Chapter 38: The Third Level Up
First of all, Aize’s cooking was amazing.
It was so delicious I nearly cried.
Of course, it was refrigerated beef-bone soup that only needed to be boiled, so maybe the tears were slightly exaggerated.
In the end, Aize’s cooking skills mostly consisted of heating the soup properly and arranging everything beautifully on the table.
Still, homemade food was homemade food.
The rice, at least, had been cooked fresh in the rice cooker.
The glossy white grains practically blinded me.
Ding-dong-ding-dong!
Suddenly, I heard the familiar chime announcing a level up.
“Congratulations. You have achieved a level up. We will now begin the level-up process. Do you accept?”
“After I finish eating.”
Since Aize already knew Arang, I didn’t bother answering silently in my head.
Arang immediately replied.
“Then we will postpone the level up. Enjoy your meal!”
The broadcast ended.
Aize placed kimchi and roasted seaweed on the table.
“Why are you always so cold toward Arang unnie?”
“Do I seem cold toward her?”
“Obviously. The way you speak to her definitely isn’t affectionate.”
Aize glared at me.
I suddenly stopped eating.
“Aize.”
“Yes?”
“Why can’t I remember my previous life?”
“Because your memories from your previous life have to be erased when you reincarnate.”
“Then why am I reincarnating?”
“That’s because... you committed a crime....”
“How many times have I reincarnated?”
“Probably around ten times?”
“Were all the previous reincarnations also the Inhwang?”
“No.”
I raised my voice without meaning to.
“Then why am I the only one who became the Inhwang?!”
Honestly, I was angry.
“I can understand being punished, having my memories erased, and being reincarnated.”
I clenched my spoon.
“But they ignored me until Taerang rebelled. Then when they realized they had nobody capable of stopping him, they just decided on their own to make me the Inhwang again.”
I looked directly at her.
“Isn’t that what happened?”
“...It seems that way.”
Aize’s expression darkened.
I immediately regretted snapping at her.
“Sorry. I was frustrated. I shouldn’t have taken it out on you.”
Aize hesitated.
“Do you dislike becoming the Inhwang?”
“Well... My body became stronger, which is nice. But fighting evil spirits isn’t exactly fun.”
“That’s not what I mean.”
“...I didn’t choose it.”
I leaned back.
“The Chicken Grandpa decided it for me. That’s why I don’t particularly like it. I’m originally a free spirit.”
“Chicken Grandpa?”
“Ah... King Yeomra.”
Aize stared at me.
Then...
“Pfft... Ahahahaha!”
She burst out laughing.
“You’re right! Now that I think about it, he really does look exactly like one!”
Apparently, I was the first person who had ever called King Yeomra “Chicken Grandpa” in front of Aize.
And in the living world, Aize was also the only person who knew I was the reincarnation of the Inhwang Chasa.
“Aize.”
“Yes?”
“Thanks....”
“For what?”
“Nothing. Just... thanks.”
Being with Aize simply made me happy.
I even wondered if it was because our soul powers were connected.
“You finished eating, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Then should we do your level up now? We don’t know what might happen later.”
She was absolutely right.
I also felt a little guilty for acting like a child earlier.
“Arang! Sorry. I was acting ugly earlier. Please understand.”
“I don’t.”
Apparently, Arang was still angry.
At times like this, surrender was the only answer.
“Sorry. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry.”
“Stop it. My ears hurt.”
“I’m going to keep going until you say you forgive me. Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry.”
“Fine! I forgive you.”
“Thanks.”
My childish strategy worked perfectly.
“Then shall we begin the level up? You accept, correct?”
“Yes. Of course.”
“Then, with the Inhwang Chasa’s acceptance, the level-up process will begin.”
I leaned toward Aize and whispered so quietly Arang hopefully couldn’t hear.
“Aize... why do I have to level up step by step? Can’t they just raise everything at once?”
Aize grimaced.
“If they did it all at once, your body would go boom and explode.”
She meant the Inhwang’s power was simply too great for a living human body to withstand all at once.
“Really? Hmm... I guess that makes sense.”
Something still felt slightly strange about the explanation.
But thinking about it was annoying, so I decided not to.
“...Level up beginning! Please cooperate so I don’t have to repeat myself.”
“Yes! We will obey Lady Arang’s command!”
“Your experience from the previous battle against the Pokgwi has fulfilled the requirement. You will rise from Level 4 to Level 5.”
Arang continued.
“First, your stamina and physical strength will increase dramatically, approximately doubling.”
“That means my basic body has to become stronger before it can contain more of the Inhwang’s power, right?”
“Yep.”
Having Aize explain things beside me made this much easier.
“You have acquired the Second Form of the Black Spirit Demonic Spear Art: Evil-Annihilating Chain Strike.”
Just like the First Form, Soul-Slaying Strike, the technique formula of the Second Form flowed directly into my mind.
In an instant, I completely mastered Evil-Annihilating Chain Strike.
“How can I instantly master such a complicated Black Spirit Demonic Spear Art?”
Aize answered.
“You can think of it as awakening knowledge that was already engraved into your soul power.”
“Ah! So it’s basically making me remember something I already knew.”
Once again, Aize’s explanation helped a lot.
Though I suddenly wondered what learning a technique had to do with my body exploding from too much power.
Then I decided I didn’t care enough to continue thinking.
“You have acquired the First Form of the Black Spirit Demon Palm Fist: Black Spirit Exploding Fist.”
“What’s that?”
Aize answered confidently.
“It’s a fist technique where you gather Black Spirit Energy into your fist and explode the enemy to death.”
Her explanation was basically just the words “Black Spirit Exploding Fist” rearranged with a few extra details.
Still, it helped.
“Ah... When I fought the Asek-gwi before, something exploded from my fist. Was that it?”
“That was nothing compared to this.”
Aize shook her head.
“Black Spirit Exploding Fist can fire Black Spirit Energy from a distance, so you can use it for many kinds of attacks.”
“Aize.”
“Yes?”
“When I fight evil spirits, stay beside me. I don’t think I can manage without you.”
At that moment, Aize looked unbelievably reliable.
“Hehehe. I’m your Demonic Spear anyway. If you fight an evil spirit, I’ll naturally be there with you.”
She said it as if it were obvious.
I was genuinely grateful.
“Finally, among the Black Spirit Air-Walking Arts, you have acquired Phoenix Step.”
“What’s that one?”
“Phoenix Step is a movement technique that lets you instantly move in front of your opponent using the wingbeat of a phoenix.”
“Ah... Teleportation? That sounds amazing.”
Then I remembered something.
“Wait. Doesn’t Fierce Dragon Step do something similar?”
I had used Fierce Dragon Step during the fight against the Asek-gwi to move instantly in front of it at incredible speed.
Aize explained.
“Fierce Dragon Step is short-range. Phoenix Step is long-range.”
“How far?”
“About one hundred meters.”
She waved her hands.
“Fierce Dragon Step goes whoosh. Phoenix Step goes shhk, disappears, then shhk, appears again.”
I stared at her.
