Chapter 11: Become My Disciple

"…"

A strange silence enveloped us.

Yoo Eunchae glanced at me briefly, her eyes rolling.

"Ha, haha! It's a joke."

"…"

"It's a joke, right?"

"Hardly."

I looked at Yoo Eunchae, my arms crossed.

This girl has more than one or two issues.

Initially, I thought she was merely well-informed, but seeing her knowledge about the Glacial Heavenly Moon and Abel's reaction, it was clear she was more than that.

'At first, I thought she had either the Yin Body Type or the Ice Spirit.'

She had that distinct aura about her. It was somewhat ambiguous, but I believed I could discern it by examining Yoo Eunchae's body and teaching her magic. That's why I specifically chose to take Yoo Eunchae with me. Owing a significant debt of gratitude to the Duke of the Moon, I also considered teaching her the Glacial Heavenly Moon if possible.

However, the situation is now incredibly awkward.

Yoo Eunchae seemed not just ordinary but as if she knew the secrets of the world and acted accordingly. Despite that, she seems not to fully grasp the value of the information she possesses, behaving as if she's desperate to share her knowledge.

As if she's trying to prove her usefulness to 'me'.

However, the information this woman knows is too excessive.

If it weren't for me, she might have lost a limb there, given Abel's authority or the power held by the Vampire Princess.

'More than anything, she seems to know me.'

That's the biggest problem.

I am a reincarnator who lived the life of a great mage and was even called the Martial Emperor in the Murim, but this world doesn't seem to have much to do with me.

Moreover, I did some basic research on the computer at the motel, but the schools of thought were strangely different.

Yet, I can't even remember her, but she knows about my second life?

'It's incredibly suspicious.'

As soon as I used the Glacial Heavenly Moon, she recognized it.

And one of the things Yoo Eunchae had said was,

「This, isn't this extremely dangerous?! Ah crap! I was still saving this. Brilliant…」

She cut off her sentence midway, but the words that were to follow were easy to guess.

'Brilliant Blazing Fire.'

The flame of the world tree serves as the source of the flame that permeates everything.

If Glacial Heavenly Moon is a magic that gnaws away at the user's life, then Brilliant Blazing Fire is a magic that breathes life into the user.

Yoo Eunchae mentioned it.

The flame that breathes life and the Glacial Heavenly Moon are a pair of magics. Knowing those two powers means that she is somehow connected to me.

Who is she, exactly?

"Um, is there a quiet cafe around here?"

I looked at Yoo Eunchae.

After living about three lifetimes, I roughly get to know what the other person is going to say.

'She wants to solve this through conversation.'

I also like conversations. But most people around me speak so nonsensically that it scares me, and it usually ends with me wanting to smash their heads.

However, fundamentally, I am someone who tries to solve things through conversation, unlike the barbarians of the Middle Ages.

Besides, I have what's called the Heavenly Eyes, so I can tell if she's lying or telling the truth.

'If she still lies, though.'

Then I really might have to kill her.

Yoo Eunchae and I headed to a nearby cafe.

We took a room and drew the curtains there.

As if about to reveal something extraordinary, Yoo Eunchae took out an artifact.

"This relic prevents our voices from going outside."

"Relic?"

"Ah, I'm talking about something obtained from a dungeon in another dimension. It's something superior to just an artifact."

"Artifact?"

It's convenient to think of it as a human-made magical object.

Yoo Eunchae said up to that point and then ordered two coffees and two slices of cake.

"This place is a bit expensive, so we have to order various things."

"Is that so? Then, give me a cola."

"No, they don't sell cola here."

"Then, give me a Cherry Coke."

After a while, the drinks and cake were served. The staff set the cake and drinks on the table and left.

"Where should I start?" Yoo Eunchae said it with a rather serious expression.

Listlessly, I said, "Keep it brief."

At my words, Yoo Eunchae puffed her cheeks as if trying to be cute, and when I glared, she clicked her tongue with a tsk.

