Chapter 156

Episode 156. Break down (2)

Destroying the Transcendents wasn't difficult. Although some had built up their class over a long time, they were hooked on gambling. So there was no way their convictions were strong. Their images were dull and droopy, eaten up by pleasure. They obsessed over a single game and didn't take care of themselves. They were stagnant and weak.

'Boring.'

Power clashed with power: burning flames, freezing cold, and dangerous lightning. But none of them were threatening. It was because the Transcendents had forgotten.

The image they envisioned when they first created their powers, that vivid feeling. They had forgotten it all as they became immersed in pleasure, and their powers had become flimsy and inferior.

The flames were like a small fire that kids played with, and the cold was too lukewarm to bind my feet. The lightning was so slow that I could dodge it, and the shock it carried wasn't remarkable at all.

'Things that are overly stimulating can destroy everything.'

The moment you indulge in pleasure, you lose your imagination. You become incapable of coming up with creative ideas and lose the ability to think the way you once did. You experience numerous thrills, but the strong stimulation erases everything else.

My fist slammed into the heads of the struggling Transcendents, and their blood splattered. They didn't die when their physical bodies died.

But as they suffered my attacks, they were realizing that they lost what they once had when they became addicted to gambling. And that they were too consumed to go back. Those Transcendents could no longer maintain their image.

And that was how you killed Transcendents.

The moment Transcendents asked themselves what they had first wanted to do, what they had wanted to become, and what they had desired the most, was when they broke down.

"Oh......."

The Transcendents fell to the ground after I hit them, and they couldn't get back up. As soon as they realized how weak they had become, they began to feel regret.

'If I hadn't become this messed up, I could get rid of you easily. You would be no match for me.'

These were their thoughts.

But the Transcendents knew that it was all useless. They knew that they had come too far.

Stab.

I pierced the Transcendents and tore up their insides. I destroyed their muscles and forced them to the floor. I didn't know what image or convictions they had. But I was well aware of what these Transcendents, who had abandoned everything for extreme pleasures like gambling and drugs, were thinking.

They couldn't stay immersed in pleasure for 24 hours and 365 days. There was always a moment they were free from those pleasures, and most of them spent that time alone.

And that was when they felt regret. They sat still, looking at how pathetic they were, and regretted their actions. They saw how they had changed, felt sorry for themselves, and lamented. But they couldn't forget the pleasure and couldn't bear those moments of regret, so they ran from reality once again.

That was the way they lived.

And those who ran were the ones I hated the most.

"If you are in a position where you can affect countless worlds and become almighty, think and act accordingly."

I spoke as I kicked the heads of the Transcendents that were crawling on the floor.

"If you don't want to, and if you want to give everything up, throw away your title as a Transcendent and go back to being a mortal. Then you won't have to take any responsibility. Quit causing trouble for others just by existing, and go back to being a pile of dust. Please."

"Ugh... Ughhh......."

"Please!"

My voice rang out. I walked around and cut off the heads of the Transcendents that were lying on the floor. Blood splattered. The Transcendents turned into dust and disappeared without leaving their bodies behind.

It was because my words were more powerful than the tip of the sword I swung. Transcendents didn't die just because their heads were cut off and hearts were sliced. As long as their will was strong and they believed that they couldn't die, they would live eternally.

But these Transcendents weren't like that at all.

Some screamed the moment they were stabbed, thinking that they would die. And some simply gave up on their lives and disappeared after getting hit and falling to the ground.

"......."

My hands smelled strongly of blood. My fingers trembled. I had killed numerous monsters, but even I couldn't feel calm after killing so many people. Technically, they weren't human, but they still looked like people.

"...I did the right thing."

I exhaled. Yes. It was important not to get used to it. Even if I thought in my mind that this was right, my body had to physically reject this. I was still human. Although I was wearing the shell of a Transcendent, I was human inside. I had to feel reluctant when killing human-like beings. I couldn't become like other Transcendents.

I stood still for a while in the bar that was full of the scent of blood. Then, I saw the mess and quietly grabbed a rag to clean it up.

Nobody came through the locked entrance. Transcendents knocked a few times but didn't call for the owner when nobody responded.

For a few hours, I didn't say a word and kept cleaning. This wasn't the end. It was just the beginning. There were still so many beings I needed to clean up in the future.

Rub. Rub.

The sound of the rag rubbing the floor steadily echoed through the silence.

