[The Reaper King] Chapter 1

I decided to torture y’all with this. I was originally going to post this when chapter 50 of King Shura came out, but oh well. Also, expect this to be updated every few weeks, as the chapters in this web novel are pretty damn long, and I also have King Shura to translate. That’s why this novel is currently in the teasers section. 

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Chapter 1. Siu

序

He needed strength.

The strength to save his family from the detestable bandits.

He needed an unrivaled power that could wipe out every one of them.

So he went to the ‘Demon King’.

The ‘Demon King’, who was sealed within the darkest parts of a certain mountain.

I went to get power from him.

The ‘Demon King’ looked at me, who wasn’t looking very well at the moment, and asked a question.

[You want my power, kid?]

“Yes.”

The guy laughed at my answer.

After laughing for quite a while, he asked me a different question.

[What can you give me, if I give my power to you?]

Nothing was ever free.

I was young, but I already knew about this back then.

I looked at the ‘Demon King’ and bowed towards him.

“…….Anything. As long as I can get the power to destroy them, anything.”

[Anything……]

The ‘Demon King’ stroked his chin with his unusually long fingers and spoke with an amused expression.
He stretched his hand, and spoke while touching my forehead.

[What’s your name, young boy?]

“……Gongson Chun Gi.”

[Alright, Gongson Chun Gi. Your wish is granted.]

I didn’t know back then.

I didn’t know what this event meant.

When I knew about the truth in the future.

I dedicated my life in order to kill the ‘Demon King’.

– About the Demon King
Found from the memoirs of Gongson Chun Gi.

* * *

A suspicious young man whose eyes were covered by his hair.

That man stroked his smooth chin, and spoke.

“I would like to know the first impressions of the third young lord.”

“First impressions…….”

The old man who was sitting in front of the man fell to deep thought.

He soon reached a satisfactory answer, and spoke.

“He was good. At first……. It’s obvious, right? No matter what others say, his talent for martial arts really is amazing. You know it too, don’t you?”

When the man nodded, the old man wrinkled his face, as if he remembered something unpleasant.

“But what does it matter if you only have talent? He just goes around doing insane things, doesn’t he? Right?”

When the old man started complaining, the man smiled a bit for some reason.

He was surprised.

‘They’re really all the same.’

All the Guardians that taught the third young lord all had the same reaction as this old man.

At first, he was surprised, but now, these reactions were simply entertaining.

The young man started to write something down with an interested face.

“What’s that? Is that the thing the Pope talked about?”

“Yes.”

The thing that would change the future of the church.

Based on the information here, the future heir would be chosen.

“Phew, please write properly in there. If a guy like that becomes the Pope of the church, we’d be ruined.”

The man faintly smiled, and nodded.

Everything was just about ready now.

But the strange thing was his heart.

‘According to the original plan, I should be gathering information to drive out the third master……’

Strangely, the man didn’t hate the third young lord.

No, the more he investigated, the more he got interested in the young lord.

So the man rewrote the information regarding the third young lord so that it would look a little better.

‘Things would get interesting for a while.’

The man put down the brush, and smiled.

To be truthful, he still didn’t know much about the third young master.

He was just imagining what the third young master would be like based on what others had said.

And in his mind, the third young master was a very arrogant person who just did things as he pleased.

‘What kind of a person is he?’

A few days after investigating.

The man had the chance to meet the young lord, who was in his imagination previously.

And the young lord turned out to be more interesting than expected.

* * *

Red hair, with a red beard.

A middle aged man with a powerful aura about him.

This man was the current Pope of the Heavenly Demon Church, Bang Moon Chun.

And the man who was sitting in front of the Pope.

Looking at the man, whose eyes were hidden by his hair, the Pope spoke.

“Siu.”

“Yes.”

“You finished investigating?”

“Yes.”

He had enough information.

The problem was that it was hard to make a choice, even after looking at the information he had gathered.

“Hoh? May I read it?”

