Chapter 100
Chapter 100
Rebirth
The moment he recalled her voice, Se-woon felt a shiver run down his spine.
It was truly a memory he wished to forget.
For some inexplicable reason, Seol Yi-rang had been excessively obsessed with him.
"...She said she wanted to turn me into an ice statue and keep me by her side."
When his face stiffened, she laughed it off as a joke.
But behind the folding fan that covered half her face, the madness in her eyes held not even a trace of jest.
"Come to think of it, first Poison Demon Yayul Seung, now Seol Yi-rang—why do all these lunatics keep clinging to me?"
Clicking his tongue, Se-woon briefly considered asking the Divine Doctor for an exorcism charm before meeting the Blood Cult's leader again.
"Alright, let's begin."
"Yes, Master!"
And so, the crafting of the Hundredfold Fan officially commenced.
Dong Cheon-rip's eyes brimmed with barely contained anticipation.
And how could he not be excited?
For someone of his caliber, merely witnessing Se-woon's overwhelming skill—feeling his presence, his breathing—offered more enlightenment than any verbal explanation ever could.
"Master, will you be crafting a folding fan or a rigid fan?"
A folding fan could be collapsed, while a rigid fan remained fixed.
"Do you know much about fans?"
"Enough not to embarrass myself, I suppose."
At Se-woon's sidelong glance, Dong Cheon-rip scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
Ordinary fans in the Central Plains were typically made by layering two sheets of bamboo, utilizing the wood's flexibility to create something lightweight and capable of generating wind.
But of course, bamboo was hardly suitable for combat.
Thus, most martial artists used iron fans instead.
As the name suggested, iron fans were primarily forged from metal.
They provided sufficient lethality, but inevitably, their weight and thickness increased drastically.
When folded, the ribs of an iron fan resembled nothing so much as a blunt club.
"I'll make a folding fan."
"Then we should start by crafting the ribs."
"Right. I'll melt down that cursed artifact and forge a fan capable of surpassing even the bitter cold of the Northern Sea."
"W-what?! You're going to melt the Frost Chain?!"
Dong Cheon-rip couldn't help but be shocked.
In the two hundred years since the Frost Chain's creation, countless attempts had been made to melt it—all ending in failure.
"You think I'd just let such fine materials go to waste?"
"...I-I assumed you'd extract and repurpose its energy through some refined method."
"What's the point of just skimming off the surface? Stop wasting time with nonsense and pay attention."
"Ghk—y-yes, Master!"
Se-woon shook his head at Dong Cheon-rip before turning his gaze back to the materials.
The Frost Chain's appearance wasn't much different from the restraints that had once bound Se-woon—save for the layer of pristine frost covering its surface.
Whoosh.
Se-woon reached for the Frost Chain on the ground.
"W-wait, Master! If you touch that barehanded—!"
Clank!
Dong Cheon-rip flinched, expecting the cold to injure him—but Se-woon's hand remained perfectly unharmed as he picked it up effortlessly.
H-how?
Just as his eyes widened in disbelief—
Fwoosh!
Se-woon tossed the Frost Chain straight into the Mystical Forge.
Hiss—!
CRACKLE!
The Spirit Flames within the forge, already swelling under Se-woon's influence, roared even fiercer as they devoured their new prey.
The first step was to melt the material down into molten metal.
But even this initial stage proved challenging.
Sssss—
Despite the Mystical Forge's Spirit Flames, the Frost Chain refused to melt.
Groooan—!
HISSS!
As the flames attempted to liquefy it, the chain retaliated by unleashing an overwhelming surge of Yin energy.
This was why all attempts to dismantle it over the past two centuries had failed.
When bound to an enemy—or when subjected to melting attempts like this—the Frost Chain emitted Yin energy so extreme it could freeze even the legendary Divine Armor solid.
"If they'd captured Wind Thread like this, the hostage would've frozen to death before negotiations even started."
This cold was like a tyrant—utterly uncontrollable.
"Well then, let's start devouring it."
Of course, none of this applied to Se-woon.
After all, this extreme Yin energy was precisely why he had demanded this artifact as compensation.
Whoosh!
Fwoom!
Se-woon, clad in the Golden Threads of Heavenly Net, intensified his bellows work, channeling even more energy than before.
In response, the Spirit Flames surged like a wildfire consuming a mountain—growing wilder, fiercer.
Sizzle!
Crackle!
"O-ohhh!!"
Dong Cheon-rip gasped as, at last, the Frost Chain began to change.
Molten silver metal dripped from its surface, pooling below.
'Good.'
Se-woon's eyes gleamed at the sight of that radiant glow, reminiscent of moonlight.
In his past life, the moment the martial alliance fractured, the Blood Cult had immediately prioritized seizing the Frost Chain.
Their intelligence network had uncovered the secret behind its creation.
Two hundred years ago, at the martial alliance's peak, under the Moonlight Martial Emperor's orders, every artifact in the Central Plains containing even a trace of Yin or cold energy had been confiscated—without exception—and brought to the alliance's forge.
There, they were melted down and fused together repeatedly.
Through the Divine Doctor's sorcery, the Yin energy of countless materials was concentrated into a single entity.
But as they say—divine artifacts are born of heavenly fortune.
Among the collected treasures was an unknown great axe, deeply embedded in an ancient tree, discovered by a herb gatherer from Fujian's Golden Gate Island.
No one had realized it at the time.
