Chapter 605: Curse of Ice Crystals
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 605: Curse of Ice Crystals
I had a dream.
A simple dream of walking across a field of white snow.
The weather was biting and cold, yet I didn't feel the chill.
[Yaaaaay!]
Gu Ryunghwa ran through the falling snow, looking absolutely ecstatic.
Watching her, I called out.
[You’re going to fall.]
[Heeheehee!]
It seemed she wasn't listening. If she kept running like that, it wouldn't be long before—
[Woah!]
[Ah.]
Just as I expected. Gu Ryunghwa tripped and fell flat on her face.
[Waaaaah!]
She must have hit the ground hard, because she immediately burst into tears. I sighed and walked over to her.
[I told you not to run.]
[Bwotheeeeer....]
Her cheeks and forehead were covered in snow. I gently brushed it off with my hands.
[Hiiiic....]
[When are you ever going to grow up?]
She was seven, maybe eight years old at most. Coming from someone who would never truly grow up for the rest of his life, it was an incredibly embarrassing thing to say.
Thinking back now, I believe I was quite articulate and smart when I was young. I wonder why I turned out the way I did as I grew older.
Just then, as I was tending to Gu Ryunghwa...
Pat.
Someone placed a hand on my head.
The hand was so large it covered my entire head with room to spare. Feeling the rough palm, I turned my head slightly.
The first person I saw was my mother. Her eyes watched us, crinkling with a bright smile. Of course, the hand wasn't hers; my mother’s hands were small.
Then who did the hand belong to?
I shifted my gaze slightly and met the owner's eyes.
A tall man with crimson eyes and hair tinged with red. The Master of the Gu Clan.
It was my father.
My father was stroking my hair.
Had this ever happened before? I couldn't remember. That’s how I knew.
‘This is a dream.’
That was the only explanation. It was so vivid, filling me with a deep sense of longing, but it had to be a dream.
[Father.]
My younger self spoke with a smile. Smiling at my father... that would be impossible now.
What was even more surprising was…
‘He’s smiling?’
The corners of my father’s mouth had lifted, ever so slightly. My father was smiling at me. I smiled, and he smiled back.
[Oh! It’s Dad!]
Gu Ryunghwa spotted him, jumped up, and ran into his arms. Being so small, she could only wrap her arms around his thigh.
[Dad!]
At her cry, my father silently stroked her head. It was... how should I put it?
‘Not a bad sight.’
The thought came naturally as I watched. Was it because I knew it was a dream? Or maybe…
‘Was it because this was a scene I had always wanted to see, just once?’
It was a strange, indescribable feeling. At the same time, a wave of embarrassment washed over me, as if I’d seen something I shouldn't have. For some reason, that’s how it felt.
If this is a dream, I should stop watching and wake up. Now is not the time for this.
As I thought that and tried to pull away…
Streeetch.
‘…?’
My cheek was suddenly stretched out. I wondered what was happening, but someone was firmly pulling on my face.
Was it Mother? Of course, it had to be.
The moment I thought that—
“Oh my. Look at this nice skin.”
A rough, deep voice spoke with an unfittingly delicate tone.
“Is it because you’re young? Your skin is so firm and bouncy.”
It was my father. He was holding both my cheeks and talking. And even as he spoke like that, his expression remained his usual emotionless mask.
“I wonder if my skin would have been like this if I were just ten years younger? Hoho.”
‘Wow, for fuck’s sake.’
A chill ran down my spine. I thought I was finally having a decent dream for once, but there was no nightmare quite like this. To hear that tone of voice coming from my father’s deep voice and expressionless face…
How could such a horrifying hybrid exist?
‘I have to get out of here.’
I had to escape, no matter what. That was my only thought.
“I thought you only slightly resembled her, but it seems you’ve grown to look even more like her since I last saw you?”
The sound of his laughter mixed in made it even worse. As the situation grew more and more dizzying… I squeezed my eyes shut and forced the Qi in my body to rise.
Vwoom!
I planned to use my Qi to forcibly wake myself up.
“You still look intimidating, but at this rate, my nephew might….”
Vwoom!
The Qi circulated, creating a recoil in my body. I used the shock to snap my eyes open.
“Keuk….”
I gasped for air as I came to my senses. Only then was I finally able to escape the nightmare.
An unfamiliar ceiling came into view. Seeing it, I felt a wave of relief that I had woken from the dream. I had escaped a truly, truly terrible nightmare.
Just as that thought crossed my mind…
“Oh my.”
I heard the exact same tone of voice I’d just heard in my dream.
The only difference was that it wasn't my father’s low, deep voice, but the sweet voice of a woman. Moreover… my cheek, which had been held by my father in the dream, was still being pinched in reality.
“Are you awake?”
“...”
With my cheek still pinched, I looked at the owner of the voice. It was a familiar face.
