Absolute Sword Sense - Chapter 46

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 46: The Blood-Hand Witch’s Skill (2)

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Han BaekHa, the Blood-Hand Witch, stared at me with her lips slightly parted, blinking in surprise.

It was the first time I had seen her look this shocked.

Only then did I understand what had happened.

'Could that have been... the second stage of the Illusory Mind Eye?'

Han BaekHa had told me through sound telepathy that the second stage of the Illusory Mind Eye could make a target act as the user intended.

If that was true, I had performed the second stage.

- ...You punk. You're a man, after all.

What was that supposed to mean?

I firmly denied the SoDam Sword's words.

- Why deny it so strongly? I understand. A hot-blooded man would want to see a woman's naked body and all.

Don't make it sound like that.

Wouldn't it be strange to do that in this situation?

I had merely thought that, if the second stage was possible, I could embarrass Dam YeHwa while watching her scoff at me.

- And that made her do that?

...I only thought it would be funny if she stripped naked and danced around.

It had merely flashed through my mind for an instant.

- Sure. Of course it did.

This was driving me mad.

It was not just the SoDam Sword. Baek RyeonHa was also giving me an icy look.

Her gaze was clearly close to disappointment.

Even if she did not know about the second stage of the Illusory Mind Eye, anyone would think I was the reason Dam YeHwa had tried to remove her clothes.

“Young master.”

Then Han BaekHa, the Blood-Hand Witch, spoke.

Given the situation, I was afraid of what she might say.

But she did not seem concerned at all about Dam YeHwa nearly taking off her clothes.

Instead, her attention was fixed on something else.

“How did you do that just now?”

“...I don't know either.”

“What do you mean, you don't know? What you did just now was clearly...”

She closed her mouth and continued through sound telepathy.

[That was undoubtedly the second stage of the Illusory Mind Eye. How did you do it?]

Curiosity filled Han BaekHa's eyes.

She seemed to want a clue to the second stage.

But I did not know exactly how I had done it either.

[I don't know either.]

[Don't play dumb. It happened right before my eyes. Are you trying to deceive the teacher who taught you the skill?]

Her eyes sharpened.

She seemed determined to learn the method somehow.

Naturally, if she learned it, she would gain a technique that allowed her to move others according to her will.

- What is she saying to you?

Unable to hear our sound telepathy, the SoDam Sword asked.

'She wants me to tell her how I performed the second stage.'

- The method? Hmm... I don't think you should tell her.

I agreed with the SoDam Sword.

But how could I hide it when she had seen it with her own eyes?

Moreover, judging by her expression, she looked ready to use force if necessary.

In the end, I told her what I suspected.

[When I performed the Illusory Mind Eye, I merely thought, almost like a stray thought, that it would be nice if something happened.]

[...You wished for YeHwa to take off her clothes?]

[It wasn't like that...]

Without listening to my explanation, she called Dam YeHwa.

“YeHwa.”

Dam YeHwa hurriedly tied the loosened ribbons of her garment and answered with a flushed face.

“M-Master.”

“Look into my eyes.”

After falling victim to the Illusory Mind Eye twice, Dam YeHwa did not seem to want to meet her gaze again.

But she could not defy her master's order, so she reluctantly looked into her eyes.

I wondered what would happen.

The two stood still, staring at each other.

“...”

After some time, nothing happened.

Han BaekHa furrowed her brow.

As expected, it seemed she could not perform the second stage of the Illusory Mind Eye.

“Young master.”

She called me.

“Yes, Sixth Blood Star.”

“You try it.”

Han BaekHa pointed at Dam YeHwa.

It seemed my guess had been right.

At her words, Dam YeHwa wrapped both arms around herself and looked uncomfortable.

She also appeared convinced that I had done something to her.

“It wasn't like that.”

“Then why did my clothes...”

“Enough.”

Han BaekHa stopped her as she tried to press the matter.

It seemed the second stage of the Illusory Mind Eye was the only thing on her mind.

She forced Dam YeHwa to do something she disliked.

“Look into the young master's eyes.”

“B-But, Master...”

“Now!”

Dam YeHwa had no choice but to yield to her master's words.

The hierarchy of a martial lineage was strict.

She gave me a resentful glare.

- She really hates you now.

'...Yeah.'

What could I do about something that had already happened?

Since there was no way to improve her mood right away, I gave up on explaining myself.

