Ch.81Counting

After the absolute beings who dominated the space disappeared, the remaining members of Cheongik arrived shortly after. Their ragged breathing showed they had been running without rest.

Only one person seemed unaffected. Karnok, who descended gently from the sky, naturally approached Seo-rin, Flora, and Theo.

“Everyone, it’s been a while… or is it too soon to say that?”

Seo-rin’s gaze examined the members who had arrived late. They were dressed in various outfits, suggesting they had been operating under different identities.

“Have you all been working together?”

At Seo-rin’s question, the members looked at each other. The way they exchanged glances and shook their heads indicated they had no idea where the others had been.

“I don’t think so. I just met them while rushing here.”

“Same here.”

Seo-rin’s eyes fell on Reynard. He was no longer one-armed. She hadn’t noticed at first, but now she could see. A prosthetic had replaced his missing arm. It was so intricate that unless examined closely, one would never think he was missing a limb.

“So this is where the Sword Festival took place?”

Karnok asked, his gaze taking in the devastated wilderness around them. The land had been overturned by immense power, with irregularly jutting rock mountains.

These were traces of a battle violent enough to transform the terrain. Seo-rin nodded.

“Can you tell us what happened?”

They had gathered here after detecting the impulse of enormous power. Scattered across the wilderness, everyone needed an explanation.

Seo-rin, Theo, and Flora took turns explaining the situation. From their first campsite to how they joined the Mangeom Order, and finally the confrontation between Hayato and the Sword Festival Master here.

“Hayato… I was tracking the Sword Festival Master, and this unexpected figure appeared…”

Suddenly, Seo-rin looked up at the sky. The pitch-black sky was beginning to brighten. Sunlight appearing at the horizon chased away the darkness, racing across the wilderness.

Morning had arrived.

“For now, since our leader is pursuing the Sword Festival Master, we shouldn’t worry about it. We don’t even know where he disappeared to anyway.”

“Yes…”

“The mission is suspended. We’ll leave the wilderness immediately, request reinforcements, and join them to eliminate the remnants of the Mangeom Order.”

The mission had changed. Seo-rin, Flora, and Theo could only nod in agreement. After experiencing such profound helplessness in the battle between absolute beings, they realized they couldn’t be of much help. There was no point in forcing the issue.

The gradually rising sun stretched the members’ shadows long across the ground. As they turned to leave, Karnok spoke to Seo-rin.

“Aren’t you going to take that?”

“Ah…”

Seo-rin’s gaze fell on a sword thrust diagonally into the ground. Its overall shape closely resembled the White Dragon Sword. No, it was more than resemblance. The appearance matched perfectly. Only the color was different.

A black sword.

Left behind by the Sword Festival Master. Wondering, Seo-rin pulled the sword from the ground. She felt nothing unusual. It was like new.

The way it fit her hand was strange. It felt as if it had been prepared specifically for her. It felt even more familiar than the White Dragon Sword she usually used. The sword’s center of gravity was the same too.

When she swung it lightly, the blade followed like an extension of her body. Seo-rin wore a peculiar expression.

Sword Festival Master.

Seo-rin silently repeated his name.

***

The imperial reinforcements arrived very quickly and advanced toward the wilderness. The Mangeom Order collapsed almost instantly. Their central figure, the Sword Festival Master, had disappeared. Once the balancing weight was gone, the reincarnators began to leave one by one.

Those who remained until the end lost their lives to the imperial army and Cheongik.

The whereabouts of the Sword Festival Master remained a mystery. The Knight Commander who had pursued him also lost contact, leaving the situation unclear. However, the mission itself could be considered successful.

Everyone returned without injuries, and they had dismantled a group of reincarnators who could have threatened the empire in the future.

The long mission was over. The group joined the return procession.

***

Alone in an empty room, Seo-rin sat with a sword across her knees. Not her usual one, but the sword the Sword Festival Master had given her.

Theo had named it the Black Dragon Sword due to its contrasting color to the White Dragon Sword. Seo-rin naturally adopted the name as well. This mission had given her much to think about. The Sword Festival Master’s attitude—recognizing her identity yet taking no action—left her confused.

