Chapter 438: Regret (Regret)

A day passed.

Even though time passed, this damn illusion hadn’t broken yet.

During that time, I focused on gathering information about this goddamn world.

First of all, this place was indeed the past life I had experienced.

I could tell that much the moment I saw it.

‘Damn world.’

Grind.

The more I recalled it, the more my teeth ground. Because I felt like I understood what ‘regret’ Tang Jemun had mentioned.

The time I regret the most.

I suspect that’s why they sent me there.

If that’s the case, it was truly a cruel test.

The very fact that they sent me to a world I wanted to forget so badly and never experience again.

Because it was like hell to me.

This isn’t a return to the past world.

I knew it was just an illusion.

I even held onto the hope that perhaps if I prevented things that were supposed to happen in this world, the future might change.

Because I knew well that it wouldn’t, I realized this wish was futile.

That’s why it’s hell.

Because I could only watch, unable to change anything in this place.

It’s enough to call it hell for me.

‘What do they expect me to realize here?’

I thought, brushing away the rippling water with my hand.

I couldn’t understand Tang Jemun’s intentions.

What was the purpose of this test? And what was the ‘choice’ she mentioned?

I couldn’t know.

I just stared at the river water with eyes heavy with thought.

The face reflected in the river caught my eye.

The face reflected in the water was utterly unfamiliar.

Meaning, it wasn’t my face.

I touched my face with my hand.

A sense of strangeness brushed against me from the reflected sensation and the touch of my own hand.

‘Only the appearance has changed, but the feel is the same.’

It felt like the outside was covered with something like a hallucination.

In a way, could it be called a more natural human skin mask?

‘Age… Is it about the same as my current age?’

Meaning, I looked like someone who could barely be called a youth.

‘Is that why they didn’t recognize me?’

I felt like I understood why Magumhu hadn’t noticed me.

Where were my fierce eyes? Instead, they had changed to slightly downturned, appearing gentle.

It would be perfect to say I looked the opposite.

Anyway, it felt too awkward to call it my face.

Putting my face aside, I looked around.

It seemed to be somewhere in Sichuan. It was a region I didn’t know well.

‘Around what time period is it?’

That’s the most important part. What point in time is it now?

I was in a state where it was difficult to figure that out.

‘For now… Magumhu is alive. And Sichuan has fallen.’

Then Dokbi must be dead.

“…”

I bit my lip even after saying it myself. Sichuan, fallen to the hands of the demonic, the Murim Alliance must be sending their forces to reclaim it.

Even so, the operation would fail.

‘…Because I am here.’

It was disgusting arrogance, but it was the truth.

It seemed Cheonjun had appeared in Sichuan with full force, but infiltration beyond a certain point was impossible.

Because if he revealed himself properly, Cheonma would descend.

Cheonma had issued a stern warning.

She would turn a blind eye to Dokwang and the Tang family’s blood relatives fleeing to Shaolin, showing leniency, but…

…if Samjonja intervened in this matter, she herself would reveal her presence.

This warning, full of arrogance.

Hilariously, it worked.

Because we had witnessed Cheonma’s power, we knew her words weren’t mere bluster.

Furthermore.

‘Right now, the Demonic Cult hasn’t launched a full-scale assault.’

They could push into Henan right away and bring down the Orthodox sects, but…

…for some reason, Cheonma had ordered them to occupy Sichuan and wait.

How long had it been since then?

‘One to two years.’

Around that time.

I don’t remember the exact timing.

Because back then, I wasn’t in the mental state to grasp the passage of time or anything else.

‘So, when could it be now?’

At what point during Cheonma’s ordered waiting period am I now?

I needed to know that.

Because the end of this waiting period…

‘…is Magumhu’s death…’

The trigger for the war to begin in earnest, the time when Magumhu’s death would occur.

I turned my gaze and observed Magumhu, who was looking at the river.

She was staring blankly at the river water.

Not that she was looking for anything in particular.

Just…

“…Gumhu-nim, no matter how I look at it, this doesn’t seem like the right way, does it?”

“…”

It was because she was lost.

I had forgotten for a moment.

That Magumhu was impossibly bad with directions.

I should have realized it from the moment she started walking ahead.

‘…How could I forget this?’

Magumhu was a woman who mistook left for right.

If you told her to go straight, she’d go backward, even turning sideways.

I knew this perfectly well. Yet, I just followed without thinking.

‘What should I do?’

I moved away from the river and followed Magumhu.

Her speed was fast, but not so much that I couldn’t keep up.

This was probably because she was being considerate, allowing me to follow.

‘If we go this way, isn’t it the opposite direction?’

We had already wandered for a day.

It wasn’t just wandering; it meant we’d been roaming the streets all night without sleep.

