Chapter 321 – Side Story. Dream of Return (2)

“My past life seemed like a distant future where there were no more humans,” I explained, trying to organize my thoughts before starting.

Samamang looked at me with a blank expression, as if asking how a past life could become the future.

But it was the truth, and there was no denying it.

After a moment of silence, I began to explain in detail.

***

The women listened to my explanation, their heads turning in disbelief.

“So…you’re saying that people can live up to 80 years or even over 100 years without martial arts? And most countries run without kings or emperors? The caste system has disappeared?”

“There are buildings that are dozens of stories high, and vehicles made of steel that fly in the sky…even if it’s just a rumor, it’s a bit…”

“A furry animal with a beak like a duck, a body like a raccoon, and a flat tail lays eggs…Jinrang. Did you have a stroke or something? Maybe you’re confused about your memories of your past life and the characteristics of martial arts from a sect you’ve never been to?”

Why doesn’t anyone believe me?

“But it’s true! If it was all just my imagination, how could I know the details of my past life, like the names and characteristics of martial arts from a sect I’ve never been to?”

“Maybe it’s a delusion that you’ve paid attention to the details of your imagination…?”

“Ugh!”

I grabbed Hong Yeon-hwa’s cheeks, who still looked skeptical.

“Why don’t you believe me? There’s no reason for me to lie in the first place!”

“Why not? Maybe you just want to get my attention!”

“If that were the case, I would have used a different method.”

“Hmph! My attention is not something to be taken lightly. Even if it’s you…”

“Hey.”

I grabbed her hand and brought it to my crotch, and Hong Yeon-hwa immediately became quiet.

“Simple, isn’t it?”

“….”

Hong Yeon-hwa didn’t say anything, just pouting.

“But still…”

Her voice sounded hesitant.

I sighed, thinking that I shouldn’t have said anything in the first place. But just as I was about to let out a sigh, Samayeryeong suddenly stood up and shouted.

“That’s right! There was something like that!”

“What? What is it?”

“Unnies? Mom? Isn’t the reason why you can’t believe Jinrang’s words too ridiculous?”

“That’s right.”

“Me too.”

“Although I want to believe what Sanggong is saying, it’s a bit difficult.”

Other women glanced at me and nodded in agreement.

This is too much. I only spoke the truth.

Samamang opened her mouth with an enthusiastic voice.

“Then why don’t we confirm it ourselves?”

“Huh? Confirm it ourselves? Do you think I’m going to use the Ojakgyo technique to go back to the world where I lived in my past life?”

I wondered if it was possible to go back and forth between Hong Yeon-hwa’s world and my original world, but Samamang firmly shook her head.

“That’s impossible. I’m learning the Ojakgyo technique from Myeongwoljin, and it’s structurally impossible.”

“Why? Is it because it’s from the future?”

Is it because I haven’t reached the world I know yet that I can’t go there?

But once again, Samamang shook her head firmly.

“That’s not it. We use the Ojakgyo technique to solve problems like time lines. However…”

“However?”

“We don’t know where to go.”

“Ah.”

I understood everything after hearing those words.

When I came over to Hong Yeon-hwa’s world, her existence itself became a landmark.

All living things have a homing instinct to return home, and if you use it well, you can determine the direction even in world travel.

“But Jin Ga only has memories of his past life, and his body was born in the same world as me.”

“Even if you use the technique to cross over, you’ll just go back to your original world.”

“That’s right. It’s impossible to determine the direction with just simple memories. If it were possible, the Blood Demon wouldn’t have needed to pursue the Flame of the Spirit, right?”

As I thought about it, Samamang’s words were correct.

If you could go with just memories, the Blood Demon would have relied on his own memories and gone to the spirit world himself.

That’s why he tried to get his hands on the Flame of the Spirit.

“Wait. Then what do you mean by confirming it earlier? How are you going to do that if you can’t go there yourself?”

“That’s right. Since there’s no material evidence, we can’t go there ourselves. But like I said earlier, we have memories, right?”

Samamang made a meaningful expression and tapped her temple.

“So all we have to do is look inside our heads…have you heard of the term ‘Monghwanpoyeong’?”

***

There is a term called ‘Monghwanpoyeong.’

Literally translated, it means dream, fantasy, bubble, and shadow.

In other words, it’s a word that collects only things that have no substance and can disappear at any time, and it is actually used in that sense.

“Wait, what? What is it?”

“Monghwanpoyeong? I’ve heard of it before. It’s a term used to describe the transience of life, often used as a metaphor for life itself. It’s probably because the term was used in the Diamond Sutra.”

“And why did Samamang mention it? Is there a reason?”

“Because there’s actually a technique with the same name.”

“What? Is it really possible?”

“Well, it’s only possible for beings that are truly extraordinary. Or maybe it’s just an exaggeration from old stories. Usually, it can only be used to a certain extent.”

I remember hearing about a technique called Mihyukjin before. When I asked Jinbeop and Sasul to teach me some magic, Samamang mentioned it. It’s a technique that can create hallucinations in a certain range, and can distort the sense of time and direction.

It could make even a formidable opponent wander aimlessly for eternity.

But compared to old stories, it may fall short.

Samamang shook her head and brushed her hair back with a confident expression.

“But! Who am I? The genius born from Seongol! The unofficial disciple of Mosanpa Jangmunin! And…”

“A mediocre view.”

“And a mediocre view…hey! Don’t say weird things!”

Samamang suddenly grabbed one of her braids and slapped my face with it.

It didn’t hurt, but it tickled and smelled nice.

“Ahem, anyway, getting back to the point, I can imitate it to some extent.”

Of course, it’s just an imitation. There are many restrictions, and it can’t be used in a form that’s bound to reality. But…

“If it’s in a dream, anything is possible!”

“A dream?”

“Yes, a dream! We can create a dream based on Jinrang’s memories and enter it.”

If it’s a false memory that one believes to be true, there will be some gaps. And if a world is created with memories full of gaps, it will become an awkward world where the gaps can no longer be hidden.

“On the other hand, if it’s true, we can recreate Jinrang’s past life exactly as it was. We can feel the colors, sounds, textures, tastes…and many other things naturally.”

“Of course, I can also find out if what I said is true, right?”

“Okay. Well…since it’s based on Jinrang’s memories, we can’t create anything he doesn’t know.”

But I can distinguish whether I’m talking nonsense or not. However, there is one concern.

“It’s not dangerous if you make a mistake, right?”

“If it were, I wouldn’t have mentioned it. If you make a mistake, the technique won’t activate at all, so don’t worry.”

“Oh…then there’s no problem. Let’s do it now.”

Samamang grinned mischievously and looked around.

“What about Mom and the other sisters? It’s not dangerous.”

After exchanging glances for a moment, the three of us nodded in agreement.

“Okay, then it’s decided. Everyone lie down in a row here. I’ll take care of the rest. Oh, Jinrang, lie down in the middle.”

As Samamang instructed, the women lay down on either side of me.

“Of course, if Jinrang or Yeonhwa resists, it won’t work at all. So don’t resist for no reason.”

“I won’t.”

“Understood.”

As soon as Yeonhwa and I replied, Samamang began to emit an inexplicable energy and started reciting some kind of mantra.

To avoid being involuntarily thrown out, I consciously suppressed my thoughts.

And how many times did I repeat trying to accept the energy emanating from Samamang’s direction?

Before I knew it, my eyes closed naturally as a wave of energy flowed over me.

And when I opened my eyes again, there was a leftover pizza crust in front of me.

…Did they say that taste could also be reproduced?