Chapter 177: Episode 33 – Reading Again (8)
Cheok Jungyeong’s story filled my whole body, while the stories of Cheok Jungyeong scattered through the Star Stream started to gather. It was a good story that improved the status of existence just by reading.
[The story ‘Dragon’s Blood’ has become known.]
[The story ‘Wiping Out An Army With One Sword’ has become known.]
[The story ‘Battlefield Slaughterer’ has become known.]
...
「 He was a strong man from birth. He was born with a dragon’s bloodline. 」
「 “Cheok Jungyeong! Cheok Jungyeong has appeared!” 」
「 “He cut 36 enemies alone.” 」
From the time of Cheok Jungyeong’s birth until now. He didn’t know about the ‘scenario’ but he heard stories that were part of the ‘scenario.’
[The story ‘Exiled from the Scenario’ has become known.]
「 “He is too strong. Exile him from this scenario. Use every means possible to send him to another world.” 」
I watched the passing history and felt anger, sadness, joy and frustration, just like Cheok Jungyeong. After the bout of emotional feelings, Cheok Jungyeong’s face and solid body were seen. I had never seen Cheok Jungyeong before but I seemed to know him better than anyone else.
This story was Cheok Jungyeong.
“Why are you going so far to help me?”
[Who knows? Why?]
Five constellations on the Ganpyeongui were consumed in exchange for summoning Cheok Jungyeong.
However, the thing he was doing for me now far surpassed five constellations. No constellation would disclose the base of his story to an incarnation. In addition, Cheok Jungyeong wasn’t my sponsor.
[I was like you.]
One of Cheok Jungyeong’s stories flowed into my head.
[The story ‘One Who Fights Against Fate’ has become known.]
「 “Place Fate on him. This person has to die.” 」
The words of the constellation struck me. I knew that Cheok Jungyeong had been wronged. I didn’t know he was affected by fate, just like me. A long time ago, Cheok Jungyeong experienced the same thing due to the constellations.
I saw the rising notification windows.
[The story ‘One Who Fights Against Fate’ has begun!]
Cheok Jungyeong’s story was my story. Cheok Jungyeong laughed.
[It isn’t the same size as your fate. There was only one nebula who did this damn thing to me.]
Cheok Jungyeong spoke as he watched the world through my eyes.
[At that time, I survived with the help of Hongik. However, I still often think about it. I shouldn’t have received the help of any nebulae.]
Cheok Jungyeong’s spirit emerged from my chest.
[That’s why I want to help you.]
He raised the sword in my hand and took a specific posture. The outer god, who had almost swallowed the Founder’s Mother, roared.
Cheok Jungyeong also pulled out all his aura. The Unbroken Faith in my hand was crying violently.
[A good sword.]
The sword shook as if in response to the remark. My magic power was reduced, like there was a bottomless pit, while particles of pure ether gathered in my sword.
An ether blade that was over 10 metres in length was formed. I shook from the formidable power and tried not to lose focus.
[I will borrow it for a while.]
My body was completely possessed by Cheok Jungyeong and I started to run with Unbroken Faith in my hands.
It was an overload that I couldn’t cope with, despite my overall stats being over level 100. The bones in my body creaked and the group exploded, forming a huge crater.
I was confident that I could cut anything with this power.
However, I was engulfed in a sense of despair as soon as I leapt into the void and confirmed the enemy. It was an emotion I felt while living in the ‘human’ world.
Could I kill such a huge thing?
The outer god beyond the Great Hall exceeded imagination just from the size. The diameter of the body alone was at least one kilometre. Each of the 12 legs attached to the body had a diametre of several dozens of metres.
Still, not even one-fifth of it had passed through yet. If all of this guy appeared, who the hell could kill it?
Cheok Jungyeong read my despair and laughed.
[I am Cheok Jungyeong.]
It felt like the world was listening. Or it was a declaration to the entire Star Stream.
[The strongest military leader on the Korean Peninsula.]
Then the sword moved. There was a moment when I didn’t know what I was doing, despite being the one to do the action. It was the swordsmanship of Cheok Jungyeong.
Two Swords Style, Two Sword Mountain Chop.
Cheok Jungyeong’s sword moved. It wasn’t a sword for cutting humans. It wasn’t a sword for cutting monsters. It was a sword to cut nature.
The blade that was over 10 metres moved twice in succession. This was a giant cracking sound.
