Chapter 14 …. Demon Hunt (2)
B settled into the laboratory, deep in thought.
They say opportunity comes to those who are prepared—
and right now, she truly believed it.
‘The fact that God just gave me a command… that’s proof enough.’
—Research the magic of Cold, your essence and foundation.
Conveniently, it was the very field she had been organizing her thoughts on, inspired by A’s recent exploits. With the quill in hand, B’s movements were swift and unhesitating.
‘If A’s specialty is discovering new things, mine is altering and combining what already exists.’
Just as a turtle doesn’t challenge a rabbit to a race, B decided to compete with her own strength.
So how should she research and transform this divine command: Cold Magic?
‘It should go in a different direction than Freezing Armament.’
Freezing Armament was a versatile spell, shaping ice freely into weapons, armor, and other equipment. But this time, she wanted to focus more on the true essence of ice.
And what was that essence?
‘In magic, cold means stillness… or sealing.’
How best to apply this trait…
Inspiration struck.
Tug, tug—
A teddy bear doll suddenly pulled at her collar.
A divine relic. A living memory.
Shortened to simply, “Sengsengie.”
“Do you want me to hold you?”
Nod!
“I’m carrying out God’s command right now, so you’ll have to stay still. Won’t you get bored?”
Shake, shake.
“Well, if that’s what you want, Sengsengie.”
It felt awkward to call it “Divine Relic,” so after a prayer, God had told her the name Sengsengie.
B carefully lifted the doll onto her lap.
“Hup.”
Whoosh—
The plush softness was followed by the gentle, mind-soothing waves of the magic stone that served as its heart.
The anxiety and self-doubt lingering deep inside her melted away like frost under sunlight.
Even someone like her, brimming with confidence, couldn’t help but feel uneasy before important research.
‘Did Sengsengie see right through me?’
Nod… nod…
“Pfft. Or maybe you just needed a nap spot.”
Still, thanks to that, her head felt clearer.
She immediately threw herself into research.
Inspiration from Sengsengie:
‘Project magic power over a fixed area, just like Sengsengie.’
By freezing an area—by turning the environment itself into the mage’s domain—one could seize the upper hand in battle.
In short: magic that created one’s own battlefield.
Scratch, scratch—
With the best reference sample sitting right on her lap, B’s quill never faltered.
But the smooth progress suddenly hit a wall.
“At this rate, the mana consumption will be impossible to sustain.”
Though both A and B were blessed with remarkable talent, their official rank was still the lowest of mages.
Small mana reserves and weak mana control—those were their shackles.
Yes, they grew with every hunt against enemies targeting the Sacred Ground, but fundamentally, growth was still needed.
‘If I could just solve this problem… the answer would be right there.’
But of course, nothing was that simple. Eventually, she couldn’t hold back a frustrated sigh.
Then, at that very moment—
Hop!
“Huh?”
Sengsengie suddenly leapt from her lap, scampering across the room.
And when B saw the item it had picked up—the one left forgotten in the corner of the lab—lightning struck her mind.
“Right! That staff!”
The staff A had discovered in the goblin cave.
「Staff of the Ancestors (F+)」
Its only function: a crude, inscribed spell that circulated mana within a limited area. A pitiful ability at best.
But everything in existence had its use.
‘If I enhance that effect and merge it with my magic…?’
Mages manipulate ambient mana with willpower. But the extent varies from person to person.
And if she used a staff that maximized that effect…
“Bloom.”
At her incantation, a pale mist swirled around her.
Frost-flowers blossomed all throughout the lab.
‘If I use the mist itself as my domain, I can minimize mana consumption… then apply parts of the Freezing Armament principle…’
Her gestures guided the frost-mist, filling the lab with dazzling frost blossoms.
Mist, ever-shifting like waves. Frost, binding all it touched. And she—their master.
“Haa…”
Her exhale scattered the blossoms into powder, drifting out the open window, vanishing without a trace.
Like a fleeting dream.
But merciful God allowed traces to remain:
「Frost Mist」
Author: B
A blue grimoire, symbol of the ice mage B.
And as it took its proud place among the crimson tomes—
‘…I did it.’
Clenching her fist, B quickly scooped up Sengsengie, who was still staring curiously outside at the scattering frost.
“It’s thanks to you, Sengsengie.”
Tilt?
“Pfft, it’s a long story.”
Nod.
Sengsengie nodded knowingly, even if it didn’t understand.
Smiling faintly, B looked up at the heavens.
