Chapter 416
Chapter 416
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 416
Chapter Title: Happy Days (3)
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1.
Ever since witnessing the quirky yet erotic mishap involving Sharon and the twins...
Si-woo headed to the highlands on the outskirts of Border Town.
He had a prior appointment with Eloa today.
A sparring match.
In the middle of a snowy field blanketed in pristine white, Si-woo and Eloa faced each other.
However, this was a bit different from their previous spars.
Eloa drew her contract sword and would use six contracts, while Si-woo, though not wielding the Red Branch, had donned his black armor and ribbons, fully geared up.
He'd also been instructed to use every spell at his disposal, not just sword or spear techniques.
That must be why they'd chosen this flat plain with nothing around as their training ground.
"Are you prepared?"
"Yes, Master."
Refining newly acquired power was essential.
Especially when it was a force so overwhelming compared to before.
In that sense, Si-woo's heart pounded fiercely.
This was his first spar since peering into his subconscious.
Even with just the armor on, he could feel it.
Si-woo had grown stronger.
How much would that strength hold up against Eloa?
Any man would be curious.
"Feel free to go all out."
"Are you sure?"
"It's not enough to warrant your concern yet."
Eloa adjusted her stance with a smile.
"I contract."
A fierce wind kicked up simultaneously, and the snow piling around her swirled as if caught in a pink vortex.
Just a partial release of mana exerted that much physical force.
Eloa's form vanished.
High-speed movement powered purely by physical might.
The snowdrifts up to her ankles couldn't keep pace, splitting like the Red Sea only long after she'd passed.
"Evade!"
Si-woo lowered his stance in anticipation of the impact.
She'd allocated half her total contracts—six in all.
But since Eloa normally devoted six to physical enhancement anyway, it wasn't an exaggeration to say she'd gone full throttle on raw physicality.
"Guh!"
Left to right, then right to left.
With unpredictable footwork and feints, Eloa closed the distance in an instant and swung from point-blank range.
An attack that would have crumpled the armor's side and sent him flying without him even seeing it clearly in the past...
-Kwaaang!
Si-woo angled his spear obliquely to deflect it.
The composure born from traversing life and death moved his body first, even without fully identifying the strike.
-Kwang! Kwang! Kwang!
He deflected the ensuing barrage of vertical and horizontal slashes from all directions.
The pinnacle of yielding overcomes force—softness subduing strength.
For a fleeting moment, a proud smile seemed to grace Eloa's lips as she flashed across his vision.
But passive defense wouldn't cut it.
Si-woo usually preferred infighting to leverage his close-quarters edge, but against his master, that was impossible.
He needed to create distance and utilize the ribbons.
-Whirrl! Whirrl!
Dozens of black ribbons twisted like coils and flew toward Eloa.
Every tendril moved with the freedom of hands, at varied angles and speeds, forming a wall between Si-woo and Eloa.
Yet even ribbons packing heavy machinery-level output tore like willow leaves before Eloa's sword strikes.
Undeterred by the flashy, vision-blurring barrier, Eloa pressed forward relentlessly.
This much won't stop me!
Her movements, each heavy step amid the chaos, seemed to declare.
When Eloa cleaved dozens of ribbons with a single flash...
The snowdrifts at her feet erupted all at once.
Ribbons he'd pre-positioned underground the moment he extended the others.
They burst forth with perfect timing to catch the exposed Eloa from behind.
At the same time, the black armor charged ahead.
The gripped spear targeted her abdomen—hard to evade.
Straight lines without waste from the front, sinuous curves from behind.
All this unfolded three seconds after the spar began.
That was the nature of battles between those transcending human limits.
"Hup..."
Eloa's response was simple.
A short breath, then a sword swing.
But incredibly fast, and incredibly powerful.
-Hwoong
The barrage transcended speed limits—not mere lines anymore.
They occupied space beyond surfaces, slashing everything around with razor sharpness.
In that instant, thousands of lines unfurled a sword domain, turning the area into a momentary vacuum.
No matter the armor, stepping into that lethal realm held no appeal.
Ribbon shreds scattered raggedly, snowflakes surging as sucked-in air rushed to fill the void.
Eloa charged the hesitating Si-woo.
A diagonal upward slash from low left.
An exquisite angle leaving Si-woo, caught mid-counter, unable to dodge or block.
Even without the King of All Diseases contract, her vast experience and effort made her the finest swordswoman, always choosing the optimal move.
But.
Si-woo had anticipated up to this point.
He knew his fearsome master wouldn't fall for such a desperate ploy.
So he'd prepared one more card.
-Whoosh!
Si-woo activated his pre-calculated coordinate shift.
A blue flash enveloped his body in an instant.
Eloa's strike sliced empty air futilely.
"...!"
As Eloa whirled to look behind, she felt the hard spear shaft press against her back.
Si-woo had blinked right behind her, seizing her rear.
Eloa's body stiffened rigidly, then she raised a hand in surrender.
"...I yield."
Turning, a warm smile beautifully etched her lips.
2.
The two returned to the room side by side via Si-woo's coordinate shift, washed up lightly, and sat before the fireplace.
Of course, they bathed separately, and a fine whiskey was prepared to share.
As their hot-water-warmed bodies cooled in the chill air, the liquor warming their bellies mingled with the hearth's glow.
