Record of a Thousand Lives

Chapter 136

Kang Yoon-Soo walked the streets as a prisoner on death row, even as hundreds of imperial soldiers were scouring the streets in search of the escaped prisoners. The alertness and focus in the soldiers’ eyes showed that they were not mere run-of-the-mill soldiers, but rather well-trained ones.

‘I have to buy time for now,’?Kang Yoon-Soo thought. He ran up to the highest ranking officer while huffing and puffing, saying, “I have spotted one of the escapees on the other side of the marketplace.”

“Really? But why did you not chase after him?” the officer asked.

“That is… He jumped over a wall, and I could not chase him with my skills…” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

“You useless trash…! This is why I kept telling them that you executioners were useless!” The officer spat out a curse, then assembled twenty soldiers and sent them to the marketplace.

Soon, a scream rang out from the marketplace.

“Keuuaaaah!”

[The prisoner Babil has been executed!]

[The Unity of the Resistance has been activated!]

[Babil’s abilities have been distributed to the other rebel leaders.]

Kang Yoon-Soo did not stop there, however.

“Hey, Orcon. You’re Orcon, right?” an executioner, who was wearing the exact same kind of mask Kang Yoon-Soo had, said as he drew closer. The executioner waved his hand when he saw Kang Yoon-Soo gripping the halberd more tightly in his hand.

“Damn it, can’t you tell from my voice? It’s me, Kilson. I’m a prisoner like you,” the prisoner named Kilson, who was also disguised as an executioner, said. Kilson continued with a snicker, “So you had the same idea of disguising yourself as an executioner, eh? Hehe. Good, let’s escape to the hideout while these imperial soldiers are busy looking for us. I can’t wait to taste the ass of that bitch we kidnapped!”

However, Kang Yoon-Soo did not lower his halberd. In fact, he swung his halberd in a large sweep, smacking Kilson on the mouth and loudly smashing his teeth and tongue.

“Kuheok!”?Kilson groaned in pain.

“There’s a prisoner hiding over here!” Kang Yoon-Soo shouted loudly. Soon, the imperial soldiers gathered like a swarm of angry hornets.

The imperial officer rushed over and subdued Kilson before ripping the mask off his face. The officer was surprised to see Kilson’s bloody face beneath the mask. He asked, “How did you know this guy was a prisoner?”

“His teeth were aligned quite similarly to those of the notorious criminal, Kilson,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

“An excellent observation!” the imperial officer exclaimed. He extended his hand toward Kang Yoon-Soo and said, “I am Cahill Rwehill, an imperial officer. Remember my name; you will be promoted into an imperial soldier in one or two months.”

“It is an honor,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied as he shook Cahill’s hand.

Kilson looked at the sight of Kang Yoon-Soo shaking hands with Cahill with eyes full of rage, but he could not muster any intelligible words, as his tongue and teeth had been smashed in. He spouted gibberish while groaning, “Ngharo! Ngharo! Ooon! Sonobabishya!”

“Shut up, you imbecile!” the imperial officer said before stabbing his sword into Kilson’s abdomen. Kilson squirmed, then fell dead to the ground.

[The prisoner Kilson has been executed!]

[The Unity of the Resistance has been activated!]

[Kilson’s abilities have been distributed to the other rebel leaders.]

Kang Yoon-Soo did not even look at Kilson’s dead body as he told the imperial officer, “I have made my own calculations as to which escape routes the prisoners will take. I would like to join your forces, if that is alright with you, officer-nim.”

It was a very brazen request. Executioners were usually looked down on by the imperial soldiers, as they were considered to be barbarians who only knew how to cut through people’s necks.

Cahill laughed as if he found Kang Yoon-Soo’s request amusing, then remarked, “A lowly executioner dares to join an imperial officer’s army?”

“I am confident,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

“Did you not just tell me a while ago that you lost one of the prisoners because you were unable to climb over a wall?” Cahill asked sarcastically.

“That is why I felt the need to join your forces no matter what. It would be impossible for me to track them on my own,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

“It is amusing how you are so quick to admit to your own weakness. Fine! Let us see how good you are. Go and lead the way!” Cahill shouted in a booming, commanding voice.

Kang Yoon-Soo started walking without an ounce of hesitation in his steps, and the imperial army followed behind him. The sight would be considered a real spectacle if only people knew that the person the imperial army was currently following was the very prisoner they were looking for.

Kang Yoon-Soo walked quickly while thinking, ‘Indeed, I’m very free now.”

The actions he would take during the trials did not affect reality. That meant there would be no changes whatsoever to the Reorkan Empire even if Kang Yoon-Soo assassinated the emperor in this trial. That was the case for Kilson, who had just died because of Kang Yoon-Soo’s betrayal. He had been executed because of Kang Yoon-Soo, but in the real world, he had actually survived and became the leader of the rebels.

‘None of the things I do in here will affect reality,’?Kang Yoon-Soo thought. That meant he was free to do whatever he wanted in this world. He kept walking while thinking, ‘I can go on a rampage here.’

