Chapter 40
Chapter 40
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: Guardian Dragon's Nest (5)
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Amid the swirling ice particles, Ray gripped her sword tightly and rose to her feet, poised to launch herself forward at any moment.
Soon, a figure emerged from the entrance, parting the ice dust.
That instant.
"You...?"
Ray's eyes widened round in shock at the utterly unexpected person before her.
Ah!
With a small groan, her steps faltered,
thud—
and she soon toppled sideways.
* * *
'...She looks exhausted.'
Theo lightly clicked his tongue as he gazed at Ray, who had collapsed fully into his arms, giving off a faint milky scent.
He had swiftly moved to catch her upon seeing her fall.
Haa... Haa...!
At a glance, Ray's condition was far from good.
Her face was deathly pale from severe blood loss, and her wounds—crudely sealed with ice—risked necrosis.
'And she's poisoned on top of that.'
Red spots were gradually blooming across her pale skin.
The telltale signs of monster poison, the deadliest hazard when facing beasts.
It seemed one of her attackers had pre-coated their blade with it.
No wonder things felt off.
Even against nearly ten opponents, Ray wouldn't fall to mere trainee swordsmen.
'Good thing the poison isn't too potent, but leaving it like this too long will be dangerous. How do I detoxify it?'
Theo wanted to help Ray.
He had no idea why she had clashed with such a large group.
But one thing was certain.
The Ray he had observed all this time might be hard to read due to her poor social skills, but she was no villain.
Her injuries were undoubtedly from blocking those targeting him.
That made Theo indebted to her.
The problem was, the detoxification method he recalled required specific herbs.
Yet in the snow-blanketed Winter Mountains, gathering ingredients was no easy task.
He needed another way...
—Amon expands spiritual waves to awaken the essence of objects.
In that moment, Theo vaguely recalled Lord Brok's words.
The grimoire Amon.
Might it hold a solution?
Theo opened his inventory and pulled out the grimoire.
Flutter—
The cover and pages flipped rapidly,
"Sound is invisible, yet it echoes across the world, centering the speaker. It places the caster at the center of the magical world...."
Theo's eyes moved just as busily.
With spirit infused in his vision, rapid reading and comprehension were possible.
Grimoires were often magic in themselves—living magical devices.
Naturally, he assumed Amon was too,
whoosh—
And as expected, with each page turn, Amon grew enveloped in a glow.
To sum up Amon's contents simply:
-The human soul carries a kind of wave.
-Amon calls this wave the soul's 'voice.'
-This voice awakens the latent essence—or '念'—in desired objects.
-Awakened objects synchronize with the soul, becoming part of the caster.
-This connection between soul and object is called <念動>.
Ding!
[You have grasped part of the magical principles in 'Grimoire - Amon,' creating a new skill.]
[Due to insufficient <Realm>, the skill manifests at a downgraded rank.]
+
[Hatchling Synchro]
· Rank: C
· Proficiency: 1%
· Effect: Freely manipulate objects with psychokinesis and read the thoughts imprinted on them.
+
'Psychokinesis...!'
With a hunch, Theo extended his hand toward Ray's sword, lying haphazardly on the ground.
Hum! Hummm!
The sword twitched about before slowly floating into the air.
In that instant, Theo felt his mind connected to Ray's sword.
As if linked by an invisible thread.
And through that thread, fragmented thoughts latent in the sword flowed to him one by one.
-Kirin Dragon Society, Plum Palace... Fine for the Kirin Dragon Society, but why are Plum Palace folks conspiring with them to target Theo?
The thoughts revealed the trigger for Ray's injuries.
Black-clad figures—five Kirin Dragon Society candidates—conversing with four in red attire.
Plum blossoms on their chests marked them as Plum Palace affiliates.
Their grave faces clearly plotted something nefarious.
That's when Ray revealed herself.
Suspicious vibes drew her out.
"Damn it, why's the Frostblade Sword here all of a sudden!"
"That's why I said watch your mouth..."
"No choice. Take her out. News can't reach the Palace Lord."
"Actually, perfect. Removing both Sentinel and Frostblade means we dominate this trial, right?"
The Kirin Dragon Society and Plum Palace candidates exchanged glances before charging at Ray.
Her superior skill let her gravely wound over half of the nine,
But one Kirin Dragon member's poison-coated blade turned the tide.
A mistake born of inexperience despite her prowess.
Ray acknowledged her error and attempted escape.
"Chase her! Grab her!"
They pursued closely, but couldn't catch her.
Her destination: this very cave.
Discovered by chance around the Awakening Ceremony's start.
A hidden spot perfect for rest, away from prying eyes.
"So that's what happened."
After reading all the thoughts, Theo furrowed his brow.
A grand conspiracy targeted him in this second Awakening Ceremony.
'The Plum Palace Lord wouldn't order her own candidates to kill me... They're defying orders to take a shot.'
