Ch.105Ice Dragon Sword

How long has it been since I felt someone’s warmth for this long? Seo-rin tightened her grip on the hand she was holding as she moved forward.

Flora matched her pace to Seo-rin’s. If she had walked without considering her friend’s shorter stride, she would have had to scurry along to keep up.

“What a strange place. I’m worried if we’ll even be able to get out of here…”

“I know what you mean.”

Whenever the space rippled, people invariably appeared and disappeared from beyond it. One person, or two, sometimes more. They ignored their surroundings, focused elsewhere as if accustomed to spatial movement.

The number of people who had entered this ice castle was greater than what was visible. Even though most had died in the avalanche. It was as if people had been in this space even before that.

“They all came for the Dragon Heart, right?”

“I suppose so.”

Seo-rin nodded. Most of those who appeared through spatial movement had eyes gleaming with greed. As if the treasure, which had only been a rumor, actually existed.

“The Dragon Heart. What would we do if we actually found it?”

“Hmm…”

Seo-rin briefly pondered Flora’s question. This mission hadn’t accounted for what would happen if they discovered the Dragon Heart. If found, how to handle it would be up to the finder.

They called it the ultimate treasure. It was said that eating it would grant immortality and freedom from illness. If a knight or mage consumed it, they could instantly reach heights that would otherwise take a lifetime of effort to achieve.

If those rumors were true.

Seo-rin swallowed at that final thought. Gulp—her small, delicate throat moved, creating a faint sound.

The confident demeanor of these people was beginning to plant seeds of doubt. Flora hadn’t believed it at first either. But the greedy gazes of these people created a lingering suspicion.

As the two were slowly walking through the ice corridor, it happened. Just as they felt a sudden wave of mana, a blood-covered rough hand shot out from around the corner.

Grab—

The bloodied hand braced against the ice wall. Then, as if pulling on space itself, a man with disheveled hair appeared. He held a massive greatsword, dragging it along the floor.

Scraaape—

His body was as large as the weapon he wielded. Seo-rin sized up her opponent. Even at a glance, he was a giant well over 2 meters tall.

“Ice Dragon Sword… where is the Ice Dragon Sword…”

Despite noticing Seo-rin and Flora, the disheveled man showed no particular reaction. His gaze briefly swept over the two girls before moving on.

Since he showed no hostility, neither Seo-rin nor Flora pointed their swords at him. They merely remained tense, keeping a bit of distance.

Watching this, Seo-rin boldly spoke up.

“Hey.”

The man’s slow steps came to a halt. As he turned to look at Seo-rin, her small mouth opened again.

“What are you doing here? Are you also looking for the Dragon Heart?”

The questioned man tilted his head. Then he scratched his head with his large, rough hand. It was unclear how long he had gone without washing, as white flakes of dead skin showered down with the gesture.

His hand quickly came down. He repeatedly clenched and unclenched his fist, covered in hardening blood.

“You, you also ca-came for the tr-treasure here?”

The voice that flowed from his mouth was extremely awkward. And there was even a hint of wariness in it.

It felt like the hair all over her body was standing on end. Feeling the movement of what little body hair she had, Seo-rin took a step back along with Flora.

“S-speak! You ca-came for the tr-treasure too, right?”

As he spoke, a strange, tangible energy flowed from the man’s body. It resembled a blazing flame. As his unkempt hair rose like billowing waves, the man’s face was revealed—contorted, barely containing his anger.

The veins on his forehead became more pronounced.

“Flora.”

“Yes.”

No further words were needed. Seo-rin and Flora each drew their swords and pointed them at their opponent. Though the man’s mental state seemed unstable, the aura he emitted was that of a powerful fighter.

“A-answer me!”

His voice sounded as if it were being expelled from deep within. Seo-rin and Flora had to grimace at the rough shout. The internal energy carried in his voice shook the very space around them.

Having been separated from their companions, they wanted to avoid fighting a powerful opponent if possible. Seo-rin hastily spoke.

“You misunderstand. Our goal isn’t some treasure.”

“L-li-lies! Everyone who came here! Told! Lies!”

