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Terms used in this chapter:
Macgyver – the title character and protagonist of the American TV series Macgyver. MacGyver is shown to possess a genius-level intellect, proficiency in multiple languages, superb engineering skills, excellent knowledge of applied physics, military training in bomb disposal techniques, and a preference for non-lethal resolutions to conflicts.
New Year’s Eve bell – In Seoul, a popular event is the bell-ringing ceremony at Bosingak Belfry on the New Year’s Eve.  People count down together to the New Year and the bell at Bosingak Belfry is struck 33 times to celebrate the coming of the New Year.
Form is temporary, class is permanent – a famous sports quote from Bill Shankly. It means that a player’s form (physical status, recent performance) is temporary and can change, but their class (natural abilities, talents, skills) is permanent. I won’t elaborate further about the quote, as it is mostly sports-related, but in this chapter, the quote is used to mean that even if the enemy is exhausted, their natural abilities are still there (they’re still strong).
Leviathan, the great monarch of destruction who drove Frost Anvil into ruins, summoned the giant White Snake in his last-ditch move.
Solid scales that bounced off any weapon of the ancient dwarves, a poison strong enough to melt the body just by being near, and magical eyes that paralyzed anyone it made eye contact with – the White Snake was the fall of Frost Anvil itself.
Countless ancient dwarves lost their lives.
However, they didn’t just die powerlessly. After driving the White Snake into the deepest power room of Frost Anvil, they chose to die with the demonic monster.
‘May our deaths be worth it.’
The ancient dwarves destroyed Frost Anvil’s temperature control system by making the magical power furnace runaway. As a result, Frost Anvil became a frozen land dominated by extreme cold as its name implies.
“And a thousand years later. The White Snake had weakened in the constantly flowing passage of time. Its scales, which used to be an invincible shield, was no longer the same as it used to be, and its physical strength and mana had become so weak amidst its long hunger. And…the coldness of Frost Anvil was also better than before.”
Because the Frost Anvil from a thousand years ago was truly a hell of extreme cold.
The ancient dwarves who made the power furnace runaway would have become ice sculptures without ever feeling any pain.
“White Snake.”
The demonic beast of Leviathan, the great monarch of destruction.
The fall of Frost Anvil.
A real monster that reached several tens of meters in length.
“But now it’s just our experience.”
In front of the White Snake with its partly destroyed head, Cordelia nodded and then stretched out her left hand as she started taking a selfie.
It was a portable magic camera of the ancient dwarves that they had found along the way.
And Jude said as he watched the scene.
“What are you doing?”
“Commemorative snapshot. Do you want to take a picture together?”
“I knew it already, but it still feels new seeing you have a strong stomach in such a strange place.”
She was an incomparably beautiful girl who was pretending to be pretty and taking a selfie in front of a giant monster with a partially destroyed head.
Nevertheless, the snapshot was important.
Nodding his head, Jude quickly approached Cordelia and took a selfie together.
“It came out well. From now on, I’ll take it every time I defeat a boss.”
“Well, what should I say… It reminds me of a poacher who kills a lion and poses on top of it.”
“Wouldn’t this be poaching when you look at it broadly?”
They killed a wild snake.
Cordelia surprisingly agreed with him and nodded, while Jude was momentarily speechless before he just nodded his head.
“Now then, let’s go and eat.”
“Yes, dad. What side dish are we having today?”
“Snake side dish.”
“It’s always a snake!”
“My princess, you can’t be picky, okay?”
“Hey, eating only snakes every day is a rather unbalanced diet.”
“It can’t be helped. We only have a snake to eat.”
The monsters that existed between the 3rd and 6th floors were mostly humanoids like Snow Goblins.
It was impossible for him to think of eating something humanoid, even if it was a monster. Though, he wouldn’t know if he could do so when he had nothing else to eat.
In the end, Cordelia had a long sigh, and as they walked towards the tent, which was their home, she asked Jude.
“Jude, Jude. When does the Sunflower bloom?”
“Tomorrow…it will bloom at exactly midnight today.”
A few days have already passed since they killed the White Snake.
At Jude’s answer, Cordelia turned to look at the large flower located in the center of the power furnace.
A Sunflower with a completely closed bud.