[Make Dam YeHwa sit down and stand back up.]

Han BaekHa instructed me.

“Whew.”

I met Dam YeHwa's eyes.

Then I recited the essential formula of the Illusory Mind Eye and concentrated my eye power.

Without looking away, Han BaekHa watched Dam YeHwa and me in turn.

As before, while reciting the formula, I pictured Dam YeHwa sitting down and standing back up.

'...'

But even after some time had passed, there was no response.

Instead, my eyes began to ache from concentrating my eye power for so long.

“Sixth Blood Star... It doesn't seem to be working.”

“Young master, you weren't deliberately holding back, were you?”

Han BaekHa asked suspiciously.

Did she not believe what she had seen?

So I showed her my face.

When she saw that my eyes were stinging so badly they were beginning to water, she fell silent.

Then she took on a serious expression, as though deep in thought.

The SoDam Sword asked me.

- Oh. Did you fool her? You really are clever...

'No.'

- You didn't fool her?

If I had fooled her, why would my eyes sting like this?

I had truly recited the essential formula.

I also wanted to confirm it, so I tried to use the Illusory Mind Eye on Dam YeHwa, but she did not fall for it at all.

“Hmm.”

After pondering alone for a long time, Han BaekHa looked at Dam YeHwa.

When the two met each other's eyes, Dam YeHwa flinched, then staggered as if about to collapse.

“Gasp!”

But this time, even without anyone catching her, she woke up of her own accord.

'Ah.'

Seeing this, it seemed that frequent exposure to the first stage of the Illusory Mind Eye, Covert Infiltration, also built resistance. That was good to know.

However, that did not seem to be what Han BaekHa had wanted to confirm.

It appeared she had wanted to see whether Dam YeHwa could still be affected by the Illusory Mind Eye.

“...It seems you were telling the truth.”

“How could I lie to the Sixth Blood Star?”

As she looked at me, she nodded as though convinced.

“Very well. I will believe you, young master. You kept your promise, and it is late, so we should return now... Ah.”

Han BaekHa, who had been about to leave hurriedly, seemed to remember something and looked at Baek RyeonHa.

Baek RyeonHa glared at me, then shook her head.

It seemed she had also had something to discuss with me.

- You must have really made a bad impression.

Don't say it like that. It made me uneasy.

No matter what, she would not change her mind because of this.

She was, after all, a candidate for the next Blood Cult lord.

However, I had to stop at the sound telepathy I heard as she left first.

[Lecher.]

...Damn it.

* * *

Because of that mistake, I had thoroughly made a bad impression on Baek RyeonHa and Dam YeHwa.

I could overlook Dam YeHwa being angry at me, but Baek RyeonHa was a candidate for the next Blood Cult lord. I did not want her to dislike me, but I had bad luck.

The SoDam Sword comforted me.

- You'll get a chance to clear up the misunderstanding later. Cheer up.

The problem was that I had no idea when that chance would come.

Until then, would I not remain a lecher in her eyes?

In any case, there was nothing more foolish than regretting something that had already happened.

- But why did she leave in such a hurry?

The SoDam Sword asked curiously.

It meant Han BaekHa, the Blood-Hand Witch, who had returned to the Main Hall.

Even though it was late, she had used movement skill to return to the Main Hall in a hurry.

'Because she found a clue.'

- A clue? You mean that Illusory Mind Eye thing?

'Yeah.'

She had witnessed the second stage work, even if only by chance.

There was probably nothing in her mind but the desire to reproduce it.

That was why she had hurried back.

Rrrk!

That was what I thought.

When I quietly opened the door and entered, Song JwaBaek and Song WooHyun were lying on the floor.

Since the Guest House had a limited number of rooms, the three of us had decided to share one.

Perhaps because they had become accustomed to sleeping on cave floors, the twins chose to sleep on the ground, leaving the sole bed to me.

- You're back, Un Hwi.

The Southern Heavenly Steel Sword greeted me.

I had left it in the room because I did not think I would need it while learning the skill.

- Are you done with your business?

'Yeah.'

So as not to wake the two, I quietly entered the room.

Stepping over the boys lying on the floor, I sat on the bed, removed the SoDam Sword from my waist, and set it beside me.

Then it happened.

Rustle!

Song JwaBaek, who had been lying down, raised his upper body.

He looked at me through half-closed eyes.

“Where have you been?”

