Chapter 131: The 7th Floor, The Tundra of Harsh Cold (2)
Red markings carved into a rock.
They were the signs left by the ‘Ice Troll’ tribe of the snowy plains.
‘As I thought, it was these guys.’
Jinhyuk’s eyes narrowed.
Originally, the Ice Trolls were supposed to be located at ‘Baeksan’ to the west of the 7th floor, not here.
However, those creatures had expanded their territory, all the way to this location.
‘It’s not just because their population has increased.’
Jinhyuk’s gaze returned once again to the markings.
He noticed the Ice Troll’s unique mask painting.
Sure, it wasn’t a big deal. Such symbols were common among the numerous troll tribes in the tower.
The problem was the shape of the marking.
Three red lines at the top of the mask.
In other words.
‘That pattern is only used when the greatest warrior of the tribe emerges.’
Namely, the birth of a named-level entity.
If the whole Dangun Guild could be wiped out by such a being, it was undoubtedly a powerful warrior. Perhaps even stronger than they could imagine.
It was then.
Jinhyuk sensed something.
It would take more time to reach this place, but it wouldn’t be long before it appeared.
It wasn’t the trolls. Considering the amount of magic power, the direction and the numbers, it was likely the players who had been guarding the entrance earlier.
And as to confirm his suspicion.
A moment later, five men and women trudged through the snow.
“Oh, I can’t feel my arms and legs… Ah!”
“We found it!”
“Kang… Jinhyuk Player!”
“Phew. I really thought I was going to die. Lucky that we met so quickly.”
Their faces were pale blue, trembling, showing how much they struggled to get here.
And with this temperature, even just standing would rapidly drain one’s stamina.
Jinhyuk had a guess as to why these people had come here, but…
He pretended not to know and joked instead.
“I heard you shouldn’t go into the forest, what brings you to such a deep place?”
“Haha. Well… We didn’t want to come either, but we couldn’t just send Player Kang Jinhyuk here alone.”
“The least we needed was someone to guide the way.”
Not sure who was guiding whom.
‘I feel like I would find my way better even if I drank three bottles of soju.’
But they came at not such a bad time.
If these people were here, it meant that the main assault team of the Dangun Guild would also be heading deep into the forest.
“Perfect. I have something to talk about, but before that, we all need to warm up.”
Seeing the flickering consciousness from hypothermia, it seemed the condition was worse than he expected.
If this continued, they might end up shooting a ‘Frozen Kingdom’ with ice sculptures?
Jinhyuk activated ‘Fire Element’.
Flare up!
A fireball the size of a soccer ball ignited, and the snow began to melt instantly.
A space enough for a few people to rest was formed between the piles of snow.
Good.
Now it was time for ‘Glacier Sculpting’.
Jinhyuk moved his hand lightly.
Sizzle…
A thin ice barrier completely enveloped the players.
An igloo-shaped structure.
Although not a cozy shelter, it was a temporary dwelling that could block the harsh wind.
“My goodness…”
“To perform magic chaining so smoothly…”
“Thank you. As expected, it’s reassuring to have an S-ranking player.”
“…It’s gotten so much warmer.”
Gasps of admiration escaped from everyone’s lips.
The temperature had risen by more than 10 degrees, after all.
Now their skin had begun to regain color.
“Thank you. We got a chance to catch our breath because of you, Player Kang Jinhyuk. I am Kwak Daeho.”
Kwak Daeho introduced himself briefly.
An affable impression in his early 30s, which was quite memorable.
[Kwak Daeho, 33 years old.]
[Unique Ability: …….]
[Skills: …….]
No need to enumerate the attributes in the status window.
Around B-grade, with no unique abilities or skills that caught his attention.
All were merely inferior to the skills he already possessed.
The others were of an average level too.
‘Nutritionally worthless friends, indeed.’
Jinhyuk withdrew ‘The Eyes of Gluttony’ and moved on to the main point.
“The gratitude is enough. Instead, please tell me, how far is the Dangun Guild from here?”
“Eh? What do you mean by that…….”
Kwak Daeho looked startled, then trailed off.
Anyway, why are they all so lacking in acting skills?
Old foxes like Rick managed to keep their true feelings hidden at least.
“I have a rough idea of what’s happening. You were sent here to stop me from getting the Phoenix Feather first, am I right? Squad Leader Jang Eunseok probably pushed you to come here unwillingly. And you, being at the bottom, had no choice in the matter.”
“…….”
When hit on the mark, Kwak Daeho clamped his mouth shut.
“I’m not trying to say anything to you folks. Actually, a more troublesome issue has cropped up.”
“Troublesome issue?”
“Yes. Do you see that tree over there?”
Jinhyuk pointed towards the same tree from before.
Everyone’s gaze followed his finger.
“There’s a weird pattern on it.”
“Looks like some kind of tribal mask from Africa….”
“It’s a marking used by Ice Trolls. Seeing the blade marks added at the top of the mask, it must be from the ‘Frost Blade’ tribe trolls.”
“Ah, Ice Trolls…”
“Now I get it. Monsters known to be the most violent in the 7th floor.”
They lived in communities and their intelligence also belonged to the upper sector, making them extremely difficult to deal with.
Their individual combat power goes without saying.
Kwak Daeho and the other players might not have known the type of tribe or markings, but they were well aware of how tricky the trolls could be.
“Is this their territory?”
“Yes, it seems they’ve expanded their territory a bit. Probably thanks to a big victory in fights against other species around here.”