That was the end of conversation. The man no longer wished to talk. His energy, which had been flickering like flames, now emitted intense heat. A blast of hot air engulfed the space with a whoosh.

Seo-rin responded by drawing up her own mana.

Swoosh—

The mana that burst from the small girl’s body stirred up a wind accompanied by cold air. The gentle breeze that had been barely perceptible transformed into a storm when it met the hot energy.

Flora’s aura joined in between them. Black petals descended elegantly, causing a violent explosion.

BOOM!

It was merely a clash of auras. Yet physical force was exerted by that alone.

The disheveled man was the first to move. He raised both arms as if to swing his sword—a stance focused entirely on attack, with no thought of defense.

Whatever he might have done before, revealing such an opening before her was like asking to be killed. Rotation was applied to Seo-rin’s wrist. The sword in her grip swung rapidly, leaving behind a trail like a tail.

***

Left alone, Karnok unleashed the full power of his true self. He did so thinking that perhaps unit members might find him if they sensed his energy.

However, that choice brought Karnok an unexpected gift.

“Interesting…”

The mana flowing from his body harmonized with the surroundings. As he began to move the mana in that state, space started to distort. He had gained the ability to artificially induce spatial movement.

“The destination is…”

Karnok stepped forward confidently. The moment his body passed through the rippling space, the place where he stood instantly changed. He arrived near the entrance of the ice castle.

He couldn’t choose the destination. He had only gained the ability to activate spatial movement itself. But that was enough. A playful smile spread across Karnok’s face.

Woong—!

The blue mana bursting from Karnok’s body shook the space. This time, it was a slightly different method. Karnok began to retrieve the mana that had harmonized with the surroundings. Normally, mana that leaves the body and dissolves into nature itself loses the user’s control.

But Karnok exerted control through strong willpower.

Crack—!

Like forcibly tearing something apart, space was ripped. In this way, Karnok tore at space along with the mana, creating multiple holes.

“Not bad.”

Karnok smiled as he looked beyond the holes he had created. Each connected to a different place. Some led to soldiers of foreign countries, others to already dead transmigrators whose bodies were growing cold.

Karnok chose one of the holes. It led to a man wearing the same clothes as himself.

“Theo!”

A voice full of delight spread out. Theo, who had been tensely kindling a lightning fire, turned around with a pleased expression.

“Vice Captain!”

***

CRASH—!

Seo-rin and Flora had to exchange dozens of offensive and defensive moves with the disheveled man. Separate from his unstable mental state, the man’s martial arts training was remarkably profound.

His attempt to attack with his upper body fully exposed was because he trusted the solid protective energy covering his body. To shatter that protective energy, Seo-rin drew her Mage Killer.

CLANG—!

Sword clashed against sword repeatedly. Flora and Seo-rin couldn’t let go of each other’s hands. Every time they clashed with the man, space distorted and all three were simultaneously transported to different locations.

It was clear that if they separated to fight properly, they would be transported to different places. Seo-rin gripped her friend’s hand even tighter.

“The s-sword is mine! I will never give up the Ice Dragon Sword!”

Ice Dragon Sword. It was a phrase the mentally unstable man occasionally blurted out. From the circumstances, it seemed he was looking for something other than the Dragon Heart treasure.

CRASH—!

Once more, the three clashed. Simultaneously, they were transported to a different location.

Swoosh—

With the wind, cold air enveloped their entire bodies. Seo-rin could tell that they had arrived at a place somewhat different from before. She wasn’t the only one who sensed this.

Flora and the disheveled man noticed it too. The fight entered a brief lull. At that moment, the disheveled man opened his eyes wide and shouted.

“F-found it! Finally arrived again!”

As if having found something he had been searching for a long time, he jumped up and down with joy. Seo-rin and Flora followed his gaze.

There was a sword embedded there. A blue sword emanating cold energy. As if announcing its extraordinary nature, blue ice crystals floated around it.

At that moment, the man charged. Unlike before, he wasn’t heading toward Flora and Seo-rin. He was running toward the sword embedded in the transparent ice.

Just then, Seo-rin raised her hand.

Clunk—

Just as the blue sword was about to be pulled out, rattling—

Above it, space rippled, and a pitch-black star fell down.

CRASH—!