Survival Guide for the Reincarnated - Chapter 349

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

Chapter 349
Truly remarkable.
A man who exceeded my expectations.
I rose slowly from my seat.
It seemed the time was not yet right.
There would be another opportunity.
In silence, I withdrew paper and brush from the Storage Bag at my side, then began to inscribe something upon it.
“Seol… Woon-hwi… gratitude… acknowledgment… hmm, should I give this one, or that one…”
Immortal Maitreya had devised several plans.
One involved bestowing favor through Yu Cheong, and another involved using a Secret Realm that would soon manifest near Cheonsu to bestow favor.
And there was yet another plan to bestow favor by mobilizing other sects.
The second of these.
I intended to give one Secret Realm to Seol Woon-hwi.
That Secret Realm, as I understood it, would surely prove of great benefit to Seol Woon-hwi.
I resumed writing the letter, which I had paused upon.
“…With this… the debt of gratitude and grudges for your treatment of me… shall be considered settled…”
Immortal Maitreya, unable to abandon the old man’s peculiar habit of speaking aloud while writing, set down the letter and extracted the fractured section of the staff carried upon my back, then drove both letter and staff into the ground.
“Hehehehe…”
Laughing thus, Immortal Maitreya departed from that place.
One would never believe this was an injured man.
Having become lightning itself, I vanished completely from that spot in the blink of an eye.
Silence descended.
After approximately one moment had passed, a bewildered middle-aged man entered that location.
It was Manager Seong.
“Are you perhaps still here…”
Manager Seong, speaking while surveying the surroundings, could detect no human presence whatsoever, yet remained vigilant.
A master of Primordial Sole Existence.
A monster whose very nature was fundamentally different—could a Divine Transformation Realm master like Manager Seong truly perceive such presence?
Unless it was deliberately revealed, such a thing would be impossible even if miracles occurred.
“If… the Young Master is hungry, perhaps he should visit a nearby establishment to dine…”
My words trailed off.
In Manager Seong’s field of vision appeared the fractured staff.
And the letter embedded within it as well.
“He has gone.”
Manager Seong silently retrieved the letter, then departed from the Byeol Gwan.
* * *
The following morning, Seol Woon-hwi sat in the Byeol Gwan reading the letter left by Immortal Maitreya.
The letter contained information about the location of the Secret Realm and the rewards that could be obtained there.
My thoughts deepened.
If my memory served correctly, this Secret Realm was indeed one that had appeared before.
As I continued to observe it, my memories came rushing back.
The Secret Realm where Spirit Medicine had appeared, and the Secret Realm where numerous troublesome traps had been laid throughout the process.
For a gift from a cunning old monk, it seemed quite legitimate, but I hadn’t yet made a firm decision to enter it.
It was when I set down the letter.
“Young Master, Yeom Wang is looking for you.”
“Where is he?”
“He is at the Mei Hua Pavilion in the Back Garden.”
The Cheon Ryong Palace was where all major and minor matters of the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance were discussed.
The Alliance Leader’s residence was also beside that Cheon Ryong Palace, but not long ago, due to the fierce battle between Seol Woon-hwi and Mae Wi-dong, the Cheon Ryong Palace was destroyed, and that residence was also demolished.
The Mei Hua Pavilion was located in front of the Alliance Leader’s temporary residence and was also Hwa Mu-nyeom’s favorite place.
Even if the Cheon Ryong Palace were rebuilt, there was a high probability that all major and minor matters of the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance would take place at the Mei Hua Pavilion.
Seol Woon-hwi nodded and began walking.
A quiet pavilion located deep within the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance Main Headquarters.
As I drew near, I felt a familiar presence.
It was Hwa Mu-nyeom’s aura, but it was slightly different from usual. It was growing deeper, as if continuously sinking into a still pond.
Hwa Mu-nyeom sat alone inside the Mei Hua Pavilion, alternately placing Black Stones and White Stones on a Go Board.
“Alliance Leader.”
At my voice, Hwa Mu-nyeom lifted his head. His eyes held deep contemplation.
“You’ve come. Sit.”
As I sat across from Hwa Mu-nyeom, he pointed to the Go Board.
“As I’ve been observing this game, a thought suddenly occurred to me.”
“What thought is that, sir?”
“That the stones on this board are like the forces of the Murim. They restrain one another, use one another, sometimes cooperate, and sometimes betray.”
Hwa Mu-nyeom picked up a Black Stone and continued.
“Yet each of these stones carries its own meaning, does it not? But when viewed as a whole, they form one grand design.”
“Indeed, sir.”
“I wish to know what that grand design is now. Where all of this is heading.”
I gazed down at the Go Board.
It was truly a complex opening. Black and white were so interwoven that it was difficult to discern who held the advantage.
Over more than half a month, I had done many things. Among them, the most important was the great match with Hwa Mu-nyeom. For fifteen days, I played Go without a single day of rest.
The position on this Go Board was nearly identical to the match I had played the night before.
“It doesn’t seem like you’re simply replaying a game. What troubles you most right now, Alliance Leader?”
“I’m curious about what this place I stand in truly is.”
There was sincerity in Hwa Mu-nyeom’s voice.
“Do you mean the position of Alliance Leader of the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance?”
“That too, and also my place as a martial artist. I stand at the realm of Limitless Divine Manifestation. But is this enough? Where is the place I must truly reach?”
I listened quietly to Hwa Mu-nyeom’s words.
