[Chapter 50]
Tying a torn piece of cloth to cover the window, Jin scowled. He knew that a measly towel riddled with holes wasn't going to save his life, but it was the least he could do.
He turned to a corner to his right. A faint symbol made from the chalk he had borrowed from Anastasia illuminated with a murky glow. Dean's warning helped him calm his mind a little, letting him focus on one task instead of worrying about several others.
Looking at the pebble-like length of the remaining limestone, he marked another corner with a different symbol.
'I should get her a new one.'
With the final rune etched in the corner, the symbol glowed faintly just like the previous one. He stepped back and examined his room one last time. Each wall, including the ceiling and floor, had strange symbols marked on it. However, they were not mysterious to Jin, who was from a different world.
In his younger days, when he was constantly on the run, he had to learn every cheap trick to keep himself alive. Martial artists were creatures of pride, people who respected honour over their own lives. So, luring such men into a room full of magical concealed traps was often more effective than fighting fair and square.
What good would honour do if one were already dead?
But he knew that the challengers of this world were different; they had honour, but a twisted one. Sending an assassin his way to end him in his sleep was one of their primary options.
This being Lian's abode, he couldn't fill it with traps, so he had to make do with a sort of enchanted alarm. If someone who hadn't been marked by him were to step inside the house, he would be alarmed immediately.
Wiping the sweat off his forehead, he sat comfortably on the bed.
"... How long can I keep this up? They have a right to know, after all."
In the end, Jin was unable to alert Lian's family about the Halden clan matter. What was he supposed to do, just walk up to them and say—"A bunch of high rankers want me dead, so don't leave the house for the next few days"?
His behaviour was already different from that of the previous Lian. He had been lucky that none of them was against that, but this... this was a whole new can of worms.
Finally, he came to a solution. One he had been thinking of for a while, but couldn't act on.
"Hmm... It makes sense the more I think about it. I was going to lie low and slowly reach a high rank, but that choice is gone now. I could become Hope Guild's dog and live under their protection..."
He let out a faint chuckle.
"Who am I fooling... I couldn't live like that in my past life, how can I do so in this one?"
Being immobile for almost a week in the medical ward, he had a lot of time to think. He assessed the choices he had taken in the past few days, as well as what he could have done better. He also ended up analysing the consequences of his actions, and what he could do to prevent them.
It all led to him returning to his past self. Of course, it was impossible. Lian's emotions and memories were now deeply ingrained in Jin's consciousness. He was originally a parasite in this body. The more he pressured it with his will to accept him as the host, the more it repelled him with greater force.
Utilising the Demonic qi only decreased the time he had left to think of a better option. Now, all he could do was wait until his own consciousness dissolved with Lian's remains, birthing a completely new person.
That was where the problem lay, though.
He turned to the window, peering outside from one of the larger holes in the cloth covering it.
"There are people who know Lian, but there aren't many who recognise me. That leaves my consciousness without an anchor. I could've pushed it aside normally, but the time has come for me to make a decision."
In truth, it wasn't really even a decision. Ever since his transmigration, he had been fearing this moment.
The day when Lian completely died, and only Mu Jin remained. Once his consciousness was a deeper part of this body, it would belong to him. Lian's emotions would be his, and so would his memories. His will was far too stubborn to back down in front of such a trivial trial.
But that meant he couldn't simply live as a normal challenger who climbed the tower of his own accord. He had to become something more, someone who couldn't be replaced or threatened. A person the Halden clan couldn't look down on.
He couldn't rely on his strength alone. He needed people—people who acknowledged his existence, allies whom he could trust his back with, subordinates who would share his cause.
Surely, Mu Jin, the so-called Celestial Arbiter, the Alliance Leader of the Great Harmony Alliance, had accomplished that task. He had risen to a rank where people trusted his word more than their own siblings.
His allies were the strongest in the central plains. Regardless of his personal prowess, it was the rest of humanity that brought him more power, as opposed to what he could do on his own.
There were no central plains to unite here, but there was something else just as valuable.
'The lower districts...'
When compared to the inner section of the city, the lower districts were almost thrice the size, both in population and the areas they covered. Moreover, it circled Acropolis from all sides, making it a much more complex topology.
He was certain that, unlike the inner section, the lower districts had dozens of smaller factions that kept the population in check.
Uniting these factions under a single name was much better than becoming Hope Guild's lap dog and rising the ranks inside the city.
But that brought him back to his primary issue—he was still far too weak to lead people. Nobody knew him or anything he had done. If he attacked a gang right now, he would succeed without breaking a single drop of sweat.
People would start following him as well, but it would be out of fear, not reverence or trust. Such prowess was hollow and prone to crumble under the slightest pressure.
So, he needed to stage his entrance in the power dynamic.
Running into John the other day was nothing short of miraculous. When he came to know of the perilous situation all across the lower districts, and how several factions were strengthening themselves in the absence of the Club owner, he knew that fate had something in store for him.
With the Halden clan aiming for his life, he had no choice but to take action earlier than he had decided.
He hit the switch near his bed, turning the lights off. Embracing the shadows, he lay on his bed and yawned.
"That can wait for tomorrow..."
Putting his thoughts aside, Jin fell asleep in no time.