Chapter 5: I’ll Make Them Pay

Goooooo─.

Before I knew it, a week had passed since my arrival here. During that time, I stayed at a motel. As a result, I spent about half of the money I had.

'Did I eat too much?'

Mostly, I ordered delivery.

From pizza to bossam, jokbal, chicken, and even kimchi stew.

It couldn't be helped. I had been craving modern food for so long.

'Thanks to that, there has been a lot of progress.'

I made significant progress in my martial arts and even more progress in magic than that.

Thump.

The dantian near my heart— Wrapped around my middle dantian is a ring.

'Almost fully settled in its place.'

A single circle. Inside that circle, there was a magic circuit called the Glacial Heavenly Moon.

The more you engrave magic circuits in the circle, the more the related attribute power increases. I want to engrave other magic circuits as well, but I can't add it now due to lack of space.

'And it's not like I have all the time in the world.'

I had to find a source of income. Since this world has supernatural powers, I'm confident I can earn money easily wherever I go, but breaking through the first circle takes priority. After all, such opportunities are usually hidden.

'My magic has grown… even more.'

This place is abnormally saturated with magic. Is that why I had this sudden growth? I can feel my mana increasing every time I take a breath. It's like hitting the jackpot.

Crunch, crunch.

I ponder while biting into a slice of pizza.

'I should start saving money.'

However, it was a bit concerning to eat low-calorie food during the time that my body was just growing, especially since I recently possessed this body.

'It's about time to leave.'

I've managed to build up a decent amount of strength, but staying here any longer won't lead to significant progress.

I need to find out about things in this world.

"The sun is blazing, the bald head is shining."

I hummed a cheerful song as I walked.

During my stay at the motel, I took care of my lodging and meals while gathering seemingly insignificant information.

There exists an academy here. It's a distinguished institution among modern academies, situated on an island formed over a sea intersected by a spiritual vein, and it appears to be a place frequently targeted for some reason.

'Now that I think about it, it was the same in my past life and the one before that.'

In my previous life, there was the Heavenly Martial Arts Academy, and before that, the Royal Academy. Having experienced life at an academy in my past life, I wasn't keen on doing it again. With these trivial thoughts, I continued my walk.

"By the way, I heard the Sword Emperor is coming this Friday for the tournament finals."

"The Sword Emperor from the Iron-Blood Sword Clan? Ah, I think I'm doomed. My opponent is Nam Hyerin."

"Recently, those vampire jerks have been ramping up their efforts with the Blood Sect."

"China is somewhat better off. Those Neo-Nazis have been resorting to any means necessary lately."

I observed some students chatting. Yet, they still managed to sneak glances my way.

Kindness, envy, jealousy, contempt.

Even the kindness seemed to stem merely from my appearance.

'I'm treated like a complete outsider here.'

Could it be because I'm known as the troublemaker of the Iron-Blood Sword Clan? I don't recall living as a troublemaker. However, being confined at home for some reason could easily lead to rumors of me being a troublemaker.

'I was born into a dysfunctional family.'

Tsk tsk—internally clicking my tongue, I popped open a cola.

Fizz!

Gulp gulp.

'Ah, this is the life.'

I savored the elixir of life as I strolled.

Woong!

I was practicing the Great Sky Dancing Divine Mantra. Seeing my qi having grown at least twice as much as before filled me with pride.

'This body is developing so well.'

Thanks to a spirit vein, a massive channel of mana, which was a rarity even in my second life, the places it passed through were imbued with enormous mana.

"Let's see. To get to the academy…"

I needed to take a bus for half the journey to the academy grounds, as they were 'moderately' distant.

"The bus should arrive in about 10 minutes."

With this thought, I settled onto a bench. Just as I was about to enjoy the elixir of life,

"What do we have here, if it isn't the abandoned eldest son of the Iron-Blood Sword Clan?"

A mocking voice sounded from behind me.

His tone was laced with malice.

I turned to see a muscular young man flanked by two individuals who appeared to be his lackeys.

'I recognize this person.'

He belonged to the Iron-Blood Sword Clan and was my cousin.

Memories began to flood back.

「Only those who embrace talent, hard work, and any means necessary will inherit the Iron-Blood Sword Clan.」

Such was the creed of the Iron-Blood Sword Clan's leader.

This family, despite its relatively brief history, could only vie for leadership by demonstrating their might.

