Chapter 77
Manghwa felt sorrow.
Seeing the state of its own fingers, no longer capable of functioning.
So that it wouldn’t have to grieve anymore.
Creak.
It sent them ahead, following the fingers that had already gone to the afterlife.
Then it turned its body and looked at the souls that, even after becoming puppets and dying, could not move on.
“After all, the psychopomps aren’t coming, huh.”
I had expected this when I saw how extremely distorted the shapes of the souls had become.
Still, I had hoped.
That perhaps, if the enemy died, they could find peace.
But it seemed that this was beyond their capacity.
“Perhaps it wasn’t her who did this to you all, but someone else.”
I looked at the twenty or so souls briefly.
There was no real reason to keep track of them.
“Still, I should do what I can.”
I planned to provide minimal help.
It was the least I could agree to.
Of course, that didn’t mean I intended to offer significant aid.
I would simply ask.
I would speak to the psychopomp who would soon arrive to take Manghwa’s soul.
But that’s where the problem started.
“They should have come by now.”
No matter how long I waited, the psychopomp hadn’t even shown a trace.
For a moment, I recalled the psychopomp who, even when summoned, had only appeared to present opinions via the registry.
Analyzing that alongside the current situation, it seemed clear:
“Something must have happened in the afterlife.”
No matter how busy they are, there are things they cannot skip.
For psychopomps, that task is guiding the dead to the afterlife.
And that wasn’t happening?
This was far more serious than it appeared.
If basic duties weren’t being done, the consequences that followed were predictable.
“If this is only a temporary problem, then it’s fortunate.”
But what if it isn’t?
If this lasts too long…
“Then everything’s doomed, I suppose.”
I could just think of it as the world ending.
Not that it would happen so easily, of course.
“They must be taking action somehow.”
I looked up at the sky.
It appeared the same as any ordinary sky, yet in my eyes, the high-ranking beings of the afterlife seemed to be rushing about to solve the issue.
After a moment of observing that sky, I let out a short laugh.
“Worrying won’t change anything.”
Sometimes in life, your mind gets tangled.
Even for a sword spirit like me.
In such cases, it’s best to think as simply as possible.
For example, in this case:
“I’ll handle what I can first, and then worry about the rest.”
Saving the souls before me?
Sure, that would be good.
But as much as I felt for them, it wasn’t the highest priority.
The highest priority, of course, was protecting the Little Sword.
And that was my decision.
“I don’t know if you can understand me, but I’ll make you a promise with one condition. If I leave this place and return, and there are still souls waiting here, then helping those remaining souls will become my top priority.”
Thus, I deferred the matter regarding the souls.
And moved on to the next course of action.
“Then let’s keep running, shall we.”
I had heard from the deceased Manghwa.
From what she saw, I only needed to be careful three times.
She didn’t elaborate on what those three times were.
After all, those gathered for this matter weren’t only from Baehwa Sect.
“Baehwa Sect ends with her,” she said.
So I couldn’t tell what other forces remained.
Whether it was one group or more than one.
It felt somewhat overwhelming, yet it wasn’t all bad news.
“They aren’t exactly in a cooperative mood.”
I had already seen proof of that.
At the cliff, I saw that Jeokdu and the three supreme masters did not work together at all.
At that time, I assumed the puppet supreme masters lacked guidance.
But in reality, they had no intention to cooperate.
It wasn’t a situation that was hard to understand.
“Different factions, and people who barely know each other, gathering…”
It made sense.
And it wasn’t necessarily bad news for me.
If I could make good use of that, I might turn it to my advantage.
Of course, I couldn’t blindly trust the information.
“In the end, I only need to hold out until tomorrow evening.”
Avoiding encounters was ideal.
That would be the plan moving forward.
Though it wouldn’t be easy.
“I was pretty confident until I met Manghwa.”
I thought I was moving carefully.
Yet at the cliff, and even just now, Manghwa had caught me twice.
It was because Manghwa had a form of tracking ability.
“Other forces might have their own methods too.”
Until there’s a conclusion, anything’s possible.
But for now, I chose not to worry.
No reason to panic in advance.
“Perhaps I should turn back the way I came.”
I glanced back briefly, then shook my head.
Turning back now would just make me circle around out of fear.
“In situations like this, it’s better to push forward with determination.”
