Chapter 70
In this world, coincidences existed under the name of fate.
Miraculous encounters that happened with unbelievable probability, without anyone intending them.
“May I sit here?”
A voice came from beside him just as he was settling into his airplane seat.
He was about to turn and let the person pass without much thought, but then—
‘Origin Mirror!’
That fate unfolded right before his eyes.
“Thank you.”
A white-haired old man sat down next to him, speaking in clumsy Korean.
The sight of the beard hanging down to his sternum stirred memories from his past life.
「’I think I can help you. If you want to live like a human, will you come with me?’」
The rough hand extended to the starving Water Rat.
That familiar hand paused before reaching for the seatbelt.
He met the man’s gaze, which lingered on him instead of passing by.
“Do you perhaps know me?”
Who would believe it?
That the person he was about to cross the continent to find would be in the same airport in Korea, sitting right beside him.
Maybe because he was staring too intently, he had to carefully consider the question before answering.
And just as he was about to speak—
“Well, that’s…”
“You possess something unique.”
The reunion and his answer were put on hold.
Hyuk-min was struck with certainty by Origin Mirror’s words.
“I can tell it’s unique, but it’s been a long time since I couldn’t see what it is, or even get a sense of it.”
Origin Mirror—his teacher and father figure from his past life.
(T/N: Of course, another weird ass naming sense from our author, lol)
He knew he had made the right choice in deciding to meet him.
To think he would recognize [Regression Mode].
“Hahaha.”
The worry he had briefly felt about how to handle this unexpected encounter vanished completely.
Now that he was sure, he had no choice but to face his destiny head-on.
“Origin Mirror.”
Origin Mirror, who had been chuckling and fastening his seatbelt, suddenly opened his eyes wide.
He stared at Hyuk-min and asked,
“Do you know me?”
= = =
He could confidently say that the reason he had been able to form a party in his past life and inflict damage on Hanbit Capital along with the Azure Lake Guild was all thanks to Origin Mirror’s teachings.
He was the kind of person who could turn a small egg with no talent, no money, no job, and no Stats into solid rock.
That was who he was.
Meeting him in his past life had been a stroke of luck, destiny, and a rare opportunity.
[We have arrived at Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport. Passengers are requested to remain seated until the aircraft has come to a complete stop and follow the instructions of the cabin crew….]
“Haaah.”
No Death stretched, then looked first toward Hyuk-min.
“Quiet, huh?”
Then he nudged Hyun-jung with his shoulder.
“What’s up? What happened? I thought they were fighting, but it’s quiet now?”
“I don’t know either. It’s been quiet for the last thirty seconds, since before you woke up.”
“I can’t believe it. That loner, that crazy psycho Bang Hyuk-min, is meeting someone he knows.”
“I don’t think the old man knew him, though.”
“I think that guy was speaking Chinese earlier. How does Bang Hyuk-min know a Chinese person?”
“He only did that when he seemed angry. He spoke in Korean normally.”
“So what did you hear? Who do you think he is?”
“Hmm, a teacher?”
No Death’s sleepy eyes widened.
“What!? Is that for real?”
“That’s what their conversation sounded like. I couldn’t hear well because they were being so quiet, but they were talking about martial arts and stuff, and how he taught him something about swords.”
“Hyuk-min had… a teacher. And a Chinese teacher at that…”
No Death tilted his head.
“But that can’t be right. That guy has never even left his neighborhood, let alone China. What’s going on?”
He looked at Hyun-jung.
“Are you sure? Are you messing with me? What’s with the Chinese teacher nonsense?”
“That’s what it sounded like… though the old man denied it.”
“Just tell me what’s certain!”
“Ah! There’s one thing I’m sure of.”
“What is it?”
“The reason we’re going to China is because of that old man.”
No Death’s eyes widened again.
“Because of that old man? Who is that old man? What is he that Hyuk-min even said he’s a rarer opportunity than a Hidden class!?”
But then his eyes narrowed, as if he thought Hyun-jung was lying again.
“Are you sure about this too?”
[Welcome to Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport. Please rise slowly and follow the instructions of the flight attendants at the door.]
The plane stopped, and passengers began to stand up one by one.
“We’re here!”
Hyun-jung sprang up and tried to rush out.
She must have been nervous—it seemed like her first time on a plane.
No Death glared at Hyun-jung.
“You keep lying to me…”
Just then—
Just when it seemed like it was over—Hyuk-min and Origin Mirror’s voices rang out across the quiet cabin.
“You’re going to Mount Emei, right?”
“You were quiet for a second there! I told you not to follow me!”
No Death went speechless at the sight before him.
“I can’t help it, since the reason I’m here is because of you.”
“I can’t believe this is happening to me!”
“Let me carry your luggage?”
“Ugh!”
“We’re going the same way anyway…”
Hyuk-min was trying to take Origin Mirror’s luggage, following him out with a humility that didn’t suit him at all.
The fact that everything Hyun-jung had said was true left No Death completely confused.
“Am I right?”
Hyun-jung, suddenly confident, marched out with a triumphant sniff.
Still, No Death couldn’t bring himself to move.
‘W-was what I just saw real? Is this a dream? Is it real? Is it really true that the crazy psycho monster Bang Hyuk-min, who even talked back to Black Label’s guild master, is acting humble? Is it real? Does he really have a teacher?’
He barely snapped back to reality at Hyun-jung’s loud voice outside.
“Bad uncle!! Hurry up and come out!! Uncle’s already far away! Are you just going to leave me behind!?”
“Ah! I, I have to go!”
He couldn’t stand it.
He was curious.
