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Chapter 201

Wouldn’t it be nice if everything was as easy to understand as a vending machine that dispenses items when you insert coins? However, that’s not how the world works.

People talk as if having enough money and authority can solve anything, but in reality, that’s not the case.

No matter how much money and power one possesses, there’s always someone with even more wealth or towering authority.

The old man’s and Edward’s blind spot lay precisely there. They thought he was just a naive kid. No matter how much of a Dragon contractor he was, he was still just a student. They figured causing him a bit of inconvenience in everyday life would suffice.

But he was no ordinary kid. It was clear he had already established his own influence. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be all those businesses around the area rejecting their offers while complaining about the nonsense spoken.

Of course, they might have thought it unwise to harbor ill feelings towards Choi Yeon-woo, who enjoys all sorts of protection.

Yet, more than that, the fact that he reacted this way even after being given enough money to run away and live comfortably suggested there was another reason behind it.

There must have been a backing powerful enough to look down on the nobles.

Edward was always disgruntled by this. Why, oh why, should he be sidelined? What was he lacking that made him mentioned later than everyone else?

The old man was a monster sustained by honor. He would die if he didn’t hear praises from others. The reason he saved people who didn’t really need saving was precisely because it would let him shine a little bit more.

Not a bad story, really. People get saved, and Edward gains fame. Grateful folks bring offerings, thanking Edward for saving their lives, and the praises for him never cease even when he occasionally declines.

Then one day, Edward started hearing names of other people. Up to that point, it was fine. After all, no one was chasing after his name. The whole of Europe was singing praises for him.

But before long, he felt something twist in his stomach upon seeing a naive-faced boy come up to him asking for an autograph, revered across Europe as the great hero.

Iraklis, a boy of valor with the same name as a legendary hero from the myths. Edward felt a sticky, dark emotion boiling within him as he gazed at this boy who had reached heights he could now barely touch.

Ridiculously, he felt that same sentiment again while looking at the naive Choi Yeon-woo.

*

“Daddy~!”

“Uheehe, my daughter. Did you have fun today?”

“Hehe, your laugh is creepy!”

What a nonchalant way to stab my heart. She smiles sweetly while delivering those words, making me shudder.

I couldn’t say anything to her smiling face, and Tae-oh shrugged his shoulders, trying to seem mature.

“Oh dear. Big sister is still a child. Tae-oh has already graduated from daddy’s embrace.”

“Oh, is that so? That’s why you’re hugging mom instead?”

“Yep! Mom is the best!”

As he said that, Tae-oh was snuggled up in Nea’s arms, who looked at him lovingly, petting his head.

Indeed, Nea’s embrace must be comforting. It makes sense for Tae-oh to prefer it over the muscular arms of Yeon-woo.

While I was pondering this, Nea turned a bit red and spoke to Yeon-woo.

“…You look mischievous, Yeon-woo. What’s on your mind?”

“Oh, nothing at all?”

“Ah~ Mom and Dad are dating again~”

“W-what are you talking about?!”

“Then what is it…?”

“Is it wrong for us to just want to go already because we’re tired?”

Upon Nea’s shy outburst, Shar wore a cat-like expression, as though he had realized the truth of the universe.

I hope no one asks what kind of expression that is. It just was what it was. Behind him, Down’s peaceful figure yawning was quite striking.

As we exchanged such trivial talk, the four family members and one friend stood at the main gate of Harmony City, somewhat dressed for the outing.

Today’s plan was a family outing to the Dung Hammer Gorge. Shar was eager to go, and it was about time for some outdoor adventures.

However, there was a slight issue. While Shar and Tae-oh were fine having Mana Bodies, Down and Nea couldn’t be like that.

“And so, the third-floor tower is complete.”

Me, holding Down, was quite impressive. While he had cringed at the idea of being held by Yeon-woo, now he was cozying up to Nea. Does he not like me?

Down’s clear eyes met Yeon-woo’s, suggesting he didn’t really care for him. So much for the effort of saving him. He probably resented being revived for no reason at all.

What an absurd situation. How can saving someone lead to being disliked? This is why one shouldn’t try to understand gods. Their mindset is fundamentally different from ours…

“Alright, let’s go.”

“U-um, how embarrassing.”

“Uhuhuh.”

So cute. Seeing Nea all wrapped up in Yeon-woo’s arms, I almost coughed up blood. Love can stir up feelings out of nowhere; sometimes, it comes alongside the vision of a beloved partner.

