SWNOVELXO Chapter 176
Chapter 176: The Attractive Her
I quickly sat up and suppressed my excitement.
Is it a side effect of the Vital Energy Training, or is it just my body going through the tempestuous phase of adolescence? These days, I find myself getting all excited against my will, which is quite troublesome.
Maintaining my poker face, I gazed at Heuksaryong.
Heuksaryong was splashing water on her face with both hands. She attempted to hide her eyes, but in truth, her fingers widened just enough for her to peek at me.
“Uuuuuuh… This is totally lewd…!!”
A retort shot out of Wi Soryeon’s mouth.
If he were an ordinary guy, he would have panicked and stumbled over his words. But I’m not an ordinary guy; I’m Saekma, the master of Color Spectrum, and a schemer who’s almost a thousand years old.
I remain calm in any situation.
One should remain clear-headed in times of crisis. I thought this while looking at Wi Soryeon and said.
“This is merely a natural physiological phenomenon, one of those symptoms that occur in males without regard to my will.”
“W-Wait! What do you mean it’s out of your control…!”
At my words, Wi Soryeon’s eyes slightly dimmed.
Thud.
She sat down abruptly and bowed her head.
“So, does that mean you… don’t feel any charm from me…?”
Her voice trailed off sadly.
“Seriously, even after all this… I can’t seem to…”
Wi Soryeon mumbled as if she was drenched. Why is it going this way?!
How can she think like that? It’s a shocking mentality.
Wi Soryeon’s self-esteem plummeted like a battery on the verge of dying, blinking like a smartphone on low power.
I placed a hand on Wi Soryeon’s shoulder.
“Let me correct that. It’s not my will that raised it—however, a man’s excitement does not respond to just any woman. Wi Soryeon, you are more than charming enough.”
I gazed directly into her eyes as I spoke.
Her face turned bright red.
*
Thump, thump.
Wi Soryeon’s heart raced madly. The chill of Lee Cheol-soo’s warmth on her shoulders was too stimulating for her wet body.
‘He… thinks I’m charming…’
Wi Soryeon’s cheeks flushed.
Even before arriving at the Heavenly Horse Mound, Lee Cheol-soo had told her she was charming. She thought he was just saying that. Yet even while thinking so, her heart fluttered.
That was when it began. Even the tiniest contact with him made her body feel like it was on fire. She wanted to hide her racing heart.
Today, Lee Cheol-soo had been incredibly kind to her. When she sat down in front of the Mysterious Blood Network, he scolded her instead of blaming her. He even stepped up for her.
It was the same when they jumped into the lake. Lee Cheol-soo had pulled her into his embrace, navigating the rough waters.
‘Ugh…’
Remembering that, Wi Soryeon’s cheeks reddened. The feeling of being in his arms and his scent were now vividly engraved in her mind.
And now.
Lee Cheol-soo was confessing that he had gotten excited because of her charm.
‘Charm…?’
Wi Soryeon, who had lived her entire life like a rough and tumble boy.
She had thought the concept of a woman’s charm had nothing to do with her. Even after receiving help from Yeon Sowol, she felt that way. After that banquet, hadn’t Lee Cheol-soo kept his distance?
In just those few days, Wi Soryeon felt disappointed and hollow.
After dressing up, why wouldn’t he even meet her eyes?
She felt aggrieved by Lee Cheol-soo.
And she wanted to see him. Conflicting emotions tortured Wi Soryeon’s heart.
She had done well for the past two years without meeting him. Wi Soryeon thought about that while trying to ignore Lee Cheol-soo, but it was impossible.
Why did he keep her at a distance? Did he really think she was so unattractive? Why was she trying so hard, even getting Yeon Sowol’s help, just to be judged weird after all that?
‘More than enough charm…’
And today the answer came back.
Not a mere answer, but one conveyed with his whole being. His excitement. Heuksaryong was well aware of the debauchery and dirty jokes associated with boys.
The men of Heukryongbang, whom she would one day govern, were known for throwing lewd jokes around without hesitation.
She could not help but know that. But seeing him excited when he looked at her made her feel embarrassed.
Embarrassed, ashamed, and lewd. But at the same time, he saw her as a woman, proving with his actions that she was indeed charming.
He.
No, her elder brother thought of her as attractive just the way she was.
This thought surfaced on her mind.
That’s why it made her giddy. How could she not feel this way? She understood why Yeon Sowol had fallen for her elder brother…
‘Ugh…’
Thump.
Her heart kept pounding.
Wi Soryeon bit her lip. No! If she loses her heart already… She and her elder brother wouldn’t be able to be together. Once they returned to the Central Plains, they would be strangers again.
They could not connect. So, she mustn’t harbor feelings.
It would only cause pain. Despite trying to steady her heart, Wi Soryeon’s emotions seemed beyond her control.
Once the floodgates of love are opened, they escape her grasp.
She lowered her gaze. Looking into his eyes seemed like it would make her lose her reason. She covered her feminine form, exposed due to her wet clothing.
“W-Well, even if you say I’m charming, are you just going to toy with my body…? I know your lewd intentions…!”
That’s right.
Lee Cheol-soo was an absolute charmer. He was explicitly after her body with his lecherous gaze.
To him, any woman would just be a colorful horse. One must not be swayed by his sweet words. So, she straightened herself up.