In the original story, the Sunflower was literally a yellow and crimson flower, but now, it was a purple that is close to blue.
“I hope it blooms quickly.”
“Yeah.”
“If you eat that, your Gueumjulmaek will be cured, right?”
“Maybe. I’ll be almost cured, I think?”
“Just be well.”
“What are you going to do if I’m healed?”
“We’ll do everything that have been delayed then.”
Cordelia hummed and stepped faster as they got closer to the tent.
It was not an exaggeration to say that it was more of a house than a tent, because Jude had added various materials that he had gathered up to this point to make the tent.
‘Because there’s a dining room and a bathroom.’
She didn’t expect that Jude was really skilled with his hands.
“My nickname was the Korean MacGyver.”
“Who is that?”
“He is the main character of the classic American drama that foreign kids love. You must’ve heard of the song, right?”
“Song?”
“Tatala talatala~ talala~ talalalalalalalalala~ lalala~ lalala~ talala~ talala~ talala~”
“What is that?”
“O-okay.”
When Cordelia’s face became sullen, Jude who was unconsciously absorbed in singing, opened the dining room door with an embarrassed look.
Since the entire Frost Anvil was like a refrigerator, it was a kind of heated room built to preserve the warmth of food.
“Anyway, let’s eat.”
“Yes, dad. It’s not much but enjoy your meal.”
“Hey, I’m the one who set the table?”
“So reflect on it. Come to your senses. I mean, wake up.”
“I’m dying from my illness.”
T/N: These two like using puns.
차리다 (charida) can both mean ‘set the table’ and ‘come to one’s senses.’ Jude meant the first meaning, but Cordelia jokingly interpreted it as the second meaning. So in the next sentence, Cordelia used 각성 (gaksseong), which both mean ‘come to one’s senses’ and ‘awaken/wake up.’ And then Jude pretended that he was dying because he was ‘losing his senses’ and no longer staying ‘awake.’
And the puns doesn’t end here. ‘I’m dying from my illness’ could also be read as ‘I would rather die than suffer,’ which is a Korean proverb. I won’t explain the meaning of that proverb, as it doesn’t make sense in their conversation. Well, their entire conversation was ‘nonsense’ in the first place.
The two exchanged nonsensical words as always, and they sat down facing each other on the table made by Jude and started eating afterwards.
And that night, Jude and Cordelia squatted in front of the Sunflower after having taken a nap in advance. The two, who had big and shining eyes, waited for the moment when the Sunflower blooms.
“Not yet?”
“It’s about time. Shall we count down?”
“It’s like I’m waiting for the New Year’s Eve bell.”
Somehow, Cordelia spontaneously laughed as she looked at the seconds hand of Jude’s pocket watch that he had taken out. Within a second, she opened her mouth again.
“5.”
“4.”
“3.”
“2…”
The two counted down in a labored and brusque manner as they stared at the Sunflower, and after they’ve counted to two, they opened their mouths again and shouted.
““1!””
The Sunflower’s bud opened.
The violet petals gradually turned yellow, and the bud itself began to have a faint glow like that of the moonlight.
“Wow…”
It was beautiful.
It couldn’t even be compared to the blooming of tulips that she had watched all night long because she had to write an observation journal in elementary school.
As the faint light gradually became stronger, the sight was like a sunrise lighting up the surroundings.
“Beautiful.”
When Cordelia’s bright eyes shined as she happily smiled, Jude saw Cordelia instead of the Sunflower, and he also smiled.
“Good, this would be a great help in curing my Gueumjulmaek.”
“Will you be eating that?”
“To be exact, I’ll be absorbing its energy. You’ve known it in the original story, right?”
“I know, but…it’s somehow regrettable.”
“The flower will wilt in 3 days just the same.”
“Even so…”
The Sunflower’s blooming continued even during their conversation, and when it was finally in full bloom, the entire power room was filled with warmth.
“The flower of the sun.”
The essence of an extreme Yang energy that rose in the extreme cold.
Jude took a deep breath and walked towards the Sunflower, while Cordelia stood up but stopped in her place and just stared at it.
“Cordelia.”
“Yes?”
“When I absorb the energy of the Sunflower, I probably won’t be able to move for a while.”
“Should I doodle on your face?”
