“Phew.”
A cloudy breath scattered in front of his eyes.
Beyond it stretched a dazzlingly white snowfield.
Beom Gye-wi wanted to escape this wretched cold even for a moment. But he couldn’t.
Because the destination was right in front of him.
“Why on earth would anyone live in a place like this?”
Grumbling, Beom Gye-wi didn’t stop walking. He kept pushing forward through the cold so harsh it felt like his entire body would freeze.
How long had he been walking like that?
The seemingly endless snowfield.
At the edge of it, a forest appeared. It was amazing how trees could grow in such a place.
Crunch.
Beom Gye-wi broke through the frozen branches and entered the forest. Not long after, he discovered a small pond.
Next to it stood a small wooden hut, and a sign hanging on it swayed in the light breeze, catching his eye.
‘Subinggung (Palace of Ice Mastery)?’
Calling a shack like that a palace?
Whoever lived here clearly wasn’t in their right mind.
Just as he passed the pond and approached the hut—
Whisshh.
A wind suddenly blew from somewhere, grazing Beom Gye-wi’s face. It was then that a snowstorm, carrying a terrifying chill, rushed in.
Crack.
His beard froze instantly and crumbled away.
The cold that struck him now was incomparable to anything he had felt before.
Beom Gye-wi quickly summoned his internal energy.
As he did so, the wind grew even stronger.
Only then did Beom Gye-wi realize that the wind blowing now was not a natural phenomenon. There was only one person in the entire martial world who could wield such a terrifying power of chilling energy.
"Hey! You crazy woman!"
Beom Gye-wi shouted furiously and swung his large axe in the direction of the wind.
Clang!
With the impact, the surrounding scenery momentarily distorted.
The atmosphere had briefly been sucked into a vacuum due to Beom Gye-wi’s strike.
The heart of the snowstorm parted like the receding tide.
And at the end of it stood a woman. She was dressed in snow-white clothes, her jet-black hair billowing in the wind. Seeing her, Beom Gye-wi growled openly.
"Are you trying to pick a fight with me? You really want to do this, don’t you?"
In response to his words, the woman raised her hand and brushed back her wind-blown hair.
Her full appearance became clear.
She looked to be in her mid-twenties.
Her skin was so pale it almost seemed transparent.
Her jet-black hair and crimson lips, in stark contrast to her pale skin, made her beauty even more captivating.
And with her clear, deep eyes like pure tea water, all the elaborate compliments like sinking fish, falling geese* or shamed flowers, eclipsed moon** lost their meaning.
(T/N: *This means that a woman is so beautiful that even animals are stunned. The fish would sink in the water, and the geese would stop flying and fall from the sky, both mesmerized by her beauty.
**This means that her beauty is so great that even nature—like flowers and the moon—seems less beautiful in comparison. The flowers would feel embarrassed, and the moon would appear dim next to her.)
She was a beauty capable of toppling nations.
There was no other way to describe her.
How many men would not have their hearts shaken by such beauty?
However, Beom Gye-wi was certainly an exception. He knew better than anyone how many had boarded the boat to the afterlife, deceived by that face.
― Fight?
The woman sent a telepathic message with a disinterested expression.
― With someone like you?
Her face remained as cold as ice, showing no signs of warmth.
There wasn’t the slightest trace of emotional disturbance on her face.
Beom Gye-wi felt a surge of irritation rise up in an instant. Communicating via telepathy clearly meant that she didn’t even want to speak to him.
However, Beom Gye-wi, uncharacteristically, exercised superhuman patience.
‘Hold it in. You must endure this. For Doctor Dan!’
Only after repeating this to himself several times was he able to suppress his rising anger.
Just then, another telepathic message reached him.
― Why are you here?
“Oh, right!”
Beom Gye-wi let out a gasp and grinned.
“Wait. I brought a gift.”
Han Seol-hwa flinched at Beom Gye-wi's actions.
The moment he finished speaking, Beom Gye-wi reached inside the waistband of his pants. He pulled something out from near his groin.
― How shameless...
“Huh? What? Why is this shameless?”
