The Outer God Needs Warmth

Chapter 92

The midday sun grew scorching.

Goodness.

Summer had arrived before I knew it, yet nothing had happened at the Heavenly Demon Church.

In fact, the events were happening elsewhere—at a place known as Murim, or the Jianghu.

To cut to the chase, Omyoungseong had finally become a Harvester.

However, he didn’t become one by holding out till the very end. After doing something at the place where the monks were, my progress in the process of transformation nearly halted. The unknown technique was terrifying.

But even there, people live.

Incidents happen.

A competition was held where the swordsmen of the Five Great Swordsmen sects merged, and Omyoungseong participated. He was one of those swordsmen, after all.

But calling them swordsmen makes the faded memories shine brightly. Wait, is there something wrong with calling a sword faction a swordsman group?

In the end, they're just thugs, right?

They gathered to choose the strongest among them and become the leader in a simple power struggle to fight against a larger faction.

He entered the competition.

Once there.

When he was defeated, the monks had stopped me, but I was able to move again.

And before long, he was attacked by a man named Yoo Jo-young, who had been his former master. At that time, he couldn’t defeat Yoo Jo-young and was critically injured, collapsing.

But when Yoo Jo-young tried to kill his lover, the daughter of Guseongyong, who had died here about a year ago, he called for me.

He didn’t specifically call me, but he spoke toward the terrifying power, preparing to use it, regardless of the cost.

Words have power.

So, through the connection, I recited the contract, and he agreed.

Yes.

He was revived, with all his wounds regenerating, and immediately used my power to kill Yoo Jo-young.

Somehow, the faded memory handed me a summary, different from what he knew.

No, why don’t they understand that the real world and the story are different?

Even if it's similar, everything is different when the names are different, right?

Anyway, things unfolded interestingly.

Those monks who had once supported him now labeled him as a demon, and the Five Swordsmen sect, which Yoo Jo-young had merged, branded him a criminal.

Yes.

A bloody cycle of death began.

He fled with Guseongyong’s daughter, Goomilmil. They were lovers.

But wherever he went, people shouted that he was a public enemy of Murim, and swordsmen attacked him. At first, Omyoungseong, trying to control his strength, didn’t kill people, but eventually, he killed someone.

Because Goomilmil was in danger.

Once was difficult, but after that, it became easier.

Whenever someone blocked his path, he immediately cut them down.

Now, he walked a road of blood and corpses. Furthermore, Goomilmil, beside him, persuaded him that what he was doing was only natural, breaking his heart.

As expected of someone born from the Heavenly Demon Church, no matter how many good deeds he did, he couldn’t shatter the deep-rooted notions he had.

He might have said those words to soothe his heart, but if he truly wanted to return Omyoungseong to his original self, then he should have been punished there.

So, Omyoungseong changed.

To survive.

At first, he killed enemies who tried to kill him.

But over time, his heart grew numb. And as time passed, he began killing anyone who simply blocked his way.

Hmm. While not lying, I had to hide how I knew so much. I can read the memories of those I contract with, and I can see things through the eyes of the Harvesters. I can't reveal that.

Okay.

Let’s talk as if I could only know the name.

"Why is it strange to know the name of someone I’ve contracted with?"

Logically, when making a contract, you exchange names. Of course, there are those who deceive, but you can just push that off by saying it’s an unknown monster.

I looked at the Heavenly Demon with that mindset.

"Do you know my name as well?"

"Jeongha. Or should I say the surname Im?"

The Heavenly Demon’s eyes widened.

Faded memories in her eyes, which are said to be of the Demon Race, glowed clearly.

"You’ve never said that surname."

"No. I haven’t. But I know."

I know it because I possess your memory. The moment I touch the light, I acquire the memories. So, when a Harvester dies and I take the warmth, I don’t acquire new memories.

Because from the moment they become a Harvester, I experience everything they see, hear, and feel.

So, while I know what they thought before becoming a Harvester, I don’t know what they think afterward.

That’s one of my weaknesses.

Physical reactions. In technical terms, I can use cold reading to infer what someone is thinking!

"So, you knew Omyoungseong’s name as well."

"Yes."

I even know that he’s on his way here. Of course, the route is not direct, and sometimes he crosses mountain ranges or deep forests, but...

Like air flowing from a high-density area to a low one, he’s slowly coming toward a place with fewer pursuers.

I answered that and fell silent, offering her a chance to ask more if she wished. But the Heavenly Demon didn’t ask.

"Master! I’ve done everything you asked!"

"Do it 40 times like you did yesterday."

"Eek!"

So-oh screamed and ran off again.

He's full of energy now, even though it’s summer. Maybe it’s because of the Heavenly Demon’s special lessons, or perhaps the power of the Heavenly Demon Technique. He’s quite resistant to heat and cold.

I suspect he’s using Qi, a separate energy source, to regulate his body temperature.

As for me?

I just live with whatever the temperature is, whether it’s hot or cold.

My body suffers, but my mind isn’t troubled by it.

If my body breaks, I regenerate.

I sat watching So-oh moving away when the Heavenly Demon spoke again.

"You don’t ask. Aren’t you curious why I mentioned the name Omyoungseong?"

Well, maybe I know more about it than the Heavenly Demon. I swallowed that thought.

I thought that if I kept talking, I might make a mistake, so I decided to change the topic.

"Heavenly Demon, I plan to leave here in a few years."

I even hinted that I wasn’t particularly interested in the Heavenly Demon Church. Although, in reality, I am very interested!

"Leave?"

"There’s no one here looking for me. I want to share myself, but there’s no one. Shouldn’t I go outside?"

Whether the Heavenly Demon provides followers for me, or tells me to leave, it benefits me. The worst case would be a seal, but I know she won’t make that choice.

I’ve become fond of her.

The Heavenly Demon gave me a look like a student faced with a difficult question. Watching that, I silently urged her to answer.

What will you choose?