Chapter 22
Chapter 22
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Blooming. (2)
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Shwaaaaa-!
The world was bleached white.
The parking lot itself transformed into a realm where no life could exist, like a frozen world where everything had ground to a complete halt.
The pipes hanging from the ceiling screamed as they froze solid.
White frost spread across the gray concrete floor in an instant, weaving intricate geometric patterns.
Even the fine dust particles floating in the air froze solid, hovering motionless in the void like glittering specks caught in suspended time.
In the eerie silence where sound itself had frozen, Lee Jia slowly raised her head.
Her hair defied gravity, fluttering white around her.
It was as if a blizzard swirled around her, enveloping her form.
"……."
Her eyes were pure white, the boundary between sclera and pupil utterly dissolved.
Her beige dress whipped in the surging mana, resembling a queen's gown.
"Th-this…."
The assassins tried to stagger backward.
But they couldn't move.
The moment their soles touched the ground, ice crept up their ankles, binding them in place.
Not even their leather boots could fend off the chill; they froze brittle as if about to shatter.
"My feet… won't budge!"
"Damn it!"
The leader shouted urgently, drawing mana from within his body.
Crackle.
The instant they summoned their mana, they recoiled in horror.
The mana flowing through their veins snapped—or rather, froze solid.
Lee Jia's emanations had chilled their very mana.
A horrific sensation spread through their bodies as their blood turned to slush.
"No… way…."
Terror overwhelmed them.
But Lee Jia seemed oblivious to their fear.
Her gaze fixed solely on the fallen Siwoo.
Siwoo's blood spreading red. That crimson stain pierced her white world.
Sorrow ignited into rage, and rage transmuted into cold murderous intent, sublimating into white frost.
Step. Step.
With every footfall, white frost bloomed like flowers in her wake.
"I can't forgive you."
White breath escaped her lips.
The air around Lee Jia warped and twisted.
Her pale skin turned translucently white, and blue chill radiated from her fingertips like knife edges.
"M-monster…!"
The leader tried to back away in terror, but his lower body had gone numb.
The realization that escape was impossible dominated his mind.
Then Lee Jia twitched a single finger.
Crack-crack!
Dozens of ice spears materialized in the air.
The condensed masses were transparent as glasswork, honed razor-sharp—artifacts crafted for murder.
Each spear tip locked precisely on the assassins' vital points.
"Vanish."
Whoosh!
The ice spears rained down like a barrage.
It was murderous intent pouring like a downpour.
"Gaaah!"
"Block it! Block them!"
The assassins raised their weapons to defend, but it was futile.
The moment the spears touched, their armor froze brittle and crumbled like cookie crumbs.
"Wha…?"
An assassin who couldn't dodge stared blankly as a spear impaled his shoulder.
Thud!
No blood sprayed.
The wound froze white the instant it formed.
Before pain could register, the ice surged through his veins straight to his heart.
His heart didn't merely stop—it turned into an ice block.
"Urk… grrr…."
Mid-scream, his mouth gaped open as he froze solid.
The frost that began at his legs climbed to his neck, turning him into a perfect ice statue.
His terrified expression preserved forever.
The one beside him fared even worse.
An ice spear pierced his gut, pinning him to the wall.
He flailed his limbs, but ice thorns sprouted from the wall, binding and ensnaring his body.
Like prey caught in a spider's web, he was trapped in the icy thicket, his breath slowly fading.
Three down in an instant.
Only the leader and one subordinate remained.
"You… you monster bitch…!"
In desperation, the leader reached for his last weapon.
A final act of defiance.
But Lee Jia's white eyes turned to him.
"Don't move."
At her command.
Crack!
The leader's right arm turned white from shoulder to fingertip in a flash.
"Aaaagh!"
Instinctively, he clutched the frozen arm.
But that was a mistake.
The cellular structure already shattered into ice crystals; it couldn't withstand even slight pressure.
Crash!
A clear, crystalline shatter like breaking glass.
His right arm exploded into shards that scattered across the floor.
Only a clean white stump remained where it had been.
No blood flowed from the severed end, amplifying the horror.
"Uwaaaaaah!"
The leader screamed at his shattered—not severed—arm.
Terror beyond pain drove him mad.
His brain refused to accept his body crumbling like glass.
"Shut up."
Lee Jia furrowed her brow.
Vast swirls of frost intensified around her.
