Episode 288
The wind howled fiercely, like a blade slicing through the air, as a bone-chilling cold enveloped Zeke and his companions.
Xeros sensed the ominous atmosphere and gripped his staff tightly, his tension palpable.
Zeke turned to him, holding his giant hunter’s sword. “Xeros, prepare earth magic.”
Xeros blinked in surprise. “Earth? Not fire?”
“Fire won’t work on this one. It’s better to erect a barrier to block the icy winds when the attack comes.”
In his past life, Zeke had used fire spells against ice-type monsters, but they had been utterly ineffective.
Creak!
Through the ice-bound bones, a monster slowly emerged.
Zeke tensed, raising his sword. ‘It’s here. The Ice King.’
Unlike ordinary ice skeletons, the Ice King, a boss-level monster, walked on two legs, shrouded in a storm of frost and cold.
Crack!
Wherever the Ice King stepped, the ground froze solid.
Its skeletal face and body were covered with dried, frozen flesh, resembling a mummified corpse. In its withered hand, it held a staff made of solid ice.
The Ice King raised its staff and opened its mouth wide.
Screeeeech!
A piercing shriek reverberated, shaking the very air.
Simultaneously, the ice skeletons charged at Zeke and his group.
“Now!” Zeke shouted to Xeros.
In an instant, Xeros cast his spell, and sharp pillars shot up from the ground.
Screech!
The ice skeletons were impaled on the pillars, writhing in place.
Zeke dashed through the pillars, charging toward the Ice King.
Whoosh!
He swung his giant hunter’s sword, enveloped in aura, at the Ice King.
Crash!
The Ice King conjured an ice crystal to block the attack.
Crack!
Frost crept up the sword from the point of contact with the ice crystal.
Zeke infused his sword with aura, shaking off the frost, and swung again.
The Ice King thrust its staff forward, emitting a blinding light.
Whoosh!
A massive gust of icy wind and cold surged toward Zeke.
Slash—
The razor-sharp wind cut into Zeke’s body.
Any ordinary knight would have been frozen solid, unable to move.
The fierce wind blew toward Xeros and Michelle as well.
Xeros, quick-witted as ever, erected a barrier just in time to block the wind, as Zeke had instructed.
Simultaneously, he used binding magic to immobilize the ice skeletons, preventing them from reaching Zeke, and attacked them with energy balls.
Seeing Xeros’s adept handling of the situation, Zeke smiled in satisfaction and donned his Hersion armor.
Clink!
With Hersion on, the icy wind no longer affected Zeke.
His eyes glowed golden from within his helmet as he slowly approached the Ice King.
Panicking, the Ice King raised its staff, summoning an even stronger ice storm.
The power was comparable to the high-level ice spell ‘Blizzard.’
But against Hersion’s magical defense, it was useless. And Zeke wasn’t done yet.
He extended his hand, using a technique derived from Luther’s magic reversal.
Buzz—
As the magic reversal took effect, the light flickered on the Ice King’s ice staff.
The power of the ice storm gradually waned.
The Ice King, flustered, let out another shriek.
In response, dozens of ice skeletons swarmed forward.
Zeke swung his giant hunter’s sword at the oncoming skeletons.
Boom!
The aura-infused sword smashed them to pieces, unable to withstand the force.
Before long, Zeke was once again face-to-face with the Ice King.
The Ice King attempted another spell, but Zeke’s attack was faster.
Whoosh!
His swing severed the Ice King’s arm entirely.
Screeeeech!
The Ice King let out a chilling scream and tried to retreat, but Zeke hurled his giant hunter’s sword at it.
Boom!
The sword, charged with immense power, obliterated the Ice King’s upper body.
Shatter—
The Ice King disintegrated into ice crystals and vanished.
With the Ice King gone, the charging ice skeletons also crumbled into ice shards, and the raging ice storm disappeared without a trace.
Zeke removed his Hersion armor and approached the barrier.
Michelle, with icicles hanging from his beard, was shivering and huddled for warmth, while Xeros was poised, ready to cast another spell.
“The Ice King is gone. You can come out now,” Zeke announced.
Xeros finally relaxed, his tension dissipating.
Both were new to dungeons, and the high-level one had clearly taken a toll on them.
Seeing their exhaustion, Zeke decided to light a fire and take a short break before their stamina depleted further.
He skillfully set up camp, lighting a fire and preparing food, which surprised Xeros.
“Is that a spatial bag? I’ve never seen one hold so much.”
“I found it in an ancient ruin,” Zeke replied smoothly, the lie rolling off his tongue effortlessly.
Xeros and Michelle nodded, sipping the warm drinks Zeke provided to thaw their chilled bodies.
As Zeke brewed tea, he watched Michelle devour the rations and asked, “Michelle, what exactly are you looking for in a high-level dungeon like this?”
Michelle flinched, his eyes darting nervously.
“Well, it’s… um…”
“If you don’t tell me, I’ll just leave. And to clear a dungeon of this level, you’d need at least a whole knight order. Even if you succeed, all the items here would belong to them.”
Michelle’s face turned pale at Zeke’s words.
He hesitated, his voice trembling. “I… I need an elixir.”
Xeros frowned. “An elixir? Isn’t that just a legend?”
