On a desolate mountain with barren lands, a sole figure dressed in blood-stained clothes stood on top of the rocky peak, looking down at the huge army waiting for him.
Jua Gu's blood-soaked red lips rose up in a mocking smile. "I really brought the three countries together... isn't that a great feat?" he coughed out blood.
'The righteous clan they call themselves. But they all hide their hideous intentions in the name of righteousness.'
Once upon a time, he too followed the righteous cultivation, neither killing nor hurting another life. But what did he gain from that? His dead master's blood-soaked corpse was all that was left.
Jua Gu tightly clutching his aching chest. 'Righteous clan? they are nothing but monsters!'
Warm blood dripped from his open chest. The beating heart was already gone. He was just a husk of the living oscillating between the land of the living and the undead.
"h-he's weakened!!!!! Kill that demon!!!!" the army roared as they charged at him.
Jua simply watched them with a bright smile. "Little ants... they think they can kill me so easily," with a raise of his hand the bright afternoon sky turned gloomy.
Scavengers flew around, letting out dangerous cries.
The army that was charging at him so confidently froze.
The ground under them shook violently and out came skeletal hands, grabbing onto the soldier's
"It's the undead army…...Retreat!! Retreat!"
Jua Gu laughed out loud. 'Yes... run like rats… run and hide…" he waved his hands and the undead bones that had risen from the barren ground rushed towards the living with rocks and spare swords they found on the ground.
The whole army was shaken by a few undead bones.
The tides were turning.
Jua Gu was winning.
He sat down, holding his chest. The huge cut on his chest was unhealing and the blood loss was uncontrollable.
Suddenly, a huge sword stabbed right through his body from behind.
"you came…." He gazed back with a small smile on his blood-stained lips.
With tears in his eyes, his friend and sworn brother stood above his kneeling body. "you deserve to die. It's only fair that I kill you with my own hands, brother*"
Gazing at the sky, Jua Gu chuckled. "I came to this world an innocent, but this world made me a wicked mage…I kept away from killing, but what did that get me? It only got my master killed. The world is not fair to the weak. Only the strong can reclaim their own destiny. I did that…. why is it unfair for me to live…" slowly the shine in his azure blue eyes dimmed until only grey orbs was left eerily staring at the sky.
The skeletal army all dropped to the ground seconds later
"The great necromancer was defeated!!! Hurray to the hero!!!"
Everyone loudly proclaimed as they jumped and danced around in joy.
Jua Gu's departed soul saw all this standing on the same hilltop. But this time, he did not have that remnant of resentment he felt when he was alive.
his sworn brother knelt on the ground, sobbing silently.
'Why is he crying? isn't killing me his ultimate life goal... maybe I deprived him of a great purpose in life now that I'm dead.' he smiled at his younger brother softly. 'I wish you could live happily.'
The other cultivators pushed him out of the way and stomped his soulless body.
Even when he saw the ignorant human's stupid actions, he did not feel any sense of remorse.
'Finally, I'm dead….' he gazed at the sky with a smile.
this was the last resting place he had chosen for himself. and this was also where his master was buried.
Jua Gu walked up to the slightly dug-up mud spot and knelt down. That is where his heart lay along with his master. 'My revenge for you is completed, master… finally, I surrendered what I owe you, master. my heart.'
he had ruthlessly torn his heart out and buried it along with his master. "I desperately wanted to join you in death, body and soul, but those righteous cultivators will not let us rest in peace, master," his transparent hand gently touched the ground. "So, I gave you my heart this way... it will only beat for you…"
'I wish... I wish I could meet him again. my dear master. This time I'll protect you.'
A small whitish light appeared by his side. Soon it started to get intense, pulling his soul towards it.
"its all wishful thinking." He freely smiled. "It's hell that awaits me on the other side," He jumped in voluntarily.
To his surprise, he walked into a huge hall. It was bigger than the Tariius mountain scaling as high as 20000 feet high and so wide that his eyes couldn't see the end of this place. It was completely crowded with people in different attires walking here and there.
Jua Gu curiously tugged at a person close to him. "is this hell?"
"Huh? No, we are in Redemption space."
He tilted his head with a frown. "What is that?"
"oh you're new here," the kind young man patted his back.
Jua instinctively dodged his touch.
"You see, hell doesn't exist. We sinned souls are given a chance to pay back for all the sins we have committed. That is through Redemption programs. We simply do a few tasks in a few worlds and, just like that, our sins are washed off. In our next brit we will have a happy life," the man said, finally facing him. Half of the young man's face was burned and completely charred.
When he noticed Jua staring at his face, he awkwardly touched himself. "I was born into a difficult family... my father abused my sisters... I fought back... I ended up killing him. That kind of got me too." He sheepishly smiled. "But I'm glad my sisters get to live a happy life. I saw them... they are with our aunt. She is kind and loves my sister."
He simply reached out to pat his shoulders. Once again, Jua dodged. The man awkwardly smiled and waved it off. "I have been working just for a while, but my bad karma for killing a human is almost washed off. After I complete the next mission, I will be reincarnated and I will also be given a wish. I will wish to have a very beautiful family and a sister like my baby Kia…" he said with tears in his eyes.
Jua Gu's body started to tremble in excitement as he heard of this wish. 'I... I can wish my master alive... I can wish for everything to change as it was before... I could meet him again…'
he controlled himself and cleared his throat. it was too soon. he had no clue if this lucrative wish would even be fulfilled.
"So how do you get your missions?"
"Oh, you have to line up first. They will calculate the amount of sin you have accumulated and will assign you a task accordingly. We will mostly be sent to small worlds where we have to play a small part in pushing the plot. Nothing else."