They spotted a prisoner walking through an alley as soon as they turned the corner. The prisoner was shocked when he saw the imperial soldiers, exclaiming in surprise, “H-How did they find me?!”

“Kill him!” Cahill ordered loudly while pointing his sword at the prisoner.

The prisoner resisted with all of his might, but in the end he was no match against the group of veteran imperial soldiers and the imperial officer.

[The prisoner Riin has been executed!]

[The Unity of the Resistance has been activated!]

[Riin’s abilities have been distributed to the other rebel leaders.]

Cahill swung his bloody sword and said, “The prisoners we are encountering now are quite a bit stronger than the previous ones. Are there two more left?”

“That is correct,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied. He felt the halberd in his hand slowly getting lighter. It had been a little bit heavy in the beginning, but it was as light as a feather now that three prisoners had died. He immediately began walking once again and said, “The fourth prisoner is over there.”

“Your skills in tracking are quite excellent,” Cahill said, not holding back his praise.

They eventually found the final prisoner after a long march. It was the prisoner who had first told Kang Yoon-Soo to run when he started the trial.

“Damned imperial dogs!” the cornered prisoner shouted as he charged at the imperial soldiers.

He enveloped both of his fists in fire and swung them against the imperial soldiers, instantly killing six of them. A spear pierced through his leg and a few arrows lodged in his chest, but he resisted fiercely, roaring, “My strength is the legacy left behind by my dead comrades!”

A few of the imperial soldiers trembled in response, but Cahill raised his sword and shouted, “You’re not like the others, I’ll give you that!”

The prisoner fought to his final breath, but it was nowhere near enough for him to fight against a whole army. He slowly became exhausted, eventually dying at Cahill’s hands. The imperial officer fiercely swung his sword and cut off the prisoner’s head.

[The prisoner Hakan has been executed!]

[The Unity of the Resistance has been activated!]

[Hakan’s abilities have been distributed to the final surviving rebel leader.]

[You have become the final leader of the resistance.]

[You have obtained all of the abilities, levels, and skills of the deceased rebel leaders.]

“Quite a few died this time,” Cahill muttered while he looked around. The only ones left were himself, twenty soldiers, and the executioner. He looked at the quick-witted executioner and asked, “Where is the final prisoner?”

“That is me,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied, then quickly swung his halberd and severed Cahill’s neck.

Pukeok!

Cahill could not even let out a scream as he was beheaded by the executioner. His head rolled right next to that of the prisoner he had just beheaded moments before.

[You have killed Cahill, the imperial officer.]

[You have obtained clues about gaining additional rewards.]

[The leader of the rebel forces, Orcon, harbors intense hatred toward the Reorkan Empire.]

[Feed his hatred by slaughtering the imperial soldiers.]

[You will obtain an additional reward if you manage to slay three hundred imperial soldiers before escaping to the hideout.]

“D-Damn it!”

The soldiers hurriedly raised their weapons as Kang Yoon-Soo violently swung his halberd.

Sukeok!

“Guuuah!”

The twenty imperial soldiers could not even put up a fight, and they were cut down by Kang Yoon-Soo.

“Haaa…” Kang Yoon-Soo exhaled as he took off the mask. He saw his reflection in the blade of the halberd. It was a stranger’s face covered in blood.

‘I need a drink,’?he thought. However, he had no time to look for alcohol, as the time allotted for the first trial only lasted until sunset. Failure would carry the massive penalty of leaving him in a coma for thirty days. He thought, ‘I have no choice.’

He pressed a button on his wrist device. It was one of the few things he had brought with him into the trial. Of course, others could not see the wrist device.

[Current Skills]

Unity of the Resistance

Touch of Fire

Summon Hellsteed

Awakening of Rebellion

Arrows of Wrath

The skills of each of the rebel leaders had been transferred to Kang Yoon-Soo. The rebel leaders actually had excellent skills and abilities, but they had been unable to even put up a fight, as they were unarmed during their escape.

However, Kang Yoon-Soo was different. He drew the imperial officer’s sword that had belonged to Cahill and muttered, “Touch of Fire.”

A flame appeared in his hand before transferring over to the sword, setting it ablaze. It was not as strong as Shaneth’s flame, but it was still usable nonetheless.

Kang Yoon-Soo walked toward the dead bodies of the imperial soldiers and muttered, “Summon Hellsteed.”

[You have to offer six different weapons and six corpses to summon a Hellsteed.]

[You have fulfilled the conditions.]

[The Hellsteed will constantly try to destroy everything and go on a rampage.]

[The Hellsteed only obeys evildoers.]

[Trying to mount the Hellsteed without prior preparation is an act of suicide.]

A cloud of darkness spun in midair, and a large, muscular dark horse walked out of it. The horse neighed aggressively. “Neeeiiiigh!”

Kang Yoon-Soo stood in front of the Hellsteed. The Hellsteed tried to bring its hooves down on him, but suddenly stopped. It looked at the man with his face covered in blood, then approached him and licked his face.

