You Will Be Blessed If You Do Good Deeds¿ - Chapter 139

After the system message appeared, a brief silence followed.
Even though everyone gathered here were S-rank hunters, it wasnât like they regularly faced S-rank monsters.
Especially for Son Hyeong-hwa and Lee Hyeon-jun, who had never encountered a monster named "figurine" before, unlike Han Jae-young.

"S-rank is one thing, but 'figurine'... this is the first time Iâve heard of a monster like that."
"So, is it that Han-ul was defeated by one of these figurines, or by something like the Red Eternal Snow?"
At these words, the woman, who had been bowing her head, suddenly looked up in shock and denied it.

"Mon-monster? What... thatâs not...! No!"
She responded with such desperation, as if she had heard an unholy word that she shouldnât speak.
"Our master is not a monster. He... he..."

"No, thereâs something even stranger."
Lee Hyeon-jun interrupted the woman, who was about to speak more, and asked.
"How are we communicating right now?"

"Thatâs true... Hmm... Sorry, but Iâll look into it for a moment."
Han Jae-young gently helped the woman to her feet while subtly channeling magic into her to begin a scan.
In the dungeon where they had encountered figurines before, the villagers existed as souls, so a translation device wasnât needed.

However, this woman was not a ghost; she was a living person.
So, as Lee Hyeon-jun had pointed out, the fact that they could communicate without a translation device was strange.
After a brief scan, Han Jae-young nodded.

"...This woman is under a spell."
"What kind of spell?"
"It seems someone placed a mental magic spell on her, allowing her to communicate her thoughts regardless of language..."
"Does that make sense?"

Lee Hyeon-jun frowned.
"What youâre saying is that she was made to use telepathy without her will, and thatâs...?"
"No, thatâs not it! Itâs not forced!"

The woman vehemently denied it again.
"She speaks to us because our master granted us his blessing."
"Blessing?"

"Itâs because weâve had many communication problems with wanderers before. Our master gave us this blessing. We are all grateful for our masterâs grace."
"..."
Lee Hyeon-jun, who was about to say something more, fell silent.

In fact, magic that uses brainwaves to communicate is already a known magic.
However, even though telepathy magic exists, people often use translation items because prolonged use of telepathy can cause the mental barriers to break down.
Moreover, when itâs someone else who casts such a magic, it becomes even more problematic...

Lee Hyeon-jun just shook his head in the end.
He felt it was pointless to say more.
Son Hyeong-hwa nodded toward Lee Hyeon-jun, confirming that continuing to question her would only result in the woman being too terrified to speak, even if she was forced into it.

"It seems like itâs pointless to talk more. If we go up this mountain, will we meet this master?"
"If youâre visiting our masterâs castle... Iâll guide you."
"...Is that okay?"

This response was completely different from the way Jacks had rejected outsiders by throwing stones.
The woman nodded.
"Yes, our master always welcomes guests."

The group exchanged glances.
There were many suspicious points, so blindly following her felt uneasy, but...
"...That man who looked like Han-ul, I mean."

Son Hyeong-hwa asked.
"Is he also at the castle?"
"Well, I wasnât the one to greet him, but I heard our master welcomed him as a guest. I donât know anything else."

At this point, it seemed like they had no choice but to confront whatever lay ahead in order to find Han-ul.
In the end, Son Hyeong-hwa nodded.
"...Then please lead the way."

And so, the four of them began to follow the woman.
Though it was a mountain, the scenery was unlike any typical Korean mountain.
The peaks overlapped in layers, and the massive rock pillars, cut as if by a saw, formed strange shapes.

Moreover, it wasnât just the woman who had been gathering herbs in the forest.
They saw several people bent over, gathering something under large trees.
All of them looked quite shabby.

They waved their hands toward the woman, but upon seeing the group, they were startled and quickly fled.
Han Jae-young tried to gather more information and spoke to the woman.
"What are all these people doing?"

"Theyâre gathering edible mushrooms or herbs. Farming doesnât do well here... Our master said it was fine."
"I see... By the way, why is this master referred to as the Red Eternal Snow?"
"Hmm...?"

