Ch.137Snowfield

The moment Seo-erin’s consciousness wandered through dreams, it awakened in an instant. It was because her body and mind reacted simultaneously upon stepping on familiar ground. The fact that one soul holding dominion over her physical body had fallen into deep sleep also played a significant role.

“Haah…”

A breath flowing from deep within disperses into white mist. The serene snowfield stretching before her eyes brings a profound sense of stability. As the cold air of the gently blowing wind envelops her entire body, all her senses come alive with heightened sensitivity.

The foundation of her mental landscape. She had returned to her homeland. There was no way to know how she had arrived here. While her younger sister had been controlling the body, Seo-erin had been in a state resembling sleep.

“W-where on earth is this place?”

“A place of extreme cold. We arrived in an instant, transcending space… I suspect it might be the land of the Astrins…”

“Come to think of it, Sir Knight’s homeland…”

Feeling gazes pouring on her back, Seo-erin left a handprint on the pristine white snow. With a soft crunch, her hand once again meets the small handprint carved into the snow.

It felt like joining hands with her sister.

You brought everyone without exception.

It must have been difficult.

Seo-erin, who had been feeling the wind with her eyes closed, rose to her feet and spoke.

“The territory of the White Frost Tribe.”

As she finished speaking, twelve scattered swords moved simultaneously and were drawn into Seo-erin. Except for the Fire Dragon Sword and Ice Dragon Sword, the other swords disappeared into a subspace following the power of the Void-Cutting Sword.

Three swords remained.

“This is my homeland.”

The small girl’s voice carried far on the wind. As if announcing her return home.

“Can you use spatial magic as well?”

Seo-erin shook her head at the mage’s question. She had never learned magic in her entire life.

Since the person herself denied it, it was difficult to inquire further. The mage who had asked the question nodded and quietly stepped back.

“Well, anyway… thank you very much for saving us.”

He didn’t forget to express his gratitude.

***

Seo-erin began leading the group of elves and mages across the snowfield. Since she was the only one who knew the geography, she naturally assumed the role of guide.

Few among the group were in normal physical condition. In the midst of fierce battles against numerous monsters, most had sustained serious injuries due to the sudden intrusion of the Void Lord.

The wind that the elves had been manipulating was faint, and the mana emitted by the mages had become so dim it was barely visible. Seo-erin’s condition was equally poor.

Her external injuries were minimal, almost nonexistent. However, her internal state was different. Her entire meridian system suffered from burning heat. Even when she tried to circulate the Ice Dragon-Heart technique, the heat wouldn’t subside.

It was a side effect of the mana amplification using the Ice Dragon Sword and Fire Dragon Sword. Her meridians had been forcibly widened, causing some to tear. For the time being, it would be difficult to utilize mana itself. At best, she could momentarily strengthen her body.

In this state, she couldn’t fight anyone.

The place where Seo-erin led the group was where the White Frost Tribe’s village had once existed. Although considerable time had passed since she left her homeland, traces of the village still remained there.

As if time itself had frozen like cold ice. Seo-erin paused briefly before the collapsed village. Trying to let her swirling emotions dissipate into the wind, she spoke.

“Though we’re not in good condition… rest for now.”

The tribe’s sole survivor had granted permission. The mages and elves who had been reading the somber atmosphere scattered in all directions, sitting down among the half-collapsed buildings.

Most of the buildings were in poor condition—sagging and torn—but some relatively intact ones still had walls to shield against the cold wind.

Seo-erin also sat down in front of the chieftain’s tent to catch her breath. At that moment, a mage approached and asked her.

“I’m worried we might be attacked if we remain so defenseless… what about preparing some defensive magic?”

Seo-erin barely erased her fatigued expression and raised her head. It was as if he was saying he would set up a magic formation if given permission. Seo-erin briefly contemplated. This was the tribal village that had stopped in time since the day of the tragedy.

She didn’t like the idea of leaving new traces over it.

Seo-erin lay down. As if surrendering herself to the white snowfield. The small girl’s imprint was deeply embedded in the cold snow.

In her childhood, Seo-erin hadn’t grown up in her parents’ embrace. Her earliest memory was also of the white expanse of snow and the cold wind that seemed to gently envelop her entire body.

