Episode 287

“That symbol…?”

It was the same emblem etched onto Agamemnon’s mask.

Zeke moved closer to examine the symbol carved into the door.

“It’s the same emblem that was on the Ark and Agamemnon’s mask.”

Zeke speculated that both the Ark and Agamemnon’s mask were relics from the era before the Hero King, a time known as the Age of the Constellations, an ancient civilization.

If this ancient site bore the same emblem, it was likely connected to that ancient civilization.

As Zeke studied the door, Michelle and Xeros approached from behind.

Xeros, too, was taken aback by the unusual door.

“Whoa, there really is something here,” Michelle said, exhaling sharply.

“I told you so. It took over two years just to find this place,” Zeke replied, glancing at Michelle.

“So, how do we open this door?” Zeke asked.

Michelle blinked, feigning innocence. “That’s why I brought you, the knight, and the wizard.”

Her expression was shameless, as if urging them to open the door already.

Zeke looked at her incredulously. “So, you spent two years just finding this door?”

“Isn’t it impressive? I did it all by myself,” Michelle said proudly.

Xeros frowned at Michelle’s self-satisfaction and approached the door, releasing his magical energy.

A low hum resonated as Xeros analyzed the door’s structure with his magic, then tilted his head in confusion.

“Sir Zeke, there’s something odd about this door.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s not enchanted.”

Michelle clutched her chest in frustration. “That’s the problem! Even when I brought wizards to try something, they said there was no magic on it. No matter how much I pushed or pulled, it wouldn’t budge!”

Hearing that the door wasn’t enchanted, Zeke stepped closer.

“If there’s no magic, it might be controlled by a system.”

He reached out to the door.

“Access the administrator system.”

The system assessed whether it could connect to the site’s administrator system.

[System Check]

[Access Code Mismatch]

[Would you like to force access?]

When Zeke commanded a forced access, the site trembled momentarily.

[Forcing access with high-level administrator privileges of the Kabbalah system.]

[Temporary access granted.]

[Failed to acquire security system management privileges.]

[Switching entrance to manual operation.]

With the system switching the door to manual, Zeke grasped the handle and began to push with his enhanced strength.

Creak!

Even with his SS-rank strength, Zeke wasn’t exerting much force, yet the handle seemed on the verge of breaking.

“I need to be careful with my strength.”

He eased up and gently pushed the door.

Rumble!

The door, which had been firmly shut, opened.

Michelle looked on in disbelief as Zeke opened the door with sheer force.

“But… it didn’t open when I pushed it…”

Ignoring Michelle’s words, Zeke stepped inside.

The interior revealed a dungeon made of ancient bricks on the floor, ceiling, and walls. However, it differed from typical dungeons in one significant way.

“What is this cold?”

Despite the warm weather of Aten, a chill emanated from within the dungeon.

Michelle, clad in thick leather, was unaffected, but Xeros, in lighter clothing, felt the cold.

Zeke retrieved a thick coat from his inventory and handed it to Xeros.

“Here, wear this.”

“I’m fine. I can ward off the cold with magic.”

Zeke shook his head. “Save your magic. You never know what might happen inside a dungeon.”

At Zeke’s firm words, Xeros nodded and donned the coat.

Together, Zeke, Xeros, and Michelle ventured deeper into the dungeon.

The further they went, the colder it became.

Michelle shivered. “Sir, do you have another coat? It’s freezing.”

“You’re already dressed warmly. Aren’t you from the north?”

“Ugh, I’m a bit frail and sensitive to the cold.”

Michelle was full of complaints.

Then, suddenly—

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The sound of something moving echoed from ahead.

Zeke signaled for them to stop.

But Michelle, oblivious to Zeke’s signal, continued forward, complaining about the cold.

As Xeros moved to follow, Zeke held him back.

“Let’s use her as bait.”

Zeke had no expectations of Michelle, so he decided to make the most of the situation.

“Brr, it’s cold,” Michelle muttered, head down as she walked, sensing something amiss.

When she turned, Zeke and Xeros were no longer behind her.

“Huh? Where did everyone go…?”

The thudding grew louder from the front.

When Michelle looked ahead again, a tall ice statue with long limbs was approaching her.

“Ahhh!”

Michelle screamed and ran back, surprisingly fast for her size.

Zeke watched from hiding as the statue pursued Michelle.

“What is that? An ice statue moving on its own?”

Xeros, startled, spoke from behind. “Sir Zeke, that’s an Ice Golem.”

“Ice Golem? It looks different from regular golems.”

“I’ve never seen one in person either. Unlike regular golems, its attacks have an ice attribute, combining physical and magical power.”

If each attack included ice magic, it would be a formidable opponent.

But that was only true for ordinary knights.

Zeke drew Bahamut and charged at the Ice Golem.

The golem emitted a strange sound and extended its hand.

Shards of ice shot from the golem’s body toward Zeke.

Zeke swung his sword, shattering the ice shards.

Then, a long ice spear emerged from the golem’s abdomen.

The golem tore the ice spear from its body and hurled it at Zeke.

Zeke deflected the spear with his sword, but the impact caused ice to form on the blade.

