Chapter 45
Chapter 45
Chapter 45
The Witch's Surgery Diary
After watching the video of the Royson family burning, Na Yuri fell into deep contemplation.
'The return is faster than I thought.'
Rena, dominated by the demons, was already beyond the level Na Yuri could handle.
'I need to join forces with the Heavenly Demon.'
She had realized during the battle with the Grim Reaper what kind of power their combined attack could unleash.
The union of magic and martial arts was far more powerful than she had expected.
'The problem is I don't want to do that.'
Looking back at the fight with Rena, it wasn't a coordinated attack. They had simply identified the easier opponents and fought separately.
At least in one scene, she had felt the true power.
It was the temporary magic circle carved on the Heavenly Demon's body.
This had led to the result of penetrating through Rena's flames.
It was the decisive reason that had driven Rena to her death.
'Six years remain until the Ice Heart is complete.'
Until then, she couldn't defeat Rena alone. Having given even her body to the devil, Rena would achieve tremendous growth.
'Though she's no longer Rena.'
Rena was now a demon. A demon had appeared in the present life.
'I need to strengthen the Heavenly Demon Cult.'
For the six years, she had no choice but to cooperate.
'Once I absorb the Ice Heart, I'll win anyway.'
Because she had confidence, she made a plan.
She called Na Uram, showed him the video, and used the word ‘gift’.
After much deliberation, the Heavenly Demon accepted it.
They thought it was simply carving a magic circle, but in reality, this field had originated from Chimera research.
It was about drawing out abilities to the extreme by inscribing patterns on humans or monsters under mental domination.
Na Yuri had researched this while commanding summoned creatures in the Ice Castle and had achieved considerable results.
She didn't bother to inform them that this wasn't tattooing but surgery.
The first surgery subject was So Iryeon.
So Iryeon lay down on the ice bed without any suspicion. However, Na Uram wouldn't leave the bedside.
She used the fact that So Iryeon was currently a woman to chase away the Heavenly Demon. Then she began the surgery.
While preparing for the surgery, Na Yuri had many concerns.
'So Iryeon and Cheong Ak-sal can handle up to two patterns without mental damage. The Heavenly Demon seems capable of up to three. Jimun Seo-saeng would be limited to one.'
She set the surgery scope within limits that wouldn't shock the mind and soul.
'Mana Shield as the default...'
A shield that reacts to magical power would play a decisive role in increasing survival.
'Strength.'
It was magic that increased power.
'Should I do Berserker? Or Fireball? No, there would be resistance. Blink would be unfamiliar to non-mages and would actually be a disadvantage for So Iryeon.'
Berserker dramatically elevated all physical abilities but had severe aftereffects. One would become a berserker, but the mind would be destroyed.
Fireball was throwing an ordinary ball of fire, and Blink was a magic that teleported short distances.
'Cheong Ak-sal would be good with Blink.'
She calculated thoroughly.
'If there's resistance, it would rather be a disadvantage.'
Finally, she made a decision.
'So Iryeon gets Mana Shield and Strength, Cheong Ak-sal gets Mana Shield and Blink, the Heavenly Demon...'
Na Uram was the problem.
'He won't become stronger than me, will he?'
She couldn't help having a sense of rivalry.
'I need to deal with Rena first.'
Eventually, she made a decision about Na Uram, too.
'Mana Shield, Strength, and Illusion.'
It was magic that created phantoms. Its characteristic was causing little mental strain compared to its effect.
Detection would reveal the reality, but it had a great effect in fierce battles.
'It's also magic that's useless to me.'
It was magic that didn't work on Na Yuri. That's why she decided on Illusion for Na Uram.
She wondered whether to tell him this fact before the surgery.
'There are no aftereffects anyway. If he says he doesn't want it, I just won't tell him.'
There were cases of self-realization, but the possibility was slim.
'Still...'
Something felt uneasy.
Eventually, she lay So Iryeon on the bed, chased Na Uram away, and casually asked.
"I can make you stronger, too."
"Really?"
So Iryeon's closed eyes snapped open.
"How much stronger?"
"It depends on affinity. But you'll become quite a bit stronger."
"Then great."
Unlike the witch's worry, So Iryeon easily gave permission.
"Don't martial artists try to become strong on their own?"
"Right."
"But is this method okay? Growing without effort."
So Iryeon looked at the Witch as if she found it strange.
"We like fortuitous encounters."
So Iryeon simply thought of it as encountering a fortuitous opportunity.
The Witch also began the surgery without any more uneasiness.
The surgery started with freezing the skin. Then the skin was peeled to draw the magic circle on the inside.
The reason the magic circle isn't normally visible from the outside is because of this. It's inscribed on the inside, not on top of the skin.
When the magic activates, the light is strong enough to be visible outside the skin.
It was quite delicate work. It had to be carved by hand one by one, and not even the slightest error was allowed.
She proceeded while calculating so the complex magic circle wouldn't be damaged internally. This process took a day.
Once the magic circle inscription process was finished, the skin was covered back on the body. And the thawing process was important.
The frozen skin remained exactly as it was before removal. But the problem was when thawing.
Human skin maintains its original form without deformation when frozen, but cells are destroyed when thawed. Cells could die if one wasn't careful.
She cast Nature's magic to prevent cell destruction while gradually reducing the temperature of the ice bed.
This process took another day.
Thawing all day long.
During this process, the skin settled into place and fully recovered through Nature's magic.
The surgery ended like that.
"For ten days, you need to come here and sit on the magic circle for one hour each day."
This was the process for the magic circle to permeate without rejection from the skin.
"When will I become stronger?"
"I'll tell you after ten days are up."
The witch then operated on Jimun Seo-saeng.
It was the same process, but it ended relatively quickly since Strength was omitted. He returned with only Mana Shield inscribed.
