Chapter 139: The Appearance of the Ice Empress Castle
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 139: The Appearance of the Ice Empress Castle
Slash—! (Killed with a sword technique.)
“The survivor count dropped by nearly two thousand between yesterday and today.”
Seo-un smiled at Li Lingwei’s words as she reviewed the survivor list.
“It looks like they’ve finally started moving. I’m glad we’re not too late.”
A decrease of that scale and speed meant only one thing: the Murim Alliance and the Unorthodox Alliance had officially begun their operations.
“It would be ideal if we could figure out the movement routes of both groups,” Gi-chan remarked.
At his suggestion, Li Min looked toward Jin Long and Li Lingwei. He was asking if there was any way to contact their respective sects.
Most sects maintained secret communication channels—leaving specific marks in designated locations or sending word to covert outposts. In a world where communication was far behind Earth’s technology, these were essential for relaying information as quickly as possible.
“There is a way… but we have to follow the main road from here and enter Daejin Castle,” Jin Long replied. As far as he was concerned, that was the maximum amount of information he could reveal to the team, given the presence of other martial artists.
“I can contact my family from Daejin Castle as well,” Li Lingwei added.
Seo-un, who had been studying the map, nodded.
And so, for the first time since arriving in this world, the party followed the main provincial road toward a castle large enough to be called a city.
As they sped along a well-paved road wide enough for several carriages to pass abreast, they saw high castle gates, tightly shut. Just as Jin Long stepped forward to speak to the soldiers glaring down from the battlements, arrows flew without warning.
“Kill them!”
Ting!
Jin Long lightly deflected a low-quality arrow that wasn't even infused with internal power. Behind him, Nam Sa-gwang reached out a hand, and a violent gust of wind instantly swept away the rain of projectiles.
The arrows, unable to maintain their trajectory, were gathered into a heap and dumped in a corner. The soldiers were so shocked they forgot to draw their bows, staring blankly at the pile of wasted ammunition.
“The—the Byeokryeok Squad! Call the Byeokryeok Squad! Keep firing! Do not stop!”
“Listen! We are not enemies!” Jin Long shouted.
But no matter what he said, the soldiers acted as if a catastrophe would occur if they stopped firing. There was no reasoning with them.
“It seems we’ve been misunderstood.”
The confusion likely stemmed from their conspicuous appearance and the air boards some team members were riding. While Seo-un thought such high vigilance was generally a good thing, it was certainly inconvenient now.
Clang, clang!
Dump, shielding Lyle and Juriel from the incoming arrows, shook his head from behind his massive shield.
“This is troublesome. We can’t exactly force our way through.”
Dump smacked his lips as he looked at the massive, iron-clad gates. He was confident he could smash through them in one blow, but he knew that would only make matters worse.
“Wait a moment. If it’s the Byeokryeok Squad, I should know a person or two,” Jin Long said.
They spent a few minutes leisurely blocking the rain of arrows until dozens of martial artists leaped down from the castle walls and surrounded the group. Seo-un’s eyes sparkled; he could feel a solid, formidable pressure emanating from them as they took up a sword formation.
Jin Long quickly scanned the men who looked ready to strike at any moment. He spotted a familiar face and smiled brightly.
“Jeok-chen!”
“Huh? You’re… Long? No, what are you doing here?”
The man barely recognized Jin Long, whose appearance was a mess after days of fighting and traveling without rest. Jin Long sheathed his sword.
“Things turned out that way. There seems to be a misunderstanding, so let’s lower our guard first.”
The man called Jeok-chen, dressed in blue martial robes, sheathed his sword and raised his hand. The pressure weighing down on the party vanished instantly.
Shing!
The sound of dozens of martial artists sheathing their swords in perfect unison rang out.
“The situation is dire. What on earth are you doing here?”
“It’s a long story. Let’s talk inside.”
Jeok-chen nodded and shouted up toward the battlements.
“They are allies! Open the gates!”
Even as they passed through the opening gates, Dump, Juriel, and Lyle had to endure countless stares. Their peculiar appearances and outfits were far too alien, and given the current climate, the gazes were far from friendly.
Despite the blatant scrutiny, Lyle’s eyes sparkled as he looked around. The scenery of an Otherworld city was incredibly fascinating to him.
As they walked, Jin Long gave a brief explanation of the situation. Jeok-chen’s expression turned grave.
“What?! You mean you were the one who first reported this?”
“That’s how it happened.”
“Does… does such a world really exist?”
At Jeok-chen’s question, Jin Long glanced back at Dump and replied, “Can’t you tell just by looking?”
“Hmph… I was ordered to march out and defend, but I could hardly believe it. Ah, don’t misunderstand. I’m not doubting your master.”
“I know. It’s a hard story to believe without experiencing it firsthand.”
Jeok-chen nodded. “If I could just encounter those enemies once, I’d understand clearly… but there’s been no chance. I wish I’d been assigned to the subjugation force rather than the defense force…”
Before he could finish his sentence, Seo-un’s brow furrowed deeply.
