WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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Chapter 45: The Blood-Hand Witch’s Skill (1)

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When I arrived at the clearing, only the sounds of insects could be heard.

The Blood-Hand Witch had not appeared yet.

Since there had been no sign that anyone else was coming out of the Guest House, perhaps they would be a little late.

Or perhaps they were staying in the Main Hall rather than the Guest House.

- Why?

'Why else?'

They had to protect the Blood Cult lord's descendant.

Baek RyeonHa would be staying in the Main Hall, so the Blood-Hand Witch and her disciples would likely be there as well.

Ah, perhaps they were still discussing what I had told them?

- Because of the information you threw out?

That was probably it.

It would have been more tempting because I had leaked it under the Beggars' Sect's name.

To persuade Evil Heaven, who was deeply suspicious by nature, and Jang MunWoong, the Brigade leader who had been active outside until recently, I had revealed around three pieces of information I knew.

Two of them were nothing special, but the information that the alliance between the martial artists' alliance and Peerless Castle was wavering was truly top-secret intelligence.

Around sunset, I saw Evil Heaven and Jang MunWoong enter the Main Hall.

I assumed they had gone to discuss it because this was not a card Evil Heaven could keep to himself. It was a matter the entire Blood Cult needed to discuss openly.

It would happen around half a year from now, but what effect would the ripple I had caused have?

It certainly would not be a small ripple.

For some reason, my heart raced.

- What's making your heart race?

Before my regression, I had been nothing more than a pawn.

I was a third-rate Spy, someone swept this way and that by the current.

But I was different now.

Because I knew the flow, I was influencing that torrent.

- Maybe that's your real strength.

'Right.'

It might be a more frightening power than personal martial prowess.

As I spoke with the SoDam Sword, I sensed people approaching from the Main Hall.

Since they were not trying to conceal themselves, they seemed to be the Blood-Hand Witch and her disciples.

- There are three of them.

As the SoDam Sword said, three people came to the clearing.

They were the Blood-Hand Witch Han BaekHa and two women wearing face veils.

A face veil that left the eyes exposed was effective when meeting someone for the first time, but anyone familiar with the wearer could recognize them with even a little sharpness.

'Dam YeHwa? Baek RyeonHa?'

The two following her were Dam YeHwa and Baek RyeonHa.

Why had she brought those two along?

No.

More accurately, she had only brought Dam YeHwa.

Baek RyeonHa was the Blood-Hand Witch's superior, so she could move as she pleased.

- But why is that Dam YeHwa girl wearing a face veil? Did she lose a bet and get slapped or something?

At the SoDam Sword's words, I clicked my tongue inwardly.

Not everyone was like that mad old man.

Snap!

I gave a fist-and-palm salute and quietly showed my respect.

“I pay my respects to the Sixth Blood Star.”

She lightly nodded and approached me.

“We are a little late.”

“Not at all. I only just arrived myself.”

I had waited about half a gak, but it was not long enough to make an issue of it.

Then Han BaekHa suddenly praised me.

“Young master, you seem to have many talents. The main cult will think highly of you as well.”

'Ah...'

- What's with her?

'I think the old man told her.'

It seemed Evil Heaven had revealed that I was the one who had uncovered the source of the information.

I wondered if he had also spoken properly about Jo Seong-won.

It would be troublesome if others started coveting him for no reason. I needed to make use of him myself.

- That mad old man will draw the line himself. Isn't that why you told him?

'That's true.'

As I spoke with the SoDam Sword, I happened to meet Baek RyeonHa's gaze.

There was something peculiar in her eyes as she looked at me.

I could not tell exactly what she was thinking, but she seemed favorably disposed toward me.

'Hm.'

As I wondered about it, the Blood-Hand Witch spoke to me.

“We should keep our agreement from the bet, should we not?”

It was good that she got straight to the point.

I could hardly ask someone above me to hurry up and teach me.

She continued.

“I considered what I should teach you, young master. However, most of the skills I possess are tied to my martial lineage, so it would be difficult to teach them without accepting you as a disciple.”

'...'

I had roughly expected this.

She would probably teach me the least useful of her skills.

Still, was it not better to learn something than nothing?

“Yet if I, the Sixth Blood Star, were to teach you a useless skill, I do not think I could preserve my dignity.”

'Huh?'

What was this?

Was she saying she would teach me something useful?

- She's just dressing it up with words. Are you actually believing that?

The SoDam Sword scolded me.

Still, it was right.

Even something useless could seem plausible if dressed up with fancy words.

“I obtained this skill through a fortuitous encounter at the shrine of an unnamed immortal over twenty years ago. It may be more useful in the hands of a clever person like you than it is in mine.”

