Chapter 454: Thank Goodness (1)

All other failed worlds would be erased.

Only one world that manages to successfully meet the conditions would survive.

It was fine up until this part.

Well, I honestly didn’t think it was okay, but let’s just say I did.

But even if the world I lived in successfully manages to create a new ruler through a calamity,

It would also mean that all life on that world would be erased at once.

In the end, it didn’t really matter what happened for me which was rather nonsensical to think about.

Sigh.

This was no different from trying to fight a predetermined end.

I thought to myself about how Yeon Il-Cheon called me a calamity, and the causes that I was involved in.

Moreover, I believed that the Heavenly Demon was the next upcoming calamity, but the Celestial Sword told me that she was the one who brought me back to life.

That wasn’t even all, as there were traces left by my mother, and I still for some reason had the Heavenly Demon’s powers in me.

-Do you really believe that you were brought back to life through a miracle?

I was reminded of what Yeon Il-Cheon’s spirit said to me.

I was also able to realize after thinking about all the things I’ve been through.

The Blood Demon said that it felt like someone was blocking my ears on purpose. The heroes of the past tried to do something, but they failed in the end.

Judging by these things,

What does the world want from me?

I felt like I now knew for sure that the world wanted something from me.

The problem was that I didn’t know what it wanted.

Crack.

Perhaps, the world really wants me to become the next calamity, like Yeon Il-Cheon said?

I wasn’t sure.

The current problems were already complicating enough for me.

Moreover, I had one more question that I needed to ask from the Blood Demon.

“I get what you are saying and all…”

I learned how the world worked, but-

“What is it that you want from me?”

[…]

What was the goal of the Blood Demon that was currently in front of me? I was curious.

I understood that the world was fucked up and all, but I wanted to know what the Blood Demon’s goal was.

Did the Blood Demon also have the same goal as the world which was to create a new ruler?

I didn’t think that was the case.

That bastard definitely has a different thing in mind.

That’s what my instinct told me.

The Blood Demon wouldn’t care about such a thing.

Considering how the Blood Demon in my world tried establishing the Meteor Generation and used Jang Seonyeon’s body to plan things, it seemed like he had a goal in mind, despite being sealed away after being cut into pieces.

What was it?

I was more confused about how I was unaware of all of these things in my past life.

Moreover…

Is the Blood Demon an ally, or an enemy?

Considering the Blood Demon was an existence that caused the Blood Demon war as a calamity of the past, I knew that he wasn’t an ally.

But was he an enemy?

I had to figure that part out.

[Hah.]

The Blood Demon let out a short laugh after hearing my question.

[…What a fascinating fellow you are.]

“What do you mean?”

[The story I told you earlier should’ve been more than enough to put you on your knees through despair, but you are way too at peace for someone just starting to shed.]

Peace?

Peace my ass.

I couldn’t feel more speechless after hearing what the Blood Demon just said.

Peace, you say? I’m about to lose my mind over here, so how could you say such a thing?

Plus, I could die at any moment because of my current condition, so how could I feel at peace? I was more than ready to give it all up.

The story I heard from him was so disgusting it made me infuriated.

Countless number of worlds being created because of its will to create a ruler through calamity, was a story that made me feel sick.

Yet,

Even so,

I couldn’t afford to give up, which was why I chose to keep my head up.

Dammit.

Everyone would die if I didn’t do anything.

But that wasn’t what made me curse out loud.

I wasn’t some caring person who wanted to save everyone.

I was a selfish person who would never do anything that wouldn’t benefit me.

However, there was one reason why I brute forced my way through every shitty situation like these.

Every time, I was reminded of the faces that lived and died for me. They were the reason why I was continuing to live this life.

If I thought about them, I couldn’t afford to give up here.

Instead of wasting my time falling into despair, I had to think about how to solve my problems.

That was my job.

[Now I am able to see how you managed to start shedding.]

“Stop with your nonsense and only answer what I asked.”

What was the Blood Demon’s goal?

I was willing to kill the Blood Demon like Elder Shin wanted me to,

But I first have to think about my priorities.

Considering how I had a mountain of things to do, I had to think about what I needed to do first.

Though, of course, there wasn’t a guarantee that the Blood Demon would answer my question.

[My goal, you ask? How come you think I even have a goal to begin with?]

“Do I even have to think about that? You seem to have a very fiery will, even though you are just an old being that’s buried in the ground.”

[Hehe…]

The Blood Demon chuckled after I mocked him.

[My goal, you say…]

“Perhaps, you are trying to bring calamity to the world again like you did in the past?”

The Blood Demon caused the Blood Disaster a few centuries ago.

The five heroes of the past, including Elder Shin, managed to stop it in the end, but was the Blood Demon trying to do the same thing again?

The Blood Demon spoke with a chuckle after hearing my question.

[If I say yes to that, what will you do?]

“I’ll have to stop you.”

When I gave a response without much thought,

Woong-!

The ice crystal started to ring loudly.

Hehehehe.

The Blood Demon’s chuckle resonated with the echo, which rang in my ears.