— I feel a disgusting gaze.
At Hamit’s warning, Seo-un realized the situation he had feared was unfolding. Hamit was incredibly sharp at detecting hostility. The fact that Hamit was only reacting now, despite the many eyes on them, meant there was a hidden gaze viewing them as enemies—and that meant the presence of Players.
Seo-un came to a dead stop, and his left eye turned blood-red.
“Hmm?”
When the procession stopped, Jin Long and Jeok-chen naturally turned to look at Seo-un.
“W-what is that?” Jeok-chen asked in confusion, sensing a strange energy as Seo-un’s eye changed color.
“Just wait.”
Seo-un closed his right eye. His vision momentarily soared upward, scanning the crowd for the source of the hostility. His sight landed on several people hiding among the gathered civilians.
The moment he identified them, his eyes snapped open.
— 180 degrees. 100 meters. Enemies!
At his signal over the team voice chat, the members began walking naturally again.
— There are too many civilians around, Li Min noted.
Seo-un nodded slightly.
— Sa-gwang and I will move. The rest of you, move the moment we pin them down. Senior, please inform Jeok-chen of the situation via Voice Transmission.
— Understood.
The figures of Seo-un and Nam Sa-gwang flickered for a split second before they broke away from the group.
“Aaaaah!”
The crowd recoiled in horror as blood sprayed and a head rolled. A circular space cleared out instantly, leaving only the enemy team, Sa-gwang, and Seo-un.
The enemies were flustered, caught off guard after losing two teammates to the sudden ambush. In that instant, Seo-un’s team and the Byeokryeok Squad surrounded them.
“Do not let them escape!”
At Jeok-chen’s command, the Byeokryeok Squad drew their swords, emitting a powerful aura.
The moment flames erupted along with a wave of mana from the center of the enemy group, Juriel reacted.
“Mana Scatter!”
Simultaneously with her casting, the mass of flames flickered violently and shrank. Gi-chan neutralized the remaining magic with an Ice Snake. A massive serpent of ice manifested in mid-air and lunged toward the enemy with ferocious momentum. The surrounding martial artists’ eyes widened at the biting cold spreading through the air.
Jeok-chen was among the stunned. While he was paralyzed by the sight of magic that defied the laws of his world’s techniques, the team members, including Jin Long, moved in his stead.
Seo-un, who had neutralized the threats in an instant, was about to kill the last remaining man when Jin Long stopped him.
“Junior! Keep him alive!”
At his words, Seo-un’s five fingers, which had been emitting Aura ready to pierce the man’s face, spread wide.
Squelch!
Five streaks of Aura grazed the fallen enemy’s face and embedded themselves into the ground. The man was unable to move a single finger, terrified that his face would be shredded the moment Seo-un’s hand—which looked like a lethal claw—clenched. He could only roll his eyes in terror.
The corpses of his teammates entered his vision. Realizing that if he died, those corpses would turn into loot boxes, he gave up hope.
“So this is as far as I go this round. How did you know? I even changed my hair color and wore a human skin mask to sneak in.”
Instead of answering the nonchalant question, Seo-un slowly tightened his fingers.
“Aaargh!”
As the Aura dug into his face, cutting through like a knife through tofu, the terror of the sensation dominated the man more than the pain.
Jin Long approached him. “Are you with a guild?”
“N-no. I haven’t joined a guild.”
Jin Long felt a sense of relief. “How many have you killed?”
The man hesitated. He felt that if he answered incorrectly, he would endure significant pain.
Seo-un’s thumb moved toward the man’s collarbone. As the Aura extending from his thumb sliced into the bone, the man’s eyes widened, his mind fracturing from the unfamiliar agony.
“S-stop! Stop it!”
The thumb moved with extreme precision, poking holes in the collarbone and peeling back the thin skin.
“I wonder what happens if I just pluck the collarbone right out?”
At the voice asking so calmly, the knight on the ground reached a peak of terror. Even the martial artists of the Byeokryeok Squad grimaced. To see someone committing torture that a member of the Righteous Faction could never imagine, right in the middle of the castle in broad daylight, made Seo-un look like a Demonic Fiend.
“I-I’ll talk! I’ll tell you everything, so please don’t!”
“You’d better speak quickly. Once I peel all this skin off, I’m pulling it out.”
His thumb didn't stop, slowly slicing and peeling the skin covering the bone.
“A-almost a hundred people! We hid in the city and secretly disposed of the marginalized! Our squad didn't even make that much in total!”
Crack!
“Aaaaaaaagh!!!”
No sooner had the words "didn't even make that much" left his mouth than the man’s collarbone was ripped from his body in a spray of blood.
Slash.
Then, the man’s throat was slit.
The Byeokryeok martial artists watched with furrowed brows as Seo-un stared coldly at the disappearing corpse. Among them, only Jeok-chen looked at Seo-un with approval.
