Translator: Wan ED/PR: Personal Ghost
56. Mistake (3)
To tribe’s divine realm.
While all the To tribe members were diligently working on the technological exchange with the Player’s Association, led by the head’s confidant Ok Toyun, there was only one being, who was lazying around.
The To tribe’s head, Ok Toyeon.
“Ah, I’m bored.”
Ok Toyeon stuffed her mouth with a bamdanja[1], which was generously filled with chestnut feeling and cinnamon powder, while rolling on the sofa in the study.
Usually she would be killing time watching baseball, but she had zero interest in watching today’s match, which would determine the final victorious team of the Korean Series.
It was because the uncommon team wreck TC Knight, which Ok Toyeon cheered for, was eliminated in the early winter baseball season, so thinking who will win and hold the victory cup made her annoyed.
As thinking of the grand party held at someone else’s house pissed her off, she decided to turn on the device and whine to someone.
As she opened the device’s contact list, she saw the word ‘Hwang-ho’ at the top.
‘… Come to think of it, Hwang-ho was making strange sounds.’
Last night, Ok Toyeon received a call from Hwang-ho.
Recently, if she sent a message to Hwang-ho, he would one-sidedly read it and then ghost her, but if Hwang-ho made a call, she thought it was urgent and immediately accepted.
But the call’s content didn’t feel that urgent.
‘Why was he suddenly asking about Cycle of Reincarnation?’
Life and death.
On the border of them, the wheel that moved without stopping, this was called the Cycle of Reincarnation.
The Moon Rabbit, who lived for thousands of years, Ok Toyeon, crossed that border, the Cycle of Reincarnation, countless times.
When she burned her body for the starving old man, she thought it was the first and last time.
But the identity of the starving old man Ok Toyeon ritualistically self-immolated herself for was Śakra, and he put Ok Toyeon up on the moon as Hwi Tree Rabbit.
As the result, the death for Ok Toyeon became not an end but a process.
— So the Jin people who fell into the Deep Sleep don’t head to the Cycle of Reincarnation?
When Ok Toyeon, who was annoyed at talking so long for some reason in the middle of the night, roughly explained the Cycle of Reincarnation, Hwang-ho threw a question.
Ok Toyeon found it strange that Hwang-ho asked about something so obvious, but answered first.
— Of course not. What we call falling in the Deep Sleep, simply means that the soul leaves the body. The body and soul are uninjured, they’re just separated, so they don’t die. Why would they go there?
— In such a case, it means that the soul, which left, doesn’t stop over at the Cycle of Reincarnation, eh?
— If that was the case, I would bring back Eun-ho!
Ok Toyeon raised her voice.
In the case the souls of sleeping Jin people headed to the Cycle of Reincarnation, Ok Toyeon would burn her body and go to the Cycle of Reincarnation to find Eun-ho.
But Hwang-ho asked with a tone as if he doubted Ok Toyeon.
— You mean to trust your words, you who hid our descendants?
— Then what do you want me to do? If you don’t trust me, don’t ask!
— If you hate being doubted, explain the principles the Cycle of Reincarnation works on in more detail.
Panting, Ok Toyeon explained the Cycle of Reincarnation in length with an angry tone.
When she realized that she was played by Hwang-ho, she almost finished explaining everything.
— Because the watchman, who protects the Cycle of Reincarnation, is like this… Ah, why do I even have to tell you that! I have nothing more to say now! I’m not talking!
— I also have nothing more to hear, eh? You have worked hard. Let’s finish it here.
As if he, Hwang-ho, picked up all the information he wanted in the meantime, he lightly ended the call.
When Ok Toyeon recalled the events last night, she burst into rage.
“They are both Ho, but why is this bad bastard so different from Eun-ho!”
Ok Toyeon recalled Eun-ho, who was kind and thoughtful.
The reason the To tribe and Ho tribe were in an alliance until now was solely thanks to Eun-ho.
— I made a puppet out of the animal skins gathered during the previous hunts.
— Why are you giving it to me?
— I heard that the To tribe members hold Śakra worship ceremony on the New Year First Full Moon and reenact the self-immolation. Rather than burning Your own body, how about burning this puppet that wears Your clothes?
The puppet Eun-ho made with his skilled hands closely resembled Ok Tyeon’s figure and was so pretty and sophisticated, it was a pity to burn it.
At first Ok Toyeon accepted that puppet without hesitation, but she grumbled.
