*
Jwa Ja looked up at the sky and knew that the Han Dynasty would fall. He was a man of talent. It was an era where geniuses overflowed the lands beneath the heavens, but searching the world inside and out would only turn up less than five people more talented than him. That was the exact reason why he could know for sure.
'If I obtained a post in the secular government, there would be a huge risk taken. If I accumulated wealth, it would be stolen by bandits or the military. Hence, it is a futile effort to seek glory and honor in the present world.' Jwa Ja's talents might have allowed him to make a lot of achievements in times of war. However, since he perfected his astrology skills, he could roughly predict the future and he judged that all of those achievements would have been meaningless. He then poured his overflowing talents into practicing Taoism, achieving results that befitted the efforts he put in.
He was able to transcend the providence of the world. He was exhilarated, becoming a supreme being that no one in the world could dare to go against. He evolved into a complete Saint as he reached the Saint Realm.
He had always dreamt of having freedom, complete freedom. 'To be free from all restrictions and constraints… But after all this time, I know that it is all an illusion.'
"I will do as Your Majesty wishes."
"Why did you suddenly change your mind?"
"Because you were determined to throw away your convictions."
Jwa Ja was invited by Cao Cao, Wei's Overlord. He had no choice but to follow Cao Cao's will, especially after reading Cao Cao's mind. He actually had the power to decimate Cao Cao and his entire army with just one word of Mantra, but he was forbidden from doing all of that. He then tried to manipulate Cao Cao with all sorts of schemes, but...none of them had any effect on Cao Cao. It was basically a humiliating matter.
Other kings and authoritative beings were fearful of Jwa Ja who could handle unknown powers, and Cao Cao was no exception.
However, Jwa Ja also found no pleasure in looking at them. He truly had the power to split the mountains and part the sea, but what use was it? As a Saint, he could not interfere with anything in the secular world. He was free to use his powers, but there was a restriction on where he could wield it. He could not kill the kings, nor could he build his own nation. He could not produce descendants to enjoy the authority for generations, nor could he reform the world. That's right. He couldn't do anything in the Lower Realms, because he was a Saint.
Freedom. Complete freedom! His lifelong dream turned to dust. He obtained power, but there was no meaning in a power that he couldn't use freely. He tried to do everything possible to kill himself, but he only ended up with a leash around his neck, one that couldn't be untied for eternity.
Hahahahaha! What a joke! What a joke indeed! Like a madman, he wandered for a long time. He reached a higher level faster than anyone else, but he still could not get rid of the restrictions bounding him.
However, he did not give up. He continued to bull things over and tried to find whatever method possible. And so…he eventually arrived at a twisted conclusion. I need a body. My power... My soul… A body that can become a vessel for a God.
*
"..." I opened my eyes and found myself in a luxuriously decorated bedroom. I stared at the ceiling for a moment and grumbled quietly, "I'm not curious about the past of a dead man..." I propped my body up. I was glad that I wasn't in too bad a condition, but something popped up in front of my eyes.
Whoooosh-- It was a strange sympathetic resonance. It was a translucent talisman that let out a gentle blue light. I looked at it and mumbled, "Is this perhaps the culprit that made me see those memories?"
It was a Bobae, the Heavenly Spirit Transformation Talisman. It was a treasure that Jwa Ja took a long time to create, and it was handed down to me upon his death. Originally, Bobae were not things that would be passed down if the owner died, but Jwa Ja became lost in the time-space dimension. Due to that reason, it was a measure he took to hand it over to a new body. Only then did the Bobae manage to escape.
I thought something had happened, because the memory of a non-machine being was suddenly transferred over to me. It turned out that Jwa Ja's intent, imbued in the Heavenly Spirit Transformation Talisman, was passed on to me. I possessed a similar godly status as the God of the Machine Civilization, but I also possessed the characteristics of the God of Information…
"Freedom huh..." I murmured. I did not feel any guilt, because Jwa Ja was clearly an enemy who threatened my safety and peace. Him staying alive would have posed a constant problem to my well-being, but if I knew that this situation would happen earlier on...
'If I knew?' I froze at the speculation that came to mind. I looked at the key that was always hanging on my neck. It was a Godly Artifact that was able to unlock all sorts of seals and constraints. If so...
"Ahh, Sunbae. You're up."
"You slept for quite long."
Clack. At that moment, Bo-ram and Dong-min entered the room through the opened door. The Heavenly Spirit Transformation Talisman disappeared before I realized it.
"I just...exerted quite a bit of strength." It didn't feel right for me to continue lying down in this situation, so I got out of bed.
Bo-ram smiled and made a huge fuss over such a trivial thing. "It wasn't just any ordinary matter! I heard you caused a really huge mess. I heard all the transcendents were trembling… I predicted that the Great Witch's bloodline would be out of the ordinary, but I didn't expect it to even have an effect in the Great Universe! All kinds of transcendents in the world gathered, and you made a mess of things?!" The babbling continued on.
Bo-ram seemed to have a lot of questions to ask, but Dong-min, who came to his senses, immediately calmed the mood down. "For starters, you need to hurry up. You need to get ready for the wedding."
"... Ahh, right! The wedding!" I was slightly absent-minded, but I got a hold of myself and turned my head. I wondered just how long I had been out like a light… "Wait a minute, Dong-min. When's the wedding?"
"That's obviously..."
"It's happening right now!" Along with Bo-ram's screams, the door suddenly burst open and a group of women rushed in. "We don't have much time, so hurry up!!"
"I can't believe you just woke up... No, should I be glad that you at least woke up before the wedding ceremony?"
"They said to not wake you up, so I really thought my insides would be turned inside out!"
"Enough of that, hurry up!"
Other coordinators, Diana included, ran and charged towards me. I flinched as five or six hands fidgeted around, touching all over my body with their pale fingers.
