The Foreign Press War Begins.
At that time, Seong Jin-woo personally led soldiers to the distant universe to fight against the enemies of outer space.
An all-out war soon followed.
[And that day…]
Remembering the fierce battle that day, Ver calmly continued.
[The flying dragon, Kaisel, who left with Cha Hae-in on board, never came back. Even now, several years later.]
At the time, Seong Jin-woo's order to Kaisel was to return Cha Hae-in safely home.
However, Kaisel, who left after hearing the order, did not return to the Shadow Legion no matter how much time passed.
However, Seong Jin-woo at the time did not care much about him.
In the meantime, it was because they had already left too far from Earth for the foreign press war.
When the distance between dimensions widens too much, the shadow soldier's connection with Seong Jin-woo gradually weakens and is cut off.
Just like Ber does now.
Isn't it because of the 'distance between dimensions' that Seong Jin-woo can't re-summon Ver from the universe after immediately reverse-summoning him on Earth?
If the distance is too far, mana cannot be recharged or reverse summoned.
[As you know, the method of summoning shadow soldiers is a kind of 'gate'. It is a way to call the soldiers waiting in the shadow world to this dimension through the dimension gate.]
But that gate is, after all, an act of breaking through the dimension wall.
[If the distance between the dimensions becomes too far like this, the gate will not be connected directly. You have to fly through the dimensional gap while tearing down countless dimensional walls.] A
representative example of this is the War of Lords, which took place in a time zone that has now disappeared.
Even the powerful rulers took years to reach Earth from their own dimension.
So over the years, the monarchs who arrived one step ahead were preparing for war on Earth first.
In any case, it meant that the dimension in which the foreign press war was taking place was also too far away from the earth.
After hearing Ber's explanation, Suho's expression hardened seriously.
"Then, from then on, mother…"
[Yes. It seems that Cha Hae-in had an unavoidable accident on the way to move by Kaisel and was unable to return home in the first place. You got caught up in a dimensional rift on the way.]
That's right.
an unavoidable accident.
It must have been an absolutely unavoidable accident for Cha Hae-in and the flying dragon Kaisel, who was carrying her.
[…Because at that time, a dimensional rift was opening in the sky.]
After finishing his speech, Ver nodded with a serious expression.
However, regardless of the mood of the two, Sirka, who was listening to their conversation from the side, nodded with a bright expression.
"that's right! That's why the black dragon Kaisel always guards Chacha's side! That's why it's Cha Cha, the dragon priestess!"
At those words, Suho looked at Shirka and asked.
"So where is my mother or my mother now?"
Suho's voice cracked a little when he said mother for the first time in a while.
Somehow, my throat was choking.
* * *
Whoo-oh-
When I came out of the cave again, a magical blizzard blew in from all directions, covering my vision.
However, the ice elf Shirka did not mind the severe cold weather and set out on the road.
"Just follow me. I will guide you to where our tribe lives."
"…."
Suho's expression as he silently followed Sirka was full of thoughts.
On the other hand, Sirka's expression when she actually met Cha Hae-in's son, whom she had heard so much about, was smiling all the time.
"I was born in this forest. Weather like this is normal for the Ice Elves."
As if to prove that those words were not false, Sirka quickly found her way and moved even in this magical blizzard.
His steps were surprisingly light, and he even showed off his talent of jumping over the thick snow.
On the other hand, the feet of Suho, who followed him, kept sinking into the snow.
Looking back at her, Shirka smiled happily.
"I'm afraid he's not someone's son, so even that is the same as Cha Cha! If your feet keep slipping out, try spreading your mana thinly across the soles of your feet."
"Magic power on the soles of your feet?"
"huh. Chacha was difficult at first, but I quickly learned the trick. You are also Chacha's son, so it's definitely possible."
However, Shirka's expression when she saw Suho was full of mischief.
The look on his face was as if he was watching his little nephew begin to walk with excitement.
'Actually, I didn't learn it right away.'
It was said to be a trick, but in fact, this skill was not an easy skill for non-Ice Elves.
How hard did Cha Hae-in try to learn this skill?
It was possible only when the detailed and sophisticated mana control was fully ingrained in every step.
"The trick is simple."
Shirka twitched the corners of her mouth and taught Suho personally.
"We Ice Elves crawl on snow like this before we can even walk. So, at first, I instinctively crawled with mana all over my body, and then gradually reduced the distribution of mana…" "
Aha. Like this. I get the hang of it."
"huh?"
For a moment, Shirka, who was eagerly teaching her nephew how to walk, became bewildered.
Before he knew it, Suho was standing comfortably on the thick snow.
"why? What's wrong?"