‘I’m going crazy.’

Honestly, I didn’t know the exact location here, but I knew the direction towards Daejeon.

But pretending I knew felt a bit awkward, so I just kept my mouth shut and followed.

‘But if we leave it like this… Forget the next day, even seven days might pass and we’d still be going in circles.’

Going to Daejeon was problematic in itself, so not going would actually be a better situation, but…

…leaving it like this was also a problem.

‘What should I do?’

Should I try suggesting we go that way subtly?

That wasn’t easy either.

‘…If I mess around, I’ll lose my head.’

If it were Magumhu, not Namgung Bi-ah, I’d have to be careful not only about approaching her but even speaking to her.

She extremely despised humans, and at the same time, she resented men to a considerable degree.

The reason she was taking me towards Daejeon now was because I claimed to be a demonic from the Black Flame Brigade, not because I belonged to the same Demonic Cult.

Magumhu was the type to kill even fellow demons without hesitation, so I had to keep a slight distance, moving while constantly gauging her reactions.

Just then.

“…!”

Magumhu shifted her gaze to one side as if she’d spotted something.

Pop.

“What?”

She scattered a brief burst of internal energy and disappeared on the spot.

‘Crazy.’

I couldn’t grasp it.

To the point where I couldn’t perceive her disappearing right before my eyes.

I thought I had become somewhat stronger after reaching the Hwagyeong realm.

Seeing this, I had to realize I was still a long way off.

To think I couldn’t even sense a mere presence.

‘Where did she go?’

I stopped moving and tried to find Magumhu, when Crackle-! Magumhu, who had disappeared, reappeared right in front of me.

Holding someone by the collar.

“Gasp…. Gasp….”

Surprisingly, the person being held by the collar was another demonic. Since Sichuan had become the Demonic Cult’s territory, it wasn’t strange for demons to be around.

But… why did she bring him here?

“Gasp…. Gasp…!”

Judging by the demonic’s expression, this wasn’t a planned kidnapping (?). The man wore an expression close to shock upon recognizing who had grabbed him.

“Ma… Magumhu-nim…!”

Magumhu’s expression as she looked down at the man was chillingly cold.

“…Daejeon… location… direction.”

She uttered only brief words, and seeing that, I could tell.

‘No way, did she bring him here just to ask for directions?’

It seemed so.

The man thought for a moment at Magumhu’s rambling words, but then quickly gave an answer.

“If… If it’s Daejeon, just go straight west… Ack!?”

As soon as she heard the answer, Magumhu threw the man.

The man screamed and flew far away.

Did she really bring him here just to ask for directions?

“…”

What is this situation?

As I stared at her, looking bewildered, Magumhu wiped her hands on her clothes diligently, as if she had touched something filthy.

Then, looking at me.

“…West. Let’s go….”

“…Ah, yes.”

She informed me she was about to move again, intending to leave immediately, but…

“Wait a moment.”

“…?”

At my words, Magumhu paused and looked back at me.

The reason I called out was simple.

“That’s east, Gumhu-nim. West is the opposite direction.”

“…Hmm.”

“And that way is north….”

Magumhu, who had stopped twice, stared at me with a blank expression.

Seeing those eyes, I could understand Magumhu’s intention.

“…You want me to guide you, right?”

“…”

Magumhu gave no answer to my question, but…

…I realized that silence meant affirmation and slowly started walking west.

‘Is this right?’

I thought even as I walked.

Wondering if it was right for me to be heading to Daejeon of my own accord.

Even if we just went east like this, Magumhu wouldn’t notice, you know.

Even thinking that, my feet were already moving.

There were things I wanted to confirm, and above all…

‘I need to find a way to escape this damn illusion.’

I needed to know how to end this ‘test’,

The reason I was sent here at this specific time. And meeting Magumhu right after appearing.

Seeing all this, I concluded that for now, I needed to be by Magumhu’s side.

That was my judgment.

Thinking that, I glanced at Magumhu.

But…

“Gumhu-nim…. Where are you going?”

“Ah… mistake….”

Magumhu, who was about to stray from the path, stopped and corrected her posture.

“…”

Seeing that, I nodded slightly.

It seemed that wouldn’t be an easy task at all.

---

We ran west for quite a while.

Meaning, we had to spend about another day.

It meant that two days had already passed since I arrived in the illusion of my past life.

As that time passed, a huge building eventually stood before my eyes.

It was a building I hadn’t seen in a very long time.

‘…Finally arrived.’

How much trouble did I go through during that time? I had to constantly keep an eye on Magumhu, who kept trying to disappear.

I even had to speak carefully, lest I offend her.

Damn it.

‘If it were Namgung Bi-ah, I would have smacked her head ten times.’