A mythical potion said to cure all ailments and grant immortality. As rare as the Philosopher’s Stone.
‘An elixir…’
Unlike Xeros, who doubted its existence, Zeke knew the elixir was real.
‘It’s listed in the system’s craftable items.’
The problem was that the ingredients were nearly impossible to obtain, and it required 50,000 karma points to make.
Zeke looked at Michelle. “What do you need the elixir for?”
Michelle met his gaze, voice shaking. “There’s someone I must save.”
“Are they sick?”
“Not exactly sick… but something similar.”
With his dragon senses, Zeke could discern the truth in Michelle’s words. Surprisingly, it was the most honest thing Michelle had said.
Zeke told Michelle, “I’m afraid the elixir won’t cure any illness.”
Michelle was taken aback. “What do you mean? How do you know…?”
“The elixir isn’t the panacea the legends claim. It’s an alchemical ingredient.”
“That can’t be…”
“The elixir is a miraculous substance that allows incompatible materials to react, defying the laws of nature. It’s a priceless reagent for alchemists and mages, but it won’t grant immortality or heal the body.”
This was the information Zeke had verified through the system.
While he acknowledged its value, he saw no reason to spend 50,000 karma points on it, nor had he considered gathering the rare ingredients.
Michelle slumped in defeat.
Then Zeke sent a telepathic message to Michelle.
—Is the person who needs healing in the druid village?
Michelle looked up at him, startled.
—I can read thoughts, so speak to me in your mind.
Michelle hesitated, then thought, —Yes, they’re in the village.
—Alright, I’ll heal them. But in return, guide me to the Fairy Lake.
Michelle’s eyes widened in shock.
—How do you know about the Fairy Lake?
—I don’t need to explain that to you.
Michelle’s eyes darted as he thought.
—But how will you heal them?
—I’m a descendant of Lubern. I can use healing magic.
—A healer! A miracle worker!
As a druid, Michelle knew of the healer class.
Despite his hesitation, Michelle had no choice.
Zeke’s claim about the elixir might not be true, but without him, obtaining it was impossible.
—Alright. If you come to the village and heal them, I’ll guide you to the Fairy Lake.
—Deal.
The agreement with Michelle was sealed, and having confirmed Xeros’s abilities, Zeke saw no need to risk taking them further.
He turned to Xeros. “Xeros, beyond this point, the monsters will be even stronger. It will be difficult for me to protect you both.”
Xeros realized what Zeke was implying.
“Are you planning to tackle the dungeon alone?”
“Exploring it might be feasible, even if conquering it isn’t. But with both of you here, it would be difficult for me to make a quick escape if needed.”
Xeros felt his shoulders slump at the implication that he was more of a hindrance than a help.
Still, he reasoned that it would be better for Zeke if he and Michelle left, rather than staying and getting in the way.
Nodding, Xeros said, “Understood, Sir Zeke. We’ll head back to the surface.”
Normally, Michelle would have protested, but he seemed too exhausted to argue and quietly followed Xeros.
Once they were gone, Zeke drew his sword, Roland.
“These upcoming monsters might be more susceptible to holy weapons.”
Until now, he had refrained from using his skills in front of Xeros, who was affiliated with Nirvana. But the dungeon’s difficulty was such that holding back could lead to serious injury.
Zeke planned to finish his exploration before Xeros could report back to Nirvana and potentially bring other mages here.
He summoned Richmond.
A low hum filled the air as Richmond emerged from the shadows before Zeke.
“Ugh, why is it so cold here?”
“This is Aten.”
“Aten, huh? Not my favorite place.”
“Enough chatter. Prepare for battle. The creatures here are mostly ice-based, which should give the undead an advantage.”
Grumbling, Richmond summoned Dullahan and the dragoons.
Zeke sent out ghostly scouts to survey the area, then advanced with Richmond and the undead forces.
A few ice golems appeared along the way, but they were easily dispatched by Dullahan.
‘It’s nice not having to exert myself.’
Zeke had found it frustrating to hide his strength while protecting his companions.
As he calmly dealt with minor monsters, a massive door loomed before him.
‘Doesn’t look like the lab of a 9th-circle mage.’
It seemed the mage’s lab he remembered from his past life was on the other side.
‘I’ll deal with this first, then head to the lab to collect the artifacts.’
Zeke manually switched the door’s mechanism.
With a mighty push, Dullahan opened the door.
A blast of cold air rushed out as the enormous door creaked open.
Inside was a world of ice, frozen solid.
Richmond looked around in awe.
“Wow, Master. There are so many ice statues here.”
Various ice sculptures filled the space, but one in the center exuded a mysterious aura.
Zeke was taken aback by the sight of it.
‘An angel?’
At first glance, it resembled an angel, but upon closer inspection, it was unlike any angel statue he’d seen in the church.
It had two pairs of wings, six arms, and its eyes were covered with cloth.
Zeke approached the imposing statue cautiously.
The intricately carved figure seemed ready to spring to life.
‘Why place such an ice sculpture here?’
Just then, a message appeared before Zeke’s eyes.
[You have discovered the Avatar of a Sealed Constellation.]
[Security system activated. The seal on the Avatar is being released.]
[The Avatar of the Constellation ‘The One Who Promises Eternity,’ the ‘Snow Queen,’ awakens from her seal.]