Record of a Thousand Lives

Han Se-Hyunbrought Kang Yoon-Soo to an old, run-down pub. Shaneth excused herself to go rest at the inn because she was visibly too tired to accompany the two men. Lee Kang-Hyunand the others persistently tried to chase after Han Se-Hyun, but they were courteously asked to leave, as he wanted to speak in private with Kang Yoon-Soo.

The two men sat at a tableinthe corner and placed an order.

“Two limeliqueurs, and some snacks that aren’t too greasy.”

“Yes…Sir… I…I’ll bring it shortly!”The waitress blushed before running toward the kitchenafterHan Se-Hyuncheekily smiled at her. It was obvious that the women working in the kitchen would be gossiping about them.

The limeliqueurs came in two large mugs, and a set of fragrant fried chicken wings that were perfectly golden brown came along with the alcohol.

Han Se-Hyunstarted to take his armor off before he started the conversation with a question.“Are you a fan of beating around the bush?”

“No,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied curtly.

“Good, I don’t like it either. I’ll get straight to the point then,”Han Se-Hyuncontinued after taking a swig of lime alcohol.“I’ve heard from the alchemist guild that you killed Ravian, the boss of theChimeraDimension.”

Kang Yoon-Soo nodded without taking his lips off the mug. It was a very rude gesture, but Han Se-Hyundid not seem to mind at all. Han Se-Hyunate a chicken wing before he continued,“You must have obtained the homunculus heart that never decomposes. I wish to buy that heart from you.”

“It’s not for sale,” Kang Yoon-Soo said flatly.

“If you decide to, I’llpay handsomelyfor it, so that you won’t have to worry about leveling up and you can live comfortably,” Han Se-Hyun offered.

“I said I’m not selling it,” Kang Yoon-Soo reiterated.

“Then I’llhave to kill you,” Han Se-Hyun said.

Kang Yoon-Soo staredcoldlyat Han Se-Hyun.Han Se-Hyunsmiled at him, but he could see that behindthat smile,Han Se-Hyun’s eyes were very cold and ruthless.

“You said youwon’tsell it. That leaves me with no choice but to kill you and take it, right?” Han Se-Hyunno longer bothered to be polite with Kang Yoon-Soo anymore.He leaned close to Kang Yoon-Sooandextended his index finger towardthe other man’s neck. Suddenly, a line of blood formed onKang Yoon-Soo’sneck as if it had been cut by something sharp.

‘Blade-Body Transformation’was Han Se-Hyun’s unique skill.Itallowed him to use any part of his body as a lethal weapon for a short period of time. It was not an exaggeration to say that Han Se-Hyunwas the strongestTraveleronthe continent.

Kang Yoon-Soo had faced death multiple times in one of his life when he had worked as an assassin and received a request to have Han Se-Hyunassassinated.However,that was just a storyfrom the past. He had no plans to kill Han Se-Hyunin his thousandth life.

Han Se-Hyunkept smiling as he waved his finger around, saying,“I hope you’re smarter than you look. Not everyone can avoid being murdered in this world, you know?”

Kang Yoon-Soo looked at himindifferentlyand answered, “I know.”

“Then give meRavian’sheart,” Han Se-Hyun said.

“I don’t want to,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

Han Se-Hyunwas perplexed for a moment before asking, “Then do you plan to die?”

“No,” Kang Yoon-Soo answered.

“Whatdo you mean?” Han Se-Hyun asked.

.

“You can’t kill me,” Kang Yoon-Soo said simply.

“Hmm… How can you be so sure?” Han Se-Hyun retorted.

“Because you plan on becoming the emperor,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

Han Se-Hyunslowly raised his fingeras if he weredrawing a sharp dagger. His eyes had changed into something cold and sinisteras he echoed Kang Yoon-Soo’s words.“I plan to become the emperor?”

“Yes,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

“How can you be so certain?”Han Se-Hyun asked.

“The white lion is roaring toward the throne,” Kang Yoon-Soo explained.He was talking about the white lion embroidered on the mantle thatwashanded out to the members of the White Lion Guild.Hecontinued, “A beast doesn’troar at something for no reason. It only roars toward its prey.”

The threatening sharpness of the finger onKang Yoon-Soo’sneck disappeared, and Han Se-Hyunslowly brought his finger down.

Silence descended for a moment…

“Hahahaha!”Han Se-Hyunsuddenly laughed out loud,butKang Yoon-Soo was expressionless as usual. Han Se-Hyunwas not bothered at all, and he laughed until he started wheezing for air.“You’re the first!I’ve never met a guy as entertaining as you ever since I came to this world.I like you! I’ve never seen a guy stay so composed even with a knife to his neck.This! This! You made me want to talk to you more!”

“It’s not something I’d want to hear,” Kang Yoon-Soo answered coldly. Nevertheless,Han Se-Hyunkept smiling, and it was a smile thatdiffered from his usual expression of simple courtesy.Kang Yoon-Soo saidquietly, “Give up with the request you received. You won’t be able to complete it anyway.”

“You mean I should give upRavian’sheart? Then what can you give me instead?” HanSe-Hyun asked.

“I’ll make you the emperor,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

Han Se-Hyunlooked surprised,but thenhe asked, “You plan to become my ‘Emperormaker[1]’?”

“Yeah,”Kang Yoon-Soo replied, nodding.He knew his travels wouldbecome much easierif he just said that one word.

“By what means?” Han Se-Hyun asked.

Kang Yoon-Soo merely said,“I have my ways.”