As Jinhyuk explained, the one female player who had been quiet interjected.
“Then, shouldn’t we hurry back? As we’ve been doing so far, we’ll control access and not encroach on their territory, and there should be no problems.”
A rational suggestion.
The Dangun Guild continued to die because they recklessly tread into this forest.
In other words, as long as they didn’t approach the land of those creatures, they wouldn’t be risking their lives.
But.
“No. The problem is a bit more complicated than that.”
Jinhyuk shook his head.
Creatures capable of forming a tribe with that level of intelligence won’t just sit still when left alone.
In fact, in the past Tower of Trial, once such a force was established, the monsters chose one of two options.
They would either greatly expand their territory and covet another floor of the tower.
Or.
Turn their eyes outside the tower.
One of the two incidents was bound to happen.
‘The Phoenix Feather is also one of the materials to open the gate. In other words, what they are after is not the 8th floor, but the outside of the tower.’
A phenomenon known as the outbreak.
In the past, Amsterdam in the Netherlands was nearly turned into an inferno because of a similar event, even though it was much weaker gnomes and goblins that emerged.
Even then, the damage was so great it was hard to quantify.
What more when this time it’s the much higher ranked Ice Trolls?
‘It could lead to an unpredictable number of casualties.’
America, Europe, China, India, Africa, Korea, Japan.
It’s uncertain where the outbreak might occur.
Nor is there much time left.
As Jinhyuk described the situation, the faces of the five turned ashen.
They realized the gravity of the situation.
Since it was coming from an S-rank, they couldn’t dismiss it lightly.
Then, it happened.
Jinhyuk sensed something else.
A different kind of magic power than before.
Light footsteps skimming over the snow and stable breathing were perceivable.
The sounds of footsteps grew louder, and the players inside the igloo became aware of an approaching entity.
“It’s from our side…”
“Shush!”
Jinhyuk quickly silenced them.
In his hand, he grasped a dagger emitting a green light.
‘The Fang of Pentagris’ obtained from the Elf Village.
“…Is it an enemy?”
Kwak Daeho swallowed hard.
“Probably.”
A confirmation.
With that word, the atmosphere inside shifted drastically.
The fight was imminent, and hearts began pumping blood throughout their bodies rapidly.
And at that moment.
Whoosh!
There was a sound like the wind being split and a 2-meter spear flew in.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Spears half-buried in the ice wall.
It was a javelin throw.
Powerful enough to penetrate even the temporary wall of glacier sculpting.
But before anyone had the time to be surprised, more spears continuously battered the wall.
Bang! Crash!
Cracks spread along the wall.
It wouldn’t hold much longer.
In a few more strikes, the spears would reach the players inside.
“Get out and find cover! We’re sitting ducks here!”
Kwak Daeho quickly gave orders.
“Damn it!”
“Hayoung, drink a potion and prepare a spell immediately. We’ll counterattack as soon as we find the enemy’s location!”
“Okay!”
They dashed out of the igloo and formed a formation, displaying the readiness befitting a group from the Dangun Guild.
＊＊＊
Whooosh!
A fierce blizzard raged.
Something seemed to stir between the trees, but it was hard to pinpoint exactly due to the limited visibility.
At least for Kwak Daeho and the other players.
“Damn it. Where are they shooting from?”
“I don’t know. It seems to be from the hillside, but there are too many points to target.”
“Phew. We’re trapped like mice in a cage.”
As they peeked over the rocks they were hiding behind.
Swish… Crash!
Spears flew as if waiting for them.
Sparks flew from the spears that ricocheted off the rocks.
That was close.
Moving out any further would have meant instant decapitation.
“Ugh! Those bastards. They’re accurately tracking our movements in this storm.”
They didn’t know the enemy’s position, but the attackers could clearly see them.
It was evident why none of the earlier scouts had returned.
How could they withstand being shot at while nature itself was against them?
But then.
Someone casually walked out from behind the rocks.
It was Jinhyuk.
“Kang Jinhyuk Player! It’s dangerous!”
Kwak Daeho shouted out in panic, but it was too late.
Multiple spears converged at once.
Swoosh.
Jinhyuk slightly tilted his head to the left.
A spear grazed by, mere centimeters from his cheek.
Nothing too abrupt or hasty.
A simple movement within half a step’s distance.
Thwock! Thud!
Missed spears stabbed into the snow.
More spears followed suit, but the outcome was the same.
Thud! Thwack! Thud!
Not blocking with his sword or countering, just dodging by predicting the trajectory.
The onlookers stood agape at the absurd scene.
Performing such acrobatic evasion where sight was nil.
They wondered if it was a dream as it was so hard to believe.
“Oh…”
“Is this real?”
“This is… an S-rank. Insane… really.”
Indeed, some pinched their thighs to check if they were dreaming.
Realizing the futility of their thick onslaught, the spear-throwing stopped.
And as if it were a lie, the blizzard ceased.
The wind subsided, and visibility gradually returned.
Beyond a small snow-covered knoll.
The Ice Trolls with glowing blue eyes became visible.
So far, everything was as expected.
But then…
“What the… What is that thing…?”
Somewhere, a deep breath was taken.
A chill spread throughout everyone’s body.
Sweat rolled down the spines of the players.
And no wonder.
Among the trolls they were facing, an unexpected being revealed itself.
“…Things never seem to get dull here.”
A complex smile hung on Jinhyuk’s lips.
To be honest, this time he was quite surprised.