Nothing induced sleepiness quite like it.
Eloa, draped in a blanket, gazed at Si-woo with a smile.
"Well done. Impressive. As expected of my disciple."
Si-woo had won against Eloa for the first time today.
Until now, the coordinate shift's long delay made it unusable in real combat.
Using quantum gap and position control freely, he'd poked her back with the spear shaft.
Against his master, who'd burned six contracts no less.
A feat worthy of Eloa's beaming praise.
"You've crossed another wall. Congratulations."
Yet despite Eloa's torrent of praise as she stroked his head, Si-woo only looked sheepish.
He could stand to gloat a bit more.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing. Thank you. It's all thanks to you, Master."
Noting Si-woo's subtle reaction, Eloa spoke as if resigned.
She too harbored a fact she'd kept unspoken.
"It's achievement enough. Among witches, you're one of a mere handful who could take my back."
Si-woo had realized it.
Eloa had hesitated on that final strike.
The reason was obvious.
Coordinate shift demanded heavy computation and variable substitution, even for short range.
Thus, Si-woo had always frozen defenseless mid-cast.
Fine against a ranged specialist like Bianca, but against a close-quarters aggressor like his master, it was a glaring opening.
Yet seeing Si-woo defenseless, Eloa faltered on her swing.
Armored or not, concern for her beloved disciple made her forcibly halt, easing her strength.
That opening let Si-woo finish his calculations.
Had Eloa swung without mercy, he'd have eaten the hit and rolled in the snow.
Knowing the truth, he couldn't just relax and smile.
Eloa gently cupped Si-woo's cheeks with both hands.
"Si-woo, look at me."
Eloa smiled tenderly.
Her beautiful eyes brimmed with maternal affection.
Back at their first meeting, imagining such an expression on her was impossible.
Eloa's thumb lightly tugged Si-woo's lip corner upward.
"Smile. Your disappointment stems from ambition. In the past, even if I'd held back, could you have achieved this?"
"Ha, I can't win against you, Master."
"I'm proud of you. Truly, without a shred of falsehood."
Gazing intently face-to-face like that, Eloa's lips twitched.
No intent, but their posture naturally tempted a kiss.
Eloa improvised with wit.
"For such a you, I'd like to give a small gift... Is there anything you desire from me?"
Eloa averted her eyes shyly, pursing her lips.
Such a sight was unimaginable in the past.
"This should suffice."
Only then did Si-woo smile naturally, planting a light peck on Eloa's lips.
-Mwah, smooch.
Just that, and Eloa beamed as if owning the world.
She hid her smile behind both hands, curling up like a shrimp.
A moment later.
Having quelled her laughter and sipped whiskey, Eloa straightened as Si-woo asked,
"By the way, a sudden spar—what's up?"
"I wanted to check how strong you've become."
"And?"
"Astonishing."
Si-woo's style was a nightmare matchup for Eloa.
He dragged range-weak witches into melee for tactical superiority.
Thus, a swordmaster like Eloa devoured him.
Sharing identical tactics meant scant variables to overturn the gap.
So his losses were natural; Eloa always eyed the process, not the result.
Yet he'd seized her back, brief hesitation aside.
"You didn't have the Red Branch either, right? With it, the outcome might've differed."
Si-woo played humble, but word was he'd mastered Red Branch control too.
With that cheat spear summing up as 'unfair,' what might've unfolded?
"Even with the Red Branch, short-range coordinate shift incurs delay, so no guarantees. But it's definitely different from before."
Shortly after his return, he'd told her everything.
Kether's meddling in his body too.
The reason for his abnormal rapid growth.
"Always so lacking in confidence. Didn't you defeat the Witch of Desire?"
"As I said before, that wasn't me, it was..."
"Your subconscious?"
"That's the truth."
Eloa rose, curling small beside Si-woo.
Ear to his chest, she eavesdropped on his pounding heart.
That sound alone bolstered her will—a precious person.
"Si-woo, you're strong. Not just the subconscious Kether left behind."
Eloa didn't chalk reaching the Witch of Desire's defeat to mere luck.
"Your heart and courage to protect loved ones make you strong."
Much to say, much to think, but one certainty.
Si-woo was no longer the frail boy of old.
Even if she stepped away briefly, he could handle it.
She mulled quietly.
"You're extra affectionate today..."
After a hesitant pause, Si-woo gently placed a hand on Eloa's head.
"Embarrassingly, being near you makes me want to act spoiled."
"I'm always grateful for your overwhelming love."
"Anyway... with your power... even great witch level... wouldn't be an overstatement."
Eloa's words trailed lazily.
Having reinforced her body with contracts and nestled in his arms, belated drowsiness hit.
"Now... ...even without... you can manage... fine..."
"Shall I move you to bed...? You're asleep."
Her final words muffled into a yawn.
Si-woo poked Eloa's sleeping cheek playfully.
No reaction despite pokes.
Autonomic defense naturally dormant.
Utterly trusting Si-woo, she'd surrendered her body completely, drawing an involuntary smile.
In this state, she'd likely sleep through groping or naughty pranks.
"Oops."
He suppressed the sudden surge of lust unbidden.
Blame the innocent sleeping face of his master.
A master tempting even in slumber—what terrifying allure.
Si-woo scooped Eloa up, carried her to bed, then headed to his workshop for more magic research.