[How could a child like you, who lacks knowledge of this world, think about stopping me?]

“I’ll have to do it somehow.”

[How foolish. Do you really think it’s hard for me to kill you on this spot right now?]

I felt it.

Cold air that slowly leaked out from the ice crystal had already reached my neck.

The Blood Demon clearly wasn’t bluffing, judging by this clear sensation.

However…

“You have no intention of killing me.”

I knew that the Blood Demon couldn’t kill me.

“You want something from me, is that not correct?”

When I spoke with a small smile,

[…]

Swish…

The cold air that poured out from the ice crystals calmed down in an instant.

This was the reason why I was able to be so reckless with the Blood Demon, that was obviously very dangerous.

The Blood Demon wanted to see who came from another world, and it strangely acted kindly towards me while giving me information, so I knew that the bastard wanted something from me.

It was possible that I was wrong, but I became certain after seeing the bastard’s reaction.

[Hah.]

The Blood Demon reacted as if he didn’t expect such a response from me.

[You are sharper than I expected.]

It was as I thought.

I frowned after seeing the Blood Demon’s reaction.

“So what do you want from me?”

The calamity of the past, and a being from a different world.

I had to know what he wanted from me.

As I continued to stare at the Blood Demon while hiding my conflicted expression, the bastard only continued to chuckle quietly.

After a moment of silence,

[You… asked what my goal was.]

The Blood Demon started to speak slowly.

[I dream of creating a paradise.]

I immediately frowned after hearing a response.

“Paradise…?”

It was a good phrase to hear, but it was strange to hear it from the Blood Demon.

It was way too hopeful of a phrase considering how it came from a being that was the calamity of the past.

As I started wondering in my head in order to understand,

[Being from another world.]

The Blood Demon called me.

[There is only one thing I want from you.]

I opened my ears carefully after hearing the Blood Demon.

[Once you learn the true purpose of this world, after you are finished shedding, do come visit me again. That is the only thing I want from you.]

“You know I can’t just come here easily even if I wanted to, right?”

I was speechless.

It was already hard enough to travel around in my own world, but this was a whole different world.

I didn’t know why the Blood Demon wanted such a thing, but it was a way too weird of a request.

After hearing my response, the Blood Demon spoke once more.

[Nothing will be impossible for you, once you are done shedding.]

“…Just what the hell is this shedding nonsense for you to have such faith in me?”

[You will come to know it naturally.]

I could traverse through different worlds once I do this thing called shedding?

Or if that wasn’t it, perhaps I get to understand this strange phenomenon?

Whichever it was, it wasn’t really important right now.

“So you want me to visit you for that paradise you dream of?”

[I’m not sure.]

He’s not going to answer this one huh.

“…How can you be so sure that I would listen to your request?”

[As long as you remember this conversation we had, then you will come looking for me for sure, so it does not matter in the end.]

I didn’t know if it was because of the ‘paradise’ he was talking about, or for a different reason.

My mind was already complicated enough from the stories I’d heard from him earlier.

What should I do?

Were all of the things the Blood Demon told me true?

If it wasn’t, then why would the Blood Demon say these things to me?

And if it was all true,

Then… what am I supposed to do?

The more I learned, the harder it became for me to process.

My previous goal was to stop the Heavenly Demon to bring peace for those that mattered to me, but I was now realizing just how difficult that goal really was.

It was rather shitty.

It was hard for me to live a normal, peaceful life. What a shitty thing to think about.

First… I should learn how to return to my world.

I also knew that I shouldn’t waste my time here, trying to change the past.

I was already short on time in my own world anyway.

Fuck…

How did it become this way?

It felt like everything went wrong ever since I was charmed by those Heavenly Poison Orbs.

Well, should I actually be glad that I got to learn all this information?

There was one thing I was still confused about though.

What if all of the things that happened here are just a test, like Tang Jaemoon said?

Does that mean that all of the things that the Blood Demon told me would turn into lies?

That might honestly be better.

I was so shocked by the story he told me to the point that I wanted this whole thing to just be an illusion.

Complicated thoughts continued to fill my mind.

As I was about to let out a sigh with a frown,

[If you want]

The Blood Demon spoke to me.

[I could send you back to the world you originally came from.]

“…!”

I opened my eyes widely after hearing the Blood Demon.

What? You could send me back right here?

I looked up at the ice crystal with my eyes wide.

[If that’s what you truly want.]

“Well, obviously I- “

Right as I was about to respond without hesitation, I had to shut my mouth due to the thoughts that passed by my mind.

Putting aside the fact that this was a test from Tang Jaemoon and the rewards I would get from it, was it really okay for me to get the Blood Demon’s help to go back to my world?

I wasn’t doubting the fact that the Blood Demon had the ability to send me back, but I was more so asking if it was morally okay for me to accept his offer.

[Hehe… you are hesitating.]

“…”

[Is that hesitation of yours coming from your disbelief in me, or your lingering attachment?]

I bit my lip after hearing the Blood Demon without even noticing.