Proceeding as if an encounter wouldn’t matter.
That was the conclusion I came to.
So I resumed moving.
As I went, a thought came to me.
Should I try using my divine techniques at full power?
It would inevitably leave traces, but by altering my path several times, I could manage it somewhat.
Ultimately, I dismissed the idea.
Sacrificing other things for speed felt worse.
Even traces aside…
“If I move without thinking and happen to run into a riverbank…”
The Overlord might be waiting there.
I didn’t expect to lose to the Overlord, but it would certainly be a troublesome encounter.
“Even if it’s not the Overlord, creating a chance to encounter someone isn’t good.”
I chose a moderate pace, moving cautiously but not too slowly.
The decision proved effective.
Sun set, moon rose, moon set, sun rose.
Until the next morning, nothing happened.
“Just need to get through today.”
Once I survived one day, this long, sudden journey would be over.
So far, nothing had been particularly difficult or uncomfortable.
Except one thing.
Growl.
My stomach growled loudly.
Honestly…
“I’m hungry.”
Hungry. Really hungry.
Compared to being a sword spirit, this was a slight inconvenience.
Unlike swords, humans need regular meals.
I let out a small laugh despite my minor complaint.
“I didn’t think it’d be uncomfortable before, but given the circumstances, every little annoyance becomes noticeable.”
Meals used to be a pleasure, and now I was frustrated over something as simple as hunger.
Back in my sword-spirit days, I sometimes thought humans were petty; now, I was exactly the same.
Not that I minded—it made me laugh.
It made me realize, I truly have become human.
“If I starve longer, will I get irritable too?”
Most humans would.
Of course, I didn’t intend to skip meals to test this.
I glanced around.
When not consciously looking, I hadn’t noticed food.
But there were edible leaves and fruits like gomchi and bitter greens.
I tried a few, but it ruined my appetite.
Since beginning my new life, I had eaten properly cooked meals, so my taste had adapted.
I could eat the wild leaves and fruits, but didn’t want to force it.
“Maybe I should cook something.”
I wasn’t skilled, but I knew enough to prepare something simple.
After a brief thought, I made a decision.
“Fish is difficult, so I’ll try hunting.”
From the perspective of someone fleeing, it wasn’t ideal.
If someone were pursuing me, hunting would give them a chance to catch up.
But otherwise, moving empty-handed meant facing enemies on an empty stomach.
That was worse than being caught.
Fortunately, luck was on my side.
I spotted prey along my path without needing extra time to search.
A small bundle of white fur on the fallen leaves.
A rabbit.
The moment I saw it, I grabbed a small stone from the ground, about the size of a child’s fist.
There were obstacles like branches, but that wasn’t a problem.
The stone I threw struck the rabbit precisely.
The problem was what came next.
“To cook this, I need to prepare it first.”
And that required water.
Even after preparation, cooking it meant I needed fire.
“That’s basically asking to be caught by enemies.”
It only hit me after catching the prey.
I also realized how hunger simplifies thought.
Many of the connections I had encountered over the years had cited hunger, not weapons, as the scariest thing—and now I understood why.
I had to eat somehow.
“But I can’t eat it like this.”
Interestingly, no matter how hungry I was, I didn’t want to eat it raw.
I knew it was bad for my health, and eating meat cooked was instinctively ingrained.
Ah!
At that moment, one of my lingering questions was naturally resolved.
Despite being newly human, life as a human felt natural because I had already grown accustomed to it.
“The human way isn’t so bad.”
It wasn’t some great realization or mastery, but my heart felt lighter.
Yet even this joy was quickly overshadowed by hunger.
Growl.
Now was the time to eat, life or no life.
After holding out so long, I learned one more thing.
When a person is extremely hungry, they become more lenient toward normally taboo matters.
The rabbit I caught?
I could almost bite into the raw, bleeding flesh.
A multi-legged insect?
Even better, more to eat.
And a thought struck me:
“Wouldn’t it be nice if a tavern showed up, even if it’s a trap?”
Historically, taverns in martial worlds are the sites of countless incidents and traps.
Every sect leader who entered a tavern for the first time had faced an unexpected knife attack.
If I could just have a meal, I would gladly join that tradition.
“Could that be…?”
I opened my eyes wide.
A suspicious place appeared.
A tavern had appeared like a mirage.