"Do you believe in past lives?"

"…Past lives?"

I flinched momentarily.

"I won't beat around the bush and will get straight to the point. After all, I need to know about you too."

Yoo Eunchae said that and then took a deep breath.

"Well, now that we've come this far, there's no point in hiding anything. I am a reincarnated person."

"A reincarnated person?"

A quite surprising answer came out.

"You might not believe it, but this world is inside a game."

The revelations that followed the shocking words were even more shocking.

"Inside a game?"

"Hmm… To be more precise, it might be more accurate to say it's a world within a game that imitates reality. I definitely thought it was a game and threw my life into it. Not really."

I tuned out Yoo Eunchae's unnecessary muttering.

'A game that imitates reality.'

Thinking about it, this system does seem like a game.

Like how you forcibly become stronger when your stats increase in the status window.

Or how my Unique Trait, Eternity, forcibly imbues my magic with an attribute.

Yet, I had a slightly different thought.

'No, isn't that too much of a leap?'

I tend to trust my instincts, but this seems like too much of a leap.

However, speaking of the system,

'It's quite an interesting power, though.'

The abilities of Nokgwi or Heuksa were just so-so, but Abel's Blood Realm and Heo Yoonji's Thunder Flash were different.

Abel's bloodline was a power that could boast exceptional strength even among criminals, and Heo Yoonji's Thunder Flash, I think, is quite useful too.

Especially when martial arts or magic intertwine with the system and its unique characteristics.

'I guess I could beat most things.'

Winning a power struggle head-on is going to be very difficult.

"Anyway, that's the story. I was obsessed with a game that mimicked this world, and I ranked first there. Just like the person I admired."

"Is that so?"

"How I came to know about the Glacial Heavenly Moon… It's the greatest magic in the world. Brilliant Blazing Fire and Glacial Heavenly Moon. Someone managed to defeat the Demon King with these two."

"…"

No matter how many times I hear it, it feels like my own story.

"The Demon King?"

"Yes, the ruler of the demon world. A mage achieved what was deemed impossible for most Transcendents."

"…I see. They must be quite exceptional."

"Yes, they are incredibly exceptional."

Yoo Eunchae looked straight at me.

As if she had said everything she wanted to, and now it was my turn to respond.

'There's no lie in her words.'

That much is certain.

Although my only weakness is interpersonal relationships, I tend to be straightforward without mincing words.

Yoo Eunchae is telling the truth right now.

Well, she might be hiding some things, but it's within an acceptable range.

Thud. Thud.

I closed my eyes and tapped the table with my fingers.

'I told her not to lie, but.'

This is bigger than I anticipated. Something completely unexpected has come up—a person from a previous life.

In short, Yoo Eunchae is a veteran player of a certain game, and that game is modeled after this world.

Having been a professional gamer myself, I understand how absurd this fact is.

Especially in RPGs, the value of that information is incredibly high.

'To put it simply.'

Yoo Eunchae should not be made an enemy. If she does become an enemy, she must be eliminated without hesitation.

…Is what I probably had to consider.

Seeing that smug expression makes me want to punch her.

"Hmm…"

To be honest, if I were to express my true feelings,

"There's no need to be afraid, right?"

Because reality and thoughts are different.

It's the same with talking about reincarnations without any reservations.

There was no need for the fight earlier, and the same goes for fighting Nokgwi or Heuksa.

I always leave an impression of having an ace up my sleeve, but…

"That's as far as it goes."

Objectively speaking, I shouldn't be inferior to Nokgwi or Heuksa in terms of abilities.

I was indecisive about where to stand when fighting Abel, hesitating back and forth.

"Rather, it's dangerous to keep someone like this close."

She speaks with all sorts of flair, but the substance of her words is either too significant or completely nonexistent. I thought about teaching her once, out of gratitude for the Duke of the Moon's favor but-.

"Is it too much of a burden?"

