Alchemy Of Souls Episode 18

36:06 The word was wit

I actually agree with you guys that this was a misstep on Mudeok/Naksu's part, and it never sat well with me. I get the writer's intention though. She was raised to be an assassin, pursuing self interest above all else. She has single-mindedly focused on getting her powers back throughout the show, and even though we see how she is not actually as cold-hearted as she likes to present, she does not see herself that way. She thinks she is a stone cold killer, and would not let anything come in the way of getting her power back, not even Jang Uk. She literally attempted to sacrifice him before for less. So when she finally had what she wanted in reach, the cognitive dissonance reached its peak. She thinks the "right" thing to do based on her world view is to sacrifice everyone there for her powers, so 2 lives getting lost early are inconsequential. She had to be pushed to the extreme by Jang Uk being in danger to reconcile with herself and accept that her world view has changed and she no longer thinks her powers are worth all these lives. That there are some things that are worth more than just power. Let's be real, Naksu has been a murderer. When she soul shifted to Mudeok, that was murder too. She was essentially raised by Jin Mu on hate and anger, so she has some justification for her twisted morality, but at the end of the day, she has always valued her life/powers above all others. We have just watched her grow out of that mindset from the moment the show started, and this was just the natural conclusion of that. Still a murderer, but I like to think she regrets these kills once she accepts her new morality.

This is just my guess but Heo Yun-ok (the granddaughter) is likely Seo Yul's cousin or at least distant relative, since Heo Yeom (grandpa) is part of the Seo family (remember when Jang Uk tried to learn the breathing technique from Seo Yul and grandpa). Grandpa likely married someone from the Seo family. And since Seo Yul is related to Crown Prince she might be related to Crown Prince as well. So, I guess you guys can't ship her with either of them 😂

Naksu could not involve herself and help those mages because then her identity would have been revealed and then songrim will kill her cause she’s a soul shifter and also all her actions in this episode literally revealed that she would have never chosen power over love so there’s no parallel with so-yi, anything different you were seeing were all her thoughts her actions were different from what she was thinking

I think you missed the fact that from the beginning, the whole point of trying to get the ice stone wasn't just to get Naksu's power back but also to prevent her from petrifying (as they showed her fear multiple times when she saw other soul shifters petrify). So although she has been fine for so long that it feels like she's never going to petrify, it is still a possibility. In that sense, she IS risking potentially dying by giving up on the ice stone and sparing everyone else's lives. Even if dying wasn't a possibility, living as an ordinary maid forever means she has lost a huge part of her identity. Although she no longer wants to kill the mage families, that power was what she had trained for since she was a little child. It is part of her identity and is not just something she can let go of easily, especially given that she has always been mainly self-oriented. Also, in my opinion, saving those two guys wasn't really an option because she wouldn't be able to explain where her power came from afterwards, and everyone would know that she's a soul shifter/Naksu. Even if she redeemed herself by saving them, Songrim is very rigid when it comes to soul shifters and would still try to get rid of her. Uk would also be put in danger for covering up this big secret. In the end she killed the soul shifter not just because she thought Jang Uk was killed but also because no one else was around and she could show her power without being seen.

You are too harsh on Naksu. She could not have saved that guys. The soul shifter was an old soul in a young body, he was at least as skilled as her and she was without a sword, probably she would be defeated (or killed). The only way that she could have saved them was by revealing herself and working together with the guys. She is very pragmatic, the only way for her to do that was if Jang Uk was among them (maybe if Crown Prince or Seo Yool too, but I wouldn't be so sure), but for people that not long ago were belittling her she would not. By the way, he was burnt and badly injured, that is why he was like that and it why she was able to defeat him so easily after.

Also i forgot to write that she kept prolonging her being Mudeok, like one last time I will do this or one last time I will save them. She could have taken the ice stone way before, had she been the same Naksu we saw in episode 1. So the character development is definitely there but being a selfish person she won't make the big decision for some dudes she has no feelings whatsoever for. :D

I totally get your frustration but Naksu choosing love and not power is the biggest arc for her character. The choice she would eventually have to make has been established since the first episode itself. She had clearly told Jang UK that she would cut ties with him the moment she regains her power. She wouldn't have to go easy on him that way and he would not have to protect her either. So, she was quite fair about that not manipulative in a sense that she could use his love for her for her benefit. The writers would not show the biggest choice she has to make for some guys even the audience barely knew. That would have been weak storytelling in my opinion. Even Seo Yul and the Crown Prince were not enough to change her mind. Only her love for Jang UK made her choose otherwise. I guess this was to remind the audience that she actually is Naksu, the assassin and not Mudeok, whom we have been watching for the most part, that we forget her identity and the trauma and anger she carries within herself against these powerful families. She is a very complex character. Hence, we see Jang Uk taking full responsibility for loving her and wanting to keep her safe.