Song Seung-gyu’s limbs dangled as he was lifted into the air. After a few swings, he disappeared over the ice wall.
“Is he running away?”
I tilted my head in confusion but quickly scanned the reactions of my clan members.
“Ki, Kim Soo-hyun! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to…”
Vivian bowed her head in apology.
“Haa… Haa…”
Hannah was catching her breath, looking slightly startled. Despite being briefed beforehand, she seemed to have an instinctive fear of situations like the one we just faced.
I watched her closely. Hannah was trying to steady her breathing, pretending nothing was wrong. Seeing her like that, I couldn’t help but find her a bit endearing.
Did she sense my gaze?
She met my eyes and offered a faint smile.
“Sorry. My neck turned suddenly, and it startled me… I’m okay now.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
I replied clearly and looked around at the clan members. Their eyes were all on me.
‘We should move on.’
I finally spoke up.
“The mission to confirm the survival and rescue of Song Seung-gyu’s comrades is canceled due to unavoidable circumstances. Therefore… I hereby disband the investigation team under the authority of the clan lord.”
I paused briefly and moved to the front of the group. Hannah, looking relieved, quietly moved to stand beside me.
“Now, we will begin our exploration of the central ice tower in the Frozen Forest.”
As soon as I finished speaking, the clan members quickly rearranged themselves.
Hannah and I took the lead, Ha-yeon and Shin Jae-ryong were in the middle, and Hyun and Vivian covered the rear.
With our small numbers, we quickly formed our formation and set off.
The tower’s spirit wanted to lure us to the ninth floor.
And I intended to go there.
I was aware there would be traps, but it was better to confront the danger head-on than to wander aimlessly and get ambushed.
As the spirit had indicated, there was a new staircase leading to the right at the end of the path. We quickly ascended, arriving at the familiar empty entrance we had seen on the seventh floor.
There was a metal door here too, but unlike the seventh floor, it was wide open.
‘It’s here.’
I instinctively knew this was the passage to the ninth floor and that the spirit was waiting for us.
I heard someone swallow nervously behind me.
The entrance was so dark that nothing was visible inside.
I could only sense it, as even my enhanced vision, boosted by magic, could barely make out a silhouette. Something inside was interfering with my sight.
Before entering, I spoke, hoping to reassure everyone.
“There’s no need to be afraid. This isn’t the modern world; it’s the Hall Plain. The spirit is just a monster, and we have the power to defeat it.”
”…You’re right, Hyung. That monster is nothing once you get to know it.”
Hyun quickly agreed, and I gave him a steady look.
I appreciated the support, but he could stop trembling his lips.
“Hyun is right. It’s just a slightly grotesque monster, but it’s something we can handle. Remember, we’ve taken down Marbolo before.”
Though it was mostly my doing, I didn’t mind boosting morale.
As I finished speaking, I removed my earring, revealing the radiant ‘Glory of Victoria.’ The gentle light from the sword spilled into the entrance, illuminating it slightly.
“Let’s move in.”
With that, my clan members and I stepped into the dark room.
We had finally reached the ninth floor. As we fully entered, a strange unease washed over me, like the rough texture of a worn-out cloth brushing against my skin.
Then it happened.
Crunch. Crunch, crunch.
In the heavy silence, a sound like something hard being bitten echoed from the unseen void.
Turning towards the source, I saw something long and thin swaying in the air. Just as I was about to use my third eye to gather more information, I heard a deep voice chanting a spell behind me.
”───. ───. ───.”
Shin Jae-ryong was casting a priestly spell, likely to improve our visibility.
The slowly forming orb rose into the air, emitting a bright light.
Crunch! Crunch, crunch! Crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch!
The unsettling noise continued, growing louder until Shin Jae-ryong’s spell activated.
“Holy Light!”
Whoosh!
The orb burst into light, illuminating the room. Though it didn’t light up the entire ninth floor, it was more than enough to see our surroundings.
As the light revealed part of the ninth floor, the clan members who had been holding it together finally screamed.
“Huh, huh!”
“Ah, ah! What is that!”
The floor of the ninth floor was an empty void, like a hollow space.
But the floor wasn’t the issue.
Soon, my clan members and I found our gaze fixed on something floating in the air.
A massive ‘head’ hovered there. It was about the size of two large watermelons combined.
The face was grotesque.
Cracks ran across it, oozing dark red liquid, giving it a bloody appearance.