What was she planning to teach me that she was laying this much groundwork?

But if she had obtained it over twenty years ago, how old was she?

She looked to be no more than in her late thirties.

“This skill is why my epithet includes the word Witch.”

She suddenly pointed at her face.

'?'

“Young master. Look directly into my eyes.”

“Yes?”

What did she mean, look into her eyes?

Though I was puzzled, her finger pointed there, so I unconsciously looked.

The black pupils within her eyes.

They seemed to swirl like whirlpools.

For an instant, my mind grew hazy, as if my consciousness were about to be drawn in.

Then it happened.

Thump!

A hot energy surged from my Central Dantian, and my mind cleared.

My innate life energy had moved on its own.

'What just happened?'

- You staggered for a moment.

'I staggered?'

- Only for a moment.

It was a strange phenomenon.

The instant I looked into her eyes, I felt as though I were being pulled in.

But I had experienced this before.

When I first met the Blood-Hand Witch, I had also become hazy when I looked into her eyes.

Her reaction then had been the same as it was now.

As if surprised, a strange light appeared in Han BaekHa's eyes.

“So it was not a coincidence.”

“What do you mean?”

“To endure the Illusory Mind Eye twice, young master, you possess remarkably strong mental fortitude.”

Illusory Mind Eye?

Was that what she had just used?

She said I had endured it through mental strength, but that was not it.

For some reason, my innate life energy had surged up and protected me.

“Pfft.”

It was an extremely quiet sound, but there was no way martial artists like us could miss it.

Dam YeHwa, standing behind Han BaekHa, was covering her mouth.

She must have found it amusing that I staggered.

“I, I am sorry, Master.”

When everyone looked at her, she grew flustered and did not know what to do.

Han BaekHa spoke to her as though this worked out well.

“Come forward.”

“Me?”

“Now.”

Without understanding why, she hesitantly stepped in front of the Blood-Hand Witch Han BaekHa.

Han BaekHa met her eyes.

At that moment, Dam YeHwa flinched and then began to fall.

Grab!

Standing directly behind her, I quickly caught both her shoulders.

When I held her shoulders, strength returned to the legs that had nearly buckled. Startled, she shook off my hands.

“W-What just happened to me?”

Dam YeHwa asked in confusion.

“You nearly fell.”

“I nearly fell?”

Unable to believe my words, she blinked repeatedly.

- ...That's amazing.

I was surprised as well.

She had no awareness whatsoever of what had happened to her.

She had come to her senses with only a light touch, but the Blood-Hand Witch's skill was truly bizarre.

Seeing my surprise, the Blood-Hand Witch spoke.

“It is a kind of suggestion.”

Suggestion?

What did that mean?

The Blood-Hand Witch kindly explained.

“When a person falls into a state of confusion or forgetfulness, a particular stimulus can make them react unconsciously.”

Did that mean she could force someone into a state of forgetfulness and make them fall?

In a way, it was a truly terrifying technique.

The martial world was a place where lives could be decided in a single instant.

If someone fell victim to this, they would be completely defenseless.

“Ho ho ho. I know what you are thinking.”

“Yes?”

“It is not as easy as you think, young master.”

“What do you mean?”

“The Illusory Mind Eye basically does not work well against someone with strong mental fortitude or vitality. Even when it does, it lasts only an instant. Like with you, young master. And the user requires considerable concentration to perform it.”

The conditions seemed more demanding than I had thought.

Han BaekHa continued.

“And even a light touch...”

Clap!

She brought her hands together.

“Or an external shock such as this sound will immediately wake the target. In the end, it is difficult to use in a chaotic situation or in a real battle where life and death are on the line.”

“Ah...”

If even a small stimulus could wake the target, that was a clear weakness.

Still, it certainly seemed like a useful skill for luring someone into lowering their guard.

Though if I used it carelessly, others would become wary.

- That must be why that old man blocked your way.

When I first saw her, Evil Heaven had tried to protect me.

That meant he knew about the Illusory Mind Eye.

It was somewhat disappointing that the technique was so well-known, but it seemed useful enough to learn.

She asked me.

“What do you think? Would you like to learn it?”

Snap!

“Of course.”

I gave a fist-and-palm salute and bowed my head in thanks.

When I accepted, she taught me the essential formula and method of the Illusory Mind Eye through sound telepathy.

Unlike Martial Arts, its essential formula was more like a spell. As she said, it required considerable concentration.

It certainly had demanding conditions that made it difficult to use carelessly.