“…I’d like you to refrain from doing it if possible… Anyway, I’ll be trusting you.”
“You can trust in this noona (elder sister). I will keep you safe.”
As Cordelia thumped on her chest, Jude smiled and stretched out his hands toward the Sunflower.
“I trust in you, Cordelia.”
Jude’s two hands touched the Sunflower bud. And at that moment, the Yang energy of the Sunflower converged in Jude’s hands.
The Yang energy of the Sunflower reacted to the extreme Yin energy of the Gueumjulmaek.
“Aaah, aaaaahhhhh….!”
The moment when Jude let out a hot breath and yelled, the light burst.
The warmth of the Sunflower penetrated into Jude’s whole body once, and the blue and yellow energy mixed together and began to swirl in Jude’s fallen body.
“The extreme Yin and the extreme Yang…”
It was a phenomenon caused by the extreme Yin energy that gradually melted to the extreme Yang energy that was pushed inside his body by the Sunflower, and combined with the Sun’s Necklace’s Yang energy too.
‘Even if it looks dangerous, just leave it alone. It’s the treatment process.’
Recalling what Jude had said, Cordelia nervously gulped as she stood in place and watched over Jude.
Time passed, and it was around the time that the bored Cordelia had squatted and began to scribble on the floor.
‘Wiiiiiing-!’
An alarm rang in her head.
It was clearly the sound of the magic circle that Jude had installed in the several passages leading to the 7th floor.
Cordelia’s mind cleared and she raised her head as she thought.
‘Who could it be?’
They had clearly hunted down all the monsters that existed from the 3rd to the 6th floor.
Was there one that was hiding?
Or is it something completely unexpected?
Now was not the time for her to worry.
A new alarm went off. It was proof that it was approaching to this place.
“Jude.”
The blue and yellow lights were still mixing and swirling. She couldn’t even guess when it would end.
Cordelia closed her eyes once. She took a deep breath and after a moment, she suddenly stood up and moved forward.
Protect Jude.
She would prevent whoever it was from even approaching the power room.
Armed with the yellow work clothes of the ancient dwarves, Cordelia grabbed the Moonlight.
She began to run and follow the sound of the alarm.
***
Farragut was not dead.
All of the combatants and his colleague, witch Vilkay, died, but he was still alive.
It was all thanks to his quick thinking at that moment.
The moment the magical flames burst, he used Vilkay as a shield and destroyed the magic circle with all of his remaining energy. After Vilkay died, he absorbed her soul and remaining mana in the safety zone that he made with great difficulty.
Of course, it was far from enough to fully recover his strength. Therefore, he also used the combatants who barely survived from the magic circle as his own nourishment.
‘It’s not the ancient dwarves.’
These weren’t traps planned from the time of design, as those were usually camouflaged into the surrounding area. These were new traps made by someone who added magic circles into the area.
Because Sisioth would have gone on a rampage outside the Great Gate, Farragut moved a little further inside.
And then he found it.
‘The traces of a fire.’
Traces were left everywhere of what seemed to be somebody camping.
Leftover food scraps.
Burnt firewood.
A strand of long red hair found in a safety zone constructed from various objects.
“Kuku..kukukuku…”
He involuntarily laughed.
There was only one conclusion he could think of.
He didn’t know what methods they used, but Cordelia was already in Frost Anvil.
After installing a trap on the first floor, they had moved deeper in search of the Sunflower.
‘Then there’s only one thing that I have to do.’
Capture Cordelia.
Kill Jude who was with her and absorb his strength.
If the Sunflower is in bloom, absorb it too.
Farragut followed their trail.
From the 3rd to the 6th floor.
It was not easy to find his way in the cold and dark Frost Anvil.
But Farragut was not in a hurry. After patiently moving for several days, he finally reached the 7th floor.
And now they faced each other at this moment.
“Cordelia.”
He saw the image of a beautiful girl with bright red hair.
Farragut laughed in satisfaction again.
It was time to hunt.
***
It wasn’t as much as Jude, but Cordelia also knew a lot about Legend of Heroes 2.
So she could tell the moment she faced him.
‘Demonic human Farragut.’
He was the strongest among the low-ranking demonic humans of the Devil’s Hand.
The cold air seemed to be a lie, as a cold sweat ran along her back.
