Chapter 22
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: I've Kidnapped a Calamity
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In that instant when the surrounding ground froze solid, it was as if the whole world held its breath.
At first, the wind stopped.
Then the sounds vanished.
The dirt underfoot, the blades of grass, even the tiniest pebbles—all were instantly coated in white frost.
And that frost grew thicker by the second, transforming into a layer of transparent ice.
The entire ground turned into a massive sheet of glass, accompanied by the sound of it forming.
Tiny cracking noises, faint crick-crack sounds of micro-fractures, echoed from every direction all at once.
Every single blade of grass solidified like transparent crystal.
A nearby puddle turned in an instant into a mirror-smooth sheet of ice, perfectly reflecting the sky above.
"No way... This is 7th Circle level...? A powerhouse like that just shows up out of nowhere?"
Kim Dain muttered under her breath in a small voice.
Seeing her reaction drove home once again just how incredible a powerhouse Yoo Seol was.
I'd seen Yoo Seol's martial arts a few times before, but this was the first time I'd witnessed a technique on such a massive scale.
-Swish
Kim Dain shot me a glare before muttering in a quiet voice.
"Killing the guy too and making a clean getaway... won't be easy... Shame, though..."
I caught on right away.
She was planning to bolt from this spot.
I couldn't let her get away.
A woman who'd already claimed countless victims—if she escaped now, she'd just rack up even more murders. No doubt about it.
So I yelled immediately.
"Yoo Seol! This woman's specialty is hiding her presence!"
It was the best call I could make.
"Too late."
But she was still one of the inmates from Underground Level 3.
The moment I shouted, she vanished from right in front of me without a trace.
'Damn it... Just gonna let her slip away like this?'
"Don't worry."
Yoo Seol said firmly.
But the situation wasn't good.
Her stealth was holding perfectly.
We had no idea how far she'd already fled.
If even the cops and guards couldn't detect her presence, I had no confidence that Yoo Seol could either.
That was the moment.
The air froze first.
Even the sound of breathing hardened into cold crystals and dropped away.
"Absolute Zero Domain."
⟨ Absolute Zero Domain ⟩
With those words, white frost exploded from her fingertips like a burst.
Invisible threads like slender ice needles scattered into dozens, hundreds of strands, infiltrating her hidden body with pinpoint accuracy.
Even in the air, they refracted light as transparent ice threads began weaving along her outline.
"No way."
It started from her feet.
Her previously transparent soles were instantly covered in white ice.
Each toe solidified like transparent crystal, her stealth flickering slightly.
A thin layer of ice formed over the tops of her feet, then raced up her calves, knees, and thighs in a flash.
The sound of flesh freezing echoed.
-Crick
-Crick
-Crick
"Gaaahhh... No way... This is cheating... Freezing the whole area?"
Her muscles twitched like they were spasming before locking completely in place.
Every vein turned into blue ice threads, starkly visible beneath her skin.
The moment her hips and waist froze, her body pitched slightly forward—and stopped.
Her abdominal muscles clenched tight, encased in a layer of transparent ice.
Thin ice crystals seeped between her ribs, and with every attempted breath, her entire chest hardened rigidly.
Her heartbeat slowed.
-Thud
-Thud
-Thud
Finally, even that sound was trapped in ice, turning dull and muffled.
Her shoulders to arms happened in one go.
Her elbows froze bent at an angle, fingers clenched in the shape they'd tried to form, now transparent ice sculptures.
Even the tiny droplet of blood at her nail tips had hardened into a red ice crystal.
Now her entire body was a perfect ice statue.
Her stealth shattered completely; her formerly invisible form now stood refracting light through transparent ice.
Muscle fibers, tendon lines, the finest skin wrinkles—all perfectly preserved in frozen stasis.
Only her head remained.
Her eyes bulged wide with terror.
Her mouth hung half-open, gasping for a final breath, but only drawing in frigid air.
A bead of sweat rolling down her forehead froze midway, becoming a tiny ice orb that tumbled down her cheek.
"Ha... What the hell are you... Ugh... Never seen anyone handle ice like this..."
Yoo Seol said in a low voice.
"Someone you know."