The two shared a long conversation, and Han Se-Hyunbecame more serious the more he listened to Kang Yoon-Soo. The ideahad beenvague at the start, but it started to become clearer and more detailed as he listened to the man’s advice. Top secret information such as the location of the rival guilds’ headquarters, the way to plant spies, and even a secret passage that he could use to enter the headquarters flowed out of the man’s mouth, and the way Han Se-Hyunlooked at Kang Yoon-Soochanged.

***

The sun was setting by the time they finished talking. Han Se-Hyunextended his hand to Kang Yoon-Soo as they left the pub.

“I’ve decided to believe you from now on. I’ll ambush that guild on the dateyoutold me. Of course,I’ll be participating personally,” Han Se-Hyunsaid;his voice was filled with confidenceas he held out a hand.“We’ve now established an alliance. I’ll support you no matter what you do, and in return, you’ll support me to bring my plans to fruition.”

“I don’t want to shake hands,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

“Oh really? I guess you have OCD.”Han Se-Hyunawkwardly withdrew his hand.In truth,his unique skillhad beenactive when he extended his hand, and hehad beentrying to test Kang Yoon-Soo’s senses.

Afterward,he made a proposal to Kang Yoon-Soo.“Don’t you have any plans to enter the White Lion Clan? I could promote you as a branch manager immediately. I’ll provide you with the best items every time you level up.That’sa privilegethat hasn’t beengiven to anyone else.”

“No,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied flatly.

Han Se-Hyungave out a hearty laugh.“To think that you would refuse such a proposal without even thinking about it. You’re denser than a wooden statue, aren’t you?”

Kang Yoon-Soo remarked,“And you’re an annoying one.”

Han Se-Hyuncould not stop laughing as his fist bumpedintoKang Yoon-Soo’s chest. It meant he had already disabled his unique skill.Hesaid in a friendly tone, “Let me know if you ever drop by the capital. I’ll treat you to a proper pub and not a rundown place like this. Oh, andthere will be a lot of prettyContinental girls too.”

Kang Yoon-Soo slowly nodded.

Han Se-Hyunlaughed before extending his right handand saying,“Summon griffin Armian.”

A griffin withgolden wingsmade a majestic appearance,attracting thegazes of onlookers inashort instant. Han Se-Hyunquicklymountedthe griffin before it attracted any more attention,thenlooked at Kang Yoon-Soo before saying, “As I said earlier, I’ll be waiting for you. I’ll never forget the conversation we had, and I hope you’ll never forget the promise we made to each other.”

“Yeah,”Kang Yoon-Soo replied simply.

The griffin spread out its wings before shooting up toward the sky, and Han Se-Hyunbecame a dotin the distancebefore completely disappearing from sight.

Kang Yoon-Soo wentup to hisroom as soon as he reached the inn. There, he found Shaneth with her hair loose;she was sleeping with her saliva all over the pillow. She was exhausted because of theside effectsof the adrenaline potion.

However,Shanethimmediately looked toward Kang Yoon-Soo in a half-awake state as soon as he entered the room, mumbling,“Slurp…Oh,you’re back? Did you have a good discussion with him?”

“Betterthan expected,”Kang Yoon-Soo replied as he plopped face-down on the bed Shaneth was sleeping on. Shaneth was too tired to even realize that hewas lyingdown beside her.

‘I’m tired.’Kang Yoon-Soo fell asleep.

***

The morning sunlight penetrated through the window. Shaneth slowly wokefrom her sleep,but thenshe was suddenly horrified. Kang Yoon-Soo was sleepingsoundlywith his face inches away from hers. His soft breathtickled her ears.

Suddenly, a piece of meat fell out ofKang Yoon-Soo’sbackpack andstarted to crawlsloppilyacross the floor. The meatmoved slowly like asnail, leavinga trail of blood across the floor.

Slither… Slither…

The heart moved by itself as if it werea living organism. It was a grotesque sight.

“Kyaaaaah!”Shaneth screamed first thing in the morning.“Mr. Kang Yoon-Soo! Mr. Kang Yoon-Soo!”

“What?” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.Hehaddefinitely just woken up,but he spoke with the same emotionless voice he always had.

However, Shaneth did not seem to care as she pointed toward the backpack.“The… re…! Look! The heartleftthe backpack on its own!”

Kang Yoon-Soo got up from the bed, and as he walked toward the heart,itsuddenly hardened. The veins on the heart suddenly stood up and turned into sharp spikes, and the heart flew toward him.

Smack!

Kang Yoon-Soo grabbed the heart with one hand and ripped it apart in an instant. The whole room turned into a bloody mess, and even Shaneth was covered in blood.

[You have destroyed the heart of the homunculus, Ravian.]

[You have found a clue left behind by the grand alchemist, Minerva.]

[You have provenyour qualifications to carry out the task, as you have inherited the will of Nakron the Ultimate Necromancer.]

[Do you accept the quest related to a legendary hero?]

Kang Yoon-Soo said,“I accept.”

[You will face countless fatal dangerswhencarrying out this legendary quest.]

[Your decisions will greatly affect the future of the continent.]

[You will not be able to quithalfwaythrough the quest.]

[Pleasethink carefullybefore you decide whether or not to accept this quest.]

[Do you really accept the legendary quest?]

“I said I accept,”Kang Yoon-Soo reiterated. He plopped down on the bed again without even wiping off the blood. He then immediately fell asleep.

Shaneth just stared at the man who had managed to fall asleepinstantlyas she brushed herblood-covered hairwith her hands.She then muttered under herbreath,“What is this disastersoearly in the morning…”

1.The author replaced the word ‘king’ in ‘kingmaker’ with ‘emperor’.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingmaker👈