Chapter 20. Record of a Thousand Lives
When Lee Minchan came around, he smelled the stench of blood.
When his eyes opened slightly, he realized he was in a meat processing room.
This was the place where beast and monster bodies were processed into meat and hides.
“What, what?”
He wanted to get up, but he wasn"t able to.
Lee Minchan realized that he had been tightly bound with ropes.
s.h.i.+vering in terror, the boy screamed.
“What is this? What is this?! Let me go!”
However, there was no reply.
There was just a single swaying ceiling lamp that dimly lit the room.
The room was so quiet that it almost seemed like there was no one else in the entire processing facility.
“Uh…..Euuuhk.”
A man was walking towards him from the dark side of the room.
It was Kang Yoonsoo.
Lee Minchan shouted in fear.
“Let, let me go! Please, let me go!”
“Silence.”
The reply was cold and dry.
Lee Minchan quieted for a moment and swallowed dryly, then began begging like a dog as he wiggled his bound body.
“Let, let me go! Please! I won"t do it again! I will not kill or brainwash anyone else! I"ll live a quiet life! I"m a young boy who doesn"t know what"s right or wrong! So, please forgive me!”
But he heard no reply.
There was only silence.
Kang Yoonsoo stood up as if he had heard what he was waiting for.
He held a whip in his right hand.
A chill went down Lee Minchan"s back.
It was the same whip which he had been using until now.
s.h.i.+vering all over, Lee Minchan begged.
“Let, let me go! Please, don"t hit me!”
“I have no intention of killing you myself.”
Instantly, Lee Minchan"s countenance brightened.
He was sure that, even though the man had no expression on his face, he wasn"t someone who enjoyed killing.
Just when the boy began feeling safe, Kang Yoonsoo slowly raised the whip.
“You will die by your own hands.”
Lee Minchan felt every hair on his body standing up.
What was he talking about?
At that moment, Kang Yoonsoo"s whip fiercely struck the boy"s cheek.
“Aaaaahk-!”
Kang Yoonsoo"s whipping was much more accurate and painful than what Lee Minchan could achieve.
The whip landed perfectly on Lee Minchan"s pressure point, tearing up his skin.
Although it wouldn"t kill him, it was so painful that he wanted to die.
“It hurts! It hurts! d.a.m.n it!”
Biting down on his b.l.o.o.d.y lips, Lee Minchan yelled.
The boy"s cheeks were wet with blood and tears.
However, Kang Yoonsoo"s whipping did not stop.
“Why, why do you want to kill me?! You d.a.m.n b.a.s.t.a.r.d! You could turn me in to an investigator, or put me in jail! I know I"ve done wrong, but you don"t have the right to kill me! d.a.m.n it…..!”
Kang Yoonsoo continued his whipping.
When Lee Minchan had almost lost consciousness, he finally heard a reply, spoken in a low tone of voice.
“It is a man"s right to exact revenge on a boy who raped and killed his wife.”
“What….What?”
“A truly angry man will repeatedly kill that boy. Sometimes, he"ll kill the boy instantly. Sometimes, through torture. Even if his sense of wrath dwindled with every kill, he"ll still continue to kill the boy every time they meet. He"ll keep killing the boy over the course of hundreds of years.”
The end of the whip harshly struck Lee Minchan"s cheek.
Lee Minchan breathed roughly due to the burning pain.
Kang Yoonsoo continued to speak in a low voice.
“You ask why I"ll kill you?”
Kang Yoonsoo leaned in towards Lee Minchan"s face.
They were close enough for Lee Minchan to feel Kang Yoonsoo"s breath on his skin.
A cold and static voice penetrated his ear.
“When you killed Shannette, she was my wife. That"s the only reason you are being killed right now.”
Lee Minchan s.h.i.+vered, but still replied out of spite.
“What nonsense! You crazy b.a.s.t.a.r.d! Are you really going to kill me? Then you"re a murderer, too!”
“I know.”
Distancing himself, Kang Yoonsoo moved the whip again.
The sharp, stinging whip hit the boy"s chin.
Lee Minchan s.h.i.+vered and cried out in pain.
“Son of a b.i.t.c.h. Son of a b.i.t.c.h. You d.a.m.n son of a b.i.t.c.h!”
Ignoring the boy"s swearing, Kang Yoonsoo pointed to a group of things on the ground.
Lee Minchan"s face went pale.
A horse whip. A bat. A dagger.
These were the tools that Lee Minchan has been using to torture girls.
Kang Yoonsoo pierced the dagger into Lee Minchan"s wrist, and swung the bat against his face.
Puuck-!
Lee Minchan"s mind went blank due to the pain.
The boy could no longer endure it.
