Chapter 21
Chapter 21
Instead of answering, Sang-hyeok lightly shrugged one shoulder.
It was impossible to tell whether it meant yes or no.
Hongryeon quickly swept her gaze over Sang-hyeok's equipment visible beneath the black mask.
A silver bracelet was fastened around his left wrist, and dark-red metal fragments were attached to his boots.
Those two were the only notable pieces of equipment.
Not even a weapon was visible.
"It can't be."
Baren also checked Sang-hyeok's empty hands and shook his head.
"No matter what, Impossible One wouldn't have entered their first Cooperative Battlefield empty-handed."
"Right?"
Hongryeon backed off with a regretful expression.
BlessingsAreNotFree examined Sang-hyeok's hands once more and asked.
"Are you a hand-to-hand combat type?"
"Something like that."
This time Baren asked.
"Is this your first Cooperative Battlefield?"
"Yeah."
Baren raised his round shield to show it.
"Then stay behind me. As long as you don't leave the <Warmth Core>'s range, the basic clear isn't difficult."
Sang-hyeok simply nodded at Baren's assumption that he was a beginner.
It wasn't wrong.
This was his first time entering a Cooperative Battlefield, after all.
'I guess I am a beginner.'
But Baren didn't know yet.
That the beginner before his eyes was a monster who had climbed from Floor 1 to Floor 9 without missing a single SSS, overturning impossible verdicts several times along the way.
At that moment, the transfer circle inscribed beneath the four people's feet glowed blue.
「4-player matching is complete.」
「Moving to the Floor 10 restricted Cooperative Battlefield <Frozen Gorge>.」
Whoosh!
A cold wind brushed Sang-hyeok's cheek before the light faded.
When their vision returned, a snow-covered gorge stretched out long before them.
The ice walls rising on both sides were so high their tops couldn't be seen.
Beyond the blizzard raging between them, an enormous blue crystal shone faintly.
When Sang-hyeok turned his head, a red crystal behind the four of them was radiating warm light.
Where the light reached, snow didn't accumulate, and the biting wind weakened considerably.
When Sang-hyeok's gaze landed on the red crystal, information floated up above it.
[<Warmth Core>]
[Current durability: 100%]
[Warmth range: 15-meter radius]
Then the objective for this run appeared.
[Basic Clear Objective]
- Protect the <Warmth Core> for 10 minutes.
[Complete Conquest Condition]
- Destroy the <Permafrost Core> at the end of the gorge.
Hongryeon gestured with her chin toward the blue crystal visible beyond the blizzard.
"That's the <Permafrost Core> I mentioned earlier."
It didn't look that far.
But the moment a player left the <Warmth Core>'s range, their freeze level rose rapidly.
Even players who had pushed through the fierce blizzard and reached that place could be counted on one hand.
Baren planted his shield in front of the <Warmth Core>.
"Let's do it as usual. I'll hold the front. Hongryeon, focus your firepower from the rear, and BlessingsAreNotFree, handle the <Warmth Core>."
His gaze turned to Sang-hyeok.
"Undisclosed, just handle anything that gets past my shield."
The moment Sang-hyeok gave a short nod, the <Warmth Core>'s red light brightened further.
「The Floor 10 restricted Cooperative Battlefield <Frozen Gorge> begins.」
[Time remaining: 10:00]
Grrrrr!
Ice-covered demonic beasts emerged from the blizzard.
Wolf-like creatures led the charge, and behind them, a massive boar-shaped demonic beast came charging, churning up the snowfield.
[Frozen Demonic Beast]
[Lv.10]
"They're coming!"
BlessingsAreNotFree raised his staff and cast a protective blessing on Baren.
Whoosh!
White light streamed from the tip of his staff, wrapping Baren's armor and shield in a thin protective barrier.
Baren immediately advanced to the edge of the warmth range and thrust out his shield.
Boom!
The lead boar rammed into the shield.
Baren's body was pushed back, but his stance didn't collapse.
While he halted the demonic beast's charge, Hongryeon swung her staff.
Whoosh!
Red flames spread out on both sides of the shield.
The wolves running across the snowfield were engulfed in flames and collapsed one after another.
The three of them were accustomed to their roles after running this battlefield repeatedly.
Baren blocked the path, and Hongryeon burned the clustered enemies.
BlessingsAreNotFree healed both of their wounds while also layering a protective barrier over the Warmth Core.
At that moment, a wolf that had dodged Hongryeon's flames and leaped to the side slipped past Baren's shield.
It charged straight at Sang-hyeok.
Grrraaah!
Before Baren could even turn around, Sang-hyeok stepped forward.
Instead of dodging the charging wolf, he extended his right hand and pressed it against the creature's forehead.
'<Erasure>.'
Hissss!
The moment Sang-hyeok's right hand touched it, the wolf's head crumbled into black sand.
The black energy spread from its neck to its torso in an instant.
Fsssss.
The charging demonic beast collapsed into black sand at Sang-hyeok's feet without even managing a scream.
Baren's eyes went wide as he watched the scene from beyond his shield.
Hongryeon stared open-mouthed, staff still in hand.
