Chapter 34
Chapter 34
Chapter 34
The Witch's Chapter (1)
Inside the ice coffin, Na Yuri recalled the previous battle.
When she arrived, the Hunter Hall's advanced branch, disguised as a desert shelter, had already been reduced to ruins.
Seeing the four Shadow Warriors, Na Yuri thought of the mage she had first fought in her previous life.
'Rena.'
She was the only friend in her memories.
They were gypsies who traveled the country dancing and singing. Every adult with them was a parent, and every peer was a friend.
Na Yuri was called by the name Suia back then.
Suia and Rena were the only ones their age.
Suia was skilled in dance and song, while Rena was skilled in drawing and sculpting. And they envied each other's talents.
Rena was tone-deaf and clumsy, and no matter how hard Suia tried, her drawings and sculptures were at a child's level.
The two became friends while envying each other.
Then an old man who joined the gypsy group taught them magic.
The two girls were so talented that they grew at a rate that surprised even the old man, and they had a joyful time performing with magic.
As they made magic their only form of play, they each felt drawn to ice and fire, respectively, which changed their paths and created a rivalry.
That was the problem.
The ending of the final performance that Suia presented was ice sculptures that adorned the entire village. The sight was so romantic that Suia always handled the finale of the performance.
On the other hand, fire magic was so dangerous that she couldn't unleash it freely even during performances.
From a certain point, Rena stopped talking to Suia and began subtly keeping her in check.
She would interfere with performances or get angry and set fire to villages.
That incident led to the gypsy group being investigated by the Empire's soldiers. During the investigation, Rena's talent was recognized, and instead of being punished, she was taken in as a mage of the Empire.
With that, the matter was settled, and the gypsies were released, but Rena would walk a different path forever.
Rena rose all the way to becoming the Empire's Grand Mage and prospered, while the gypsies' lives became drastically harder due to the fire incident.
In the year Suia turned forty.
She had become the leader of the gypsies, leading the young gypsies. It was a difficult life going around seeking money, but she never abandoned the gypsies even once.
But on the day she returned alone from a magic performance to obtain food.
She saw that the gypsies who had been her family had been massacred.
And on top of the charred corpses stood Rena.
Suia and Rena fought right there, but couldn't determine a victor.
Eventually, when the Empire's knights appeared, Suia was imprisoned.
It was 500 years after being imprisoned that Suia came back out into the world and began her revenge for the gypsies.
"Rena wasn't the culprit."
But it was an unavoidable fight.
"Because Rena wanted it."
Rena had wanted to prove something.
—The most beautiful thing in the world is fire.
That obsession could only be stopped by killing her friend.
Only at the moment of death did Rena reveal that she wasn't the culprit.
—I cremated them. But you don't need to feel sorry. If I'm reborn, I'll definitely kill you to prove that I'm the best.
Even in her dying moment, Rena was furious.
'I lost both friend and family then.'
Inside the ice coffin, Na Yuri let out a long sigh.
That Rena had appeared again.
'Heavenly Demon was right.'
The word karma.
She could anticipate that Rena wasn't the only one targeting her.
'To make a contract with the demon race again.'
In her previous life, Rena had summoned Shadow Warriors before the final battle.
It was magic that could only be used through a contract with the demon race. It was something that contradicted her belief in proving the greatness of fire.
Only the obsession to defeat Suia remained in her.
In this life, too, Rena had made a contract with a demon.
'It doesn't matter. She's an enemy anyway.'
Her troubled mind soon calmed down.
Na Yuri slept deeply until the treatment was finished.
For the first time in a while, all the family members gathered in one place.
After eating together and playing with Yuna, Na Yuri came back to the research lab.
In the emails she hadn't checked during that time, there were five reports.
They were all reports sent by her slaves who were under mental domination.
Three was news that Hunter Hall's American branch had fallen, and the remaining two were information about people she had specifically instructed about.
She checked the emails, but the information she wanted hadn't come out yet.
She opened a file organized on one side.
There was a list of 76 people with photos attached.
They were all her slaves.
Originally, there were 112, but 36 had died.
Among them were hunters as well as politicians and businesspeople. The slaves from various fields had all attacked her or sponsored those who attacked.
The information gathered that way played a decisive role in finding the Hunter Hall branches.
'Hunter Hall will fall now.'
Hunter Hall had instead made the reincarnators cautious and made them appear only after gathering strength. It created a situation where only the strong survived.
A situation exactly opposite to their purpose was occurring.
—A group of reincarnators is being formed in secret.
It had already become an open secret among those in power.
—Conflicts between reincarnators are occurring frequently.
Na Yuri had directly experienced this as well.
Even without grudges, reincarnators who weren't allies would keep each other in check, eventually leading to a situation where one side dies.
—Excluding Hunter Hall, the remaining reincarnators are estimated to be around 900.
This was the result calculated by Hunter Hall.
'It means only the strong ones remain.'
It was a difficult time for anyone.
It was a situation where only the strong who had lived for a certain period in the martial arts and magic worlds remained.
'It'll be an incredible power game.'
Displays of power were occurring. The devastation of the desert's advanced branch was one of them.
The witch who had been thinking about various things suddenly shook her head.
'How annoying.'
She had been thinking about various things. That hurt her pride.
'To avoid Rena.'
Implicitly, Na Yuri had tried to focus on matters unrelated to Rena.
'I decided to live proactively.'
Upon reincarnating, she had resolved.
She wouldn't sit still and be attacked, and if there were obstacles, she would remove them directly.
