Chapter 95
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 95
Chapter Title: Snow House (4)
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A day after receiving the skills from Seol Yu-bin.
The morning air felt a bit chillier than usual.
"…She left."
After seeing Seol Yu-bin off from the entrance as she hurriedly departed Snow House due to the Ice Citadel Guild's schedule,
I stared blankly in the direction the car had vanished for a while—then headed straight to the mana training room.
Somehow, it felt empty.
The voice that had been chattering incessantly beside me until moments ago was gone, and for some reason, the surroundings seemed quieter than necessary.
Still, there were things I had to do.
I walked to the center of the training room and slowly regulated my breathing.
"Alright, let's try using them all once."
I could feel the ice mana flowing calmly through my body, one pulse at a time.
Cold Core Circulation.
The small ice core settled near my heart adjusted the mana's rotation speed at a steady rhythm, like a metronome.
Not pounding thump thump, but a constant dong… dong…, inducing resonance.
'Definitely, the mana isn't bouncing around as much as before.'
I gathered strength in my toes.
First, Frost Crescent Blade.
"Huu…"
I took a breath and compressed mana into my toes.
The moment the coldly compressed ice energy gathered at my toes—my ankles began to tingle with numbness.
"Frost Crescent Blade."
Tuk. I lightly flicked my toe upward.
Whing—!
A smooth slashing sound, not rough at all.
A thin ice ring, barely visible to the naked eye, sliced through the air and slammed into the wall at the end of the training room, which was surrounded by a protective barrier.
"…Oh."
Stronger than expected? Mana consumption was far less than Gale Storm Chain, smoother and lighter.
"One more time."
This time with my fingertips.
I gathered mana in my hand blade and slashed forward briefly.
Shuk—!
This time, a half-moon-shaped ice ring curved sideways as it flew.
The ice pillar behind the target was sliced into an ellipse and fell away.
"Even using it with my hand doesn't change the power much?"
Better controllability than I'd thought.
Straight line, gentle curve, height adjustment.
Just a slight change in body angle, and the trajectory shifted immediately.
However—
'My body temperature is dropping sharply.'
My fingertips were numb.
Even after just two consecutive shots, the sensation in my fingertips dulled slightly.
As the description said, spamming this would freeze me to death in a fun way.
Next, Frost Domain.
I lightly tapped the center of the training room floor with my foot and channeled mana into the ground.
"Frost Domain."
A seruk— sound came from the floor.
White frost spread instantly from under my foot, lightly coating a several-meter radius in a thin layer of ice.
At the same time, I felt the air density shift ever so slightly.
'Oh, definitely.'
I moved my body a little, and the mana flow speed within the circle stabilized noticeably.
Trying Frost Crescent Blade again felt even smoother than before.
"This must be the power boost effect…"
Conversely, when I slightly extended my foot outside the Frost Domain, there was a momentary hitch in the magic flow, just as expected.
"If an enemy is inside this, they'd feel really stifled, huh?"
Cold Core Circulation + Frost Domain.
The synergy was better than expected.
In real combat, if I laid down Frost Domain and held my ground—it would make me pretty strong in mana operation battles.
I could see why Seol Yu-bin had given me these two together.
Finally, Ice Chain Bullet.
Like forming a mana bullet, I gathered a bit of mana in my palm, gripped lightly, and tossed it forward.
Tuk.
No flashy effects, but the moment the small frozen sphere left my hand and hit the wall at the end of the room—
Shak! Ice chains burst out, instantly binding the pillar and wall.
"…This is fucking insane."
For a single-target suppression move, the speed was pretty good.
The chains emerged so quickly that opponents with even slightly slow reactions would struggle to dodge.
Frost Domain for slowdown → Ice Chain Bullet chains → Frost Crescent Blade finisher.
A natural skill combo route popped into my head.
However, compared to my current stats, this full combo was a bit much.
I'd need at least four circles to make proper use of it.
"Haa…"
After some repetition, my breath grew a bit ragged.
But strangely—unlike before, the mana didn't collapse drastically.