At that moment, a surviving wolf lunged at Hongryeon's side.
"Hongryeon!"
At BlessingsAreNotFree's shout, Hongryeon snapped back to her senses.
Just as the sharp claws were almost on her, she swung her staff in alarm.
Whoosh!
The surging flames swallowed the wolf's body.
Baren also shoved back the last demonic beast with his shield, and Hongryeon immediately redirected the remaining flames toward it.
Boom!
The demonic beast engulfed in flames collapsed, and the first assault ended.
「The first assault has ended.」
[<Warmth Core> durability: 100%]
[Time remaining: 08:47]
When the assault ended, all three looked at the black sand piled at Sang-hyeok's feet.
BlessingsAreNotFree alternated his gaze between the black sand and Sang-hyeok's right hand.
"You only touched it once, and the demonic beast vanished completely. What kind of Authority is that?"
Hongryeon also couldn't take her eyes off Sang-hyeok's right hand, as if she'd forgotten the claws that had been right in front of her nose moments ago.
"I've never seen power like that."
The three people's gazes all fixed on Sang-hyeok.
But Sang-hyeok didn't answer. Instead, he checked the party status window first.
Even after fending off the first assault, all three still had plenty of health and mana in reserve.
"The three of you can protect the <Warmth Core> to the end, right?"
"That's possible."
Baren asked warily.
"But why do you ask?"
"I'll leave this place to you and head for the <Permafrost Core>."
The three people's expressions hardened simultaneously.
"Hold on. If you leave the warmth range, you'll freeze before you even get halfway to the core."
"Reaching it isn't the end either. Even two fire mages pouring flames on it couldn't leave a single scratch."
All three showed reluctance.
Sang-hyeok didn't bother explaining his power to them.
Instead, he looked toward the blue crystal at the end of the gorge and asked.
"Don't you want the complete conquest reward?"
No one could answer right away.
Hongryeon's gaze in particular shifted back and forth several times between the black sand remaining at Sang-hyeok's feet and the <Permafrost Core>.
A moment later, she brought up the same question as before.
This time, her voice was thick with anticipation.
"Could it be...... are you really Impossible One?"
Beneath the black mask, the corner of Sang-hyeok's mouth lifted slightly.
"Who knows."
Hearing that answer, Hongryeon instead seemed to make up her mind and adjusted her grip on her staff.
"Let's trust them. The three of us can protect the <Warmth Core>, after all."
Baren deliberated for a moment, then nodded heavily.
"Fine. We'll handle this place. But if your body starts to stiffen, come back immediately."
"I'll cast a blessing on you."
As BlessingsAreNotFree extended her staff, warm light wrapped around Sang-hyeok's body.
[<Blessing of Warmth> has been granted.]
[The accumulation rate of the status condition <Freeze> decreases.]
Sang-hyeok left the three behind and crossed the red boundary of the <Warmth Core>.
Whoooosh!
The blizzard slammed into his entire body as if it had been waiting.
The warm air vanished in an instant, and a chill that burrowed into his bones filled its place.
[You have left the <Warmth Core>'s protection range.]
[The status condition <Freeze> is accumulating.]
[Current freeze level: 7%]
<Freeze> had begun to accumulate, but Sang-hyeok didn't slow his steps.
As he ran out onto the ice, his freeze level rose at a noticeably rapid pace.
[Current freeze level: 19%]
[Current freeze level: 34%]
White frost settled over his boots and pant cuffs.
Still, thanks to the <Collapse Walker’s Boots>, his stride didn't falter even on the frozen ground.
Before he'd even reached the halfway point of the gorge, new demonic beasts burst out of the blizzard.
Sang-hyeok spread the <Erasure> in his right hand wide and cut straight through them.
Hissss!
The bodies of the creatures touched by the black energy were annihilated all at once.
Sang-hyeok advanced without stopping, pushing through the space where the demonic beasts scattered into black sand.
Watching that sight, Hongryeon muttered in disbelief.
"That person really is fighting bare-handed."
BlessingsAreNotFree's gaze was fixed on the party status window.
"But his freeze level has already passed 50%."
The frost covering Sang-hyeok's legs was turning into thick ice.
His steps gradually slowed, and the sensation in his left arm was rapidly fading.
[Current freeze level: 58%]
The Blessing of Warmth was also nearing its limit.
Even so, Sang-hyeok didn't turn back.
Vmmmm.
At that moment, the <Spirit Vein Bracelet: Budding> on his left wrist emitted a blue light.
The cold mana filling the gorge surged toward his wrist and flowed all the way to the Heart of the Apocalypse Demonic Dragon.
Thump.
The heart that had taken in the mana beat deeply.
Dark-red energy spread from his right shoulder, down his arm, to his fingertips.
His right side, which had already completed Bloodflow Adaptation, moved even within the <Freeze>.
But his left arm and both legs were different.
With every step he took, his knees stiffened, and the ice wrapping his ankles grew thicker.
[Current freeze level: 71%]
Finally, his left foot stopped as if stuck to the snowfield.
Sang-hyeok's body tilted forward, but he forced strength into his right foot and barely straightened himself.
