Ch.88Floating Island

A week had passed since the reincarnator disappeared. The Seorin party hadn’t stopped their search operations. Although the ruins that the reincarnator had targeted were buried by a landslide, there was still a high probability that they remained somewhere on the floating island.

‘It seems certain they’ve left…’

Seorin gazed at the wind swirling in her palm. Some kind of intuition, the wind that enveloped the entire floating island, was telling her. The reincarnator she had been searching for had already left this island.

The girl turned around. Standing precariously atop a towering tree, yet without any sign of wavering. The wind emanating from her entire body constantly maintained her balance.

Her fluttering cape and slowly waving white hair created a mystical atmosphere. With one step forward, as Seorin took a step on the tree, a gentle breeze blew beneath her, enveloping her body.

During the past week, Seorin had undergone many changes. The biggest change was in her mental landscape. Harsh gales swept across the snow-covered plain. The elemental power engraved on her soul had greatly influenced her mind.

Wind accompanied her every movement. Naturally, the martial arts she used had also changed. Gales wrapped around her swift sword, enhancing its power, while wind blew from behind her, adding speed to her steps.

That wasn’t all. A typhoon swirled around her clenched fist, bursting through anything that stood in her way. This led to an enormous increase in her combat power.

If there was a drawback, it was the tremendously increased mana consumption. When using the elemental power, she couldn’t sustain combat for long. It meant her power was specialized for short, decisive battles.

“Let’s move to the final location.”

The two people who had been entranced by the sight of her descending from the tree to the ground like an angel—Bigart and Parna—snapped out of their daze. Their superior had always been beautiful. Now with the wind swirling around her, a mystical atmosphere was added, making it impossible to take their eyes off her.

“Yes…”

“Y-Yes!”

For the three of them, a week was quite a long time. They held the profession of knights who never ceased training for even a moment. They also possessed exceptional physical abilities that could outpace a fine horse in short distances. A week meant they had enough time to thoroughly explore the vast floating island.

And so, finally.

The small girl’s gaze captured a large lakeside. For some reason, it was also a place that monsters inhabiting the island didn’t approach. Despite such a large water source, monsters obtained water from elsewhere.

It surely meant something was inhabiting this lake. Perhaps it was the reincarnator they had missed. Seorin ordered the two people.

“Continue the search around the lakeside. If you find the reincarnator, don’t fight and call me.”

“What if we encounter monsters?”

Seorin turned to look at Bigart in response to his question.

“Do I need to give instructions for such things?”

Seorin tilted her head slightly. The monsters inhabiting this island weren’t that strong. Even the large ones could be handled by lower-ranked members like Bigart and Parna.

“Handle it yourselves.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

After the two left, Seorin walked alone along the lakeside. The vast water surface was perfectly calm. Just like a mirror. When she glanced at the water surface, a girl of otherworldly beauty was walking on the water.

“Beautiful as always.”

Seorin had no hesitation in praising her younger sister’s appearance. It wasn’t being sentimental. She was simply stating an obvious observation. If someone didn’t call such a face beautiful, one would have to question their eyesight.

That’s why Seorin sometimes found it difficult to understand her companions’ reactions, especially Theo and Flora’s.

‘They could just agree…’

Since they didn’t deny it, they probably acknowledged it, but Seorin wanted to hear the praise “beautiful” directly from her friends’ mouths.

That’s as far as her thoughts went. Seorin shook her head and stopped at the center of the large lakeside. The vast water surface was infinitely calm. Even when the wind blew, there wasn’t the slightest ripple.

Facing such a lake.

Seorin closed her eyes.

Blue currents of air flowed out from the small girl’s body along with the wind, scattering in all directions. The gently dispersing wind spread wider, drawing a large circle.

‘Ashen.’

It’s the name of a legendary animal Seorin had heard about as a child. Its body resembles a mouse, and its size doesn’t exceed a child’s palm. However, it is said to have large ears that can hear all sounds in the world.

Sensory expansion. With the addition of wind, the technique became even more perfect. It felt like a fitting piece had been placed in an incomplete puzzle. Seorin gave this technique such a name.

‘Isn’t it appropriate?’

