Chapter 994

The System often—maybe even pretty frequently—sprang clues on me in the form of Quests without making clear what they meant.

Just like now.

System Quest

Unknown Voice

At some point, you became aware of the voice of someone whose identity you cannot determine.

This may or may not be the first time this has happened, but one thing is certain.

In the not-too-distant future, you may come face-to-face with the owner of that voice.

May that meeting not be an unhappy one.

Grade: None

Restriction: Jin Taekyung

Objective: Continue to survive (In progress)

Reward: ???

Failure: ???

The moment I saw the translucent holographic window, only one thought came to mind.

Here we fucking go again.

What, would the screen go blue if it gave me a straight answer?

The whole description was vague, as if someone had hidden it in fog.

This wasn’t the first time I’d received a Quest like this, of course. That didn’t make it any easier to get used to.

But at the same time—

It’s something I have to go through.

As I knew from experience, the System wasn’t an answer sheet.

It was more like a signpost, pointing me in a direction and telling me what lay ahead.

Depending on my choices, the arrows on that sign might change. Sometimes, like now, I had to figure out what they meant.

So I read the words in the holographic window again and again, trying to work out what those Twenty Questions-style clues were hiding.

The last two sentences of the Quest description, in particular, caught my eye.

I might meet the owner of that unknown voice? And in the not-too-distant future?

Not too distant, huh.

Time was relative, so that was a pretty vague way to put it.

A year could feel long and distant to a little kid with a runny nose, but to a white-haired old man, it might pass in the blink of an eye.

I couldn’t guess how much time the System meant by “not too distant.”

A few days. A few months. Or… No. Even the System couldn’t be so shameless as to lump years together under that phrase.

Days would be too soon, and years would be too long. A few months seems like the reasonable guess.

Then what was that last line about the meeting not being unhappy?

And who on earth was the owner of that unknown voice—the person at the heart of this riddle of a Quest?

Someone who could approach without me, the Thunderbolt Saber King, or even the Old Master noticing. Someone who could intrude into my own inner world.

While Transmitting Internal Energy Across the Body was underway, the Thunderbolt Saber King and I had our hands full giving and receiving energy. But Jeok Cheongang was different.

He’d stood guard throughout that dangerous technique, every sense strained to its limit.

For someone to evade his notice and speak to me should have been impossible. He was a Supreme Peak master who now stood shoulder to shoulder with the Three Saints, beyond even the Ten Kings.

Well, strictly speaking, it wasn’t completely impossible.

If they were the greatest assassin of all time, with a concealment technique unlike anything ever seen before—or a master at least two moves ahead of the Old Master…

As far as I knew, only two people in the world could meet those minimum requirements.

The first was undoubtedly the greatest assassin of all time, but I couldn’t be sure they had any reason to do this—or that they could pull it off.

The other one was different.

A wonder of the world itself.

The sky looking down over this vast land alone. A being who, though human, had come to be called a god.

“…The Martial God?”

The two syllables slipped from my lips before I realized it. A shiver ran down my spine.

The Martial God. The Martial God himself?

That can’t be right.

It had been half a century since the Martial God disappeared.

He’d vanished as suddenly as he’d first appeared, and no one under heaven knew where he was now.

No one could even say for sure whether he was alive or dead.

Not even the Bow Saint, who’d found me through the letter he’d left behind.

And now he’d suddenly reveal his presence like this?

No way.

But realistically, the Martial God was the only person capable of what had happened today.

As far as I knew, he alone was an overwhelming presence beyond even the superhumans known as the Three Saints.

And perhaps I knew more about the truth hidden behind the Martial God than anyone else under heaven.

If my guess is right…

A thought flashed through my mind, and my heart began to pound.

I remembered the first deep conversation I’d had with the Bow Saint at the Imperial Palace. Amid the hectic days that followed, there had been one name I could only turn over in the back of my mind.

Now it filled my thoughts.

Cheon Taemin.

Another absolute being, existing beyond a distant space.

Just as the Martial God had fought the Heavenly Demon and restored peace, Cheon Taemin was a hero who’d saved humanity from the demon known as the Demon King Asmodeus.

I could still see him clearly in the Ares Guild’s restricted area, unconscious as if in a deep sleep, attached to a life-support system that combined Magic and science.

Over that image, I could faintly hear a woman’s voice.

“He left a message for the chosen one.”

“A message? What does that mean?”

