Record of a Thousand Lives

Kang Yoon-Soo had four summons in his possession, and if he considered the two other spirits he planned to create later on, he would already have enough summons.
It would be better for him to receive a weapon than to borrow a guardian angel from the goddess.

“I’d prefer to receive a weapon with your power in it instead,” Kang Yoon-Soo said, preparing for the goddess to inflict pain upon him again.

However, the goddess instead replied with a sigh, “I suppose you do have the right to choose since you will be carrying out my request.”

The goddess already knew how stubborn Kang Yoon-Soo was after he had refused her offer to take him in as her knight.
As such, she easily gave up on trying to tame him.
She instead said in a calm, gentle voice, “The holy weapons have lost their powers because I have lost mine.
So it is unfortunate, but I do not have a useful weapon to give you.”

“Then bless me instead,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

A blessing could be very useful in many ways.
It could either increase experience points gained or protect the blessed individual with holy power.
There would be no need to debate whether the blessing was a better reward or not if it came directly from the goddess herself.

“I can bless you, but the duration of the blessing will only be for three or four days,” the goddess said.

‘How useless can you be?’ Kang Yoon-Soo thought to himself.
However, he asked just to confirm once again, “Can’t you give me something else aside from the angel?”

“The most useful reward you can receive is the guardian angel, and she will prove to be useful in many ways,” the goddess said.

The goddess did not budge an inch on the issue, and Kang Yoon-Soo had no choice but to accept the reward.
He said rudely, “Fine, I’ll take the angel.

The angels loudly began protesting Kang Yoon-Soo’s rude behavior.

“I don’t like that guy!”

“How can I be the guardian of such a rude creature?!”

“How dare an insignificant creature act as if he had no choice but to take us?!”

The temple became noisy due to the protests.
Suddenly, the light that embodied the goddess glowed brightly and aggressively, and she roared, “Silence!”

The angels immediately fell silent, and Kang Yoon-Soo leisurely took this time to take a look at them one by one.
Perhaps it was because they were serving a goddess, but all of the angels were females.
They were all completely naked without any protective clothing or equipment, but that did not mean they seemed vulnerable or weak.

“Ehem… Ehem…” Yuriel coughed a few times as Kang Yoon-Soo passed by her while meticulously inspecting the angels one by one.

‘It’ll be beneficial for me to choose the strongest one among them,’ Kang Yoon-Soo thought, even as the angel kept coughing to get his attention.

“Ehem! Ehem!” Yuriel continued.

Kang Yoon-Soo continued ignoring her, turning to the goddess and asking, “Can’t you give me all forty-eight angels?”

It would be beneficial for the goddess if he managed to successfully complete the task he was given, which was why Kang Yoon-Soo decided to ask if he could receive her full support on the matter.

“The angels are no different from my flesh and blood.
My godly powers will be exhausted if even one angel descends to the continent.
Sending even one angel in my current state is already a huge burden for me,” the goddess said.

‘I guess there’s no helping it,’ Kang Yoon-Soo thought, deciding instead to focus on the angels’ personalities instead of how powerful they were individually.
He thought it would be a serious problem if the strongest angel he chose somehow suddenly decided to be hostile toward him.

Kang Yoon-Soo made his choice and walked in front of an angel.
Yuriel, whom he was standing in front of, looked at him cheekily and remarked, “You said you did not need me?”

“I changed my mind,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

“Hmph! What makes you think I’ll follow you?” Yuriel said.

Kang Yoon-Soo took out a bottle of alcohol that looked quite luxurious and said, “Have a drink later.”

“Hmm… I am curious how that one will taste… but I decided to abstain from alcohol, so…” Yuriel trailed off.

It was right when Kang Yoon-Soo was about to put the bottle of alcohol back in his bag that Yuriel suddenly grabbed his arm and shouted, “Alright! Alright! I will be your guardian angel!”

Kang Yoon-Soo easily managed to convince the angel.
The light that embodied the goddess glowed brighter as she said, “The request I am making to you is not just for me, but for the entire continent.
The calamity will surely befall the entire continent if you fail to find and kill the one who should not exist in this world.”

[Goddess’ Request—The One Who Should Not Exist In This World]

The goddess Sylphia is slowly losing her strength, and the continent is slowly crumbling because of the one who should not exist in this world.
Find and kill the one who should not exist in this world and restore the powers of the goddess.

*This is the first quest given by the goddess on the continent.

*The fate of the continent lies in the success of this quest.

*There are no clues regarding the one who should not exist in this world.

Rewards: ???

It was the first time in Kang Yoon-Soo’s many lives that he had received a quest from the goddess.
He thought, ‘Another difficult trial has appeared.’

The quest details did not mention what the rewards would be, but he had no choice but to carry out the goddess’ task if there was someone somewhere on the continent who was trying to stop his regression and was trying to kill him as well.