And this cousin of mine had made it his mission to torment Han Seojin. Out of loyalty to Han Seojin's younger sibling, he went out of his way to curry favor by bullying me.

I shifted my gaze to his entourage. One of the lackeys, resembling a thug, sported blond hair with piercings, a muscular build, and a tan.

'A blond, tanned thug, interesting.'

This blond, tanned thug, or Thug A, approached me with a challenging demeanor.

"Young master, you seem quite chipper?"

"Appreciate your concern. Hehe, perhaps it's time to resume our lessons."

I might as well nickname this smirking one Thug B.

Gulp.

After taking a swig of the elixir of life, I set it down on the chair, still holding it tightly.

Then, I clenched my fist.

My body, fortified with pure qi from the Great Sky, was strong.

Yet, it wasn't durable enough to withstand a steel sword.

'It's probably as tough as an animal's hide.'

In other words, it's to the extent that it might leave a bruise if I were to be beaten.

"Stop it. He's the eldest son of the Iron-Blood Sword Clan; we should at least make him feel a bit better."

"Haha, I know right? Especially if you're beaten by us, you wouldn't be able to get up for weeks."

Despicable and immature. Yet, they are full of arrogance—The type that belittles others to boost their self-esteem. Was this guy ignored by such people?

'Besides, what kind of guts do these guys have?'

Iron-Blood Sword Clan.

Quite famous. If you go online and search, you'll find a plethora of related information easily. But to openly disregard the eldest son like this, even if he was somewhat abandoned.

'Is that really okay?'

Isn't their family just a huge mess?

Thud.

I lightly cleared my throat.

「Thinks he's all that because he can play games?」

Memories of my first life came to mind.

「You dare not overstep your bounds with the Duke of Extermination.」

The memory of my second life as well.

"Kill him!! Kill that vile seducer who dared steal the heart of my great god!!"

The memory of my third life too.

Their impact on my life was minimal, but those bastards always annoyed me.

Feeling irritated, I smirked.

"Do you know who I hate the most?"

"What?"

"People who are all talk and only strong against the weak, like you."

"…Hey, you're screwed today. Don't even think about walking out on two legs."

"Then…since I'm merciful, I'll let you walk on your hands."

"What?"

Thug A looked at me with a dazed expression.

"Has this guy lost his mind?"

"Haha, seems like he's out of his mind?"

Geum Taeyang strides over.

'At the very least, I'll make sure none of these guys can walk on their own. So, you should rest more comfortably, at least, Han Seojin.'

I heightened my senses.

All five senses sharpened. A combat form optimized for battle formed in my mind.

"Head."

"Huh? Hey, speak up, I can't hear you. Say it louder. Oh, you're scared…"

"Be careful."

Kwang!

I placed my hand on his head and slammed it straight into the ground, ignoring any attempts to resist.

"Cough…"

Foaming at the mouth, Geum Taeyang fell.

"This guy is crazy!"

"You, you're dead today!"

They started to approach me, spouting childish threats, perhaps because Geum Taeyang fell with a single blow. My eyes filled with caution.

'What should I do.'

My mind was infinitely clear. Every single movement of theirs was visible to me.

Heavenly Eyes. These eyes could see through the sky, and I could read all mana movements. But now, I don't have those eyes. Only something to replace them existed.

Flare.

My field of vision turned blue. In this state, I am said to appear as if blue flames are wrapped around my eyes.

'This technique is called Clear Eyes Demonic Technique.'

I snapped out of my thoughts because Thug B, with murderous intent, charged at me.

"You, you're dead!"

He threw a punch. Yet, it was so slow. I saw it in slow motion, his fist aiming for my face. I calmly observed him, dodging with a staggering step, and moved inside.

"Huh? What!?"

"Two of them."

I opened my right palm and struck. I gave a strong, snapping strike to the thug's underside jaw.

Thud.

"Gah."

It was a simple blow, yet the thug staggered from it. Pressing gently on the area near the thug's solar plexus with my left hand, I pushed him back.

'Energy Blast.'

It's a technique that messes up qi within the body. I subtly added mana to it, but in a very small dose.

"Guwaaaah! You, what did you do!"

It was funny how surprised he was because my present was not yet complete.

Whoosh!

Pure mana flowed from my hand into his solar plexus.

Crack.

It felt like something hard was breaking.

'Is it because I created a circle?'

I had already accumulated enough mana, enough to fight all these guys. How about my body? This martial art I created in my previous life had strengthened me so rapidly that even I was amazed.