“Divine strength. He said the chosen one should overcome the crisis with that divine strength and a Will like steel. Just as…”

That day, the Bow Saint had watched me with a deep, solemn gaze.

Then her voice had echoed faintly in my ears, like a distant refrain.

“Just as you did.”

I still remembered the shock I’d felt in that moment.

No—I’d remember it until the day I died.

I’d vaguely entertained the thought before, only to laugh at myself and shake my head. Then an unexpected piece of the puzzle had fallen into place.

Divine strength.

A strange power possessed only by the chosen one.

The supernatural ability that belonged to me now—and had belonged to the Martial God in the past.

If the message the Martial God had left the Bow Saint meant what I thought it did, it could mean only one thing.

System user. Player.

That was probably the Martial God’s true identity.

The truth hidden behind an unparalleled hero the likes of whom had never been seen before, and would never be seen again: a man who’d appeared out of nowhere, saved a world in turmoil, then disappeared.

But if that theory was true…

Cheon Taemin and the Martial God can’t possibly be the same person.

According to the capsule’s user manual, the System was a power granted to only one person.

The moment my thoughts reached that point, a headache struck.

Two heroes in different worlds.

Their actions were astonishingly alike. The more I learned about them, the more I found myself wondering whether Cheon Taemin or the Martial God might have had the same ability as me. Whether the two of them might even be the same person.

But now I didn’t know what to think.

What connection existed between the Martial God and Cheon Taemin? If they were two entirely different people, what truth were they hiding?

There was one thing I did know: how to resolve at least some of my doubts—and the headache still stabbing at my mind like a needle.

I’m going back. Right now.

That’s right.

The answer didn’t have to be found in just one place.

The modern world and Murim. In these two worlds connected by a power I couldn’t begin to explain, I had to find a clear answer to my question.

And right now was the perfect time.

I’d completed the important Quest concerning the crisis in Shanxi Province, and the Logout function it had blocked was available again.

One month. Maybe two. That should be enough.

Learning more about Cheon Taemin wasn’t my only reason to go back.

I also had to deal with the fallout from the Doppelganger incident, which had happened right before I last Logged In.

On top of that, the ominous words it had left behind before its Erasure hinted at more trouble to come. Even through the frantic days in Murim, they’d bothered me like a fish bone stuck in my throat.

I’ll find out when I get back. Why the Doppelganger said those things. What it went that far for.

Now that I’d made up my mind, there was no hesitation. I lay straight on the bed and pulled the covers up to my neck.

Even if I spent a couple of months in the modern world, only about three shichen¹ would pass in Murim.

I didn’t know whose presence was hurrying toward me from somewhere far beyond the window, but by the time they reached my room, all they’d find was me already gone to the modern world—or rather, fast asleep.

Logout.

I slowly closed my eyes and gave the familiar command. The next moment, I realized something.

Some things in this world didn’t go the way you expected.

Bip-bip-bip!

System Logout failed!

The System has rejected your Logout command!

Error! Error!

Due to a System error, the Logout function has been temporarily disabled!

Unknown error! Temporary Maintenance has begun!

…What?

My eyes flew open, even though I hadn’t meant to open them.

But the System’s voice in my ears hadn’t changed. Neither had the dozens of error messages floating in the air. Confusion seized me.

Logout rejected? Why on earth?

This had never happened before.

No—it had, but only when I was in the middle of an important Quest. Even then, it hadn’t happened like this.

System error? Temporary Maintenance?

An update, sure. But I’d never heard of anything like this.

An error in the System, which had always been absolute? How could that be possible?

“What the…!”

A groan escaped me. I bit down hard and shouted over and over in my mind.

Logout! Logout!

But nothing changed.

Nothing at all.

The holographic windows that poured out with every command showed only the words “System error.” Faced with this unbelievable reality, all I could do was stare blankly and take it in.

Actually, if I had to name one more thing I could do, it was let the person whose presence had drawn close to the door know that he was an unwelcome guest before he entered my room.

“Don’t come in. I’m… damn it. Anyway, I’m busy.”

I assumed it was Hyuk Mujin without even looking. If it wasn’t him, it had to be one of the Fire Dragon Pavilion members.

But my guess was just as spectacularly wrong as I’d been when I tried to Logout.

Click.

“Must be because we’re brothers. Even on this, we’re of one mind.”

The next moment, the unwelcome guest opened the door without hesitation. No—it was Jin Wikyung, his expression heavy and grave.

The sight of him sent a chill down my spine.