Chapter 942: Do you know who my mom is?

The palm, skin ripped open, was crudely bandaged.

It was the bandage 설영 (Seolyeong) had brought, stolen.

Judging by the lingering pain, it would take a while to heal.

‘I stopped the bleeding, but… it’s not exactly effective.’

Blood was soaking into the bandage.

I’d definitely used pressure points to stop the bleeding, yet the blood kept flowing.

Was the wound that deep?

Bone was slightly visible, but recalling my body’s condition, the slow healing was certain.

‘What on earth is this material?’

Did mere contact do this much damage?

What would have happened if I’d been cut by it?

I doubt the outcome would have been good.

However, there was one question.

‘Does this happen even when reinforcing with Ganggi?’

I hadn’t thought of using Ganggi during the handshake earlier.

So, would there have been a difference if I had used Ganggi? I suddenly wondered.

‘Should I try?’

I felt curious enough to try, but I couldn’t risk getting hurt by attempting it needlessly.

Though, I wished nothing bad would happen.

‘I need to use my body right now.’

Since I needed to handle my physical body carefully, I couldn’t afford a reckless gamble.

“Hmm.”

I moved my hand back and forth.

The pain was noticeable, but movement wasn’t impossible.

It was at a level where it was fine as long as I didn’t use this hand.

‘At this rate…’

I roughly gauged how much force control I needed.

So.

‘Guess it’s time to go.’

Stretching slightly, I glanced back. 천마 (Cheonma) was staring at my hand.

“What are you looking at?”

As I asked dismissively, 천마 (Cheonma) looked me in the eye and asked.

“Are you okay?”

“What if I said I wasn’t?”

“…”

Perhaps it was an unexpected question, as 천마 (Cheonma)’s eyes rolled. She clearly hadn’t considered this.

Sighing, I said.

“….I’m fine, so stop worrying about it.”

“Okay.”

As if pleased with the answer, 천마 (Cheonma) nodded.

Did she really want that…?

Clicking my tongue, I turned my head again.

It was still a long time before sunset.

Glancing briefly at the sky, I started walking.

천마 (Cheonma) naturally followed my pace.

Should I tell her not to come? I pondered for a moment, but decided against saying anything.

She wasn’t the type to listen to me anyway.

Right now, I had more important things to worry about than 천마 (Cheonma).

‘Should I bring 구봉 (Gubong)?’

I considered it briefly but decided not to bring him for now.

He didn’t seem to be in the right state of mind to be brought along.

‘It’s better to move quickly alone this time.’

Thinking about the plan, 구봉 (Gubong) wasn’t necessary right now.

Recalling that, I moved forward.

Simultaneously.

Giiiying-!

I focused strength into my core, moving the ring.

Threads spread minutely, wrapping around my body.

They were so transparent they were invisible, yet my body clearly felt an alien energy.

It felt like my very soul was being overlaid.

The moment I felt this fully.

Srrrrik.

As if something was sown into my soul, my body changed.

A tail and ears appeared.

It was what the turtle had made for me.

‘Hmm.’

Touching them lightly, I nodded.

‘Not bad.’

Better than last time.

Though weaker than what the turtle had done, I knew I’d improved since my first attempt.

After checking my body all over for any issues.

“Hey.”

I called out to 천마 (Cheonma).

“Yeah.”

“Come here.”

At my words, 천마 (Cheonma) obediently came closer.

If this kid had to follow, I couldn’t just drag her along.

I had things to do myself, so I immediately reached towards 천마 (Cheonma)’s chest.

“…”

My fingertips paused slightly before touching 천마 (Cheonma).

It was because I remembered what happened this morning.

“…Sssip.”

The sensation from back then made me hesitate.

“…?”

천마 (Cheonma) just looked at me with a puzzled expression.

Seeing that, I just reached out.

My palm touched the spot just below her collarbone.

And using my energy, I scattered threads onto 천마 (Cheonma)’s body.

Swaaaah–!

I tried to overlay her soul just like I did with my own body, but.

Pasasasak-!

‘Hmm?’

I frowned at the unfamiliar sensation.

‘What is this?’

The spell threads extended, only to crumble at the end.

What should have fully enveloped the body instead failed to properly wrap it.

Should I say they collapsed before wrapping? Or faded before reaching the soul?

However you put it, it was clear the spell wasn’t reaching 천마 (Cheonma).

‘…This.’

What happened?

Was it because I had to cast it on someone other than myself?

That might be possible, but.

‘…I don’t think that’s it?’

Recalling when the turtle cast spells, it wasn’t just that simple.

Then.

‘It means 천마 (Cheonma) is the problem.’

It’s likely that 천마 (Cheonma) possesses something that blocks spells.

‘…Hmm.’

Does this mean spells don’t work on her? No. I saw the turtle cast spells, so it can’t be entirely impossible.

If so.

‘It means there’s another way.’

There must be a difference in how spells are cast.

My current method is just wrong. Maybe doing it differently would work.

Thinking that, I focused.

They fade before reaching the target.

So, I tried channeling more energy.

Saah.

‘Same as before.’

Even with more power, the fading speed didn’t decrease.

It meant the issue wasn’t quantity.

I changed the angle.

If a straight line was the problem, I tried a diagonal one. If that didn’t work, I tried curving it in a circle, but.

‘This isn’t it either.’

It didn’t work.

But through repeated attempts, I learned one thing.

‘There’s a specific spot.’

The threads would fade at a certain location.

It was like burning in flames-.

‘Flames?’

Burning in flames? Thinking that, I narrowed my eyes. Something clicked.

Sssuh-!

I altered the energy.

Instead of just increasing the quantity like before, I made it denser.

Increasing density rather than just volume.