“My desire to rebuild the Thousand Year Demon Cult was an expression of a dream to bring true order to the world, yet now that I have become the Alliance Leader of the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance, would it not be more fitting to greatly expand this Alliance and embrace order within it?”
Hwa Mu-nyeom lifted his head and looked up at me.
“I am confused. Utterly confused.”
Seol Woon-hwi, observing Hwa Mu-nyeom from above, settled across from him and picked up a White Stone.
“Alliance Leader, what has been your heart’s intention as you’ve cultivated the Way until now?”
“It was to fulfill a dream, but when I reflect on what came after my seclusion… it was ultimately revenge.”
Just as Seol Woon-hwi had once told Dong Mu-rin to make revenge his driving force, Hwa Mu-nyeom too had seized upon that very vengeance as his engine, driving himself relentlessly forward.
In my previous life, I knew nothing of the being known as Yeom Wang Hwa Mu-nyeom.
Moreover, I knew little of Shin Ju-eon either.
The reason was clear.
By that time, Shin Ju-eon was already dead.
Judging from how events had unfolded, it was highly probable that Hwa Mu-nyeom had undergone Donggwi-eojin with Shin Ju-eon.
Hwa Mu-nyeom was one whose sincerity lay equally in the reconstruction of the Thousand Year Demon Cult and in vengeance against Shin Ju-eon.
“Revenge against Shin Ju-eon, revenge against the Hondo Maryeom Palace. That was the origin of my Way, even as I dwelt in seclusion.”
“And now?”
“Now my revenge is complete. Shin Ju-eon is dead, and the Hondo Maryeom Palace is to be managed by Yu Seong-i’s youngest son. Though much remains lacking, that is something I can fill in myself—yet strangely, I feel an emptiness.”
Hwa Mu-nyeom continued, his gaze fixed upon the stones scattered across the Go Board.
“It is like this game of Go—when one side wins completely, one no longer knows what to do next.”
“The hollowness that follows revenge, then.”
“Indeed. I have reached the realm of Limitless Divine Manifestation, yet I cannot see what lies beyond… The wall of Dao Transformation Authority feels impossibly high.”
Seol Woon-hwi placed a White Stone upon the board as he spoke.
“What you are feeling now, Alliance Leader, is only natural.”
“Natural, you say?”
“When a powerful motivation like revenge disappears, a martial artist must seek a new direction. Without it, one cannot grow further.”
Hwa Mu-nyeom nodded and spoke.
“Then stop talking nonsense and focus on reconstructing the Thousand Year Demon Cult?”
“No. I have spoken to this effect before, but let me say it again—do not stake everything on the reconstruction of the Thousand Year Demon Cult.”
“…What?”
“I understand that your reason for reconstructing the Thousand Year Demon Cult is the establishment of order. But the true intention of Vice Alliance Leader Seo Hyo and your true intention point in different directions.”
“Then are you saying I should not reconstruct the Thousand Year Demon Cult at all?”
“That is not what I mean. I am asking that you clarify what lies beneath it, and what its deeper purpose truly is.”
Seol Woon-hwi looked directly at Hwa Mu-nyeom and asked.
“Alliance Leader, what is it that you wish to protect?”
“Protect?”
“Revenge is destruction. It breaks things, tears them down. But to become a true master, destruction alone is insufficient. One must protect something.”
A different light began to flicker in Hwa Mu-nyeom’s eyes.
“Something to protect…”
“Is it the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance? Or is it your conviction as a martial artist? Or something else entirely?”
Hwa Mu-nyeom fell silent for a long time.
The wind stirred, and the leaves of the Plum Blossom Tree trembled, casting dancing shadows across the pavilion.
Now I began to understand. The true meaning of what Seol Woon-hwi was trying to say.
“This is only the beginning, then.”
“Yes.”
“I must uphold my convictions, dedicate myself to them, and make resolute decisions for their sake.”
“Indeed. True mastery of the martial way is not determined by scale.”
Seol Woon-hwi gestured toward the Go Board.
“Observe this game. Victory is not decided by the number of stones. What matters is where they are placed and when.”
“You mean….”
“The realm of Dao Transformation Authority Truth is not merely about acquiring greater power. It is about understanding how your martial way harmonizes with the world.”
Hwa Mu-nyeom’s eyes began to brighten gradually.
“Harmonizing with the world…?”
“Just as you said moments ago, the resolve to manifest your own convictions—that is the first step toward harmonizing with the world.”
Seol Woon-hwi picked up a Black Stone and continued.
“Vengeance is an emotion for oneself alone. But protection—that is an emotion for another. This difference is the distinction between Limitless Divine Manifestation and Dao Transformation Authority Truth.”
“A martial way for another….”
“Precisely. There must be something you wish to protect and uphold, no matter the cost. Those who maximize this ascend to greater heights. Surely you understand—a blade wielded only for oneself and a blade wielded for another or for others cannot possibly carry the same weight.”
Hwa Mu-nyeom gazed upon the stones on the Go Board once more. This time, they appeared different. Each stone seemed to fulfill its own role in its proper place.
“Then have I been walking the wrong path all this time?”
“It was not wrong. It was merely the first stage.”
Seol Woon-hwi pointed to a corner of the Go Board.
“Look at the stones in this corner. Without them, the balance of the entire board would have collapsed. Your vengeance is the same. Because it existed, the peace of now is possible.”
“So everything I have done….”
“Was preparation for the next stage.”
Hwa Mu-nyeom exhaled deeply. The knot that had lingered in his heart for so long seemed to finally unravel.
“Then what must I do now?”
“Do nothing.”
“Nothing?”
“The reconstruction of the Thousand Year Demon Cult must unfold naturally in the process of manifesting your convictions. If it becomes a blind obsession, you will only lose yourself.”
“Hmm….”

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