Murim.”
“…”
“If you grow bored, try uncovering them yourself.”
I was genuinely curious.
“What is it that you truly desire, Cult Leader?”
“You ask the same question every time.”
“Because asking the same question every time hasn’t resolved anything.”
Cheon Do-ja chuckled softly.
“Did I not just tell you?”
“That answer has always been the same as well. Aspiration—I wish to understand specifically what your aspiration is, Cult Leader.”
“Every time you ask that way, I have always given you the same answer. This time, too, I shall tell you. What I truly desire is an era of great peace for this world.”
“….”
“I have no intention of making those who do not understand comprehend. Even if I am misunderstood and despised, I walk this path to make the world better.”
“….”
“One day, you too will understand. Why I walk such a path, why I go to such lengths, why despite living for centuries I cannot find rest, and what it is I truly wish to protect.”
Cheon Do-ja was truly a man full of secrets.
He placed his hand upon my shoulder.
“No matter what happens in this world, do not lose your humanity. However strong you become, however many enemies you slay, you must still remain human.”
I nodded.
“I shall remember, Cult Leader.”
“And one more thing.”
Cheon Do-ja’s expression grew serious.
“There will come a time when you must walk a different path than mine.”
“A different path, you say….”
“When that time comes, do not hesitate. Walk the path you believe is right. Even if it means standing against me.”
“Are you telling me to betray you, Cult Leader?”
“It is not betrayal.”
Cheon Do-ja smiled warmly.
“That is the true path of a martial artist. Following your own will, not another’s.”
“…Cult Leader….”
“The reason I do not speak to you ‘specifically’ is simple. The moment I do, you would never be able to escape of your own volition.”
“But the decision would still be mine to make, would it not?”
“That is precisely why I say this.”
“….”
“You are certainly extraordinary, yet you are not perfect.”
From Cheon Do-ja’s perspective, I possessed a deficiency.
That deficiency had shaped me into who I was now, but it had become a shackle that prevented me from achieving perfection.
Unaware of Cheon Do-ja’s thoughts, I wore an expression of incomprehension, but he offered no further explanation.
“When the time comes, you will understand. And truthfully, I am curious. Fate brought you and me together this way, but what if it had brought us together differently?”
“….”
“I was merely speaking aloud.”
And so the two of us drank tea in silence—a warm moment between the Martial World Supreme and the Blood Heaven Middle Commander, people who were family yet were not.
The dream began to fade.
But what remained crystal clear until the very end was Cheon Do-ja’s final words.
“You, boy—you will become a good person. Someday.”
And I fell into a deep sleep.
His teachings carved deep into my heart.
* * *
Consciousness returned slowly.
When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was an unfamiliar ceiling. I tried to move my body, but I was wrapped tightly in cotton cloth from head to toe, and even the slightest movement sent sharp pain through my wounds.
On top of that, a pungent medicinal smell assaulted my nostrils.
“Young Master… Young Master!!”
A familiar voice reached my ears. When I turned my head, Manager Seong was staring at me with an expression as if he might burst into tears.
“…So I haven’t died after all.”
“What kind of nonsense are you saying… Really… I’m so relieved.”
I asked Manager Seong, who was beginning to show signs of relief.
“Where am I…?”
“The Byeol Gwan. Cheon Ryong Palace collapsed, so we moved you here temporarily.”
I tried to slowly push myself up, but Manager Seong extended his hand to stop me.
“You mustn’t strain yourself yet. The backlash from ‘that’ is severe. The fact that you’re alive right now is a miracle.”
Curiosity stirred within me.
“How long have I been lying here?”
“…Fifteen days.”
Fifteen days…?
At those words, my brow furrowed deeply.
“…Were there no problems?”
“Your body is the biggest problem, Young Master.”
“Don’t say strange things.”
“…Much has happened. More than that… may I call people in?”
I seemed to think for a moment before shaking my head.
“Before you call them, explain what has happened in the meantime.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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