Vile Blood (1)

‘…Sigh.’

A cold chill spread from Moon Bora’s lips.

In that moment, when her senses felt frozen and dulled, ironically, her thoughts became sharper and clearer.

‘I hated it.’

She hated herself for being unable to do anything.

The time was shortly after Yu Seha’s party cleared the .

The remnants of the fallen .

The descendant of the dragon, who once boasted immense power, could not withstand the curse of the <72 Demon Kings> and declined.

Losing the wings it once proudly bore.
Losing the Dragons’ Words.
Losing the essence of magic.

It fell into a mere sea tyrant, .

Even that was a pitiful appearance, incomparable to the power it originally should have possessed.

It was nothing but trash compared to the original.

Nevertheless, Moon Bora was consumed by fear.

Unable to do anything, she trembled, silently swallowed by terror.

This persisted, even after it died by Yu Seha’s sword, and became nothing more than a treasure trove of rewards.

-…Ugh!

For the past few days.

Nightmares continued every single day without fail.

In front of Moon Bora’s eyes, she saw her comrades being devoured by the .

Or scenes where they were defeated by its Breath unfolded.

But what was most unforgivable among them…

-…Move, please!

…was herself, crying in fear.

Unable to do anything alone, she always woke up from the dream in tears.

Each time, Moon Bora clenched her fists and struck herself.

The memories overlapped.
They intertwined.
Her thoughts drifted back to the moment the prestigious hunter family, the , crumbled into ruin.

-…Sister, take me with you! Please!

The mansion engulfed in flames.

The bodies of her parents, gruesomely twisted by her sister’s power, came into view.

She didn’t really care what happened to them.

After their grandfather’s death, they had turned her life into a living hell.

They were demons wearing human masks, not deserving to be called parents.

Moon Bora was simply afraid of being alone.

Looking up at her sister, who had saved her, she had begged to be taken along.

But her sister…

Merely glanced indifferently and left on her own.

-You are useless.

Leaving behind just those words.

“……”

Thinking back coldly, it was probably for the best that she didn’t follow.
From what she heard, the path her sister chose was…
The darkness of the underworld.
It was the path to ascend to the highest place and reign.

Naturally, she understood her sister’s purpose as well.

‘…A world without pretense.’

To tear apart the hunter world, filled with hypocrisy…

And unfold a pure primordial era.

Of course, Moon Bora knew.

That this was just a hollow, pleasant-sounding phrase.

This meant that the strong would exploit everything, ushering in an anarchic era devoid of law and morality.

‘……’

However, setting that aside, Moon Bora always thought.
That she was pathetic.
That she was so resentful.
Why was this all she amounted to?

She hated it.
She hated herself for being like this.

“…To Yu Seha…”

To everyone…
She hated not being of any help, even if it killed her.

She harbored only that thought and resolve in her heart.

This, then, led her to find herself heading to the third floor of Building D.

“…Phew.”

Moon Bora looked at the sign for the course [Understandings of Yin and Yang]…

A course that didn’t appear on the enrollment list no matter how much she searched.

This wasn’t the first time Moon Bora came here.

Just a few months ago.

Knowing that resided here, Moon Bora had come seeking guidance.

Of course…

*-Go back. *
-I don’t have enough time to teach someone… with such half-hearted determination as yours.

She was immediately turned away.

‘……’

Moon Bora was human, too.
She had pride.
In fact, she had more of it compared to her peers.

Harboring feelings of inferiority, she worked tirelessly.

Thanks to that, she succeeded in becoming a mage known by the name .

At first, she was resentful.

If only a detailed reason had been given.

She was just told to leave on sight.

‘…Even without that.’

I can grow well on my own!

That was what she resolved…
In the end, Moon Bora visited this place again.

The reason was simple.

‘I can’t do it alone.’

No matter how hard Moon Bora searched through books and put in blood, sweat, and tears…

Ultimately, she couldn’t overcome her limits.

This was the conclusion of her struggles throughout her life.

She had to admit it.
She was…

‘Not a genius like Yu Seha.’

Moon Bora knew well.

Just how unbelievably genius Yu Seha was.

While it might be due to his [Unique Ability], Moon Bora thought it was mostly because he was just a genius.

He could assimilate something just by seeing it a few times.

And after some time, he would refine it into his own masterpiece, a true genius among geniuses.

But she was not.
She needed a path to walk.
There had to be a definite indicator.

‘For that, what I need the most is…’

A mentor.

Cheon Mira, surely knew the way to elevate to a higher level.

She had to receive her guidance.

Moon Bora clenched her fist tightly.

She vowed never again to show the disgraceful sight of trembling before the .

For that…

‘I need strength.’

Knock, knock.

As soon as the knocking stopped, the firmly closed door opened automatically.

Moon Bora, momentarily startled, stepped inside and locked eyes with a young woman with white hair.

A look that truly matched the name .

Eyes as cold as ice pierced through Moon Bora.

“……”
“……”

For a while, neither of them said anything.

To be more precise, Moon Bora was waiting for her answer.

If there were any words of rejection.
Even if she had to cling to her legs, kneel down…
Even if her forehead touched the floor…
She was prepared to beg to be accepted as a disciple.

However, Snow Ice Lady, Cheon Mira, said something unexpected.

“Sit on the chair. First, we need to prepare training clothes that fit your body.”

A clear proposal to accept her as a disciple.

Just like the first time.

Moon Bora was bewildered by the lack of explanation this time as well.

“…Aren’t you going to test me or anything?”
“There’s no need for that.”

Cheon Mira took out various fabrics from the wardrobe.

With a wave of her hand, a pair of scissors made of ice appeared in her hand.

Then, she began tailoring the clothes at a near-miraculous speed.

