NOVEL WEB Chapter 18
Chapter 18
Seo-jun spread the book on the floor.
It was the life of [The Spirit of the Conductor’s Baton], who had acquired the skill [Orchestra Conductor’s Connection].
“I was really…”
He sighed as soon as he opened the first page.
This was a dark history that he had to bury for a long time.
***
This world was the world of music spirits.
If you buried various instruments under the tree in the center of the world, the tree would bear fruit by taking the instruments as nutrients.
And from those fruits, spirits were born.
These spirits became friends, fought, reconciled, loved, and parted with the music they played.
When their instruments became old and could no longer make sounds, they finally rested in peace.
It was a beautiful world where everything was centered on music, and music never stopped.
He was a spirit born from the nimble conductor’s baton of an orchestra conductor.
The spirits of this world were born with one or two skills, which they used without revealing to other spirits.
His skill was [Orchestra Conductor’s Connection – Top Class], a very great ability.
[Orchestra Conductor’s Connection – Top Class]
The musical skills of the beings connected to the conductor vary up to 10 times depending on their affinity.
The affinity with the conductor and the affinity of the connectors are expressed in numbers.
Maximum connection: 30
The way to use the skill was simple. He just had to shake hands with the being he wanted to connect with.
He, who was born from the conductor’s baton, had the destiny to become a conductor from the moment he came out of the fruit.
If he used this skill, he would connect his orchestra members and build affinity between the conductor and the members, and between the members themselves. Then, in the future, a tremendous orchestra that had never appeared in this world would surely be born.
‘Hmm.’
Yes. If he, in his previous life,
Had not been the Demon King.
He was born as the descendant of the Demon King and became the Demon Prince smoothly with his cruelty.
And thanks to his outstanding talent, he became the Demon King without any objection.
His life as the Demon King, who conquered not only the Demon Realm but also the Middle Realm and invaded the Heavenly Realm, was unimaginable.
His memory was gone, but there were times when his previous life affected his next life.
Just like now.
Before he conducted the orchestra, he sat on a chair and looked down at his two hands.
They were clean hands.
But soon, blood spurted out like an illusion.
It was the blood of humans.
The blood of monsters.
The blood of the heavenly beings.
In his previous life, he lived violently and hotly, with blood running rampant and tearing apart lives.
He made mountains of corpses and dyed the land and sky with darkness.
He did. He clenched his hands so hard that he could break them.
This world was boring.
This world filled with music did not have bloody fights. Nor did it have breaking fights.
Everything was music.
It started and ended with music.
The spirits staked their lives on music and worked hard to make more beautiful and excellent music.
‘That’s too, beautiful, isn’t it?’
He laughed.
He was tired of living quietly.
He covered his mouth with both hands, afraid that his expression would be seen by anyone.
‘Ah, I have to mess it up.’
The Demon King of his previous life knew how fun it was to step on the clean snow first.
He was aiming for the Music Festival, which was held once every four years in this world.
The Music Festival.
It was a very important festival where music was dedicated to the tree where the spirits were born.
Depending on the music played to the tree at that time, the temperament of the spirits born in the next four years changed.
Positive spirits were born when happy music was played.
Careful spirits were born when serious music was played.
Spirits who could empathize with other people’s sadness as well as their own were born when sad music was played.
The spirits loved all kinds of music.
Ten music groups went on stage and did not rank.
Everyone enjoyed the music.
He, with his excellent skills, went on stage with his orchestra for the Music Festival.
‘Nice to meet you. I’m the spirit of the conductor’s baton.’
‘Oh! I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m the spirit of the drum.’
‘Hello! I’m the spirit of the piano!’
He used [Orchestra Conductor’s Connection – Top Class].
The target was not his orchestra members.
He shook hands with the spirits of the instruments who played the important parts of the other nine music groups.
The spirits could not imagine. What kind of music that could not even end would affect the tree of the spirits.
He smirked.
[Orchestra Conductor’s Connection – Top Class]
The musical skills of the beings connected to the conductor vary up to 10 times depending on their affinity.
The affinity with the conductor and the affinity of the connectors are expressed in numbers.
Maximum connectors: 30
‘What if the affinity was 0… No, minus?’
He focused on the word ‘vary’. To increase and decrease the number. He was very curious about what type of results it would bring.
The stage was set up in front of the tree so that the tree of the spirits could hear the music best.
The first group went on stage.
It was a band. The mark of the skill appeared above the head of the drum.
[43 / 10]
There were two numbers, the former was the conductor’s affinity and the latter was the connector’s affinity.
The conductor’s affinity number was high.
The drum respected the spirit of the renowned conductor’s baton, even though they played different instruments.
The connector’s affinity number was low.
