chapter 51
“…So currently, besides China’s Central Hero Committee and Mexico’s City Cartel, movements of high-rankers have also been detected in the U.S. and Russia.”
Mo Jeong-gyeon was looking out the window with a bamboo flute in her mouth.
Her subordinates were reporting on various global developments. Recently, domestic affairs had been the biggest issue due to various incidents.
“And in Greece as well, they are asserting exclusive rights over <Olympus> and requesting a full investigation…”
“Lately, sparrows have become so hard to see, haven’t they? Don’t you think?”
Mo Jeong-gyeon suddenly said this out of the blue.
The secretary, accustomed to her behavior, paused the report and quietly listened to her muttering.
“When I was young, there were so many along the streets. Where on earth have they all gone?”
“Is that so?”
A puff of smoke spread.
“But the sparrows that should have returned haven’t, and only strange ones from across the seas are coming in. How odd.”
“….”
“But that might be interesting in its own way. When foreign species come in, it’s chaotic at first, but the environment always adapts somehow—like bullfrogs or cicadas that disappeared long ago.”
Mo Jeong-gyeon’s gaze was fixed on the white smoke. She wasn’t looking at this place—she was looking somewhere else.
“And just at the right time, someone has started to make a move. Far more than I had hoped for.”
The secretary finally seemed to understand who she was referring to. Not long ago, under her orders, a cursed item had been brought to the executive office.
“Such greed. Truly an insolent one.”
Despite her tone, there was clearly a hint of amusement mixed in.
“But that’s what makes it fun. You never know where they’ll turn next.”
Mo Jeong-gyeon’s eyes curved.
“Yes. Let’s see how they sharpen themselves, how strong and solid they can become. What kind of white tiger will they be?”
The thickened smoke glowed white, like the fur of a white tiger.
Kim Min-jung felt a chilling sensation when Lee Hyun held Brutus’ dagger.
He looked as if he were cursed.
Madness flickered at the corners of his eyes.
She urgently called out to him, but—
Bang!
The dagger was already buried in his left chest.
“…!”
She was too shocked to even scream properly.
At that moment,
Flash!
A burst of light poured from the dagger, filling the private training room.
Lee Hyun felt as if his consciousness was being sucked somewhere.
[Curse Immunity (SS) nullifies all curses carried by Brutus’ dagger.]
[Curse ‘Curse Mama’ is weakened.]
…
[The curse inscription combination heals bodily wounds.]
…
[Curse Mama’s eyes flash coldly like a predator in the forest.]
[Curse Mama invites you to where she is.]
[The mental world appears!]
Flash!
Opening his eyes to a blinding light, Lee Hyun found himself on a mountainside.
A dense forest of pine and fir trees, common in Korea, surrounded him.
Strings and cloth hung in various colors, and stone piles were placed on the ground with bowls and incense burners.
It resembled an old village shrine. Darkness had settled as the sun had set.
“Did I… enter properly?”
Lee Hyun let out a small sigh of relief, brushing back his hair.
Stabbing his heart with Brutus’ dagger had been a gamble, even for him.
But he didn’t want to just accept Mo Jeong-gyeon’s teachings blindly. Doing so would make him miss things. He wanted to absorb everything.
So he made a bold move. Luckily, it seemed to have succeeded.
However…
“I can’t see them at all. Where could they be?”
It felt as if something was secretly observing him. He would have to search the forest.
Lee Hyun looked at his own body.
Fortunately, his limbs were intact. His clothing and equipment matched reality.
“Physical senses are the same… Luckily, it seems I’m in a state not too different from reality.”
But this was the world of consciousness. He had to be careful, as some things could differ from reality.
As he drew his twin axes and prepared to move,
[Combat Sense (B) sharpens your blades!]
A chilling sensation ran down his neck, and he spun around.
Bang!
“…Ice?”
Ice dust scattered as he swung the meat-cleaving axe upward.
The attribute felt strange for Curse Mama, and Lee Hyun’s eyes widened slightly.
Whoosh!
Before he knew it, the sickle in his right hand flew toward the source of the disturbance.
Bwooong!
Fzzzt!
[The rage of Dueoksini erupts!]
Crack! Boom!
Blue-white lightning struck, smashing a few pine trees to splinters.
Nearby, a woman stood gracefully.
A white dress reminiscent of medieval Europe. Silver hair drifting like snow.
A familiar face, yet someone who shouldn’t exist here.
“…The Snow Queen?”
“It’s been a while, human.”
“…!”
The Snow Queen smiled chillingly, like ice.
“I wondered if you had forgotten my face… but fortunately, you remembered.”
Cold snowflakes began to swirl.
“Yes. That way, I can enjoy turning you into an ice statue for my castle.”
Lee Hyun realized why she could exist in his consciousness.
‘<Narrative> awakened because I created the Ice Heart and Snow Soul power with its narrative.’
“Yes. In that sense, I thank you. If not for you, I would have gone into eternal rest, but your help allowed me to awaken again.”
The Snow Queen twisted her lips as she read Lee Hyun’s thoughts.
“…You read my surface consciousness?”
“There’s much shared between you and me. You are me, I am you. Don’t blame me; didn’t you create this?”
“So, what are you saying?”
Crackle! Crackle!
Lee Hyun raised Dueoksini’s wrath. Blue-white lightning leapt fiercely.
“Are you planning revenge here?”
He was ready to fight her anytime. Curse Mama could attack from somewhere in the mountains, but the Snow Queen could not be delayed.
Yet, she shook her head with a bitter smile.
“I would, if I could, but it’s meaningless.”
“What?”
“This me is but a fragment left behind by the true <Snow Queen>.”
“….”
Her voice was tinged with self-mockery.