Accumulation Resilience was definitely helping, but Cold Core Circulation contributed too.
It wasn't exhaustion-induced collapse; mana slowed itself at the perfect stopping point.
I'd felt it every time I played, but Accumulation Resilience was a total cheat skill.
"The gap from just one trait is huge…"
I loosened my hands and feet once, thinking today's practice was enough, and turned to leave the training ground.
The ice crystals behind me dimmed slowly, and the frost lingering in the Frost Domain melted away.
That was when it happened.
"For a finisher, don't you have a bit left?"
"……?"
A slightly chilling but deeply familiar voice came from behind.
I turned reflexively.
Not sure since when, but near the training room entrance, someone leaned lightly against a pillar.
Seol Ye-eun.
Hair flowing with pure white and pale purple hues, dignified like ice yet somehow warm eyes.
"…How long have you been watching?"
"Since you fired your first Frost Crescent Blade."
Seeing her seated so naturally, she must have been here for at least dozens of minutes.
"Then why didn't you say anything…."
"Didn't want to interrupt your practice."
She clasped her hands and smiled lightly.
"But thrashing Snow House's training room this hard and letting you leave without a word wouldn't be polite."
"Ah… Sorry. Was it too intense?"
"That's fine."
Seol Ye-eun shook her head.
"On the contrary, you're handling it well. Just—"
Her gaze slowly swept over the floor and ice marks.
"Frost Crescent Blade's angle isn't consistent. One was too high, the next too low."
"…You saw all that?"
"This much is obvious from the traces."
Seol Ye-eun's lips curved slightly upward.
"And the Frost Domain."
She tapped the floor lightly with her toe.
"The cold distribution skewed about 30 cm to the right. Fighting like that, enemies from the right would be overly slowed."
"Ah…."
"Ice Chain Bullet was fine. But after the chains emerged, your gaze always lingered on the bound target.
That's a habit. Practice shifting your gaze to the next action immediately after binding."
As the pointers piled up, my back itched uncomfortably.
But strangely, none of it was wrong.
'Wow, she saw everything.'
I scratched the back of my head.
"Sorry. I was trying everything out… Not used to it yet."
"No need to apologize."
Seol Ye-eun shook her head.
"Newly learned skills always start out clumsy like that."
She slowly rose from her seat.
"That said—"
Her gaze lingered briefly on my toes, fingertips, and chest.
"From what you showed today, it's clear you've improved a lot. Cold Core Circulation seems somewhat ingrained."
"…Really?"
"So."
Seol Ye-eun snapped her fingers, and the training room door closed automatically.
Kung.
The cold air thickened once more.
"If you're okay with it… how about a simple magic duel?"
"……."
'What? A duel?'
My mind went blank for a moment.
Korea's top ice mage.
A monster who could clear an S-rank gate solo right now if she wanted.
And she's proposing a magic duel with me? That's no joke.
"Of course, if you don't want to, I won't force you."
Seol Ye-eun stared straight at my hesitant face and added.
"But to gauge how far you can push your current skills and traits…
Experiencing it directly would be faster. That's what I intend to help with."
My pupils trembled on their own.
Inside me, the ice core near my heart resonated with a dong…
Not fear, but a tremor close to anticipation.
'Honestly… I'm scared shitless.'
But—dodging here would leave me with the most regrets later.
Seol Yu-bin's guidance was a precious chance, but Seol Ye-eun's was no less.
I closed my eyes briefly, then opened them and nodded slowly.
"…I'll do it."
"Good?"
Seol Ye-eun's eyes softened just a touch.
"Yes. Eventually… I'll have to fight even bigger opponents anyway.
I don't want to pass up this chance."
"Good."
She lightly raised her hand.
The temperature around the training room dropped another level in an instant.
"Then—"
Frost flowers bloomed beneath Seol Ye-eun's feet.
"Let's start at a light warm-up level, Hyun-sol."
At that moment, at the Demonic Humans Association's Korean branch.
