“This way.”
The first Absolute Helix team was advancing through the seventy-ninth layer, where their visibility was reduced by frequent snow storms. This time, they had started exploring from around noon, with the plan being to find the Black Gate to the eightieth layer and challenge the Layer Boss in the evening.
Tsutomu, whose robe seemed to blend seamlessly into the surrounding white landscape, narrowed his eyes and pressed forward through the snow storm, following Diniel’s guidance. Despite her having already located the Black Gate, navigating their way through the rough weather conditions was still its own challenge for the team.
Engaging in combat amidst the snow storm was similarly demanding. While Diniel had grown accustomed to it by now, she had struggled quite a lot initially, with the strong winds causing her arrows to veer off course. Even Tsutomu had miscalculated the trajectories of his support skill shots at times.
Now, however, the <<Ember Aura>> provided some respite against the plummeting temperature, rendering the environment somewhat bearable. The team continued their march through the storm to the Black Gate, managing to reach it a good while before the sun set.
The team proceeded to gather snow from the surroundings, constructing a makeshift hut to fortify their position and create a sheltered haven in which to rest until dusk. While the <<Ember Aura>> protected against temperature drops, being constantly buffeted by the fierce winds was still a pain, so the effort was worthwhile — and they were quite used to making them by now, as the snow hut also served nicely as a hiding spot from the monsters.
“Whew, nice and warm,” Diniel mumbled as she entered the snow hut, nestled her face within her scarf, and clutched the hand warmer Tsutomu had given her as though it were a good luck charm. The others, unaffected by the cold due to the <<Ember Aura>>, did not require such provisions.
Amy inspected the blades of her swords, assessing their condition, while Xeno appeared to be entertaining the God Eye that had joined them in the hut.
“Helloooooo, everybody! Garm and I will be fighting the Winter General today! Now, Garm, get over here!”
“No, I’m good.”
“I did not give you a choice, my man!”
One moment, Tsutomu marveled at how Xeno could talk so much without looking at an actual audience, then the next, he realized that Garm had been roped into it too. In response to the God Eye’s gaze, Garm gave it a vigilant, unblinking stare.
“Now then, anything to say to the folks in town?”
“…I’ll do my best. That’s all,” Garm said just that, to which Xeno proceeded to add,
“As I recall, you have discussed strategy with Bittman, haven’t you? From what I gather, Ealdred Crow’s victory on the eightieth layer owes much to his contribution.”
“He’s strong.”
“Indeed, he is. But can you specify what makes him so?”
“Every action he takes is refined. He’s virtually unassailable, and when it comes to keeping himself alive, he’s a cut above the rest. It’s actually odd that his capabilities weren’t appreciated until very recently.”
As Garm unexpectedly became talkative about someone else, Xeno seized the opportunity to direct more questions at him, skillfully driving the conversation forward. As Garm was typically a man of few words, the sight of him speaking so animatedly was sure to captivate those observing the scene through the Monitors.
Observing the Tank duo conversing with the God Eye, Amy wore a displeased expression, her brows furrowing. During the rest of the break within the snow hut, Xeno assumed the role of a host, orchestrating the conversation among the four other team members.
Xeno possessed a distinct personality much like Amy’s, capable of shining even on his own. However, unlike Amy, who embodied the allure of a solo idol stealing the limelight, Xeno excelled in uplifting those around him.
Amy’s prowess in publicity had led to substantial sponsorships for Absolute Helix, raking in funds. The Xeno-centered ‘talk shows’ during break times also held significant influence — to the extent that now, there were spectators who tuned in just to see Infinite Helix, turning their exploration sessions into something resembling a full-fledged TV show.
[And it makes me feel like I’m running an entertainment corporation rather than a Clan of Explorers…]
The income streaming into the clan through the pair was staggering, keeping Ollie and her apprentice busy with management tasks. Amy, in particular, raked in considerable earnings, single-handedly amassing funds that could keep the whole Clan in operation.
Tsutomu, being more interested in conquering the Dungeon, had sometimes wondered if this was actually a good thing for him.
“…Snow storms on the seventy-ninth layer and such come at fixed intervals, so if possible, it’s better to wrap up support and healing before one hits and impairs your visibility.”
“I see, so you ARE conscious of such things.”
Still, this kind of publicity provided opportune moments to spread knowledge about Healer strategies, which he did appreciate quite a lot. If valuable knowledge could be disseminated without the overreliance on newspapers or other news media, it was all the better.
Furthermore, whenever Amy and Xeno teamed up, they would have enough passive charisma to sustain the audience’s excitement on their own — If someone did not wish to participate in the conversation, they could simply not do so. This was especially apparent in how Diniel did not talk much, actually taking this time to rest.
And so, after the conversation went on for a good while, Xeno drank some water and interjected a break. Tsutomu could not help but wonder how Xeno was not fatigued from continuous talking, but apparently, Xeno enjoyed it, so Tsutomu let him do his thing.
And then, as evening descended, the five of them completed their final checks and opened the Black Gate to the eightieth layer.