“Of course, your holiness.”

Siu gave the data he collected to the pope.

The Pope skimmed over the data, and smiled.

“Kuku, you investigated quite thoroughly, unlike the other guys. You’re quite meticulous.”

Siu smiled awkwardly, and scratched the back of his head.

The Pope finished skimming over Siu’s data during that time, and spoke.

“You’re the only one left out of thirty. Did you know that?”

“Yes. It seems I came a little too late.”

Siu tried smiling at the pope.

Bang Moon Chun, who was looking at Siu’s face with an amused expression, talked.

“Aren’t you being too careful? Just choose randomly.”

Siu scratched the back of his head, and spoke.

“The person I’m going to choose is going to be someone I’ll serve for my entire life, so I want to choose carefully.”

“Choose carefully……. well, you are right. Come to think of it, it did feel like the other guys were the ones that chose too quickly.”

Bang Moon Chun smirked, and grabbed the teacup in front of him.

And asked Siu a question.

“By the way, who’s the one that’s making you hesitate so much? Is it the second? Or is it the third child?”

Siu hesitated.

He didn’t know if he should answer truthfully or not.

When he saw Bang Moon Chun’s eyes, however, Siu sighed inwardly.

He couldn’t just try to avoid the question, especially after he saw the glint of curiosity in the Pope’s eyes.

“It’s the third lord.”

“Hoh? The third? You have that trouble child, Gongson Chun Gi, weighing in your mind?”

“Yes.”

Siu made an embarrassed face.

Right now, the first young lord had the highest chance of becoming the next Pope.

No, it was almost guaranteed.

Because of that, any sane person would just choose the first young lord.

‘But…….’

For some reason, there were a lot of things he was hesitating about.

Siu paused for a while, then put his head up to look at Bang Moon Chun.

“In my eyes, it seems that lord Gongson Chun Gi suits the position of the heir more.”

“That’s not something that you can determine. Of course, I can’t determine that either.”

Bang Moon Chun’s face had a playful expression on it.

Then, as if he had suddenly thought of something, he started looking at Siu with a sorrowful face.

“It would be interesting to see how everything unfolds later on……. but to you, all this would probably a very hard path to follow. The first really isn’t someone you can have as an enemy, after all.”

“…….Yes. Probably.”

Siu’s face immediately darkened.

It would be hard to fend off the attacks from the other two young lords alone.

But he didn’t regret his decision.

“But it looks like you made up your mind. That’s good. It seems that the third doesn’t have no luck at all.”

Bang Moon Chun looked at Siu, pat the man’s shoulder reassuringly, and stood up.

“Don’t you still have some time before the official date? You should try cheering up a little during that time.”

Siu saw off the Pope with a bitter smile on his face.

After looking at the Pope’s departing figure, Siu smacked his head on the wall and sighed.

He somehow just revealed his inner thoughts to the pope.

‘Should I have thought a little more carefully…….’

No matter how much he thought, the safest way to go lay with the first lord.

That man had the highest chance of becoming the heir, and he also had a lot of support from everyone.

‘The second lord might’ve been a good choice, as well…….’

If he stuck with the second lord, he would have to face many adversities, but it would be doable.

The more he struggled, the more he would get when the lord becomes the Pope.

But the lord he chose in the end was the weakest one, the one that didn’t even get recognized by everyone. It was Gongson Chun Gi, the third lord.

“Damn it, I don’t even know anymore…….”

Siu dropped down onto his bed, and closed his eyes.

He already made a choice, and he couldn’t reverse it.

He’ll have to do his best from now on.

Just… the fact that he chose Gongson Chun Gi without even seeing the lord’s face bothered him a little.

* * *

“He finally made his choice?”

“Yes, lord.”

“Who’d he choose?”

The young man with a cold aura about him.

He looked at his henchman in front of him with a bored face, and asked a question.

His henchman answered without hesitation.

The young man smiled at his henchman’s attitude.

