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Chapter 350. 17 Years (4)

It wasn’t a well-maintained garden, nor was it a park constructed according to a blueprint.

It was just a forest. There were overgrown weeds and flowers that bloomed as they pleased everywhere, and they were in their natural state.

Seo Jun-Ho looked around. After the Frost Queen became a Common Spirit, she started regressing with him, but he couldn’t see her around.

‘Is this one of Erebo’s abilities?’ 

Seo Jun-Ho carefully watched his surroundings and slowly walked forward. A pleasant breeze brushed against his skin, and the petals swayed, guiding him in one direction. After walking down the path for a long time, Seo Jun-Ho eventually came to a stop.

“This is…”

There was a wall. It was a giant wall, and it reminded him of the Great Wall of China. However, Jun-Ho instinctively knew that it wasn’t actually a wall.

‘That’s a tree...’ 

No matter how he looked around, all he could see was one side of the tree. The tree was extremely big that he couldn’t even begin to estimate its actual size. He was captivated by the tree as he admired it with his own eyes. A moment later, he heard an unfamiliar female voice.

- Player Seo Jun-Ho.

The moment he heard her voice, a single tear dripped down his cheek.

‘...Why am I crying?’ 

It was unfamiliar, but the voice was both benevolent and tender, and it pulled at his heartstrings. Flustered, he quickly wiped his eyes.

“Are you the World Tree?” he asked.

- Indeed I am. At last, we can finally speak in person.

The giant tree’s leaves swayed gently as if welcoming him.

Seo Jun-Ho didn’t seem to care much because he quickly launched his questions. “What is this place? And how are we talking? You should have been eaten by Erebo.”

- This is a space in my consciousness. I am still being absorbed by Erebo, but because you have mortally wounded him, we can afford to speak.

As it turned out, he hadn’t used up all his magic and stabbed Erebo’s skull in vain.

“You didn’t bring me all the way here just to say hi, did you?”

- Of course not. Player Seo Jun-Ho, I am going to return your memories to you.

“My memories?”

- Yes. Your memories of the 105th and 106th regression.

“Why now…?”

- The time you will need it will come. And you will have to gain control of your unfettered emotions.

Seo Jun-Ho nodded bitterly. “Okay, I got it. I’ll admit that my lack of control over my emotions has been getting in the way.”

- Oh no.

The World Tree’s voice grew hasty.

- We do not have much time left. I must let you go now.

“Already… Keuk?!” He suddenly was hit with a skull-shattering pain as unfamiliar memories poured into his head.

- Always remember…Only you can save the world…Please, do not give…

Her voice gradually grew smaller.

***

The first thing Seo Jun-Ho heard after regressing once again wasn’t Wei Chun-Hak’s voice as usual.

- In the end, you found your own way.

It was Keen Intuition’s voice.

‘...Oh, right. A Save Point was created after I killed Erebo’s clone.’ 

He stood right up and started sorting through his tangled thoughts.

‘I see...’ 

His memories of the 105th and 106th regressions had completely returned. He remembered just how horrible his condition was and how much effort the Frost Queen and his friends had put into saving him. He finally remembered everything.

‘Maybe Mania Snake Poison was the reason I couldn’t control my emotions.’

Every time he regressed thanks to the diary, all his stats would reset, but not his memories and emotions. However, when he ripped out the pages of the 105th and 106th regressions, his memories were erased, so only his emotions remained.

“So you’ve defeated him,” Kim Woo-Joong said after they met back up.

“Yes…”

Seo Jun-Ho stared straight at Kim Woo-Joong.

‘I see. So the reason I unconsciously looked at the Sword Saint’s arm in the previous regression was because of that.’ 

In any case, it seemed that he had vaguely remembered how Gong Ju-Ha lost her arm.

“Is there something on my face?” Kim Woo-Joong asked.

“Not at all. Let’s go right away without taking a break,” said Seo Jun-Ho.

“You seem impatient. Did something happen?”

“Of course, something happened. You see, I’ve just regressed after dying once. I was stabbed through here, here, and here.”

“Oh… I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Jun-Ho said as he walked.