She had to think like that. To break free from the trap of unrequited love.
As Wi Soryeon tightly closed her eyes at that moment…
“Soryeon, don’t you remember the words we exchanged long ago?”
Lee Cheol-soo’s sweet voice whispered in her ear. Wi Soryeon’s body shuddered.
His hand rested on her head. The gentle caress made her tremble even more, and her mind went blank.
“You once asked me to take responsibility for you, and I promised to do so. Not just with my body, but with my heart as well. I swore to become a hero who transcends relationships to protect you.”
“But that’s…!”
Wi Soryeon’s face turned crimson. Memories of their conversation flooded back with clarity.
It’s a lie.
That’s what she had to convince herself.
“I’m being serious. I never sugarcoat responsibilities when it comes to a woman.”
“…Uuuh… Why do you keep… saying… such… things?”
Wi Soryeon’s head drooped at his words. Tears streamed down her cheeks.
She kept wanting to push him away, yet why was she unable to do so?
It felt cruel and frustrating. But at the same time, there was an undeniable draw. The affection she tried to deny kept bubbling over.
Lee Cheol-soo embraced the crying Wi Soryeon. Her cold, wet body warmed in his embrace. Her heart raced faster.
This way, Wi Soryeon held onto him and cried endlessly.
*
I gently patted Wi Soryeon’s head.
I couldn’t understand why she was crying, but I couldn’t just leave her like that.
I thought of Hwang Sang. Hadn’t he been like this when he stubbornly cried as a child? He would calm down if I hugged him and patted him.
How long did I hold her? I could feel her sobbing gradually calm down. Slowly, I pulled away and infused her clothes with energy to dry them completely.
“Are you feeling better now?”
“…You’re mean…”
Now all dried up, Wi Soryeon avoided my gaze and stared at the floor.
I mean, I just comforted you, and now you’re acting like a thirteen-year-old Hwang Sang!
I sighed inwardly while getting up from my spot.
“Well, you seem to have gathered your strength enough to say mean things about me, so it’s a relief. We should head out. Don’t you want to see the path’s end?”
Upon hearing my words, Wi Soryeon gave a slight nod.
Swish.
Still avoiding my gaze, she approached and grabbed the cuffs of my sleeve.
“…”
“…”
Wi Soryeon and I walked silently through the stone corridor dotted with Night Pearls. Awkward silence enveloped us, both of us unsure of what to say.
I thought so while enduring the awkward atmosphere when suddenly a massive stone door appeared before us. It was engraved with demonic figures. Beyond the door, a terrifying level of malice loomed. My skin prickled.
‘…Is this the end?’
It clearly seemed like it. I picked up a stone and tossed it toward the door, infusing it with energy.
Pshussssssssssss!
Immediately, arrows shot from the wall and struck the ground before the door. Just as I suspected, it was a trap. After triggering the trap, I moved forward and pulled an arrow from the ground.
Thud, thud.
Fresh black poison dripped onto the floor.
‘This arrow is brand new.’
A well-oiled mechanism’s durability would decrease over time. In most cases, traps from ancient secret caves would have rusty arrowheads or lost their potency. It was the limit of medieval martial arts without stainless steel.
But this arrow was neither rusty nor lacking in poison. It was completely new. This meant that this place was a well-maintained secret cave.
‘Who manages a secret cave like this?’
Highly unlikely that this was a place of adventure. But it was evidently a suspicious secret cave. My instincts as an information gatherer began ringing alarms. I had to see this secret cave through to the end.
Having come this far, I had to draw my sword and make sure to strike it down.
I brought Wi Soryeon with me as I pressed forward. I carefully grabbed the door but found it wouldn’t budge.
Just like in the Honwon Bidong, I’d have to hack into the mechanisms.
I closed my eyes and cautiously poured energy into the door.
Wuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuum!
In an instant, a blueprint of the door’s mechanism drew itself in my mind. Unlike the Honwon Bidong, it was quite a complex contraption, but I had developed a level of mastery far beyond my previous attempts.
Identifying the security vulnerabilities sketched in my mind, I carefully tapped into them with my energy.
Boom!
I could hear the sound of the vulnerabilities breaking. The moment I destroyed five vulnerabilities…
Gggggggggggg.
The mechanism completely broke down, splitting the stone door in half and opening it.
“Let’s go in.”
“Uh, okay.”
As I spoke, Heuksaryong nodded. I stepped through the opened door.
Inside was a burial chamber. An ancient burial chamber of a noble. In the center of the tomb chamber with painted murals, there lay a stone coffin.
Magic was concentrated in that coffin.
It was an inherently suspicious device. I raised the Dharma Wheel Holy King Technique toward the coffin. Pzzzzzzzzzzt! The magical energies clashed with the Dharma Wheel Holy King Technique, creating sparks.
Upon arriving at the coffin, I raised the Dharma Wheel Holy King Technique and struck the lid open.
Ka-boooooooom!
The sound echoed as the coffin’s lid split open.
With that, the figure resting inside the coffin slowly lifted itself.
A girl who looked around fourteen with pale vampire-like skin and striking red lips emerged, as if she had not seen light for ages. Her gaze locked onto me.
As I maximized the Dharma Wheel Holy King Technique for caution…
Tilting her head.
The girl uttered one word.
“Daddy…?”
What?
Daddy?!
I’m still a bachelor!