However, it seems like she could turn out quite well if raised properly.

"Demon King."

And the worlds of my previous lives that Yoo Eunchae speaks of.

If I put them all together, maybe.

"I might be able to meet the Duke of Extermination again."

Yoo Eunchae is dangerous. But now, I have one goal.

I made up my mind and opened my eyes.

Yoo Eunchae's eyes looked confident but faintly anxious.

"You."

"Yes."

Yoo Eunchae swallowed with a gulp.

"Become my disciple."

"…Yes?"

Yoo Eunchae said it with a blank expression.

"It was dangerous."

A smooth voice.

At the end of the corridor, a figure in a black dress appeared. With her shining silver hair fluttering, she was holding a standard umbrella. It was her, with her crimson eyes, she was born from the primal vampire and progenitor of her kind—the Vampire Princess.

"It was… dangerous."

Cough.

Abel coughed up blood, struggling to stand up and trying to be polite.

"Stop and focus on recovery."

Clunk.

As if a machine had stopped, Abel ceased his attempt to rise unnaturally and focused on recovery. The innate command within the vampire species compelled Abel's body to forcibly enter a state of rest.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"How was he?"

"He was a monster," Abel shared his feelings.

He was a monster. His own blood power, Blood Realm, was acquired from the system, but he executed it effortlessly. If he needed to, he could also execute a Blood Realm with ice magic, but…

'It's not.'

It's definitely not at that level.

Having wielded Blood Realm until now, he understands. It wasn't merely an imitation of the Blood Realm. The structure of Blood Realm, its power, and its scope. He replicated all of it. That's what makes it unfathomable.

There have been numerous attempts to dismantle the system. When the power of the system is combined with its unique characteristics, it possesses enough strength to challenge both the Murim and the magical world.

Though it's noteworthy that the 'Transcendents' above them have remained inactive, in less than 50 years, the system eclipsed the thousand-year legacy of Murim and the history of the Thousand-Year Magic Tower. As a result, martial artists, mages, mages, and alchemists attempted to decipher its Unique Traits.

All were unsuccessful.

But he succeeded.

'He's an extremely dangerous entity.'

That's what makes him dangerous.

His success, where no one else has, poses a threat to them.

While Abel pondered over Han Seojin, the Vampire Princess was also contemplating Han Seojin. What he demonstrated was astonishing, mirroring Abel's Blood Realm as well.

And.

'That boy.'

She definitely saw it. The look was briefly directed at Abel, but it lingered for just a moment. The princess could subtly sense his mana focusing on her thanks to one of her abilities, Natural Assimilation.

'He assessed me.'

He assessed her, quickly evaluating the extent of her power, and spared Abel.

For now, there was no issue.

The Vampire Princess didn't want to unnecessarily provoke the eldest son of the Iron-Blood Sword Clan. He was abandoned, yet killing him would pose a different kind of problem. Having a status where dying poses more complications than returning alive to the Iron-Blood Sword Clan.

"Abel."

"Yes, Princess."

"It's an order. Do not engage in combat with that man again."

"I accept the command."

Abel bowed his head.

For Abel, her command is absolute, so he will not engage in combat again.

The Vampire Princess turned around.

'It's not a problem.'

It was only natural for that boy to save Abel because she was supporting him from behind. However, on that man's face was a very faint annoyance. His expression,showing no anticipation of defeat, greatly irritated the Vampire Princess.

"But, Princess."

"What is it, Abel?"

"You seem to have grown a bit taller."

"What, what?! Really!?"

At Abel's words, the Vampire Princess's eyes sparkled.

Being born from the primordial vampire, she ages as slowly as a dragon traversing through time. This means she must live a thousand years to reach maturity.

The Vampire Princess is currently merely 300 years old.

In other words, she is,

"Yes. Now, she appears to be about 9 years old."

"Hmm, hmm. I see. Abel, make sure you take good care of yourself too."

Still a child.