Free Web NovelChapter 1594. A New Normal (49)
“Transmigration?”
“...”
“Did you just say transmigration? I didn't mishear that, did I? We're not evil spirits, so how are we supposed to take over someone’s body?” I questioned.
“I merely proposed a practical solution. Benigoa said that interfering with the Twelfth Dimension is impossible, but that's not necessarily true from our perspective. Of course, there are certain limitations, and it certainly wouldn't be easy,” Belial said.
“You're saying that's actually possible?” I asked.
“I know of a few who have entered the Twelfth Dimension,” he answered.
“And they're active over there?” I asked.
“It's really not that surprising. Those who practice martial arts often end up developing major cracks in their minds. I hear they call it a heart demon over there. Some end up completely broken, but if they're properly trained, they can make for quite useful toys.
"They're useful in many ways... I even know someone who specializes in that sort of thing. We may be able to get some help,” he answered.
“How are we supposed to trust demons and ask them for help? How do we know they're not one of Lucifer's pawns?” Benigoa questioned.
“They're not a demon affiliated with the legions. They're more of an outsider. I don't believe they have any connection to her, and besides...” Belial trailed off.
“...”
“Contracts, by their very nature, do not lie,” he added.
“...”
“Rimoura.”
It had been a while since I last saw Rimoura. Accompanied by her tentacles, Rimoura emerged through the floor.
“Tell Papias I'll be visiting shortly,” Belial ordered.
“Okay.”
'Papias?'
It was a name I had heard before. An Eastern demon known for tempting the Buddha. While I was distracted by that thought, Rimoura gave me a quick wink before sinking back into the floor. Belial was already rising to his feet as well. It looked like he intended to move now.
'What the hell? Wait, seriously? We've already decided to go?'
Was this really being settled that quickly?
“W-Wait a second, Mr. Belial. How exactly does this transmigration thing work?” I asked.
I felt like we still had a lot of time to figure things out.
“Most likely, you would enter the body of a human in that dimension whose wavelength is most compatible with yours,” Belial answered.
Wait, what the hell? When was it decided that I would be the one to go?
“Entering a body whose original soul has already departed is the simplest way to go about it, so that's the most likely thing to do. People die every day in that dimension, so finding a host may not be particularly difficult... though finding one whose wavelength is a perfect match is another matter entirely...” he added.
So it was basically an out-of-body experience?
“And... it's not as though anyone who wants to go can go. It's still too early to discuss the specifics since nothing has been decided yet, but the number of people capable of entering the Twelfth Dimension is limited. Ten at most if we're lucky. Five if we're not...” he said.
Wasn't that way too few? Things were escalating far too quickly. It felt like we were moving at ten kilometers per hour, but then someone suddenly slammed the accelerator and pushed us to a hundred kilometers per hour.
“In any case, there are many matters that require my attention. I'll be taking my leave now. If anything unusual comes up, I'll contact you immediately,” Belial said.
“What? Already? Wait a second, Mr. Belial,” I called out.
'He must've been genuinely afraid that I'd end up in a really bad situation.'
Just like Rimoura earlier, he sank into the ground. Even Benigoa reacted to the sight of Belial by abruptly rising from her seat. Belial was one thing, but Benigoa getting up was hardly welcome news.
"Looks like it’s time I go meet up with those arrogant Immortals. Not that I know what those guys can actually do, but it's still better than getting no help at all. Maybe they'll tell me where that elixir is hidden, and who knows what else I might be able to get from them. Hehehe..." Benigoa said.
"W-Wait... Miss Benigoa. What if the Immortals—"
"Ah! Don't worry so much, Lee Ki-Young. Contracts don't lie," she said, interrupting me.
Director Bel's words had to have sounded cool to her, as she had copied him exactly. She even flicked her hair back once. It seemed she genuinely believed that she looked cool. I felt like flicking her forehead.
'I don't know if it's really okay to leave something this important to her.'
"Lauren! Lauren! Get ready right now!" Benigoa shouted.
When Lauren finally appeared, I found myself nodding in relief. When our eyes briefly met, Lauren silently signaled that everything would be fine. Back then, she always seemed wary of me, but enough time had passed for us to understand each other to some extent.
"Let's go! Let's show those arrogant Immortals what happens when they mess with us," Benigoa said.
"Okay, unni! But before that, let's talk privately," Lauren requested.
The room suddenly fell silent.
Ji-Hye noona, who had been staring straight at me, finally said, "Things are pretty chaotic."
"They are, aren't they?" I said in agreement.
"The whole transmigration thing is ridiculous when you think about it... but I’m relieved,” she said.
"Relieved about what?" I asked.
"Come on. At the very least, if we go in there, we won't die for real. Sure, dying in a possessed body would damage the soul, but we'd still be able to come back here. Even if the operation in the Central Plains fails, we'd still have another chance later," she answered.
"There are penalties, though. I don't know how strong this Heavenly Demon guy is, but wouldn't it be easier for Hee-Ra noona, Ha-Yan, Hyun-Sung, and Commander Jin to just go in and clear him out like a raid? They say they're still growing, but transmigrating there means giving up everything they've built up until now.
"There's a high chance they won't have their accumulated mana with them when they go back here. And what if Hyun-Sung turns out to have no talent for martial arts?" I asked.
"Do you really think that's possible?" she asked.
'Yeah. No way he'd lack talent. He's basically a talent incarnate.'
"Well, it's basically a lottery, anyway. You could end up entering a body with no physical foundation at all, but you might also end up in a body that is already fully developed. Who knows? Maybe you'll end up in the body of some absolute master yourself, Oppa," she said.