"For starters, I'll wash your hair for you, so just stand still!"
"You need to change your clothes too, so put your arms up and stay still!"
"I need to do your makeup, so look in front!"
"I'll show you some samples, so please choose your accessories from among them."
"Uwahhhh, oh my God! The wedding is just right around the corner!!"
It was hectic and they were all over the place. A ball of water, which was about one bucket's worth, appeared in mid-air. It started to boil while swirling around my head. Then, a spray hit my face to cleanse my skin before all sorts of things were applied on my face.
That wasn't all. The clothes moved as if they were alive, independently changing their colors and shapes. Five or six kinds of accessories and shoes flew around in front of my eyes, which made the situation even more chaotic than before. But soon, I entirely left my body to these ladies and got used to such treatment.
"What do you mean it's right around the corner?" I let out a laugh for a moment. Of course, I promised to marry Celestia, but…we did not promise each other 'this kind' of marriage. We were planning to steer far away from the nobles' attention, so the wedding was to be as simple and quiet as possible. Obviously, as I arrived at the Imperial Capital and met her fans, there was a possibility of it turning into something of a much bigger scale. However, the current situation was not what I had expected back then... It went beyond a 'slight' increase in scale, and…the one who caused the situation to turn out this way was none other than me. "This isn't good..."
There was a new employee in a company. He was the maknae [1] that had a young and bubbly face with strong ambitions. However, what if he could take over the position of chairman after going through and overcoming all kinds of hardships and ordeals for decades? Could he be considered the same person—as a new employee and as the chairman that managed a prominent conglomerate?
'Of course, they were the same person.'
However... Even if they were the same person, they were extremely different at the same time. Everything wasn't the same between a young and bubbly new employee and the chairman of a conglomerate. Differences would be found in their manner of speaking, the principles behind their action, or even their views of the world. This was because his position or standing had completely changed.
'The problem is... I think that process came for me too suddenly,' I wondered. The moment I opened the door, I went through the changes that someone would have had to go through in their lifetime. Even if my perspective changed according to my standing, the change seemed to be coming too fast. It was rather similar to the time when I drank alcohol. 'I was intoxicated by the Divine Spirit and the Status of God.'
A high-rank Divine Spirit, Status of a Low-rank God, and the quality of a mortal made up the usual me, but I possessed a high-rank Divine Spirit, Status of a High-rank God, and a low-rank Divinity upon opening the door. My quality was still not impressive, but the moment I opened the door, the appropriate Godly Status supported me. Moreover, if the minimum Divinity was included in the fray, the existence known as 'me' would be reborn as a God.
The mere occupation of the chairman position of a conglomerate changed a person. The changes would be even more apparent if it was a position that possessed authority, like a high-ranking politician. Then, what if it was becoming a God? Change was unavoidable then.
"But..." I let out a sigh. The situation was definitely not a light one that could be brushed off by just saying, 'It was obvious for things to change'.
Didn't I cause an immediate division back in the council hall when I opened the door? The normal me would have overlooked it, but I had turned the whole situation upside-down. I had caused the situation to go haywire. Needless to say, I was the one who caused the situation to go out of control as well.
However, at the same time, that couldn't be regarded as a complete me. I regretted what I did, just like a drunk person who sobered up and regretted the fact that he exploded with the inner thoughts he usually held onto on a daily basis.
"...Hahhhh." I smiled bitterly for a moment, and thought, 'The inner thoughts that I have been holding in on a daily basis.'
I thought of Celestia. Bolstered by the Status of God, I found out everything about her past, her current situation, and even her mind with a mere glimpse. So… I turned the tables for her sake.
"Hahaha." All I could do was laugh in vain. That was definitely not who I usually was. I was someone who was completely rational and logical, but I turned into someone who made decisions according to my emotions. I made a spur of the moment decision, driven by my emotions, and took a risk out of emotions that would never be rewarded.
'Celestia.' I thought of her again. Her past reminded me of pain, but she was still always so dazzling.
"Goddamn it." I smiled bitterly again. I never knew that realizing my true feelings would be so annoying. However, it seemed that someone's insides churned at the sight of me smiling bitterly.
"…What a miserable look you have."
"Remy!"
"But unnie! Look at this man! Is this... is this the look of a man getting married?"
Remy's voice was filled with anger and resentment. I previously never understood the reason for her anger, but I knew now. However, I was not particularly delighted to be at the receiving end of her anger. I snapped, "Am I expected to go to the wedding hall while laughing 'Uhaha' the entire way? What a ridiculous resentment you have against me."
Celestia did not do anything wrong. There was a clear contractual relationship between us, and I promised to marry her on the premise that we would divorce after. So, taking this secret that I knew into consideration, she did not trick me or do anything of that sort.
However, they were different. Even if love was separate from logic and reason, their resentment was still irrational beyond comparison. I was currently in a state of confusion, and I was experiencing an unpleasant feeling that the current me did not want to put up with.
"Yes, Remy. You're right. She doesn't love me."
"Huh, hmph! That's right. In the first place, you and the Imperial Princess-nim is..."
"But then again, would she even be able to love any man in the world? Don't you agree?"
"...!" The surrounding atmosphere froze up in an instant. All the coordinators, including Diana, looked at me with an extremely pale face. Even Remy, who could figure out the nuance mixed in my words, stared.
"Erm… What do you mean by that, sunbae?" Even though the atmosphere was not looking good, Bo-ram, who was standing by and watching the situation unfold, asked a question.
I shrugged. "Who knows. What was I talking about, hmm?" I smirked, but actually regretted it a little bit. 'I would have been able to hold it in normally.' I guess...the aftereffects from opening the door still lingered.
1. Maknae refers to the youngest, whether it be in a family or in a workplace.