After teaching me the formula and method, she also told me the hidden history of the Illusory Mind Eye.

[The secret manual I found said that the Illusory Mind Eye is divided into four stages. The first stage is the technique that secretly infiltrates the mind which I taught you.]

Those affected by it would fall into a state of confusion or, in severe cases, lose consciousness.

[Then does mastering the Illusory Mind Eye and reaching higher stages produce other effects?]

[That is right. But it is impossible.]

[What?]

[Unfortunately, the secret manual did not include a way to strengthen the suggestion of the Illusory Mind Eye. Half of it had been torn away.]

Ah...

That was extremely disappointing.

But if she had known even the next stage, she would never have taught me this skill.

She was teaching it because it could only be used occasionally when I met the target's eyes or when various other conditions were met.

Furthermore, I knew how to guard against it.

Still, I was curious about the later stages, so I asked.

[Then what are the effects of the remaining stages?]

[The second stage was said to make the target act as the user intends. Of course, like the previous stage, the effect does not last very long.]

It was fascinating.

A strong enough suggestion could make something like that possible.

[Can it make them harm themselves?]

[That probably would not be possible.]

[Why not?]

[As the essential formula says, it is a technique that causes the target to react after placing them in an unconscious state. Whether unconsciously or instinctively, people protect themselves.]

In other words, it could not make someone commit an act of self-harm.

If it could, the Blood-Hand Witch might have gained even greater infamy.

[It says that upon reaching the third stage, one can show the target hallucinations.]

[Hallucinations?]

[There are sometimes poisons that induce hallucinations. Likewise, it says that at the third stage of the Illusory Mind Eye, one can induce hallucinations in the target and make them see things that are not there.]

The more I learned, the more frightening the Illusory Mind Eye seemed.

Whether its effect was short or long, if this were possible, it could make an opponent tremble in fear.

If the first three stages were like this, how powerful was the final stage?

[What is the final stage?]

[Unfortunately, the secret manual was cut off at the explanation of the final stage. The preceding passage says it makes hallucinations perceived through the five senses, but I do not know what that means either.]

Makes hallucinations perceived through the five senses?

It seemed like an abstract expression, and as Han BaekHa said, I could not understand it.

In any case, the fully completed Illusory Mind Eye was an incredibly terrifying technique.

That made its incomplete parts all the more regrettable.

- Still, learning it is better than nothing. Won't it be useful somehow?

I agreed with the SoDam Sword.

Even the first stage would certainly be useful.

“Now, I have taught you everything I know. Would you like to try it yourself?”

I nodded at Han BaekHa's proposal.

I wanted to immediately see whether the Illusory Mind Eye would work.

“YeHwa.”

“Yes? Y-Yes?”

She jumped at being called.

The SoDam Sword snickered at the sight.

- I was wondering why she brought her along, but this was what she was for.

I agreed.

Since the Blood-Hand Witch's other disciples possessed high-level Martial Arts, it seemed she had brought Dam YeHwa to use her in this way.

I felt sorry for her.

Because her master had lost the bet, she was suffering through all sorts of strange hardships.

Dam YeHwa looked at me with tears in her eyes.

“Try it.”

Han BaekHa pointed at her.

I felt bad that she seemed like an experimental subject, but what could I do?

I met Dam YeHwa's eyes.

Then, while reciting the essential formula Han BaekHa had taught me, I concentrated the power of my gaze.

Since I was not accustomed to it as she was, it took some time.

“Whew.”

It was harder than I expected.

Dam YeHwa gave a faint scoff as she watched me struggle with my eyes wide open.

Seeing that, a thought suddenly came to mind.

If the Illusory Mind Eye could attain even this stage, perhaps I could try something like this...

Then it happened.

Swish!

Dam YeHwa's eyes suddenly went blank, and she removed her face veil.

'!?'

The Blood-Hand Witch Han BaekHa and Baek RyeonHa were both puzzled by her sudden action.

But that was not the end.

Rustle!

She untied the ribbons of her upper garment and began to take it off.

Flustered, I hurriedly slapped her forehead.

“Ow!”

Dam YeHwa's blank eyes returned to normal.

After blinking, she saw the loosened ribbons of her garment and seemed to understand the situation. Her face turned bright red as she tried to scream.

“Ah... mmph!”

Baek RyeonHa quickly covered her mouth and gave me a reproachful glare.

- What did you do?

The SoDam Sword asked me.

How would I know?

I had only briefly thought of it as a stray thought while using the Illusory Mind Eye.

Confused by what had happened, I looked at the Blood-Hand Witch.

Her eyes had widened as she stared at me with an expression of utter disbelief.

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