Chapter 51
The word “Reincarnator” coming out of Yoon Se-ha’s mouth—
even Do-yoon hadn’t predicted that.
‘All of a sudden? Why at this timing of all times?’
His brain accelerated,
calculations flashing by like black and white chess pieces moving at once.
‘Awakeners don’t know of the Player Code. But let’s assume she noticed something. How would she verify it?’
‘By the intervention of higher accounts like Constellations or Guardian Gods. There’s no other way.’
‘And the Guardian God of this land… is me.’
The thought was short, the conclusion clear.
Do-yoon opened his mouth without a single change in expression.
“Why do you think that?”
At that moment,
an icy smile bloomed across Yoon Se-ha’s face.
“You’re not asking ‘what nonsense is that, is this some game talk?’ Instead you ask, ‘Why do you think that?’.”
The corners of her lips carried a strange satisfaction.
“I knew it.”
But Do-yoon’s eyes still showed no disturbance.
“I haven’t heard your reasoning yet.”
Yoon Se-ha lightly raised her chin.
“Fine, I’ll tell you the clues I saw. First—when the boss went into an enraged state, you unleashed a lion’s roar. Just like this.”
—Gaaahh!!!
From her mouth burst
a soundwave that lashed the air,
sending leaves and stones whirling up into the sky.
“Would you really call that a skill? No, it belongs to the realm of inner-energy applications—martial arts.”
From beneath her blouse’s sleeve,
her delicate arm extended.
Thump—!
A ripple spread in concentric circles from her footfall.
“And the second thing…!”
Swish—
Her figure blurred. In the next instant,
her slender wrist at close range displayed movements cruelly precise.
Qinna techniques!
Martial arts that targeted joints and pressure points for control.
‘So, the Sword Demon also knows some hand techniques?’
Do-yoon drew up his inner energy to counter.
Their hands clashed in a dizzying series of precise exchanges.
Her fingertips darted like venomous snakes,
aiming for his arms, shoulders, and nape.
Movements seasoned with long years of refinement.
‘At this point, I can’t match her insight or experience.’
Clang! Clang! Crack!
The suffocating exchange raged on.
Even as Do-yoon read her intent,
he deliberately slowed his left arm.
In that fleeting opening,
her finger struck his elbow’s Quchi point.
Bzzzzt!
An electric numbness spread through his entire arm.
‘Pressure-point sealing, huh.’
He stroked his limp arm,
and the blocked meridians released, restoring inner energy flow.
“As expected—you’re skilled at point sealing too.”
Se-ha withdrew her hand in satisfaction.
“Will you insist that wasn’t martial arts either, just some ‘skill’?”
“Not that it couldn’t be. Even if not a skill, you could still learn it from a martial arts manual.”
“Hehh…”
Closing the distance without hesitation,
she leaned even closer.
“Then what’s the manual’s name? Its rank? Where did you get it?”
“You really are persistent.”
“And last, the third point.”
She stepped right into his space.
Close enough for their breaths to mingle.
Her eyes flashed silver.
“You’re too strong. Even to my S-rank eyes, it’s inexplicable.”
Without waiting for his rebuttal, she declared:
“You’ve inherited lost martial arts.
Copied from a reincarnator’s memory.
Awakeners? They’re outwardly superhuman,
but inside just scared children. Bound by modern limits.
But you… you’re unmistakably different.”
‘If I were the same, that’d be a problem.’
“Too composed, uncannily detached.”
Her gaze pierced him.
“Yes. That’s it. The look of someone on their second life.”
‘Second? Try thirteenth.’
Her instinct was sharp,
but every conclusion veered from the truth.
The cold wind scattered her jet-black hair.
Se-ha solemnly pronounced:
“Only reincarnators fit that. No other possibility exists.”
‘Well, even Constellations fumble. What chance does she have.’
A faint shadow crossed Do-yoon’s lips.
“If I were going to deny it, I’d have shown disbelief like you said.”
“You are a reincarnator!”
“But… don’t those traits apply to more than just me?”
“You’re right. I’m a reincarnator too.”
The answer came as if she’d been waiting for this moment.
But immediately after—
her brows knit.
“That’s all the reaction you give? Did I drop too many hints?”
‘Kid, I’m the one who gave your soul a new body.’
“You could at least pretend to be surprised. You’re no fun. …Anyway.”
Her eyes softened,
revealing—for the first time—something beyond “S-rank Hunter” or “Mad Sword Demon.”
“I was born in Joseon, 1452. I died in 1488. Name: Yeong-in. The world remembered me as the Sword Demon… What about you?”
“I was born in Jeongyu year. Early 19th century, late Joseon.”
‘Better to tailor this to my sword arts.’
Do-yoon fabricated a story on the spot:
a disciple of Sword Saint Dan Seol-woo.
“I too devoted my life to the sword.”
“I can see that. 1800s… so I’m 300 years your ancestor, huh? What was your name?”
“Cheong-un.”
Of course, a pseudonym.
“Cheong-un… Cheong-un…”
She murmured.
“So neither of us left names in history.”
Her eyes traced invisible puzzle pieces.
“I thought meeting reincarnators would provide some clue.”
“A clue?”
“Don’t you want to know? The criteria for reincarnation. Why we’re born again, for what purpose.”
“I am curious.”
As for why he chose Sword Demon Jo Yeong-in?
Frankly, no special reason.
‘He was the strongest swordsman of his era. I needed that skill.’
Their duel in the dungeon—
he had caught her off guard with Moon Severing Strike,
but that wasn’t a true clash with the Demon-Soul Sword.
If they fought again at full strength,
in pure swordsmanship and skill, he would lose.
“But isn’t it risky to speak of this so openly?”
