Illegally swallowing a bowl, the Cheonma finally glanced down at his sweat-soaked clothes, realizing he was drenched.
Swoosh!
Soo-oh fumbled in the air trying to catch something, and it was oddly amusing.
Bloop!
Is a person’s warmth warm?
Squint!
It hasn’t been long since a precious person passed away.
Gulp!
They say if someone is there for you in tough times, that gratitude lingers.
Shifty eyes!
No, of course, I didn’t intentionally keep Soo-oh around for that reason.
Fixing hair!
I was just interpreting her actions.
Hmmm…
I don’t think like a strategist, assuming people will move as I intend. I only know how people generally think, not each individual’s thoughts.
Brainwave!
I wish I had tremendous intelligence.
Or at least some special brainwashing ability!
Thump!
Since I have neither, I’m just moving spontaneously!
Whoosh!
“Feeling a bit calmer now?”
Flick!
The Cheonma put down the bowl and adjusted his damp clothes, grimacing at the wet fabric. Who would want to wear sweat-soaked clothes?
Bleh!
But what can you do? Walking around half-naked makes me a pervert. A pervert.
Snicker!
The Cheonma fiddled with his collar before looking at me and speaking.
“Is that why you want warmth?”
Oops!
Oh, oops! It’s somewhat similar to the sensation of cold, but fundamentally it’s completely different. If I feel that even a little, it’d give away that I’m fiddling with the word ‘warmth’!
Ding!
Excuses in my head, distortions in words, dodging the topic, and maintaining a serious face. Many methods popped into mind.
Thinking cap on!
I surely spoke only the truth, so there’s no need to consider the before and after of a lie. At times like this, I really start to believe my choices were correct!
Slap!
Anyway.
“Yes. It’s cold, isn’t it?”
Slow nod!
In response to my question, the Cheonma nodded slowly. Meanwhile, Soo-oh hugged me tightly. No, not that kind of warmth; she’s not offering a hugging effect, Soo-oh!
Hug!
“Extremely.”
Complicated face!
The Cheonma’s expression was very complex. Among them, I detected a part that felt sorry for me. Oh ho, feeling sympathy, are we?
Surprise!
That means he empathized with me. Why? Do you think I’m just a monster yearning for warmth because I feel like I might freeze to death?
Confused look!
“How can you stay sane like this?”
Huh?
Wait, do you think of me as a person? You believed what I said I was and empathized? A glimmer of hope appears.
Shimmer!
I need to choose my words carefully.
Decide!
What should I say?
Hmm…
Headaches!
At times like this, my mind’s inability to spit out an answer is frustrating.
Ugh!
But it can’t be helped. I’ll stick to the rule of speaking only the truth.
“Already a long time ago, I went insane.”
Truth spill!
I’ll only speak the truth.
Begging sound!
Please spare me, or rather, just kill me! I begged and begged endlessly. Without a body, I couldn’t weaken and eternally pleaded.
Drip…
By the time light should show in the sky, the memory of the Faded Man was but a speck.
Dust cloud!
I don’t know if that much time really passed or if time is inscrutable, making it feel like it wasn’t long at all.
Tick tock!
I engaged in escapism? I probably tried to create another personality. But my body isn’t human.
Bing!
Even if I wanted to see myself as someone else, it was just me, cold, and no one else. No matter how stressed I got, my brain didn’t break.
Solid head!
That’s because I didn’t even have the brain for it.
Not my fault!
Above all, the cold was painfully real, preventing any escape.
Chill!
To alleviate that, I found I could do whatever it took.
Whatever!
“But don’t feel too sorry for me.”
Wink!
I’m truly grateful. You see me as a victim.
Thump!
Technically, that’s right. But I’ve also been the perpetrator. I’ll do anything to get what I want. Anything.
Anything!
So, when an opportunity arises, I’ll take it.
“Cheonma, what do you think? Do you understand why I can’t use power?”
Gaze!
The Cheonma closed his eyes. Not to signal he didn’t want to talk to me but to organize his thoughts.
Process time!
Then, he opened his eyes and formed a response.
Speak!
“In the principle of this world, where all things born of heaven and earth flow, you must be on the other side of that principle’s shadow.”
Poetic pause!
Another poetic line. This is hard to interpret. What on earth does that mean?
Scratching head!
Can’t you respond a bit less literary?
Frustrated expression!
I made a face asking for an explanation since I didn’t get it.
Confused squint!
He looked at me with a disdainful expression as if to say, ‘How can you be alive with that brain?’ Like the Faded Man in a memory, looking at an adult speaking about the flat earth theory.
Disdain!
Is this the sorrow of being an ordinary person caught between the arts and sciences?
Cry!
“If Qi and internal energy are the foundation of this world, you are the rule that denies their existence.”
Catch that vibe!
In short, it means I can’t use my power because I’m me.
Ding ding!
“No, but Eunjai uses it well, doesn’t he?”
Good comparison!
“That’s why it’s so destructively terrible. This isn’t just simple power; it’s a principle that denies all things in the world.”
Boom!
The Cheonma suddenly stopped speaking. He had an expression like he realized something.
Eureka!
“Oh, that’s why he said he had seen the end of Cheonma Martial Art. I thought he had become arrogant when he became a deity back then.”
Ponder!
The Cheonma raised her hand and looked down at her palm with a bitter expression.
Lost in thought!
“He was right.”
Clench!
She clenched her fist and brought it down again.
Fist down!