The third was Cheong Ak-sal.
"Blink. It's magic that instantly teleports short distances. There's mental shock, so you can't use it often."
After explaining Blink, Cheong Ak-sal pondered for a moment.
Na Yuri spoke as if frustrated.
"If you don't want it, don't use it. It's a choice. If you don't use it, it's naturally as if it doesn't exist."
Cheong Ak-sal's mind was fifty-fifty. It was fine to have it, but there was also instinctive rejection.
"I will accept it."
Eventually, Cheong Ak-sal also gave permission.
'I shouldn't have offered to do this.'
That small rejection was an irritating situation from Na Yuri's standpoint. Still, the surgery ended safely.
Including rest days in between, it became Na Uram's turn after ten days.
"No."
Na Uram refused.
"You'll become stronger and can use clones too."
"No."
Na Uram rejected without a moment's hesitation.
"Then why are you accepting Mana Shield?"
"Because it's like light armor."
At the annoying answer, Na Yuri felt the urge to hit him.
"My magic circle is just armor?"
"Isn't it?"
Na Uram seemed to genuinely think so.
"Expensive and luxurious armor. I'm thinking of it as armor worn inside the skin."
If not for that mindset, Na Uram would have refused the surgery itself.
"So Iryeon got Strength inscribed, Cheong Ak-sal got Blink."
"That's their choice. I don't want it."
Eventually, Na Yuri couldn't persuade Na Uram.
"Fine."
The magic circle was decided to be Mana Shield. Na Yuri didn't want to force it on him if he didn't want it.
She began the surgery like that.
There was no problem until the process of peeling off the skin. And she safely drew the Mana Shield magic circle inside the skin.
But rejection occurred during the covering process.
The skin wouldn't attach.
Looking closely, there was frost on the cross-section of the cut skin.
It was proof that cold energy was leaking out.
This was a symptom that occurred when Na Yuri's skin was torn.
Na Yuri healed naturally because of this, but Na Uram wasn't to that degree.
'This is troublesome.'
As she was thinking that, Na Uram woke up.
Na Yuri was greatly flustered. Nevertheless, she put him back to sleep, pretending nothing was wrong.
'If I can't reattach it...'
A situation beyond control would occur. Na Yuri knew this fact clearly.
'First, absorb the cold energy.'
As Na Uram moved his internal energy, a trace amount of cold energy was felt. Na Yuri first extracted this and focused on attaching the skin.
'Mana Shield is rejecting the cold energy.'
The Mana Shield magic circle, recognizing the cold energy remaining in Na Uram's body as magic, was refusing to merge.
'This won't do.'
It was a situation where the removed skin could necrotize if she wasn't careful.
Eventually, Na Yuri had to erase the Mana Shield magic circle.
As expected, the skin found its place perfectly afterward.
'Should I say it failed?'
There was no harm to Na Uram, but from Na Yuri's standpoint, it was a failed surgery.
At that moment, Na Uram woke again.
Suspicious eyes were visible.
"Go back to sleep."
She put Na Uram to sleep and changed methods.
'I absolutely can't give up.'
Now it had become a fight of pride.
From then on, Na Yuri forgot the fact that she was tired and entered a battle with the cold energy.
First, she removed all skin tissue where the magic circle could be inscribed. But the cold energy had been dormant for so long that there was no place for it to penetrate.
After repeated deliberation, Na Yuri thought of the method of inscribing on top of the skin.
'That won't work either.'
She had to do it the way she originally promised. That way, there would be no backtalk.
'Inside the skin, invisibly.'
The deliberation continued. Then a method came to mind.
'A shield that doesn't show rejection to mana.'
It was a shield commonly deployed by mages fighting Na Uram. The crucial difference from Mana Shield was that it also reacted to physical force.
It reacted to all external forces but had a disadvantage.
'It has to be activated directly.'
Automatic activation like Mana Shield was impossible.
'I'll just insist I made it to be used when desired. I'll just make the effect better.'
This much was acceptable.
Na Yuri made the decision and began drawing the Shield magic circle. As expected, the cold energy no longer rejected the magic circle.
'Throughout the entire body.'
To increase the power, she connected the magic circle throughout the entire body. At this level, it could create a protective barrier covering the entire body.
'Connect it to the cold energy to react to internal energy consumption.'
The faint cold energy she felt was also a pathway for the internal energy Na Uram possessed.
'Lower abdomen and crown of the head.'
She granted the power to activate the Shield magic circle to the two pathways where internal energy was strongest.
A delicate process of inscribing the magic circle on bones continued.
'Now I just need to do the back.'
After the long surgery, she made Na Uram lie face down. But fatigue rushed in, and her hands trembled.
'Let me sleep first.'
Like that, she left Na Uram alone and fell asleep.
The surgery continued after a long 12-hour sleep.
She removed the back skin in the same way and drew a magic circle connecting to other parts. There was no problem since she had marked the locations with ice beforehand to eliminate errors.
The surgery ended safely like that.
Three days after the surgery ended.
"I'd like to experiment with the shield a bit."
Na Uram learned the shield quickly. It took only three days to adjust internal energy and activate the shield.
Instead of answering, the Witch created an ice spear and threw it.
Instantly, an oval-shaped shield popped out from Na Uram's entire body like an inflating balloon.
Chaeng!
The ice spear shattered into pieces against Na Uram's shield.
"Oho, this is nice."
The shield was perfect for all the trouble she went through.
"It's a bit disappointing that it's manual, though. Automation is basic in this day and age."
The Witch trembled.
From the past surgery until now, she has had lingering headaches and trembling hands.
'Annoying.'
Na Yuri felt like she would go crazy from how annoying Na Uram was, playing with the shield like a toy.