Chapter 1596. Transmigrated to the Central Plains' Murim (1)
“T-Today?” I asked.
"Let me correct myself. One hour. No, the sooner the better. I don't know whether to call it good or bad luck, but we've found bodies whose wavelengths match yours,” Belial reported.
"W-Wait a second. How does that even make sense? So soon? You found them just like that? Doesn't it seem strange? Don't you think it's a little too convenient?" I questioned.
"This is probably the kind of situation people mean when they say the gods are helping you," he commented.
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"I understand what you're thinking, but neither Papias nor I had arranged this intentionally," he said.
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"By pure coincidence, humans whose wavelengths match yours, Lee Ki-Young and Jin Cheong, are dying at the moment. If you want to call it urgent, then yes, it's urgent," he said.
"What exactly is so urgent about it?" I asked.
"Would it help if I told you that one day over there is equivalent to one hour here? Of course, I haven't calculated it precisely, but that's roughly the ratio. You're free to enter whenever you want, but if you delay for too long, there may be serious side effects.
"A body whose soul has been absent for too long is bound to deteriorate one way or another..." he answered.
'H-Holy shit... what? Where did this come from? Why is everything moving so fast all of a sudden?'
It was so sudden that I couldn't even process it properly. Of course, the difference in time flow was welcome news. If things were to drag on over there, I wouldn't have any time left to look after this continent.
Honestly, I felt like applauding the fact that it wasn't a one-to-one ratio. The problem was...
'Damn it, this means we have to leave immediately.'
Just as Belial had said, time was incredibly tight. There was no need to waste time arguing over details. If the souls of the hosts that Commander Jin and I were supposed to enter had already departed...
'Then we could end up stuck living in half-crippled bodies.'
In the worst-case scenario, transmigration itself could become impossible. Director Bel said we had an hour, but even that grace period was short. It wasn't as though we could simply sit up from inside a coffin. Every minute and second mattered. The longer our entry was delayed, the greater the burden on the bodies we would possess.
The only reason they could even hold out for an hour was probably that some kind of measure had been taken over there. Even then, there was a high chance it was unsafe. If we entered too late, their brain or their internal organs would suffer more damage.
'Then we'd just waste a precious ticket. Haa... damn it. Come on... ah...'
I wanted to leave immediately, but nothing had been decided yet. Naturally, I had no choice but to speak up to Director Bel.
"Th-This seems a little urgent, but... do we really have to seize this opportunity? It's not like we absolutely have to enter those bodies, right? There are still things I need to take care of. I haven't properly explained things to Hyun-Sung yet, and we haven't even finalized the personnel. There are tons of things that need to be discussed.”
“...”
“At the very least, we should have a rough plan before going in, but right now we don't even have a rough draft. You can't just tell us to leave all of a sudden and expect us to welcome it with open arms. Think about it. Even you, Director Bel—"
"There are a few things I'd like to make clear. First, finding humans whose wavelengths match yours is by no means easy. Of course, entering a body whose wavelength doesn't match yours is still possible, but there is a high probability that you'll experience a sense of dissonance with the body.
"You may not be able to bring everything you currently have with you," Belial said, interrupting me.
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'Damn it...'
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If I couldn't take Mind's Eye and the Regressor Instruction Manual with me...
'Just imagining it is terrifying.'
Those skills felt as though they had long been engraved into my soul, but there was still a chance that I couldn't bring them along if luck weren't on my side. Even if one had excellent software, whether one had the hardware capable of running it properly was a completely different issue.
If the body's quality was too low, I would not be able to use Mind's Eye.
"And finding humans whose wavelengths match yours to this degree isn’t easy. It's difficult to express numerically, but the compatibility rate between you and the hosts prepared in the Twelfth Dimension is 86% or perhaps even higher. Considering that even a 50% or 60% match is normally considered astonishing, anything above 86% is an absurdly high rate of compatibility. To exaggerate a little, they're practically your doppelgängers," Belial explained.
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"Do I need to explain any further? There's no reason to weigh other factors. The benefits right in front of you are greater than any minor concerns you might have," he added.
"I understand, but it's not like we can just leave immediately. We received a request for cooperation from that Papia-whatever guy, but the Immortals still haven't—"
Bang!
"Lee Ki-Young! Lee Ki-Young! I brought the contract! I brought the contract!"
'Come on. How come Benigoa has suddenly shown up?'
"Look at this! Take a look! I did it! I completely crushed those Immortals in negotiations! This is a contract stating they'll transfer a portion of the Twelfth Dimension to us if we resolve this incident! Even if we fail, they'll still give us a share! I-I actually pulled it off!" Benigoa reported excitedly.
I saw Benigoa, waving a sheet of paper.
"Thirty percent! A full thirty percent of the entire dimension! Lauren says this might even be enough for us to take over the Twelfth Dimension completely! We'd even have the upper hand in future shareholder battles!
"From the Twelfth Dimension's perspective, this is such a one-sided defeat that it practically qualifies as humiliating diplomacy! Who would have thought that we'd actually pull this off?!" she exclaimed.
"Can I take a look at it too, Miss Benigoa?"
Perhaps suspicious, Ji-Hye noona checked the contract. However, shock spread across her face almost instantly.
"Well? Well? Well?" Benigoa asked.
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"It’s... real," Lee Ji-Hye mumbled.
"See? I told you!"
