#33 Serena's Ice Palace (5)
The raid team cautiously advanced. Everyone channeled their mana, slowly sweeping through the village, but not a single monster appeared.
Just as the detection team had reported.
In a flash, they arrived at the ice palace.
The palace sculpted from ice was breathtaking. The castle, glittering under the sunlight, radiated a dazzling beauty like diamonds themselves.
A goddess statue, carved so exquisitely that it could have been the work of masters like Michelangelo or Bernini, greeted them first. The grand staircase flanking the statue was entirely ice as well.
Everything in sight was ice.
Vases atop luxurious tables, flowers thrust into them—even the torches above were all crafted from ice.
The castle was so serene and beautiful that it was impossible to believe they were inside a gate.
But this was no good sign.
"The quieter it gets, the more suspicious."
Lee Hyewon nodded at Kim Daegwon's words and immediately turned to the detection team. Support member Lee Jae-eun, catching her gaze, swiftly dispersed her mana around them.
"No monsters within 300 meters."
Even her bright, clear voice failed to ease Kim Daegwon's wary glare.
"You sure there aren't any?"
"Y-yes? To be precise, there are no notable mana reactions, but if you want to get technical, there are some faint ones..."
Timid Lee Jae-eun crumbled under pressure.
"Don't bully your teammates. Let's move forward."
Lee Hyewon cut in, frowning at their exchange (or more accurately, Lee Jae-eun's rambling). Meanwhile, Yuseonje remained silent.
He appeared calm, but he was fully focused, ready to unleash lightning at any moment. Confirming the white glow flickering in his blue pupils, Lee Hyewon silently signaled to advance.
Indeed, the village—and now this castle—were far too quiet for an S-rank gate.
They'd only encountered a handful of monsters on the snowy slopes so far, and those seemed more like natural spawns than anything tied to the palace.
Serena's Ice Palace
The system had named the palace's master, which meant this was Serena's domain.
The palace itself might come alive and attack them at any second.
That was why they couldn't relax, even with no monsters in sight.
Lee Hyewon turned to Yuseonje.
"Not encountering a single monster so far is a bad omen. It means the gate's boss could be overwhelmingly powerful."
Gate ranks corresponded to the total mana held by monsters inside.
The conventional wisdom was that hordes of mobs meant a weaker boss. Classic examples included the Undead Swamp, cleared by defending against zombie waves, or Belphinos' Demon Cave.
Gates like those were manageable with good stamina management—especially for large strike teams.
But occasionally, gates appeared with zero monsters.
Tricky special gates with complex clear conditions, or raid-types that poured every ounce of power into the boss, as Lee Hyewon suggested.
Raid gates with mid-bosses were somewhat better. But a gate this barren...
The boss fight wouldn't be easy.
Kim Daegwon shrugged.
"We don't know yet. Look at the size of this place. We've barely scratched the entrance."
Yuseonje glanced back at the hunters behind him.
"Even if it's a raid-type, I'm confident."
The hunters Jin Yeonhwa had assigned were perfectly suited to amplify his lightning. Two with water talents, one with metal, and the rest all synergistic with electricity.
Together, they boosted his output by 1.5 times—up to double under ideal conditions.
He hadn't brought just two S-grades to tackle an S-gate for nothing.
"Good. Let's push forward."
Kim Daegwon laughed heartily and stepped ahead.
"Gotta admit, it's stunning. Makes me wanna rip a chunk off and take it home."
Even Kim Daegwon, who seemed utterly devoid of any artistic sense, was awestruck.
Yet the beautiful castle stood empty.
No servants or attendants as one might expect. Usually, the first hurdle in a palace like this was trash mobs like maids.
Without its master, the castle's beauty felt hollow.
Those initially captivated by its splendor began to sense the emptiness.
No traps either. Every room lay wide open, utterly devoid of threats.
The rooms brimmed with exquisite furniture and artwork. All ice, yet it didn't melt to the touch.
Clearly sustained by the mana of whoever built it.
Serena.
The system had revealed her identity to everyone.
The corridor opened into a vast banquet hall.
And there, they finally spotted something significant.
A massive ice rose. Immense mana pulsed from its unbloomed bud.