Han Seol-hwa, who had been ignoring Beom Gye-wi, turned her head back. When their eyes met, Beom Gye-wi grinned mischievously.
“You liked seafood dumplings, right?”
― …….
"Here, I’m throwing it. Catch it well."
Beom Gye-wi tossed the dumpling wrapped in paper toward her. However, Han Seol-hwa took a step back instead.
Thud.
The paper wrapping tore, and the dumpling tumbled onto the snow-covered ground.
Beom Gye-wi's eyebrow twitched.
"What are you doing? When someone offers you something with sincerity, you should at least pretend to accept it!"
— Disgusting.
"What?"
— Why would you pull that out from there?
"Because it's the warmest place! If I just carried it, it would've frozen solid in this cold!"
— Are you mocking me?
"Unbelievable...!"
Beom Gye-wi let out a disbelieving chuckle.
"Am I crazy? Why would I mock some old lady whose age I can’t even guess? I have my preferences too, you know."
— ...I'll kill you!
Boom.
Han Seol-hwa stomped her foot.
At the same time, a pile of snow from the roof and icicles hanging from the eaves came crashing down. However, the icicles didn’t hit the ground; instead, they floated midair, held by an invisible force.
A blatant show of hostility.
Facing the clear killing intent, Beom Gye-wi's lips twisted.
"Do you think you can handle this?"
Han Seol-hwa responded by raising her hand and pointing directly at Beom Gye-wi.
Rip!
Beom Gye-wi's top tore apart with a long tear, and blood splattered.
“……”
Beom Gye-wi lowered his head and looked at his own shoulder.
A thin line of blood came into view on his skin. It was the mark left by an icicle that had flown like an arrow, grazing past him. There had been no preparatory movement, no hint of what was coming.
A distance of fifty *jang* (around 150 meters).
That distance was erased in an instant.
Even Beom Gye-wi only saw a flash of light before his eyes.
It was only after feeling the sharp pain digging into his shoulder that he realized the existence of the hidden weapon.
If he hadn’t instinctively dodged, he wouldn’t have escaped without severe injury.
Beom Gye-wi's patience reached its limit.
“You crazy b*tch!”
As Beom Gye-wi kicked off the snow and charged forward, Han Seol-hwa extended her hand and tapped a single point in the air. It all happened almost simultaneously.
Flash.
Beom Gye-wi instinctively tilted his head back.
Feeling a burning sensation, he raised his hand to touch his cheek.
Fresh blood smeared his hand from a long gash on his cheek. A dangerous gleam flashed in Beom Gye-wi’s eyes.
‘This madman!’
Despite this, Han Seol-hwa couldn't help but feel exasperated as Beom Gye-wi continued to close the distance between them.
She had known for a long time that Beom Gye-wi wasn’t in his right mind.
But even recklessness has its limits.
A martial artist who has reached the peak of their skill could dominate the space within a certain distance, turning it into their absolute domain where they hold complete control over life and death, without any conditions or restrictions.
Both she herself and the supreme master, known as one of the Five Masters of the World, agreed.
It was a level that was exceedingly difficult to reach.
Of course, Beom Gye-wi was also a formidable master.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have survived this long as one of the Ten Great Evils.
He, too, possessed his own absolute space, and within that space, he was the ruler of life and death.
'But...'
Han Seol-hwa was confident that she had the upper hand.
Even now, it was true.
The space within ten paces around her had already become a giant barrier of sorts.
And yet, he charged forward so recklessly.
It was like carrying firewood into the flames.
– Hmph!
The energy that had been quietly emanating beneath her feet suddenly surged up like blades.
At that moment.
The massive cane in Beom Gye-wi's hand wriggled as if it were alive. At the same time, a hazy shadow filled the space between the two of them.
CLANG!
A massive shockwave engulfed the arena.
Time stopped, and space was split for just a moment.
– You...?
A gleam of surprise appeared in Han Seol-hwa's eyes.
In no time, Beom Gye-wi had closed the distance and suddenly reached out his hand.
He had pierced through the layers of her overwhelming waves of energy and finally forced his attack through.
It wasn’t the Beom Gye-wi she had known until now.
‘He’s fine even after seeing blood?’