Jua Gu was already walking toward the said line. A few confused people stood in the short line. As soon as he joined them, they all gave him a weird look at the gaping hole in his chest.
He gazed down at his own body. His chest was wide open and his orgasms were ripped out, hanging around for fun. It was a wonder how that young man was able to talk calmly to him without changing his face.
The line moved quickly and soon it was his turn.
A young woman sat on the counter. "Please place your hand on the counter. we will analyze your karma points," she said in a dull tone without even looking p.
Jua Gu placed his bloodstained hand on the counter.
Soon the whole table lit up red and started to beep loudly.
The dazed young lady snapped out of her sleepy state and looked up at him in shock. "its... its code red! We have a code red."
Then the lights turned a bright green.
"What is going on…" Jua Gu looked at her with a brow raised. 'Am I not worthy of rebirth... but I want to see my master again in my next birth…'
the lady scrambled around to take a few papers. "Mister… Jua Gu you will be sent to the higher authorities. Please follow the red line," she pointed to the light.
Suddenly, a bright red line lit up on the pure white floor.
Jua Gu stood at the counter, unmoving. "Why? Am I going to be obliterated? I do not want that"
he was desperate… he wanted to see his master alive… for that, he needed to finish these tasks.
"y-your karma has exceeded the limit… I am not authorized to assign you any task. Only my superior can." She said fearfully, trembling.
Jua Gu lifted the hood off his face and kindly smiled at her. "Thank you,"
Subtly, he noticed the young lady's face change. Her pale face had a slight pink hue to it.
"You're welcome... I mean it's my duty... you don't need to thank me…... It... your soul will not be obliterated! It's going to be okay,"
"I hope so."
he followed the red line that led him up to a glass stairwell. Looking up he couldn't see the end of it. "This is going to be interesting... looks like I'm meeting the god of 'hell'"
Slowly, he started his ascent.
he walked for what seemed like an eternity before he reached the top floor. The red line led to a huge white door.
Jua Gu threw open the door and walked in regally. Inside was a huge library with a few tons of books lying around casually. Some of the books were floating around with a bit of a golden halo around them. And some books appear grey and lifeless.
One book, in fact, caught his attention.
It was a book with a dark gray cover and it was title was glowing red. Somehow, that attracted him to it.
"How long do I have to wait for you guys." a soft high-pitched voice was heard behind him. "The dead worlds have to be cleaned off the shelf. so many in red, tsk they are asking me to solve it soon! Who can even enter those worlds?"
Gazing back, he could not spot anyone. Jua Gu frowned. "Who is it?"
"I'm right here," the voice called again.
He looked down to the ground to see a two-foot-tall young child. He looked like he was about five or six years old.
Jua Gu blinked at him. The child blinked back.
"You're not cleaning staff... you're an actual dead soul!"
This was the first time a kid was brave enough to even stand in front of him. Every time he tried to approach children; they would run away crying. He did not mean to. Sometimes he only wanted to help those kids in need, but it would backfire.
It was his appearance, or maybe the constant bloody smell on his body, that made them fearful.
He never got to experience talking to a child.
He squatted down to the boy's height and placed a hand awkwardly on his head. "There. there. you will be reborn and live a good life,"
The young boy scoffed and shook his hands off. "I'm not a soul like you. I'm the imperial being. Don't lay your hands on me so carelessly. So many worlds depend on me." He held his wrist in a usually tight grip.
Jua Gu looked at his teeny tiny hand. "You are stronger than you look,"
"And I'm older than I look," the boy said with a glare. he let go and adjusted his hairstyle. "After a thousand years, I finally have a red soul. I'm so glad you're here~ I have tons of jobs for you."
Jua Gu curiously looked around. "I'm red because I've sinned too much?"
"Partially yes, it's also because your soul is strong. You can definitely be able to survive in these worlds." The young boy cheerfully rubbed his chubby hands together.
'Cute…' he thought in his head, but he didn't say it out loud.
"Come let's get you ready as fast as we can." The boy took him over to what looked like a wardrobe. But nothing was inside it.
Jua Gu just gazed at him for instructions.
"Go on in then. We don't have time to waste."
He was pushed in.
A bright light flashed before him and right before his eyes Jua Gu watched his soul body start to heal up. his tattered cloak changed into a simple cotton shirt that came down to his knees and a pair of loose pants.
He walked out of there with a small smile. "What magic do you guys use to change clothes? I like it,"
"We don't share our secrets." The kid pushed him out. "Quick let's go," he snapped his fingers and a glowing red book flew over to him. "First, let's deal with this. You will get your task as soon as you enter the world. It would be kind of simple, actually. You don't have to stress yourself." He tossed it up.
the book hovered close to his face. it was the same book that had caught his attention as soon as he entered this place.
Jua Gu grabbed it and soon he was pulled into the familiar vortex.
"Here are your props you can use it to…" he looked at the empty space in front of him. The red glowing book had half turned blue. "Oh my god, he left without his props! I lost another soul to this world! what am I going to do!" he gazed back at the countless books that were glowing red. "They are all going to die."
he planned on giving the red soul some props since the world he was going to enter was very dangerous, but it was too late. Jua Gu was already gone.
It had been a few thousand years and all these worlds remain on the edge of destruction. He had temporarily pressed the pause button on them. Without someone to solve the internal issue, the world will die off.
Usually, these new small worlds depend majorly on the protagonist's energy, but when the protagonist dies unexpectedly before they complete their destined life achievements, these worlds turn unstable and red. They will self-destruct without any assistance.
The young boy sighed loudly. 'I need to find another red soul!'