Episode 82
“Yeti?”
A monstrous creature with thick fur and hide emerged from the snowy landscape—a Yeti.
Reina and her companions immediately drew their weapons.
But it wasn’t just one or two Yetis that appeared. A dozen or so were advancing toward them.
The largest of the group stepped forward, opening its mouth wide to let out a thunderous roar.
“Roaaar!”
It was a warning, as if to say, “Do not come any closer.”
Reina and her team had no choice but to press on; they had to pass through this path to reach their destination. There was no other route they knew of.
As they faced off against the Yetis, Reina couldn’t help but wonder, ‘Why are these creatures, who usually remain hidden, suddenly appearing?’
Then, a thought struck her—Edward. It had been odd that they hadn’t encountered any attacks from Siemens on their way up. Could he have stationed these Yetis near the summit?
When the group refused to retreat, the Yetis’ eyes turned a menacing red. They bared their sharp teeth and began to advance, their bodies swelling with aggression.
Reina and her companions tightened their grips on their swords, bracing themselves.
Suddenly, something flew toward them from behind.
Boom!
One of the Yetis had hurled a massive snowball at them. But this was no ordinary snowball; it was as hard as a block of ice.
“Take cover!” Reina shouted, realizing the danger.
Her companions scattered just in time.
Crash!
The ice ball shattered upon impact, sending sharp shards flying in all directions.
“Ugh!”
One of the team members was grazed by a shard, leaving a wound. The real danger was that even a small cut could quickly freeze, leading to frostbite.
Reina rushed over, pouring a potion over the injury.
Sizzle!
The potion healed the wound, but the threat was far from over.
Rumble!
The Yetis began launching similar ice projectiles from all sides.
Crash! Boom!
The relentless barrage of ice bombs forced Reina and her team to constantly dodge and deflect with their swords.
“Huff, huff.”
The high-altitude cold sapped their strength with every movement.
Finally, Reina turned her focus to the Yeti leader.
“Haah!”
She launched herself toward it, her sword poised for attack.
The Draker family’s unique technique, the Bull Charge, was unleashed.
Reina’s aura-infused sword descended swiftly upon the Yeti leader.
Thud!
The Yeti’s thick fur and skin deflected the blow, sending her reeling back.
“Ugh!”
Reina staggered, her failed attack leaving her with internal injuries.
The Yeti leader seized the opportunity.
“Roaaar!”
It lunged at her, teeth bared.
Whoosh!
Reina rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack, and swung her sword again.
Thud!
Once more, the blade bounced off the Yeti’s impenetrable hide.
“Haah, haah.”
Reina caught her breath, retreating as far as she could.
Meanwhile, the other Yetis continued their assault on her companions with ice projectiles.
The snowy field was effectively the Yetis’ fortress.
‘At this rate, we’ll be wiped out.’
To save her followers, Reina knew she had to make a stand.
Clenching her teeth, she shouted to her team, “I’ll hold them off! Get out of here!”
Her companions hesitated, but as more Yetis closed in, they had no choice but to retreat.
Reina swung her sword to keep the Yetis from pursuing them.
Thwack!
A Yeti hit by her sword recoiled, rubbing its wound with snow until the bleeding stopped.
“Roaaar!”
The Yetis, now focused solely on Reina, began to encircle her.
They had no intention of letting her go after drawing blood.
Reina was exhausted, but she gripped her sword with resolve.
‘Even if I die here, so be it.’
Just then, one of the Yetis charged at her.
She tried to raise her sword, but her strength was failing.
“Roaaar!”
At that moment—
Thud!
Something flew through the air, piercing the charging Yeti’s heart.
‘What was that?’
She turned to see a figure clad in bear fur standing on the snow.
Despite the disguise, Reina recognized him immediately.
‘Zeke Draker?’
Zeke, who had been hunting Yetis for points, had stumbled upon Reina’s predicament.
Drawing his sword, Bahamut, he faced the Yetis.
“Come at me.”
The aura emanating from Zeke was enough to make the Yetis hesitate.
But the Yeti leader, unwilling to forgive the intruders of its sacred snowfield, roared defiantly.
“Roaaar!”
The other Yetis, driven by fear, charged at Zeke.
“Raaagh!”
Zeke’s sword sliced through the neck of the nearest Yeti.
Thud!
The head of the lead Yeti fell, shocking the others.
Zeke wasted no time.
Whoosh!
His sword flashed again, severing another Yeti’s neck.
With two Yetis down, the leader bared its teeth and slowly advanced on Zeke.
“Are you the leader? You should be worth quite a few points,” Zeke remarked.
“Roaaar!”
The Yeti leader lunged at him.
Zeke swung Bahamut, enveloped in aura.
Slash!
Unlike Reina’s attacks, Bahamut cut through the Yeti’s fur and skin, leaving a wound.
“Raaagh!”
The Yeti leader, enraged, charged at Zeke with its sharp teeth bared.
Whoosh!
Zeke leapt onto the leader’s arm, performing an acrobatic maneuver to strike.
Slash!
His sword grazed the leader’s neck.
“Raaagh!”
The leader roared louder, its neck wounded.
It ordered the other Yetis to attack Zeke.
But they hesitated, watching the duel unfold.
The leader had to defeat Zeke itself to maintain its authority.
“Rrrr!”
The leader rubbed snow on its wound to stop the bleeding, then faced Zeke.