It may seem sudden, but in my third life, the greatest thing I obtained wasn't the Heavenly Martial Body, but perhaps this.

Well, it's because of the existence of a spiritual vein that it's this efficient.

"What the hell is this guy!"

Two guys are down.

Only one is standing.

Han Cheoljin seemed to sense something was off and wasn't coming in.

I looked at them with cold eyes.

"Could you hurry up and come at me? I'm wasting my time here."

"You, you arrogant bastard."

Crack.

My cousin, Han Cheoljin, cracked his neck and drew his sword sheath.

Looking at his stance with the sword, he's a swordsman who has entered the first-rate realm and gotten rid of his habits. He has accumulated a considerable amount of magical power, and the aura I feel from him is above mine.

Yet his qi doesn't seem pure. It seems like he's been gobbling up elixirs like food and hasn't digested them well.

"For whatever reason you've hidden your power… or if it's a power you've acquired, don't get too cocky."

"Hey."

I smirked as I watched Han Cheoljin, who was walking towards me with an air of seriousness.

"Scared? You're talking a lot, aren't you?"

"You've really gone mad."

Han Cheoljin's face contorted in anger.

Yet, he did not let his guard down.

"Do you know about my unique trait?"

I don't.

The memories I read from Han Seojin are only fragmentary.

'This is the first time I remember things so sporadically.'

My memories are still blurry. It's like I'm walking through a misted place.

"You know my unique trait, right? It's Reincarnation."

"What?"

I was momentarily taken aback. A guy that small is a reincarnated person? And it was strange that he revealed it. If it were me, I would have kept it tightly hidden.

"It seems you don't know. In my past life… I was a Hwarang who protected Baekje, Kim Gwanchang."

'Aha.'

A Trait— a power reliant on the system. And occasionally, its trait implants memories of a past life. So, he possessed this body.

'Kim Gwanchang.'

I can't remember who the warrior with that name is, but his aura suddenly changed. If he was just a thug until now, then now has the presence of a hero who turned the tables.

I can feel a surge in his mana as his eyes become dyed in red.

"If you beg for mercy now…"

"I've been feeling it for a while now."

I extended my right hand towards the thug leader and pointed my middle finger.

"Aren't you the scared one? You've been rambling on and on."

"Bastard!"

The thug leader leaped towards me.

Thump!

I stepped on the ground and leaped into the sky. The path of this attack boasts simplicity. Simple, but… its speed and ferocity were beyond imagination. The will to cut down in one strike.

I felt it. My lips curved into a smile.

Though I said it was beyond imagination, it was only to the extent of those guys around that age. They were utterly arrogant without any skill.

I walked forward.

Zzzing!

A fresh blue magical power gathered in my grasp. It's a sign that a person is using magic.

"Magic?!"

Han Cheoljin panics, and the tip of his sword wavers.

If he's startled this much, then this technique is too precious to be used on him. The circle seated in my heart begins to rotate. The circuit created in the circle starts to operate. Glacial Heavenly Moon.

Crackle!

Everything around us freezes. The cold that even freezes the moon, even though its level is still meager now.

But it was enough.

Freezing the air around, Han Cheoljin's body froze over.

"It can't be─!!"

His face was filled with horror.

'Having seen these guys, I roughly get it.'

The Academy. Raising the last bastion of humanity, a hero, this place was the most outstanding school among such institutions.

But when I look back at its grand introduction and name,

Honestly, I felt disappointed.

"It's so boring."

"…!"

That level could indeed be described as miserable.

'I think I understand his unique trait: Reincarnation.'

I grasp the essence of that ability. It involves drawing out the power accumulated in a past life. However, those memories are not intact.

'It's a safe bet to… say that this ability is completely different from mine.'

Accumulating karma and carrying it into the next life. This is precisely what I experienced in my past life.

But this individual is different. It's as if he can pull out the necessary memories at will, like reading a book in a library.

I placed my finger on Han Cheoljin's frozen dantian.

'It would be easy to destroy the dantian as it is.'

But there's a more intriguing method. Right below his abdomen is the place most cherished by a warrior.

Creak.

With the Glacial Heavenly Moon flowing into his dantian, I can feel ice particles scattering within his dantian.

What a peculiar world. A world where there are still things unknown to me. Thus, merely destroying the dantian is not satisfying enough.

"Ah, no! Not that place!"

"Am I not allowed to?"

I smiled refreshingly.