Judging by his first question, he must have been curious because I had disappeared in the middle of the night.

I shook my head and answered him.

“It was nothing.”

“...If it was nothing, why did you go out this late at night?”

He kept prying.

What should I say to him?

He was looking at me as if he would not let it go... Ah!

Suddenly, I wanted to test it on him.

- The Illusory Mind Eye?

Yeah.

It had not worked when I tested it on Dam YeHwa.

But perhaps it would work on him.

If I tested it on him, I might learn why it had failed.

I recited the essential formula of the Illusory Mind Eye and focused my eye power.

“What are you doing now? I asked where you went, so why are you staring at me like that?”

He demanded incredulously.

Since I had opened my eyes wide while concentrating my eye power, he seemed to think I was glaring at him.

I definitely needed more practice.

It took time because I was not used to it yet.

“Hey!”

He seemed to get angry and began to rise.

At that very moment, Song JwaBaek's eyes went blank. He sat back down and looked at his younger twin brother, Song WooHyun, lying beside him.

Song JwaBaek stared at Song WooHyun, then slapped his smooth head with his palm.

Smack!

Song WooHyun opened his eyes at the sharp sound.

He glared fiercely at Song JwaBaek.

Then Song JwaBaek hurriedly pulled his palm away from Song WooHyun's head and said in confusion,

“W-Why did I hit your head...?”

At that moment, Song WooHyun sprang up and headbutted Song JwaBaek in the forehead.

Thud!

“Argh!”

Song JwaBaek collapsed with a short cry.

Perhaps he had fainted. He lay exactly where he had fallen, and only the sound of his breathing could be heard.

After knocking his older twin brother out with a headbutt, Song WooHyun lay down again and closed his eyes.

- Puhahahahahaha!

The SoDam Sword burst into laughter at the sight.

But I could not laugh.

I had learned something from what had just happened.

'...It works?'

I had succeeded at the second stage of the Illusory Mind Eye once again, the stage I had thought was a coincidence.

* * *

Over three days, I learned many things about the Illusory Mind Eye.

That was because I practiced by testing it on various people, including the candidates.

The first stage of the Illusory Mind Eye was almost exactly as the Blood-Hand Witch had taught me.

But the second stage was considerably different.

What I discovered could be summarized as follows.

First. Once affected by the Illusory Mind Eye, people moved as I wished for at least the time it took to count to five, though there were slight differences between individuals.

Seeing this, Dam YeHwa would likely have stopped taking off her clothes halfway through as well.

Second. A target affected once could not be affected by the Illusory Mind Eye again immediately.

When I used the Illusory Mind Eye on Song JwaBaek the next day, it worked. But when I tried again right afterward, he got angry at me, saying I had been picking fights with him since last night.

I tested it on other candidates just in case, but it was the same.

It appeared there needed to be an interval before the Illusory Mind Eye could be used on the same target again.

Third. It was possible to make someone move as I wished with the Illusory Mind Eye, but impossible to draw out memories or information the target knew.

They performed the action I intended, but I could not make them reveal anything further on their own.

That was extremely regrettable.

Fourth. It did not work on those with very strong mental strength, or masters as strong as me or stronger.

I tried it on the Escort Brigade leader Jang MunWoong just in case, but it only provoked him.

Thanks to that, I practiced not opening my eyes so wide.

Lastly, the most important point was the fifth.

Unlike the first stage of the Illusory Mind Eye, the second stage consumed innate life energy.

I did not realize it after one or two uses because the consumption was not very great, but continued use consumed a considerable amount of innate life energy, just as using Martial Arts with the Stellar Star Mystic Art did.

- Is that why that Blood-Hand Witch could only use the first stage?

'That may be true.'

As the SoDam Sword said, Han BaekHa, the Blood-Hand Witch, had used the Illusory Mind Eye for over twenty years without making any progress.

Yet I could use the second stage as soon as I learned it.

That let me become certain.

The way to strengthen the suggestion of the Illusory Mind Eye was definitely related to innate life energy.

- Oh. Then if your innate life energy grows stronger, could you perform the third stage too?

'I don't know.'

I tested whether I could produce the third stage, hallucinations, just in case, but it did not work at all.

Perhaps I still lacked enough innate life energy.

If that guess was correct, then as the SoDam Sword said, the third stage was certainly possible.

- Ha. Still, you've learned something incredibly useful. That witch will be sick with envy if she finds out.