Reincarnation Sword God

---

Pa-at

It didn’t take long to arrive in the mortal realm again, thanks to having drunk honey wine and receiving help from that strange creature. Although I passed through the Hungry Ghost Realm and Asura Realm, I generally didn’t linger more than half a moment in any one place. Before I knew it, I found myself standing in an ordinary mountain region.

“Where is this?”

“This is the back mountain of Jangryeong Valley. If we go a bit further, my residence is nearby.”

“Is that so? Well then, I’ll just be…”

Zhuge Sa grinned slyly.

“Shall I guess what your and Mangnyang’s mission is?”

“……”

I immediately considered using Golden Lamp to escape, but I glanced at Zhuge Sa instead. He continued to fixate on me, then spoke again.

“You offered the Water Element Divine Sword as a tribute and acquired a spiritual beast… However, the guy Hyun absolutely detests both the Heavenly Realm and the Imperial Palace. For him to negotiate freely with them to avert a calamity with the Water Element Divine Sword means your intentions align with his.”

“I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

“You’re trying to take down either the Heavenly Realm or the Imperial Palace, aren’t you?”

I scoffed at his words.

“I’m grateful for your help, but your meddling is too much. If you want to hear about it, you’ll have to come with me to Jinrang Valley.”

“Hehe. Now you can ride around on the Three Body Spirit in the Present Realm, huh? You don’t want to accompany me, do you?”

“I never said that.”

Zhuge Sa made a peculiar expression.

“Do as you like. I’m fine with either.”

After pondering Zhuge Sa’s words, I replied,

“Let’s go to Jinrang Valley.”

I could shake Zhuge Sa off right here. But for some reason, it felt like that would be a mistake. This seemed like a rather generous offer for Zhuge Sa, and I had a feeling he was scheming about something. It would be wiser to bring him along first, then discuss with Mangnyang.

Pa-at

A while later, using Golden Lamp to reach Jinrang Valley, Zhuge Sa frowned.

“Is that the lamp of Alhazard? How are you using magical artifacts?”

“This is a golden lamp with teleportation capabilities that I stumbled upon in Shandong. I don’t know its name from the Western regions.”

“Hmm. So the barrier on Golden Crow Island prevented you from using the lamp, huh?”

Zhuge Sa seemed to come to his own conclusion.

“Hey. How long have you been using that?”

“Not long, a few days.”

“You should really use it sparingly.”

“What do you mean?”

Zhuge Sa walked into Jinrang Valley and said,

“Magical artifacts are created through magic and usually have good performance. However, magic isn’t a system designed for humans; it’s spells from other realms. That’s why it often contains hidden traps.”

What does that mean?

I focused on Zhuge Sa’s words, then asked as we climbed the mountain together,

“What do you mean by traps? Please explain.”

“Well~ Didn’t you know it when you used it? I don’t really know~”

Zhuge Sa acted coy. I realized he meant I’d have to pay a price to get information. It was in Zhuge Sa’s nature to be evasive about sharing information. As I pondered what to do, I said,

“I owe you for saving my life, so I’ll give you this.”

I took out a box containing gold ingots from around my neck and handed over five ingots to Zhuge Sa. He accepted them and murmured,

“This is also an ancient item with magic on it. Looks like it’s been around for a long time.”

“What…?”

Zhuge Sa pointed to the back of the ingots with his finger.

“Look at this. This pattern controls the flow of time for objects. The five claws symbolize the [Ancient Ruler], and remarkably, it’s completely undamaged despite the passing ages. Isn’t that right? No matter how much gold ages, it usually wears down.”

“……”

“You’re a fascinating fellow. You possess so many magical items, yet you know nothing about magic? Hehe.”

Zhuge Sa tucked the gold ingots into his robe and said,

“Anyway, I gratefully accept this as information fee.”

“Now tell me quickly.”

Zhuge Sa climbed seven flights of stairs before opening his mouth.

“Traps in magical artifacts happen when they are rechargeable.”

“Rechargeable?”

“Of course, there are items with infinite power, but most come with usage limits. They’re made by mages, not gods, so they come with weaknesses.”

“You mean limited usage… Are you saying there’s a predetermined number of times I can use it?”

“Absolutely! Once that usage is exhausted, it typically stops working and becomes an ordinary item.”

“But I’ve used this lamp many times since I got it, and I haven’t felt any such thing.”

That’s right.

Since getting the lamp, I’ve survived for about ten years and have used it several hundred times. Yet, it hasn’t broken or ceased to function. When I protested, Zhuge Sa gave a peculiar laugh.

“That lamp was made by a mad mage from Dae-Sikuk during his final years. Do you know what happened to that guy? He was eaten alive by transparent monsters in broad daylight.”

“……”

“That’s what happens when you don’t know your limits and cross dangerous lines. But on the flip side, he might have made powerful items because he traded with wicked and strong beings to gain power.”

“I don’t understand your point, please be clear.”

Zhuge Sa chuckled mischievously.

“That magical item was crafted for a specific purpose, and it may only work efficiently until that purpose is fulfilled.”

“Purpose?”

“What I’m saying is that it may have a conditional trigger that, once met, could consume its owner. But then again, that’s not my concern.”

“……”

A chill crept over me.

‘A purpose…?’

I could vaguely suppose.

