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**

The scent brushed against the tip of my nose. It wasn’t just any ordinary fragrance but a pure, clean, and refreshing aroma like freshly fallen snow.

In the solemn atmosphere, I could see a corpse leaning against the ice. A middle-aged woman with white jade-like skin.

Her wrinkles were deep, yet not overly so. It was as if time had frozen everything in a tranquil moment.

“…Madam?”

I called out, wondering if she was still alive. But she didn’t respond. There was not a hint of life in her, not even a trace of the presence a person should emit.

I cautiously reached out my hand. The moment my fingertips touched her, the middle-aged woman crumbled away. Her remains fluttered past me like white snowflakes.

“…Ah!”

I quickly pulled my hand back, but even what remained was swept away as if caught in a windstorm. When I opened my eyes amidst the blizzard, everything had vanished.

There was nothing left. It felt as if I had merely had a dream. Yet, as if to prove that someone had been there, something lay in the corner.

A strange sword in a worn scabbard.

And a book, along with an antique wooden box.

“……?”

The white ice shard I found in the wooden box stood out starkly from the other ice fragments.

I couldn’t touch it. Just making contact caused my fingertips to necrose. I hurriedly withdrew my hand, but a chill had penetrated up to my wrist already.

It was not an ordinary object. Now that I thought about it, even the wooden box itself was carved with exquisite craftsmanship.

It seemed as if they had used some special metal just to make the box. I turned my gaze toward the book.

The illegible handwriting was largely smudged. Some parts of the book were torn and invisible.

However, one thing was clear. Amidst the damage, a name glowed particularly white.

“Bing Baeksul…”

Bing Baeksul?

…Could it be THE Bing Baeksul?

The same Bing Baeksul who was once famous as a member of the legendary Ten Masters and whose reputation echoed through the northern sea?

I hastily examined the book again, piecing together the fragmented sentences to decipher the obscured portions.

This was a secret technique, that much was certain. At the beginning of the book, there was a brief description of the circumstances.

Bing Baeksul, having been ambushed, had fallen to this place. While there weren’t many details about the enemy, there were scathing remarks about them scattered throughout the martial arts techniques written three hundred years ago.

[My foul-smelling, odious enemy is so abhorrent that…]

Bing Baeksul had tried to escape from here immediately. However, she was unable to.

The injuries she had suffered from her assailant were severe, and the elixir she brought was nothing more than a poison if not consumed correctly.

As she lay dying in agony, she managed to recover a book and brush from a rolling human corpse.

The serendipity of Bing Baeksul’s discovery is written here. At the end of this book, she earnestly pleaded.

[Though I have taught everything, I could not teach one thing. I have inscribed everything here. Those who are connected should inherit all of it and relay just one thing to the Bing Palace.]

The esoteric and incantations.

Detailed explanations and a tone that seemed to persuade.

The progress of the northern sea Bing Palace, which focused only on conveying the secret arts, lay before me.

Finally, I reached out for the sword.

“…Ah!”

The white, chilling blade itself radiated coldness. It must be a legendary sword among swords.

I never expected to witness the peak of ice martial arts in a place I wandered into. I first tucked their belongings into my bosom.

What first came to mind was how to handle this.

Fortunately, the moment I closed the lid of the wooden box, it blocked the coldness. The sword did as well. If it was tucked inside that worn and crumbling sword, no one would be able to tell it was a legendary blade.

Strange objects that were indistinguishable from the outside. Yet the martial arts secret felt somewhat lacking.

[Remember, this martial art cannot be touched by men.]

The martial arts left behind by the northern sea Bing Palace could only be learned by women. It wouldn’t make sense to inscribe lies onto a volume containing all she possessed.

Then what should I do? After all…

I should bring this to Ilma.

She had given me so much. Perhaps if I gave her everything, she might be a little happy.

Although I couldn’t see the corpse, I still offered a light bow. I had gained something, so I didn’t forget to deeply bow where her body had been.

If fate allows, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to bring this secret technique to the northern sea Bing Palace. But not right now.

The Four Sects are far from the Demon Cult.

To get closer to them, I would have to journey through the central plains instead.

A long distance. Ridiculously far. So far that monopolizing its political advantages seemed impractical.

The necrosed fingertips were slowly regenerating. It seemed this elixir temporarily obstructed even the movements of Cheongeop.

Now I understood why the secret text repeatedly warned that it was dangerous. I turned back.

I looked over the corpses that had collapsed between the ice waterfalls, but there was nothing particularly special. I even found the corpse of a man sprawled out, legs akimbo beside a book.

Falling in this place undoubtedly meant facing death. The height was so great that even an average master would surely perish from a fall.

Now it’s time to get out…

I snapped off a twig. Fortunately, the kindling I brought along was still securely in my possession.

