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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Mod7
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“One… I apologize.”
There wasn’t even a need for Bi Wol to lift a finger against the bandits. The moment I unleashed the Ice Crystal Divine Art, the situation was swiftly resolved.
“Two… Great Hero.”
The area surrounding us resembled a snowy mountain, frozen solid with ice shards glittering in the air.
“Please forgive us!! Great Hero!!”
I pressed my foot down on the back of the bandit leader, Shan Pao, forcing him to his hands and knees. I then casually took a seat on his back, as if he were a chair.
“Yes, a little louder.”
As I coughed, blood staining my lips, Bi Wol quickly moved to wipe it away with a cloth.
Even the slightest exertion of my internal energy caused my meridians to rebel. Even simple actions like walking or breathing were a struggle due to the excess Yin energy clogging my system.
They called it the Extreme Yin Body, a blessing in the North Sea Ice Palace, but in my case, it was a curse, blocking nine of my major meridians and slowly draining the life from my body.
“Please spare us! We had no idea you were the Ice Dragon. We’ll offer our lives in apology!”
“…Your lives?”
Bi Wol carefully dabbed at the blood staining my lips, her gaze fixed on Shan Pao with a chilling intensity. It was as if even a drop of my blood was precious to her.
Their lives weren’t necessary. I intended to hand them over to the authorities anyway, and claim a small reward for my troubles.
“Bi Wol, that’s enough.”
“But Master, these scoundrels dared to inconvenience you!”
I patted Bi Wol’s head, a gesture that had become second nature to me. She seemed to find a strange satisfaction in seeing me assert myself.
“I’m not that old yet.”
“But your Nine Yin Severed Pulse…”
“Even if I were on my deathbed, I wouldn’t burden my disciple with everything.”
I said with a touch of pride. I’d trained tirelessly to strengthen my internal energy and maintain what little life I had left.
I had no regrets in this life.
Besides, given her nature, it was best to shield Bi Wol from violence whenever possible.
“We’ll never resort to banditry again! Great Hero, please, give us another chance!”
Tears streamed down Shan Pao’s face as he begged for mercy. His trembling limbs indicated he was nearing his limit.
“Actions speak louder than words. I believe in people who change their ways, not those who simply make promises. Only willpower can truly change a person.”
I stared down at him impassively. People who were quick to change their tune were equally as quick to break their promises.
I’d met countless people like that. Weak-willed individuals who would lie and deceive to maintain their comfort.
One of them was me, abandoning my dreams of becoming an author.
“I’ll turn myself in to the authorities! We’ll return everything we stole!”
“Oh really? Do you keep detailed records of your victims? I’d be surprised if you even remembered where you buried the bodies.”
Catching his lies was easy.
“Tell me, do you even remember the names of those you’ve hurt, those you’ve made cry?”
I pressed my palm against Shan Pao’s face. He cowered at the sight of my scarred hand.
“Give me five names. If I’m satisfied, I’ll believe you.”
Maybe, just maybe, they deserved a chance.
“Geum Hwi, Jang Il, Wang Sam…”
He hesitated for a moment, then began rattling off names as if trying to recall a shopping list.
“…Hold on. Everyone with those names, raise your hands.”
I sensed something amiss and gestured to the rest of the bandit group, who were being watched by Bi Wol.
They exchanged nervous glances.
“Must I encase you all in ice before you tell me the truth?”
I released a wave of chilling energy. Shan Pao, closest to me, shivered violently.
One. Two. Three.
Three of the bandits hesitantly raised their hands.
“I’m Geum Hwi.”
“It’s Jang Il, Great Hero.”
“I-I’m Wang Sam!”
As Bi Wol moved closer, confirming their identities, Shan Pao’s lie unraveled. I nodded my approval to her.
“You… You…!!”
It wasn’t a difficult deduction.
Before being reincarnated into this world, I had worked as a teacher. I had seen countless students trying to get away with skipping class by having their friends answer for them during roll call.
“You’re willing to throw your own men under the bus to save yourself.”
I looked at Shan Pao with pity. I’d hoped that he might be different, since he wasn’t a character from the original [King of the Diamond Fist].
“N-No! It’s not like that, Great Hero! It’s just a coincidence!”
“I’m sure that’s what your victims said. They begged for mercy. They begged for their lives.”
Trying to harm Bi Wol was unforgivable. Demanding money and a woman, he was clearly a seasoned criminal.
“Go and confess your crimes. With your own two lips.”
“Gack!!”
I seized Shan Pao by the back of his neck, my hand radiating a bone-chilling cold as I slowly encased his neck in a layer of ice. This would serve as insurance, a reminder of the consequences if he ever considered returning to his old ways.
“Release your captives and return everything you’ve stolen… ”
The ice crept up to his nostrils, forcing him to confront the chilling embrace of death.
“Or your head will become a permanent ice sculpture.”
This mark would serve as a permanent reminder. Even if he broke his promise, he wouldn’t escape unscathed.
“Gasp… Please… Have mercy!”
Shan Pao nodded frantically, tears and snot streaming down his face as he wet himself in terror.
“You are too merciful, Master. I say we crush his manhood and be done with it.”
I rose to my feet, disgusted. Bi Wol, as always, was glued to my side, her cheeks puffed out in a pout.
“…Isn’t that a bit extreme?”