It looked more like darkness was flowing than blood and looking closer, the darkness seemed like printed letters.
I recognized it as the story of the outer god. In a way, the outer god was the same type of existence as the constellations.
Along with a scream, the god’s tentacles were separated from the torso and fell to the ground. It was like a huge building was falling.
The astonished incarnations evacuated in all directions while I was surprised in another sense.
A human could cut something like this. I felt awe for a being who was born a human but went beyond humans.
However, a terrible pain came after the amazement.
“H-Heok... kuooooh.”
I started groaning from the terrible pain. A violent storm was battering my body. I shivered like a person electrocuted by hundreds of thousands of volts.
The bones in the hand that swung the sword were destroyed and my mind shrivelled like a crushed bug. Strong power came with great responsibility and in this world, the name of this responsibility was ‘probability.’ Still, I wasn’t ready to take responsibility yet.
[The constellation ‘Goryeo’s First Sword’ is looking at you.]
Cheok Jungyeong was sharing the probability but I was still too weak to handle his strength. Cheok Jungyeong sighed.
[Weaker than I thought! I thought you could afford this much because you are a constellation...]
I wanted to say that he had too much brute strength but my words didn’t emerge.
“Cough! Pant! Pant! Pant!”
Instead of throwing up food, I threw up electricity. I sat on the ground and breathed out for a few minutes before I barely managed to escape the probability storm.
I looked up and saw the scene made by Cheok Jungyeong.
The sword that cut mountains.
Cheok Jungyeong had turned two of the twelve tentacles into rags from the one attack. In other words, he cut two mountains.
However, there were 10 mountains and the torso remaining. Cheok Jungyeong’s voice was dark.
[...It is insufficient. It might be possible if I could use more three swords.]
“There are more than three swords?”
[I haven’t used it yet but in your situation, I doubt I can even use three swords.]
I gritted my teeth. The summoning speed of the outer god was accelerating. Even if the scale of probability had been almost adjusted, the summoning continued and it seemed furious from the blow.
“Is there any way to negotiate with that guy?”
[Negotiate? How will you negotiate with it?]
“It is also a god...”
Cheok Jungyeong noticed my intentions and interrupted me.
[If you are trying to save your mother, give up. It is a situation where the shadow of Founder’s Mother is eaten. Your mother’s soul would already be scattered.]
“It hasn’t happened yet. The outer god doesn’t eat its prey that way.”
[It sounds like you are aware of the outer gods.]
Cheok Jungyeong didn’t know. I really did know the outer god. I once again looked at its appearance.
The two giant tentacles and body were covered in a thick fog, making it not visible.
The body, that was reminiscent to a giant canal, provoked cosmic awe just seeing it. There was no doubt. The Yoo Jonghyuk of the 136th regression fought against this very god.
In fact, while I was sitting down and trying to breathe, Yoo Jonghyuk was fighting against another tentacle.
By using the power of transcendence along with Giant Body Transformation, Yoo Jonghyuk looked like a half-god who had descended. The power of Breaking the Sky Sword moved over a tentacle and it shook painfully.
Using his own strength, Yoo Jonghyuk damaged the outer god.
The level was still insignificant compared to Cheok Jungyeong but Cheok Jungyeong spoke in an admiring voice.
[This reminds me of me in my prime. With this type of talent, he might be able to catch up with me after a long time...]
Yoo Jonghyuk avoided the moving tentacles and cut off one-third of a tentacle. However, there was a limit to the blow he could deal. Yoo Jonghyuk stepped back and gasped.
“Kim Dokja, this guy is the ‘Eater of Dreams.’ I met him in the second regression. Once eaten by him, you will live in his space for the rest of your life and have your stories extracted. You must never enter his mouth.”
It was information I already knew but I nodded anyway. As Yoo Jonghyuk and I was recuperating, the summoning of the god kept accelerating.
Now almost one-third of his body was summoned.
The summoned tentacles started to riot and the landscape hundreds of metres around them were completely devastated. Some incarnations screamed as they were hit by the tentacles.
The Eater of Dreams wasn’t a ‘great old one’ but it was still a cosmic god. The stories from Earth couldn’t deal with it unless they joined forces. Cheok Jungyeong spoke in a dark voice.
[...If he fully descends, it isn’t possible even with my strength. We have to attack now.]