Though it was in tatters and hardly resembled clothing, it still functioned well as a pocket. I blew a puff of air onto the spark that had ignited in my hand, setting the twig aflame.

Now it was time to exit.

I had gathered light, and since I had pierced through once, there shouldn’t be any danger…

“Thirty! Thirty! Where are you?! Are you really dead?!”

A voice echoed. I peeked through the gap I had just escaped.

A woman with a torch was cursing. With her masked face and piercing voice, she resembled someone I knew.

“Thirty! Thirty! Are you really dead?! If you’re there, respond! D…Ahhh!!!”

At the piercing scream, I moved immediately. I dashed outside and yanked her from the jaws of the bloodsucking zombie that was ripping her apart.

We returned to the area near the ice waterfall. I saw Twenty-Nine, who had been shredded just a bit, gasping for breath.

“Bloodsucking zombies… Why are there so many…”

“Why are you here?”

“Why do you think? I came to repay a debt! It’s been a whole day, and you didn’t come out…!”

A day had passed?

I looked back at the ice waterfall. Come to think of it, I did feel something peculiar the moment I entered.

Peering into that ice cave again, the bizarre feeling of time having frozen seemed to have vanished entirely.

Was that the enchantment spilling from the corpse of dead Bing Baeksul?

I turned back to Twenty-Nine.

“I nearly died, Twenty-Nine.”

“Same goes for you. Your clothes are all torn… What’s up with that…”

“Why did you come?”

“I told you I came to repay my debt. If I die, I can’t repay it. So here I am.”

“…Is that the only reason?”

“Do I need another reason?”

Twenty-Nine growled.

“Just so you know, don’t even think of dying before I’m convinced I’ve paid back everything. I really despise being in debt!”

“…Pfft.”

“Why are you laughing?!”

“I just found it funny.”

This woman too, well…

She’s not completely normal, is she?

I grasped the sword. With one more torch and one more warrior to back me up.

I knew the path by heart, so I should be able to blaze through it.

Let’s wait until those angry creatures outside calm down.

“It would be best to wait here until the bloodsucking zombies settle down.”

“…Understood. I was aware that you were alive, but I didn’t expect there to be so many…”

Twenty-Nine looked around, realizing the situation.

“What kind of place is this? And what’s with the ice waterfall? There are all sorts of weird things. Is this what places with blood stones are usually like?”

“Seems it’s similar.”

I didn’t mention anything about Bing Baeksul for now. Twenty-Nine leaned against the wall, surveying the surroundings.

She too had minor wounds here and there. At least she didn’t seem to have any bite marks.

The notably enlarged wound on her wrist appeared slightly swollen. As I possessed no medicine, I decided to wrap it with a bandage.

I tore a strip from the tattered sleeve hanging limply from me.

“Please give me your hand.”

“…Is that really necessary?”

“It seems better to cover it up for now. The blood is seeping out little by little.”

Hesitantly, Twenty-Nine extended her hand. I carefully grasped her wrist and wrapped the cloth around it.

I sat next to her. As she looked upward, Twenty-Nine sighed.

“Is there no way to go up there…?”

“If you have mastered Ghostly Spirit Step to the utmost, it might be possible.”

“Is that really… possible?”

“If it were possible, we wouldn’t be in this mess.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Twenty-Nine rolled her eyes under her mask, playing with the bandage on her wrist.

“Your wounds are visible, yet you don’t have any visible marks.”

“It’s just a unique constitution.”

“What kind of constitution?”

“I heal quickly. But it comes with pain.”

“…Is there really such a constitution?”

I felt actions spoke louder than words. I unsheathed my sword, lightly cutting my wrist before showing it to her.

In no time, the wound started healing, making Twenty-Nine gasp in shock.

“Are you a monster?!”

“If I were a monster, I wouldn’t be so pathetically weak.”

“…You’re stronger than me.”

“This is just a result of barely surviving multiple near-death experiences.”

Twenty-Nine shut her mouth. With that look of distrust, it seemed she was reluctant to easily believe me.

She reached out and traced the scar on my cheek.

“Then why do you have that?”

I absently touched the scar on my cheek. I had completely forgotten about it.

As the days without looking in the mirror increased, I had even forgotten how I looked. I had also overlooked whether I had a scar on my cheek.

“It’s a wound from before my constitution awakened.”

“How did that happen?”

“I got hit with a bottle thrown by my father. I was young.”

“…It seems you weren’t exactly born into a good family.”

“Wasn’t Twenty-Nine the same?”

“I didn’t have a good experience either.”

Twenty-Nine hugged her knees tightly.

“I had no parents. I was sold as a child and don’t remember anything. Since they were gone, I have no idea if that was good or bad. But… given the fact that I was sold as a child, it’s likely the sellers weren’t proper human beings. Have you ever been to Gilu?”