Furthermore, the scene she had witnessed that day wouldn’t leave her mind. She had glimpsed a realm built through ages of time and tremendous effort. The martial arts contained within were so profound that she couldn’t understand even the smallest fragment. Yet she had discovered the direction she needed to go.

Woong—

As the White Dragon Heart Method stirred mana from deep within her, the Black Dragon Sword responded. It wasn’t made of ordinary iron. It used materials highly sensitive to mana. This confirmed it was meticulously crafted for Seo-rin.

‘In such a short time.’

The Black Dragon Sword rose by itself and circled around Seo-rin. The White Dragon Sword, placed on the floor, also rose to form a pair. The formless flying sword technique Seo-rin had acquired consisted of only four verses.

It wasn’t a martial art she had formally learned. It was a technique stolen through another’s memories. She had stayed behind to complete the unfinished martial art, but the connection wasn’t made.

She couldn’t demonstrate the complex movements the Sword Festival Master had shown. Her technique was linear and monotonous. It might be effective against weaker opponents, but against equals, it was worse than useless.

‘I’ll have to create it myself…’

If necessary, she would create it. The materials were already prepared. The divine demonstration the Sword Festival Master had shown that day wouldn’t leave her mind. Everything was inspiration.

But it wouldn’t be easy. She needed to weave newly created verses with existing ones. She had to pursue naturalness, ensuring there would be no conflicts.

Woong—

While the White Dragon Sword and Black Dragon Sword were resonating, Seo-rin sensed someone approaching her room. An unfamiliar presence. She retrieved the twin swords and stood up.

At the same moment, a knock sounded.

[Um… Senior Seo-rin? Are you in there?]

The voice was filled with tension. Seo-rin recalled a friend from the past in that voice. After first joining, Flora used to speak to seniors that way.

Unlike herself.

Considerable time had passed. Feeling the years gone by, Seo-rin opened the closed door. Beyond it stood a tall woman.

Due to the upward angle, large breasts blocked her face. Only after Seo-rin stepped back two paces could she recognize the junior’s face.

Parna.

A junior who had recently been promoted to a lower-rank member. They had only passed each other in the hallway a few times.

“What is it?”

“Ah… it’s a mission!”

Seo-rin frowned at Parna’s words. She had just returned from a long mission, and already another one had been assigned? She didn’t mind, but she wished for a little rest.

Yet she understood the situation. Cheongik always struggled with personnel shortages. They couldn’t afford to let someone of Seo-rin’s caliber remain idle.

‘I was planning to visit some antique shops.’

Taking the documents from Parna, Seo-rin sat on the bed and checked the contents. The mission itself wasn’t special. It instructed her to track down and eliminate a reincarnator who had recently surfaced.

Cheongik headquarters was certain the individual was a reincarnator. No additional investigation was needed.

“Hmm…”

Seo-rin groaned as she confirmed the target through the documents. Estimated age: mid-20s. Snow-white hair, and an Astrian—characteristics that somehow bothered her.

Then she turned to the next page. Seo-rin stopped breathing. A montage of the target appeared on the girl’s retina. Looking at the face of the man drawn by a skilled artist, it felt like looking in a mirror.

Unconsciously, Seo-rin reached out to caress the man’s face. The face in the montage resembled her own—her past body—to an uncanny degree.

Could he be a sibling separated in childhood? Or was it just a coincidental resemblance?

She couldn’t be certain until she saw with her own eyes. Seo-rin stood up. The violently surging emotions unleashed the verses of the White Dragon Heart Method fiercely.

“Sh-should we depart right away?”

The junior’s question pulled Seo-rin from her thoughts. Having regained her composure, the girl checked who would be accompanying her on the mission.

A total of three people would be going. Two were lower-rank members, and only one was a middle-rank member.

This meant Seo-rin would have to take the role of senior officer.

Seo-rin’s gaze turned to Parna. Extremely tense, Parna exhaled and maintained an attention stance.