All those historical records were diaries?
The Small Heavenly Demon’s idea was extremely novel, and it left Seo Jun-Ho speechless.
It wasn’t because he thought it was ridiculous, though. It was simply too shocking.
“Hey, bouncy ball. Do you even know what you’re implying?”
- Indeed I do.
-It means that the Alliance leader has been fooling the whole world for 700 years now.
“...Is that possible with the technology here?”
- It is possible. Though, it is just barely possible.
“Expand on that.”
Wisoso thought for a moment before continuing.
- First, he would need an immense amount of money and authority.
“If he’s the very first Alliance Leader from when Neo City was first founded, he should have all that,” Seo Jun-Ho said.
- If he was able to fake his death and was elected as the Alliance Leader in a new body… He would need an assistant.
“In other words, you’re saying that he can’t do something like this by himself.”
- Realistically, it would be difficult. There is definitely someone helping them.
Ten possible candidates popped up in Jun-Ho’s head. “The Sect Leaders of the Ten Great Families.”
- Not all of them would be on the Alliance Leader’s side.
“How are you so sure?
- The fewer the participants, the better.
Not only did it lower the chance of their secret being leaked, but they would also get a bigger cut of the rewards.
- And… I think my opinions are starting to change a little bit.
“What do you mean?”
- I told you last time. The current members of the Imperial Palace and the Murim Alliance have been feasting on the flesh and blood of the city in tandem. For them, the lives of the people here have no value.
Seo Jun-Ho clearly remembered it. However, what did that have to do with—
“Oh!” Jun-Ho exclaimed upon realizing it. “Yeah, that doesn’t make sense.”
- Indeed. This is an important thing to consider.
If the Murim Alliance Leader had been living for over seven hundred years now, it either meant that the emperor of each generation had allowed it or the emperor himself was 700 years old.
- If neither is true, the Alliance Leader has to be committing all those heinous acts on his own.
“...” For the time being, this was all speculation. However, the gears started turning in Seo Jun-Ho’s head. “If the Alliance Leader really is some monster over 700 years old, what is his ultimate goal? What do you think?”
- To obtain the first chip.
The number one popped up on Wisoso’s LED face.
- So that he can collect all four chips in Neo City and become invincible.
“The first chip…”
The two Neigong Chips each contained three thousand gapja of neigong. The Murim Alliance’s Sect Record Chip contained records of every single type of martial arts. And the System Chip could control everything in Neo City.
Seo Jun-Ho gasped. “If one person gains possession of all four chips…”
He could see it already. They would become the greatest martial artist, possessing three thousand gapja of neigong and the ability to use every type of martial art. They would become omniscient, unable to age or die.
“...They could become a god.”
That was what it was...
- Yes. It is likely that his ultimate goal is to become the god of this world.
“Let’s hold our horses,” Seo Jun-Ho said, standing up. This was all still speculation. “We need undeniable evidence to confirm all these.” Evidence that the Alliance Leader really was 700 years old.
“...”
And right now, there was only one place where that evidence could be.
Jun-Ho looked out the window. He fixed his eyes on the tallest skyscraper in the heart of Neo City.
“The Imperial Palace.”
They would find the answer there.
***
“Leader, Player Seo Jun-Ho has left the guest room.”
“Has he left the building?”
“Yes. He left a note saying that he wants to go sightseeing. Shall we send people to tail him?”
“Why put in the effort when you cannot chase a shadow? Leave him be.”
“Are you going to just let him go like that?”
Namgung Jincheon turned to his subordinate and revealed a sly look. “It would be unwise to draw suspicion. And…” He trailed off and stepped forward to face the large glass window. He knew that Seo Jun-Ho would never be able to interfere with his plans, no matter where the Player went. “Even if he causes a ruckus somewhere else, he will still stay within the confines of the city.”
He looked down at the city with an amused look.
***
“E-Eek…”
The dirty smell of tears, snot, and filth filled the room. However, the Heavenly Demon looked unbothered. He didn’t even blink as he spoke, “Can you break the lock?”
“Y-Yes. B-But it will take some time.”
“How long?”
“At least five… no, seven years…”
“An endless amount of time.” The fiend stood. There was a rare expression of frustration on his face. “Isaac, bring in all the engineers right now.”
Isaac Dvor snapped his fingers, opening the tightly shut door. Tens of cyborgs entered the room, muttering to each other. Their eyes furrowed when they caught a whiff of the stench.
“Shit, what kind of stink…”
“Did someone piss and shit in here? Urp!”
As they started retching, the engineers noticed the pile in the corner of the room.
It was a small mountain of corpses and machine parts.
“Urrp!”
“W-what?”
“Shit…”
If it were only a pile of machine parts, they wouldn’t be so disgusted and fearful. However, the human corpses themselves had been ripped apart like someone had scavenged them for spare parts.
While the engineers were shell-shocked, Isaac projected a blueprint onto a hologram.
“Okay, everyone. Listen up!”
“What is that?”
“The structure of it looks like a chip. I had no idea that someone could make such a dense, complicated chip…”
“Good Lord…”
The engineers were fixated on the picture.
“How much time will it take you to unlock the chip?” Isaac asked.
“...”
The engineers exchanged glances. They finally understood why the engineers that had already gone in for their interview had ended up killed and shoved into the corner.
“Isaac.”
“Yes, milord.”
“Cut off one of their arms if they do not answer.”
“Your wish is my command.”
What a madman!
The terrified engineers thought the same.
“I will ask once more. How much time will you need?” Isaac asked once again.
“F-Four years!”
“Five years!”
“If everyone here works together… Three, no, two years!”