‘To find the one who shouldn’t exist in this world, and to kill that person…’

It was definitely not an easy task, but Kang Yoon-Soo had an ominous feeling that he would be meeting the one who should not exist in this world sometime in the future.

‘It’s strange…’

Kang Yoon-Soo felt a strong sense of certainty that he would meet that person.
It was the first time in his thousand lives that he had felt that way.

‘There are no clues at all as of now.
I guess something will come up as long as I keep moving.’

“It is time for me to send you back.
I hope that you will definitely protect me and the continent from the calamity,” the goddess said.
Her light enveloped Kang Yoon-Soo’s body.

As Kang Yoon-Soo started to turn transparent, his figure dissipating, he suddenly said, “I have something to tell you.”

“What is it?” the goddess asked.

“This isn’t the only continent in this world,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.
The goddess remained silent, but she did not seem to be surprised at all.

Kang Yoon-Soo continued just before he disappeared, “I’ve been to a continent far away from here in a previous life.
This world is quite vast.
Who knows? Maybe there’s another god like you on the other continent.”

Kang Yoon-Soo completely disappeared, leaving the goddess muttering to herself, “This is not the only continent, you say…”

Sylphia looked at the spot Kang Yoon-Soo had been in moments before, and said, “Those words will come back to you very soon, you who have lived a thousand times.”

The light that embodied the goddess disappeared.

***

The dark forest was filled with insects and beasts, prowling for something to feed on.

Henrick fed a branch into the campfire and said, “Shall we tell some horror stories, since it’s gotten dark?”

“Do you know any good ones?” Shaneth asked as she stirred the soup that would serve as their midnight snack.
Iris just stared silently at the pot of soup.

“I know a few stories… I think that story will be perfect for a day like this,” Henrick said.

“What are you talking about?” Iris asked curiously as her attention was drawn away from the soup.

Henrick lowered his voice to set the mood for the story, saying, “This is the story of a ghost in a dark forest that kidnaps and eats women.”

“That’s lame.
I think I’ve heard this one before,” Shaneth said, snickering.

However, Iris was already immersed in the story and asked, “A ghost? Are you talking about those who have already died?”

“That’s right, I’m talking about ‘that’ kind of ghost, but this one is different from the other ghosts.
It has a sick and twisted way of eating people,” Henrick said eerily.

“Sick and twisted…?” Iris asked.

“Anything that preyed on humans would usually go for the meaty parts like the thighs or the stomach, right? But strangely, this ghost only eats women’s heads,” Henrick explained.

“The head? Is the head delicious?” Iris asked.

“Well, I don’t know if the ghost is a gourmet or an omnivore, but this one has an excellent sense of smell, and it can smell the scent of food miles away, just like a monster—well, it is a monster, anyway…” Henrick said.

Iris stared nervously at the pot of soup, while Henrick poked the coals of the campfire around to make space for new firewood to be put in.
Henrick continued, “But this ghost knows what’s delicious and what isn’t.
It doesn’t like to eat weak women, and it prefers to eat strong women.
It especially enjoys eating the heads of women who have monstrous strength.”

Iris gulped nervously and asked, “D-does this ghost eat doppelgangers as well…?”

“Of course! It can’t get enough of doppelgangers, so much so that it would get on all fours just to eat one, since doppelgangers tend to always shift into the females of numerous races.
The ghost especially loves to eat doppelgangers who have shifted into human females, since their heads are quite fragrant and tender,” Henrick continued..

Iris trembled slightly, looking around nervously.
Meanwhile, Henrick continued his story.
“The ghost looks like a human male, and it usually lurks in the darkness before suddenly showing up.
It’s usually quite handsome, since it has to entice women to come to it.
Anyway, the ghost would suddenly show up and grab the woman's head without a hint of expression on its face.”

Iris’ shoulders started to tremble, and she asked in a shaky voice that was on the verge of tears, “Does that ghost live in this forest too…?”

“There’s no telling where it is.
It could be anywhere for all we know,” Henrick said in the same eerie voice.

“Stop it.
Can’t you see that Iris unni is starting to get scared?” Shaneth rebuked him as she scooped soup into a bowl.

“Isn’t that the purpose of horror stories in the first place?” Henrick grumbled.

“I’m tired,” Kang Yoon-Soo said as he suddenly popped up out of nowhere and sat beside Iris.

“Kyaaaah!”

Pukeok!

Kang Yoon-Soo immediately ducked, and the tree behind him was split in half as it was struck by Iris’ fist.

“When did you arrive?” Henrick asked with a look of surprise.

“Just now,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied as he tied the horse to a tree and let out a yawn.

The goddess had sent Kang Yoon-Soo and his horse to where his party members were to make it easier for him.