From what she said, it seems she figured out that I’m a dangerous character.
Ding!
I just briefly experimented to grasp my strength; could it really lead here? Isn’t that a bit unfair? How should I word this better?
Scratch your head!
While pondering, the Cheonma approached me.
Step forward!
She had no killing intent.
Confusion!
Rather, she looked at me with an oddly transparent expression.
See-through vibe!
“Did you come here to destroy this world?”
Accusatory tone!
See? I don’t know what kind of face that is, but it ended up like this anyway.
Sigh!
Yet, I can answer this without lying.
Straight face!
In fact, it’s an opportunity. I’ll stuff it full of information. Pour out the truth to make them forget the real, necessary questions.
Pour it on!
I’ll be sincere.
Heart on sleeve!
“I don’t wish for the world to end. Quite the opposite. The world should grow. Humans should go where they haven’t been, reach out to the unattainable, advance far and wide, beyond the sky, into the infinite space.”
Vision of grandeur!
Only then will humanity kill more of its own kind.
Dramatic flair!
When people exceed a certain number, they become nothing more than mere numbers on paper, statistics on a screen.
Numbness!
They massacre countless lives without feeling the weight of a single death.
Whew!
Numbers numb humanity.
Lost in thoughts!
A murderer kills a mere human, but a ruler kills hundreds or thousands. They lack the awareness that they’ve killed someone.
Shake it off!
It’s not because people are psychopaths.
Logic locked!
It’s simply that they perceive only numbers, no longer seeing humans.
What a thought!
I like such people.
Fanatic!
They’ll bring me warmth. Day after day, they will grind the oppressed into dust. Thus, they will kill many and give me warmth.
Harvest time!
The optimal talent for the harvesting period.
Breathe!
For that, the population must increase. Beyond tens of billions, even more.
Numbers only!
So much so that they only seem to see numbers.
Visualize!
“The world must not perish. Never.”
Vow!
The first world must never happen again.
Severe warning!
“Right. You don’t lie. Just that.”
Cut through tone!
The Cheonma said this while looking up at the sky from the kitchen. The kitchen had no wall to the west and only a small door to the east.
Peering into the sky!
So stepping forward would instantly lead outside.
Open space!
The Cheonma, looking up at the sky, lowered her head.
Drop!
“Today, I’ll go back early and rest.”
Yawn!
She took a step but suddenly halted. Then, she turned around.
Dramatic pause!
“It’s impossible for you to use Qi. Well then, see you tomorrow, guys.”
Wave goodbye!
She left after saying that last line.
Exit!
The memory of the Faded Man brought back the term ‘teabagging.’ What’s with the image of a little kid repeatedly sitting and standing in place?
Bizarre picture!
In the first world, nearly no response was given, but in the second world, this memory is coming up quite well.
Retro flashbacks!
I waved goodbye to the Cheonma and turned my gaze to Soo-oh.
Shared looks!
I’m curious what this child thought after listening to our conversation.
“What do you think about what Cheonma said, Soo-oh?”
Curious eyes!
The little girl, who barely reached my waist, answered my question without much hesitation.
Sincere words!
“Soo-oh thinks Choseol is weak. Poor thing.”
Bold statement!
A fine warrior’s instincts are showing!
Roll call!
However, Soo-oh seemed to have more to say, stepping closer to me. Then she hugged me.
Hug back!
“It’s okay! Soo-oh will get stronger to protect you!”
Encouraging words!
Is that what you’re saying after hearing the conversation so far?
Doing my best!
Isn’t there something more to it?
Casual reminder!
From what I saw in the chat with the Cheonma, she’s smart, right?
Smart cookie!
“Then why am I Choseol while Cheonma is a Martial Master?”
Question mark!
“Because Choseol is weak?”
Nail it!
Straight to the facts there! Where did you learn that?
Ewww, kids!
Well, there is indeed a culture in this world that respects those who teach martial arts. So it wouldn’t be strange for Soo-oh to follow that.
Culture shock!
“But why does Choseol call a Martial Master Cheonma? That’s not a name.”
Stomp!
Are you questioning that?
Curiosity peaks!
While teaching the Cheonma Martial Art, a discussion about names came up. That day, Ji-hang’s name was learned by Soo-oh, but I didn’t realize she had a lingering question about it.
Light bulb!
But this has an answer.
Cue it!
“When exchanging names, she introduced herself as Cheonma. To me, that’s her name.”
Explanatory mode!
I mentioned what I am, and she identified herself as Cheonma.
Nothing to change!
It won’t change from here on.
Lock it!
Why not?
Connect the dots!
She achieved her wish, and I got what I wanted. So she’ll always be Cheonma from now on.
Final answer!
Soo-oh stared at me intently.
Look here!
“You’re just sulking because she didn’t tell you her real name, aren’t you?”
Pointing finger!
Hehe.
Snickering!
I raised my finger to my mouth.
Shhh!
Soo-oh wore a look of disdain.
Disapproving look!
“If you don’t have a chest, your heart is small too.”
Truth bomb!
Indeed, I’m tall, and the Cheonma is tall and well-endowed. If we’re counting age, Soo-oh seems around 14, if she’s an adult, but given the timing, the physical growth must have been from some procedure.
Consider that!
Had I left without stepping in, they’d be immobile. They were raised without proper muscle support.
Struggled existence!
More importantly, from what Soo-oh says, I can tell one thing.
Recognition!
Is this child really a born fighter?