Among the Demonic Humans who were plotting a full-scale assault on Snow House to secure the Eternal Frost's ice crystals for the descent of the Apostle of Arrogance, Teobain—
A man whose body was more than half transformed into a demon race cautiously raised his hand and posed a question to Chae Yeon-hwa, who was listening alongside them.
"Chae Yeon… no, Lady Karinoah, our side has completed all preparations.
We've also finished readying the summoning for two additional Lord-class demons excluding yourself.
But, may I ask why you're continuously pushing back the plan even slightly?"
"…."
At the man's question, Chae Yeon-hwa lightly stroked the blade of her beloved sword, Bloodline Falling Blossom, and opened her mouth.
"The reason for delaying the plan… simple. I needed a little time to finalize my thoughts."
"Finalize your thoughts…?"
"It's an extremely personal reason, so I can't tell you. However…."
Chae Yeon-hwa continued with her characteristic bewitching smile.
"I've already received permission from the Apostle of Lust and my master, Belsein Alma,
and now that I've cleanly made my choice, there's no more reason to hesitate.
So, no need to delay the plan any longer."
"…Is that so?"
"Yes, that's right."
With a slight nod, Chae Yeon-hwa rubbed her finger over the document spread on the table—detailing the Snow House assault, securing the Eternal Frost's ice crystals,
and summoning the Apostle of Arrogance, Teobain, right there.
"Three days from now, as planned, we'll attack Snow House with four Lord-class demons at the forefront, including myself."
"Understood!!"
The repulsive, acrid stench of demonic energy filling the meeting room began to dissipate.
The Demonic Humans, who had been chattering confidently or madly just moments ago,
scattered from the meeting room all at once upon Lord Karinoah's final decision to carry out their assigned preparations.
Clack, clack—
Busy footsteps, sounds of grabbing gear, and low-rising black flames.
As it all faded down the opposite corridor and the door closed, only one person remained in the meeting room.
Chae Yeon-hwa.
"…Huu."
Chae Yeon-hwa slowly straightened from her reclined position in the chair.
She lifted her greatsword, Bloodline Falling Blossom, from the armrest with both hands.
The crimson blade shimmered faintly in the light.
A deep red aura, like blood seeping in or like one fallen in love.
She slowly ran her finger along the blade.
"Staking their lives on petty immortality… abandoning their humanity for that."
Her voice was quiet, but the emotion within was clear.
Contempt.
Pity.
And derision.
"How foolish do you have to be… to rejoice in becoming slaves of your own accord."
She slowly rose and walked past the center of the meeting room.
The seats where the Demonic Humans had sat with cold awe.
The humans babbling about loyalty in ignorance.
Chae Yeon-hwa—no, Karinoah—didn't spare them so much as a smile.
As she walked toward the door, a faint mix of demonic energy stained her red mana at her toes, then vanished.
With each step, her expression grew colder, more impassive.
Click—!
The meeting room door opened, and she stepped out slowly.
The corridor had high windows.
A clear blue sky without a hint of clouds stretched fully beyond the glass.
Chae Yeon-hwa paused beneath it.
"Really… humans are pitiful, Demonic Humans are foolish…."
She muttered, then smiled ever so faintly.
That smile held no empathy or compassion.
Just, like a long-buried hope in the depths of her heart finally raising its head—such an expression.
"But…."
Her pink hair sparkled in the sunlight.
"If it's this one and only chance, perhaps the first and last—"
For dozens of years, or in some ways centuries, the true desire she had harbored.
Her genuine wish.
A dream never shared with anyone, hidden even from her master, the Apostle Belsein Alma, her entire life.
"The first and… the last time."
She raised her head and stared straight at the blue sky.
"Whether I can achieve… my true dream."
The words scattered lightly into the air—but they carried more sincerity than ever.
The blue sky reflected in Chae Yeon-hwa's red pupils.
"Kang Hyun-sol… at this crossroads of choice, will you fulfill my dream, or…"
The wind passed.
And Chae Yeon-hwa's silhouette slowly faded into the light.