Chapter 139 – 135 the Road to Saints
Kukkang-!
After her evening sparring, Isilite, who was massaging and kneading the spot hit by the spear of Hwanin, showed her concern on her face when she saw her master hurt herself again.
What kind of training do you think using Soul Explosion on yourself like that is?
She has been doing it three times a day, morning, noon, and evening since she left Carton Village, and Isilite was worried that her body might be damaged.
=Master, here.=
Isilite, who ran to the approaching master staggeringly, handed over her blood-colored Aspect Stone and inspected her attire.
It’s already the 5th day since she started training. Maybe it’s because I was caught in the explosion 15 times, 3 times a day, and my clothes are getting worn out little by little.
Her leather clothes are off, so there is no damage to her durability, but her casual clothes are visibly worn.
‘I’ll have to get new clothes for the master.’
And visible scratches and bruises on the back of the hands, face, and neck.
Looking at the scars on that handsome face, Isilite’s head was filled with the thought that it would be a big deal if she was disfigured.
It’s fortunate that the Blood Phase Stone increases recovery, but…….
= I…… Master. Did the training have any effect?=
“Not yet.”
Then the words that she thought about taking it easy or finding another way came up to her throat.
But she thought it would be a presumptuous remark as a maid, so she patted Isilite on the head as her phantom smiled smallly as she hesitated.
“Don’t you give up fighting even though you get beaten up every day?”
=Well, I’m getting stronger little by little with Master’s sparring!=
“This training is also a training that has been verified to some extent, so there is no need to worry.”
However, the materials for training seem to need to be changed.
Right now, there is no other way, so I use Soul Explosion, but as a side effect, the durability of my belongings is rapidly being consumed.
This is a temporary measure, and he is doing it wearing only a shirt and pants, but besides this, the problem is that the damage from the soul explosion is gradually accumulating.
The bloody phase stone promotes recovery, but it seems that not all of the shock of a single soul explosion can be recovered in about half a day.
However, the penetrating power is excellent to use the soul arrow, so the killing power is high, and it is not that you can absorb or release energy from yourself.
Hwanin, who left Carton Village, re-examined the existence of the ability to shed his phase power through the beasts he encountered on the way, and the ability to temporarily call it magical powers because there was no separate word to refer to it.
It was because I couldn’t be sure with only the uncertain information about not being affected by the Labyrinth’s mental invasion, the amount of damage from the soul explosion, and blocking Yurpa’s absorption of energy.
And she was convinced that magical powers existed.
An ordinary beast with no phase power. The beast, which seemed to be half a hyena and half a shepherd, was covered in blood and fell out in one soul explosion.
Those that had phase power and were called demonic beasts were similar.
I encountered four heteromorphic species that were released from the labyrinth reflux near the villages of Grenier and Leheel, but this time I defeated them with only non-overlapping soul explosions.
‘At that time, I had 3 stacks.’
After receiving a direct blow to the face with 3 stacks, the skin on his face peeled off and his eyeballs popped out. However, this time, with 2 stacks, similar power came out.
Even if the soul explosion that exerted such power was the edge of the explosion to him, the fact that it ended with just throbbing bones and giving minor scars was enough to convince him that magical powers existed.
In conclusion…….
‘The power can be arbitrarily increased by overlapping, but it’s a pity that the power cannot be lowered by adjusting the power.’
If only the power could be lowered, the problem would be solved at once.
If you write hundreds of times a day, you will feel something, but three times is just tantalizing.
=Master, here’s a hot towel.=
“Thank you.”
Hwanin, who was wiping his face and body with a steaming wet towel brought by Isilite, stopped his hand the moment he looked ahead unconsciously.
Isilite, who had finished the sparring, was also wiping her body with her ponytailed hair pulled up like a dumpling, and her white back exposed this way.
“…….”
Every time Isilite’s arm moved to lift one of her arms and wipe her side, a portion of her immaculate breasts jutted out from the side.
Hwanin narrowed his eyes. No matter how you look at it, it feels like tempting yourself.
It is judged that the route was changed from an active dash to a passive appeal.
‘Is it embarrassing to attack myself?’
Even so, he had no intention of touching Isilite first.
Isilite went so far as to publicly declare that she had been sober for over 20 years.
If it was just a fleeting relationship, I wouldn’t have cared about such a declaration, but Isilite is a relationship that will continue to be together from now on.
Hwanin really liked Issilite’s current service. She doesn’t even have to use her hands because Issilite does everything for her, just like her mother, from her meals to her laundry.
If her Isilite approached her first and asked her to hug her, her Hwanin would gladly hug her, but if not, she would take the risk of ruining their relationship with her with her hasty touch. There is no reason.
Because of her, as she is now, she intends to keep an eye on her without touching her in the future, as long as he shows her a noticeable crush on him and sends her signals that she wants a coy hug.
Even so…….
‘It looks good.’