The eyes were disproportionately large, taking up more than a third of the face, with black pupils resembling black holes. The mouth was split wide, reaching the ears.
But that wasn’t all.
As the orb’s light brightened, I could confirm with my own eyes what I had seen with my third eye.
Crunch, crunch!
The long, swaying object was Song Seung-gyu. He was being devoured, starting from the head, by the spirit’s teeth.
The rough sensation that had brushed against me was hair. Long, thick strands of hair extended from the head, filling the room.
Crunch! Gulp!
The spirit, having swallowed Song Seung-gyu whole, curled its eyes into a sinister smile.
And then, it happened.
Bang!
A loud metallic clang rang in my ears. Glancing back, I saw the once-open metal door now firmly shut. It had closed the moment the spirit smiled.
‘Trying to cut off our escape, huh?’
It seemed to have some tricks up its sleeve. But I had no intention of playing along, so I strode towards the door.
I gathered my magic and pulled my right knee up to my chest before kicking out with all my might.
Crash!
I felt something give under my foot, and the heavy metal door shattered completely. The ice that had formed on it seemed to have spread the impact.
After confirming the now-open entrance and the shattered debris, I turned back to face the spirit.
The spirit’s reaction was peculiar. Its already large eyes widened, bloodshot, a stark contrast to the leisurely meal it had been enjoying moments ago.
Rustle… Rustle…
As the blood vessels in its eyes thickened, a change occurred. The hair, which had been fluttering, began to move in unison.
Sensing something ominous, I shouted immediately.
“Prepare for battle!”
I considered giving detailed orders but quickly dismissed the thought.
‘It’s not difficult to handle, but…’
The spirit wasn’t strong enough to make me nervous. As a boss of a ruin, it had more power than regular monsters, but that was it.
I was confident I could take it down in three seconds with my fire magic, and even without it, I could crush it single-handedly.
Judging by its power, it was weaker than Marbolo and on par with or below the Doom Knight ‘Horens,’ excluding its regeneration ability.
But instead of handling it alone, I thought it would be better to use this opportunity to build confidence for similar situations in the future.
As I finished my thoughts, the spirit’s mouth opened wide. Countless strands of hair shot out in all directions, making it look like a madwoman.
The spirit’s attack began.
A piercing sound wave erupted from its open mouth, assaulting our ears.
“It’s a soundwave attack filled with resentment! This isn’t a typical magical assault! It limits our magic resistance!”
“Magic stat 96! Luck stat 90! Partial defense activated!”
A brief wave of dizziness swept over me, but it quickly passed, leaving me feeling normal again.
“Ugh!”
“Aah!”
Some of the clan members weren’t as lucky, letting out pained groans as they took the brunt of the attack.
Seizing the moment when our formation was disrupted, the hair, which had been standing on end, began to cascade down upon us.
But our clan members weren’t just going to stand by.
“Protect!”
“Shield of Repelling!”
Ha-yeon and Shin Jae-ryong’s defensive spells burst forth, as if they had been prepared in advance.
“Under the Covenant of the Blue Moon… I wish.”
“Crescent Moon, three days old.”
The incantation that followed was unmistakably Ha-yeon’s voice. I was momentarily puzzled but quickly understood. She was using the ‘Necklace of Glory’ I had given her before.
A large, crescent-shaped moon, glowing with a bluish hue, materialized in front of us. Ha-yeon, having completed the spell in an instant, shouted fiercely at the incoming hair.
“Disperse!”
The crescent moon shattered into dozens of pieces, spinning and shooting out in all directions. Her signature magic chain, combined with her secret class ‘Mage of the Blue Moon,’ was making its debut.
Slice! Slice! Slice! Slice!
The spinning crescent moon sliced through the thorn-like hair with ease, the bluish light cutting through with relentless precision.
But that was only the beginning.
Ha-yeon’s magic was effective, but there was simply too much hair. While some strands were cut down, the rest continued their assault, piercing through the double-layered shields with force.
Clang! Crack!
“There are too many of them!”
“If this keeps up, the shields will fall soon!”
Ha-yeon and Shin Jae-ryong’s voices were filled with urgency.
Glancing back, I saw Ahn Hyun clutching his spear helplessly, and Im Hanna unleashing flashes of light without pause.
And there was Vivian, standing still like me. The soundwave attack seemed to have really gotten under her skin, judging by her twisted expression.
Vivian shouted in a strained voice, “Just hold on a little longer! We just need a bit more time!”
