Absolute Regression

Translator: FenrirTL

Editor/Quality Checker: Saphartlantis, Mani

Murim Term Consultant: Kopke

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Chapter 231: Worse Than a Wrong Life

"Do you have any concrete plans to kill Yaryuhan?"

At Bih Sa-in’s question, Geom Mugeuk shook his head.

"Not yet."

Seeing Bih Sa-in’s baffled expression, Geom Mugeuk continued.

"We can only start planning in earnest once you give your permission, can't we?"

"Are you saying a plan will materialize just because I grant permission?"

"It will."

"You're really a person without a plan."

Despite his words, Bih Sa-in didn’t seem displeased. On the contrary, making the decision had cleared his mind.

"Please keep this in mind."

Bih Sa-in set a condition. Since he had already given his consent, it was more of a request than a condition.

"You may kill the Five Thunder Divine Sword or Bloodwheel Calamity, but don't touch the Extreme Forces Brigade. They aren't Yaryuhan's personal minions. They’re the elite forces of the main alliance."

It was like the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult asking to spare the Demonic Army and only kill the Demonic Army Commander. Losing Yaryuhan alone was already a significant blow, but this was an effort to minimize the damage. 1

"Understood."

Geom Mugeuk accepted without hesitation.

Bih Sa-in let out a sigh.

"I don't know what I'm doing. If this goes wrong, dying by Yaryuhan’s hand is the least of my worries. I could be kicked out of my position as heir immediately."

"If you get kicked out, come to me. I’ll take you in." 2

"I’d rather die than go there."

Bih Sa-in’s grotesque face twisted and Geom Mugeuk could tell. He was smiling with satisfaction. It was an emotion you would never notice unless you observed him very closely.

"Reach out if you need my help. For the time being, I'll be having lunch at that inn."

"Thank you."

With that, Bih Sa-in left first.

Geom Mugeuk stayed there, gazing at the night view of the Unorthodox Alliance and the night sky for a long time before finally departing.

* * *

When I returned to the safehouse, I immediately gathered Gowol, Soma, and Jeong Dae in one place.

"The heir of the Unorthodox Alliance, Bih Sa-in, has promised to handle the aftermath. Now all we need to do is kill Yaryuhan."

Everyone was startled by my words.

"How on earth did you change his mind?"

Even the former Heavenly Wind Cult Leader, along with the Evil Smiling Demon and my strategist, looked at me with surprised expressions. They had assumed it would take some time to persuade him, but the negotiation had succeeded far too quickly.

"You know how it is with young heirs; we understand each other."

"Truly, you are..."

Not knowing what to say, Jeong Dae simply shook his head.

“It’s good news that Bih Sa-in has agreed to help us, but there’s also bad news. I’ve discovered another of Yaryuhan’s subordinates.”

We already knew that Bloodwheel Calamity was one of Yaryuhan’s subordinates.

“The newcomer is the Five Thunder Divine Sword.”

Everyone was shocked at the mention of Baek Haeng.

Even the former Heavenly Wind Cult Leader of the Wilderness remembered him.

“Isn’t he the one who once caused a bloody storm in the martial world? He was even pursued as a public enemy by the Martial Alliance.”

“That’s right. It’s him.”

“I thought he was dead, but he was hiding under Yaryuhan’s shadow.”

Facing Damal the Bloodwheel Calamity was already difficult enough, but Baek Haeng the Five Thunder Divine Sword was a whole level above him.

Then Jeong Dae, as if something had suddenly occurred to him, asked, “Then why not leave them be and kill Yaryuhan when he’s alone? They’re human too; they won’t always be by his side.”

All eyes turned to me. All three of them had the same thought, but there was a reason why that wasn’t possible.

“As I mentioned, once Yaryuhan is dead, it will appear that Bih Sa-in was the one who killed him.”

Gowol was the first to catch on to my intention.

“You’re worried they might seek revenge on Bih Sa-in.”

I nodded.

“We don’t know what kind of relationship they have. We can’t be sure whether they’ll seek revenge or just leave. But if there’s even the slightest chance they decide to take revenge, Bih Sa-in will surely die.”

“I now fully understand why Bih Sa-in stepped forward to help you, sir.”

It meant that Bih Sa-in had likely realized my concern for him.

Jeong Dae stepped forward again.

“I’ll help with this as well.”

Even I hadn’t expected him to offer his help with this matter.

“Are you serious?”

“I should help out of shame.”

He meant that he felt embarrassed for suggesting that killing Yaryuhan alone would be enough without considering that Bih Sa-in might be targeted for revenge.

But that was just an excuse—I could tell he was genuinely offering his help to support me.