He wanted to get to the bottom of this—what was real, and whether Hyuk-min truly had a teacher.
“I’m coming! Keep up! I’ll be right there!”
The moment his mind, which had been on a long business trip, snapped back into place, No Death shot out of the plane.
Whoosh!
The tremendous speed and the black smoke that scattered in an instant kicked up a wind that ruffled the flight attendant’s hat and hair.
“Kyaa!”
It was so fast she didn’t even know what had passed by.
When she came to her senses, she looked around in shock and shouted.
“Wh-what was that?”
= = =
Even after leaving the airport, Origin Mirror finally dropped his Taoist façade and shouted at Hyuk-min’s persistence.
“Didn’t I tell you to stop!”
He stared straight at Hyuk-min, and a three-second silence passed.
Then Origin Mirror’s eyebrows twitched.
“I didn’t know at first, but after talking for so long and being this close, I understand now. What that unique thing inside you is.”
He raised his index finger and pointed at Hyuk-min.
“You’re wicked. Evil. It wasn’t invisible—it was dark.”
Wicked? Evil? Dark?
It became clear that he was seeing Hyuk-min’s [Regression Mode], the state where he had lived as an avenger.
“Ah~ There’s a reason I look like that…”
“A red thread that binds something so black it devours even light!”
“…..?!”
Hyuk-min’s eyes widened.
‘What Origin Mirror saw… wasn’t [Regression Mode]?’
Black, and a red thread.
The moment he heard those words, a memory flashed through his mind.
An unfamiliar System with a black background and a red border.
‘It wasn’t [Regression Mode]…?’
That’s right.
What Origin Mirror was seeing now was that unfamiliar System window—something even Hyuk-min couldn’t identify.
“That’s a lie.”
“I can see what others cannot. Even if you try to hide it, you can’t in front of me.”
“You can’t see what I can’t find. Even if you’re Origin Mirror.”
“I don’t know where you heard it, but no one can call me by that name!”
Screech.
Just then, a bus stopped in front of Origin Mirror and Hyuk-min.
It was the very bus heading to their destination.
“Don’t follow me.”
The door opened, and Origin Mirror stepped inside.
When Hyuk-min tried to follow, Origin Mirror leveled the staff he’d been carrying the entire time at Hyuk-min, mana gathering along it.
“If you follow me any further, I will treat you as an evil person and execute you on the spot.”
Hyuk-min couldn’t step onto the bus under Origin Mirror’s harsh threat.
He could only watch Origin Mirror’s back as the bus pulled away, the staff’s mana fading from sight.
As he stared blankly after it, No Death, who had been watching from behind, approached.
“The great Bang Hyuk-min is being treated like this.”
Hyun-jung also came up and hugged Hyuk-min tightly without a word.
No Death said,
“Isn’t this the bus we have to take? Aren’t you going to take it?”
Hyuk-min nodded.
“Ha! You’re crazy. You’re really not going to take it just because he told you not to? You don’t even know how long it’ll be before the next one comes.”
Hyuk-min turned around without saying anything and started walking back toward the airport.
“What, are you giving up and going back? That’s not like Bang Hyuk-min.”
No Death ran up beside him, half amused, trying to catch Hyuk-min’s face as if it would be drooping.
But No Death’s eyebrows jumped at the unexpected expression.
“Huh? You’re smiling?”
“Are you crazy? Why would I go back?”
“Didn’t you just get rejected?”
“I did get rejected. And things are going very well.”
“What does that mean?”
The corners of Hyuk-min’s mouth rose on their own.
He stopped and looked back.
In the distance, the bus doors closed, and it disappeared down the road.
“Origin Mirror’s inner energy. There was no murderous intent.”
“What are you talking about?”
“This… is an unexpected stroke of luck. To think Origin Mirror would see something other than [Regression Mode].”
“Are you even listening to me? What are you talking about? Explain it in a way that’s easy to understand. What’s going well?”
Hyuk-min kept his eyes on where the bus had gone.
“You heard it too. He called me an evil person.”
“Then isn’t that the end? The first button was buttoned wrong. Do you think he’ll try to teach us?”
“The fact that things are going well is that he called me an evil person and still got on the bus.”
Smirk.
“The Origin Mirror I know doesn’t leave evil people alone. He cripples them or kills them on the spot.”
“…Huh? He doesn’t seem like that. Is that old man really that great?”
“Great enough to not lose even if he fought the current Jeonsin”
No Death stared blankly at the unexpected answer.
“That old man!?”
“There are many hidden masters in the world. Origin Mirror is their representative.”
No Death stood there with a blank expression, picturing Origin Mirror sitting in the back of that bus.
Hyuk-min nudged No Death’s shoulder.
“Don’t be scared. He’s someone we’ll have to meet soon.”
Hyun-jung, who had been quiet, asked,
“Uncle, do you really have to learn from that person even though he treated you like this?”
Hyuk-min stroked Hyun-jung’s hair, firm in his answer.
“Yeah. I have to learn. He’s the only one who can do it.”
“What does he do? What is he?”
“Him? The only teacher in the world who can turn us into monsters. His job title is One Who Awakens Potential.”
“One Who Awakens Potential…?”
A person who recognizes and draws out latent talent.
That was why Hyuk-min was trying to reach Origin Mirror, no matter what.
“I don’t know what it is, but treat him with respect. He’s the only way we can survive the war in December.”
The war in December.
Hyuk-min’s expression darkened at the thought.
Memories he never wanted to recall made his brow furrow, a bitter, bloody scent rising in his throat.
Another regret he wanted to undo.
‘Origin Mirror… I won’t let you die this time.’
I will change it.