Apart from her knowledge, her instincts knew it. Because her senses were telling her.
‘He’s strong.’
Jude and Cordelia had defeated three demonic humans so far, but in reality, demonic human Minos was the only one they properly fought.
And even then, they wouldn’t have been able to win against Minos without the help of Bellastin’s magic circle, a magic circle close to a cheat.
How would she fight him now?
It wouldn’t be easy too.
Even if he was a low-ranking one, a demonic human was still a demonic human.
They were the Devil’s Hand’s tactical weapons made by combining humans and demons.
Moreover, the Farragut in front of her was stronger than Minos.
He seemed quite exhausted in coming all the way here, but as the saying goes, “class is permanent.”
‘However.’
She still had to fight.
She must lure him away so that the aftermath does not affect Jude, who is stabilizing his body at the moment.
Cordelia thought then on where they should fight.
Farragut had a big build.
On the other hand, Cordelia herself was slim.
‘So why don’t we fight in a place with many obstacles?’
She then rejected it.
Farragut was a demonic human who boasted of a superhuman strength and was an expert in hand-to-hand combat.
He could smash at once the light obstacles, and the cramped place would rather restrict her retreat.
A spacious place.
A place where Cordelia herself can make full use of her mobility.
Cordelia didn’t think.
Instead of using reasoning like Jude, she used her intuition.
And that’s why it didn’t take her a long time to make a judgment like Jude. At the moment her intuition worked, she started to move.
“All right!”
Farragut shouted loudly and kicked the ground.
At the same time, Cordelia moved forward with magic casted on herself.
She had not yet used the Witch Transformation.
If she had already used the Witch Transformation, which consumed a lot of mana, she wouldn’t have the time to properly turn it off later.
“Hahaha! You’re like a rabbit!”
Farragut’s mana became stronger.
Cordelia did not look back, but she knew.
He must have grown horns on his head. It was the demonization that Minos had showed.
A state when the demonic human has drawn out its true power.
A chill run up her spine while she was running.
Farragut’s powerful mana and malice seemed to be stabbing her back.
Cordelia did not stop.
Like a deer chased by a predator, she moved her feet endlessly.
The map of the 7th floor.
No matter how hard she tried, Jude was abnormal for having thoroughly memorized it.
However, Cordelia could also remember to some degree, a hunting ground that she had passed once.
A large room in the corner of the 7th floor.
She didn’t know what it was originally used for, but it was a wide and spacious open area.
She entered.
It was dark.
But the darkness didn’t matter to her.
And it was the same for Farragut.
“Hahaha! It’s a dead end!”
Like a rushing tank that broke the ground, Farragut laughed aloud, and the brightness of his eyes shone even more.
It was the eyes of the demonic human who saw through the darkness.
Cordelia exhaled. Instead of being scared and cowering in vain, she activated the Witch Transformation.
“Pa-!”
An intense mana wave rose in the air like a storm around Cordelia.
Her hair was dyed black, and her eyes glowed blue.
Farragut’s smile slightly cracked. It was because of Cordelia’s mana which exploded the moment she triggered the Witch Transformation.
“Bring it on.”
Cordelia said, and Farragut laughed again. He then rushed towards Cordelia at a terrifying speed!
Boom!
A loud noise broke out.
The floor and walls were smashed.
It was a mere difference.
Farragut’s fist brushed past Cordelia’s side and carved a large crack in the wall, and Cordelia activated the magic again.
A triple casting that overlapped on herself.
Regardless of whether the body can withstand it, no ordinary wizard had ever attempted it.
Their reason was simple.
They couldn’t adapt to the speed of a triple .
It was a speed that was too much for an ordinary human.
But Cordelia did.
And she adapted to it.
Papapapapapapak!
Cordelia moved at a tremendous speed.
The physically adept demonic human Farragut also aimed for Cordelia by speeding up, but his attacks couldn’t hit her.
Cordelia wasn’t just simply fast.
She was reading Farragut’s attack.
‘How?!’
They were in a high-speed battle.
It was almost impossible to predict the next attack based on Farragut’s own fine movements.
And she couldn’t do so, in fact.
Even Jude wouldn’t be able to immediately read the next attack in the fight against Farragut at the present moment.
But Cordelia could.