“Isn’t this opponent too much for just the two of you to handle? What? Don’t you trust my skills?”

“If we don’t trust in your skills, dear friend, who else can we trust? But you have an even more important role to play.”

“What role?”

“Just as before, protect Gowol.”

I directed my gaze toward Gowol.

“If, by any chance, our side is exposed, Gowol will be in danger. At that moment, it’s you who must protect him. Because of your presence, I’ve never once worried about Gowol’s safety.”

“Will you be alright on your own?”

“I have Soma with me.”

My gaze turned to the Evil Smiling Demon, who had been quietly listening the whole time. In this burdensome situation, Soma smiled and said, “Just trust me.”

“Yes. I’ll trust only in you, Soma.”

At that moment, my true feelings were exactly this:

Soma, trust only in me. No matter what happens, I will never let you die.

This was my response to the kindness he had shown me. 3

* * *

Strategist Advisor Sima Myung was in the operations command room.

In this location, deemed safer than the Heavenly Demon Pavilion, a top-secret operation concerning Geom Mugeuk was underway.

Sima Myung had been on edge ever since Geom Mugeuk left the cult. If something went wrong, he needed to swiftly support Geom Mugeuk and ensure that relations with the Unorthodox Alliance didn't escalate into war. Moreover, these movements had to remain hidden from the Unorthodox Alliance.

So far, Geom Mugeuk was performing the mission far better than Sima Myung had anticipated.

When he eliminated Jisaeng, Aechak, and even Lü Bugai without exposing their side, the chief military strategist of the Heavenly Communication Pavilion had remarked:

“If I were Yaryuhan’s strategist… I would have fallen for it too.”

Sima Myung couldn’t bring himself to disagree. Even he couldn’t be certain he wouldn’t have fallen for the deception in such a scenario.

“Gowol’s capabilities are extraordinary. He’s structured his information network established in the Central Plains in a way that doesn’t overlap with ours at the Heavenly Communication Pavilion, making it complementary.”

“He’s thinking ahead, even to the time when the Second Young Master becomes the Heavenly Demon.”

“He’s truly seeing the bigger picture.”

Just as Geom Mugeuk was pushing forward with a new Demonic Path, it seemed that if Gowol were to take his seat, the Heavenly Communication Pavilion would also transform into a new entity.

And today, a new report arrived.

The chief military strategist entered Sima Myung’s office with a serious expression.

“The Young Master’s side has requested information on an individual.”

“Who is it?”

After taking a deep breath, the chief strategist reported. It was his way of showing just how shocked he was.

“It’s the Five Thunder Divine Sword.”

Sima Myung shot up from his seat.

“They say Yaryuhan has even brought in the Five Thunder Divine Sword.”

They already knew that Damal was one of Yaryuhan’s subordinates. But now, Baek Haeng too?

“Yaryuhan, Bloodwheel Calamity, and even the Five Thunder Divine Sword. Can the two of them handle all of them?”

“I don’t think it will be easy.”

“What’s the probability of success for this operation?”

“When we were unaware of the Five Thunder Divine Sword’s involvement, we estimated the plan to be around 40% chance of success.”

This was the probability analyzed by the Heavenly Communication Pavilion. Although they didn’t know the exact martial prowess of Geom Mugeuk, it was based on his accomplishments so far.

“But if we assume that the Five Thunder Divine Sword is helping Yaryuhan, I expect the success rate to drop to 20%. I’ll provide a detailed analysis as soon as it's completed.”

“20%.”

The success rate analysis by the Heavenly Communication Pavilion was almost always accurate. A figure like 20% was essentially tantamount to failure.

“If another top expert shows up beyond the Five Thunder Divine Sword, the success rate could drop below 10%.”

This wasn’t an exaggeration. Sima Myung felt anew how formidable the current task was.

“Send all the information we have on the Five Thunder Divine Sword.”

“Understood.”

As the chief strategist turned to leave, Sima Myung called after him.

“What do you think?”

“Pardon?”

“I’m asking what you, as an individual, think the success rate is.”

“Well...”

He was the strategist among his subordinates who knew the most about Geom Mugeuk. After a long hesitation, he gave an unexpected response.

“I see it as fifty-fifty.” 4

Sima Myung was startled.

“20% versus 50%—that’s a huge difference.”

“It’s my subjective analysis.”

“Are you implying our pavilion’s analysis is flawed?”

“No, it’s just my personal intuition.”

Sima Myung pressed the flustered chief strategist further.

“Why 50%?”

The chief strategist replied, “There are people in this world who defy all analysis, aren’t there? I believe the Young Master is one of those people.”