“The guy probably went for the second. Was he called Siu? That guy’s pretty dumb for being the leader of the Black Reaper Corps.”

The suppressing aura that emanated from the whole body.

The man who naturally exuded a kingly aura was called Jun Yoon Su.

He was the first apprentice to the pope, and was known as the Bloodwind Demon in the martial world.

The man in front of Jun Yoon Su spoke with a troubled voice.

“…….He went for the third lord.”

“…….Hm? What?”

“Siu chose the third lord.”

“…….”

Jun Yoon Su made a confused expression for a second.

He put down the teacup in his hand, then laughed loudly.

“Puha! Is that true? That guy stuck with the third? The guy known as the leader of the Black Reapers?”

“Yes.”

“Isn’t there a limit to how dumb you can get? Kuhahaha!”

Jun Yoon Su’s laughter kept on getting louder as his henchman just stood there face down.

After laughing by himself for a while, Jun Yoon Su spoke again.

“I thought he was just an idiot, but he was actually a crazy fool.”

“…….”

“Things are getting quite interesting. I think these series of events have served to benefit us quite a bit, what do you think?”

“I only follow the lord’s orders.”

Jun Yoon Su nodded.

He put his hands on the armrest of his chair, and spoke.

“After the ceremony, I will be able to officially take you in. I will start mentoring you when that happens.”

“Thank you.”

Jun Yoon Su nodded, and looked out the window.

‘There’s about three years left now.’

Once he becomes the heir, he wouldn’t have anything to worry about.

You could say that the test that will take place three years later would be his final test to become the pope.

‘Well, I have no idea what the teacher planned for that…….’

Jun Yoon Su smiled.

The test that came out didn’t matter.

The second or the third definitely won’t be a match for him, anyways.

‘I wish time passed quickly.’

Jun Yoon Su, at this point, had already forgotten about the man named Siu, who chose the third over him.

* * *

Siu was busy. In the morning, no less.

He was trying to find his lord, whose face he didn’t even know of yet.

‘Just where is he?’

Today was the day where he would officially choose his lord.

But Gongson Chun Gi wasn’t even in his living quarters on this important day.

“Damn it.”

Siu’s first trial was to find his lord.

The lord he chose without even knowing the face of.

He had to find the lord and had to take the lord to the ceremonial grounds.

‘Please, show your face, lord.’

Siu went around looking at every nook and cranny of the church.

He was trying his best to find his lord.

If he was late for the ceremony, he wouldn’t just be punished.

He might actually lose his chance to partake in the test that was to take place in three years.

‘Just where are you, lord…….’

He felt as if he was going to go crazy.

He looked at the places where the lord was known to appear the most, but Siu had yet to find even a trace of his lord, Gongson Chun Gi.

But while Siu was walking around in the marketplace, he found something and stopped.

Tens of people were gathered in a single spot.

They were looking at something, and were talking amongst themselves.

When he approached the crowd with a hope, he was able to hear what the people in the crowd were talking about.

“Mom, is that the guy you said was crazy last time? The youngest disciple of the Pope?”

“Shh! Be quiet. Someone might hear.”

The child, who seemed to be a girl, flinched a bit and began whispering.

“Mom, what happens if that person becomes the heir?”

“Don’t worry. That won’t ever happen. The Pope wouldn’t make a foolish decision like that.”

“Really, mom?”

“Of course, my dear girl. So don’t worry about it.”

When Siu overheard their conversation, he put on a bitter smile.

It was expected, but the young lord was looked down on by the people quite a lot.

Thinking of the harsh path that would be laid out in front of him, Siu pushed through the crowd and took a look at what they were looking at.

He then proceeded to make an idiotic face.

‘That’s…….’

It was a dog.

A cute dog with fluffy, white fur.

Siu’s eyes were locked onto that dog.

“This is……..”

There, on the table where the dog was standing, was a feast. And there, was a single boy who was laying down, carefully feeding the dog the precious food.

“How is it, lord?”