Because she didn’t calculate it from the very start.
An intuition beyond reasoning.
A talent to get immediate results.
Cordelia felt it.
Farragut’s attack.
She had a hunch as to what kind of attack would be carried out next.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The heavy pressure crushed the walls, ceiling, and floor.
Cordelia danced like a butterfly under the rushing pressure like a storm.
A breathtaking dance where she would likely be killed at any moment.
If she allowed even a single blow, her small self would likely be crushed at that time.
But Cordelia was not broken. She continued to dance like a butterfly in the storm.
“Foolish human!”
Farragut’s mana became even more violent.
And he thought.
Change tactics.
If he can’t hit her, then widen the scope of the attack. Even if it misses the mark, she will be caught up in the aftereffect of the attack.
An attack to the side, not on a point.
Cordelia felt it.
And she interrupted Farragut in a way that only Cordelia could.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
A bee’s sting was added between the butterfly’s dance.
In the midst of the breathtaking three-dimensional maneuver, a dozen magic missiles was added to the dizzying dance.
Farragut’s whole body was struck without mercy.
“Crazy?!”
Farragut was astonished.
It wasn’t because of the magic missile’s damage.
‘Are you saying that you used dozens of magic missiles at the same time as you dodged while fighting against me?’
She also didn’t simply fire the missiles.
Cordelia controlled the magic missiles.
Farragut had goosebumps at that moment.
A shudder rose along his spine.
It was a crazy talent.
Apart from being a quality sacrifice, Cordelia herself had an immeasurable value.
If the girl continues to grow like this.
If powerful mana is added to that combat talent that could only be called crazy.
“Kuuooooh!”
It was not the time for him to admire it.
It sounded crazy, but Cordelia was getting stronger in the current battle.
He materialized in reality something that would only appear in a heroic novel.
“Ga!”
Farragut loudly shouted.
It was sonic attack that overpowered all aspects.
Cordelia’s dance was stopped for a while because it was so effective. She faltered, and Farragut did not miss that opportunity.
“Die!”
He no longer thought about capturing her.
His all-out blow struck towards Cordelia.
It can’t be avoided.
Blocking it was ridiculous.
Cordelia realized it.
So she opened her eyes straight and faced the fist. But his fist just went through her. She had rushed past Farragut as if she was a phantom!
‘How?!’
Farragut did not understand.
But Cordelia understood it.
No, she was aiming for it in the first place.
Because Jude was paranoid.
Moreover, he was a rational person who valued efficiency very much.
‘You will wear it.’
Jude couldn’t move while he’s absorbing the energy of the Sunflower.
It was much more efficient for her, the only combatant, to use it.
‘Fairy Steps.’
Cordelia passed through Farragut and turned around beautifully. She stretched out her arms toward Farragut’s empty back, and the remaining mana of the Witch Transformation was released all at once!
Booooooom!
The wave of red and clear mana swept not only Farragut, but also nearly half of the open area.
The power was so strong that even Cordelia, who fired it, was greatly pushed back to a point.
“Haa…haa…haa…”
Cordelia managed to avoid sitting down, and she roughly breathed as her sweat dripped.
A mixture of red air and dust clouds obscured the view.
In addition, it was unreasonable for her to see in the dark now that the Witch Transformation had been released.
But Cordelia could tell.
So she closed her eyes tightly.
“Nooo!”
Farragut’s whole body was covered in blood and he yelled in anger.
In the midst of being hit, he exploded his mana to offset some of Cordelia’s attack and somehow managed to endure and barely stand. He then rushed towards Cordelia and drew his fist.
Smash.
Crush that small body.
Farragut madly felt pleasure in thinking of the time he’d stain the pure white snow.
And Cordelia raised her head again. She smiled unconsciously.
Boom!
The wall was broken.
Cracks spread not only to the wall, but also to the floor and ceiling because of the attack’s terrifying power.
And that was it.
Cordelia was not broken.
Farragut’s fist pierced only the air.
“I said I’d carry you, didn’t I?”
Cordelia’s eyes widely opened to that shameless voice, and she finally laughed.
She faced and hugged the neck of the man who held her in his arms.
And what was activated at that moment.
Ninth Heaven’s Nine Doors – Second Door.
No further explanation was needed.