Light gradually began to seep into Seol-hwiâs vision. Each passing moment saw Seol-Hwiâs tension spiking; he absolutely could not afford to mess up the simulationâs instructions.
He spun to the right and raised his sword to shoulder height as soon as the system unfroze time. The Supreme Pavilion Lord saw Seol-Hwi moving, but ignored it and kept speeding towards him; he refused to let Seol-Hwiâs actions get to his head.
Here it comes!
Seol-Hwi felt something hit his sword, and his heart took off like a rocket. He immediately proceeded with the simulationâs next instructions.
Ugh! Sama Gwiâs fire energy penetrated the hand with which he was holding the sword, but Seol-Hwi didnât lose his grip. He knew that any deviation from the simulation would change everything. Instead, he began to channel the White Light Demonic Body so that its chill would cool his body.
He felt, rather than knew, the timing to move his sword. Ten breaths, ten beats, then move.
Did I⊠succeed?
Seol-Hwi turned around again and felt the Supreme Pavilion Lord using the Full Flame Martial Arts, but didnât change his courseâor rather, Sama Gwiâs grip on his neck prevented that.
âYou rotten bastard!â The Pavilion Lord furiously clenched his fist. He sent a burst of flame energy onto Seol-Hwiâs face, burning away his mask. âYouâŠâ He was shocked to find Seol-Hwi behind the half-ruined mask. He couldnât help itâhe never would have thought the man he was looking for was right there.
Seol-Hwi met his gaze steadily. âWhy⊠do you look surprised?â He reached up and gripped Sama Gwiâs hand. He had some choice words to say to the man. âMmmm⊠but what can we do? The truth is, your vassal is dying there, and youâre just watching.â Seol-Hwi groaned. âThe truth, it seems, is that I wasnât the one who abandoned his people⊠it was⊠you?â
âYou fucker!â The Supreme Pavilion Lord pushed more fire energy onto Seol-Hwi, spreading the scorching heat from his face onto his entire body.
It didnât matter, though.
[Status Summary]
Seol-Hwi [Vice-Captain of the Hidden Truth Corps]
âŠ
âŠ
Coins: 6 [Six Lives]
He had six lives now, up from two. That meant the simulation had succeeded.
âAck!â Seol-Hwiâs eyes snapped open. âAhhhâŠâ Heâd never had pain carry over when time was turned back, but he still felt the terrible heat coursing through his body.
Right before he died in the hands of the Supreme Pavilion Lord, he thought of one thing.
âJust once⊠I need to see him tremble in disgrace.â
He recalled Jeok Seongâs conviction in the face of the Supreme Pavilion Lordâs coercion. Seol-Hwi felt that if he didnât want to lose favorability, he had to do the same.
{Five chances left.}
{Year 95, Chapter 4-5. Filling the membersâ favorability.}
âHow do I do that? With 20 million combat powerâŠâ It was a difficult number to wrap his head around, even after training for his entire life. He might get the chance after crossing the river of death a few more times, but the gap seemed insurmountable.
âItâs not the time,â he decided. âI canât give up on life so easily.â
He was a little confused now that he was back in the past, though. Heuk Bi was dead, which was one-half of his revenge done, and he saw the Supreme Pavilion Lord lose his cool, which mollified Seol-Hwiâs anger somewhat. So what now? Save Jeok Seong?
First, I need to get Jeok Seong. Seol-Hwi thought back to the conversation theyâd had, and then the conversation Jeok Seong had with the Supreme Pavilion Lord. What if Jeok Seong was somewhere else when Sama Gwi arrived? Theyâd avoid the situation, and his favorability with Jeok Seong would rise.
The problem was that Seol-Hwi wouldnât be able to sleep peacefully if he didnât resolve the situation.
Wait, my sword?! The Sword of Reverence, a treasured blade that increases his destructive power. He was using it during the fight, andâ
âWhere is it?!â Seol-Hwi looked around, but couldnât find it next to his bed. Heâd lost it during the fight. âAh, I didnât put it in the Toolbox.â He felt disappointed that heâd lost the Earth Demonâs gift. It wasnât easy to find a weapon that could raise his stats.
Wait⊠Maybe itâs where I lost it? It suddenly occurred to him that if the sword hadnât come back with him, it ought to remain where it was. Iâm going to see Jeok Seong anyway, so letâs check it out.