The woman tilted her head at the question.
"Iâve just heard that name, thatâs all..."
"Ah, so they must be old. Is this person the lord of this place?"

"..."
But the more deeply Han Jae-young inquired, the more the woman kept her mouth tightly shut.
Eventually, even Han Jae-young gave up on the conversation.

"Just what kind of monster is this 'figurine' that makes the magic flow so strangely?"
Instead, Lee Hyeon-jun quietly asked Han Jae-young.

"Jae-young, you must know something about the figurine, right? The system didnât send the initial discovery message, so someone must have information."

Sharp as ever.
Han Jae-young nodded.
"Yes, Iâve encountered them a couple of times."

"Whatâs the strategy for dealing with them?"
"Iâve only personally defeated one. It was highly synergistic for me. It was an unclean entity."
Using his fairy purification powers, Han Jae-young had no trouble dealing with such enemies.

"Really? In that case, having you with us should make this easy..."
Lee Hyeon-junâs gaze shifted toward his wife, Son Hyeong-hwa, and Jeong Da-on, who was silently following beside her.
"We never know when a fight might start, so we should be prepared."

After several hours of climbing, they finally reached the top of the mountain.
"â¦Oh my god."
The view that unfolded before them was unimaginable from the plains below.

Between the steep cliffs, a massive castle appeared.
It was a rough stone building, but its tall roof and grand scale were unmistakable of a castle.
The woman bowed her head.

"My guide ends here. Our master will be inside, so please go on."
"Yes, thank you..."
Before Han Jae-young could finish his gratitude, the woman quickly disappeared.

As if talking any longer would result in her death.
"Ugh. I feel like Iâve been possessed by a ghost."
Lee Hyeon-jun clicked his tongue as he patted his back after hours of hiking.

"Not only are there people in this dungeon, but weâre communicating, and now we find this building...?"
"Right. And the system message is still the same."
Son Hyeong-hwa also seemed curious, inspecting the building from every angle.

"But is there really a monster here? It looks like a place where people live."
"...I guess we need to redefine what we mean by monsters."
"Hmm?"

Son Hyeong-hwa glanced at Jeong Da-on.
Jeong Da-on had been silent the entire time they had climbed the mountain, but suddenly, she spoke up.
"In the end, the monsters in a dungeon just mean enemies to humans, but there's no defined form for them."

Her words felt like they carried some meaning.
Moreover, Jeong Da-onâs expression, as she said it, was chilling.
Before anyone could ask more, however...

Creeeak!
The massive doors of the building opened.
It was as if they were beckoning them inside.

"...Letâs go."
The interior of the building wasnât very large.
It wasnât a place designed with concern for outsidersâ gazes. The décor wasnât lavish, in fact, it was rather humble.

The only noticeable effort was the fresh flowers in the vase, perhaps placed to welcome guests.
A figure turned toward the sound of footsteps.
"New guests?"

The figure had white hair that looked almost silver.
Her hair, long enough to reach her feet, flowed down her shoulders like a cape.
Her delicate, pale face was incredibly beautiful, and her eyes sparkled like jewels, a mix of green and blue.

But no one was distracted by her beauty.
System Warning
Monster Detected: Figurine (S-rank)
 
The system message appeared the moment they saw the woman.

And above all...
"Watch out!"
Lee Hyeon-jun was the first to shout.

"Donât let her steal your magic! Keep your focus!"
They could feel a massive flow of magic trying to absorb everything around her.
It was like a black hole, and if they lost focus, they would be drained of their magic and die.

Swoosh!
"Ha!"
Son Hyeong-hwa was the first to charge, drawing her sword and stepping forward.

At the same time, Lee Hyeon-jun also drew his wand and tore a scroll.
Han Jae-young, too, was preparing for battle by summoning his fairy form...
"Such impolite guests."

Kkrrrrkk!
But it was the enemy who moved first.
The fire arrows that had shot from the scroll Lee Hyeon-jun tore dissipated easily before reaching the enemy.

And it wasnât just that.
Thud!
Clang!

"Hyung-hwa!"
Son Hyeong-hwaâs prosthetic arm fell from her body.
The sword clattered loudly to the floor.

