SYM 116

“If you’ve caught on that far, then we’re making good progress. Yes, I’m talking about turning you into an Undead.”

Jeong-hyeon nodded with a smile. It was just like when he used to praise Eun-hyeon when he was young.

Eun-hyeon felt a chill run down his spine.

Seeing him say such things so casually with the same expression as before made him feel dizzy.

“You saw Seo Eun-hyeon, right? The Undead we create aren’t ordinary Undead; they can talk and think. In other words, they transcend the limitations of a weak body.”

Jeong-hyeon approached Eun-hyeon and stroked his hair.

Eun-hyeon tried to step back and avoid him, but Jeong-hyeon relentlessly closed the distance.

“Seo Eun-hyeon’s body isn’t really worth regretting. I tried various things while turning Seo Eun-hyeon’s body into an Undead, but the Reversing Heaven Energy is influenced by the soul, so Seo Eun-hyeon is just Seo Eun-hyeon.”

Could it be that the real Seo Eun-hyeon had awakened after he died?

Eun-hyeon looked at Jeong-hyeon in surprise.

After being possessed into the world of the book, Eun-hyeon’s biggest worry was what had happened to the original owner of the body he had taken over.

What if the original owner of the body had died because of him? Or what if he would return when he died?

This had been Eun-hyeon’s long-standing concern.

“Could it be that Seo Eun-hyeon… did Seo Eun-hyeon return to that body after I died?”

Eun-hyeon could no longer pretend not to know. His mouth felt parched.

If the original owner of this body was to return only when he died, was the current Namgung Eun-hyeon in a state of having lost his body because of him? Where had that soul been all this time?

His fingertips turned cold.

“Oh, my good disciple. Are you worried that the body’s owners can’t come because you’re occupying that body?”

Jeong-hyeon tapped Eun-hyeon’s face lightly, smiling. It was as if he were treating him like a child. But Eun-hyeon, whose mind was already elsewhere, didn’t notice.

“…What happened to Seo Eun-hyeon after I died?”

Jeong-hyeon narrowed his eyes and smiled as he heard Eun-hyeon reveal his identity himself.

“There’s no need to worry about that. After your soul disappeared, your body was just an empty shell. I simply tweaked that shell for a while to make it usable.”

Jeong-hyeon felt that Eun-hyeon was almost completely swayed by his words now.

The eyes that had not wavered when he first saw him were now shaking violently.

Jeong-hyeon even pulled up a chair and sat down. He seemed to be acting as if he were the owner of the room, and it seemed like an action he took with the confidence that no one would come here.

As Jeong-hyeon’s actions grew bolder and more confident, Eun-hyeon, the owner of the room, shrank and rolled his eyes anxiously.

“Seo Eun-hyeon is the first Undead with consciousness that I created. It’s a sophisticated creation that can’t be compared to dolls or anything like that.”

“…Why did you make that body into an Undead? There were many better materials to make an Undead with.”

“Hahaha. Alright, I’ll be honest. What’s the point of hiding anything from you now that we’ve come this far? I did it because I wondered if I could use the Reversing Heaven Energy if I made Seo Eun-hyeon’s corpse into an Undead.”

“So, how was it when you tried? Were you able to use the Reversing Heaven Energy with the Undead?”

Jeong-hyeon grinned at Eun-hyeon. It was surprising that his face, which had seemed like a righteous gentleman, could look so evil.

“If that had been the case, would I have bothered to persuade you like this?”

It was an expected answer, but hearing it from Jeong-hyeon’s mouth sent a chill down his spine.

If he could have satisfied Jeong-hyeon’s needs with just a corpse, he would have killed him without even talking like this.

“From the beginning, the reason why the energy turns into Reversing Heaven Energy when you pass it on to someone else is because you are not fundamentally a being of this world. Even if you had continued to live with Seo Eun-hyeon’s body, your lifespan probably wouldn’t have been long. Your body would have continued to reject it.”

“…Rejection?”

Eun-hyeon looked at Jeong-hyeon. Jeong-hyeon nodded with a benevolent face.

“Yes. Rejection due to the mismatch between soul and body. In short, your body would be rapidly collapsing.”