It was at that moment that her eyes met Beom Gye-wi's.
His eyes were still bloodshot, but his gaze was distinctly different from before.
Clear reason had replaced madness.
‘What on earth happened?’
The moment of doubt was brief.
― Hmph!
To block Beom Gye-wi's attack, Han Seol-hwa swung her hand in return.
Boom!
A thunderous sound filled the heavens and earth, hard to believe it came from their hands colliding. Simultaneously, the shockwave from their clash swallowed the surroundings.
“Damn it!”
Beom Gye-wi, who was pushed back, shouted in frustration.
At that moment, a slight flicker appeared in Han Seol-hwa’s gaze.
It was because of Beom Gye-wi.
As Han Seol-hwa stepped back, she showed her palm.
“Why now? Are you trying to surrender?”
A voice shot toward the growling Beom Gye-wi.
― Isn’t that right?
“What do you mean?”
― Your hand just now.
“……?”
— That was the hand that touched your groin earlier!
"Huh? Was it?"
Beom Gye-wi raised his hand to his nose and sniffed.
"Feels like it, maybe?"
— You...
Han Seol-hwa was so shocked and furious that she couldn't find the words to continue.
She took a handkerchief out of her pocket and began to wipe her hand.
Beom Gye-wi was dumbfounded.
"What are you doing in the middle of a fight?"
— Disgusting.
Han Seol-hwa shuddered as if something horrifying had touched her.
Unable to hold back any longer, Beom Gye-wi attacked first. However, Han Seol-hwa had already retreated far back.
"Huh?"
Beom Gye-wi was momentarily startled, as he hadn't expected her to evade.
But soon enough, he started chasing Han Seol-hwa again.
Han Seol-hwa didn't allow him to close the distance.
She retreated exactly as much as he advanced.
"Stand still!"
— With those filthy hands, where do you think you're going?!
A game of tag continued for quite some time, with the pond between them as the boundary.
In the end, it was Beom Gye-wi who tired first.
He could have competed in other areas, but when it came to agility, he couldn’t match her.
"Be honest. You're scared of me, aren't you?"
The Beom Gye-wi provoked Han Seol-hwa, but it didn’t work at all.
— I'm not avoiding you because I'm scared. I'm avoiding you because it's disgusting.
“That’s just crap!”
— You know that well, don’t you?
Han Seol-hwa’s calm response, delivered telepathically, turned the Beom Gye-wi inside out with rage.
“What kind of madman washes their hands before a fight?”
— Then you should’ve kept yourself clean from the start.
“That damned obsession with cleanliness!”
— Shut up and get lost. Or go wash up and come back. If I kill you like this, I feel like this place will get contaminated.
“Damn it!”
Boom.
Beom Gye-wi stomped his foot with all his might. The impact sent a pile of snow flying into the air. Following the motion of Beom Gye-wi’s hand, as if grasping the air, the snow flew above his head.
In that state, Beom Gye-wi summoned his internal energy once more.
Sizzle.
The snow that had gathered in midair instantly melted into a pool of water.
Whoosh.
Soaked in the water that had poured down on him, Beom Gye-wi shouted confidently.
“Is this good enough now?”
Han Seol-hwa looked at him with disdain.
To think he used the divine skill of telekinesis, followed by a special martial arts technique, in such a ridiculous way.
— You really are an idiot.
Han Seol-hwa raised her hand and pointed at Beom Gye-wi.
Whooosh!
At the same time, a tremendous chill surged toward Beom Gye-wi.
“Huh?”
A look of bewilderment erupted from Beom Gye-wi's mouth. His wet body began to freeze in an instant.
Grr!
Though Beom Gye-wi belatedly summoned his internal energy, his response was a bit too slow.
Crackle, crackle.
He barely managed to stop his body from freezing.
However, in that state, he couldn't continue the fight. Any slight movement would disperse the energy he was using to fend off the cold.
“You dirty wench!”
— It’s better than being stupid.
“Why am I stupid?!”
Han Seol-hwa gave him a look of pity.
— You’ve already forgotten why you came looking for me in the first place.
“Huh? Now that you mention it...”
