Success on the Second Floor!
Kwoong…! As soon as the Jotunn appeared in the snow, Bombe stepped forward. As if she understood that the situation was dire, she had already reverted to her massive form. Seeing Bombe take the lead, Jeolmi took flight, scattering the snow where he had been standing.
"I-it's a giant."
Words wouldn't work, would they? But just in case, I shouted as loudly as I could.
"H-hello…!"
It didn't even make a dent. The giant walked forward, shaking the earth as if my voice didn't even exist. Each of its feet was the size of a car. *Gulp.* I had come prepared, but the unavoidable fear made my hands tremble. I should have brought the Yeouiju with me.
[Eliminate the Jotunn.]
Just as before, the system message appeared. Of course, that’s how it works—if something like that shows up, you have to take it down.
'The Snow Girl…!'
Truth be told, I had been harboring a vague expectation that the Snow Girl from before would appear again. I looked around frantically, but….
'She's not here…!'
Maybe she was only invisible to my eyes, but she wasn't there. On the vast, white field, there was only Jeolmi, Bombe, and the Jotunn. Huh? This wasn't part of the plan. I was certain that last time, I had a feeling that if I entered the Tower again, I would meet her….
—Gwooooooo!
"Hwa-wa!"
Thud— Kwoooooong—!
The Jotunn bent its knees and leaped high into the air. Then, it flew straight toward where I was standing, clasped its hands together, and slammed them down.
—Kwoooooong—!
It was too scary…! Reflexively, I stretched out my arms and closed my eyes, but Bombe leaped up and blocked the Jotunn's fist with her shield. I could feel a massive amount of mana flowing through my connection with Bombe. I opened my eyes and watched as Bombe held off the giant's strike. The shield shimmered.
The two shields on Bombe's forelegs glistened, absorbing the impact and radiating it back toward the Jotunn.
"B-Bombe, you're doing great…!"
The impact. The amount of cold energy reflected back was immense, proportional to the force the giant's two fists had delivered to Bombe's shield. However….
—Gwooooooo!
The Jotunn’s body didn't just resist freezing; it shattered the thin layer of ice that had formed almost instantly.
Bang—! Bang—! Bang—!
As if enraged, it hammered Bombe’s shield with both fists in turns.
—Keung!
—Bwong!
Bombe crossed her two forelegs to catch the Jotunn's fists. The uncontained wind behind her whipped up a blizzard of snow. It was terrifying. I had decided to live the life of a hunter, but honestly, this was just too scary. I had been so sure I would meet the Snow Girl.
"H-huut… No, I can do this…."
Pat, pat. I tapped my cheeks. After all, this is the Tower, so I won't actually die… and I have a Return Stone.
I shifted my gaze to Jeolmi. While Bombe was taking all the Jotunn’s attacks, Jeolmi was circling the sky, seemingly searching for the giant's weak point. The fact that he hadn't sent any signal meant he hadn't found it yet. If he had, he would have drained my mana or sent a cry.
"I-I have no choice."
Originally, I had planned to meet the Snow Girl and ask her everything. What is the "Forgotten Dimension"? What is our relationship? I was curious if it might be something like a past life. And when I first left the Tower, I had a gut feeling that if I climbed it again, I would find the answers.
But since things had turned out this way, I couldn't just stand by and leave everything to Jeolmi and Bombe. Arts. After all… I had come here to create my own technique.
Stretch— I spread both hands toward the Jotunn. Bombe was handling the giant's punches better than I expected. Is it because she's made of snow?
'W-what can I do?'
The way I’d been handling mana most naturally was by projecting it. But I knew that wasn't enough.
'Like I did in the Labyrinth….'
Following the movements the Snow Girl had shown me on the first floor—I pulled back my outstretched hands, brought them to my lips, and took a stance as if breathing into them.
Breath of Heavenly Snow. Just as the skill name suggested, I blew out a breath. *Hoo—* The mana inside me vanished in a chunk, and cold air surged out, piercing through the chill of the snowy mountain.
Crackle—!
Cold enveloped the entire body of the Jotunn, which was twenty times larger than Bombe. Seeing the blue ice solidify, I clenched my fist.
"S-success!"
But the joy was short-lived. The ice that had been freezing the Jotunn’s body shattered completely. It felt as if the giant… hadn't taken any damage from the cold at all.
—Gwoooooooo!!!!
Ah. It was angry.
"H-heee…!"
The Jotunn’s foot lashed out at Bombe’s shield. *Bang, bang, bang!* It trampled Bombe mercilessly, like a child throwing a tantrum on the floor.
—Keung…!
Bombe held on. If she were human, she would have been gritting her teeth. But it seemed impossible to overcome the Jotunn with raw strength; her body was pinned to the ground like a nail. The Jotunn looked down at her, smirked, and then left Bombe behind to charge at me.
"Hiiik…!"
—Bwong!
Jeolmi flew in quickly. Not toward the Jotunn, but toward me. Jeolmi, who had arrived a step faster than the giant, grabbed my clothes with his talons and pulled. I was dragged along the snow, following Jeolmi’s flight.
Bang—!
If it weren't for Jeolmi, the Jotunn’s fist would have slammed into the spot where I had been standing. The impact, like a building collapsing, shook the ground violently.
"H-hic…!"
—Bwong! Bwong!
Jeolmi kept crying out, as if telling me to pull myself together. He flew around, dodging the Jotunn, who kept following us and slamming its fists into the ground. My body, being dragged along, was shaking so much that I felt dizzy.
"H-huuk… w-what do I do?"