―▽▽―
At the far end of the flat expanse lay blanketed in pristine white snow, the Winter General stood, clad in traditional Japanese-style armor.
It was about three meters tall, much taller than an average human, but other than that, its appearance hardly differed from one. Its equipment, too, was no exception. Adorned in attire evoking the image of a Japanese warrior — which, to be fair, was an unfamiliar sight in this world — it carried four swords at either side of its waist.
Amidst the immaculate white landscape, a single pair of red eyes glinted, and the giant warrior’s hand grasped a sword hilt at its waist.
“<<Protect>>, <<Haste>>.”
The initial quick draw slash targeted the order of those who entered the Black Gate. As such, Garm and Xeno had been deliberately positioned ahead, sparing Tsutomu from taking the hit. Empowered by support skill effects, the two focused their intense gaze on the Winter General.
In the blink of an eye, the Winter General advanced upon them. The sword slash, too swift to follow with a naked eye, aimed at their throats.
“Ngh…!”
Xeno was the first target. Though he managed to deflect the slash away from his neck, his chest plate was torn through like paper. As blood stained the snow, a <<Heal>> spell shot rapidly mended Xeno’s wound.
“<<Combat Cry>>.”
Garm, positioning near Xeno, unleashed his wide-area aggro pull skill as the Winter General retreated.
“<<Dual Wave Slash>>”
“<<Power Arrow>>.”
Confirming that the aggro pull was effective, Amy and Diniel launched their assault. Wind blades and arrows assailed the Winter General, only to cause resonating clangs as they were repelled by its armor. Momentarily wide-eyed in surprise, Diniel swiftly nocked another arrow.
The Winter General proceeded to target Garm, unsheathing a sword from its right waist. Simultaneously, an icy gale swept forth. Garm stood his ground, folding his ears and staring at the Winter General as crimson trails of the lights in its eyes followed its advance.
He parried the Winter General’s sword thrust with his tower shield, but the monster’s onslaught persisted. Each strike was not overwhelmingly heavy, yet its attacks were precise, aimed at knocking Garm down.
Eventually, the Winter General caught Garm’s left leg as he tried to retreat, impaling him with the sword in its right hand. Despite Garm’s high VIT preventing the blade from digging in too deep, a trickle of blood seeped from his wounded leg.
“<<Shield Bash>>.”
Garm countered with his tower shield, but the Winter General swiftly repelled it. Drawing a sword from its left waist, the Winter General cleaved Garm’s tower shield in two.
The swords at the Winter General’s right side were mostly used for long-range attacks such as the earlier blizzard blow, while the ones on its side were honed for close-quarters combat. The latter pair held particularly sharp blades, capable of inflicting cuts even on those with high VIT. A critical hit would likely dismember the victim with ease.
Winter General’s ability to destroy its challengers’ equipment was something the team had learned from observing Ealdred Crow’s previous attempts. Challengers had to regard their equipment as nothing more than cold-weather gear, with Tanks needing to focus on maneuvering to avoid critical hits while making use of their high VIT.
Discarding the now useless tower shield, Garm promptly unleashed another blast of <<Combat Cry>>. Now that his VIT exceeded the A rating, his body was technically more resilient than any armor he could get. Garm evaded attacks aimed at his head and neck, skillfully surviving the Winter General’s strikes.
“<<Rock Splitter Blade>>.”
<<COMBAT CRY>>!!
From behind, Amy aimed her attacks at the gaps in the giant warrior’s armor, accompanied by a silver blast of <<Combat Cry>>. Xeno started accumulating aggro so that he could switch with Garm, and in the meantime, he intently observed the Winter General’s movements.
The Winter General remained impervious to Amy’s attacks, however, as it precisely opened cuts on Garm’s arms and legs. Eventually, one of its blades grazed his cheek, and crimson droplets fell upon the frigid earth.
Still, as Garm’s vitality waned, his focus on battle intensified. Stepping closer and closer to his physical limit, Garm shed the constraints on his body, and was now able to withstand the Winter General’s onslaught.
“<<Heal>>. <<Protect>>.”
Tsutomu, seeing that Garm’s unwavering focus had been induced by this critical situation, proceeded to give him minimal healing so as to not snap him out of the zone. While Tsutomu was skilled in maintaining a certain level of vitality through his support, it would still be all over for Garm if he were to be struck in a critical area. As such, Tsutomu conducted his support while mentally preparing for a potential cast of <<Raise>>.
“It’s tough as nails!”
Amy’s frustration toward the Winter General’s impervious armor was palpable as she retreated to avoid a blast of frozen air the monster emitted. The glistening white armor was not only rigid but also emitted a freezing aura when struck, rendering prolonged consecutive attacks unfeasible.
“Tch,” Diniel clicked her tongue as she nocked another arrow. Only her fire arrows, capable of melting the snow on the ground, had any chance of doing significant damage, but the Winter General proved to be quite a challenging target to hit.
All things considered, the first Absolute Helix team’s battle against the Winter General began with a surprisingly arduous uphill struggle.
