Only I Am A Reader

"Already?"

The scarlet dragon inscribed on the Heavenly Demon's black robe almost seemed alive as he propped his head forward, staring into Cheon Jeong's eyes even more intensely.

'As expected.'

The scene where the future Heavenly Demon met the current Heavenly Demon was skipped in the novel in favor of showing more details of the protagonist making preparations for the upcoming war. All the readers got to know was the end results of the meeting, but most of them came up with a lot of convincing theories as the story progressed further.

"I didn't expect the phenomenon mentioned in the Heavenly Records to appear at my time. Should I call myself unlucky…"

The Heavenly Strength Society was very chill about the situation in the early stages of the war. Whether it was fighting force, tactics… They came on top for a while, hoarding the position of the Murim's behemoth. At least, until they ended up facing the greatest catastrophe that the Society had faced since the great reformation.

Most readers expected a big reveal that the Heavenly Strength Society was in cahoots with the monsters or related to them in one way or another. Some others wondered if they were making use of the monsters to take over Murim. However, none of them were completely correct.

"Or maybe I'm just lucky?"

'Another hidden or discarded plot?'

At one point in time, it was hard to deny the Society's knowledge of the monsters, but their relationship was the exact opposite of everyone's expectations. The pressure exuding from the Heavenly Demon intensified, not caring about suppressing his killing intent! Just like it became obvious to the rest of the audience, Leo knew that the Heavenly Demon was at complete odds with the monsters!

"Alright, let's continue this talk later. We first have to finish the topic in hand."

All of the sudden, the threat in the air suddenly vanished as the Society Leader's eyes moved back to Leo's group. To begin with, the intention behind this audience was to discuss the future of the Heavenly Furnace's top graduates!

"Well… They aren't identically great, but they did all do well in a surprise situation like that. Having them join another squad seems like a total waste though…"

Despite giving the cold image of an evil boss, the Heavenly Demon acted like an easy-going big brother who liked to talk a lot. There was no solemn silence nor sudden orders, only by sensing his heavy aura would one understand why he deserved his title.

"I got it! Let's have them form a squad ready to deal with those invaders!"

It was obvious that four fresh graduates would never be incapable of completely dealing with all the monsters from the Heavenly Strength Society's side. Anyone could understand that they would be one of the many forces prepared for that cause. Besides…

"The Blade Spirit will be put in charge of this small squad. Jeong! You will be responsible for giving them orders and deciding on their future steps. Remember to report back to me about it, especially-"

After saying a few words, the Heavenly Demon's lips were shut close as his scarlet eyes focused on Yeon. Just like he did earlier, he finished the rest of his words using Sound Transmission, but Leo could already guess what they were talking about.

Although the Society Leader could have used Sound Transmission from the very start, he was speaking out loud on purpose. The fact that he emphasized getting reports was to remind the budding seeds that even their leader would be watching. It was a very straightforward manner, but he was giving them pressuring motivation to do their best.

'It's starting.'

Still, most of these words seemed to be directed at Yeon. Despite managing to attain the same achievement as her, Leo didn't entirely stand as her equal. The hints of scarlet in her pupils naturally didn't escape the Heavenly Demon's eyes, this was a very obvious omen about the Scarlet Sky Eyes' manifestation!

Being talented was a prerequisite, but it wasn't enough to stand at the top. Having the right talent was much more important! Compared to Leo whose 'talents' were as balanced as possible, Yeon's all-encompassing Internal Energy Affinity was much more pleasing to the eyes.

Most importantly, just affinity wasn't enough to show the ability that Yeon displayed. Unlike the original Baekho whose suffering was dulled by his mental incapability or Leo whose life had many faces to it, Yeon's agony greatly matched with the Scarlet Sky's core! She was simply a perfect match with the Heavenly Strength Society!

"As for you… Is he yours, Spearhead?"

However, the Heavenly Demon's eyes suddenly moved to Leo before turning back to Cheon Chang. It wasn't at the level of Yeon, but there was still a hint of interest in his eyes.

'They are that close?'

Although calling someone 'spearhead' seemed like an insult, things were different when the speaker happened to be the Heavenly Demon. Rather, it made them look like close friends who liked to tease each other…

Deserving of his little screen time, Cheon Chang remained stiff and silent as usual. Leo could see how they could be related considering that this senior brother of his was the past Heavenly Demon's student. In fact, he wasn't even sure if the current Heavenly Demon was stronger than the Absolute Spear!

"In that case, I should be expecting something from you as well. It might be more fun this time!"

The Society Leader's words were confusing, but Leo understood that it had something to do with the future full of conflict. Whether it was fighting monsters, other factions or even battling for the Heavenly Strength Society's throne. All of these were things that he seemed to be interested in.

"Anyway, you can go now, I look forward to hearing more about you four. Jeong! Be sure to give them what they deserve."

One of the two black robed men standing on the two sides of the stairs moved forward to give Cheon Jeong something before opening the door to the outside. Just like that, the group's short meeting with the Society Leader came to an end.

`~~~`~~~`~~~`

Shhhhhhhik!

Returning to his room after so long, Leo collapsed in the bed as he remembered the unrealistic pressure that he experienced. Once again, he was reminded by how skewed his vision was.

Even though he had already interacted with people who had similarly occupied a position at the top of the murim's pyramid. Both Cheon Chang and Cheon Jeong had never given up such a vibe due to their friendliness and attempt to lay low. However, he had now finally experienced the true terror of someone at their level of ability!

'Even inside the novel itself, my immersion still isn't up to par…'

The same reason behind his informational advantage had been acting up as a disadvantage of its own. Everything was as real as it could be, but other than Yeon who was characteristically linked to him, every other character didn't feel completely real. Being able to predict their words, or even their thoughts made them feel more like NPCs at times…

The addition of a hidden character like Cheon Chang seemed like a good change of pace for Leo, but his lack of words and expressions soon proved him wrong. In the end, Leo feared that he was slowly taking this world less seriously as the days went by!

Having already been experiencing such a fantasy-like life, Leo wasn't exactly greedy for more immersion. Rather, he only didn't want to forget how dangerous it was to live in the Murim. After orchestrating such a big chain of changes at the Mount Hua Sword Conference, he was unconsciously overestimating himself for knowing most things…

'This meeting was really crucial.'

The more he involved himself in the world and tried to actively change it, the farther his thoughts wandered. Compared to just evading or blocking immediate danger like he did in the Sword Continent, this was starting to get addicting to Leo. Fortunately for him, coming in contact with the Heavenly Demon's unrestrained might was a much needed wake up call, but Leo had no way of telling if he would overdo it again soon.

'Shouldn't be as easy at least…'

In the same manner, the more he changed things, the higher the number of people that were starting to break out from their character pattern. It wouldn't be too obvious this early, but it was bound to appear frequently in time… Unless the author's plot acted like a magnet that forcefully pulled everyone back in.

'Only time can tell.'

Immortal characters in various novels held on well before they started going crazy, but Leo felt like he was slowly losing the concept of time now that the years he experienced had crossed the line of 30, their blurry memory making an even bigger number in addition. Still, it wasn't that bad.

Leo could tell… If he fixated himself on every passing second, things will only feel much worse. With the potential to go through even more long-lasting worlds, this was more like a defense mechanism that his mind had activated if anything.

Drifting away in thoughts he couldn't afford to have at other times, Leo was suddenly overcome by the most natural sleep that he had experienced in a while. Rather than him wanting to, his mind was simply relieving itself from all the complications going inside by putting him down to sleep.

'Might as well…'

Surrendering himself to the urge, Leo floated into the world of dreams in preparation for the next phase of this new life of his…