— … Aren’t I the rabbit who received Hwi Tree Rabbit’s blessing from Śakra-nim? Even if I die, I won’t die, so it’s not a problem.
— Just because someone returns to life, does it mean there is no pain? I wish You didn’t suffer unnecessary pain.
After they had such a conversation, Eun-ho made a puppet and sent it every New Year First Full Moon, so Ok Toyeon avoided death by burning every year.
Even at the time when the animal skins were precious, Eun-ho made and sent a puppet to Ok Toyeon without exception, and did favors to other To tribe members too.
Many of the To tribe members didn’t think favorably about the Ho tribe members, who had rough personalities, but all To tribe members respected Eun-ho and followed him.
So even when Eun-ho made a heavy request, the To tribe happily accepted it.
— I hope You hide this child without the Ho tribe members knowing.
Eun-ho handed Ok Toyeon a small child wrapped in the pure white baenaejeogori[2].
The Ho tribe’s head asked to hide a certain child without the Ho tribe knowing.
She didn’t know the internal situation, but it was surely not an ordinary request.
Even then, Ok Toyeon, as the To tribe’s head, nodded hear head right away and accepted the child.
— Got it. If it’s Eun-ho’s request, I’ll do anything! The To tribe will take care of this child without the Ho tribe knowing in the future. But can I ask who is this child?
Eun-ho, who usually showed a calm appearance, at that moment looked very pained.
— This child… is my descendant.
At the words ‘Eun-ho’s descendant’, Ok Toyeon was shocked.
— Why hide the Ho tribe’s descendant? Who is the child’s mother?
— … A human’s godly maiden. While giving birth — she took her last breath.
— Uh, um…. Eun-ho, are you okay?
— Yes, I’m okay. It doesn’t matter what happens to the traitor, who knowing better than what kind of existence this child will become, didn’t say a word.
The instant the word ‘mother’ came out, Eun-ho’s face was a mix of anger, pity and guilt.
Ok Toyeon, who didn’t expect that Eun-ho would show such a fierce reaction, was flustered.
— You know that I can read secrets of heaven, correct?
Ok Toyeon nodded.
Eun-ho didn’t have the aptitude for fighting, but he had talent to read the principles moving the heavens and the world, and making moves using it.
— I read the future that a child of the Ho tribe’s head would become a warrior who protects this land. And so I had this child with the human godly maiden, who received the same prophecy as me.
— What? When on earth did you receive such a prophecy?!
— A year ago. Sorry for hiding it. I couldn’t inform even the Ho tribe members to protect this child.
She thought that she recently didn’t see one of the human godly maidens, did it mean she was bearing Eun-ho’s child?
The words that shocked Ok Toyeon didn’t stop there.
— A month ago, this child was born and not a long time passed when… I received a new prophecy. But it seems that this child’s mother already knew it.
— … What kind of prophecy?
— My hyung-nim and my close friends will die protecting this child. I’ll change this future.
Eun-ho spoke calmly, but Ok Toyeon couldn’t do so.
The future where the Ho tribe members die protecting this child was horrifying, but what Eun-ho was trying to do was even more horrifying.
— For a person who reads the heavenly secrets and not to follow them, isn’t it a felony? You said that this child will become the warrior, who protects this land! Will it be okay like this?
— This land will be protected with other ways.
Eun-ho looked down at the child with cold eyes.
— I won’t acknowledge this child as mine until she dies. As such, the Ho tribe’s head’s child won’t exist, and the prophecy won’t come true.
— Eun-ho… then this child’s entire life…
— I hope that from now on, until this child dies, she won’t meet any Ho tribe members, including me.
Eun-ho spoke like this and turned around.
— You won’t even give this child a name? Even if she has a True Name, you should first give her a name to use daily…
— I gave up on becoming this child’s father and abandoned this child. I have no right to give her a name.
Even though it was heartless, Eun-ho didn’t give his descendant even a name.
According to Eun-ho’s will, Eun-ho’s direct descendant wasn’t able to meet any Ho her entire life.
From the moment Eun-ho abandoned the child, he lost the power to read the heavenly secrets, and as a result of a few big fights that broke out, he fell into a deep sleep.
At the same time as Eun-ho paid a heavy price to protect his sworn hyung and close friends, he also succeeded in protecting this land.
‘In the case Eun-ho was reborn in a human body… he would have to pay a price for that sin, right?’