“If we really push ourselves, we could even do it in a year and a half.”
To survive, the engineers brought down the number to its absolute lowest, like they were in a bidding war. Only then did the Heavenly Demon seem satisfied. “Isaac. Why is it that humans are only ever obedient once they suffer the consequences?”
“Indeed. They are pitiful creatures.” Isaac smiled warmly. He understood the underlying meaning. “Okay, folks. We will give you exactly half a year. Please unlock the chip by that time.”
“...What? Half a year?!”
“Impossible! It won’t be possible even if we work ourselves to death!”
“Is that so? Would it truly be impossible if you worked yourselves to your deaths?” Isaac chuckled. As he did, a thick, vicious bloodlust enveloped the engineers. Their instincts screamed that they would die a horrible death if they said yes.
“...”
“...”
Once all of them fell into silence, Isaac turned to the Heavenly Demon. “I believe half a year will be their limit.”
“Half a year, you say.” It wasn’t ideal, but he could tolerate it, considering that the crazy engineers from earlier had pitched ten, fifteen years.
“Continue with the project, then.”
“Yes, milord.” Isaac led the engineers to someplace underground.
“Chef,” the Heavenly Demon said.
“Yes, my liege.”
“I presume the events of last night have started to spread across the city, correct?”
“But of course. I can also sense that the dogs of the so-called Murim Alliance have come close to the site and started investigating.”
“That is troublesome.” He had to protect the Fourth Chip for the next six months. It was a daunting task for three people other than him to handle. “Put out a notice that we are selecting new martial artists.”
“...Do you plan to create new fiends?”
“If you give them demon’s blood and train them rigorously in the Demonic Cult’s martial arts, we will obtain some useful sacrificial lambs.”
“A wise decision.” The Chef grinned from ear to ear. This was the perfect opportunity for him to test the new theory he had learned in the Underworld.
“Half a year, is it?”
The wait would be exhausting. However, the Heavenly Demon still closed his eyes.
***
The Imperial Palace was located on a clean street. There wasn’t a single filth. It was a flawless street.
“...”
Seo Jun-Ho felt a strange sense of deja-vu upon seeing it.
- Hey. Do you truly plan to enter the palace?
“I have to because I need more information on the Alliance Leader,” said Seo Jun-Ho.
- But…
Wisoso held back. The Small Heavenly Demon knew that the Player had an amazing concealment technique, but the martial artists of the Imperial Palace were stronger than even the seasoned troops of the Murim Alliance.
- Young Hero Seo, do you know of the Jinyiwei?[1]
“Jinyiwei? What’s that?”
- Their formal title is the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Simply put, they are the emperor’s personal guards. Each member is skilled and powerful enough to be a sect leader. They are the most powerful military organization amongst all the neighboring galaxies.
“Really? That’s news to me.” Seo Jun-Ho frowned. “Wait, could the Alliance Leader still do whatever he wants with a group like that here? Our theory becomes much weaker in that case.”
- It is possible that they were dissolved. The last time they were seen was thirty years ago. It overlaps with the time period when the emperor fell ill.
“What do you think? Did Namgung Jincheon do that?”
- I do not know. But no matter how powerful he is, he would not have been able to fight and defeat the Jinyiwei in a head-to-head battle.
“They’re that strong?” Even though Seo Jun-Ho only had a small taste of what Seo Jun-Sik had experienced, he knew that the Alliance Leader was strong. Very strong. It was only natural, considering that he was possibly a 700-year-old ancient beast. In addition, he knew how to use every form of martial arts and possessed a colossal amount of neigong.
- According to the rumors, every member of the Jinyiwei is supposed to be a transcendent martial artist.
“Transcendent?” asked Seo Jun-Ho. That was Director Hyun-Baek’s level. However, even though they were in the same category, there was an enormous difference in skill between them.
‘Even though I’m also considered a transcendent warrior on this planet, I’m no match for Director Hyun-Baek.’
Seo Jun-Ho silently looked at the Imperial Palace. If he and Wisoso’s conjecture were incorrect, they couldn’t go in there.
‘But what if we’re right?’
What if the Alliance Leader was actually over 700 years old? And what if the emperor was truly bedridden and wasting away? In that case, Seo Jun-Ho would have to take proper measures before the Alliance Leader could obtain all four chips.
- Wait, you’re actually considering it? You could die!
Wisoso yelled in frustration. The Frost Queen slapped the ball a few times. “The Small Heavenly Demon gets angry often. We must hit it a few times to calm it down.”
- Ow! Ow! Don’t hit me…Please!
“And you. It has not been long since you met us, so you know very little about my Contractor.” The Frost Queen smiled warmly and turned to stare at Seo Jun-Ho’s back while he was contemplating. “He is indeed a fool. But you simply cannot blame him.”
Seo Jun-Ho had always been choosing the paths everyone had dissuaded him from choosing. Whenever he was presented with the choice of blissful ignorance or the cold truth, he would choose the truth every time.
- Why is he going so far?
Wisoso couldn’t understand it. In the past centuries, the only person who stood up for those who were suffering was their father. Many powerful warriors from other planets had come here before, but they had never fought for the civilians of Neo City. Why would they do that when they had nothing to gain from doing so?
“I wonder the same. Why does he go so far?”
After pondering for a long time, Seo Jun-Ho truly started walking toward the Imperial Palace.
Wisoso stared at him.
- That man. What did you say his occupation was on Earth?
The Frost Queen laughed for a long time at Wisoso’s question.
“He is a Hero. He is a Hero who never turns away from a thorny path.”
1. The imperial secret police of the Ming dynasty. They started out as a group of the emperor’s personal bodyguards. ☜
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