That was the question Do-yoon wanted most answered.
“How did you even know there are other reincarnators besides yourself?”
“There is someone.”
Her voice dropped low.
“Someone who awakened me.”
That mismatched cogwheel in his mind—
now it clicked into place.
The 11th and 12th cycles.
Cycles where reincarnators were rallied to avert destruction.
But back then,
this variable never existed.
“Who is it?”
“You’ll find out.”
“Then why hide it?”
He pressed with narrowing eyes,
but her silence was firm as stone.
“…Give me your number, then.”
She took his phone, tapped a few times, and handed it back.
“You’ll hear from us soon. From the <Ribbon Society>.”
‘Ribbon Society, huh.’
Surely not decorative ribbons.
Reborn—those who live again.
He had first played the reincarnator card in the 11th cycle.
Again in the 12th, they’d fought as one axis against ruin.
But in neither had any <Ribbon Society> or the like appeared.
Reincarnators, like returnees, avoid revealing themselves.
‘Even harder to spot. Returnees need external resources.
But reincarnators themselves are the resource—already complete.’
Yet the 13th cycle was different.
Someone had achieved the impossible.
Why?
What had changed?
He already knew the answer.
Himself.
No need to look far.
‘…The walking mass of variables twisting the world—that’s me.’
The Descented, Hyun Do-yoon.
Every deliberate step, every ripple he caused—
somewhere, it was sparking massive butterfly effects.
So who was this “awakener” of Se-ha?
Not merely one who told her of reincarnators,
but likely the founder of <Ribbon Society>.
‘…Her memories hold the answer.’
Do-yoon closed his eyes.
He sifted through her past across the 11th and 12th cycles,
seeking the connecting threads around her.
Letting stray thoughts fall away,
he plunged into the universe of memory.
Like faded film, her past unspooled.
“Hon… our baby’s eyes just flared with blue flames!”
“Waaah~ Se-ha just popped the ball with her foot!”
“Hey there, pretty student, wanna talk—argh, my finger! My arm! My shoulder!”
Memories far removed from an ordinary girl.
Not what he was after.
He needed events after his own descent—
where his interference had warped the worldline.
‘She’s a very conspicuous reincarnator.’
The life she’d lived as the Demon-sword had been too vivid.
So perhaps another reincarnator recognized her first.
He skipped past her childhood,
pinpointing May 26, 2017—the day of descent—
to the present.
Tracing every face she’d crossed paths with,
searching for souls carrying past-life memory.
And… there were.
Three of them.
Each intersecting her at different times and places.
But that alone wasn’t enough.
Not enough to name one the “awakener.”
‘I’ve pulled up fragments… now to piece them together.’
He returned to reality,
took out his phone.
The recipient: Eidos.
[Hyun Do-yoon: You said to just say the word, right?]
A reply came swiftly.
[Eidos: A chance to repay my debt? Command me, I’ll do anything.]
[Hyun Do-yoon: I’ll send some names. Shadow them. Track their movements, who they meet, what they do. Quietly and fast.]
He attached basic info on the three reincarnators.
[Hyun Do-yoon: Jinbeop Master Lee Seo-jun has keen senses even for an Awakener. And Fist King Jung Min-tae… if you’re spotted, you’re dead. Be careful.]
[Eidos: Without stealth I’m a corpse, you know that. When should I deliver the reports?]
[Hyun Do-yoon: Over the next fortnight. Five-day rotations per person.]
Scrolling, his phone displayed long reports and dozens of photos.
‘Crushed <Black Night>, and now it’s <Ribbon Society>?’
A deep frown etched his brow.
Suppress one threat, and another rears its head.
Like a whack-a-mole game.
The world, the 13th cycle, was convulsing in response to his ripples.
To avert ruin—
he’d have to master even those echoes.
‘…Resting on current gains will never be enough.’
He calmly reviewed his state.
—Power
Martial arts deepening.
Exploring new paths in dark magic.
From the Uijeongbu dungeon he gained S-rank traits and a title.
[Guardian’s Sword] had evolved into [Thunder Sword], broadening his arsenal.
—Stats
【Tier 1】: Regeneration-20(+2) / Resistance-24(+3) / Combat Sense-22(+3) / Detection-20(+3) / Luck-25(+2)
【Tier 2】: Strength-22(+2) / Endurance-16(+2) / Agility-22(+3) / Combat Skill-22(+3) / Instinct-15(+3)
【Tier 3】: Healing-5(+2) / Intelligence-5(+2) / Charisma-5(+4) / Perception-15(+2) / Willpower-20(+4)
【Tier 4】: Dexterity-5(+2) / Charm-5(+2)
【Tier 5】: Potential-25(+2)
【Special 1】: Qi-21(+1) / Mystique-15(+1) / Dark Magic-18(+1)
【Special 2】: Compatibility-20(+1)
Most Tier 1 and 2 stats were already superhuman.
Several had broken the “25” ceiling of typical Awakeners.
And his special stats, unlocked early, steadily rose.
—Points & Funds
Defeated the Watcher of Cheonan, surpassing 1.69 million points.
Liquid assets: 100 billion won.
But with realm management and DY Management operations ahead, still insufficient.
—Influence
The press conference drew public attention,
but not enough sway yet to shake policies or power structures.
‘…I need a strategy to raise all of this at once.’
A clear plan surfaced in his mind.
Ding—
A phone notification.
[Hyun Do-yoon]
“Hm?”
Presidential Security Ministry aide Kim Soo-min blinked in disbelief.
‘The Strange Hunter contacted first…?’
Opening the message, he swallowed dryly.
[Hyun Do-yoon: Requesting private meeting with Minister. Urgent matter. Earliest possible schedule.]