Lee Minchan winced and shut his mouth, then immediately s.h.i.+vered in fear.
Blood was spilling out from between his lips.
He had bitten off his own tongue.
Lee Minchan"s pupils shook, his eyes filled with tears.
“d.a.m.n, d.a.m.n….it, hurts too much…I"d rather die than continue being tortured…Aaah!”
Lee Minchan breathing halted, as if his bitten tongue had blocked the back of his throat.
The boy shook wildly, then collapsed.
He had killed himself.
Without any expression on his face, Kang Yoonsoo nonchalantly looked down at the boy"s body.
“The world does not move as you wish it too.”
Kang Yoonsoo extended his right hand.
The Ring of Life Suppression on his finger shone with black light.
“Soul collection.”
[Krrrraaaaaahk-!]
Screaming shrilly, Lee Minchan"s soul was sucked out of his body and into the black ring.
[The lost boy"s soul has been collected.
Degree of degradation – Mid
Remaining Uses – 3]
Kang Yoons...o...b..ought the ring towards his ear.
It felt cold.
A highly degraded soul could be used to create a Soul Weapon, or be blown into a doll to create a curse.
"I have to get rid of any evidence. The investigators could start chasing me if there"s a body."
The tools he used to murder the boy were placed into his pocket.
Kang Yoonsoo then lifted Lee Minchan"s soulless body, and placed it into the sharp-toothed corpse grinder.
He showed no trace of hesitation.
Soon, the sound of the bones and flesh being shredded filled the room.
“…..So, you have to tell me about things. Especially on occasions like last night. There is a limit to how reserved and casual you can be about things. We"re traveling together, after all. So, don"t try to handle everything by yourself, but let me help… You are listening to me, right?”
Kang Yoonsoo slowly opened his eyes.
The sweet aroma of coffee reached his nose, and the morning sun blinded him.
Shannette was sitting before him, wearing an unhappy expression.
He spoke.
“No.”
She pouted a little before speaking.
“I don"t like it when you"re too honest.”
It was a warm and peaceful morning in the inn.
The room service breakfast was filling, and the aroma of apple juice was sweet.
Kang Yoonsoo just drank wine, not touching the food at all.
“Are you just going to drink this morning?”
“I usually skip breakfast.”
“That"s not healthy.”
“I know.”
Kang Yoonsoo poured another gla.s.s of wine.
Lee Minchan was young and bad-natured, but his brainwas.h.i.+ng technique was a real threat.
If Kang Yoonsoo had ignored him, he would have become a formidable foe at a later date.
"Now that Lee Minchan is dead, it"s time to begin hunting in earnest."
Monster hunting.
It was the most fundamental method for someone to raise their level.
Usually, travelers sought out monsters" habitats, or got recommendations from the native people, in order to hunt.
However, it was meaningless for Kang Yoonsoo to hunt in ordinary places.
"The start of a legendary quest is in one of Hiledan"s hunting grounds."
Unlike ordinary quests, this legendary quest was one that could only be carried out by the most skilled travelers.
After all, it was devilishly difficult.
However, it was also the easiest and fastest way for Kang Yoonsoo to grow stronger than anybody else.
Shannette finished eating her breakfast and stared at him.
“So, what are you doing today?”
“I"m going to hunt.”
“Where?”
“At the alchemist clan"s building.”
Clan.
It referred to an organization that was formed by many people who shared the same objective.
Travelers had formed many different clans on the Sylphia Continent.
However, he would be hunting at a clan"s building?
“What are you talking about?”
Shannette"s eyes widened as she tilted her head.
Kang Yoonsoo stared at her without replying, his thoughts elsewhere.
He has seen Shanette die hundreds of times as he repeatedly lived this life.
It was the same in his previous life as well.
The world crumbled due to the demon king, and Shannette was also crushed to death.
However, even though she had disappeared alongside the entire world, she had now reappeared before him.
She was exactly the same as she had been in his previous life.
Kang Yoonsoo spoke.
“Thanks.”
“For what?”
He gave a truly obvious answer.
“For being alive.”
The two came out of the inn and began walking outside.
It was easy to locate the alchemist clan"s building, since it was right in the middle of the city.
Shannette tilted her head.
“Can you hunt at a clan"s building? It"s not even a monster habitat. I"ve never heard of such a thing.”
“It"s possible.”
After replying briefly, Kang Yoonsoo entered the building.
A blonde woman who looked like an employee gave them a friendly smile.
“Welcome to the Hiledan Branch Office of the alchemist clan. How can I help you?”
“I"ve come to hunt chimera.”
The blonde woman looked surprised, but continued to speak.
“Ah…Are you referring to the Chimera Dimension?”