Killing them wasn't enough to sate her fury.
Her rage, untargeted, was spiraling out of control.
It threatened to freeze the entire parking lot—no, the whole building—into an icy tomb.
Rumble-!
Cracks spiderwebbed across the building's pillars.
The concrete screamed, unable to withstand thermal contraction.
The steel framework groaned and twisted, shaking the structure.
Collapse was only a matter of time.
That was when.
"Ngh…."
A groan escaped Siwoo, collapsed on the floor.
He'd lost too much blood; even twitching a finger was a struggle.
No sensation. His body felt like a lead weight.
But he gritted his teeth.
'I have to stop her here.'
Lee Jia was in rampage mode now.
Her blooming had succeeded, but she'd lost control.
If left unchecked, she'd become a murderer—and worse, the overwhelming mana backlash would destroy her.
Her heart could freeze solid, leaving her forever asleep.
Siwoo propped himself up on trembling arms.
⚠️ WARNING ⚠️ [Warning: Managed target Lee Jia's mana is rampaging.] [Warning: Surrounding temperature has dropped to life-threatening levels.] [Warning: Your heart may stop.] The red warning screens obscured his vision, but Siwoo ignored them.
Muscles tore with agony, but he forced his upper body upright.
His nails scraped the floor, drawing blood.
Scraaaape.
Dragging his numb lower half, he approached Lee Jia's rampaging back.
The biting cold invaded his torn wounds.
The gashes gaped wider, blood freezing solid.
Frost clung to his eyelashes; his lips turned blue.
Body heat plummeted, consciousness blurring, but he pressed on.
Stumbling, he stood behind Lee Jia, who radiated white frost.
Siwoo extended his trembling arms and embraced her tightly.
Thud.
"……!"
Lee Jia's body stiffened.
Faint warmth transmitted from her back.
That heat knocked on the door of her frozen reason.
Siwoo peeled his freezing lips to whisper in her ear.
"That's enough, Jia."
His voice trembled.
From cold or pain, he couldn't tell—but it was tender.
"I'm… fine."
Those words were like a spell.
The swirling frost halted in an instant.
The storm subsided.
The countless ice spears suspended in the air lost power and plummeted to the ground.
Clatter. Clink.
The sound of shattering glass broke the silence.
Color slowly returned to Lee Jia's eyes.
The pure white madness receded, revealing trembling brown irises.
The tips of her once-white hair reverted to black.
She slowly turned her head.
Right behind her stood Siwoo, his face deathly pale.
His lips were purple, white frost dusting his hair.
"R-Representative…?"
Her voice quivered.
"You're… alive…."
"Yeah, still kicking. Nearly bought it, though."
Siwoo managed a strained smile.
Seeing it, Lee Jia's legs gave out.
Tension snapped.
Thud.
As she collapsed, Siwoo—leaning on her—lost balance and tumbled with her.
Lee Jia spun around, catching his falling form.
His body was ice-cold.
Dark blood around his wounds had frozen mixed with ice.
The realization that her chill had hurt him stabbed her heart.
"Ah… ah…."
Chicken-shit tears plopped from Lee Jia's eyes.
The fact that she'd hurt him because of her—it was unbearable.
And the guilt of nearly freezing him to death crashed over her.
"I'm sorry… A-are you okay? The blood… because of me…."
Sobbing, she caressed his cheek.
His skin felt far too cold under her fingertips.
Siwoo's blue lips trembled, but he let out a chuckle.
"No."
"Huh?"
"I'm freezing my ass off. For real. Gotta crank the heater."
At Siwoo's cheeky joke, Lee Jia stared blankly.
This man cracking wise after brushing death—infuriating and grateful in equal measure.
She burst into tears, hugging him tight.
"Waaaaaah!"
Her sobs echoed through the frozen parking lot.
Siwoo patted her back as she buried into him.
Her body heat thawed his frozen form.
'Success.'
It hurt like hell, but the result was perfect.
Weee-ooh-weee-ooh!
In the distance, sirens wailed—police cars and ambulances approaching.
Siwoo sighed in relief, stroking Lee Jia's hair as she wept in his arms.
In the frigid air, their body heat was the only warmth.
Ding!
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Managed target Lee Jia has broken through her potential threshold.] [Ability blooming successful.] [Passive skill 'Growth Synchronization' activated.] [Massive amount of experience transferred.]