My Alter Ego’s Path to Greatness - Chapter 162
#162
Hahoe Tal Rise (2)
Hyeon-gyeong was a state where he could be said to have transcended human limitations, and his status was so high that it was almost impossible to manipulate him according to the will of others.
The spirit that perfected itself and broke away from the mold had a strong resistance to all external interference, and the noble and pure spirit could not tolerate artificial changes.
Even dead bodies were affected by residual thoughts and had a homeostasis, so recycling the body required skill, all kinds of prior preparation, and tremendous effort.
[Quaaaagh—!]
Of course, it was only a bit much work for the immortal king who even corrupted dragons and turned them into undead.
[Hoo- This guy was a stooge of the Buncheonhoe.]
Hans looked down at the abyss in the shape of a writhing human being with its head held in his hand, and muttered softly as if it was something new to him.
Ugh—!
The magic circle filled inside the barrier where the battle took place and numerous undead used as sacrifices.
It was the result of using them to pour the abyss into the Heavenly Demon Emperor’s spirit body to its limit.
‘He had ties to them before he went to this world.’
He was also the one who erased all traces of his life before being transmitted and then committed an awakening terrorist attack following orders from above.
About two years ago.
‘This is a guy who has lived in another dimension for nearly 20 years…’
Of course, as soon as he returned, he tried to contact the Beoncheonhoe, but there was no way to contact them as they had completely disappeared in Korea because of Hans.
After that, he went on a rampage, believing only in his own abilities, and it ended up like this.
‘That’s strange. I don’t know if he had reached the level he is now, but back then he must have been just an ordinary person. What was it that drew him in? ‘Is it simply a coincidence?’
The grace period after awakening is only 24 hours.
It’s hard to say that they persuaded him in that short period of time, so it must have meant that contact had been made long before…
‘Those who are this careful wouldn’t have recklessly resorted to a plan to get just one person caught. If that were the case, its existence would have been known long ago.’
However, perhaps because it was a memory from too long ago and because the spirit and body had been forcibly shaken by an abyss that was more poisonous than radioactivity, no further information could be obtained from the Heavenly Demon Emperor.
Having decided to order an investigation under his command regarding this, he inwardly lamented a sudden sense of regret.
‘…Unlike Outerica, the path to acquiring information here is limited, so it’s frustrating.’
In modern Earth, which can be said to be the information age, the only channels he can use now are blood alliances, including heterosis.
Although they have now grown into a fairly large force, they have the inevitable limitation of being a shadowy organization that cannot stand out proudly.
‘Hmm, I wish I could know information about the Yangji side independently of the clan.’
Being able to know the movements and information of mainstream forces like Heinrich did in Outerica would be of great help in many ways.
However, using such a method was close to impossible on Earth, which has a thorough system and infrastructure.
‘Proving your identity is a task, and building trust afterwards is even more difficult. It may take a long time.’
I didn’t know if it would be possible to some extent with the help of Kang Tae-san, who had already joined the Talent Management Bureau, but he was still only at the bottom level and I was reluctant to let him get caught up in something like this.
‘I’ve been with mainstream powers for a long time enough to build trust, and yet it’s not easy to satisfy the qualifications to access quality information… hmm?’
At that time, a person suddenly crossed his mind.
‘It is clear that it is related to the Ability Management Bureau, and if it can help with the investigation, it must mean that it is quite trustworthy.’
Not long after Hans stole the fragment of the third Immortal King from the Great Temple and came to Earth.
There was a fairly skilled warlock who caught my eye through the curse he left on criminals.
‘If you have that level of skill, you’ll be in quite a position with the higher-ups. He might even be acquainted with the Guardians.’
No matter how much I thought about it, there was no one more qualified.
Since he is a warlock and is easy for Hans to handle, this could be said to be more than fate than fate.
[Hehehe, he is a very talented person. Now then, let’s see where it is now.]
Today, the duration of “Object Projection” has expired, so I can’t go there right away, but I immediately activated “Eye of the Abyss” to at least pinpoint the location.
Saaah—
Darkness filled Hans’ eye sockets, sucking in light from all directions.
In Korea, where the land is small compared to the population, a warlock whose soul was also observed, unless he had some special unique skill…
[There he was.]
You could never avoid his gaze.
***
It was late at night when streetlights came on everywhere and people who had been outside began to return home one by one.
Ahn Seong-jin, a warlock belonging to the Ability Management Bureau, got out of his parked car and entered a restaurant that was in the process of being cleaned up.
“Business is over today… Oh my~ is Seongjin here! “He must be busy with work, so what did he come for again?”
“Hey, it’s okay. I only have to investigate cases related to my major, so I’m not that busy. “Especially these days, public security has improved, so there aren’t many incidents.”
He answered cheerfully, naturally helping with the cleaning.
Of course it was true that incidents had decreased, but it was a lie to say he wasn’t busy.
Among those who committed crimes, whether big or small, the proportion of black magic users was very high, and on the contrary, such cooperative and capable black magicians were rare, so it was inevitable.
‘But that doesn’t mean I can sacrifice my daily life. How did we regain peace and how did we reunite as a family?’
He had finally returned after struggling in a crazy world where half of the continent’s population was followers of dark magic.
As my return was delayed because I had no choice but to strengthen myself in order to survive in the extreme environment, this difficult daily life was invaluable.
“Yeah, there’s been a lot of talk these days. “Someone like Hahoetal is beating up all the bad guys.”
“Ah haha… That’s right. Hahoe Mask… It’s amazing.”
At the name that came out of his mother’s mouth, the mouth of Ahn Seong-jin, who had not even told his family what exactly he was doing, twitched.