It’s a shame I couldn’t do that, damn it.

If I had done that to Magumhu, my arm would have been severed, and my neck along with it.

Furthermore, as I walked towards Daejeon with Magumhu, I could see the current dire situation once again.

‘There’s nowhere that doesn’t smell of blood.’

Traces of war filled the surroundings. The corpses I occasionally saw were half-rotten and emitting a foul stench.

If I found a river, I could see corpses floating on it.

‘…’

Seeing that, all I could do was bite my lip.

‘No matter how I think about it….’

It’s truly a disgusting memory.

I swallowed a sigh forcibly and moved my feet.

In an area slightly removed from the center of Sichuan, there was a building that originally housed the commercial hub of Sichuan.

The Demonic Cult had remodeled and was using that place.

The so-called Daejeon.

That’s what we called it.

As I approached the building, a figure who appeared to be a gatekeeper bowed his head.

“Greetings, Brigade Leader.”

Those words were directed at Magumhu.

Brigade Leader. Yes, that was the position Magumhu held in the Black Flame Brigade.

Magumhu looked at the gatekeeper with clouded eyes and asked.

“…Is the Leader…?”

“The Leader is waiting inside.”

Magumhu nodded at the gatekeeper’s words.

Then, the gatekeeper looked towards me with a puzzled expression. Seeing that, Magumhu added.

“…New recruit.”

“Ah, a new recruit?”

At Magumhu’s words, the gatekeeper grinned.

“A cute one has arrived, indeed. See you later, new recruit.”

“…”

That smile was filled with interest and fresh amusement.

‘What was this bastard’s name again?’

I tried to recall, but I didn’t know.

In my past life, I wasn’t experienced enough to memorize even the names of lowly gatekeepers.

Without offering any particular response, I followed behind Magumhu.

Even as we walked, I kept thinking.

‘Is this really okay?’

To walk right back into the lair of demons of my own volition, is this really okay?

Moreover, if Cheonma found out, it would be the end of me.

‘…But is there any other way?’

If this test was ultimately about my regrets,

I thought there must be something around me in this life, not to mention Magumhu.

‘…Going to see the Divine Sword is also an option, but…’

There would surely be a story related to that too, but strangely, my gut feeling pointed here.

Thump thump.

As I continued walking down the corridor, at the end of the quiet silence, a massive door appeared.

The moment I took a step towards it.

“…Gack…!”

I involuntarily let out a groan.

Because an absurd amount of fighting spirit and killing intent was pouring from beyond that door.

Cold sweat trickled down.

My heart, filled with fear, started beating uncontrollably, and my internal energy surged protectively around my body like a defense mechanism.

Yet, it wasn’t enough to block it all.

Crackle.

Just as it started affecting my breathing, a brief surge of internal energy enveloped my body.

It was Magumhu’s internal energy.

“Hah…?”

Then, my blocked breath burst forth, and my pounding heart gradually calmed down.

It seemed Magumhu had deployed her energy barrier.

‘…Why?’

I had to look at her with strange eyes.

Because Magumhu wasn’t the type to show such kindness to someone she’d known for only a few days.

Whether she noticed my gaze or not, Magumhu continued to move forward,

and soon reached the door.

Screeeeeech-!

As Magumhu arrived, the door began to open on its own.

Through the gap created as it slowly opened, I flinched at the demonic energy that seemed to erupt from it.

It was intense.

The demonic energy was intense, and the atmosphere within was even more severe.

Demonic energy filled the large room, with figures kneeling in rows on the left and right.

The demonic energy felt from each individual was no ordinary thing.

Not a single weak demonic was visible among them.

As I frowned at the demonic energy mixed in the air,

“You’re late.”

A heavy voice came from the direction of the throne placed at the far end.

I involuntarily swallowed dryly at the thick killing intent contained within the voice.

Following the words, the demonic energy filling the space began to fluctuate.

Straining to block the suffocating demonic energy, I raised my stiffened head to look at the opponent.

Consequently, the man’s purple eyes also turned towards me.

He looked the same as ever.

Looking at the man, I had to suppress a hearty inner laugh.

His eyes looked tired, and killing intent oozed thickly from around his body.

The vast amount of demonic energy the man possessed was so immense it caused disturbances in the surroundings, and due to the mixed fighting spirit, the demons couldn’t lift their heads.

His presence, glimpsed briefly, seemed exceptionally immense, but…

‘What a truly pathetic state.’

To my eyes, he was nothing more than a useless worm.

A cripple who couldn’t overcome anything and only ran away.

That guy was right in front of me now.

Looking at the man, I thought.

‘It’s been a while.’

It’s only been the second day since I came to my past life.

‘You fucking idiot.’

I faced the Black Flame Demon Emperor.