Blood Demon's Awakening

🏘️ Ice Soul Palace Village - Blood Guard's Information Gathering Strategy

After leaving the library, Blood Guard made a suggestion.

"How about we also talk to the village people? Sometimes oral traditions are more accurate than documents."

"Good idea."

Jin-ho agreed.

"We should be able to hear vivid testimonies that weren't recorded in documents."

"I'm... a bit tired, so I'll rest for a while."

Seol Hwa-rin made an excuse and excused herself.

『She's definitely hiding something』

The Thunder Demon King was certain.

Blood Guard observed the village people for a moment.

"The villagers seem very guarded. They won't open up easily."

"How should we approach them?"

Jin-ho asked.

"Let's start by helping them. We need to build trust."

Blood Guard demonstrated his expertise in information gathering.

👴 The Village Elder's Testimony

The first witness they met in the village was an elderly man in his seventies.

"Young folks these days don't believe old stories..."

The old man grumbled.

"I'm very interested. Please tell me."

Jin-ho asked politely.

"That Miss Seol Hwa-rin laughed at me too... But I saw it with my own eyes!"

The old man's voice carried conviction.

Oral Information #1: Witnessing Time Stop Phenomena

"In the middle of winter, snowflakes stopped mid-air. For 10 whole minutes!"

"For 10 minutes?"

"And it happens every time blue light comes from underground at the Ice Soul Palace."

"Light from underground?"

"Don't you know? Once a month, blue light emerges from underground. Strange things happen every time..."

Jin-ho and Blood Guard exchanged glances.

"What kind of strange things?"

"Time stops, animals freeze in place, even the wind stops blowing..."

The old man's eyes gleamed with the certainty of someone who had witnessed something extraordinary.

"But Miss Seol Hwa-rin says it's just my imagination. Hmph!"

⛏️ The Miner's Testimony

The second person they met was a miner who worked in the underground areas of the Ice Soul Palace.

"Sometimes I hear it when working underground..."

The miner said in a small voice after looking around.

"What do you hear?"

Jin-ho leaned closer.

"A woman's voice... like she's warning about something..."

"A warning?"

"'Don't lose your emotions'... 'Don't lose balance'... things like that..."

Oral Information #2: The Ice Soul Emperor's Remnant Consciousness

"I think that voice... belongs to the Ice Soul Emperor."

The miner said with a trembling voice.

"She didn't completely disappear. I think she's sending warnings to her descendants from underground."

『Interesting. So the Ice Soul Emperor didn't completely vanish』

The Blood Heaven Great Emperor was surprised.

『Does that mean we could end up in a similar state?』

The Thunder Demon King muttered.

"Have others heard this voice too?"

Blood Guard asked.

"A few of the miners have. But we don't talk about it openly..."

"Why not?"

"Miss Seol Hwa-rin gets angry when we mention it. She says it's just the sound of wind through the tunnels."

⛪ The Palace Nun's Confession

The last person they met was a nun who was in charge of prayers at the Ice Soul Palace.

"Miss Seol Hwa-rin... has been strange lately..."

The nun said with a worried expression.

"How so?"

"She used to be such a warm person... but lately, her eyes..."

The nun hesitated.

"She looks at people like they're objects..."

Oral Information #3: Seol Hwa-rin's Transformation

"When did this start?"

Blood Guard asked.

"About three months ago. She suddenly started showing interest in power..."

"Power?"

"Yes, she says she's reforming the Ice Soul Palace, but she's been eliminating the existing factions one by one."

"Eliminating?"

"Not directly harming them... but framing them with conspiracies to exile them..."

The nun's voice grew even quieter.

"Recently, there are rumors that even the Palace Lord is in danger..."

"The Palace Lord?"

Jin-ho was shocked.

"The Palace Lord has been... unwell lately. Some say Miss Seol Hwa-rin is slowly poisoning him..."

"Poisoning?"

"Not with actual poison, but with ice magic. Freezing his emotions bit by bit..."

『That's how she's taking over』

The Blood Heaven Great Emperor realized.

『Gradually freezing the Palace Lord's ability to think and feel』

🌙 Additional Testimonies - The Night Watchers

As they continued gathering information, more villagers began to open up.