Iris immediately ran toward Shaneth and clung to her after Kang Yoon-Soo sat beside her, crying out, “My head does not taste good!”

“What’s wrong with her?” Kang Yoon-Soo asked.

“It’s alright, unni.
Kang Yoon-Soo doesn’t eat people… I think…?” Shaneth said, trying to console Iris.

“Have you met the person you were supposed to meet?” Henrick asked.

“Yeah,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

Kang Yoon-Soo looked quite haggard and exhausted.
The fatigue that had accumulated due to his lack of sleep had hit him all at once when the Frost Demon’s Winter Fragment was removed from him.

“Have some soup.
You look really tired,” Shaneth said as she passed a bowl of soup to Kang Yoon-Soo.

“Thanks,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

Shaneth looked at him worriedly and asked, “Shall I give you a shoulder massage later?”

“Yeah,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

“That lucky bastard.
He has a beauty who will give him massages whenever he’s tired,” Henrick grumbled.

Iris, having finally managed to calm down, looked at Kang Yoon-Soo’s lower body and asked in surprise, “Eh? What are those strands of hair?”

There were strands of bright-colored hair hanging out of Kang Yoon-Soo’s pocket, glowing like a halogen light.

Iris lifted the strands of hair up to her nose and sniffed them before saying, “They smell really good.”

“They’re quite long.
Is that a woman’s hair?” Shaneth sharply asked.

Kang Yoon-Soo tried to remember where the strands of hair came from, and the only culprit he could think of was Yuriel.
He muttered, “I guess she gave me these as a parting gift.”

Shaneth suddenly froze and dropped the bowl of soup in shock before exclaiming, “A woman gave you her hair as a parting gift…?”

“No.” Kang Yoon-Soo corrected her and continued, “She was an angel.”

“You cheeky bastard! You could have at least told me you were going to a meeting like that,” Henrick said mockingly while clicking his tongue.

Shaneth bit her lips and trembled before saying, “I never imagined you would be someone like this! I thought you were loyal and would only like one person! Were you hiding a lover in this place?!” She seemed visibly upset, with betrayal and shame written on her face.
It was as if she were trying to say ‘How could you do this to me after you kissed me?!’.

“That’s not it,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

It took quite a while for Kang Yoon-Soo to clear up the misunderstanding, but Shaneth still did not seem to be convinced.
She looked at him skeptically and asked, “You’re telling us you went to the Angelic Temple?”

“Yes,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied with a nod.
Then, he realized it would be fine to ask their opinion.
It was his first time seeing a request from the goddess herself, and there were no clues at all as well.
As such, he figured it would be better to have other people’s opinions on the matter.
He told them everything he had talked about with the goddess, except the parts about his regressions and the Demon Lord.

“The one who shouldn’t exist in this world…” Henrick muttered, rubbing his chin before continuing, “It’s definitely going to be difficult to find that person.
There are tons of people that the world would be better off without, even looking in one city alone.”

“I don’t think it’s something as simple as that.
If this person is related to something that can even reduce the goddess’ powers, don’t you think this is a part of something much larger?” Shaneth replied.

“What do you mean?” Henrick asked, his brow rising.

“Hmm… Maybe an intruder from another world, for example?” Shaneth mused.

“Hey, you punk.
That guy’s an intruder from another world as well if you put it like that,” Henrick shot back, pointing at Kang Yoon-Soo with his chin.

“Oh? You’re right, now that I think about it,” Shaneth replied.

Henrick suddenly snapped his finger and exclaimed, “Couldn’t it be something like this? The goddess’ powers diminished because the Travelers kept crossing over to the continent?”

“That sounds like a plausible theory as well, but it should be a single person, since the quest called them ‘the one who should not exist in this world’,” Shaneth said.

The conversation carried on with numerous theories and ideas, proving to be much better than Kang Yoon-Soo racking his own brains trying to come up with ideas.
He was swept up in a feeling of nostalgia, thinking, ‘Thinking together, worrying together, and discussing things together…’ It was nothing special, but the sensation felt new to him.

He had always felt alone, and he had always been alone.
The memories he had of his prior regressions were only known to him, and that had made him feel as if it were just natural for him to tackle everything by himself—since he already knew what was going to happen.

‘I guess I have to tell them everything if the right time comes…’ Kang Yoon-Soo thought.
That meant everything about his regressions, the Demon Lord, and his relationships with them in his previous life.

He wanted to enjoy the melancholy a little bit more, but his body was just too tired to stay up.

“Oh right,” he added, looking at Shaneth as he continued, “Don’t secretly throw away the booze when I go to sleep.”

“H-how did you know…?” Shaneth asked, her eyes wide open in shock.

Kang Yoon-Soo could no longer be bothered to respond.
Instead, he finally said what he had wanted to say for some time.

“Massage my shoulders.”