No surprise—they chafed at the Palace Lord, who never took disciples, favoring Theo.
Like a rolling stone dislodging a cornerstone.
But conspiring with enemies behind her back?
Did they think they could handle the fallout if caught?
'I know the Plum Palace Lord cherishes her people, but she's no pushover.'
Perhaps they banked on total elimination, like Hyde's crew.
Anyway.
Soon, they'd track Ray here to the cave vicinity.
How to deal with them?
As Theo pondered briefly,
whoosh—
'What’s this?'
Even now, thoughts flashed by like sequential photos.
Rewinding to prior times.
Inside some cave.
A young Ray trained under the faint glow of luminous stones, entrance sealed tight.
Swinging her sword, again and again.
Until blisters formed on her hands and wounds on her feet.
The training never ended.
Theo witnessed the diverse forms Ray etched.
[Glacial Divine Sword].
Taught by her master, famed as the 'Ice Dragon.'
The supreme art that overcame her cursed Nine Yin Meridian constitution in childhood.
Young Ray didn't draw it once.
Twice, thrice, four times... beyond a hundred, two hundred... one year, two...
Throughout closed-door training, sword unending.
And this sword was always by her side.
In snow or rain.
When tempted to quit from exhaustion, loneliness, or Nine Yin pain. Always.
Ray's training wasn't limited to Glacial Divine Sword.
Glacial Divine Palm, Step, Fist, Spear, etc.—all cold arts honed steadily, even the foundational breathing method.
Thus, Theo unwittingly gained insight into her full arsenal, dubbed [Glacial Martial Style].
Spying on another's training was a grave crime, warranting immediate blade.
But Theo was entranced by Glacial Martial Style's beauty, unable to look away.
Fireworks exploded in his mind.
'Nothing like viewing the Palace Lord's Plum Blossom Burst.'
Where Plum Blossom Burst flaunted gorgeous curves, Glacial Martial Style evoked cold, lethal 'han.'
Polar opposites.
Imbued with the will of harsh-environment survivors.
Thus, Theo stepped into new swordsmanship heights once more.
He itched to rush out and swing his blade.
Then thoughts fast-forwarded to Ray's youngest days.
Toddler Ray, bored at home, attempted to run away.
But soon regretted it.
Blizzard ferocity lost her path.
'Why does this feel familiar?'
Theo unconsciously narrowed his brow.
Déjà vu from a similar scene.
Then, a boy appeared.
Bundled in thick scarf, mittens, beanie, coat—like a snowman.
Yet the face peeking above the scarf was girlishly pretty.
'Ah.'
Theo recognized her.
"Not cold? Here, wrap this around."
The boy unwrapped his scarf for the shivering girl.
"Dressing so thin will get you sick. Big trouble. So head home, okay?"
The girl's gaze lingered on the boy endlessly.
And the thought playback ended.
"......"
As if he'd glimpsed an entire life's worth.
'Ray was that girl back then.'
A memory Theo had utterly forgotten.
A mere courtesy to him, but life-changing for her.
Explaining why she stuck near him so long.
Repaying that past kindness.
Her clash with Kirin Dragon Society and Plum Palace candidates stemmed from the same.
"Guess I'm the one helped now."
Theo murmured softly, glancing at his palm.
Could these thoughts inspire a way to aid Ray?
In his view, this skill was cheat-level.
He hadn't expected reading objects meant accessing imprinted memories.
If repeatable, just target masters' weapons for endless secret arts.
-But flipped, it reveals weaknesses swiftly too.
Flash!
Theo infused spirit into his neural circuits, accelerating thought.
Pondering long.
To find Glacial Martial Style flaws.
Whish whish whish...
His brain burned hot, fearing meltdown,
when insight flashed through.
Inspiration.
Theo swiftly placed his hand on Ray's shoulder, channeling mana.
Act before it faded.
Flaws and strengths of Glacial Martial Style alternated.
Flaws snowballed; strengths dismantled, stacked neatly aside.
Theo's eyes gleamed with brilliance as he gazed at Ray.
* * *
"Where...?"
Ray jolted awake, body feeling light.
Before fainting, it had weighed a ton?
Puzzled, she checked her side wound.
'The wound... gone.'
Sealed cleanly.
Others too.
All healed miraculously, as if months passed.
What happened?
As Ray lifted her head wondering,
whish whish—
Sword swings echoed from outside the cave.
Who was here?
Tension gripped her; she snatched the fallen sword and crept toward the sound—
There, she saw.
Theo, drenched in sweat, deep in sword training.
'Not a dream from before fainting.'
Yet his sword path felt familiar.
Glacial Divine Sword.
But Theo's mimicked it uniquely.
Faster, flashier, sharper.
Like a dragon thrashing wildly.
To Ray's eyes,
It was that pretty snowman boy grown tall, shedding prejudices and misconceptions, blooming magnificently.
So stunning,
Ray stood dazed, staring at Theo for a long while.
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