“I am currently parasitic on you. Killing you gains me nothing.”
“No gain?”
“Didn’t I say you are me and I am you? If you die, even the little territory I reclaimed disappears.”
“Then why was there such killing intent in your attack?”
“Hmph! Consider it a small vent for the shame I suffered at your hands.”
She folded her arms, snorting.
However,
“Enough of your nonsense, Snow Queen.”
Lee Hyun disliked her attitude.
Fzzzzt!
Lightning boiled like hellfire.
“If I weren’t using your narrative, I’d tear you apart right now.”
He still remembered the snow swirling, the ice rising, and the cold faces of his fallen comrades.
And even his deceased older brother.
Sometimes, he still dreamt the nightmare.
Her feigned victimhood was despicable.
But…
“That is exactly why.”
The Snow Queen twisted her lips.
“What?”
“The hatred between us is sky-high. You lost comrades to me, I lost people to you.”
“….”
“But now, you are awakening your potential with my power, and I am awakening my narrative with your help.”
Lee Hyun silently observed her.
“What does that mean?”
“Shall we take only what benefits each of us?”
She nodded.
“That’s right. A strategic relationship, not an alliance based on empty words.”
Lee Hyun fully opened Hwa An Geum Jeong.
[Truth]
Being in the consciousness world, he could easily read the Snow Queen’s thoughts.
“Hoh, the eyes of the so-called Celestial Sage? I’ve heard of him. Many deities were troubled because of him.”
Lee Hyun slowly lowered his axes.
The strategic distance was appropriate.
“So… you’re okay with me using your narrative more actively?”
“Of course. I’ll cooperate. Awaken it as you wish, even as a primary attribute. Imagine all the snow and ice loving you. Wouldn’t it be glorious?”
Lee Hyun ignored the rest.
“So, what do you gain?”
“You are a rather dull man.”
She crossed her arms, holding her chin high.
“I wish to build a small part of my castle within your consciousness.”
Whoooosh!
The clouds hiding the moon parted slightly, revealing snow-covered mountains.
“To do that, I need your permission as the landowner.”
She looked at the crystalline ice castle midway up the mountain.
“It won’t be bad for you either. The more solid it becomes, the thicker my narrative grows. Mutual benefit. How does that sound?”
Lee Hyun imagined what monsters might inhabit that ice castle.
Compared to when he opened the gates with his companions… how similar would it be?
‘Essentially, building a <Ice Palace> dungeon in my consciousness… insane, or just crazy.’
But one thing was certain:
The day the Ice Palace was complete, the Snow Queen could be reborn.
“Then, you plan to consume me entirely afterward?”
He understood the essence behind this agreement.
But the Snow Queen only smiled.
Tsk.
Lee Hyun clicked his tongue and nodded.
“Fine. I’ll help. And… I want <Ice Palace> too.”
A declaration: if needed, he’d kill her and claim the narrative.
The Snow Queen’s haughty smile deepened.
“Show no weakness.”
“You should watch your back too.”
“Hohoho… I was bored being trapped here alone. Now it will be fun.”
Ding! Ding!
[Random Event: Encounter with the Snow Queen completed successfully.]
[Reward: Magic stat increases by 10.]
[Narrative with <Snow Queen> strengthened. Begins possessing <Ice Palace> origin.]
…
[Affinity with ice-type attribute increased.]
…
[Magic now infused with <Snow Queen>’s narrative, slowly gaining divinity.]
[Magic now begins to possess its own spirituality!]
Magic having spirituality meant it would act on its own, without conscious control.
Even distant footsteps in the middle of the snowy plains became visible.
“Truly a meaningful day. Honey, in that spirit—”
She flicked her hand lightly.
“All uninvited guests should be expelled!”
Whoosh!
A snowstorm suddenly whipped across the quiet mountainside.
At that moment,
Paah!
A shadow hidden in the darkness moved and leaped at Lee Hyun.
[Curse Mama appears!]
Surprisingly agile for its size, it struck as soon as it realized its ambush was discovered.
Lee Hyun, having already sensed the intruder, reacted immediately.
[Dueoksini’s wrath is revealed!]
Fzzzzt!
Spinning, he crossed his axes into an X in front of his chest.
Bwaaaang!
A tremendous force. Lee Hyun was violently bounced, rolling meters across the ground.
But,
[Dueoksini’s collar whirls to deflect attacks!]
Fzzzzt!
With a lightning-infused armor created in the blink of an eye, he rose effortlessly, swinging his right-hand axe upward.
Flash!
Blue-white lightning erupted like a volcano.
It scratched the left eye of a tiger-sized Curse Mama preparing to leap at him.
Krhhrrr!
[Curse Mama roars in pain!]
[Curse attacks!]
[Curse Immunity (SS) nullifies the curse again.]
“Wherever you came from, you’re ferocious. This will be fun.”
The Snow Queen flicked her hand lightly, forming dozens of icicles in midair that fell on the beast.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Yet, it dodged all attacks with unmatched agility.
It pushed off the ground again for another assault.
Shwaaak!
Heavy, oppressive—like it intended to crush the world itself.
“Strong. Far stronger than I thought. The mountain god wants to truly test me.”
This was the awe of the solitary mountain king.
Stronger than what he had felt from the dagger.
Any lapse could be fatal.
Yet, Lee Hyun felt he wanted that authority for himself.
“In folktales, goblins wear tiger skin… maybe it’s time to get a proper outfit?”
Paah!
This time, Lee Hyun dashed forward.
[Frenzy Strike (E) begins!]
The tiger didn’t like his attitude, gaping its mouth and charging.
Thus,
Bwaaaang!
The goblin collided with the mountain king.