Zeke pointed his sword at the leader.
“Come on.”
He taunted the Yeti leader, assuming the stance of the Dragon Slayer technique.
Dragon Slayer Sword Technique
Chapter 6, Verse 2
Dragon Heart Piercing
Zeke’s sword aimed for the leader’s heart.
The leader dodged, swinging its long arm to grab him.
Then—
Whoosh!
Zeke’s sword tip wavered, changing direction.
From Dragon Heart Piercing, it shifted to Dragon Head Cleaving.
Though a basic Dragon Slayer move, it was infused with the essence of the True Dragon Sword Technique, allowing for seamless transitions.
The sword’s tip, now aimed at the leader’s neck, struck true.
Zeke dodged the leader’s attack, closing in to deliver a powerful slash.
Slash!
The sword cut through the thick fur and skin, severing the leader’s neck.
Splat!
The leader’s head fell to the ground.
[You have defeated the Yeti Chieftain. You gain 50 Karma Points.]
Screech!
With the leader dead, the Yetis went into a frenzy.
They bared their teeth, advancing on Zeke.
Killing Zeke would make one of them the new leader.
Zeke grinned at the approaching Yetis.
“Come on, points.”
Screech!
The light from Zeke’s sword illuminated the snowy field.
Splat!
The aura blade pierced through the Yetis’ thick fur and skin, slicing necks and limbs.
The Yetis, charging blindly, finally realized they couldn’t defeat this human.
They began to retreat, changing their strategy.
Zeke called out, “Felix!”
Felix tossed a wooden spear to Zeke.
Zeke planted several spears in the ground, pulling them out one by one to hurl at the Yetis.
Whoosh!
The spears, thrown with immense force, pierced the Yetis’ bodies.
“Raaagh!”
Though they had tried to keep their distance to throw snowballs, they were out of range.
Meanwhile, Zeke’s spears hit their mark with deadly accuracy.
“Screech!”
Realizing they faced annihilation, the Yetis began to flee.
But Zeke’s spears showed no mercy.
The fleeing Yetis were struck down.
[You have defeated a Yeti. You gain 20 Karma Points.]
[You have defeated a Yeti. You gain 20 Karma Points.]
Each kill brought a new message.
‘Not bad at all.’
Having wiped out the Yetis, Zeke collected a substantial amount of points, a satisfied smile on his face.
During the match, he had managed to replenish his points for scrolls and ancient potions, with some to spare.
After dealing with the yetis, he slowly approached Reina.
He took out a potion, pouring it over her wounds and helping her drink it.
“Zeke Draker. How did you get here…?”
Zeke, seeing Reina’s surprised expression, replied with a grin.
“Let’s make a deal.”
It was clear he expected her to repay the favor of saving her life.
The Turn family was straightforward, and they were equally clear about debts and gratitude.
Reina felt she owed Zeke for saving her.
“The Turn family never forgets a debt. What do you want?”
Zeke gave her a sly smile.
“We’ll figure that out later. For now, let’s get moving. We’re almost out of time.”
He signaled Felix and Liam to help Reina walk.
After some time, they reached the summit, the finish line of their journey through the snowy expanse.
Already waiting there were Edward and his followers from the Siemens family, along with Helen Draker.
Edward gritted his teeth as he saw Zeke’s group arrive with Reina.
‘How did this happen?’
He had assumed only the Siemens family would survive the survival race, making the second round a breeze.
As Zeke’s group joined them, the last grains of sand fell in the hourglass, marking the end of the 48-hour challenge.
Simultaneously, the judges from the Gareth and Draker families appeared.
“First round of the finals is over. Thirty-four participants have passed.”
The only ones who had made it through Siemens’ sabotage were Zeke’s group, Reina, and Helen Draker, who was disguised as Elin Sabrina.
Edward, seething, descended the mountain, while Zeke chuckled at his frustration.
Helen approached Zeke.
“Zeke Draker.”
Surprised by her approach, Zeke responded.
“Elin Sabrina.”
Feigning ignorance, he continued, “I’ve never heard of you, but your skills are impressive. To make it here despite Siemens’ interference…”
Elin scrutinized Zeke with a piercing gaze before speaking.
“I’m not interested in these childish games.”
Her eyes bore into him with intensity.
“Zeke Draker. I want to test your limits and skills.”
With that, Helen turned and left, descending the mountain.
Zeke pondered her words, beginning to understand her intentions.
‘She wants to test me, huh. So she’s joined Kali’s faction.’
It seemed likely she had entered the tournament to assess whether he was worthy of siding with Kali instead of Abel.
‘That’s a very knightly thing to do.’
Just then, Reina, having regained her strength, approached Zeke.
“Zeke Draker. I owe you my life.”
Zeke looked at her and suggested, “Since it’s come to this, why not team up with us for the second round? I bet the Siemens guys have more tricks up their sleeves.”
Reina nodded. The Turn family might be blunt, but they weren’t foolish. She knew teaming up with Zeke for the second round was the smart move.
Reina decided to join Zeke’s group for the next challenge.
She then revealed, “I know what the second round is.”
Zeke’s group, who hadn’t heard anything about it yet, was taken aback.
Felix, excited, asked, “Really? What is it?”
Liam also focused intently on Reina.
She spoke slowly, “The second round is… tightrope wrestling.”