The back of Isilite’s torso was as smooth and perfect as if it had been carved out of a statue of her goddess.
Hwanin silently watched Isilite wipe her body in the attitude of appreciating her artwork.
The day after meeting the tentatively named Spirit Whale.
As if the gloomy weather over the past few days had been a lie, the sky was clear and the wind blowing was refreshing.
Cuckoo~ cooheung~.
= Whoop whoop. I guess emergency food feels good. It’s gently waving her butt feathers. =
The story of Isilite, who followed her half a step, gave me emergency food! Cries briefly
“It’s definitely good weather for a trip.”
It’s not cold, but it’s just the right wind that isn’t lukewarm.
She said that the first time she arrived in Yulkam was the beginning of summer, and now it must be autumn or winter, but the weather is consistently mild.
She was, of course, sometimes cold or hot, but even when it was cold, it wasn’t so cold that she had to wear padding, and even when it was hot, it wasn’t the humid heat of Korea, so it was comfortable to wear only her hood.
‘I want to take a look at the world map.’
At most, the maps sold at general stores are 1/1000 scale maps in 1 km increments. Even then, contour lines are unpredictable and simple ignorant maps without accurate scale.
If this was a mountainous terrain like the Korean Peninsula, as the saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention, the method of drawing would have developed…….
‘Hmm.’
I heard that the central region of Lukrang’s country, Radsea, is a place composed of terribly wide grasslands and plains, some hills, some mountains, wide forests, jungles, etc.
It’s a story that even such a lousy map fits roughly.
If it fits roughly, it’s rough, and there’s no point in dying without a map, so citizens, villagers, and villagers don’t pay much attention to maps, so there’s no reason for the development of cartography.
It is certain that the equator line exists around here, but it is not possible to know whether this is in the southern hemisphere or the northern hemisphere due to insufficient knowledge.
If only I could know that, it would be a little helpful in choosing the direction of travel.
「Carrrrr~.」
“Give me back, give me more~”
Hwanin, who was a little disappointed and focused on training to control the soul beads, found three people sitting on the grass at the edge of a dirt road as wide as an 8-lane road in the distance.
Two of them are professionals with a blooming aura, and one is unemployed.
=Lord.=
“I saw it too.”
An old man with long, wavy hair or fur, two female warriors who looked like they were in the 4th grade, and a straw-colored quoe with something like a decorative cloth hanging on their bodies.
An old man without an aura seems to be in charge of the party.
The two female warriors standing on the left and right of the old man also turned halfway toward him, as if they had noticed it.
Sensing the two men’s vigilance, Hwanin signaled Isilite to stick to her opposite edge and tried to pass them at a distance.
The fact that the straw-colored Que was decorated like that proves that the old man’s status is special, and Hwanin, who read the old man’s atmosphere in an unnatural way, sensed that the old man was feeling a strong sense of collapse.
But I couldn’t get past it. The moment Hwanin and Isilite were about to pass in front of the maak, an old man in a green robe who was sitting on the grass called out to Hwanin with a clear voice.
=Hey, traveler. Wait a moment…… Would you like to talk to this old woman?=
A hooked nose revealed through white seaweed-like hair, a wrinkled hand holding an oak staff.
‘Is it a minority?’
When the old woman speaks, the spirit of the female warriors with small buffalo horns above his head is captured.
However, Hwanin did not let down his guard and stopped the emergency food and answered in the language of the Lukerang tribe.
“What is the old man doing to this traveler?”
= Heh heh. It’s nothing…… Are you on the road from Carton Village?=
“That’s right.”
= Uh-hum, uh-hum. That’s right. Then maybe…… Didn’t you see anything strange on the way?=
“What do you mean by strange?”
=Something like climate change or creatures that we haven’t seen before…….=
While the old woman was talking, the vision of the spirit showed the aura formed in the old woman’s chest, and the tips of Hwanin’s eyebrows twitched.
But neither the old woman, nor his female warriors, nor Isilite noticed. In the first place, it only moved subtly in a fleeting moment, and even the hood was pressed down deeply.
‘What is that?’
The aura formed near the heart of the old woman is composed of neat and complex lines and circles, giving the impression of sprinkling brilliance.
If there was a magic circle, it would be something like that. I’ve seen thousands of people with my soul’s vision, but this is the first time.
=Anyway, it’s a phenomenon that I haven’t seen before.=
“I haven’t seen anything strange.”
= I see…….=
The old woman, who had adjusted her voice for basic etiquette of conversation before speaking, let out a long sigh again in a weak voice.
Hwanin answered after listening to that long sigh.
“I saw something mysterious. It was absolutely nothing to dismiss as strange.”
The old woman’s head, which had been lowered, jerked up, and Isilite nodded her head as if arguing, ‘Right, right.’
= Could it be that you saw the whale in the spiritual sky? When?! Where!?=
“…….”
In any situation, Hwanin likes to give and receive in moderation.