However, the situation wasn’t advantageous to us at all. Sparks flew as soon as Cheok Jungyeong pulled up his story again, crushing my heart.
[This damn probability doesn’t help at all.]
This was all the probability I could use, despite the outer god being summoned.
The meaning of this was simple. Someone had assigned the amount of probability that could be used to us. It was stupid to ask who was behind this.
I bit my lips and blood flowed down. “We still need to do it. Use the Three Sword Style!”
[Your presence might disappear if I use it.]
“This is the only chance. Yoo Jonghyuk. Join forces with me this time.”
Yoo Jonghyuk nodded.
I once again started running with Unbroken Faith in my hand. The sparks of probability flew with every step that I took.
Would it be possible? I didn’t know. This time I might really be crushed by the probability storm. Still, I had to do it. I had always done it and it would be the same again.
“Kuheeeok...”
Before I could even run 10 steps, the probability grabbed onto my ankle again. This time, the recoil was greater.
As expected, it was impossible alone. I needed someone’s help but who could help me now?
It was different from the time with the Absolute Throne. The constellations who tried to help me now would become enemies with the huge nebulae.
[The constellation ‘Maritime War God’ is looking at you.]
The amount of sparks around me were gradually decreasing.
The Duke of Loyalty and Warfare, Yi Sunsin.
He led the upper-grade constellations of the Korean Peninsula and contributed to my probability.
Cheok Jungyeong was slightly touched.
[Duke of Loyalty and Warfare. There was a story that you are more likely to become a narrative-grade than me.]
[The constellation ‘Maritime War God’ is nodding lightly.]
[Well, okay. The stories added... are there any more? Are there no more constellations courageous enough to confront this god?]
The sky was silent.
Apart from the Duke of Loyalty and Warfare, no one else took on my probability. Then Cheok Jungyeong’s angry roar emerged.
[Baldy! Come quickly and help! Aren’t you a someone who fights for justice?]
[The constellation ‘Bald General of Justice’ bows his head.]
[Fucking one-eyed jerk, what are you doing?]
[The constellation ‘One-Eyed Maitreya’ is tightly holding his eyepatch.]
Cheok Jungyeong shouted towards the world, without worrying about his probability being wasted and his status being damaged.
[All of you are hiding even in this situation? Aren’t you constellations? General? Maitreya? King? You don’t deserve to be called this!]
[The constellations of the Korean Peninsula are silent at the words of Goryeo’s First Sword.]
Yet there still weren’t any constellations who moved. At this moment, a figure staggered in the distance.
The woman breathed roughly as she reached out to this side. It was Min Jiwon. Fortunately, she was alive.
[The constellation ‘Lady of the Brocade Sleep’ is looking at you.]
Then a message was heard.
[The constellations of Silla are bearing your probability together.]
The constellations of Silla were helping me. It was a modest level of help but they were still constellations.
[The nebula ‘Vedas’ feels resentment towards Lady of the Brocade Sleep.]
[The constellation ‘Lady of the Brocade Sleep’ is exhausted from the excessive probability and has fallen into a deep sleep.]
A constellation closing their eyes meant they had suffered significant damage to their existence.
Even so, the will of Lady of the Brocade Sleep seemed to have affected the other constellations of the Korean Peninsula.
I felt a prickling sensation as eyes started to gather on me.
[The constellation ‘Bald General of Justice’ says he doesn’t care and is looking at you.]
It started with Samyeongdang.
[The constellation ‘One-Eyed Maitreya’ is looking at you with half an eye.]
[The constellation ‘King Heungmu the Great’ is swearing as he looks at you.]
[The constellation ‘First Spiritualist of Joseon’ sighs and looks at you.]
The sparks covering me dwindled in an instant. It was finally turning into a likely probability.
[The nebula ‘Olympus’ declares that Maritime War God is an enemy.]
[The nebula ‘Papyrus’ is furious at the constellations of the Korean Peninsula.]
...
Thanks to me, the whole Korean Peninsula was covered with war clouds.
Cheok Jungyeong laughed. [This is why I curse this land but I can’t leave. Fighting to the death with a few people...]
[The minimum of preparations is reached.]
Finally, Cheok Jungyeong prepared his Three Sword Style.
TL Note: I suddenly received notice of a sudden work conference I have to go to as a substitute on the weekend. I’m heading interstate tomorrow so the rest of this week’s chapters will be posted by the end of today.
I’ll see you Monday.