Because the memories of that day still remained a nightmare to him.
“Hmm—Is Seongjin here?”
“Your father!”
“Since you’re here, try some of this. “For quality control, periodic checks like this are necessary.”
At that time, his father, who was in the kitchen, set the table full of food and forced him to sit down while he was cleaning.
Warm steam was rising from the food, as if it had all been cooked as soon as he arrived.
“Father, what did you do to this extent…”
“Uh-huh! This is all for the store. “Please cooperate!”
Of course, he knew full well that those words were just an excuse.
How could one not know that as parents, we just want to prepare a hearty meal for our children?
Grumble—
“As expected, dad’s cooking is always the best.”
“Then of course. “Who made it?”
“Oh my gosh, this guy is such a good guy today!”
At the table where the family sits around, laughter never stops and everyone’s faces are filled with smiles.
The peaceful daily life and harmonious family he had longed for.
Seongjin Ahn looked at his family with a warm smile and expressed his gratitude to God.
Thank you for allowing me to live and enjoy this little happiness.
And the moment when I hoped that you would allow me to continue this daily life in the future.
‘……!’
God.
I ignored his small wish.
Creepy—
I suddenly began to feel a presence that I could never forget.
It stimulated his sixth sense from such a close proximity.
“hmm? “Why are you doing this all of a sudden?”
“Seongjin?”
“…Is there something wrong with my liver? That can’t be possible. Oh no, there is a foreign object…!”
My breathing becomes difficult.
A voice right next to you echoes distantly, like a distant buzz.
‘No, this is not the time!’
However, his mind, which was in confusion, returned to its original state as if it had been hit with cold water when he faced his parents leaving the city with worried expressions.
As he regained his composure, skills such as the late activated unique skills “Stoicism” and “Bright View Index” further helped him maintain his composure.
“iced coffee…! sorry! I remembered that I forgot to upload the payment documents…! “Ugh, I should have posted that before work today!”
“Ugh? You were surprised! “Where are you putting your mind?”
“Oh, what can I do about what has already happened? But is it so important that you can think about it like that?”
First, let’s start with resolving the immediate situation.
“sorry. I’ll call the person on duty first and come back. ah! “I packaged the food and took it home…”
He left the restaurant, reassuring the two people who were still looking at him with concern.
‘Whoa, let’s go then.’
A cool presence still standing in one place and subtly sending a signal to him.
Unlike before, An Seong-jin was also able to calmly move his steps and organize his thoughts.
‘are you okay. Seeing that you’re singing so quietly, I’m guessing there’s no hostility. … Maybe he wants something from me.’
The situation was different from last time, when I was momentarily panicked and even fainted.
At that time, I was shocked at once because I was faced with its presence head-on in a spirit body with weak defenses, but now I was able to come to my senses early and properly activate “Seniority.”
As long as the user’s strong will continues, the skill that prevents it from collapsing under any circumstances was a major contributor to his escape from the influence of dark magic.
‘Whoa, is it this place?’
He finally arrived in front of the alley near the restaurant where the signal continued.
He took a deep breath and stepped into the place that looked like the gates of hell without a single light.
Goooooh—
At the same time, the surrounding scenery changed in an instant.
A thick, writhing darkness that covers not only the floor and walls, but also the sky.
‘…I really feel like I’ve entered hell.’
And he was finally able to face the person who called him at the center of that space.
A being that exudes an overwhelming presence, as if death were gathered together and molded into the shape of a human being.
‘It’s so far away. I can’t even estimate the level at my level. How deep is the aftereffects that lead to oneness with death? The fact that they were able to return means they are not truly undead. There’s some special skill…’
Just as his mind was about to become confused, a dark laughter that resonated with magical power was heard, interrupting his thoughts.
[Kkeukkeukkeu— Even though you knew I was there, you didn’t run away and ended up here. Is it reckless or brave?]
“Wasn’t that what you wanted? And I don’t even dare to run away from you. … Hahoe Mask.”
Seongjin Ahn looked at the being in front of him and took a deep breath.
The air in this space, filled with the energy of death, was absolutely not good for my health, but I felt like I had to do something to calm my mind now.
‘Damn it, I can’t believe it’s getting to this point even though I have no hostility towards the other person. Is it the ability to control low-level dark magic?’
As he faced that gaze, the dark magic within his body naturally withered away, and the naturally flowing aura of fear was mercilessly eroding his mental strength.
If it weren’t for his “self-denial”, he might have just fallen on the spot and begged for mercy.
[This is a wise decision. I guess it was worth it to be considerate in its own way.]
I guess what you’re saying is that they didn’t storm into the restaurant right away and just quietly sent a signal like this.
Seongjin Ahn was also grateful for that.
If my parents were to encounter this being, it’s no joke, they might actually have a heart attack.
“…So do you know why you called me? “I knew you only dealt with heinous criminals.”
Ahn Seong-jin, who had missed speaking that far, hurriedly added an afterword.
“For your information, I am a warlock, but I have never committed a crime! “My unique skill is affected by dark magic…”
[Ah, that’s not why I came here, so don’t worry.]
Only then did Hahoetal’s confident answer, as if it was no big deal, relax his expression a little.
Before I knew it, my back was soaked with cold sweat, but I felt a little more at ease when I realized that no harm would come to me.
“Then… why me?”
[I am contributing significantly to the security of this country. There are many annoying aspects of work.]
An answer that feels a bit unexpected.
Hahoetal raised his black-gloved hand and slowly pointed at him.
[You seem quite useful.]
“Ah? Thank you…”
[Hehehehe—so you have to become my slave.]
Ahn Seong-jin’s face, which had been relieved a little earlier at those words, turned pale again.