Should I use the Return Stone? I gripped the stone Mr. Jong-wu had given me tightly in my pocket. If I poured mana into it, I would be out of the Tower instantly.
'…….'
But if I leave now? When will I create my Arts? Of course, I had plenty of time. The NOVA tournament was held every two years, and I had the body of a nine-year-old. If I went around clearing appropriate Gates, I wouldn't lose my abilities due to lack of activity.
I squeezed my eyes shut and rubbed the Return Stone with my hand.
'Ugh….'
I saw the image of Bombe pinned to the ground overlapping with the employee who had collapsed after being attacked by the Bomber Rangers. If I have power, I can save everyone. If I become a strong hunter… I won't have to helplessly watch everyone leave, like I did when I lost everyone at the orphanage.
"I-I'll try. Jeolmi, put me do—"
—Gwooooo!!!
"Hiiiiiik!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The Jotunn seemed to get angrier, stomping its feet instead of just punching as it charged. Jeolmi flew even more sharply to avoid the giant's stomps.
—Bwong!
I could feel that he couldn't put me down right now. 'B-but ugh… I can't concentrate my mana if I'm being shaken like this…!'
Tears were welling up, and on top of that, I felt nauseous. It was because I’d been shaken around so much in such a short time. I was already disoriented, and now the flight was continuing. It was clear that trying to do something with mana was the wrong move.
That was the moment.
—Kwooooooo!
Bombe, having pulled herself from the ground, leaped high into the air and fell toward the Jotunn with her shield in front. Light flashed from the blue shield. The impact she had accumulated while enduring the Jotunn’s punches and kicks. She poured that overwhelming power out in a single instant.
Tu-kwaaaaaang—!
The Jotunn was knocked forward by the impact that struck its back directly. Seeing that, Jeolmi calmly set me down on the ground.
"Hoo… Huu…!"
The Jotunn wriggled, trying to get back up immediately. If I’m going to do something, it has to be now…! The Jotunn clearly had resistance to cold and ice. Well, it would be obvious for a Snow Giant living in a snowy mountain like this. I couldn't do anything just by emitting cold.
'Bombe took a lot of mana while releasing the impact…!'
The mana left in my body was about 40% of the total. My innate mana capacity was overwhelming. Mr. Jong-wu had said that when it came to the sheer quantity and quality of mana, I exceeded A-rank. But the reason my mana ran out whenever I used my abilities a little was simple. I wasn't handling it efficiently.
'Efficiency… what is efficiency…!'
Jeolmi flew into the sky and shot ice feathers toward the Jotunn, who was trying to stand up by pushing off the ground. Since he didn't take much of my mana, the power wasn't outstanding.
Papak—
—Bwong!
Jeolmi tilted his beak toward the spot where the feathers had embedded like thorns. As if that was the Jotunn’s weak point.
'Feathers… weak point… Ah!'
I spread my palms. Instead of bringing them to my lips, I slowly flipped my hands toward the void. Freezing it with cold wouldn't hurt the Jotunn. But Jeolmi’s feathers had pierced the Jotunn’s hide and were embedded properly.
'Efficiency… don't just consume the mana as is, but treat it as if I'm crafting it…!'
Crackle— The frost that had surged into the air clumped together and turned into a massive block of ice. I didn't stop there; I changed the form of the ice. A giant ice sword shimmering with blue light. It appeared in the void of the snowy mountain where a blizzard was raging.
—Gwoooooooo!!!
"Hic, Hiyaaaaaah!"
I suppressed my surprise and fear and swung my arm.
Pang—!
Jeolmi assisted the trajectory of the sword, which was flying while bursting with processing energy, with a storm.
Bang—!
—Gueuk…!
The ice sword completely pierced through the Jotunn’s body. It didn't just embed itself; it tore through the upper body entirely.
—Keung!
Bombe leaped at the Jotunn, who was struggling to stand, and swung her foreleg at its face. Bang! Soon, the giant’s massive body fell backward, and snow scattered. The Jotunn didn't bleed. The inside, where the sword had cut through, was just filled with snow, like Jeolmi or Bombe.
"…!"
Beyond the fallen Jotunn, the Snow Girl, who had been watching calmly, came into view.
"Awawat…! O-over there!"
"Well done—"
My instinct to have more conversation surged. But as if the Tower wouldn't allow it yet, it pushed me out to the outside.
[Time until next opening: 2879 : 59 : 58]
Thump. My legs gave out, and I slumped down.
"Huh? Are you okay? What happened?"
"I-I'm okay…."
Feeling somewhat hollow, I just sat there, and Yeon-hwa, who had been waiting, approached. Due to Mr. Jong-wu’s control, the only people near the Tower were me and her.
[You have passed the trial of the 2nd floor.]
[2nd Floor Trial Breakthrough Grade | S+]
[Your name will be recorded in the Hall of Fame.]
[2nd Floor Hall of Fame]
1 | Shiro – S+
2 | Agnis – S
3 | Kenji – S
. . .
"Whoa, again…?"
It wasn't an overwhelming record like SSS+. But it was certain that S+ was an exceptional score. A situation that brought change to the Hall of Fame, which had seemed like it would never change. Even though Yeon-hwa knew that the Shiro from the 1st floor was me, she showed that she was surprised once again.
[S+ grade breakthrough confirmed, rewards are significantly enhanced.]
[The owner of the Forgotten Dimension interferes with the rewards!]
[Rew#rds are changi$g!@]
[@@!#&*@!]
[You have acquired the passive skill 'Snow Eye (C)'!]
"Umm…?"
Why are the rewards like this…?