"Ugh. It's still a bit clumsy."
Silka, who was dumbfounded for a moment, pointed out Suho's feet to save face as an adult (?).
"Look at this. Are your eyes still squinting? Originally, you shouldn't leave footprints like this like me."
"You say there are no footprints left?"
At those words, Suho turned his head and looked back at the path Shirka had passed.
'surely! Only my footprints remain!'
What a strange talent.
Walking in the snow and leaving no footprints.
When Suho realized his shortcomings, Shirka arrogantly folded her arms in relief.
"Isn't it? Of course, it can be a bit difficult at first. But if you try a lot…"
"Oh, this is it."
"…"
Before the words were finished, Suho's footprints were gone.
[You have learned 'Skill: Elf's Step'.]
'A new skill?'
A strangeness appeared in Suho's eyes.
They said it was just a trick, but it must have been a greater skill than I thought.
Silka, at a loss for words for a moment, stared blankly at Suho.
"…Somehow, whenever Chacha opens her mouth, she brags about her son like that."
"mother?"
At that, Suho tilted his head as if he didn't understand.
"Did my mother brag about me? Couldn't it be?"
Whenever Shirka talked about his mother, Suho felt strange.
His mother Cha Hae-in, whom he knew, was not the type to be stingy with praise, but he was not the type to go out and brag about his children.
Rather…
'He always wanted me to grow up normally.'
His normality really…
Looking back, his childhood was 'normal' itself.
Although he was always on the superior side compared to his peers in terms of strength and physical strength, everything else was extremely ordinary.
That was his childhood guardian.
'And my parents were strangely delighted with me.'
Maybe because of their happy expressions, I think I tried to live a more normal life.
At the time, I took it for granted, but now that I think about it, it was a very strange part.
Isn't it normal for parents from other families to like it when their children show a little better than the children from other families?
[Khem. That's it. It's the consideration of parents who want the little monarch to lead a normal life…]
Ver suddenly jumped out from the side and started looking back on Suho's childhood.
But there was no room for that.
"arrived."
Just in time, their steps stopped and a certain scenery unfolded in front of them.
This is the village of the Ice Elves.
But above all else, the first thing that caught their attention was a large beautiful ice sculpture standing in front of the village.
And surprisingly, the shape of the ice sculpture…
"Mother?"
[Haein?!]
Suho and Ber's eyes widened.
The ice sculptures carved by the Ice Elves were in the form of a huge flying dragon, Kaisel, and Cha Haein.
* * *
5 years ago.
The shadow dragon Kaisel, who was returning with Cha Hae-in, was unable to bring her safely to the ground.
All in all, a dimensional rift had arisen in front of them, which had been multiplying randomly due to Itarim's invasion.
Kwa-O-O-O
-A powerful dimensional wind that suddenly blew Kaisel's wings and turned sharply.
-Kyaaak!
Cha Hae-in, who was just an ordinary human at the time, screamed as she clung to Kaisel's staggering back.
Kaisel tried his best not to let Cha Hae-in fall, but it was impossible to escape once he was caught up in the dimensional rift.
However, when he turned in the opposite direction, a tremendous battle had already begun in the direction he came from.
That moment.
Kaisel, the flying dragon, repeated the order Seong Jin-woo had given him.
That order is…
'Send Cha Hae-in back home safely.'
Cha Hae-in's safety.
Because he was Kaisel, who had been watching Seong Jin-woo, he was well aware of how important Cha Hae-in's safety was to Seong Jin-woo above all else.
The moment he remembered that fact, Kaisel jumped into the dimensional rift without hesitation.
Initially, there were no options.
Hold on and get sucked in.
jump on my feet
In the end, they were destined to be sucked into the dimensional rift.
But if you jumped in on your own, you could at least choose which crack to get sucked into.
And Kaisel turned into the most stable crack for Cha Hae-in's safety.
And the moment they crossed the rift, they could see it.
A mighty blizzard raging beyond.
The beautiful frozen forest below.
"…So Chacha came down to the forest where we live."
Remembering the scene of the day, Sirka looked at the ice-carved Cha Hae-in with a hazy expression.
The moment Cha Hae-in passed through the dimensional rift.
The moment we arrived in this frozen forest.
The moment I encountered the Ice Elves.
Cha Hae-in….
Awakened the tremendous power he had long forgotten.
S-class Hunter.
The magic that was stronger than anyone else in Korea.
"And you saved our tribe."
"From whom?"
"From the ice spirits of the Echo Forest."
Echo Forest.
The sanctuary where even an ice elf cannot come out alive once they set foot in it.
That moment.
belt ring.
[The quest has arrived.]
A system message appeared in front of Suho.