I couldn’t help but cringe inwardly. I hadn’t taught her that kind of language.
“For the crime of disrespecting the Ice Dragon of the Ice Dragon Blossom Heart Sect, their punishment should be severe! Please allow me to make an example of this… Shan Pao, or whatever his name is!”
I ignored her pleas and gently patted her head. The reward from the authorities would be more than enough.
“That won’t be necessary. They’ve already lost something far more valuable: trust. And from now on, they’ll fear the consequences of their actions.”
These bandits wouldn’t dare resort to their old ways. The mere mention of my name, of my sect, would send shivers down their spines.
“As long as my one and only disciple is safe, that’s all that matters.”
“Master…”
Bi Wol was touched. She covered her mouth with both hands to stifle a happy squeal and bounced on the balls of her feet. I knew a part of her relished the opportunity to unleash her true nature.
“Great Hero! Thank you!”
The coachman bowed deeply, thanking us profusely. He hadn’t realized I was the renowned Ice Dragon.
Unlike Shan Pao, his gratitude felt genuine as he dabbed at his eyes with a shaking hand.
“I-I didn’t recognize you, Ice Dragon! Thank you for saving my life!”
It was understandable.
I rarely left my sect unless it was to acquire rare herbs and elixirs to prolong my life or to intervene in major events that unfolded within the pages of my novels.
“Here, please accept these silver taels!”
“Your gratitude is enough.”
The coachman pulled out a pouch of silver and offered it to me. I waved my hand dismissively.
The reward for capturing the bandits would be more than enough to fund our journey west.
“…Thank you for your generosity.”
Suddenly, a hand darted out, snatching the pouch with the speed and agility of a cat snatching a fish.
“Bi Wol! Give that back.”
“No. You’re too reluctant to accept kindness, Master.”
It was Bi Wol, her red eyes gleaming with mischief as she stuck out her tongue.
“Besides, we might need this for when we’re buying gifts for my wedding.”
“…”
I felt a pang in my chest. The thought of Bi Wol getting married stirred something deep within me.
Perhaps this was what it felt like to be a father raising his daughter.
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We traveled to the easternmost edge of the continent, finally boarding a ship bound for the West. The salty tang of the sea air and the cries of gulls filled the air.
“Master! Look how it sparkles!”
Bi Wol ran excitedly across the deck, pointing at the sun glinting off the waves. She had never seen an expanse of water like this before.
“Don’t run! There are other people on board.”
“But Master, it’s so amazing! This is my first time seeing the ocean, my first time on a ship!”
She bombarded me with questions, marveling at the size of the ship and how such a thing could possibly stay afloat.
‘Ah, right, she doesn’t know about buoyancy.’ I suppressed the urge to explain, choosing instead to ruffle her hair and calm her down.
Just like a puppy, all it took was a little affection to soothe her.
She might seem intimidating, like a fierce guard dog, but she was, in essence, a creature who craved affection.
“Bi Wol, take a good look around you.”
I gestured at the vast ocean.
“This is the world you need to embrace. It’s a vast and ever-changing landscape, one that can’t be understood through a narrow lens.”
Back in reality, during a particularly stressful period in my life, I had impulsively taken a trip to Busan.
Gazing at the seemingly endless horizon of Haeundae Beach, my problems felt insignificant.
“…I don’t quite understand, Master.”
“Compared to the vastness of this ocean, Bi Wol, our worries and prejudices are but a speck of dust. The waves crash and recede, constantly changing, constantly reshaping themselves.”
Standing before that very ocean, I had screamed at the top of my lungs, declaring my desire to become an author.
I didn’t want to give up my dream for a good college or a stable job. I wanted to write.
The night I spent at Haeundae Beach, the dark waters mirroring the night sky, it was as if the ocean itself had listened to my woes.
“Even if I die tomorrow, Bi Wol, these waves will continue to roll. The mark I leave on you, my life, my teachings, they will guide you towards a wider world.”
I wanted Bi Wol to share that experience, to understand the insignificance of our worries in the face of something so vast and powerful.
“You are my whole world, Master. Why do you say such things…?”
“…Get used to it. You need to experience new things, see new places, find joy in the world, and learn to live amongst others.”
I tapped her forehead lightly, my voice deliberately nonchalant. The truth was, I didn’t know how much time I had left.
We had to be prepared for the inevitable.
“…What a load of mystical mumbo-jumbo. You some kind of mage?”
A voice, laced with amusement, interrupted our moment.
“You sound exactly like those instructors from the Blue Magic Tower, droning on and on about the sea. Except you’re radiating Qi, not mana.”
A woman with shimmering gold eyes and hair that shone like spun gold leaned against the railing, eyeing me curiously. She held a bottle in her hand, which she brought to her lips, draining a generous amount. It looked suspiciously like wine.
She seemed to enjoy her drink.
Wait a minute… Did I know her?
Her features, striking and vaguely familiar, tugged at my memory. I’d definitely used them before, in one of my stories.
“Well, this is a surprise. You’re from the East, aren’t you?”
She extended a hand towards me, a playful smile on her lips. It was then that it clicked.
“…Wolfram Alchemist, Master of the Gold Tower.”
One of the supporting characters from [You Must Kill the Hero].
“Oh my! You know who I am? And here I was, thinking I could introduce myself properly.”
She was one of the characters Verdandi was supposed to kill.
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