BXBX NOVEL Chapter 42: The Fundamental Vow (6)
And then, I think I uttered some cringeworthy oath.
After that, my memory faded until this moment when I regained consciousness.
As I came to, I noticed a concrete meteor floating in the sky, then hurtling towards me.
If it hit me squarely, not even black Sheath, no, not even I with my superhuman physique could survive.
“I’m still alive...?”
“Chick?!”
But there was the chick behind me. A newly hatched chick, peeping away.
Without hesitation, I climbed the wall in front of the chick.“Chick, duck your head!!!”
“Peep...?”
Gaining altitude, I used the wall as a pivot and leaped towards the meteor. I soared almost at a 90-degree angle.
Crazy, I must be out of my mind!!!
Then, the meteor and I collided.
Activating Black Sheath, the meteor lost its momentum and fell right above Cheonsu and the VIPs, and of course, I fell too.
“I should be okay with a rolling fall, right?”
As soon as I hit the ground, I rolled.
Thud-roll-roll-
Gasp, I made it.
My legs and shoulders hurt like hell, but I’m alive!!!
“Damn, that was close...”
I couldn’t finish my thought of relief.
I remembered the meteor falling right behind me.
“No, this is bad...”
When the meteor hit right above Cheonsu and the VIPs, the impact was so massive that it sent me tumbling and shook the entire building.
I crawled and tightly hugged the chick, hiding it within my embrace.
The chick is from a very prestigious family. If she dies, I die too.
No, I just don’t want to see the chick die. Let’s be honest.
“The powers, overwhelming powers are exploding in front of us. I, I’m scared.”
“It’s okay. Just close your eyes.”
“You’re going to protect me again?”
I could definitely hear the sound of the wind twisting rebar, fireworks exploding, and something sharp scraping across a wall.
“Hmm.”
But I don’t see any ghosts.
When Kirieon used her power to collapse the corridor, I only heard the sound of it collapsing, not feeling anything related to the ghostly powers.
To me, these are merely sounds.
The echoes of powers at play.
After a few minutes, the noise began to subside.
I got up to survey the surroundings.
“Big Hand Casino is now out of service...”
The studios where the death games were happening, the wrist-cutting gambling hall in front of it, and even the regular gambling hall, were all destroyed. It looked like the aftermath of a nuclear bomb.
My 3.5 billion went up in smoke as well. My heart aches so badly. It hurts so much that I might accidentally press the wrong button and mess up the character item enhancement Jamsuni was working on.
“I’ll do it as soon as I get home today.”
No, that’s not what’s important right now. I looked towards ground zero where Cheonsu and the VIPs were standing.
They were severely injured but still standing.
Of course, they must have survived using some defensive supernatural powers, but even so...
“Insane bastards.”
Things have been off since I smashed that naked pervert who was after the chick during the last Cheonji test.
Indeed, those so-called high-level power users aren’t just strong in abilities; their bodies are incredibly tough as well.
Speaking of Cheonsu, he’s still tightly closing his eyes.
I don’t remember exactly what power I used, but it seems like I showed them something they shouldn’t see with their eyes.
Then, I can use this method.
“Hey there, VIPs. I’m going to use my power, so keep covering your ears!!!”
As soon as I shouted this, Cheonsu didn’t hesitate to burst his eardrums with his palms.
Truly a madman.
“Idiot.”
As soon as I saw blood streaming from Cheonsu’s ears, I yelled out.
“Hey, VIPs!!! Are you just going to take this??? If you don’t take down Cheonsu now, he might harbor a grudge and come after you!!!”
It’s said that psychics harbor deep grudges. And they always seek revenge.
“Right. This jerk made me use my true blood.”
“Because of what happened earlier, I lost my defensive artifact. I’ll make sure to pay him back.”
“Betray me? Die die die die.”
It seemed unlikely that the VIPs who were betrayed by Cheonsu would forgive him. I merely reminded them of that fact.
Thus, Cheonsu and the VIPs fought atop the crumbling casino like demons.
Is this what enlightenment looks like for those engaged in such ugly and vile fights?
Still, seeing Cheonsu getting beaten up was incredibly satisfying.
What exactly is enlightenment?
At that moment, something caught my eye.
As the studio collapsed, I saw people trapped in the murder game escaping.
The moment the killing traps stopped, a woman ran to save a young girl. And in a studio filling with smoke, as soon as a crack appeared in the wall, an old man lifted a young boy and pushed him through the gap.
People who knew nothing,
saved others who knew nothing.
All while those who claimed to have realized so much were tearing out each other’s eyes and tongues, fighting desperately to rip out hearts.
Feeling complicated, I picked up the chick.
“Chick, I have a favor to ask.”
“What is it? No, isn’t that not important right now! Are you okay? You took that hit head-on!”
“I’m okay.”
I was truly okay. In fact, I wasn’t hurt at all. The only things that hurt were my shoulder and leg, which I used for my fall technique.
“Call the people from your family and help those trapped in the studio. We can at least do that while cleaning up after Cheonsu, right?”
“Yes, yes. We will help. But you need to receive treatment, too. Our family has medical staff...”
“I’m fine.”
After saying that, I carried the chick and climbed down the wall of the VIP lounge to the ground.
***
After helping with the rescue operations for those trapped in the death game alongside the people from the chick’s family, it had already become late into the night, time to call it dawn.
Only after seeing the sunrise on the horizon did I finally arrive at what I could call home, Louisville.
At the entrance of Louisville, Jamsuni was standing in thin pajamas, pouting.
“You said you were just going to eat with a friend?! Why are you so late?!”
“Time flies when you’re eating and talking.”