"Ugh... You kill me, and you think my crew's just gonna sit still? You think I busted out without a plan?"
She had backup waiting, as expected.
What a terrifying woman.
"Bring 'em all."
"You think you can... handle... them...? Got a 5th Circle Mage... and a few Sword Experts... Better melt this ice quick..."
"Curious who I am?"
"Kuh... Scared now, huh...? Too late to beg... Hurry up and thaw me..."
"Yoo Seol."
"What?"
"My name."
Yoo Seol's smile.
It was different from the ones she usually gave me.
Somehow, it looked utterly chilling.
"K... Haha... For real? That guard was telling the truth? Ha... Should've just busted out... I've kidnapped a calamity..."
The moment she heard Yoo Seol's name, her face filled with utter resignation.
Of course, I'd known Yoo Seol was strong and from a great family, but this level?
"Talk too much."
Just as the ice statue's head—the only part left—began to tilt forward.
Yoo Seol spread her palm and whispered low.
"Winter's Guillotine."
⟨ Winter's Guillotine ⟩
The air tore with a ripping sound once more.
White frost swirled around her right hand, gathering.
What started as hazy mist rapidly coalesced into solid form.
Transparent crystals tinged with blue intertwined and compressed, forging a long, razor-sharp blade.
The blade itself was perfectly transparent.
Moonlight filtering through sparked faint rainbows along its length.
Its edge was so thin it was nearly invisible, sharp enough to fool you into thinking it sliced the air itself.
The moment it touched her palm, a chilling thrill raced through her body.
She took one step forward.
The ice beneath her feet cracked wider.
Kim Dain's head hadn't fully frozen yet.
Terror lived in her eyes, her lips quivering faintly.
The instant her final breath escaped as white mist.
Yoo Seol lightly raised the sword.
Time seemed to slow.
The blade cut the air with a faint whisper.
-Shing
And in a flash.
The moment the tip touched her nape.
The ice blade met her skin with a faint friction.
-Crick
Thin frost bloomed around her neck, then—with a single horizontal slash.
-Slice
Hardly any sound.
Not even the crack of breaking glass.
Just the sensation of the transparent ice statue cleanly severing at the neck.
The cut surface was flawless.
Not a drop of blood.
From the instant it was severed, veins and flesh alike froze solid, even the red turning to blue ice crystals.
The decapitated head tilted slowly, so very slowly forward.
Then thunk—it hit the ice floor.
The moment it landed, the head shattered into pieces, tiny ice fragments scattering everywhere.
Sparkling in the moonlight, they swirled like a blizzard around us.
"Urp..."
Watching the scene, my tension finally eased a bit.
Pain surged back stronger than ever.
"Heal."
Yoo Seol transferred warm energy into my abdomen.
"Yoo Seol, you can use Heal too?"
"Yeah... Just in case... Good thing I learned it..."
She looked up at my face.
-Sniffle
"Y-Yoo Seol... Are you crying?"
"Sorry... And really, it's a relief..."
This side of her was a first.
Her flushed cheeks and streaming tears made her seem like a different person entirely.
"Don't cry. I only got helped here—what do you have to be sorry for?"
"No... I have to protect my husband... A wife who can't even do that... isn't worthy..."
"Don't say that... Why put yourself down?"
"You okay, husband? You saw something you shouldn't have."
"Something I shouldn't? Ah..."
What Yoo Seol pointed to was Kim Dain's headless corpse.
If I said it didn't faze me, I'd be lying.
But I didn't feel particularly disturbed or anything.
Was it because she was a serial killer?
Or was my own head starting to get messed up?
I couldn't tell.
"Yeah... Well... Better than I thought..."
"Good... Then let's head back to the prison. Things must be chaos right now."
She grabbed my arm and helped me stand.
A white circle appeared around us, glowing brightly.
"Careful. Teleporting—might make you nauseous."
"Okay..."
Glancing at Kim Dain's body stirred complicated feelings.
But the thought that it was finally over brought relief.
"Oh right!"
"What?"
"What was the activation condition for that mark Yoo Seol left on me?"
"Ahem... Doesn't matter."
"Ah... Can't you tell me? I nearly died not knowing."
"Ejaculation."
"Pardon?"
She said no more.