Suddenly, he turned to look at Kim Woo-Joong. “Wait. If you’re that sorry, could you do me a favor?

***

As soon as he arrived at the second city, Seo Jun-Ho convened with his friends. He shared the events of the previous regression and started looking for solutions to the problematic areas from before.

“So you’re saying our first priority is to prevent Players from retreating,” Gilberto mused.

“Yeah. For now, I’ll leave the Sky Soul Guild to… Mio. That’s what you wanted.”

“Thank you, Jun-Ho.” Mio bowed her head a bit. Because she herself had made the request, she instantly understood what it meant. “I will prevent the Sky Soul Guild from leaving no matter what.”

“I trust you. Today, I’m going to leave for the cockroach cave right away,” Seo Jun-Ho said.

“Will you be alright on your own?” Rahmadat pointed out.

“I never said I would go alone.”

Though the members of the expedition team were quite skilled, it would still take longer if their party were big.

‘And Erebo gets stronger over time.’ 

It was best to destroy the cockroach eggs as soon as possible. Ultimately, the difficulty of his battle with Erebo would depend on how much he could reduce the time it took to draw the latter out.

“If you’re not going alone… who are you planning to bring with you?” Skaya asked.

“I’m going to make a formal request to the Goblin Guild to bring Miss Ju-Ha and Gasman with me.”

With their skills, they could destroy 400,000 cockroach eggs in an instant.

“And you’re coming, too...”

“Eh? Me?” Skaya pointed at herself.

“We can’t waste two days getting there and back.”

“So in other words, you’re going to use me as a taxi again?” Skaya was busy preparing the wide-area spell, and she had sagging eye bags. However, she didn’t refuse because she knew that Seo Jun-Ho was suffering far more than her. “I got it. I’ll get ready…”

“What about us? What should we do?” Gilberto asked while quietly looking at Rahmadat and Cha Si-Eun. The two were sitting next to him.

“I’ve also come up with things you guys can do.” He never had any intention of letting them relax. He immediately started explaining, “Spread a rumor so that at least fewer people would run away when Erebo comes.”

“Nice. I’m good at that,” Gilberto said.

“I s’pose the two of us can help Gilberto,” Rahmadat said.

“I’m counting on you guys.”

Without a minute or even a second to spare, Seo Jun-Ho left as soon as they were finished.

***

“A-awaaa…” Gong Ju-Ha squeaked.

“Captain, please get it together!” Gasman exclaimed.

“B-but the eggs are so disgusting!”

It only took two hours for Seo Jun-Ho, Gong Ju-Ha, and Gasman to destroy all the eggs in the cockroach cave. He had come to this cave once before, so Seo Jun-Ho immediately made his way to the end of the cave before cutting off the head of Erebo’s new body.

“Let’s go back, Skaya.”

After killing Erebo’s clone in the first city, Kim Woo-Joong and Seo Jun-Ho arrived at the next city at midnight. And they finished cleaning up the cockroach cave before daybreak.

‘This is the best possible scenario. Everything is going perfectly so far.’ 

Seo Jun-Ho could definitely see that he had changed for the better, not for the worse.

‘I’m regulating my emotions flawlessly.’ 

He wasn’t hopeless and apathetic, nor was he teary with excessive emotions. He felt like he was in complete control of himself. This kind of confidence would also be very important to have on the battlefield.

‘In other words, I’m in peak condition.’ 

However, just because he was feeling good didn’t mean he was guaranteed to win against Erebo. After all, his preparations were still incomplete.

“I will be back,” Mio said.

“Let’s go together.”

“...Jun-Ho, you promised you would not interfere.”

“I promise I won’t. I don’t think there’s even a point in doing that anyway.”

When the sun rose, Mio took a single katana and made her way to where Sky Soul was staying In the midst of their breakfast, the Guild members’ eyes fixed on her.

“I-it’s the 5 Heroes!”

“Why are they here?”

There was no hostility in their voices. They simply looked amazed, as if they were meeting celebrities.

“Mio, what’s your plan?” Seo Jun-Ho asked in a low voice.

“Don’t worry and just watch. You will know soon enough,” she reassured.

