Chapter 66
Let's sort out the situation.
First, Soo-ji and I entered as fragments - pieces of memory - of the Martial God. But as soon as we entered, some burly medieval soldier came up, called us the Cheok Sisters, and told us to go conquer a fortress.
In other words, this is a quest.
[Quest: Conquer the fortress with Han Soo-ji.]
So I looked at what this fortress was, and it's literally a fortress.
A stone fortress. And they want just the two of us, me and Soo-ji, to capture it.
No, to be precise, it seems the people whose places we're supposed to take boasted they would capture the fortress.
"Do you understand what's going on? This is giving me a headache, I don't get any of it."
"Hmm."
Honestly, I don't know that much either.
Let's look at the rough situation - the Martial God is Cheok Jun-gyeong. If this is Cheok Jun-gyeong's fragment, it means experiencing his memories.
Cheok Jun-gyeong was active during the Goryeo period. And the time he made his mark was during the Conquest of Jurchen.
Fuck. But Cheok Jun-gyeong boasted about conquering one fortress?
I only learned history in passing, so what more could I know?
"Akashic Record. Tell me about the current situation."
[In 1107, Goryeo's ruler Yejong, following his father Sukjong's will, dispatched 170,000 special forces under Commander Yoon Gwan for the Second Conquest of Jurchen. Goryeo's army struggled at the Stone Fortress. At this time, Cheok Jun-gyeong, wanting to repay Yoon Gwan's kindness, single-handedly climbed the fortress walls, killed enemy soldiers, and with raised morale, Goryeo's army captured the Stone Fortress.]
What the fuck? So that's the situation now?
[Since this is a fragment of the Martial God based on that era, it will likely be similar yet different. First, instead of the Martial God, Master and Han Soo-ji are taking their place as the 'Cheok Sisters', and while the notable figures are based on historical figures from the original history due to the Martial God's wishes, they are different people.]
"So basically we're supposed to do well in this imitated world?"
But Cheok Jun-gyeong already made his mark, right? So what's there to be bitter about? But my head starts throbbing again when I try to dig deeper.
It's hard to use the Akashic Record here.
Maybe because it's someone else's memory. Can't be helped. Getting this done quickly is the model answer. If Soo-ji and I have become characters based on the Martial God, we should play along.
"First, let's conquer the fortress."
"Are you crazy? You think just the two of us can do it? I heard they're struggling out there, looking at us like we're idiots for not knowing that!"
Why are you even asking that?
That's because they're normal people. No matter how well-trained the elite forces are, how can they compare to people with abilities from the future?
Honestly, I could capture the fortress alone. But when you think about it, this trial is for Soo-ji.
I grabbed both her shoulders.
And stared at her intensely. In a very seductive way.
Her face flushed at my gaze and she gulped.
"You're Han Soo-ji, the Flame Spear Bitch I acknowledged."
"Y-yeah, that's right."
"And I'm the White Flame Sword Dancer, we just need to use our abilities."
Park Jun-hyeok managed it. There's no way Soo-ji can't.
"Wait. But I've never killed anyone before."
"You'll get used to it."
I can't kill them all alone. Soo-ji needs to get used to killing too.
In the original work, she hesitates briefly when first killing. It would be better for her to kill people in this fragment.
As I've said before, Soo-ji follows those she loves. Whatever it is, she considers what the person she believes in to be justice.
Honestly, since Soo-ji isn't normal either, she'll kill if the situation demands it. It's just a matter of whose help she receives in doing so.
I plan to make Soo-ji dependent on me.
"They're enemies, right? Enemies killing our allies. As the Cheok Sisters, we're defeating enemies. Think of them as villains. Or monsters."
"No, that's easier said than done."
Right. Humans and monsters are different after all.
You can tell at a glance - that's human, that's monster. From that perspective, Han Soo-ji might not be able to kill when actually told to kill humans.
Should I give her a little stimulus?
"You know I fucked Senior Yoo-jeong while you were in training?"
"Ugh."
Her face twisted nicely.
"I fucked Reina too. And Choi Siwoo."
"??? E-even Siwoo?"
Han Soo-ji's face was stained with shock.
Must be ridiculous to her. To think Siwoo who was male not only became female but got involved with me before her.
From Han Soo-ji's perspective, does it feel like NTR? Her face twisted miserably.
Time to make the power dynamic clear.
Hey, but doesn't this make me seem like a bit of a slut? Whatever. Rubbing doesn't count as insertion.
And what I'm inserting is my tail, not my penis.
"Technically it was a different personality but they're female now. I really fucked them like dogs. In other words, you're the only one who hasn't progressed with me."
Just saying she's simply one of the heroines. But Han Soo-ji didn't seem particularly upset.
She needs someone to rely on right now, and she's surprisingly simple. Looking at how the original Choi Siwoo had a harem ending, the heroines in this work are surprisingly tolerant of harems.
"Still, this is..."
"Look at their outfits. Just think of them as hairy humanoid monsters."
I came out of the tent and pointed at the fur-wearing men in barbarian clothes on the fortress walls.
"Mmm. I'll try."
The faster we clear the fragment, the better.
* * *
Soo-ji and I started climbing the fortress walls as in the original history.
And as soon as we reached the top, there was a dirty Jurchen man. Our eyes met.
This is fate. Destiny.
"Who are you bastards!"