* * *

"You reek of blood. Weren't you just practicing? How many did you kill?"

"It had to be done. And it was good practice, too."

"Well... Then I won't pry for details. It's good that you didn't get injured."

Said the Traveler as he raised his eyebrows.

"Since you said it was good practice, you won't need to repeat it. So I'll let it pass."

"......."

"But aren't we putting off our job for too long? We must start."

A smile formed on his lips.

"It's time to become stronger. It's the very reason why I urged you, Jeong Si-woo, to come here when you were enjoying an ordinary life."

"Right."

"To be honest, I wouldn't mind having a Transcendent I can trust.... And if you become a formidable Transcendent, your world will be safe. So this will benefit us both."

"You're right. And keeping everyone safe would make me more than happy."

"Yes. Hahaha."

The Traveler laughed out loud and approached me.

"Since becoming stronger as a Transcendent will be an unfamiliar concept, I'll teach you a few things."

"......."

"At the moment, you must know that the strength of Transcendents comes from class and powers. The power to actualize the images you envision, and class, the accumulation of achievements that can establish a rank of strength between Transcendents. These two."

"Yes, for now."

"But there's more. Those two are just a fraction of the numerous things that make up a Transcendent."

The Traveler moved his hands.

"As you know, the fundamental essence of a Transcendent is his image. Mortals can transcend due to a certain trigger, when they find enlightenment by having a strong desire and training endlessly. A Transcendent that went through the process keeps that trigger as their essence, which is their image. And they shed their body and gain a new one that fits that image."

"......."

"And losing that new body is basically the same as losing their image. So, new Transcendents can be destroyed by simply stabbing them in their vulnerable areas. This is because the common knowledge that 'you die when your head is cut off' and the image that 'you die if you injure this area' is stuck in their minds. But those that have transcended a long time ago cannot be destroyed so easily. This is because the strong conviction that they won't die from such things is stuck in their minds."

Tap, tap.

He tapped his temple.

"When you reach that level, you can break away from the limitations of your body. You can become a mountain, the sky, and the sun."

"......."

"And that is the level that you must reach as soon as possible. You must free yourself from your body. Only then can you own many worlds."

"Own many worlds?"

"Yes."

What was he talking about?

I frowned as soon as I heard him.

"You will need to accumulate your class as you live as a Transcendent, and you must create your images. But constantly envisioning images is very difficult for a single being to handle. Although Transcendents have broken through a certain wall, how much more advanced would they actually be? This is why Transcendents possess worlds under the guise of being gods. To let mortals praise them and imagine the image of divinity on their own."

"......."

"A world contains numerous religions, and each religion envisions god in its own way. And followers of the same religion each have their own image of god. All of those images are delivered directly to the god that owns the world. Which are then used as tools to create powers and to strengthen themselves."

"...Used as tools?"

"Yes. Won't you need this as well? 'Hunters' of your world are called many names, but they weren't named by themselves, right? Likewise, the names, achievements, and class that Transcendents use are mostly attributed by the inhabitants of the worlds that the Transcendents own. They are quite useful."

Useful, owned, tools.

Those words instantly made the Traveler seem distant. But he was still talking alone, unconcerned.

"You must become worlds to accumulate achievements and spend time building your class. Besides, you have the Akashic Records. You must develop it, as well. The more class you build, the more stories will appear, which will make you stronger. Also, the user of the Akashic Records can freely move through dimensions. This means that it is easier for you to decide which worlds to own. It's easier for you to grow stronger. This is why I spent so much time looking for an Akashic Records user."

Although he wasn't direct, I could tell from his tone of voice. While telling me to use humans as tools, he was thinking of using me as his tool. I wasn't sure what he was up to, but it seemed like his words definitely included me.

Don't you know how useful an Akashic Records user is?

Akashic Records users are so useful.

Do you know how much time I spent looking for an Akashic Records user to use as my tool?

'...Disgusting.'

My skin crawled. I forced a smile and agreed with the Traveler, who was still rambling on. None of his words were normal. Yes. Look at me like that, and think of me like that.

Don't suspect me, and don't think that I could be dangerous.

That way, you'll never know the reason for your death, even at the very moment.

"Yes, thank you."

I met his eyes.

Looking unsuspecting, the Traveler listened to my reply and then slowly opened his mouth.

"Well... Then let's start your training right away. There's no need to waste time."