Ashen’s domain expanded at a frightening speed. Even Seorin, the user, was surprised. Only after covering the entire large lakeside and the surrounding forest did Ashen’s domain expansion finally stop.

Seorin stood there, focusing on the sounds the wind brought to her. From the tiny cries of insects to the rustling of leaves, and even the breathing of monsters and her two juniors—she could hear everything.

She could also clearly see their locations.

While examining everything like this, Seorin could hear one strange sound. In the quiet flow, a small water sound spreading like a slow ripple.

It wasn’t coming from far away. Close. Very close. Seorin narrowed Ashen’s domain range. The widely spread wind rewound like drawing a circle and rotated strongly around Seorin.

The place where it stopped was above the calm lake. As the range focused, the sound grew louder. Seorin opened her eyes and looked down at the lake.

At that moment, Seorin felt a chill run down her spine. It was the same sensation she had felt when facing a giant bear during her time as a warrior of the White Frost tribe, roaming the snowy plains.

As the small girl took a step back and drew the sword from her waist, with a faint wind beginning to wrap around it.

It suddenly revealed itself.

KWAAAA-!

As if the previous calmness had been the prelude to a storm, a massive body covered in white scales emerged between the suddenly surging lake water. The falling water and the scales reflecting sunlight scattered jewel-like light in all directions.

‘A snake…?’

It wasn’t the form of an ordinary snake. A pair of horns grew on its head, and dozens of sharp teeth grew between its widely opened mouth. What served as fins spread widely, taking the form of wings.

Its appearance resembled a dragon.

In that brief moment, Seorin could understand why monsters didn’t approach the lakeside. They couldn’t approach because such a massive creature was the master of the lake.

[KREEEEK!]

The entire forest shook with the massive roar. Birds large and small flew into the sky, and the surging lake water poured down like rain in all directions.

Meanwhile, Seorin had to meet the gaze of the massive creature that had approached silently. It was too fast for its large size.

When Seorin extended her hand, the giant snake’s body approached like lightning.

KUUNG-!

A collision between a massive monster and a small girl. From a normal perspective, Seorin should have been pushed back. But she wasn’t. Her legs standing on the ground were firm, and her combat boots only dug into the ground slightly.

Right after that, a massive wind burst out from behind Seorin.

PAAAA-!

Most of the impact bypassed Seorin, riding the wind. She raised the corner of her mouth at the faint pain she felt inside her body. In front of her confidently extended hand, the wind wrapped around it was pushing back the giant snake’s head.

Its widely opened mouth thrashed as if trying to swallow Seorin in one gulp. Saliva flowing between the red mucous membranes fell to the ground, emitting a terrible stench. But it had no effect on Seorin.

The wind wrapped around her body pushed everything away.

The elemental power engraved on her soul had countless applications like this. Although it had the drawback of extreme mana consumption, the benefits outweighed it.

Seorin pointed her White Dragon Sword toward the inside of the giant snake’s mouth.

There must have been no enemies on this island. That’s why it didn’t hesitate to attack an unfamiliar target. If even a little of its wild instinct had remained, the creature would have lived a longer life.

Mana that started racing from her heart moved through the blood in her body and transferred to the White Dragon Sword. When the form of a white dragon appeared on the snow-white blade.

A storm of cold air shot from Seorin’s hand.

KWAAAA-!

It was a storm that ground everything in its path. The White Dragon Sword that Seorin shot went beyond the snake’s mouth, turning its internal organs inside out.

As if unable to withstand the massive impact, the white snake’s body was pushed back greatly and thrashed.

The snake’s death throes were faint. Only a groan unsuited to its massive body escaped. As the light faded from the white snake’s eyes, its massive body lost strength and collapsed onto the lake.

KWAANG-!

As the massive weight hit the lake’s surface, water surged once again. Seorin raised her right hand while being hit by the falling raindrops.

A small light rose from the slowly sinking massive body and quickly flew toward Seorin.

With this, they had explored every part of the floating island. The reincarnator had not remained on the island. Mission complete. It was time to return to headquarters.

Seorin turned around.

The White Dragon Sword in her right hand slid back into its scabbard.