With a sad face, Ok Toyeon looked at the puppet Eun-ho’s grandsons and granddaughter, Eun Seoho, Eun Yiho[3] and Eun Jaeho made.
In the corner of the study, there was a much older and clumsier made puppet compared to the one made by the three.
‘The only thing they resembled each other in was the silver hair.’
Ok Toyeon fell into memories, recalling the Ho tribe’s descendant, who she raised like her own daughter.
* * *
When the Power of Fate skill activated, the gazes of the three tigers, Baek Ho-gun, Hwang Jiho and Jeok-ho’s, poured towards me.
Kim Sinrok belatedly turned his head, but it was clear that they sensed the Power of Fate.
But now there was something I was bothered more than the tigers’ reaction.
‘… It’s similar to that time.’
Together with the activation of the Power of Fate, the skill window floated up.
Paa…
Swarm of lights pointed at the skill in the skill window.
The skill the swarm of lights was pointing at was ‘Communication with Transcendent Universe’.
The situation right now was similar to the event that happened in the middle of the night at the Heavenly Wings Mountain.
Then what I had to do was clear.
“Jo Uisin, no way, you…”
I heard Hwang Jiho’s voice, but before he could stop me, I raised my hand to the Heavenly Sacred Tree’s branch and activated the skill.
⟨Using the skill ‘Communication with Transcendent Universe.⟩
Wuuung—!
Together with the sensation of my brain turning into pieces, the superpower wave stretched out of the branch of the Heavenly Sacred Tree and wrapped around my and Eun-ho’s body.
Just after that, I heard the system message.
⟨Establishing connection with Transcendent Universe completed. The connection with the Suitable Other Dimension Future Modification confirmed.⟩
The system messages were somewhat different from usual.
⟨Using the Suitable as a medium, correcting the information clash error[4] of Suitable Candidate.⟩
Suitable Candidate?
The words were short, but those words made me think of Cheon Seong-heon’s existence.
I guess that unlike me, Cheon Seong-heon was a Suitable Candidate, not Suitable.
⟨10 seconds until the completion of the correction. 10… 9… ⟩
I couldn’t think any longer.
The countdown wasn’t even half way done, but blood leaked from my shut mouth.
“Stop! I’ll make a barrier. Step back!”
For a moment, golden superpower wave shimmered in my vision, but not long after it was dyed red and green[5] again.
The Communication with Transcendent Universe seemed difficult to interfere with Hwang Jiho’s power.
⟨Warning, the excessive communication between the Transcendent Universe and Suitable Other Dimension Future Modification puts a load on the Suitable.⟩
The warning message rang out, but the choice of halting the communication didn’t appear in my head.
Soon the so long countdown ended.
Instead of counting 0, the system message said a different thing.
⟨The error caused by the information clash was corrected.⟩
I had to see what happened to Eun-ho and Cheon Seong-heon, but my vision blurred, and I couldn’t see.
My body lost strength and I couldn’t stand on my feet, but it seemed I didn’t collapse on the floor, because someone supported me.
The phenomena of the superpower wave pouring through my body halted, but the communication continued.
⟨Confirming the will[6] of the Suitable Other Dimension Future Modification Candidate.⟩
Will?
What will are you talking about?
Before I could ask the Transcendent Universe, the system message rang.
⟨Warning, the body of the Suitable Other Dimension Future Modification reached its limits.⟩
⟨Limiting the Suitable Other Dimension Future Modification’s connection.⟩
Just when the communication ended, I heard a weak voice.
“Hyung…”
Eun-ho opened his eyes.
In his vision was me, Cheon Dongha and Baek Ho-gun.
*~*~*
[1] bamdanja — 밤단자, glutinous rice cake with chestnut filling. If you remember dear reader, chesnut in Korean is 밤 (bam) which also means night. Yes, chestnut strikes again!
[2] baenaejeogori — traditional baby clothes.
[3] Eun Yiho — changing it from Eun Niho, I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before.
[4] error — same word as ‘mistake’ in the title.
[5] green — or blue, who knows.
[6] will — 의사 (uisa) means a will do something, it also means a doctor, martyr, discussing something on a meeting, suspicious matter or statement, pretending to be dead, death for a righteous thing. For reference, all those would be valid meanings in this sentence.
Translator’s note: And the award for the best fucking question ‘are you okay’ goes to…!
But it’s curious that Kim Sinrok reacted slower than others…
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