She was likely preparing to summon a beast. Watching her begin her incantation, I let out a short sigh.
I had intended to take a step back in this battle, but…
‘Buying some time should be fine.’
Resolving myself, I stepped out from behind the protective barrier.
“Su-hyun! What are you doing?”
“Clan Lord!”
Ignoring the voices trying to stop me, I fell into thought. Then, a sudden idea struck me, and I channeled magic into my left hand.
It was then that the specter turned its gaze toward me.
The creature blinked a few times upon seeing me, then opened its mouth wide in a grin.
But I paid it no mind, focusing my magic through the ‘Air Grasp’ technique. My target: the hair.
Swish! Swish!
With so much hair around, I quickly gathered a handful. The specter let out a chilling wail and lunged at me, but it was already too late.
With all my strength, I swung my arm upward, hair in hand.
Thud!
Was the hair too long? The specter’s head slammed into the ceiling with a satisfying thud.
Then, with another forceful swing downward…
Crash!
I watched as the specter’s face was driven into the floor.
Thinking this was an excellent way to buy time, I began swinging my arm with enthusiasm.
Thud! Crash! Thud! Crash! Thud! Crash! Thud! Crash!
With each impact against the ceiling and floor, the specter let out a sharp cry.
’…This is surprisingly fun.’
Deciding to mix things up, I tried drawing a circle this time.
Thud! Crackle! Thud! Crackle!
The limited space meant the circle wasn’t smooth, but I forced it through with sheer strength, dragging the specter’s face along the ground.
Suddenly, I noticed the room had gone quiet. Turning around, I saw the hair had settled, and several clan members were staring at me in a daze.
Feeling a bit sheepish, I spoke up.
“Well, you asked me to buy some time…”
Just then, Ahn Hyun pointed urgently at me.
“Hyung! Behind you!”
“Huh?”
Turning quickly, I felt a sudden pull from my hand. The specter had regained its senses and was trying to escape my grip.
Instinctively, I yanked my hand back, managing to tear out a clump of hair. I looked at the hair for a moment, then dusted off my hands and faced forward.
The specter was clearly furious, despite its lack of expression. It let out an enraged scream and opened its mouth wide, preparing another soundwave attack.
But then—
Flash!
A streak of light shot through the air, and a thin line of blood burst from the specter’s mouth.
Flash! Flash!
The light struck again and again, forcing the specter to close its mouth against the relentless arrows.
But it wasn’t over yet.
“Come forth, Pierre! The mad jester of the 4th Legion!”
Vivian’s summoning circle finally activated.
The 4th Legion was one of the top six among the 66 Legions, a source of pride for Vivian.
Watching the magical circle with keen interest, I prepared for the spectacle.
Crackle! Crackle!
A chilling laugh filled the room as a towering figure, nearly two meters tall, emerged from the shadows.
I examined the figure closely.
Cross-shaped eyes, a red nose like Rudolph’s, and long, painted red lips. In its right hand, it held a colorful, toy-like baton.
It looked… exactly like a modern-day clown.
“Open your eyes, Pierre! Show that hair monster your might! Crush it so it can’t move!”
Vivian’s command rang out, and Pierre’s eyes snapped open. His playful gaze fixed on the specter, and he opened his red-painted mouth wide, laughing uproariously.
A thought suddenly crossed my mind, and I quickly looked at the specter.
Since Pierre’s appearance, the specter had fallen silent. Its earlier bravado was gone, replaced by a trembling fear.
Ready to end this, I used ‘Air Grasp’ to seize the hair once more.
“Under the Covenant of the Blue Moon… I wish.”
“Crescent Moon, three days old.”
Ha-yeon’s incantation echoed, and a blue crescent moon formed around the specter.
The captured hair.
Pierre’s booming laughter.
The crescent moon’s ominous glow.
In this situation, the specter offered no resistance.
It simply glanced around, then closed its eyes.
Knowing it was over, I lightly swung my arm upward.
The specter rose into the air without resistance, tracing a gentle arc toward the summoned beast.
Pierre watched the descending head with a wide grin… Wait, what?
‘Is he going to eat it?’
Crunch!
---------------------------= Author’s Note ---------------------------=
Apologies for the 10-minute delay due to editing. (__)
The exploration results are omitted but will be revisited in the next part, “Gathering Talent,” with some related content.
The Frozen Forest part isn’t a horror story… Please believe me.