“Neiiiigh!”

[The Hellsteed likes you.]

[The evil deeds you have done until now have increased the Hellsteed’s loyalty to the limit.]

Kang Yoon-Soo wiped the dark horse’s saliva on his face with his sleeve. He thought, ‘This will be more than enough to use as a mount.’

It would take him less than twenty minutes to reach the hideout with the Hellsteed, but he had to kill three hundred imperial soldiers. The sun was already starting to sink below the horizon. He thought, ‘There’s no time. I have to kill them on the way there.’

Kang Yoon-Soo mounted the Hellsteed. He had no saddle or reins on the horse, but it easily understood what its owner wanted and galloped full-speed ahead.

The remaining imperial soldiers were shocked when they saw a gigantic horse suddenly emerge into the streets.

“W-What the hell is that horse?!”

“Is it a monster? There’s a person riding it!”

Kang Yoon-Soo swung his burning sword, instantly severing the necks of three veteran imperial soldiers. Only then did the remaining soldiers shout in shock.

“It’s the prisoner! He’s the final prisoner!”

“Hurry up! Mount your horses and give chase!”

The imperial soldiers quickly mounted their horses and chased after Kang Yoon-Soo. The number of soldiers on his tail soon ballooned to more than one hundred. Kang Yoon-Soo turned his body around and drew a bow he had stolen from one of the soldiers, firing several shining arrows at his pursuers.

Ping! Ping! Ping! Ping!

“Keuh!”

The imperial soldiers hit by the arrows fell one by one. Arrows of Wrath was a skill that allowed one to shoot multiple arrows at once even without any arrows, just by using mana.

Kang Yoon-Soo swung his sword at the riders who managed to catch up to him, while firing arrows at the ones chasing him from behind. The imperial soldiers could no longer focus on subduing the prisoner, as they were beginning to be overwhelmed by Kang Yoon-Soo’s relentless barrage.

“Halt!”

Three imperial soldiers blocked Kang Yoon-Soo’s path. They were much larger than ordinary soldiers, and they were all carrying large clubs on their backs. They were none other than Troll soldiers. They had excellent combat capabilities, but their intelligence was very low, so it was unusual to see them working as soldiers. That could only mean the royal palace had sent reinforcements.

‘I have to hurry,’?Kang Yoon-Soo thought as he jumped off his horse and ferociously swung his sword in all directions.

“Keuheuuuk!”

Kang Yoon-Soo’s flaming sword left deep wounds on the Trolls’ bodies, even though they had tremendous regeneration capabilities. The Hellsteed charged at the Trolls, smashing and crushing them under its hooves.

Kang Yoon-Soo soon hopped onto the Hellsteed once again, then fired arrows at the Trolls' heads. They fell one by one and died.

“What the hell is that guy?!”

“We have to catch that guy! He’s a threat to the empire!”

The imperial soldiers stubbornly continued chasing after him even after they had left the city. However, Kang Yoon-Soo continued firing arrows at the chasing imperial soldiers and killing them one by one, and the Hellsteed showed no signs of tiring at all.

The sun eventually started to set, casting its orange hue over the lands.

“Oh, whirlwind of fire! May you burn the evildoer trying to run away from his sins!”

A whirlwind enveloped in fire suddenly rose up from the ground. The royal magicians had made their appearance.

Kang Yoon-Soo jumped off the Hellsteed, dodging off to one side.

“Neiiiiigh!”?The Hellsteed neighed in agony as it was engulfed by the fire.

Kang Yoon-Soo rolled across the ground; his destination, the hideout of the rebel forces, was a short distance away from where he was. He ran as quickly as he could.

Shwiiiing! Shwiiiing! Shwiiing!

Arrows rained down from behind him, and one of the arrows hit him precisely in the back and broke his spine.

Kang Yoon-Soo bit his lips and muttered, “Awakening of the Rebellion…” His spine suddenly stopped breaking apart for a moment, as an explosion of energy reinvigorated his body.

He kicked off the ground with all of his strength. His body continued being shredded by the arrows while the imperial soldiers began closing on him. Meanwhile, the royal magicians started casting their destructive spells once again.

Right at the very moment when Kang Yoon-Soo was only a step away from the rebel’s hideout, one of the imperial soldiers grabbed him by the leg. The soldier shouted, “I got him!”

The sun was starting to set, and Kang Yoon-Soo’s life was in danger. He gripped his sword tightly, then swung it down at the soldier holding his leg without hesitation.

Sukeok!

The soldier screamed, “T-This crazy bastard!”

Kang Yoon-Soo twisted his sweat-drenched body, using his last ounce of strength to throw himself into the rebel’s hideout.

It was then that his surroundings turned white.

[You have cleared the first trial!]

[You have obtained an additional reward for killing 317 imperial soldiers.]

Reward: Bronze Rock

Additional Reward: Bloody Halberd of Vengeance

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