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Chapter 90

First, we decided to move the location to Yeon-woo’s room. It was way too important of a matter to discuss on the bench behind the dormitory.

For some reason, Shar was casting suspicious glances while Tae-oh, filled with joy at whoever just arrived, listened to Baek In-hwa’s explanation. It was only after hearing the whole story that I understood what had happened.

“I can’t believe it was that kind of thing…”

That’s terrifying, the Ice Palace…!!

Could it be that there’s a terrifying force capable of castrating all men in the world? Of course, it wouldn’t be to that extent.

While it might have made sense to the Northern Sea people, the overwhelming majority wouldn’t know about the side effects of the Ice Essence.

Is this what they call a cultural difference?

“Every time I mention having a boyfriend, you all act like this, so it’s no wonder I don’t have friends…!”

“You hardly have any female friends either.”

“If I go right now, I could follow my brother, right?”

“Sorry.”

Mr. Baek In-gyeol, I feel sorry about this. But I don’t want to become your companion in the underworld.

‘But does that imply whether or not you possess Elemental Mana of the Ice attribute if you haven’t learned martial arts that utilize negative energy?’

[That could indeed be the case. It seems that the issue arises because there isn’t a vessel to contain that cold energy.]

The Ice Essence, which should have been mana, flowed into the body, blocking blood flow. It could have been a disaster if I hadn’t absorbed it from Baek In-gyeol.

[If that happens, the main entity may try to absorb it…!]

I felt truly grateful, but it was hard to articulate my feelings. Yeon-woo awkwardly scratched the back of his neck.

With the worry about the side effects mostly alleviated, Yeon-woo now felt the necessity to settle the situation.

The problem was, even if Baek In-hwa were convinced that Yeon-woo could handle multiple elemental manas by contracting with a dragon, she would likely notice where and how he had acquired that elemental mana during the process.

Baek In-hwa had seen Yeon-woo kill a doppleganger in one go and had also noticed him going out of his way to defeat it.

She was aware that he started using the dark elemental mana after that event, which he hadn’t used before.

But if Yeon-woo were to suddenly announce that he also possessed Ice attribute mana here…

Even if possessing multiple types of elemental mana were secondary, the primary issue would be how he obtained that elemental mana. If so, where did he acquire the Ice attribute from?

If she’s as sharp and well-acquainted with Baek In-gyeol as Baek In-hwa, she would definitely catch on. There are enough clues to lead her to that conclusion.

…Can I say this? No matter how smoothly things had ended with Baek In-gyeol, I can’t assert that I wouldn’t hold any negative feelings for having absorbed something fundamentally human, akin to a future.

Stealing away something precious from a human is not all that different from what a doppleganger does. It was a rather gloomy thought.

“What’s going on, why are you suddenly silent? Something happened, didn’t it?”

As Yeon-woo, deep in contemplation, looked up and met Baek In-hwa’s concerned gaze, he let out a sudden sigh.

“No, it’s nothing. Hey, I’m going to discuss something important.”

“…Suddenly?”

“Just listen. Can you wait to say what you want until after I finish talking?”

“……?”

Even while expressing concern over his abrupt change in demeanor, Baek In-hwa nodded quietly. Good. There wouldn’t be any need to dodge an incoming Ice Essence Strike mid-conversation now.

“You know I have the Dark attribute, right?”

“That’s….”

Baek In-hwa looked at Tae-oh, as if to ask why he was stating the obvious now. Indeed. The spirits a non-magic aura user could contract must be of the same attribute. If you think about it, doesn’t that mean he could contract with countless spirits?

“But I can actually use Ice attribute too.”

“…What do you mean by that?”

He dipped a finger into the teacup in front of him.

A small ice crystal formed at the tip of his finger, gradually growing into a die-sized chunk of ice before falling into the cup.

As Baek In-hwa stared blankly at the sight, her expression soon turned serious.

She’s quite perceptive. It’s puzzling how someone so observant doesn’t have friends.

“Right, you’re right. I absorbed the darkness from the doppleganger and the Ice attribute from Baek In-gyeol. Ever since making a contract with a dragon, I’ve been able to do this.”

“Keep talking.”

Her head must be spinning. No one in this academy is better at understanding what elemental mana is than Baek In-hwa. It’s something that has been passed down through her family for generations.

“Until now, I could only steal from monsters. Needless to say about the doppleganger, but Baek In-gyeol was undead. Recently, I also absorbed mana from the deceased.”

“Do you know what that implies?”

“Of course. You’re the first to hear me say something like this, you know.”

I wonder if Yuri knows?

No matter how you slice it, she’s the one who has examined her own body the most through the use of aura. But considering her singular focus on swords, she might not be aware of it.

“Frankly, whether I can absorb elemental mana from a person… I honestly don’t know. As I said, that was already a corpse. Their head exploded and they died instantly, so I can’t say they were alive.”

“And if you could absorb it from a living person, what would you do?”

Baek In-hwa asked with a sharp gaze. At that question, Yeon-woo’s brows twitched.

It was a question that might come off as unpleasant, Baek In-hwa thought. But it was a question that had to be asked.