Huff huff huff.

The dog drank the water laid out in front of him while shaking its short, stubby tail.

The boy who was presenting food to the dog politely.

Siu, who was currently observing all this, was going through a variety of emotions.

‘…….Well… I found him.’

Gongson Chun Gi.

One of the 3 disciples of the Pope, and the one known to be the craziest of them all.

Siu stared at the boy for a while, sighed, and approached the boy.

And he bowed down towards the boy.

“My name is Siu, young lord.”

“……..hm?”

“I will be the one to serve you from now on.”

Gongson Chun Gi, who was peeling the meat off the chicken for the dog, paused.

“You’re my Black Reaper?”

“Yes.”

There was a small commotion amongst the people.

The word Black Reaper carried quite a bit of significance.

Gongson Chun Gi, not caring a bit about the commotion, observed Siu, and spoke.

“Why me?”

“…….You wish to know why I chose you?”

“Yeah.”

Siu asked himself the question in his mind.

In reality, he himself didn’t know why he chose Gongson Chun Gi.

‘I can’t say I picked on instinct……’

It just felt right to choose him.

There was no other reason.

After all, even Siu didn’t know why he had chosen Gongson Chun Gi.

‘I even saw the faces of the first lord and the second lord…….’

But he didn’t feel ‘right’ about those two lords.

Once he actually settled on the third lord, however, he began to feel something strong inside himself.

While Siu was hesitating on what to say.

Gongson Chun Gi grinned.

“You just chose randomly, didn’t you?”

“………”

“You’re quite honest. I like that.”

Gongson Chun Gi fed the dog the chicken meat, then stood up.

“You came because of the ceremony?”

“……..Yes, lord.”

When Siu answered, Gongson Chun Gi carefully lifted the dog up, and spoke.

“Good. Let’s go.”

“I will guide you.”

“Sure.”

Siu headed for the Holy Soul Temple.

Gongson Chun Gi followed behind, holding the dog in his arms.

Siu made a confused face while feeling the boy’s presence behind him.

‘Why am I…….’

He felt a bit complicated.

The Gongson Chun Gi in his mind was too different compared to the Gongson Chun Gi in real life.

‘The problem is…….’

The boy he met made him even more confident.

The boy in his eyes.

The feeling that this crazy boy that was serving a dog would become a Pope in the future.

‘So why…….’

He couldn’t figure out if his instincts were weird, or if he was going crazy.

Siu hid his complicated emotion, and arrived at the temple.

“There’s quite a lot of people.”

“Yes, young lord. It seems a lot of people gathered to see the ceremony.”

“Don’t they have anything else to do?”

Gongson Chun Gi whispered this in his mind, and hugged the dog closer to himself.

They slowly walked into the gate.

“Lord Gongson Chun Gi has come!”

When the guard shouted this with a loud shout, everyone in the temple looked at the entrance.

This included the first disciple, Jun Yoon Su, and the second disciple, Gwon Gang Min.

“Hehe, should the third disciple really hang out for that long? Your senior brothers were waiting since noon.”

The top seat.

Pope Bang Moon Chun, who was sitting at the top, spoke.

Gongson Chun Gi bowed down in front of the Pope, and spoke.

“The third disciple, Gongson Chun Gi, greets the teacher.”

“Yeah. At least you managed to get here on time.”

Gongson Chun Gi lifted his head, and grinned at his teacher.

“I picked up something good on the way, so I managed to get here on time.”

Bang Moon Chun.

When he heard Gongson Chun Gi’s words, he glanced at Siu, who was standing at the far corner of the temple, and spoke.

“Do you like the thing you picked up?”

Gongson Chun Gi nodded.

“Yeah. It’s pretty good.”

Bang Moon Chun smiled when he heard Gongson Chun Gi’s answer.

Gongson Chun Gi and Siu.

It was because he found the pair quite interesting.

‘Things are going to get interesting thanks to these two.’

The Pope put on an evil smile on his face.