The nine in the band barely knew each other’s faces and names, so there was no bond to speak of.
The drum on the stage raised his stick. He used his skill.
[Orchestra Conductor’s Connection is activated.]
He let go of his mind a little. He revealed the contempt that he had hidden by pretending to be an ordinary spirit.
He revealed his disdain.
The affinity responded to their hearts.
The drum’s admiration for him remained the same, but his disdain affected the affinity. The conductor’s affinity number, which was 43, gradually decreased.
[The affinity with the target decreases.]
[The affinity with the target decreases.]
[The affinity with the target decreases.]
…
That’s how the number above the drum’s head turned negative.
Bang!
The drum missed a beat. He was one of the best drummers in this world.
The drum didn’t panic and continued to play. But unlike his mind, his hands and feet couldn’t keep up with the rhythm.
As the drum, the center of the band, messed up the beat, the other instruments that tried to cover up the drum’s mistake also started to go out of sync.
Somehow, the band’s stage ended.
The audience’s reaction was not good.
They all worried about what was wrong with the drum.
But it was only one team that made a mistake. Then the next group went up on the stage.
[The affinity with the target decreases.]
[The affinity with the target decreases.]
[The affinity with the target decreases.]
…
They also made a mistake.
The next music group went up. She was a solo singer famous for her beautiful voice.
[The affinity with the target decreases.]
[The affinity with the target decreases.]
[The affinity with the target decreases.]
…
She also made a mistake.
The next music group went up.
They were a choir known for their outstanding cohesion.
[The affinity with the target decreases.]
[The affinity with the target decreases.]
[The affinity with the target decreases.]
…
‘Ah!’
Someone in the audience uttered a lament mixed with sadness.
The nine music groups failed to end the stage properly.
It was the last one. The spirits were confused.
This was the first time that the Music Festival had collapsed since the world was created.
‘What do we do?’
‘What will happen to the spirits that are born now?’
‘Who sent such a team to the Music Festival!?’
The quiet spirits were angry and confused.
The world where beautiful music flowed was cracked. Then, someone said.
‘There’s still the orchestra left. They, the spirit of the conductor’s baton, will do it without any mistakes!’
‘Yeah. He’s still there!’
There was still a ray of hope.
They all held hands with half worry and half expectation and waited for the next stage.
He and his orchestra went up on the stage.
‘Violin. One last time.’
He reached out to the violin, who would play solo in his orchestra.
The violin, wearing a beautiful red dress, blushed and barely held the hand of the master who had allowed her, who had only a low-level skill, to stand on this stage.
He was a very grateful person.
‘Thank you. Maestro.’
‘Don’t mention it.’
[Orchestra Conductor’s Connection is activated.]
A gloomy warning sounded in his head, as if he knew the tragedy that would come to the world, but he smiled cheerfully.
He hated this boring world.
He stood on the podium and lifted the conductor’s baton he was born from with all his might.
The stage began.
He didn’t hide it anymore.
Like shooting a brilliant firework at the end, he didn’t hide his contempt for this dull and monotonous world.
The violin, who was playing solo closest to him, noticed it first. She trembled all over with the evil emotion that she felt for the first time in her life, but she couldn’t stop playing.
But unlike her intention to endure the fear and continue playing, her heart gradually lost respect for the conductor.
[The affinity with the target decreases.]
[The affinity with the target decreases.]
[The affinity with the target decreases.]
…
‘Ah.’
It was a good sound.
The Demon King swung his conductor’s baton.
As the dizzying, almost-wrong, wavering performance continued, not only the orchestra members, but also all the spirits in the audience noticed.
There, the conductor’s heart on the podium!
The contempt!
The indifference!
The ridicule!
The disdain!
Squeak!
Finally, a sound of despair came from the violin.
She had made a mistake, but she couldn’t ruin the music.
The violin continued to play, tears streaming down her face.
Crack! Screech!
It wasn’t just the violin.
The cello, the viola, the trumpet, they all shivered and despaired.
The spirits in the audience couldn’t hold back their cries as the music crumbled endlessly.
Rustle-
The beautiful spirit tree that served as the background behind the stage shook.
The branches and leaves swayed, even though there was no wind.
‘No!’
The nine music groups that were sitting in the audience and watching his stage in horror shouted as they saw the tree.
‘The tree, the spirit tree!’
The tree was dying.
A scream erupted.
A very high and loud scream.
‘Stop playing!’
‘No, don’t stop!’
The opinions were divided.
Some argued that they had to finish the music even if they made a mistake, and some argued that they had to stop playing because they made a mistake.
He, who was waving his conductor’s baton, knew the answer. He stopped his baton at the highlight part.