But that weapon had once belonged to a martial artist whose mastery of ice techniques surpassed even the Northern Ice Palace's lord.
Four hundred years ago, the only being who had nearly unified the demonic sects before the Blood Cult.
No—a monster.
'The first Heavenly Demon.'
The Silver Moon Heavenly Demon.
The Heavenly Demon's true martial art had been ice techniques.
Four hundred years ago, on the verge of demonic unification, the Heavenly Demon suddenly vanished.
Freed from the terror of the demonic sects, the martial world gradually began erasing all records of them.
So fearful were they that even uttering his name became taboo—every trace of the Heavenly Demon was systematically destroyed.
And after two hundred years, he was forgotten entirely.
His name, his martial arts, his weapons.
But this forgetfulness became the martial alliance's fortune.
The Silver Moon Great Axe—the Heavenly Demon's final legacy—became the Frost Chain's core material.
'Now, purification.'
Se-woon moved to the next step.
Pausing the bellows, he scooped out the fully molten metal with a ladle—
Swish!
—then unfurled a long strand of golden thread from his other hand.
Without hesitation, he plunged the thread into the molten metal.
Sizzle—
"—!!"
Dong Cheon-rip was utterly stunned.
The moment the golden thread, imbued with the Golden Threads of Heavenly Net's power, touched the molten metal, impurities began vanishing.
Unbeknownst to him, only the pure essence of the Silver Moon Great Axe remained.
'Success.'
Once the purity reached perfection, Se-woon immediately poured the molten metal into a casting mold.
Hiss!
Perhaps due to the extreme Yin energy, the ingot solidified instantly. Se-woon placed it on the anvil—
Clang!
Clank!
—and began hammering it without delay.
With each strike, the ingot grew thinner, more pliant—rapidly taking the shape of fan ribs with breathtaking precision.
Dong Cheon-rip watched, struck by the same awe as if a hammer had slammed into his skull.
As the form gradually materialized under Se-woon's hands, a thunderous thrill coursed through his entire body.
"...Like silk!"
The fan ribs taking shape under Se-woon's fingertips were impossibly thin—almost like paper or fabric.
Folded together, this folding fan would be even more agile than a bamboo one.
'But if it retains its hardness...!'
Another shiver ran down Dong Cheon-rip's spine.
Whoever this fan's owner would be—he couldn't help but envy them to the point of madness.
Just then, Se-woon's forging concluded.
Ten perfectly crafted fan ribs now lay on the anvil.
Setting down his hammer, Se-woon gathered them in both hands—
Fwoosh!
"—!!"
—and tossed them high into the air.
Dong Cheon-rip panicked, fearing the razor-sharp ribs would cut Se-woon as they fell—
Swish!
Swish-swish!
But in an instant, dozens of golden threads shot from Se-woon's hands, ensnaring every single rib midair.
Like a celestial maiden weaving silk robes in the heavens—it was a sight of mesmerizing beauty.
And the next moment—
Scritch-scratch!
Engrave!
Se-woon began inscribing them with the golden threads.
Mysterious patterns and lines etched themselves onto the ribs' surfaces.
'Ah...'
Dong Cheon-rip was awestruck once more.
Though he couldn't fully grasp the intent behind the engravings, he gleaned fragments of insight.
This wasn't for aesthetics.
Se-woon was refining the surface, optimizing it for grip—and embedding hidden power within.
Then, Se-woon began the final step of Divine Artifact Creation.
Imbuing the Hundredfold Fan with his will.
'This time, it's different.'
In his past life, he had crafted a demonic weapon tailored to Seol Yi-rang's demands.
Thus, the fan had borne the horrifying prefix "Frost-Severing."
But thankfully, this life's fan would never belong to her.
A single cherished figure surfaced in Se-woon's mind.
'So my sister never suffers again...!'
His elder sister, Tang Se-rin—he would ensure she never endured such pain anew.
That was the sole will he poured into this fan.
The ten ribs layered together, merging into a single folding fan.
Fwoosh!
Brilliant blue light erupted, flooding the forge as Divine Artifact Creation reached completion.
And in an instant, that radiance—
—infused into the reborn Hundredfold Fan, now bearing a will entirely unlike its predecessor.
Hummm...
Huuuum...
The fan hovered proudly in the air, displaying its exquisite form.
Dong Cheon-rip watched with trembling eyes.
"...This is a true Divine Artifact."
Drip.
Tears streamed down his cheeks—tears of pure awe and joy.
But moments later, his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed.
Se-woon swiftly caught him, laying him down gently.
Looking at Dong Cheon-rip's blissfully unconscious face, Se-woon smirked.
"Well, not a bad haul for him."
His mental fortitude had reached its limit.
After moving Dong Cheon-rip to safety, Se-woon returned to the forge.
Whoosh.
The completed Divine Artifact—the Hundredfold Fan—still hovered in the air.
He reclaimed it.
'Come to think of it, Bai Ya-cha thought I possessed a demonic sect relic.'
Amused, Se-woon realized Huh So-chang's lie had accidentally become truth.
But unfortunately, even in his past life, this was the only demonic sect relic he'd ever encountered.
His gaze then shifted naturally to one spot.
'Now then...'
Half of the molten Frost Chain still remained within the Mystical Forge.
A glint flashed in Se-woon's eyes.
'Time to claim my own.'
Whoosh!
Fwoom!
The golden threads surged forth, plunging deep into the forge's heart.