Lee Hyeon-jun gritted his teeth.
"To dispel so much...?"

Dispel. The pinnacle of reverse magic that canceled out magic by controlling all magic movements within a certain range.

Because of this, even Son Hyeong-hwaâs prosthetic arm, powered by magic, stopped.
"This is ridiculous."
However, even though it was dispel magic, it wasnât without its weaknesses.

Typically, blocking magic movements forcibly would cause a backlash...
Son Hyeong-hwa, however, simply kicked her fallen prosthetic aside and picked up her sword with her remaining left arm.
"Youâd better not underestimate me."

Casting dispel magic meant that the caster couldnât use magic either.
Which meant, if there was a swordsman among the enemies, it was magic they shouldnât use.
Son Hyeong-hwa swung her sword at the monster in front of her.

Clang!
However, the sword Son Hyeong-hwa swung collided with a sharp sound.
At some point, the woman had also drawn a sword to counter.

"Well, Iâm not sure whoâs underestimating whom."
There was a hint of laughter in the womanâs tone. It sounded like she was pitying her opponent.
"I didnât attack you first... So why are you rushing at me as soon as you see me, huh?"

Creeeak!
It was obvious to anyone that the womanâs delicate arms were untrained, yet the sword she held was pushing Son Hyeong-hwaâs sword away.
In pure strength, she was losing.

Even though it seemed like she was about to put more strength into it...
"Ugh!"
The sword that had been pushed back suddenly stabbed deep under Son Hyeong-hwaâs chin.

If you are reading this translation anywhere other than .net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.
Shock and horror spread across Son Hyeong-hwaâs face.
"What kind of strength is this...?!"

"Step back, Senior!"
Boom!
Of course, Son Hyeong-hwa didnât have to deal with this situation alone.

Han Jae-young, who had been watching for an opening, swooped down and struck the womanâs shoulder with great force.
It was the power of the fairy, purifying all that was unclean.
Since it wasnât magic, it couldnât be blocked by dispel magic.

As with the previous figurines, Han Jae-young was confident that his attack would work.
"Oh, a fairy."
And sure enough, it worked.

The woman, who had been relentlessly pushing toward Son Hyeong-hwaâs neck, took several steps back.
Moreover...
âGot it!â

With Han Jae-youngâs attack, a chunk of flesh from her shoulder was torn away, exposing her white bone.
It was clear evidence that she was an unclean entity.
"Not a bad opponent."

Yet, even in that state, the woman was smiling as though it was all in fun.
The reason for her confidence soon became clear.
"No way, such a regeneration power..."

The flesh that had fallen off healed almost instantly, as if nothing had happened.
Lee Hyeon-jun clenched his teeth.
"...As expected, S-rank monsters are no joke. Jae-young, right nowâ!"

"Hahahaha, a monster? Me? Aha hahahaha!"
And then.
The woman laughed loudly, as if she found Lee Hyeon-junâs words amusing.

It was a
laugh like none other.
Her booming laughter echoed throughout the hall, growing louder.

After a while, she suddenly stopped laughing and said:
"You have eyes, but you canât see. What exactly does the word 'monster' mean?"
"...What?"

"I told you I have no intention of hurting you. And I didnât attack first. So, who is the monster here?"
At those words, Han Jae-young involuntarily flinched.
The system definitely said that this was the monster they had to defeat.

But...
Looking back at his hunter life, had he ever encountered a monster that looked like a humanâno, was human?
Moreover, one that could communicate like this?

...Is this really a monster?
"Then, what are you?"
"Well, I am..."

Just as Han Jae-young was about to ask more, a massive earthquake shook the building.
"â¦No need to listen."
Fwoooosh!

In the space where magic had been blocked by a large-scale dispel, black flame-shaped magic rose up.
"Listening more will only bewitch you."
The flame illuminated the face of the caster.

It was Jeong Da-on.
Jeong Da-on, with flames rising from her hand, glared at the woman facing the group.
"And you still have a treacherous tongue."

The woman, who had just been laughing hysterically, now looked completely stunned.
"Oh, could it be...?"
But that was only for a moment.

The womanâs eyes widened in shock and then curved into a smile.
"So my star has finally returned."