‘May this magic serve You well.’
It was her heartfelt prayer.
Meanwhile, Shin Woo was eating a huge spoonful of this month’s Happy 31 ice cream flavor, “Mom is a Red Dragon.”
‘Sure, I did want them to bring me results…’
But not this much of a result.
[Magician B gains new insight while researching 「Cold」.]
[Eureka! 「Staff of the Ancestors (F+)」 has been discovered and modified by Magician B, evolving into 「Staff of Circulation (E)」.]
[You have obtained 「Frost Mist Lv.1」.]
And since the magicians’ growth was Shin Woo’s growth—
Arcane knowledge seeped into his mind.
Accepting it, Shin Woo looked down at the half-melted, mixed ice cream.
Carefully, he moved his mana—
Crackle…
“Ah! Cold!”
Frost-flowers bloomed on the ice cream tub.
The half-melted ice cream hardened solid, the chill biting his hand to the bone.
Thankfully, he quickly switched to telekinesis to hold it.
“Not frostbite, right?”
Luckily, the brief touch wasn’t enough to cause frostbite, and warming his hand under the blanket made it fine again.
But the ice cream left in Frost Mist for so long had turned rock-solid.
Thud, thud.
“Wow. It was melting just now, and now it’s a brick.”
He dispelled the magic and left it to soften on the table.
And thought to himself: B had caused one hell of an incident this time.
‘It’s good, sure… but my heart can’t take the shock.’
If the Tower had a biggest troublemaker, it might just be B.
That was how striking this new magic—Frost Mist—was, even after a brief test.
He’d never even heard of it, so he searched.
“…In Korea, only Baek Seol-ah uses it?”
A Great Mage of Korea.
That made Frost Mist feel all the more valuable and rare.
And according to Seol-ah’s passing comment—
“It’s powerful, but drains mana fast… Maybe I didn’t notice since I used such a small area?”
He hadn’t felt extreme mana drain.
Then he noticed the slightly open window.
“Oh, it’s because it’s cold outside.”
He’d cracked it open so the ice cream wouldn’t melt too quickly. The chill must have reduced the mana cost of Frost Mist.
‘Elemental magic always varies depending on the environment.’
And when he realized that, Shin Woo thought of the dry ice he had stored in the freezer—
Strengthened by the Tower’s mana.
If combined with Frost Mist…
“Crazy. That’d be insane.”
What he had bought just as an experiment was actually a divine stroke of luck.
And today was Saturday.
Which meant!
「Hunting」
Effect: Summons a Gate containing a specified monster, depending on the day of the week.
7. Saturday: Choice
“I can hunt demons today.”
Originally, he had planned to wait until the Imps’ hunt cycle opened, while sending the dry ice to the Tower for experiments.
But now, with everything ready—why wait?
Shin Woo, the manly man!
“I’m not backing down.”
So after giving B—fresh from research—and A—just back from exploration—a short rest, he declared:
“Alright, comrades. Let the hunt begin.”
His confident voice resounded.
[Function: 「Hunting」 activated.]
[Searching for Gate…]
The dice was cast!
[Search complete!]
[Gate summoned.]
Crack—
Another familiar rift tore open near the Tower.
To the north!
“Go!”
The two mages waiting at the Tower rushed out, even using flight magic.
Shin Woo, watching the gate yawn open, whispered:
“…Come.”
And at that signal—
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The ground shook as Assault-type Imps charged forth.
With crimson skin and thick hides, they looked like gorillas in armor.
And behind them—
Flap-flap—
Flying Imps, child-sized demons with bat wings larger than their bodies, burst out.
A mixed formation, just as Oh Hana had warned.
But Shin Woo’s expression only brightened.
“A commander boss?”
And sure enough—
From the gate emerged an Imp the size of an adult, draped in a cloak of flames.
「Imp Commander (Boss)」
“Yes!”
Clenching his fist, Shin Woo reached toward the refrigerator.
The freezer door opened under telekinesis.
He grabbed the white cloth bundle of dry ice and shouted—
“Transfer!”
[Transferring item.]
[All Tower mana depleted.]
“Guh—c-cold!”
Even as chilling messages filled his vision and numbing frost gnawed his hand like raw ice—
His gaze never left the Tower.
Crack-crack!
“Huh?”
His pupils quivered like a boat in a storm.
For in an instant, the plain had frozen solid.
And at its center—
「Century Ice Spirit (D)」
The dry ice had transformed into an Ice Spirit.