He brushed off the ice.

If it had been an ordinary knight, the affected area would have frozen and become necrotic.

Xeros, from behind, drew his staff and cast a spell.

A massive fireball formed to counter the ice-attribute golem.

The fireball struck the Ice Golem.

The golem’s body vaporized, retreating.

The golem roared, inhaling the vaporized steam.

Its melted body quickly reformed.

Sharp ice blades sprouted all over the golem’s body.

Zeke shouted to Xeros, “Shield!”

Xeros quickly cast a shield spell.

Simultaneously, the golem launched the ice blades from its body.

Dozens of spinning ice blades flew toward Zeke and Xeros.

Most were deflected by Xeros’s shield, embedding in the walls.

The walls where the blades struck quickly frosted over and froze solid.

As Xeros deflected the blades, Zeke seized the opportunity and charged forward.

His sword surged with aura.

Zeke’s blade pierced the Ice Golem’s heart.

The golem’s core had been exposed when Xeros’s fireball melted its body, allowing Zeke to strike directly.

The golem staggered, retreating.

Zeke severed its limbs with his sword.

The dismembered golem fell, and Zeke stabbed its heart.

The golem’s core was revealed.

Zeke reached out and removed the Ice Golem’s core.

As soon as the core was removed, the golem’s body vaporized into white steam.

Zeke stored the Ice Golem’s core in his inventory.

He approached Xeros.

“Are you alright?”

Xeros, experiencing his first real battle, was sweating from the tension and exertion.

“I’m fine,” Xeros replied, though clearly exhausted.

Zeke handed him a potion from his inventory.

“Drink this; it’ll help.”

Michelle, who had been hiding, emerged awkwardly.

“I’m fine too,” she said, wiping sweat despite having done nothing.

Xeros, having recovered with the potion, caught his breath and spoke.

“I didn’t know Ice Golems could use ice magic-like attacks. I’ll need to update the records.”

“With Ice Golems appearing, this must be a high-level dungeon. We should proceed with caution.”

Xeros nodded, and Zeke turned to Michelle with a curious look.

“But Michelle, don’t you have any useful skills? I mean, you are a druid, after all.”

Xeros nearly jumped out of his skin at Zeke’s words.

“Sir Zeke, did you just say… a druid? That person is a druid?”

Xeros stared at Michelle in disbelief. Druids were a mysterious race that hadn’t been seen for centuries, so his shock was understandable.

He scrutinized Michelle from head to toe, but no matter how hard he looked, he couldn’t find any trace of the legendary mystique associated with druids.

Michelle, looking a bit sheepish, finally spoke up. “Well, the spells I can use require animals to be around.”

“Can’t you use spirit magic too?”

“Ah, that’s not really my area…”

In other words, she was practically useless at the moment.

‘Looks like I’ll have to keep using her as bait,’ Zeke thought, leading Xeros and Michelle deeper into the dungeon.

As they ventured further, the air grew colder and the surroundings darker.

‘It seems like we’re descending underground,’ Zeke mused. The path appeared flat, but it was actually a gentle spiral leading them downward.

Just as they were descending further, Zeke sensed something.

‘Is that… a monster?’

It was a different presence from the ice golems they had encountered before. Zeke halted, and Michelle, quick on the uptake, stopped and hid behind him.

Xeros whispered to Zeke, “Sir Zeke, just say the word, and I’ll cast a spell immediately.”

Despite his lack of combat experience, Xeros was a reliable ally. He could cast spells quickly and was an all-around mage capable of using any element.

‘With a bit of training, he could be incredibly useful,’ Zeke thought, eyeing Xeros as a valuable asset.

Suddenly, something lunged at them from the shadows.

A guttural growl echoed as creatures scuttled rapidly along the floor, walls, and ceiling.

“Flash!” Zeke shouted to Xeros.

In an instant, Xeros cast a flash spell, and a blinding light exploded, searing their eyes.

“Argh!”

The spell was meant to disorient the monsters, but Michelle, caught off guard, clutched her eyes and fell to the ground.

The creatures revealed in the flash were grotesque, like mummies with transparent skin and icy bones.

“Sir Zeke! I’ve never seen monsters like these before!” Xeros exclaimed.

Unlike Xeros, Zeke recognized them immediately.

‘Why are they here?’

The creatures clinging to the ceiling were ice-borne undead known as Ice Bones. Zeke had faced them before while retrieving an elder dragon’s relic in the ice mountains.

‘These undead with ice attributes are tough to deal with,’ he thought. Their presence suggested there was a controller nearby.

One of the Ice Bones screeched and charged at Zeke.

He sheathed his sword and pulled out the Giant Slayer from his inventory. Blunt weapons were more effective against Ice Bones, as they needed to be shattered completely.

With a powerful swing, Zeke smashed the charging Ice Bone with the Giant Slayer.

Crash!

The Ice Bone hit the wall and shattered into pieces, leaving Xeros gaping in awe.

Just then, a fierce, icy wind began to blow.

Zeke’s eyes sharpened as something formidable emerged, bringing with it a chilling gust.