The Night Guard's Account:

"I've seen Miss Seol Hwa-rin meeting with shadows at night. Strange figures that don't seem quite human..."

"How many times have you seen this?"

"At least a dozen times over the past two months. Always at midnight, always in the garden behind the main palace."

The Kitchen Staff's Observation:

"Miss Seol Hwa-rin's appetite has completely changed. She used to love warm meals, but now she only eats cold food. Ice-cold."

"And her temperature... when she touches something, frost forms immediately."

The Stablemaster's Report:

"The horses are afraid of her now. They used to love Miss Seol Hwa-rin, but now they won't go near her. Animals can sense these things..."

🔍 Blood Guard's Analysis

After gathering all the testimonies, Blood Guard summarized their findings.

"The pattern is clear. Seol Hwa-rin's transformation began exactly three months ago."

"That's around the time she would have made contact with Eum Mu-geuk," Jin-ho realized.

"Exactly. And all the signs point to someone who's lost their emotional balance."

Blood Guard pulled out his notes.

Summary of Collected Oral Information:

Timeline of Changes: - 3 months ago: First contact with mysterious shadows - 2.5 months ago: Personality changes become noticeable - 2 months ago: Begin elimination of political opponents - 1 month ago: Palace Lord's health deteriorates - Present: Complete emotional coldness achieved

"She's following the same path as the Ice Soul Emperor," Jin-ho said grimly.

"But unlike the Ice Soul Emperor, she's doing it deliberately."

『She's already lost. There's no warmth left in her』

The Thunder Demon King observed.

『Which makes her extremely dangerous』

The Blood Heaven Great Emperor warned.

🌌 The Underground Voices Phenomenon

As they prepared to leave the village, one final piece of information came to light.

An old woman approached them hesitantly.

"You're asking about the voices underground, aren't you?"

"You've heard them too?"

"Not just heard... I've felt them. The Ice Soul Emperor's presence grows stronger each night."

"Stronger?"

"She's trying to warn us about something. Something terrible that's coming."

The old woman looked directly at Jin-ho.

"She's especially worried about young people with special powers. She says they're in great danger."

"Did she say anything specific?"

"'The one who carries the fragments must not make the same mistake.' That's what I heard most clearly."

Jin-ho felt a chill that had nothing to do with the cold.

『She knows about us』

The Blood Heaven Great Emperor realized.

『The Ice Soul Emperor's remnant consciousness is still watching』

📊 Information Synthesis

As they walked back toward the palace, Jin-ho's group synthesized all the information they had gathered.

"Between the documents and the oral testimonies, we now have a complete picture," Blood Flower said.

Complete Intelligence Report:

Seol Hwa-rin's True Nature: - Lost emotional balance 3 months ago - Currently eliminating political opponents - Slowly taking over the Ice Soul Palace - Working with Eum Mu-geuk and possibly Dark Shadow forces - Has become emotionally frozen like the Ice Soul Emperor Ice Soul Emperor's Remnant: - Still exists as a consciousness in the underground - Actively trying to warn people - Particularly concerned about special constitution individuals - Knows about the Four-Way Split Divine Art fragments Underground Facility: - Ancient sealing system still active - Monitoring supernatural activities - Connected to the Supreme Great Demon God's original seal - Shows signs of weakening

"This gives us everything we need to know about the situation here," Blood Guard concluded.

"But it also confirms our worst fears about Seol Hwa-rin."

⚠️ A Growing Threat

As they approached the palace, Jin-ho noticed something that made his blood run cold.

All the servants who had been friendly during their arrival were now watching them with suspicious eyes.

"Something's changed," Blood Guard whispered.

"Seol Hwa-rin knows we've been gathering information."

Through a window, they could see Seol Hwa-rin in discussion with several figures shrouded in shadow.

『We need to leave soon』

The Thunder Demon King warned.

『She's planning something』

Just then, Seol Hwa-rin appeared at the palace entrance, still wearing her bright smile.

"How was your walk around the village? I hope our people were helpful!"

But her eyes held a coldness that hadn't been there before.