Mio went up to the receptionist at the desk.

“I believe my older brother is here,” she said.

“Your older brother…?”

“What’s all this commotion?” Just in time, Tenmei Ryo came down to the first floor. When he saw Mio, his face instantly darkened. “...Tch. It’s only morning. How arrogant.”

That was all he had to say after seeing his younger sister for the first time in decades. Tenmei Ryo then approached her. “You have been obedient and quiet this whole time, so what brings you here?”

“I’d like to take control of the Sky Soul Guild on the 4th floor.”

“Hah?” Tenmei Ryo seemed to be at a loss for words, but he eventually shook his head. “You must have gone crazy. You’re not even a part of Sky Soul.”

It was true. Sky Soul was created after the 5 Heroes fought the Frost Queen, more specifically, when the Frontier area was unlocked.

“I am aware. However, I do not believe that the traditions of the Tenmei clan have changed in the meantime.”

“Traditions? Do you mean…”

Mio nodded. “When there is a conflict within the family, it is to be resolved with the blade. Was that not the way of our clan?”

“Ha… Haha!” Tenmei Ryo gave a forced laugh. This was the first time they had met in decades, but all she wanted was a duel. “So, are you saying that you wish to fight me and take my authority?”

“Yes...”

“Mio. My sister. It has been 27 years. Do you truly think that you are still stronger than me?”

Mio answered with her unwavering eyes.

“I see...”

All the lingering hesitation disappeared from Tenmei Ryo’s face. He took out a sword from his Inventory. “If you remember the ways of our family, you should also remember that you may lose your life.”

“I won’t go that far.”

“Let us see how long that confidence lasts. Follow me.”

Tenmei Ryo led the way, and Mio followed behind him.

“W-will this be okay? Though Tenmei Ryo is not one of the Nine Heavens, he’s a High Ranker. The Sage of the Astrologers’ Tower has consistently named him as one of the top 100 fighters,” Cha Si-Eun said. She had come over to watch.

“So I’ve heard. Looks like he’s all grown up.”

However, Seo Jun-Ho wasn’t really worried. He thought to himself as he followed them. ‘All martial arts clans like the Tenmei family all have their own fighting styles passed down through each generation.’ 

The Tenmei Clan’s techniques had been around from the time of their ancestors and were refined through each generation. Their techniques were now imbued with magic energy, and they boasted incredible power. Moreover, the Tenmei Clan had been a powerful family even before the era of magic thanks to their sword techniques.

‘In the old days, people would invent fighting styles with the intention of using motifs based on animals or nature.’ 

Their ancestors had chosen a natural motif—the sky.[1] The sky was everywhere, and no one could escape the sky because it embraced everything.

‘There are two main fighting styles passed down only to the direct descendants of the Tenmei Clan.’ 

The Red Sun Style took after the most powerful source of light in the sky, the sun, and it would be passed down to the sons who would lead the family. Meanwhile, the Blue Moon Style took after the pale, lofty moonlight, and it would be passed down to the daughters, who would be married off to other families. This was a longstanding tradition of the Tenmei Clan, and it had been around since the Edo period.

‘And the Blue Moon Style can never beat the Red Sun Style.’ 

This was a note left by the founder of the Tenmei Clan and the inventor of these two styles in the book where the techniques were recorded. His words had been true, so for hundreds of years, no one doubted him.

But that blind faith was destroyed by one person…

‘By our Mio…’ 

At the age of six, she defeated her older brothers, who had trained with the sword for many years more than she had. Mio was an extraordinary genius.

If her father and the Tenmei family leader, Tenmei Yugo were open-minded, he would have taught her the Red Sun Style and made her the successor of the clan.

‘But he didn’t…’ 

He was a conservative man who placed the family tradition above anything else. This was why Seo Jun-Ho hated him.

‘He’s so cold-hearted that he decided it would be better for her to be gone rather than change the ways of the clan.’ 

Seo Jun-Ho remembered how Tenmei Yugo kept shoving her into dangerous situations.

“Watch the fight closely,” he said as he watched Mio step into the schoolyard. “Then, you’ll understand why they call her Sky Soul’s executioner.”