Before Sima Myung could launch another round of questions, the chief strategist quickly bowed and left.

Sima Myung gathered the reports to submit to the Heavenly Demon and rose from his seat. Yes, that was true. Geom Mugeuk was someone who couldn’t be fully explained by mere numbers.

The same went for Heavenly Demon Geom Woojin, who had approved this mission. Perhaps this very quality—their resistance to being quantified—was what made the two so alike, Sima Myung thought as he headed toward the Heavenly Demon Pavilion.

* * *

Gowol was wracking his brain to formulate the strategy.

This time, no one told him to enjoy the situation. He needed to craft a meticulous plan and ensure it was followed precisely.

While Gowol was strategizing, we each took our own time.

The Evil Smiling Demon plastered his room with white wallpaper and stared at it as he began his training, while I immersed myself in martial arts training in the backyard.

In this upcoming battle, I would need to deploy every bit of my skills. It would be a tough fight, but I was determined to take down Yaryuhan. I had something to say into his dying ears. Because for someone who had spent so many years bound by vengeance, who had never truly lived his own life, I wanted him to at least live the rest of his days in peace, free to live his own life.

While I was training in the backyard, someone spoke from behind.

“With you working so hard, how can I slack off?”

I turned around to see Jeong Dae walking toward me.

“Gowol kept nagging, so I got chased out. He said, ‘The Young Master is sweating even now, so what are you doing?’”

“Since you’re already here, why don’t you train with me? Lately, you’ve been losing weight, and you’re looking more impressive, previous Cult Leader.”

“Really?”

The former Heavenly Wind Cult Leader looked intrigued. I decided to push further with another compliment.

“I bet you had quite a few women following you around when you were younger, didn’t you?”

“Well, yes, there was quite a long line of them following me.”

Jeong Dae raised his chin proudly. But seeing the thick flesh under his chin, it was clear he still had a long way to go.

“You should reclaim that popularity from back then.”

“Is that easy at my age?”

“If you train and make your body ten years younger, it’s like going back ten years. Make it twenty years younger, and you’re going back twenty years.”

The former Heavenly Wind Cult Leader stared at me intently.

“You have a way of making people’s hearts flutter with the simplest of words.”

“How could reclaiming youth be a trivial matter? You have to show us! Who knows what the future holds? Maybe you’ll transform into your twenty-years-younger self. Who would’ve thought when we first met that we’d be having a conversation like this here?”

“That’s true. You’ve completely overturned my once monotonous life.”

“Do you regret it?”

He seemed to ponder for a moment before shaking his head.

“If I were a little younger, I might have regretted it. But now I know. There’s something worse than living a wrong life, and that’s living a life full of regrets.” 5

It had been a while since we had such a serious conversation, as he usually bantered with me.

“When I was the Cult Leader, I thought that position was everything.”

Whiiish.

A gust of wind blew in. Jeong Dae opened the Temporal and Spatial Transference Technique, and I was transported into the scenery of the Wilderness. In the distance, the grand structure of the Heavenly Wind Cult loomed.

“To be honest, standing at the top of that place, I used to think about it several times a day. I am the king of the Wilderness. Many people must envy me. Back then, even the sand in my mouth tasted sweet like sugar.”

His gaze shifted to me.

“I realized it was all meaningless, so I no longer have any regrets.”

“You’re admirable.”

“Admirable? Not really. It’s not like I’m any better now than I was back then.”

“You are better.”

“Better? In what way?”

“There are people now who look at you for who you truly are, dear friend.”

Our eyes met in the open air.

Shaking his head, he said, “To trade those looks for this? I’ll go down in martial arts history as the biggest fool.”

“You’ll be remembered as the one who made the greatest choice in martial arts history.”

The former Heavenly Wind Cult Leader laughed. I kept telling him so. His decision was valuable. What truly burdens people isn’t what they sacrifice for their decisions, but when no one acknowledges it. At least in my relationship with him, I would never let him feel that sense of loss.

Jeong Dae slowly started walking.

I followed him, walking through the sandy winds of the wasteland.

“Do you remember that question you asked before?”

There was another reason why the previous Cult Leader had deliberately used the Temporal and Spatial Transference Technique today. He brought up something he had long forgotten.

“You asked if it’s possible to make time flow differently in the Temporal and Spatial Transference Technique compared to real time.” 6

1 : Poor Jangho XDXDXD

2 : Pokemon collector ^ ^

3 : Plus you promised Yeo Jeong to take care of him ^ ^

4 : Good instincts, you should give him a promotion Sima ^ ^

5 : Mugeuk can confirm this.

6 : Time chamber cheat, let’s go !!!