Kim Daegwon grinned at the sight.
"Now that's more like it."
"Everyone, combat formation!"
Lee Hyewon issued the order calmly. Yuseonje sparked lightning at his fingertips.
The petals began to unfurl slowly. In that tense moment, a beautiful woman emerged from the flower.
"Guests have arrived."
A welcoming greeting.
And with it, the ice began to shatter.
The name Ice Palace was a lie.
Everything trapped within the ice awakened at once.
The moment a pink glow tinged the woman's frozen fingertips, Yuseonje thrust his hand toward her.
Thousands of lightning bolts coursed through her body.
Krraaaang!
Mana rent the world asunder, tearing space itself.
The lightning surged destructively, poised to incinerate and pulverize everything in its path. After dozens of arcs, the sight that emerged was shocking.
Serena stood unscathed, gazing at Yuseonje.
"Huh."
Kim Daegwon let out an involuntary gasp.
A monster.
Worthily, the boss of an S-rank gate. Kim Daegwon raised his fist. Condense—vast mana converged upon it.
"Take the front."
At Lee Hyewon's command, Kim Daegwon rocketed forward. Support buffs clung to his body: tougher skin, greater speed, amplified mana in his fist.
He slammed his fist into Serena's face.
Release.
The mana detonated, making her body twitch. But she was solid.
Realizing the damage was negligible, Kim Daegwon instantly withdrew.
Following Lee Hyewon's orders, the raid team channeled mana to bolster Yuseonje's lightning. Water erupted around Serena, clinging to her form. Then another lightning barrage.
Double the previous impact—yet Serena remained indifferent.
Her interrupted regeneration soured her mood. With a gesture, the palace stirred to life, warping space.
The floor split; their formation crumbled.
"Nngh! Stay calm!"
But Sirius's elites wouldn't falter here. Lee Hyewon leaped onto the fractured stone, signaling the supports.
The ground stabilized in seconds.
Mana control—a support gifted at disrupting others' spells.
Another layered fresh buffs onto Kim Daegwon.
"Hah! That's the stuff."
His body felt light; muscles writhed with power. Kicking off the crumbling earth, he gathered force in his fist.
Condense.
Mana vortexed into his fist.
Release.
Puuung!
Air exploded, birthing a vacuum.
Serena staggered. But only briefly.
Another wave of her hand, and her wounds vanished in an instant.
Magical recovery.
"Whoa."
Tough foe. In that instant, lightning poured down before Kim Daegwon.
If she regenerated, they'd pummel her until she couldn't.
Yuseonje levitated halfway via electromagnetism and extended his hand again.
Could she withstand everything he had? He summoned his full mana once more.
Then, a voice boomed through the hall.
"That's an illusion! You idiots, it's all illusions!"
Who the hell was shouting that? The monster right in front of them couldn't be fake.
Not with mana flows this vivid.
Then, a rose bloomed from Serena's fingertips, hurtling toward Yuseonje.
He swapped places with a bolt of lightning, effortlessly dodging the petals, and glared at Serena.
Hammered her repeatedly, yet her aloof expression remained pristine—no damage.
Not even a flinch after countless strikes. Any other monster would've shown something.
The issue: his mana was dwindling. He glanced sideways—Kim Daegwon and the others wore similar strains.
Time to finish it.
Yuseonje drew every last drop of mana from his core.
One point. Channeling total focus for a single, decisive blow.
"Lend me your power."
He signaled Lee Hyewon. The raid team prepped their own ultimate strikes.
Vast mana swirled around them.
Everyone knew: fail to land this, and the raid was doomed.
Sensing their resolve, even the serene Serena ascended. Scattered rose petals converged, then surged toward them.
In that instant, Yuseonje thrust his hand forward.
Defense abandoned—he poured everything into Serena.
Thousands of lightning bolts rained down on her in unison.
Crrrackle, crrrackle.
Space tore, unable to contain Yuseonje's mana. Peering through the rift's shimmer, he narrowed his eyes.
Someone was charging straight at him.
As fast as his own lightning.
The shadow seized his collar.
"Illusion, I told you, you moron."
Yuseonje blinked at the voice.