"Not bastards, but bitches."
By chance, I swung the axe at my waist down at the Jurchen's head.
Crack!
Yeah. Destined to die.
At the satisfying splitting sound, others came rushing in. The numbers are still small, but they'll grow if we cause more trouble here.
That many is nothing to take down. Soo-ji also shows no hesitation fighting the enemies.
"Those clothes? They're Goryeo women! Kill them!"
"Too noisy, time to die."
Crack!
They were chattering in their own language so I crushed another with my axe since it was annoying.
After taking them down like that, everyone around us was dead except for a kid holding an axe. Surprisingly, Soo-ji killed people easily.
The kid was facing off against Soo-ji, but it was ridiculous how she just stood watching him like she was playing with a child, so I asked her:
"Hold up, why are you just standing there?"
"H-hey. N-no matter what, how can I kill such a young kid?"
Not just a young kid though. Look at that. A barbarian with murderous eyes. His face shows he wants to kill us with that axe in his hand if he gets the chance.
"Even if young, he's an enemy. He even drew a weapon to kill you."
"Still..."
This won't do. Can she really do villain things being this weak?
Eventually she'll have to kill kids even if she hates it. They're monsters or villains in kid form, not real kids.
I need to make her realize reality directly.
"Fine. If you really feel that way, let's ignore it."
I pretended to step back. Being too forceful would just create resistance.
"R-really?"
"Yeah. If this kid really means no harm."
"Die!"
As expected, the cheeky brat swung his axe from behind.
I deflected the axe aimed at Soo-ji and planted my fist in the brat's solar plexus, dropping him.
"Ugh!"
I deliberately controlled my strength. There's no growth if I do it for her. She needs to kill directly here.
"I told you? These guys need to be seen as enemies that must be killed? And this is the Martial God's fragment - it doesn't matter if these guys die. These situations are common in reality. Will you act like this then too? Come on, draw your sword."
At my commanding tone, Soo-ji drew her sword. And pointed it at the kid who was bleeding after getting hit by me when he tried to attack earlier.
"U-ugh... P-please spare me."
"Haah."
She's hesitating again with a sigh. I didn't want to go this far but.
In the original work, Siwoo took good care of Soo-ji. The current Choi Siwoo regressed with only the determination to save the world after becoming enlightened by fucking the heroines hard before regression, so he has no interest in the heroines, and even corrupted himself into Lust.
Soo-ji feels like a loose cannon who could go anywhere without someone taking care of her. Since Siwoo who became Lust only has sex on the brain, he probably won't take care of her. At least emotionally he won't care. If he did, Siwoo would have done something to Soo-ji by now.
So I plan to pick her up.
She seems mentally unstable after losing Kim Jae-soo as her pillar. I need to use this chance to make her my obedient bitch.
Make her submit to me.
Gotta have at least one obedient bitch, right?
I whispered softly in her ear.
"If you can't kill properly, I'll be very disappointed in you. Then I might abandon you."
Right now, without me would be the worst case for Soo-ji. After following me all this way, if I abandon her now she'll just die lonely somewhere with nowhere to turn while being pointed at as a villain's disciple.
"!! I-I can do it!"
Shunk!
Finally she stabbed the kid in the chest herself. Belatedly realizing she killed someone, she shook her head.
Must be quite a shock. The kid's eyes looked at her like an enemy. From his perspective, we're just invaders.
"I-I killed... Really killed... Such a young kid."
"It can't be helped. This is normal."
While normal people might not know, this kind of thing is natural in the Hunter World. But right now, Soo-ji must be extremely anxious.
She probably needs something to rely on.
Time for some mind control and brainwashing here.
"Listen carefully, Soo-ji. My words are absolute. Got it?"
"Absolute?"
"Yeah. I even killed your master who became a villain, and I'm already a pretty famous Hunter candidate in South Korea, right?"
Divine Sword User Choi Siwoo is already recognized in South Korea just for having the Divine Sword, and in my case I've proven I'm not just riding on Yoo Jinseok's coattails. Rather, I've been rated even higher than during my Academy days as a swordsman wielding the unique White Flame.
Spirit Arrow Reina isn't as popular as me and Siwoo, but she's popular for being a regressed Other Worlder. Only Soo-ji isn't famous.
She had the title of Kim Jae-soo's disciple, but after Kim Jae-soo died as a villain by my hand, her reputation completely tanked.
So basically, you who've fallen as far as you can fall just need to follow me - that kind of meaning.
"U-um."
"Even if I do villainous things, that's right, and if I tell you to kill someone, that decision is also right. You just need to believe in and follow my words."
That idiot Siwoo really didn't use this trait of Soo-ji enough. If he'd used it like me, Soo-ji would have become an unmatched bitch.
"No, but even if it's wrong..."
"Whatever I do is justice to you. Remember that."
I wiped some blood flowing from the kid's body onto my hand.
And smeared it on Soo-ji's cheek.
She'll have to do all sorts of things to follow me from now on, can't have her hesitating here.
"Justice?"
"Yeah. I'm all you can believe in. Got it?"
She still seems not to understand my words, but she's a woman led by emotions. Full of love for me, she'll believe and follow me.
"Now then, let's kill all the others too. We're Goryeo people here after all. As the Cheok Sisters, we need to capture this fortress. Right?"
I said with a smile in my eyes.
* * *