If the other side is polite, this side is also polite. If the other side tries to suppress it with force, this side likes to feed it with taffy that goes beyond its power.
Rather than liking it, it’s hardened like a lifestyle, a habit, but anyway.
Hwanin stared at the old woman without replying to the old woman’s behavior, which treated him like a subordinate or subordinate.
The female warriors began to reflect the uncomfortable reaction to Hwanin’s behavior of silently staring at the old woman without answering.
=Answer me, traveler.=
=Why are you keeping your mouth shut?=
At the remarks of the female warriors, Isilite’s thin eyebrows twitched once. Her eyes go down as well.
In the meantime, Hwanin’s gaze scanned the two female warriors.
The equipment couldn’t be said to be bad to say the least. The dark brown leather armor that has been polished cleanly and protects every part of the body is something that looks like a magical weapon even at a glance, and the aura concentration is well close to level 4.
But that’s it.
Hwanin gazed at the old woman’s chest.
‘I’m quite concerned about the form of the spirit.’
The problem is the old woman. No matter how you look at it, he is not an ordinary person.
Hwanin assumed that the old woman was a potentially dangerous, high-ranking sorcerer like himself, and left Isilite, who had started a snowball fight with the female warriors, and opened her mouth to the old woman, who urged her to answer with her eyes.
“The old chief seems to have forgotten that if he wants something from others, he must behave accordingly.”
=What?!=
= Dare! I know who this person is, and such stupid hair…… !=
After roaring like that, the female warriors put their hands on the hilt of the sword at their waist.
A series of disrespectful words and actions toward the master sparked fire in Isilite’s eyes.
=Do you know what kind of person your master is and spit out such rude remarks carelessly?=
When Isilite cut off her female warrior’s words in a coldly forged voice, the two female warriors, including the old woman, paused for a moment.
A third-class female warrior who calls an unemployed person her master?
The eyes of the female warriors glanced at the man again.
He rides a green Que which is said to be rare. She was wearing a leather suit made of dark gray beast leather that seemed to have been handcrafted by an artisan, but she was wearing a janggu (裝具) that seemed to have been crafted with great care by a Kuedo artisan.
Compared to the status of the person they serve, it may not be a big deal, but it’s not like they’re ordinary travelers.
=If the two of you are an escort or maid for the elder, focus only on escorting the attendant. Your actions now are rather an act of lowering the honor of the person you serve.=
The complexion of the female warriors was stained with shame at the fact without a word of criticism.
No matter what the man’s status was, that light brown haired woman was the right argument. An escort only needs to be faithful to the escort. There wasn’t even a fight, but the lower ones didn’t care.
= Shi, excuse me…….=
=Sorry…… =
After the apologies from the slightly downtrodden female warriors, the old woman also calmed down her excitement, stood up with a cane, and bowed down to Hwanin with difficulty.
= I’m sorry. My children and I have done a disservice. I lost my manners in my haste. I apologize.=
“I will accept it.”
= Yes……. Then I should start with a self-introduction. This old man…….=
“It’s okay. It would be better for both of us not to reveal our identities for now.”
=Uh.=
“If we meet again by chance in the future, please give me a chance to introduce myself.”
=…… I guess apologize again…….=
Hwanin, who nodded slightly at the old woman’s continued apology, briefly explained what had happened yesterday in accordance with the five-ha principle.
“It was the day before that I saw a navy blue whale going away with the fog. It was foggy from dawn, and while moving along the road, around 10 o’clock, I witnessed two mountains passing through a half-moon-shaped cut. I don’t know how it appeared out of the fog.”
= That…… ! …… This is the spiritual sky whale this old man was looking for. Sometimes it comes down to the ground with fog…… Young-soo, who is said to lead wandering souls to the spirit world of the valley of the mist……. They say that if there are more souls wandering on the ground, they will come down…….=
Spirituality, and spirits.
Is it a creature related to the history of spirits, or is it just a spiritual creature that has been around for a long time?
= The old man should go there. He’s sorry to take your time, and thanks for the explanation. =
“I hope you achieve what you want.”
Hwanin, who gave the old woman a formal blessing, slightly shook the reins, and the emergency rations, which understood the signal, began to walk down the street.
Isilite, with her eyes devoid of any emotion, slightly bowed down to the two sullen female warriors, and then she followed Hwanin.
And Hwanin, who watched all of them, calmly praised them.
“Good job.”
=…… Yes?=
“Your response just now was beyond reproach.”
= Ah……. Me, yes Thank you, master.=
At the unexpected compliment, Isilite hid her mouth as she tried to rise with her hands. She and she understood those women.
He honestly hated talking to his master, but there was no guarantee that if the old woman had been the same as his master, he wouldn’t have acted similarly when faced with the same situation.
Thanks to that, she was praised by her master, and on the other hand, she also served as a teacher.
That’s enough for you to understand. Yes.
