Chapter 81

Chapter 81 – It’s Shameful to Run Away, but It Can Save Your Life

It was something that happened from time to time.

There were times when you felt like a person had completely changed for some reason.

No matter how much you beat someone, they wouldn’t change.

People can’t be fixed.

‘It’s about the opportunity.’

With the right opportunity, people could change.

Some seemed to change due to opportunities, while others didn’t.

People were meant to change as long as they had the will to improve.

And the younger they were, the more trivial the opportunity might seem.

“Can you teach me?”

Those were Seon Woohyeon’s words.

It wasn’t the provocative look that he usually gave me.

A mix of various emotions like resignation, self-contempt, enlightenment, and disheartenment.

A gaze filled with all sorts of emotions.

It was nothing special.

When I split the internal elixir I made in half, divided one half into ten pieces, and told the others to consume it, Seon Woohyeon spoke to me.

“What?”

“...Various things.”

Seon Woohyeon was sparing with his words.

It seemed he didn’t want to discuss the Heaven-Surrendering Godly Technique here.

I looked at Seon Woohyeon.

He was a regressor.

That was certain.

But I didn’t understand.

‘The Celestial Gods—Why did they have him regress?’

There didn’t seem to be anything particularly special about him.

Reversing time was an act with much greater risks compared to the return.

But did they really have to send Seon Woohyeon back?

‘There are plenty of other kids.’

I didn’t call Seon Woohyeonn a lower rank in our class for no reason.

He was strong and had his talents, but...

‘How to explain...’

Should I say he had a talent for disappointing expectations?

How about Yoo Eunchae, in comparison?

She was able to handle all traits while managing their compatibilities.

But she also caused the most trouble.

‘This is more important than I thought.’

Her actions were unpredictable even to me—truly unexpected.

Whether in a good or bad sense, she did such things without a care.

Yoo Eunchae was hard to predict.

And if I found her hard to predict, others would, too.

She would be quite an interesting variable.

‘When she first caught White-Faced Golden Fur, she did something quite interesting.’

Right before coming here, I saw them fighting.

To be more precise, I read the ‘record’ of their fight.

With my eyes closed for a moment, I could feel Seon Woohyeon’s emotions.

I sensed his anxiousness.

After considering for a moment, I nodded.

“Let’s do that.”

“...!”

Seon Woohyeon looked at me with a surprised expression.

“But you won’t be able to learn the Heaven-Surrendering Godly Technique that I have.”

“...What do you mean I can’t learn it?”

“This is something that even the guy specialized in copying couldn’t master.”

“...?”

Seon Woohyeon tilted his head in confusion.

Did he not mention his power?

‘Has it changed?’

That guy used to boast about his power proudly.

When he was in the martial world, he would directly ‘copy’ others’ martial arts and break their mental strength.

So his nickname was Thieving Martial God.

He stole all sorts of techniques—a master at stealing others’ martial arts.

I was called the Heaven-Surrendering Martial Emperor or the Blue-Eyed Martial Emperor, but before that, I was known as a playboy.

[The Divided Energy of ???? (S)]

It contains only the purest qi of heaven and earth.

It has been split in half.

The effect is minimal compared to the original, but it is still an irreplaceable elixir.

– Magic power +20 increases.

– The body is newly transformed.

– Trait, Lightning of Destruction (S+) is unlocked.

‘Lightning of Destruction.’

It seemed to bring the power of Divine Thunderbolt.

‘Do I need this?’

These days, a new concern has arisen.

My vessel was really large, causing it to be difficult for it to become filled.

However, my Unique Trait, Eternity, and the traits I possess were enough to fill that capacity.

To be precise, it was just a judgment based on the appearance of my body.

‘Honestly, if I awaken each one, there shouldn’t be any problem.’

Just like when I obtained Space Blade, I’ll think about that later.

‘First, let’s take the elixir.’

I swallowed the elixir.

[You have acquired the trait Lightning of Destruction (S+).]

“Are you awake?”

When I quietly woke up after taking the elixir, I saw a man who looked like a hearty fellow.

‘Did they say he serves the God of Lightning?’

He was quite a noticeable figure.

He had a decent level of talent and was memorable because he stood out.

“I have something to tell you about this incident.”

“What?”

“There must be many things you want to ask, but what Professor Han Seojin desires is compensation, right?”

Zeronis went straight to the point.

“First of all, the Celestial Gods want you. No matter which temple you go to...”

“That’s not necessary.”

“...I thought so.”

I looked at Zeronis with surprised eyes at his quick concession.

Usually, those who serve gods in temples tend to be quite stubborn.

“First, I would like to ask you something. Do you desire honor, or do you desire something more practical?”

Zeronis’s words reeked of cunning.

Still, I was going to hear him out.

“What is it?”

“The Celestial Gods are satisfied with your accomplishments. If you desire compensation, they will surely provide ample rewards.”

“Aha.”

Hearing that much, I roughly understood.

“They’re going to handle it here and give me additional compensation?”

“...Yes, that’s correct.”

Zeronis said apologetically.

But I welcomed it.

‘I might end up with more enemies anyway.’

If it were known that I resolved everything here, there would be plenty of people finding fault.

Humans were beings trapped in preconceptions more than you think.

‘They might say I used some strange trick.’

This was a world where many people refused to accept the truth, no matter what evidence was presented.

And those who picked a fight, claiming they didn’t believe it at all.

Those types decreased as you went higher up, but they weren’t absent.

“I’ll choose practicality.”

I stood up.

“Handle the reward as you see fit.”

“Understood. And there’s one more thing.”

“What is it?”

“The principal contacted me.”

“The principal? Why would the principal...”

Instinctively, I felt like I was about to get involved in something extremely troublesome.

‘Is it because of that place?’

Eyes that distinguished heaven and earth.

They were the highest evolutionary form of the Heavenly Eyes.

In that state, I saw certain the Celestial Gods.

And Duke of Extermination and Heavenly Demon.

‘There were also plenty of transcendent beings.’

It seemed like even the Dukes of the Empire might be there.

And I think I saw that subordinate from the Martial Arts World, from the Ming Cult.

‘...If worse comes to worst, I should flee quickly.’

No matter how influential the principal was, she wouldn’t be able to protect me from all of them.

And there was another problem.

The Heavenly Demon and the Duke of Extermination.

If those two met, who knew what kind of chaos would unfold?