“Though I’ve only taught a few people so far, I am a professor. I am someone who has officially contracted with Chairman Yu Neung-hae. Teaching those who seek knowledge is my duty.”

“But, last time—”

“The situation is different now.”

Cheon Mira’s gaze turned to Moon Bora.

“The reason I drove you away then was… because you lacked determination.”

Moon Bora flinched.

That can’t be…

She had so many resolutions then, too…

There was no way she lacked determination.

Yet, with Cheon Mira’s words, she shrank automatically.

“The determination I speak of is not merely a tool to fulfill your resentment and regret. That’s nothing more than a child’s tantrum.”

“…!”

“Everyone has different reasons for becoming stronger. The inferiority complex you’ve held onto might have opened the way for you, but that too has its limits.”

Step, step.

With quiet steps, it was as if the space folded.
Cheon Mira’s footwork brought her immediately in front of Moon Bora.

She twirled the fabric in her hand, checking if it was the right size for Moon Bora to wear.

“You needed to find something new. A chance to rise higher, even if it meant throwing yourself away. It required the resolve to not care even if you died for it.”

“…A chance.”

“When I looked into your eyes again, I couldn’t say for certain what it was, but I could tell that something had changed. Most likely, it’s a resolve born from a desire to protect someone else.”

“……”

“Your potential isn’t bad. But it’s not extraordinary enough to waste time teaching you when your resolve is half-hearted. It would have been nothing but a waste of both our time.”

That’s why I cast you out.

Having finished speaking, Cheon Mira handed a training kimono to Bora.

“You may leave. But if you intend to learn properly, change into this. Just so you know, prepare yourself as if you’re going to die. I won’t go easy.”

“…I will wear it.”

“Good. From today…”

Call me Master.

“You’re full of distractions.”

Suddenly!

Moon Bora’s eyes opened wide.

She realized she had unknowingly fallen into deep thought.

Cold air rushed down both hands.
Before she knew it, ice crystals had spread across Moon Bora’s torso.

“Cough…!”
“Focus. You might really die.”

She knew it was true.

Currently, Moon Bora was in a state of rampage, unable to control her power.

This was because the power she was using was a completely different path than before.

Though it was the same cold, it was a force rooted in something entirely different from magic.

It was a manifestation of power similar to the [Overlord Sword Technique] often used by Yu Seha and Peng Jin-ah.

In other words, it was a power close to martial arts.

Why was Moon Bora using such a structured power?

It all began the day she was accepted as a disciple.

It was because of what Cheon Mira had said.

“…Gulp.”

Moon Bora silently gazed at Cheon Mira.

Cheon Mira, .

She was particularly popular among the hunters.

This was partly due to her own powerful strength, but even more so because the skills of her trained students were uniformly exceptional.

All the students she taught were renowned heroines.

While they all shared the commonality of handling , interestingly, each had a completely different way of using their power.

Some used orthodox magic, like Moon Bora.
Some used curse techniques.
Some focused on weapon-based swordsmanship.
It was literally diverse.

But what was certain…

“That was the optimal method for those children.”

Cheon Mira continued speaking, looking at Moon Bora.

“As expected, for you, rather than purely handling magic, it’s best to combine it. Your magic has long reached a high level, enough to be called complete. While aiming higher is one way, it’s a path that requires countless hours purely accumulated, and you can’t reach the desired stage in a short time.”

Words she already knew.

Moon Bora was also a .

Observing oneself wasn’t difficult.

However, she asked, as if questioning the unexpected words.

“…Combine?”

“The manifestation of your ability with , and replace the energy you handle in your body with . That is the path for you to soar the highest.”

Moon Bora was bewildered.

Of course, combining wasn’t entirely strange.

In this era, where all side effects and problems had disappeared thanks to the mysterious power called [System], the [Primitive Regressionists] who insisted on either magic or martial arts had long since disappeared.

Even Yu Seha didn’t exclusively use martial skills like the [Overlord Sword Technique], but employed various types of elemental magic.

‘But…’

No matter how she looked at it, she didn’t seem to possess the talent to accept such martial arts.

Then she flinched at Cheon Mira’s following words.

“I’ve seen many talented children for a long time…”

But I’ve never seen someone with blood as mixed as yours.

“…!”
“And it’s not just mixed purely, but improved.”
“……”

Moon Bora bit her lip.

Her face burned with shame, a visceral desire to hide overtaking her.

The disgrace of her family, a secret she never wanted to be revealed, even in death.

Especially…

‘To Yu Seha…’

Anyone but him.

Regardless, Cheon Mira’s words pierced Moon Bora’s chest without hesitation.

“Is that the secret by which the hunter family, the [Moon Family], has maintained its power until now?”

“……”

“Though it may just be venting to you… it’s truly filthy. How many have been kidnapped, drugged, seduced, and intertwined with each other for that purpose…? How many of them truly found love?”

Cheon Mira sighed softly.

She frowned at the [Bloody History] flowing through Moon Bora’s veins.

Then concluded, ‘The [Moon Family] deserves to be annihilated.’

“However…”

“…?”

“Ironically, because such refined blood flows through you, an unexpected path has opened up for you.”

“…What do you mean?”

“The same.”

“…What?”

“It means that the blood flowing in you and me is the same.”

Moon Bora blinked.

Then looked on in surprise.

Could it be…?

“Of course, our ancestors aren’t the same. It’s undoubtedly one of the refined bloodlines. It’s too faint to compare in the first place.”

“……”

“Yet, this means you are qualified to accept the [Poisonous Martial Arts] I possess. A power that can only be transferred because the same blood flows.”

Cheon Mira paused for a moment.

She muttered softly, ‘I never thought I’d meet a blood relative this way…’

Finally, she mentioned a word Moon Bora had never heard before.

“Perhaps…”

Have you ever heard of the “North Sea Ice Palace”?