Chapter 159
Chapter 159
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 159
Chapter Title: Red Cliff (3)
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1.
Siwoo woke from a deep sleep.
As expected, people really do need their rest. Even after becoming an astral body, sleep still boosted his quality of life.
He rubbed his sleepy eyes and shuffled out into the living room, but Sharon was nowhere to be seen.
"Sharon?"
Sharon was always up before him.
Normally, at this hour, she'd be lounging on the sofa, scrolling through a delivery app and picking out breakfast.
No answer to his call. Worried, he knocked on her door and peeked inside—nothing, not even a glimpse.
"What the...? Where'd she go?"
Her phone was sitting neatly on the table, so she must've just stepped out for a bit.
Siwoo headed to the bathroom, gave his hair a quick wash, and changed clothes.
"...Feels kinda like we're a couple."
As he sat on the sofa, pondering where she'd gone, a strange sentiment washed over him.
Waking up and instinctively looking for his live-in roommate like it was the most natural thing.
And that roommate being a stunning mixed-race beauty who could make anyone's eyes pop.
It felt like some hormone-fueled daydream of a high school boy deep in puberty.
Though, to be fair, they weren't lovers or anything—not even a single risqué episode between them.
"Actually, come to think of it, there are a few."
Thinking back, there were some.
Like how Sharon, right before bed (or first thing in the morning), would strut around braless, leaving him scrambling for where to look.
Or pulling laundry from the washer to dry at the coin laundromat downstairs, only to spot her underwear and feel awkwardly flustered (incidentally, that's how Siwoo learned Sharon was an E-cup).
Or hearing her humming in the shower drift into the living room, making him inexplicably embarrassed.
Digging deeper, there were a few more incidents like that.
Yet Siwoo never classified them as "risqué episodes" because they all stemmed from one thing: Sharon not really seeing him as a man.
"Getting all symbolic about it is just silly..."
Anyway, after downing a glass of water, he decided to tidy up his room for once.
For the record, cleaning was part of his training.
Somehow, mixed into his Stigma were Ea Sadal Melik's ribbons and the Virgin's Loom.
This was practice for wielding them freely.
With the music box's concealment effect maxed out, four ribbons extended from his lower back, fluttering as he cleaned the room.
Having four ribbon strands that worked like extra hands should be like having two helpers, but the cleaning dragged on frustratingly slow.
One ribbon was easy—like a third arm. But two or more? They tangled like arms during juggling.
It was a stark reminder of how terrifying Ea had been, wielding dozens effortlessly as if it were nothing.
After what felt like an eternity, he finally finished just as magic class was about to start. Still no sign of Sharon.
"Did she head to the lecture hall?"
Sharon was diligent, always right on time for class.
She probably wouldn't be late... She'd be back within 30 minutes, no doubt.
In the meantime, playing around felt off, so maybe he'd grab her some bubble tea.
She'd been obsessed with it lately.
"Might as well take a stroll."
Sharon wasn't the type to slack off teaching, but who knew—maybe an offering would coax a special lecture out of her, one she'd normally withhold even from her daughter-in-law.
Hands in pockets, he sauntered outside.
In truth, Siwoo wasn't a fan of bubble tea.
During his slave days in Gehenna, surviving on rock-hard bread that could double as a weapon and watery slop for meals, his taste buds had been miraculously rewired to appreciate almost anything. But bubble tea? Texture was a total miss.
Frog eggs? That squishy chew?
He couldn't fathom why college girls who squealed at real frogs guzzled the stuff.
Anyway, he fiddled with his phone, walked quite a distance to a cafe famous for bubble tea nearby, got one in a cup holder, and slurped his iced Americano as he headed back.
"Hot..."
Should've just ordered delivery.
At this distance, the ice might melt solid before he got home.
-Thud!
Walking the steaming-hot sidewalk, Siwoo suddenly felt a pulse.
His heart clenched then released—a massive tremor.
Mana wave. He knew it instantly.
But this wasn't some half-baked ripple.
Muffled like it was wrapped in thick cotton: the waveform wasn't huge, but it sent a deep, subtle vibration through his body.
Something had happened.
"What now?"
Lately, it felt like trouble just gravitated to him on walks.
Siwoo quickly pulled up his eyepatch.
His golden eyes, reading mana flows, scanned the surroundings.
If shockwaves this strong hit the real world, things wouldn't be this quiet.
There'd be chaos somewhere, like after an airstrike.
But passersby showed no reaction, unlike Siwoo, who was sweating and tense.
So, the mana wave had pierced through from the Shadow Boundary. Most likely.