“That"s right.”
“So you want to carry out the alchemist"s secret quest. And the pa.s.sword?”
It was Kang Yoonsoo"s first time entering the alchemist clan"s building, or starting the secret quest.
However, Kang Yoonsoo spoke the pa.s.sword as if he had done it countless times.
“It is more difficult to make a world than to crush it.”
“You"ve obtained entrance into the Chimera Dimension, which is a sealed, level area.”
The blonde woman said in a business like tone.
“The Chimera Dimension is a very dangerous s.p.a.ce, where ferocious chimera live. However, as such, it is possible to grow tremendously and obtain rare rewards. Of course, we, the alchemist clan, do not guarantee or take responsibility for your safety or rights.”
Kang Yoonsoo nodded.
They were conditions he would know even if she hadn"t said anything.
The Chimera Dimension was truly a dangerous s.p.a.ce.
When he first learned of the existence of the Chimera Dimension, it was after hundreds of travelers had already been killed there.
“Challengers start from the 1st floor. The Chimera Dimension has a total of 5 floors, and the boss monster lives on the top floor. Please keep in mind that the Chimera Dimension will close automatically when the boss monster dies.”
"The issue is with the other way the dimension can close."
The Chimera Dimension could be freely accessed and exited by anyone who had permission to enter.
They could leave if they felt their lives were in danger, or if their condition deteriorated after hunting the monsters.
However, an incident occurred where, even without the boss monster dying, the dimension had closed.
In the end, everyone who was in the dimension had been killed, en ma.s.se, unable to escape.
The alchemists played dumb about it at the time, but it was something they had caused.
It was for the purpose of secretly using the hunters in the Chimera Dimension as research materials.
Branches other than the one in Hiledan also operated the Chimera Dimension in this manner.
The reason was because certain alchemists wanted to use people"s corpses to create a stronger human life form.
"Rumier Chisan, the genius alchemist of the imperial family."
Kang Yoonsoo looked at the blonde woman.
She was just a lowly employee, the real bad guys were those important alchemists.
In the past, burning with righteousness, he had brought their evil deeds to a halt many times.
However, at this moment, he had to do no such thing.
Kang Yoons...o...b..ought up another matter.
“I have someone I want to meet.”
“Who would that be? If it"s an important matter, we can attempt to forward your request for a small fee.”
“It"s someone currently attempting the quest. His name is Han Saehyun. He wears ash colored armor, and has a cape with a white tiger on it.”
Kang Yoonsoo handed over 1 gold coin.
After looking through some doc.u.ments, the blonde woman nodded.
“We do have some information on him. We"ll send him a message as quickly as possible, and it should reach him by this evening.”
Kang Yoonsoo left the blonde woman, and walked down a corridor.
Shannette followed him and asked.
“Who is the person you"re looking for?”
“Someone who will be of help to us later.”
Kang Yoonsoo uncharacteristically frowned as he thought about Han Saehyun.
He was someone who Kang Yoonsoo met every life, but that didn"t make him any less of an annoying person.
"He wasn"t someone I originally would have wanted to make contact with, if it weren"t for his strength and level, but things worked out rather smoothly with him previously."
Shannette looked curious.
“Anyway, what is the Chimera Dimension?”
“The alchemist"s trash can.”
“What? What does that mean?”
“I don"t feel like giving a long explanation.”
Shannette took out a bottle of wine and shook it wildly.
She was implying that she would shatter the bottle if he didn"t answer.
Only then did Kang Yoonsoo open his mouth.
“Many alchemical projects fail, and, eventually, it comes time to throw out those failed projects. However, it is dangerous to throw them out just anywhere. As a result, one of the alchemists created a dimension where that waste can be thrown away. After a long time, all those failed projects combined, and it caused the s.p.a.ce to become the Chimera Dimension.”
“And people volunteer to go to such a dangerous place?”
“Because it is a hidden hunting ground.”
Of course, the Chimera Dimension was also a place to gather the sacrifices required for the alchemists to create their superior life form, but Kang Yoonsoo didn"t need to explain that.
"Still, the rewards are OK. Especially the sword that the boss monster on the top floor drops. I can use it for a very long time."
Kang Yoonsoo stood in front of a fireplace covered in black ash.
It was an old and unsightly fireplace.
When Shannette tilted her head, Kang Yoonsoo suddenly grabbed her wrist.
“Don"t vomit.”
“Sorry?”
Kang Yoonsoo took a step forward toward the fireplace.
Then, as if he was being swallowed whole, Kang Yoonsoo was sucked into the fireplace.
Shocked, Shannette opened her mouth wide, but she, too, was sucked in to the firelplace.
“Kyaaaaa!”