“What kind of nonsense is that? Do you want to die? Ugh, I can’t take it anymore. You’re getting a beating today!!!”
Jamsuni, whining and thumping my shoulders with her hands. No matter how hard Jamsuni hit, it was only refreshing for my shoulders.
It’s actually good timing since my shoulder hurts.
Keep massaging like this.
While receiving a massage, I said to Jamsuni.
“Why is the enlightenment of psychics so cruel? From what I know, the enlightenment of Jesus or Buddha in religions was always about compassion.”
“Hehe, hehe. What are you talking about? That’s the enlightenment humans believe in, which has nothing to do with real enlightenment.”
“Real enlightenment?”
“Haa, real enlightenment, the true truth.”
Eventually, Jamsuni gave up on the massage.
And then she shook her hands as if they were numb.
After that, Jamsuni opened her mouth.
“In this world, there’s only truth. There’s no such thing as the truth of human morality. Truth has no good or evil.”
“Ha, a kid who hasn’t even finished elementary school is talking philosophically.”
“I never even entered elementary school to begin with... Ha, let me, who is much smarter than you, explain. What it means that there’s no good or evil in realizing the truth.”
Jamsuni said with a serious expression.
“Is the abolition of slavery a truth? Is slavery bad according to the truth?”
“It’s the truth. Most people think so.”
“But over 10,000 years of human history, slavery was common for about 9,900 years, right? So, for humanity, isn’t slavery closer to the truth?”
Is that so?
But acknowledging this fact makes me feel bad.
“Truth means an undeniable reality. Enlightenment means having understood a fragment of such truth. So, let me ask a few more questions.”
Jamsuni asked me with a concerned look.
“When war breaks out, people die. Is this true?”
“…It’s true.”
“Girls sold to bad men get raped. Is this true?”
“What are you trying to say?”
“Answer me.”
I bowed my head and then answered.
“That, you’re really... Haa, it’s true.”
“Then, a boy who grows up as a child soldier ends up killing people. Is this true?”
When I didn’t respond, Jamsuni’s expression changed vividly.
One thing was certain: she wore a worried look on her face, and seeing that, I couldn’t bring myself to curse at her.
“Can’t these facts be included in the truths of our world? After all, they’re truths that even people acknowledge.”
Jamsuni slowly began to speak.
“Does God love us? Is this a confirmed truth? Becoming a Buddha means realizing everything is emptiness, yet becoming infinitely compassionate. Have you ever seen someone act that way? Do you truly consider such propositions to be truth?”
When I didn’t respond, Jamsuni answered for me.
“No, it’s something you believe to be truth.”
Jamsuni continued, this time with a serious tone.
“Yoo Hajin. You have to decide.”
“Decide what?”
“Do you want to believe in this world? Or do you want to know this world?”
Jamsuni took my hand.
“If you believe in this world, you will inevitably be betrayed someday. But if you come to know about this world, eventually, you’ll learn how to move it. I wish you would come to know this world.”
How annoying.
I can’t even see ghosts, so what can I possibly know about this world?
I shook off Jamsuni’s hand and ran to my room. I could hear Jamsuni’s sullen voice behind me.
“Idiot. You’re the only one I talk to like this.”
Being called an idiot by a kid who hasn’t even graduated elementary school, losing 3.5 billion, staying up all night, and being in pain.
Plus, I’ve seen too many ordinary people die.
“Haa...”
Truly the worst day.
No helping it.
I guess I have to log into Jamsuni’s account.
This is definitely not because I was out-talked.
***
There existed a space where everything you looked at was white in every direction. The only things not white in that place were four individuals.
They were the leaders of Cheonji, known as Baekdu.
“A part of the heavenly being’s body has descended.”
“Heavenly being’? Ah, you mean those who use their fundamental vows from heaven?”
“If we’re talking about the Heavenly beings whose whereabouts have been unknown until now, it would only be Heavenly Demon and Jinsun.”
A moment of silence passed among them. It was broken by the one seated alone on a white chair.
“I’d prefer it if it were Jinsun moving. Heavenly Demon is dangerous.”
“Dangerous, you say? It’s not like we haven’t eradicated a few Heavenly beings ourselves.”
Another Baekdu responded to this.
“Heavenly Demon is of a different dimension than other Heavenly beings.”
“A different dimension?”
“As a Heavenly being ascends in the realm, they can descend more parts of their body. And when their realm rises enough to descend their entire body...”
“What happens when their realm rises?”
Baekdu paused for a moment before continuing.
“That Heavenly being can open the Gate.”
“What’s so special about that? If they realize their Fundamental Vow to such an extent that they can open the Ghost Gate, it’s a natural course...”
“The Ghost Gate of Heavenly Demon is dangerous.”
The Baekdu seated on the chair took over the conversation. Everyone respectfully bowed their heads to the words of the Baekdu seated.
“We have no intention of repeating the tragedy from 500 years ago.”
The seated Baekdu spoke.
“Find Heavenly Demon. And how goes the Tiger’s training?”
“The Tiger still shows a lazy attitude towards training.”
“Continue to assist that child’s training. There is no hope for the other Celestial Immortals. Among the current Celestial Immortals, that child is the only one who can ascend to Baekdu.”
The one seated looked off into the distance. A distant place, yet one that belongs here.
There, a vast crevice existed. So vast it was indiscernible what the crevice was of.
Beyond that crevice, there was a girl. The girl stood beyond the crevice, quietly with her eyes closed, as if asleep.
The power within the crevice brushed past the girl’s body, leaking out into the world. However, some of that power continued to be absorbed by the girl’s body.
“We are running out of time...”
The voice of the seated Baekdu, the voice of Cheonji, dissipated into the void.
– – – The End of The Chapter – – –
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