“No.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Why not?”

I pondered. There was only one reason for not having gone.

“I didn’t have money.”

“…You’re not just disinterested, are you?”

“I do have some interest in how it is. I’m curious about how it looks.”

“If you had the money?”

“Even then, I don’t think I would have gone.”

“Why not?”

“I had a sick younger sister. I needed to send money home. Whatever money I could earn, I sent it all back to my home. Even if I had enough to go to Gilu, it would’ve amounted to the same.”

“…You had a younger sister? So, did you join the Blood Demon Cult to make money?”

“I did, but she’s gone now. She no longer exists.”

“…….”

Twenty-Nine wiggled her fingers as if hesitating.

“I had one too. Not a younger sister, but an elder one.”

“What happened?”

“It’s similar to your story. She’s not dead, but it’s fair to say she has died. Because she no longer recognizes me.”

“…….”

“She’s not really my biological sister. She was just someone I clicked with and talked a lot with. Someone who took care of me since I was a child. She was only three years older than me but always looked after me.”

Twenty-Nine’s gaze grew distant.

“There’s a lot to do in Gilu. Young girls are sold off and learn various tasks. They learn a bit at a time, and when their bodies mature, they start selling wine. Most of the money goes to the owners, but a portion can be saved.”

“…….”

“My sister had it the same. Selling laughter and selling her body… Yes. She was a courtesan. She was quite popular, with many customers seeking her out. Thanks to that, her income was considerable.”

“I see.”

“You really don’t have to answer back.”

Twenty-Nine stretched her arms.

“Just five years in difference, yet she was so sophisticated. She always smiled. She was my idol. Do you know what that sister did for me?”

“…….”

“Before I properly started working in Gilu, she bought me out and handed me a sword, knowing I had loved moving since I was a child. That allowed me to enter the Mage Academy. I owe her so much, it’s almost stifling. Once I matured and recognized how significant her contributions were, I realized my worth was not trivial. I wanted to repay her kindness. I thought as soon as she got out of Gilu, I would take care of her from that day onward.”

“…….”

“Do you know how a courtesan escapes from Gilu? It’s either by paying the price set by the establishment or dying and leaving as a corpse. She chose the former. Even after the price set by the establishment was absurdly high, she steadily saved up. Ultimately, she could pay her own debt. But… the owner refused to let her go. She was still a beautiful flower, and there were ten more years of profit to be made from her.”

“……”

“The owner intervened. To avoid breaking the laws of Gilu that would come from dipping into her savings, they resorted to other means. They offered her a massive sum to take on one last customer before leaving. Though she hesitated, she accepted it considering me. Because she had said that with that amount, we could live a better life.”

Twenty-Nine’s shoulders trembled.

Though it was laughter, it wasn’t laughter.

“Do you know who the last customer was? It was the Soul-Catching Madman, Shim Sahyun.”

“The Soul-Catching Madman…?”

“Yes. A lunatic within the Holy Church. He’s at the level of a master, yet he’s so cruel that even his own sect avoids him. That person bought my sister, and the next time she was found, she was a complete imbecile. Naturally, the money went to the owner, and the brief commotion ended with an accident.”

“…….”

“My sister is my family. Although she’s become a fool, she’s still alive. I tried to get her back, but I couldn’t even do that. The owner used the excuse of protection to refuse. Only I know that she was entrusted to Shim Sahyun. I’ve spoken tirelessly, but no one believed me.”

“…….”

“I was banned from entering Gilu. I was even warned that if I came back again, they would behead me. The owner offered me a mere silver coin as consolation after taking away my family. Just a fragment of silver. Yet I continued to visit my sister several times after that.”

I could hear the sound of her biting her lip.

Blood dripped beneath Twenty-Nine’s mask.

“I could only hear the groans of men in the room of my sister who had become a fool.”

“……”

“…That’s just the way it is.”

It was filthy.

It was ugly.

It was a story that reeked of despair.

I averted my gaze. I couldn’t bear to look at her.

“…What happened to your sister?”

“It’s a story from half a year ago. She’s still in Gilu. I joined the Blood Demon Cult because of that. I’m gathering strength and money to rescue her from Hong Bong Ru. If I ascend to become a member of the Blood Sea, acquiring one person from Gilu wouldn’t be too difficult.”

“…….”

“…But honestly, I…”

I could feel the effort it took for Twenty-Nine to raise her voice.

“No, it’s okay. I’ve unintentionally talked too long. Don’t go telling anyone. If my plan gets exposed, it could spell trouble, right? I just revealed it because you seem trustworthy. Understand?”

“…Would I do such a thing?”

I rose to my feet.

“Let’s get moving. Twenty-Nine. Let’s escape from this place. Nightfall is approaching. By now, we might be able to exit without catching the bloodsucking zombies’ attention.”

 

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