The leader of the Ice Palace, the Baek family, was a tribe of hunters before they were warriors. They are a family that saves people from beasts that prey on mankind.

Thus, the Baeks learn about beasts and monsters first, before learning how to fight against people. The most likely beings to harm humans, aside from beasts, are fellow humans.

Therefore, in the face of someone harming others, there is no distinction between people and beasts. There are no such partitions. When it comes down to it, the moment they perceive the target as human, their hand would freeze.

Baek In-hwa knows that Yeon-woo is not that kind of person.

Not because they’re friends, but because she has seen him act this way all along. He has always been considerate towards every single person.

To understand a person, you just need to observe how they behave in daily life; every time he goes somewhere, Yeon-woo’s eyes scan the surroundings to check if someone needs help.

He would help an old man struggling with a cart when out for fun, and even if he himself wasn’t in the elderly seat, he would promptly give up his seat if an elderly person got on.

Those trivial acts of kindness are what form and define Yeon-woo’s character and values in Baek In-hwa’s eyes.

She knows what answer Yeon-woo would give. Still, she asked. It was a responsibility that the Baek family bore.

“I wouldn’t do anything. Nothing at all. You might not believe me, but…”

“That’s fine. That’s enough. I’m sure big brother would be happy if you used that power to help people.”

“…Huh?”

“I believe you. Seriously, there are no side effects, right? If there are, let me know. I’ll ask Father about it.”

With an exceptionally refreshing demeanor, Baek In-hwa stood up to leave. It was only after she grabbed the doorknob that Yeon-woo snapped back to reality.

“Um, I don’t think there are any…. But hey, you shouldn’t trust people so easily!”

At that voice, clutching as if to grab her, Baek In-hwa turned back, hands clasped behind her back.

Her lips twitched, and without realizing it, Baek In-hwa let out a chuckle.

“Hehe, why are you saying that? You’re the one asking me to trust you!”

*

“Does she like me or something?”

After Baek In-hwa left, Yeon-woo mumbled with his chin resting on his clasped hands. Something felt off. It felt like the world was being kind to him. It lacked plausibility. Too much so.

“What kind of nonsense is that? There’s no way that’s true.”

“Right? Then why are you feeling this way? Is there something wrong with the regression?”

At those words, Shar shot Yeon-woo a sharp glare. Sorry. Yeon-woo apologized, and Shar turned back to his smartphone.

‘Should I mention this to the others?’

Maybe his perception could be a bit harsh.

In reality, people probably aren’t all that invested in who absorbs another’s future. It’s quite the harsh reality.

“If you truly think that way, you should bow your head and apologize to In-hwa unni.”

“Is that so?”

Yeon-woo was well aware of the Baek family’s instinct, almost to the level of a primal awareness toward beasts. That is precisely why he hesitated to mention it to Baek In-hwa.

However, even so, Baek In-hwa decided to turn a blind eye to Yeon-woo’s ability, which could potentially harm others, just because they were friends. That’s an unexpected decision for someone as thorough as Baek.

‘Is it similar to what I do for Kim Yoo-min?’

Thinking that way… it seems like he’s building a decent friendship after all.

“But now he has Ice attribute? When would I use that?”

“Luckily, there’s an expert nearby.”

I can’t reference the techniques, but I could learn a thing or two about using the aura. Imagining himself floating gracefully for a bit, Yeon-woo gently shook his head.

“Whoa, Dad…! I just got a good idea…!!”

“What is it, Tae-oh? What’s on your mind?”

“How about trying an elemental enhancement with ‘Shadow Hand’ combined with ‘Frost’…!?”

“O…?”

Certainly, the main reason that elemental enhancements outside of darkness are rarely applied is the very natural phenomenon caused by the elements wrapped around actual arms.

The drop in body temperature from the frost would hardly have any effect when limited to the Shadow Hand. It’s easy to imagine that even if the arm froze, the Shadow Hand would still function flawlessly.

“I think that usage isn’t half bad, but let’s put it on hold for now. I still can’t handle both at the same time.”

If I completely entrust the Shadow Hand to Tae-oh, its combat capability would be cut in half, and if I don’t, it simply wouldn’t work, Shar decisively cut off the discussion.

“Aww, come on….”

“Still, it’s not a bad idea! Dad will give it a shot once I become stronger, so don’t worry!”

“Yay!”

Tae-oh’s expression instantly brightened at those words. Isn’t that too easy? Wondering that, Yeon-woo glanced at the clock.

“Oh, I gotta head to the first match of the preliminaries. Do you guys wanna stay in the dorm?”

“Yes, we’ll stay in the dorm. If we go somewhere so crowded, we’ll get all the attention….”

“Pretty inconvenient….”

“Alright, alright. If anything happens, let me know, okay? You guys need to keep the place safe?”

As Yeon-woo left, bidding farewell to the two who were sprawled on their beds, Shar immediately shut off the video she was watching on her smartphone.

“Tae-oh, it’s time for us to head out too.”

“Yeah…! Got it…!!”

Immediately after Yeon-woo left, the two kids sprung to their feet with determined faces. After a ten-minute gap, Shar and Tae-oh left the dormitory, heading straight to the main building….

(To be continued in the next episode)

 

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