The orchestra, who hated him for ruining the music, but only looked at his baton, unknowingly stopped playing.
‘Ah… no…’
There was poor music and there was mistake-ridden music. But if they stopped in the middle, that was not music.
As the orchestra’s performance came to a complete halt, the spirit tree gradually changed.
Darkly.
It died.
The leaves fell one by one, and a large branch fell to the ground with a thud.
Along with that, the screams and lamentations of the spirits were heard from all directions.
The sound of crying was heard.
Ah.
He, who had destroyed a world, was satisfied.
He wondered how the world would change now… His heart beat with anticipation.
Zing-.
Then, the sound of the violin was heard.
***
Seo-jun opened his eyes.
“Seo-jun is awake?”
Choi Si-yoon, who was staring at Seo-jun’s face next to him, smiled and said.
“Ueeeng.”
He had fallen asleep while reading a book in the Library of Life.
It was a nightmare.
A dark history.
He wondered what he was thinking when he ruined such a peaceful and beautiful world.
He felt guilty and embarrassed.
He really sighed.
Hahaha! Chaos! Destruction! Doom!
He felt like he could hear the evil laughter of the spirit of the conductor’s baton in his ears.
‘They call that a second-year syndrome, right? I saw it on TV…’ Seo-jun felt depressed.
At the sound of Seo-jun’s crying, the members who were heating up the baby food and Seo Eun-chan and Kim Hwa-ryeon hurried to the living room.
“Why, why are you crying?”
“Are you okay, seo-jun?”
Hwang Ye-jun and Kevin quickly sat next to the blanket.
Blowing on the hot baby food, Park Seo-jin finally sat down.
Kim Hwa-ryeon quietly told Seo Eun-chan, who was worried, that it was a tantrum.
“Ueeeng-eeng.”
‘Stupid me from the past!’
It sounded like he was crying, but he wasn’t.
The more he thought about it, the more embarrassed he was.
Seo-jun kicked the blanket with his short legs.
The small baby blanket fluttered.
“Is Seo-jun hungry?”
“I guess so. Seo-jin hyung. Feed him quickly!”
Park Seo-jin scooped up the baby food with a small baby spoon. Kevin quickly picked up Seo-jun and sat him on his lap.
‘No. I’m sad. I’m not hungry…’
“Hap!”
“Our Seo-jun eats well!”
“He must have been really hungry.”
He unknowingly opened his mouth.
Gulp gulp.
The baby food in his mouth disappeared in an instant.
He felt better after eating something delicious.
Seo-jun tilted his head and continued to open his mouth.
‘Hmm, was I really hungry? Come to think of it, I feel a little hungry?
Oh, maybe I had a nightmare because I was hungry.’
“Here. Seo-jun, open your mouth.”
“Me too! I want to try too!”
“After Ye-jun hyung, I’ll do it!”
“Next is me!”
[The affinity with the target increases.]
[The affinity with the target increases.]
[The affinity with the target increases.]
[The affinity with the target increases.]
Seo-jun ate another bite.
The baby food that his mom made was very delicious.
****
The spirit of the cello opened the book.
It was a book about the worst traitor in history, the spirit of the conductor’s baton.
After the incident, the traitor’s skill was revealed and the spirits had to register their skills as soon as they were born.
The first page of the book had the image and skill of the hero, the spirit of the violin.
The violin, who had a low-level skill and defeated the traitor and revived the spirit tree, was a dazzling idol for the cello, who also had a low-level skill.
[Basic Skill with Effort of the Violin-Low]
Basic skill with effort allows you to continue playing with any mistake or bad condition.
It was a skill that didn’t help with skill improvement, but it was very helpful in defeating the traitor.
The cello turned the page.
There was a picture of the violin playing in a red dress and the traitor, who seemed to be screaming under the people in concert clothes.
[The violin continued to play the mistake-ridden music. It was like the clumsy music of a newly born spirit. Her skill, which she had only complained about for being useless, shone. The music that seemed to break but didn’t break continued on and on.
The spirit of the conductor’s baton, who tried to stop the violin, was subdued by his own orchestra members and couldn’t stop the violin’s performance.
The spirit of the conductor’s baton’s skill continued to be used and her skill got worse and worse, but she also didn’t stop her skill and continued to play.
Thanks to the violin’s performance that lasted for five hours, the spirit tree came back to life.
But the spirit tree, which had died and come back to life, did not produce any spirits for the next four years.
Fortunately, the violin’s miracle didn’t end there. At the next Music Festival, thanks to her beautiful performance, was full of vitality. The spirit tree, which had returned to normal, produced more spirits than usual.
…The worst traitor in history, the spirit of the conductor’s baton, was the first to be executed after the world was created.]