The first time I used the lamp, I saw an ominous underworld—a sight of the [Ancient Ruler] sea god, or perhaps the abode of a malefic deity, and the scenery of the dark occasion. Maybe this golden lamp entraps the user by repeatedly showing these sites to lead them there.

Could it be that the lamp is a trap designed to draw me into the spire of that place?

‘But then why am I not affected?’

If such a trap exists, it would also likely have a function to pressure the user’s mind to madness or deception. However, aside from the fear I felt when I first acquired the lamp, I had never felt anything like that again. According to Zhuge Sa’s words, the golden lamp was a paradoxical existence.

While I was lost in thought, we entered a hut in Jinrang Valley. When Zhuge Sa called for Mangnyang, I replied,

“Mangnyang is tied up with urgent matters elsewhere. He’ll return in a few days.”

“Did you lie to me?”

“Absolutely not. Right now, Mangnyang is taking care of his priest suffering from Divine Fever and doesn’t want to trouble him.”

Perhaps sensing the truthfulness in my words, Zhuge Sa chuckled.

“So you’re saying you want me to stay here for a few days?”

“If you don’t like it, you can go back right now.”

“No, no. I’d like to see that cute nephew of mine. I can endure this much, hehe.”

Zhuge Sa laughed eerily while sitting by a nearby well. I stared at him for a moment and said,

“That woman you were with… Is she not your ally? Don’t you need to look for her?”

I wanted to extract any information about Byeokji, since I had been unable to understand her identity throughout my reincarnations.

“What? Why are you so persistent?”

“I’m worried. Golden Crow Island is a dangerous place; is she alright alone?”

Zhuge Sa burst into laughter, as if finding my concern absurd.

“Ha ha ha!! You’re worried about her? Not the Shi Cheon-gun?”

“……?”

“Forget your worries. She’s not the kind who needs anyone’s concern. If anything, you or I should be the ones to worry.”

“No, that’s not what I’m asking.”

He frowned.

“You’re really insistent. Don’t you have any popularity with women?”

“I don’t understand why we’re talking about popularity.”

“Come on, give me a straight answer. Are you popular or not?”

“……”

I had to think for a while.

Have I been popular with women?

In my first life, I obviously had about as much popularity as a mouse. During my reincarnation as the Heavenly Secret, I had a hideous appearance, which kept me away from women. Sure, I had seen countless beautiful women, but besides Miho, I had no connection with any.

I think I had turned down offers to sleep with Hwa-ryeon and Seo Mun-hye, but I want to forget about those instances. I remember there were cases when women came around after I got plastic surgery, but that felt the same way, as they were only noticing my appearance.

“……”

Wait, isn’t this all a bit ridiculous?

Have I really been popular with women? I feel like, if I set my mind to it, there were plenty of times I could have been.

I felt a wave of confusion wash over me, then responded,

“It feels like I had at least some popularity.”

However, Zhuge Sa didn’t respond to my answer and pulled out a watermelon from somewhere, slicing it open. It seemed like he had conjured it from his own space. As he munched on the watermelon, he said,

“Huh? What were you saying?”

I was baffled and growled at him.

“Why are you randomly eating watermelon right now?”

“True, why are you suddenly asking me about my personal life?”

Zhuge Sa mocked me. It seemed he didn’t want to discuss Byeokji. Spitting out a watermelon seed, he replied,

“That girl and I have a mutually beneficial relationship as needed. I’ll give you some advice: if you want to live long, don’t dig too deep with her. It could lead to your doom.”

I scoffed at his words.

“That sounds frightening. But I’m not scared of an emperor. Even if she were the leader of the martial world, I wouldn’t be intimidated.”

“Emperors and leaders of the martial world… They all pale in comparison, haha.”

“What?”

“Anyway, at least tell me her name. It’s Byeokji.”

“……”

I already knew that!

As Zhuge Sa ate the watermelon, he tossed away the rind.

“I don’t eat the green part. It tastes bad.”

I frowned in annoyance.

“What a waste! You should eat every last bite.”

“Even if I did, it would just taste like radish. Just eat the sweet parts.”

“That bland taste has its own charm… Wait, why am I even having this ridiculous conversation with you?”

“Whatever, I’m going to take a nap. Don’t call for me.”

Whoosh!

As soon as Zhuge Sa finished speaking, he wrapped himself in some strange scroll and disappeared. He must’ve entered some hidden space within the scroll. I contemplated whether to touch the scroll, but a cunning figure like Zhuge Sa would surely have measures in place. There was a high risk of falling into a trap or getting the short end, so I sighed, refraining from touching it.

“Unbelievable, he’s so unpredictable.”

Zhuge Sa might be helping me in my previous life, but observing his occasional chaotic behavior makes it hard to feel any fondness.

A few days later, I went to fetch Mangnyang. It seemed Mangnyang was finished with his care of Cheon Woo-jin, enjoying a relaxed time in the village. I told Mangnyang about how I was suddenly sent to Golden Crow Island using the Three Body Spirit and my encounter with Zhuge Sa and Byeokji.

After I finished, Mangnyang said,

“To rein in Zhuge Sa, we need to bring Woo-jin along. But right now, he’s just settled into a stable phase after recovering from his fever, and we can’t put him under pressure.”

“Should we wait until he gets better…?”

“We have no way of knowing when the recovery from Divine Fever will stabilize, it might take even a year…”

“What should we do?”

Mangnyang sighed.

“There’s nothing we can do but discuss it with Zhuge Sa at this point.”