Eun-hyeon was momentarily stunned. He couldn’t understand what he had just heard.

…Collapsing? His body?

Eun-hyeon blankly looked at his body. It was weak, but collapsing?

“What does that…”

“It must be shocking. But it’s the truth. As long as you reside in that body, your body will continue to reject it, and the more it continues, the more your body will die.”

Eun-hyeon flared up at Jeong-hyeon, who spoke so definitively as if he were a grim reaper delivering a death sentence to Eun-hyeon.

At first, he had believed Jeong-hyeon’s plausible words, but when he thought about it calmly, there was a contradiction in those words.

Seo Eun-hyeon had no health problems until he died in an accident, and Namgung Eun-hyeon’s body was weak due to congenital causes.

“This body is weak because of congenital reasons and poison. The poison that you, the Hongbaek Sect, sent. And Seo Eun-hyeon had no health problems at all. Don’t try to deceive people with words that sound plausible at first glance. Don’t try to mislead me.”

Eun-hyeon glared at Jeong-hyeon with wide eyes, but Jeong-hyeon only smiled kindly.

“Alright. I understand that you want to believe that. But why would I bother making Seo Eun-hyeon’s body into an Undead and researching Semi-Reanimated Corpses that can think? It was all because of you, Eun-hyeon. I researched Semi-Reanimated Corpses to save you. No matter what you say, the fact that your body is endlessly rushing towards death is an undeniable truth.”

He made Semi-Reanimated Corpses because of him? This body is collapsing?

Eun-hyeon found it hard to believe those words.

Immediately after he was possessed, he was in the worst condition, as if he could die at any moment, but now he had become as healthy as an ordinary person, hadn’t he?

“Is it hard to believe my words? When I made Seo Eun-hyeon’s body into an Undead, I checked Seo Eun-hyeon’s body. It looked fine on the outside, but Seo Eun-hyeon’s organs were like those of an old man several times his age. I had to scrape out all the organs while making him into an Undead.”

“…What does that mean.”

“You can’t know when or how the reaction will come out. It will suddenly progress at some point. The Hongbaek Sect also calls it Divine Punishment. It’s the end of someone who has Defying Heaven.”

Jeong-hyeon reached out and caressed Eun-hyeon’s lips.

Eun-hyeon couldn’t even think of avoiding or running away, and looked at Jeong-hyeon with trembling eyes.

“…Divine Punishment?”

“Yes. It means a punishment given to those who have Defying Heaven. The body collapses. Seo Eun-hyeon’s body was all pieced together by me after it had collapsed like that. You wouldn’t want me to do that to your current body, would you?”

A chilling coldness crept up. He could almost see Jeong-hyeon taking his fragmented body and sewing it together.

It was a disgusting sight just to imagine.

“You can’t avoid Divine Punishment. You can’t even know when Divine Punishment will come. You can only live in fear of Divine Punishment before it comes. Is that how you want to live?”

Divine Punishment.

Eun-hyeon felt like crying when he heard the name Divine Punishment.

He hadn’t intended to be possessed, so did he have to end up like this just because he was possessed?

His clenched fist trembled.

He wasn’t sure if this feeling was fear or anger.

“Are you saying I should become an Undead to avoid Divine Punishment? …Voluntarily?”

“Yes. I’ve been working hard for that, but you and your arrogant disciple have been hindering me every time. The reason I ordered Madam Hwang to poison you was also for your sake.”

“…Is that so.”

Eun-hyeon’s voice cracked.

Eun-hyeon glared at Jeong-hyeon with deeply sunken eyes.

Seeing Jeong-hyeon still smiling with the same righteous gentleman’s face, a cold anger surged from within.

But Jeong-hyeon, whether he knew Eun-hyeon’s inner thoughts or not, simply continued to speak with a gentle smile.

“Yes. Becoming an Undead is the best way to avoid Divine Punishment. It prevents the collapse of the body by straddling life and death at the same time. You can become an Undead and live healthily and forever. In exchange for giving me a little help.”

Jeong-hyeon whispered sweetly, with a dreamy look in his eyes as if he were intoxicated by his own words.

“…Before I answer that, there’s something I want to ask.”

“Ask me anything. I’ll answer everything.”