Forcing myself to suppress the urge to rush over, wrap my arms around that soft, squishy face, and plant a kiss, Yeon-woo jumped into the air.

Silver Mana enveloped his body, and the weightlessness took command. His body soared, casting the landscape around him.

Unlike Yeon-woo, who was free from the air resistance, the other two couldn’t benefit from the flight. Thus, he had cast protective spells beforehand like a shield surrounding them.

““Kyaaa!!””

[[Wow!!]]

Nea and Down, unfamiliar with such heights, screamed, while Shar and Tae-oh adapted just fine, cheering excitedly. The piercing screams filled their minds and ears, causing Yeon-woo to almost bleed from his ears as he smiled lightly.

“Now, don’t be too scared; open your eyes. The view’s better than you think.”

As Yeon-woo whispered, the two of them trembled but slowly opened their eyes. But wait, isn’t it odd for gods and dragons to be shaking just because they went a bit higher?

Down, who was repaying divine powers borrowed from Lunaria, could be excused, but Nea could fly, right?

“Wow…!”

But any doubts melted away in front of Nea’s exclamation. Maybe she just couldn’t fly!

“It’s impressive you can leap this far without any aid. Oh, is that the destination?”

Down, feigning calmness, still held a tinge of anxiety in his eyes. I thought about teasing him, but if I miscalibrated my strength and ended up scaring them, dealing with the aftermath would be too much trouble.

“That’s right. Not too far, is it?”

“Can we get there in a single leap?”

“Of course not. How far do you think it is?”

“…Then why are we jumping from here?”

“To fly, of course.”

As Yeon-woo said this, he raised his Mana, manifesting ice wings. By consuming the ice crystal earlier, he had upgraded his cold elemental Mana, which now extruded from his shoulder blades.

With the sound of moisture freezing, massive ice wings took shape behind Yeon-woo. They had formed larger than expected, comparable in size to Namgung Seong’s wings, thanks to the ice crystal.

“Adjustment never is easy.”

With that remark, anxiety painted the faces of the two, but fortunately, while he struggled with adjustments, he was confident in his control. The ice wings spread, and Yeon-woo began gliding.

With a thud, the Mana of the Silver Wing shattered, creating a foothold in the air. Without hesitation, Yeon-woo’s body landed on that foothold as if it were spring-loaded.

“Hold on tight~”

With that nonchalant warning, Yeon-woo’s body shot towards the gorge like a bullet. He chose a gentle trajectory, so even as they flew at high speed, the two could keep one eye open to savor the surroundings.

Despite having accidentally consumed the ice crystal, Yeon-woo had a bit of a tricky time harnessing the cold elemental Mana he possessed.

While darkness was great for efficiency, akin to shadows, the characteristics of cold elemental Mana were quite disproportionate, making it tough to utilize.

For that reason, along with Baek In-hwa, and of course just a metaphorical ‘meeting of the heads’, they reckoned that combining both Baek In-hwa’s and Choi Yeon-woo’s IQ should net around 200 and arrived at a sensible direction for its use.

Roughly speaking, all physics-related endeavors would be tackled with cold elemental Mana, just like how he was making wings now.

A blade made of ice would naturally be stronger than one made from darkness.

While darkness had its virtues, with Yeon-woo’s elemental Mana acting as separate reservoirs, it made more sense to practice utilizing the cold elemental Mana directly rather than converting it inefficiently into another form.

The reason Yeon-woo was training in cold elemental Mana was also due to awakening his courage elemental Mana. It sounds nice to say “the ability to change one’s body as desired,” but if you envision a form that doesn’t fit into the situation at hand, it’s all for naught.

On top of that, one had to recognize a situation as a crisis for the skill to activate, making practice rather tricky.

Thus, he was also engaging in image training with the cold elemental Mana, as one must always be prepared ahead of time.

As Yeon-woo glided through the air, meticulously launching ice spears into the heads of flying magical beasts, he mused on this.

While he was unable to control his strength properly, being able to manage such delicate maneuvers was a triumph of effort. The hard work of practicing endlessly to sprinkle ice crystals around his house while sacrificing his night’s sleep bore fruit. Sure, the risks of flooding the place existed, but it turned out fine as long as he cast shadows on the floor.

‘How dare you eye my girlfriend? You’re asking for death.’

As he turned all the flying golden beasts into icy corpses, Yeon-woo’s flying ship pressed on. Today would go down in history as the day frozen birds fell from the sky.

(To be continued in the next chapter)

 

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