"This is an unbelievable result. If this contract was really signed under these terms... saying we came out ahead doesn't even begin to cover it. Those so-called Immortals... what on earth were they thinking?
"Ah... did they just give up on the entire dimension? Otherwise, none of this makes sense..." Lee Ji-Hye said.
"They were practically sweating when I put a little pressure on them. That showed how desperate they are. We had all the leverage anyway, so I decided to push my luck a little. The moment I set the mood, they signed the contract right away,” Benigoa said.
“...”
“Ah! And apparently, the higher-ups oppose intervening in the Twelfth Dimension because of the will of the system. We're not like those fools who obsess over pointless rules, right? The Immortals seemed close to giving up anyway... though I suppose the biggest factor was my negotiating skills," she declared proudly.
"..."
"And just in case they tried to scam us, I bound them with double, no, triple, no, quadruple contracts. If they fail to honor the agreement, they're finished. Even if we fail, we'll still receive ten percent ownership, so it's not exactly a losing deal," she added.
'Why is everyone suddenly becoming so competent?'
Director Bel was acting exactly as he always did, but the fact that Benigoa returned with such a massive achievement was impossible to comprehend. Who could have imagined that something that ought to have taken over a week was wrapped up in a matter of hours?
At this point, there was no longer any excuse or justification left for backing out.
"Whew... Oppa.”
"Y-yeah?" I answered.
"I'll handle the team selection. Well... I don't know if it'll go exactly the way I want it to. From the sound of it, this wavelength synchronization thing is incredibly important. I'll try to send Cha Hee-Ra and Kim Hyun-Sung if possible, but honestly, I can't guarantee it.
"Suitable hosts might not even appear. And it's not like we can shove them into bodies with less than a one percent synchronization rate, right? For now, I think the best option is to wait calmly," she suggested, sealing off all avenues of escape.
"..."
"Just make sure you leave Kim Hyun-Sung a text message. If he suddenly realizes that you've disappeared, all hell will break loose. I don't particularly want to go explain it to him myself... You know what I mean, right?" she requested.
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"D-Director Bel. Is there any information or data on our hosts?" I asked.
"Not exactly. It would’ve been nice if I'd been able to gather some, but as you know, the Twelfth Dimension is sealed off. There wasn't much that could be done. All I heard from Papias was that some openings had appeared.
"From what little information has trickled through, both of them are members of prestigious families. They're young as well. They may not be the fully developed bodies you'd prefer, Lee Ki-Young, but they should have plenty of room to grow," Belial replied.
"Isn't that way too little information?" I complained.
"It can't be helped. The question is whether you'll accept it or not," Belial said.
Naturally, I glanced at Commander Jin. He looked completely unbothered.
"Here's the contract. Read it carefully and sign. The moment you do, you'll be transferred immediately, so I recommend preparing yourself mentally," Belial warned.
"I'll go first."
Commander Jin didn't even hesitate. After briefly reading the contract, Commander Jin signed it immediately. A moment later, he collapsed to the floor. As expected, it seemed that we would be leaving our physical bodies behind.
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"Hand me the pen," I said.
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"Then have a safe trip, Oppa," Lee Ji-Hye said.
"May fortune favor you," Belial said.
"Lee Ki-Young! Good luck!" Benigoa cheered.
'The contract is good to do. I've texted Hyun-Sung, and since I'm leaving my body behind, Ha-Yan should be able to relax...'
It felt a little uncomfortable leaving again so soon after returning from the first life, but if she could treat my body like a cherished stuffed doll while I was gone, Jung Ha-Yan would probably be satisfied.
With a faint sense of bitterness, I signed my name on the line. The moment I did, it felt as though my soul was being sucked into a vacuum cleaner.
'What’s this? What’s going on?'
Overwhelming pain coursed throughout me.
'What’s going on? What the heeeeell?! Wh-What’s happening?!'
The pain was so intense that I couldn't even think straight. It was worse than when Kim Hyun-Sung had stabbed me in the stomach, and it was so overwhelming that I could barely breathe. I couldn't even understand what was happening.
It felt like I had entered a new body, but beyond that, I had no idea what was going on. All I could do was wait for the pain to end. I even felt like I blacked out several times.
I knew entering a body on the verge of death was dangerous, but the agony was so severe that I thought I could die instantly. I could hear people shouting around me, but their voices were muffled.
My vision was blurred, and I couldn't make out anyone's face. I felt like I was screaming at the top of my lungs, but my voice was either gone or simply wouldn't come out of my throat.
I felt like it was because I had yet to fully synchronize with my new body, but everything was so chaotic.
'I-I'm dying. I'm dying! I'm dying! Shit! Shit!'
Just then...
"Good job. You did well, young lady..."
'Am I-I the one who worked hard?'
"Waaah! Waaah! Waaah!"
'Why am I hearing a baby's cries?'
Voices drifted through what sounded like the other side of a door.
"Both the mother and child are safe."
"The eyes... the eyes... what color are they?"
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"P-Purple, my lord..."
"Oh my heavens..."
"It appears... it really is the Jin Family's infamous eldest son..."
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"How am I supposed to face our ancestors now? I'm too ashamed to even lift my head! It wasn't enough that my only daughter gave birth before even getting married... but the father is... that wastrel of the Jin Family! The Jin family's infamous eldest son! That man is the child's father! Oh heavens... Oh heavens!"
I could clearly hear a man's anguished cries.
'Wh-What the hell is he talking about?'