Rena had clearly recognized Na Yuri and attacked first.
'Eventually, this place will be discovered too.'
If one looked closely at the battle situation, she had left several traces.
First, she had used Korean with Heavenly Demon, and it was revealed that they had a deep relationship.
If they narrowed the scope to Korea and started investigating, they could catch hints again.
The entire house was surrounded by magic circles. An ordinary mage might not notice, but someone like Rena would be able to find strange points.
Na Yuri was concerned about that. Her family could be in danger again.
'Can I win?'
Even in her previous life, their battle had been fierce. But there was a clear difference in power.
'This time it's the opposite.'
They could fight fiercely, but Rena's power was clearly superior.
'She was born at least 100 years earlier.'
Among the reincarnators investigated so far, Rena was presumed to have been born earliest.
'Is that the only way?'
Na Yuri stood in the center of the training room.
When she closed her eyes and recited an incantation, all the magic circles in the training room emitted light.
The light from the magic circles floated throughout the entire training room in splendid light like the Milky Way.
And ten white crystals rose in the center of the training room.
Seeing that sight, the Grim Reaper nearby reacted first.
—Ice Hearts.
The real reason for building the research lab in a quiet place was here.
The Witch gazed at the Ice Hearts.
—Are you already thinking of absorbing the Ice Hearts? I'd say that's foolish.
"I have to deal with Rena."
—The hearts aren't complete yet. You still need to wait 6 years.
The Ice Hearts had been growing continuously since the research lab was built.
In her previous life, it took 300 years to complete the Ice Heart, but in this life, she used a different method.
She divided the Ice Heart into 10 pieces and reduced each piece that took 30 years to 15 years.
It was possible because it was magic she had already succeeded with once, and the reason she had devoted herself to mathematics and chemistry from a young age was here. The core reason for making the research lab and staying in one place was also the Ice Hearts.
The Ice Heart was the real power that led her to become an absolute being in her previous life. It meant containing extreme cold throughout the entire body.
—Your growth will stop.
The power that allowed her to live without aging was also here.
Though they were fragments, if she absorbed all ten, her growth would stop. And she could never absorb the Ice Hearts again.
She would be giving up the future for the present.
—Are you planning to live as a fifteen-year-old forever?
Na Yuri also wanted to wait 6 more years. But the conviction she had decided on in this life wouldn't leave her alone.
She approached the ice fragments.
Hearts that weren't yet complete.
They had just begun to contain dense cold energy.
—In 10 years, Yuna will look the same as you. After that, only Yuna will become an adult. Everyone will become adults, but you'll have to stay fifteen years old.
Though she wasn't obsessed with appearance, she didn't want to live as a fifteen-year-old forever either.
"There's no other way."
Na Yuri reached out her hand.
—There is a way.
Right in front of the Ice Heart, her hand stopped.
—Don't you already know?
"I don't like that."
—Make a deal.
"A deal?"
—Isn't that the way you help each other?
Na Yuri pondered for a while before lowering her hand.
That night.
Na Yuri called out Na Uram separately and faced him in the research lab.
"What's going on?"
"Let's make a deal."
At her words, the Grim Reaper, who was watching discreetly, moved away.
"Are you telling me to repay the remaining debt?"
"No, a new deal. I'll cancel all the debts so far."
Though she had already made up her mind, Na Yuri couldn't easily open her mouth.
Then, when Na Uram showed a frustrated expression, she started speaking with difficulty.
"Help me. Then I'll help you with anything, too."
Na Uram's expression hardened. He seemed greatly shocked.
Na Yuri hated that expression. She hated it even more because she could anticipate what would follow.
"Did I hear that correctly? You're asking for help?"
"I said it's a deal. If you help me first, I'll help you with anything once too."
Na Yuri's words were fast and impatient, unlike usual. Her face turned red as if she had been caught making excuses.
Then, Na Uram's voice was heard.
"Good."
"You're not even going to ask what it is?"
Na Yuri was surprised that Na Uram agreed immediately.
"Of course, I shouldn't ask."
"Why?"
"So I can use it the same way too. Since this is a deal, we have to do it the same way."
Whether it was consideration or sincerity, Na Yuri couldn't distinguish.
"Good, what do you need help with?"
"I'm going to catch Rena. It's too much for me alone."
"Is Rena that mage?"
"Right."
Na Yuri briefly explained about Rena.
She only mentioned that she had known her in childhood, that she was proficient in fire-type magic, and that she had made a contract with the demon race.
"Got it. You'll make the plan, right?"
Na Uram accepted it as if it were nothing. Thanks to that, Na Yuri could continue the conversation comfortably too.
"She's not someone to take lightly."
"Don't tell me you're not confident?"
At Na Uram's provocation, Na Yuri flared up.
"I'm just worried about my immature younger brother."
This time Na Uram's eyebrows twitched.
"That's not something someone who asked for help should say, is it?"
"It's just a deal."
The two glared at each other.
Then Na Uram opened his mouth first.
"You clearly promised, that you'd help with anything once. Any. Thing."
When Na Uram emphasized his words, Na Yuri's gaze wavered. Then she said with a sneer.
"Why? Are you planning to peek while I'm showering or something?"
"Wh-what! Peeking!"
"I heard younger brothers peek at their older sisters a lot. Especially during puberty."
Na Uram was at a loss for words and muttered.
"There wasn't much to see anyway."
At those words, Na Yuri emitted killing intent.
"Should I kill you right here?"
"If you're confident, then go ahead."
The two growled at each other.
The first official cooperation between the two absolute beings was thus established.