Being buried in the snow felt so comfortable. Like returning to a mother’s embrace.

In that state, Seo-erin spoke.

“It’s fine. If it’s here.”

It truly was fine. Seo-erin trusted her intuition. Because the cold wind blowing from all directions seemed to whisper. That it was safe here.

Was it the voice of spirits? Perhaps it was the voices of the departed tribal members. Seo-erin believed that voice.

“Hmm…”

The mage cast a concerned look but didn’t say anything more. He had guessed something from Seo-erin’s words about her homeland and the miserable state of the village.

Step-

The mage turned and went back inside the building to escape the wind.

Left alone, Seo-erin focused on recovery. She neither ate nor drank. In the flowing time, she remained buried in the snow as if she had become part of nature.

She didn’t open her mouth except when elves and mages who occasionally came out asked if she was alright.

Two days passed like that. None of Seo-erin’s group could leave the white snowfield. It was because of their poor physical condition. The same applied to Seo-erin. If they had arrived somewhere closer, they would have reported the incident, but even that was impossible now.

She relinquished control of her body and moved only her mind. Seo-erin communicated with the unidentified voice and slowly reviewed the battle with the Void Lord. It was a battle with many regrets. If she hadn’t forcibly tried to wield the Ice Dragon Sword and Fire Dragon Sword, she could have fought longer.

Of course, looking at the result, it was a good choice. In the end, the problem was solved thanks to her younger sister who had awakened from sleep and lent her strength.

‘Sei-ran…’

Only then could Seo-erin understand the tribal shamans who had made a fuss. They had dismissed as nonsense their claims about the reincarnation of the Great Shaman Hamon, saying she could cover the whole world in white snow again.

It seemed that wasn’t the case. Sei-ran was more powerful than Seo-erin had imagined. If she hadn’t handed over her body to Seo-erin, those words might have become reality.

‘I’m sorry.’

Ahahat-

Seo-erin suddenly sat up. The laughter that suddenly reached her ears sounded just like Sei-ran’s voice. However, there was no more laughter after that.

Rustle-

The white hair that had been buried among the snow scattered elegantly. The sunlight that had just begun to rise illuminated the snowfield that had been shrouded in darkness.

Whoosh-!

The whole world brightened in an instant. Rising from her spot, Seo-erin realized that her physical condition was not much different from perfect. The recovery speed had been unusually fast.

Previously, these symptoms would have required at least two weeks of bed rest.

Thump-

Her heartbeat accelerates, and mana spreads throughout her body. Eventually, cold energy envelops Seo-erin’s entire body. The mana flowing out of her body freezes white and scatters.

The sight resembled white petals swirling around her.

Seo-erin blankly looked down at both hands. Above her small palms, tiny storms whirled and disappeared repeatedly.

‘Mana…’

The total amount of mana she could utilize at once had increased enormously. It was an advantage created by the recovery of her meridians, which had been forcibly widened by mana amplification, making them even stronger.

That wasn’t all. Seo-erin separated her right and left hands slightly. Simultaneously, she operated two different mana cultivation methods. The incantations flowing from her mind intertwined chaotically.

In her left hand, hot heat.

In her right hand, cold chill.

She felt no significant pain even when utilizing two opposing attributes. It would be different if she amplified each attribute using the Ice Dragon Sword and Fire Dragon Sword, but for now, it was a tremendous advantage.

The next moment.

Seo-erin lightly clapped her hands.

Though it was a light movement, its impact was anything but light. The moment the two opposing energies collided, a powerful shockwave spread out from Seo-erin.

Kwang-!

“Ugh…”

Zzzzt-

The forced collision delivered a great shock to her meridians. This was the result of using a tiny amount of mana. If she went all out, her entire body might burst.

At the sudden impact, the elves and mages drew their weapons and emerged from the buildings. By then, Seo-erin had begun to utilize mana in a new way.

The heat dissipates from Seo-erin’s body where heat and cold, two opposing energies, had been swirling. The escaping heat transforms into white light, forming a faint veil over Seo-erin’s body.

Ice Dragon-Heart

Sun Force

Simultaneous operation.

White cold energy swirled over the white veil.