'Huh? Now that she put it that way...'
"..."
'S-She's right, though.'
"..."
Before I knew it, my imagination ran wild.
'I could end up fighting back-to-back with Hyun-Sung. That's the kind of dream scenario people live for.'
Perhaps I could end up saving that idiot Kim Hyun-Sung. I imagined Kim Hyun-Sung being surrounded by sinister, demonic cultists. Just as he was about to die, Absolute master Lee Ki-Young suddenly appeared with a sword in hand.
'I came to help, Mr. Hyun-Sung.'
If I were to say something like that, he'd probably look at me like he was depending on me.
“I knew I could count on you, Mr. Ki-Young,” he'd say. Then the battle would begin. I would repeatedly save that idiot during the fight, as he was still unfamiliar with internal energy.
There would undoubtedly be amazement in Kim Hyun-Sung's eyes as he stared at me executing my lethal swordsmanship with a blank face. Perhaps he would find his competitive spirit awakening at the sight of me.
Well, it was hard to imagine Kim Hyun-Sung being jealous of someone else's swordsmanship, but if I were to display swordsmanship so beautiful that it defied belief, perhaps he would unconsciously be overcome with a sense of inferiority compared to me.
He wouldn't be able to stop marveling, thinking that this was what true talent looked like.
Once the demonic cultists were dealt with, Kim Hyun-Sung would catch his breath and mutter, “I'm sorry, Mr. Ki-Young.” And I would simply reply, “It's fine, Mr. Hyun-Sung. I'm used to being in this position.” Then everything would end by then. freewebnovёl.ƈom
"..."
"..."
'That... would actually be pretty cool.'
It wasn't some baseless confidence.
'Honestly, my body is just trash. I've got talent.'
Hadn't Kim Hyun-Sung himself said that I had talent? Kim Hyun-Sung, the man who had acknowledged no one except Sung Ji-Hoon, had acknowledged me.
He was the same guy who had spent every day talking behind people's backs because neither Thronus nor Rafael could meet his standards.
Of course, there had been one or two times when I had disappointed even myself, but the established consensus was that, at the very least, I had a once-in-a-generation talent from the neck up. In fact, it felt almost natural.
'I've got good eyes, too...'
I also had plenty of references inside my head. Kim Hyun-Sung's lethal swordsmanship wasn't the only thing stored in my mind. Thronus, Woo Hyo-Yeol, Templar Gen, William, Rafael, Ryu Han, Sung Ji-Hoon, and Kim Hyun-Sung. The swordsmanship of every renowned swordsman on the continent existed in my head. I could say with confidence that, in terms of knowledge of swordsmanship alone, I was better than Kim Hyun-Sung.
Of course, demonstrating all of those techniques was a completely different matter, but if I were to get lucky enough to transmigrate into the body of a Mysterious Realm swordsman. No, with the knowledge inside my head, even if I were to enter the body of a swordsman who had only reached the Transformation Realm, I would still be able to cut down those a realm higher than me.
"What are you doing? You’re imagining weird things again," Lee Ji-Hye asked.
"They're not weird fantasies. They're perfectly plausible. You know it too. Hyun-Sung thinks I—"
"I know, I know. You're talking about how Kim Hyun-Sung admitted that you have talent, right? You're about to bring up that ridiculous lethal swordsmanship story again, aren't you?" she asked.
"At least we've already established that the real problem here is my body," I said.
“...”
“...”
"If I get lucky and end up in the body of a master from that world as you said, noona... things might actually become easier," I said.
"I don't know... I was the one who brought it up first, but even if you did end up in a master's body, I don't think you'll really change all that much, Oppa. Well, it'll definitely be better than ending up in some useless body. What's important now is this," she said.
"..."
"The selection," she said.
"..."
"So, who are you taking with you? Kim Hyun-Sung is for certain, right?" she asked.
"Probably?" I replied.
"Looks like your relationship has changed a bit compared to before. I thought you'd keep it a complete secret again," she said.
"..."
"And... you'll probably take Cha Hee-Ra, too..." she went on.
"Do you want to go as well, noona?" I asked.
"Who knows... I'd like to take a tour of the Twelfth Dimension myself, but someone needs to stay behind, right? Sure, Director Bel and Benigoa are here, but honestly, I don't know how much difference I'd make if I were to go there.
"If Commander Jin says he isn't going, then maybe I'll go. If possible, I'd like to end up in the body of an absolute master and swing a sword around, too," she answered.
"Ah... well... But don't you think Commander Jin probably won't want to go?" I asked.
"Why?" she asked.
"I don't know. It never felt like he wanted to go in the first place. Remember how he said he didn't want to do anything with me anymore and that he didn't want to be involved with me any further? If he comes along again, he's going to be under a tremendous amount of stress. Besides, Commander Jin..." I trailed off.
"What?" she asked.
"He really hates Hyun-Sung. You should've seen the look on his face back then, noona. He looked at him like he was staring at some kind of maggot or amoeba. He even scrubbed his hand after they accidentally brushed against each other.
"Just imagining the two of them going on a mission together would probably make him break out in hives," I answered.
"I don't know... I think he'd definitely want to go," she said.
"No way," I argued.
"Why don't you call him over and ask?" fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
Sure enough, I saw Commander Jin looking at us with a face that seemed completely uninterested.
"..."
"..."
"If you’re the one making the request, well... I suppose I can accompany you," Commander Jin said.
"???"
"When do we leave?" he asked.
Ji-Hye noona looked at me with the corner of her mouth raised. It looked like she was saying that she had been correct all along.