Sang-hyeok's gaze turned to his right arm, which moved even within the ice.
Dark-red energy still flowed vividly across his right shoulder and arm.
Sang-hyeok focused on that power.
'Spread it to my left arm and both legs.'
Thump!
As if responding to Sang-hyeok's will, the Heart of the Apocalypse Demonic Dragon beat powerfully.
The dark-red energy that had lingered in his right shoulder and arm crossed his chest and extended to his left shoulder.
Soon it passed his waist and rapidly spread to both thighs and calves.
The dark-red energy spreading beneath his skin finally reached his toes.
「<Bloodflow Adaptation> reacts to the strong status condition <Freeze>.」
「Unlock condition 2 has been satisfied.」
「The Lv.10 growth Authority <Demonic Dragon’s Bloodflow> is unlocked.」
[<Demonic Dragon’s Bloodflow> Stage 1]
- Mana converted in the heart is circulated throughout the body through the bloodstream.
- The effects of status conditions are reduced by 30%.
- You can learn black arts of the demonic dragon lineage.
Crack!
Thick cracks ran through the ice covering his left arm and both legs.
When Sang-hyeok clenched and opened his left hand and lifted his left foot, the shattered ice fragments fell onto the snowfield.
The <Freeze> hadn't completely lifted.
Still, his stiffened left arm and both legs moved again.
After confirming the change in his body, Sang-hyeok's gaze lingered on the last line of the remaining notification.
'Black arts, huh.'
A new path for wielding the demonic dragon's power had opened.
He didn't yet know how to learn black arts, but as he climbed the tower, he would likely find related clues.
That could wait until after this run was over.
Sang-hyeok closed the notification and ran toward the end of the gorge again.
The blizzard, fiercer than before, battered his body, but his feet no longer stopped.
"He's started moving again!"
BlessingsAreNotFree's voice trembled as she checked the party status window.
"My blessing already ended, and his freeze level has passed 70%. Yet he's still running."
Hongryeon's gaze shifted back and forth between the numbers on the status window and Sang-hyeok in the blizzard.
Last time, Hongryeon had barely reached the front of the core even after combining her power with another fire mage.
But Sang-hyeok was breaking through the same path alone.
Hongryeon couldn't take her eyes off Sang-hyeok as he grew distant in the blizzard.
Grraaaaah!
At that moment, a fiercer howl than the first erupted from within the gorge.
The gazes of the three people watching Sang-hyeok turned back to the front of the <Warmth Core>.
Beyond the blizzard, even more frozen demonic beasts were swarming in.
Baren was the first to plant his shield.
"Let's leave that side to Undisclosed. We have to protect this place as promised."
Boom!
Baren's shield took the charge of the lead demonic beast.
Hongryeon also bit her lip and raised her staff.
"All right. The three of us will protect the <Warmth Core> to the end."
Whoooosh!
Red flames spread wide in front of the Warmth Core.
BlessingsAreNotFree continued layering barriers and healing from behind the two.
While the three fended off the demonic beasts' assault, Sang-hyeok finally reached the end of the gorge.
The blue crystal that had been visible through the blizzard was several times Sang-hyeok's height up close.
Cold air poured ceaselessly from the crystal embedded deep in the ground.
[<Permafrost Core>]
[Current destruction record: 0]
[Regeneration: Excellent]
The cold radiating from the core was fierce even after being reduced by <Demonic Dragon’s Bloodflow>.
Frost covered his arms and shoulders again, and his freeze level continued to rise.
[Current freeze level: 86%]
Sang-hyeok placed his right hand on the core without hesitation.
'<Erasure>.'
Hissss!
The blue crystal beneath his palm immediately crumbled into black sand.
It wasn't that the ice melted into water.
The part touched by <Erasure> itself was disappearing.
Fsssss.
A palm-sized hole formed in the core's surface.
Soon the surrounding cold surged into it.
According to Hongryeon's words, the spot melted by flames should have frozen over again at this moment.
But the hole remained as it was.
No matter how much cold surged in, the crystal erased by <Erasure> did not regenerate.
「First damage has been dealt to the <Permafrost Core>.」
[<Permafrost Core> damage: 3%]
The same notification appeared before the three party members' eyes.
Hongryeon's eyes went wide as she poured flames at the demonic beasts.
"The damage... went up."
Last time, Hongryeon had poured flames onto the core together with another fire mage.
They had succeeded in briefly melting the blue crystal's surface, but as soon as the flames weakened, the melted spot froze over again immediately.
The damage hadn't risen by even 1%.
The public record didn't display the core's damage.
No player had ever come forward claiming to have raised the damage either.
There were rumors that a few of the current Sixteen Celestial Seats had raised the damage when they first challenged this place as rookies, but those were nothing more than unconfirmed hearsay.
Dealing damage to the core at all was considered close to impossible.
But now.
The Undisclosed player in the Black Mask was breaking that impossibility.
The black energy didn't stop, continuing to burrow into the blue crystal.
Hongryeon couldn't take her eyes off Sang-hyeok beyond the blizzard.
The doubt that had remained until moments ago vanished completely.
"Impossible One......."