No matter how the Shadow Boundary mirrored another world, it still brushed against reality like a leaf on water and its reflection.
Less than a minute of looking around, and he spotted where mana flows frayed subtly.
Under an old underpass, built for cars and people to cross the tracks.
"Damn."
Siwoo hesitated.
He had to.
Something had gone down, plain as day, and Siwoo wanted to dodge unexpected accidents if possible.
Plus, Sharon—his sturdiest protector—was MIA.
Logically, he should bolt home without looking back.
Link up with Sharon, who'd probably be there by now, and face whatever—if they had to.
No need to dive into the vortex solo.
Yet he wavered on heading to the underpass.
This morning, Sharon vanished suddenly, and this mess popped up right nearby. Timing lined up too perfectly.
Odds were high she was there.
"Why does this shit only happen to me..."
He seriously considered a fortune-telling spot in the college district after this.
Siwoo pulled the music box from his pocket.
Just a quick peek, then out.
If no Sharon or it looked like a monster he couldn't handle, bail immediately.
"Pierce."
Chanting the incantation, he kicked the guardrail.
And stepping into the Shadow Boundary, what Siwoo saw was a world engulfed in flames, everything blazing scarlet, under a blackened sky.
2.
Sensing the ominous vibe, Siwoo peered through his helmet slits.
Towering buildings burned everywhere.
If this were reality, it'd be front-page news: "Great Fire" for the first time in decades.
The epicenter of hellish destruction? The underpass, obviously.
Below it, like a volcano had erupted—the ceiling gaped open, spewing red light and blistering heat like a furnace.
"Cough! Cough! What the hell..."
Siwoo hacked violently after inhaling the heat thoughtlessly.
Not like sauna steam—this was inferno-level blast furnace wind.
From 100 meters away, and it was this bad.
Push forward like this, and he'd burn before identifying the problem.
But that lasted only a moment.
The flames licking everywhere died down peacefully.
The scorching heat vanished as if blown away.
Only then could Siwoo cautiously advance.
Armored head to toe for potential combat, he boosted physical enhancement, set basic defenses, maxed the music box to suppress his presence.
Molten asphalt, not yet cooled, stuck gooily to his soles.
Heat haze from the superheated ground obscured the underpass below.
At 20 meters out, he spotted it.
A crimson-clad witch forcibly hoisting Sharon.
Witches were dangerous.
From the looks, she'd taken Sharon down.
Maybe public enemy level, beyond an expellee.
And overpowering Sharon—higher hierarchy than Siwoo—meant she was beyond his league.
"Pierce!"
Yet Siwoo didn't hesitate a second.
Sharon was down.
Her barely functioning auto-defense meant she was alive, but kidnapping was imminent.
Siwoo wasn't the type to nitpick conditions in a crisis.
One condition mattered: how to rescue Sharon.
Shadow spear? Risk hitting Sharon.
Charge in? She'd be a hostage.
Music box active—super-close ambush viable.
So, flexible means to target only the enemy?
Ribbons from the Virgin's Loom, woven with shadow particles.
They shot out, coiling around the crimson witch's wrists.
Then flung her opposite Sharon.
Just a thin ribbon whip from the wrist—but the result exceeded expectations.
-KABOOOOOM!!!!
Her body hurtled through the air, slamming with vicious force. Sparks rained from the red-hot wall.
The cramped underpass amplified the crash into deafening echoes.
"What..."
This strong?
He hadn't pumped extra mana in.
Felt like a casual arm swing.
Yet she'd flown like caught in heavy machinery, at invisible speeds.
"You okay?"
Siwoo rushed to Sharon, slumped limply, checked her breathing.
Her eyes fluttered open with labored gasps, sluggishly tracking him.
"Run... away..."
"Run? Come here."
No time for details—he started deploying the teleportation ritual.
Space magic wasn't easy.
To escape safely? Needed at least 10 seconds buffer.
The witch wedged in the wall, regrouping—that was their only golden window to evade and bolt.
-Whoosh!
But flames erupted from the pavement mid-ritual, shattering his plan.
"Cheeky. So cheeky."
The crimson witch sauntered from the opposite side.
After that racket, not a scratch on her.
Not even a wrinkle in her clothes.
Autodefense.
The natural auto-shield at 15th hierarchy, fusing mind and magic.
Siwoo knew full-powered version blocked battleship cannons—no way a wall slam would crack it.
"Who the hell are you? Never seen magic like that."
The crimson witch peered down at Siwoo with scarlet eyes.
This was familiar.
Like facing Ea Sadal Melik for the twins.
Praying not to repeat that mistake, Siwoo amplified his mana.