Seol-Hwi went to bed half-anxious and half-excited. It felt like his day had been too short.
A sign popped up in the morning, like it had been waiting for him.
{Please set a schedule for month 3 of year 97. (19/36)}
There was no need to think about it.
ⶠCommand Unit Dorms
He chose the same option as before. The blinding light shone for a second, and then he was back in front of the birch tree again.
âWhen did you arrive?â
âWell, just now,â Seol-Hwi replied, exactly as he had before. However, the way he looked at Jeok Seong was different; heâd seen such loyalty in the face of death from one of his subordinates.
âAmazing. I didnât even feel your steps.â
However, Jeok Seong departed from Seol-Hwiâs memory.
Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks
âDonât get me wrong⊠Isnât this your sword, captain?â
Seol-Hwi blinked at the proffered sword in shock. The Sword of Reverence! His sword was here, just as heâd hoped.
âIt might be hard to believe, but it was sitting around here.â
Seol-Hwiâs prediction wasnât far off; the sword lay right where heâd abandoned it. That should hold true for anything else he had owned before dying.
âI was here to find it.â
âAh, yesâŠâ Jeok Seong looked doubtful, but Seol-Hwi didnât mind it. He wouldnât be able to understand even if Seol-Hwi explained, so Seol-Hwi just took the sword.
Should I put it in the Toolbox now? He mulled over it for a while, but ended up putting it on his waist. He wasnât here to find the Supreme Pavilion Lord anymore.
If I lose it in a fight, all I have to do is come find it again.
âIf it isnât too rude, I want to ask you something,â Jeok Seong ventured. Besides the incident with the sword, it seemed everything was going the same way.
{You have persuaded Jeok Seong. His favorability will increase until the end.}
[Favorability has risen to âTrusting.â]
[Except under special circumstances, favorability will not decrease.]
[You can now issue missions to Jeok Seong.]
So far, everything was the same. The next part had changed, however.
{There is nothing more to learn from Jeok Seong.}
Everything he knew had already been explained, it seemed.
What happened next was important; the decisions Seol-Hwi made would affect all of their futures.
âJeok Seong,â Seol-Hwi called out.
ââŠYes, captain?â
âWe need to head back to the classroom now.â
âWhy? Do we have something else to learn?â
âIt isnât for any reason. Donât ask any questions, just go there for today.â
ââŠYes.â Although he looked confused, Jeok Seong didnât object; it seemed he would no longer disobey Seol-Hwiâs orders.
Seol-Hwi quickly hid himself once Jeok Seong was gone. A little time passed, and then he spotted an old man standing by the birch tree. Despite the distance, Seol-Hwi could see that it was the Supreme Pavilion Lord.
Idiots.
They stood around for a while before Seol-Hwi got another prompt.
[Where would you like to go?]
ⶠFourth Discipleâs House
â· Black Tortoise Garden
Seol-Hwi had to think about it for a bit, now that he had Jeok Seongâs favorability maxed. The Fourth Discipleâs house seemed like the safest option, butâŠ
{You have selected âBlack Tortoise Garden.â}
[A day and a half passes.]
A pure white light covered the flow of time.
The first thing that graced his eyes was the moonlit darkness. He slowly looked down and saw something moving quickly.
âYong Jin.â Seol-Hwi could tell by the long hair. He wasnât certain, but it looked like Yong Jin was being chased by someone. Seol-Hwiâs subordinate was agile and quick, but he was under a lot of pressure despite his best efforts.
Seol-Hwi realized who his pursuer was.
Heuk Bi?! He couldnât see her face, but between the daggers she held, the sword on her waist, and her feminine physique, he was convinced nonetheless.
Why? Why Yong Jin? Why suddenly attack him?
Read latest chapters at wuxiaworld.eu
Seol-Hwiâs eyes went to where Yong Jin was running, and he stiffened. No! Outside the walls of the Hidden Truthâs grounds was the Supreme Pavilion Lord.
{Will you intervene?}
ⶠHelp
â· Keep Watching
Seol-Hwi didnât wait this time. This was a chance to raise Yong Jinâs favorabilityâand he wasnât about to miss the chance to make his enemy eat shit again.
Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!