[Perhaps it’s because you haven’t finished shedding yet. I could still see the human side from you.]

“Shut your mouth.”

I roared back at him.

“I am human.”

[…]

Even if I became a Demonic Human or creatures filled my body, I was still a human.

I was willing to give up anything, but this was one thing I just couldn’t let go of.

After hearing my response, the Blood Demon spoke after a moment of silence.

[Well, if that’s what you say, then it doesn’t matter. In the end, it’s the essence that counts.]

At the same time, the Blood Demon spoke,

Craaack.

The space behind me started to crumble.

It was the Demon Gate that I came through, along with the lady called Dancer.

On the other side, a masked lady walked out of it.

It was the Dancer.

Just like last time, the Dancer lowered her head towards me in respect.

After seeing her, I spoke to the Blood Demon in an annoyed tone.

“You are telling me to screw off since you are done with me now?”

[Like I said, I could always send you back if that’s what you want. However, I will show you courtesy as you still seem to have something you want to do in this world.]

“What a shitty courtesy that is.”

Did I need to be thankful that I was let go and got information from the Blood Demon?

I thought to myself as I stared at the Demon Gate.

Like what the Blood Demon said, I had to think about my lingering attachment for this world.

Regret.

I remembered that this test was called regret.

Judging by how Tang Jaemoon threw me in here without telling me what I needed to do,

Maybe she just wanted me to be fucked in here?

That honestly sounded convincing.

I really considered asking the Blood Demon to send me back,

…Tsk.

But my feet were already stepping towards the Demon Gate behind me. Right as I was about to enter,

[On the other side, there seems to be a guest looking for you.]

“A guest…?”

I stopped and looked back after hearing the Blood Demon.

A guest looking for me all of a sudden?

The Blood Demon continued to speak with a chuckle.

[I don’t know what you are trying to achieve in this world, but I hope that you have a good dream.]

The bastard had no intention of telling me who the guest was.

“…”

I turned my head back around after hearing the response.

I didn’t know how different the Blood Demon was in the world I lived in, but I at the very least knew that this world’s Blood Demon wasn’t in any way normal.

Without saying a word back, I stepped inside the Demon Gate.

Swoosh-!

When I opened my eyes again, I was back at in the same spot as before.

Oh, there was one difference though.

The sun is up?

It was definitely night before I stepped inside the gate.

But now, the sun was up in the sky.

Huh?

No matter how much I thought about it, I didn’t spend that long talking with the Blood Demon.

Yet it has already become daytime here.

As I started to look around while getting used to the brightness,

“Master left a message for you.”

The Dancer who was behind me, suddenly started to speak from the other side of the gate.

A message all of a sudden? I looked at the Dancer, wondering what it was.

Then, she said this with her face hidden behind her mask.

“I will promise you.”

It was a very monotonic. Her voice sounded as if it had no life, as if it were made of stone or wood.

Was she trying to imitate the Blood Demon’s way of talking?

“I will not intervene, no matter what you do in this world.”

“…What?”

I wanted to ask what she meant by those words,

“…That is all from my master.”

But the Demon Gate wrapped around the Dancer, making her disappear from my sight.

She really left after leaving me with that message.

After staring into that space dumbfoundedly, I stared scanning the area around me.

I was standing here alone, in a forest with nothing in it.

Was meeting the Blood Demon really all I needed to do?

What should I do from now on…?

I thought about my plans after being left here alone.

I got to see the Blood Demon after the Murim Alliance suddenly brought me here, and I was glad that I managed to come out without being harmed, but I had no idea what to do.

Do I need to go back to the headquarters?

I thought for a moment, but I shook my head.

No, it would be better for me to act alone from here.

Even the Murim Alliance might be safer than that place.

Though of course, I wasn’t insinuating that the Alliance was safe to be with either.

Should I just run first and think about it after?

It was strange how no one was waiting here for me, whether that would be the Celestial Sword or someone else, but it was good since I was able to run away now.

Right as I was about to leap away using Qi,

Shaaaa-!

“Hmm?”

The Red Water Snake suddenly came out from my sleeve and started to cry out loud.

I opened my eyes widely after seeing the little snake.

“Oh, right. You were here too huh?”

I completely forgot about the bastard, even though it was inside me the whole time.

Did I forget because of how quiet it was being this whole time?

…Wait, now that I think about it,

The Blood Demon didn’t seem to mention anything about the snake.

Did it not care for it?

It got me thinking.

Shaa.

After showing its face for the first time in a while, the Red Water Snake wrapped around my arm tightly and started to point somewhere.

What’s gotten into this guy?

“I’m busy right now, so let’s talk later- “

I was about to leap after ignoring the snake due to my priorities,

Thud-!

“…!”

But I felt a familiar Lightning Qi from behind, far away.

I focused on the Lightning Qi and widened my senses.

At the same time, the scent of blood passed by my nose.

What’s happening?

I usually would’ve read the situation or run away quickly, but despite my brain telling myself to calm down, my body was already charging quickly towards where the sound came from.