Even with added energy, the size didn’t change, so I aimed to make it stronger.

How could I do that?

The deliberation wasn’t long.

While martial arts would leave me full of questions, answers came quickly when it involved spells.

It was the same this time.

‘Just do it densely, whatever.’

I could do it if I wanted to.

It was possible if I wished for it.

If I intended to, it was difficult but not impossible.

‘Impossibly dense.’

Making it flawless, without any gaps.

It required considerable concentration, but it wasn’t difficult.

After all, it was just about filling the space densely, wasn’t it?

I didn’t think it was particularly hard.

‘Done.’

Before long, I felt the quality of the threads being emitted had strengthened compared to before.

Extending them, I repeated what I did earlier.

Chiiiiii–!

‘Oh.’

Surprisingly, the reaction was different from before.

The threads reached the point where they used to fade, but they didn’t disappear.

They didn’t vanish completely.

Pressure was applied to eliminate the threads, but they didn’t disappear instantly like before.

They seemed able to endure.

However, not for long.

If I fumbled or hesitated even slightly, it was over.

My intuition told me so.

Sssssss–! The densely packed spell threads wrapped around 천마 (Cheonma)’s body.

Tadak!

The threads began to burn.

Enduring it, I somehow managed to wrap them. Unfortunately, they couldn’t penetrate to the soul.

‘Is this the best I can do?’

Trying to go further would be overreaching.

Not stopping now would be sheer greed.

‘Tsk.’

Clicking my tongue briefly, I connected the threads to complete the formation.

Then.

Paaaah-!

천마 (Cheonma)’s form flashed momentarily, and then, dark purple puppy ears popped out on her head.

“Oh.”

천마 (Cheonma) touched her ears curiously.

Last time only the tail appeared, but this time it seems only the ears manifested.

And 천마 (Cheonma) seemed excited, touching her ears diligently.

“Hey… if you keep touching them, they might come undone…!”

Wobble-!

Suddenly, dizziness shook my body.

I barely managed to brace myself, keeping myself from falling.

“Huh.”

A wry laugh escaped me. Sweat beaded on my chin where I touched it.

‘Look at this?’

I thought it wasn’t that tiring, but apparently, it was.

It didn’t feel like physical fatigue.

‘…Like my insides were violently shaken?’

Like being wrung out?

It felt like I’d used every ounce of strength I had.

‘Am I feeling fatigued because I’m making the density so tight?’

Well.

Even in martial arts, applying strong compression and rotation caused a different level of fatigue, even when using the same amount of energy.

Perhaps this spell was similar.

“Hoo.”

Catching my breath, I straightened up.

There was definitely mental fatigue, but physically, I was fine.

I’d be okay after a short rest.

Thinking so, I said to 천마 (Cheonma).

“…Let’s go, for now.”

“Okay.”

There was no benefit in delaying further, so we had to move.

---

We left the Mount Hua Sect and headed for Yawoel.

Around the time before the sun began to set, we managed to arrive at Yawoel Castle.

Resisting the urge to run or fly, I barely managed to walk.

Having to hold back when I could go faster was more torturous than I’d expected.

The saving grace was arriving at the castle before my patience completely ran out.

“Halt-!”

As I approached the gate, the guard aimed his spear at me.

It was the same as last time.

“What is your purpose?”

His wariness was palpable.

He hadn’t been this sharp when I first arrived; it seemed the incident last time was the cause.

I did that intentionally, so it didn’t matter.

I took out a pass from my pocket and showed it to the guard.

“…Hut…!”

The guard’s eyes widened the moment he saw the pass.

“M-my apologies…!”

He hastily lowered his spear and stepped aside, gesturing for me to enter.

It certainly seemed like a useful pass.

His attitude was different compared to last time.

Is connections everything in every world?

With a strange feeling, I entered the castle.

As I’d felt last time, it was incomparably larger than the Mount Hua Sect, with many more people.

I noticed glances that seemed wary, cast intermittently.

I saw people armed with weapons patrolling, but even setting them aside, it was clear this was a well-managed place.

As I was strolling leisurely through such grounds.

“Where are we going?”

Cheonma asked me.

Hearing her, I nodded.

“For now… well. I was thinking of visiting the place we went before.”

The place called the Black family, which we visited last time.

It was 구봉 (Gubong)’s family home.

I had things to discuss with his father, the leader, so shouldn’t we head there first?

‘Or maybe….’

It would be fine to go somewhere else.

I’d seen the White and Black families, so visiting the other two wouldn’t be bad.

After all.

‘I’ll have to meet them eventually.’

Whether I meet them as myself.

Or meet them as Cheonma.

Ultimately, it seemed a meeting was necessary.

‘Then…..’

Before heading to the Black family, maybe go somewhere else?

Yes, that’s what I should do.

I finished my deliberation.

However.

‘….Where should I go?’

The issue is that I don’t know the locations of the other places.

I need to find the way first. Although I had a vague grasp last time, it wasn’t enough.

Just as I was thinking of climbing a tall building to get a better view of the area.

“Well, well… where are you looking so hard?”

Something suddenly rested on my shoulder.

I turned my gaze.

Confirming, it was an arm.

I immediately looked at the owner of the arm.

There stood a smiling young man from the Moonlit Night Tribe.

“You seem like an outsider. Where are you looking so intently? If you’re lost, perhaps I can help?”

The young man spoke with a friendly smile, striking up a conversation.

‘…What is this?’

I stared at the young man, swallowing dryly.

He looked young and wasn’t large in build.

To the average eye, his appearance required no caution, but.

Thump-!

My heart disagreed as I looked at the young man.

I thought while looking at him.

‘…What kind of monster is this one?’

I felt something immense contained within that small body.

It was chillingly so.