“…Baek... lyeon... geom…?”
I tried to say White Ripple Sword, but with my face being tugged, the pronunciation came out mangled.
Hearing me, the White Ripple Sword smiled and said, “It’s been a while.”
The woman possessed the Moyong Clan’s characteristically prim features and a youthful appearance that defied her age. She was the sister of the current Lord of the Moyong Clan, the White Heavenly Sword.
It was White Ripple Sword, the White Ripple Sword.
‘Why is this woman here?’
She was a completely unexpected person. Could this be a dream too? That’s how bewildering this encounter was.
I tried to sit up, but…
“…Kgh….”
“Oh my, are you alright?”
A heavy fatigue gripped my entire body. It wasn't painful, but my limbs felt like lead. What was going on?
I recalled the moments just before I collapsed. Going berserk and fighting the Dishonored Venerable. Encountering the Blood Qi. Stepping into the space of the mind because of it, and then being knocked out by the Dishonored Venerable when I couldn't handle the backlash.
And then.
‘Namgung Bi-ah.’
I immediately reached into my robes. My fingertips brushed against something. I grabbed it and pulled it out.
It was the accessory I had picked up before.
“...”
Looking at it, I couldn't help but bite my lip. It seemed the one thing I had most wished was a dream was, in fact, reality.
‘Why this?’
Why was this, of all things, in that place? Could it just be an identical accessory? I considered the thought, but I knew better than anyone that it couldn't be true.
Why on earth was it there? It was a place filled with cold corpses. The stench of blood was so thick that even the raging blizzard couldn't wash it away.
Could it be that she met with some misfortune?
Just as that thought began to constrict my chest…
“That child’s body wasn't there.”
I turned my head at White Ripple Sword’s words.
“So, I can't tell you not to worry. But won't you calm down first?”
“...”
Her body wasn't there. Did that mean they had already checked?
But even so... ‘How could I possibly calm down?’
My emotions wouldn't subside so easily. I could only try my best not to show them. Funnily enough, just as White Ripple Sword said, the news that no body was found was, in its own way, helpful.
I scanned my surroundings with cold eyes.
‘A cave?’
The space was enclosed on all sides, and the distinct scent in the air told me it was a cave. Taking this in, I asked White Ripple Sword, “...Where am I?”
“We’re about two sijin away from where you were.”
Two sijin. Was that running or walking? It wasn't a precise location.
“How is your body?”
“I’m fine….”
As we spoke, I circulated my Qi. My heart was about half-full. Other than the severe fatigue, there were no major problems. The internal injuries I’d sustained before…
‘They haven't gotten that much worse.’
Even though I had rampaged enough to use up all my Qi, my internal injuries thankfully hadn't worsened significantly. As I was carefully assessing my condition, White Ripple Sword spoke to me.
“It’s been… since you collapsed.”
“About a day has passed, I see.”
I finished the sentence for her.
At that, White Ripple Sword’s eyes widened. She looked as if she was asking how I knew. She seemed curious, so I clenched and unclenched my fist as I explained.
“Because the amount of Qi I’ve recovered is just about right for that much time.”
“…Are you able to keep track of all that?”
Normally, one’s internal energy isn't vast enough to be measured with such precision. Unless one possessed incredibly sensitive senses, it would be impossible. For an ordinary martial artist, such a thing would be unheard of, but…
‘My reserves are just too damn large.’
I’d consumed so much in the past that it was impossible not to know.
“You’re as amazing as ever. To be able to do something like this….”
White Ripple Sword looked at me with fascination.
“It’s just… a minor trick,” I said awkwardly, brushing off the compliment. “Anyway, Senior, what brings you here?”
“...”
At my question, White Ripple Sword fell silent for a moment.
I had heard that she had left for the North with Namgung Bi-ah, Woo Hyuk, and the Monster of Wudang. I also heard that she was the one who had created the path to the North. So, it wouldn't be strange for her to be here, but…
‘The situation is what it is.’
This was a time when something unusual had happened in the North. I needed to understand why she was here, right after I had collapsed.
That’s why I asked her. Why was she here?
‘In other words,’ how are you involved in this incident? That was the real question.
“...”
Hearing this, White Ripple Sword still didn't answer, simply staring at me quietly. Was it something difficult to answer? The question crossed my mind.
Just then.
“By any chance, are you able to move right now?”
“Pardon?”
Instead of an answer to my question, she returned with one of her own. Able to move? I thought for a moment before answering.
“Yes. I can move.”
I had just woken up, so I wasn't certain, but aside from the fatigue, I was fine.
“In that case, I think it would be better to talk as we go.”
Go? We haven't even finished talking. Where are we going?
The moment I slightly furrowed my brow at her words…
“The Lord is waiting for you.”
“...”
“I’ll explain on the way. For now, will you come with me?”
At her smiling words, I decided to get up.