“I heard you were Long’s junior. Well done. If anything, you sent that Demonic Fiend off too peacefully.”
Jeok-chen believed that someone who could describe killing nearly a hundred civilians so casually deserved even more suffering.
“First, I have something urgent to say away from prying eyes.”
Jin Long pulled Jeok-chen away on behalf of Seo-un, who looked displeased. Heading toward a large inn where the Byeokryeok Squad was staying, Seo-un spoke to Jin Long.
“Senior. I’m going to rest for a bit.”
— I need to replenish my Immortal Demonic Energy.
“Go ahead.”
As Seo-un took a vacant room upstairs, Li Lingwei handed a silver coin to the waiter. “Can you prepare water for two people to bathe?”
“Of course! I’ll have it ready immediately.”
“And prepare a feast for the people behind me as well.”
Li Lingwei turned her gaze to Juriel as the waiter ran off. “We haven't washed in a long time. What if we start to smell?” she whispered into Juriel’s ear. Blushing, Juriel cautiously raised her arm and sniffed.
Once the two went up to bathe, Lyle fidgeted restlessly. Seeing him unable to focus on the food, Li Min smiled.
“Do you want to go look around?”
Lyle looked up with expectant eyes. Li Min set down his chopsticks.
“Let’s go. It’ll take Seo-un quite a while to replenish his energy anyway.”
Dump, tearing into a pig’s thigh with both hands, asked, “You’re not eating more?”
“Eat your fill. This food is familiar to me.”
Li Min left with Lyle, and Dump returned his focus to the feast. Nam Sa-gwang shook his head as he took a sip of tea, watching the simple-minded man eat.
*
In Jeok-chen’s room, the warrior spoke in wonder as he looked at the Silence barrier cast around them.
“Fascinating. It’s made of an energy completely different from internal qi.”
“It’s a magic called Silence. It activates when you pour energy into this necklace.”
“It really seems like no sound leaks out. I can’t hear anything from outside at all.”
Seeing Jin Long nod, Jeok-chen looked him straight in the eye. “What is it you want to discuss so cautiously?”
“I need to know the Murim Alliance’s subjugation route. It’ll be more efficient if we move without overlapping with them.”
“Ah! If it’s that…”
He pulled a mission document from his robes and handed it to Jin Long. “All the routes coordinated with the Unorthodox Alliance are listed there. You’ll know their movements as well. It’s technically top secret, but since it’s you, it should be fine.”
“That’s good.”
“But what is all this suddenly? Since when have you been dealing with such things?”
Jin Long began his long story. As he listened, Jeok-chen’s expression shifted constantly, eventually settling into a grave mask.
*
Despite the unsettling atmosphere, the commoners of the castle continued their livelihoods for the sake of survival. Thanks to that, Lyle was able to satisfy his pure, childlike curiosity.
With a sweet in one hand and a mask children wore to ward off evil spirits on his face, Lyle was enjoying himself—until his happy moment was shattered.
Shatter!
A small shard of ice flew in and broke the barrier he had been maintaining. The expression of a pure child vanished instantly, replaced by the face of a veteran Player.
As Li Min habitually stepped in front of Lyle and drew his sword, the commoners nearby vanished in an instant. The fact that they fled without looking back at the mere sound of a sword being drawn showed how accustomed they were to the battles of martial artists.
Li Min stared grimly in the direction the ice shard had come from. Several martial artists appeared leisurely.
“We are not enemies! I believe there has been a misunderstanding!”
— If there is a misunderstanding, it will be cleared. If it is not, then you shall pay with your lives.
Li Min’s face hardened at the cold voice echoing from all directions. Women appeared, their light blue clothes fluttering. He identified them immediately: the warriors of the Ice Empress Castle, who were said to have never stepped outside for the past thirty years.
Seeing them, all with their faces veiled in silk, he quickly used the team voice chat.
— We have a problem. We’ve encountered warriors from the Ice Empress Castle at the North Gate market! Brother Jin, you need to come quickly.
The moment he finished the transmission, Li Min recoiled from the intense cold pouring from the woman walking forward.
“Child. Are you going around killing innocent people at such a young age?”
Lyle shook his head. “I’ve never done such a thing.”
“Then why are you hiding your face with a mask and concealing your hair color with those strange clothes?”
Just as Li Min was about to speak, the woman’s hand lightly cut through the air.
Whoosh!
Li Min’s sleeve froze as he drew his sword to block the frost-laden wind. Seeing this, Lyle deployed a Flame Barrier in front of Li Min, causing the woman’s eyes to narrow.
Just as she was about to strike in earnest, a boy dropped from the sky with immense force.
Boom!
Nam Sa-gwang landed, cracking the well-paved floor. He stood up and looked at the woman from the Ice Empress Castle.
“Long time no see, old hag.”
At those words, her beautiful face contorted in rage.