Chapter 94
Chapter 94
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 93
Chapter Title: Elite Dungeon, 'Frozen Palace of the Tundra'
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*Thud, thud, thud, thud!*
Giant paw prints marked the snow-covered fields as two silver figures dashed powerfully down a hill.
"W-whoa! This is too fast! And I really don't like this!"
"You're loud, junior. Why don't you calm down a bit?"
"No, just look over there! Three beauties are clinging to him like that, how can I not complain? Three women and two men in our group, does this combination even make sense!?"
"The opposite sex will only weigh you down."
Cherni's grumbling complaints and Death of Death's nonchalant voice carried through the wind.
I glanced to the side.
Cherni and Death of Death were riding on the back of a giant, silver-furred wolf, a Silver Sword Wolf. Dashing through the wind, the Silver Sword Wolf looked like a silver flash of light.
It matches my hair color.
I want to make it a permanent pet.
"Ahah!"
I let out a rare laugh.
I, too, was riding on the back of a Silver Sword Wolf, dashing against the wind. The cold wind of the snowy plains whipped against my face, sharp enough to cut skin, but with the Ignition Stone, it was bearable.
Rather than cold, it actually felt good.
*Squeeze.*
"Hah!?"
I flinched as two pairs of hands wrapped tightly around my waist and abdomen from behind, lowering my posture and grabbing onto the Silver Sword Wolf's fur.
And I puffed out my cheeks slightly and looked back.
"Sisters... you won't fall off even if you just hold onto the fur on the Silver Sword Wolf's back, you know?"
"I-I don't care! It's scary!"
"Eheheh!"
Beimerung had her eyes squeezed shut, her face buried in my hair as she clung to my waist. Chris, at the very back, reached her long arms around to grab my stomach, letting out a silly laugh.
"Hooah..."
"Eek!?"
I was startled by the hot breath on the nape of my neck. It was Beimerung's.
"Hey, Beimerung!"
"Ouch, ouch. Heheh!"
Chris angrily poked Beimerung's sides repeatedly.
"H-hey, sisters, you'll fall! We're going to fall!"
*Splash!*
Ignoring the commotion from Beimerung and Chris clinging to my back, the two Silver Sword Wolves facing the giant lake leaped into it. Still carrying us, they began to swim forward, toward the shape of an artificial structure in the center of the lake. Thankfully, our party, riding on the backs of the giant Silver Sword Wolves, did not get wet.
"The Unfrozen Lake."
In truth, ever since players first entered the 'Parh Snowy Fields', the structure that looked like an elite dungeon was very clearly visible.
The blatantly suspicious 'Unfrozen Lake'. And beyond it, the faint outline of a giant ice fortress.
There were attempts by players to build boats and cross the lake, but they were all drowned by giant fish monsters living in the water. Well, even if they had reached the fortress on the ice island in the middle of the lake a little earlier, they wouldn't have been able to enter due to the magic circle blocking the entrance.
The life skill 'Taming', obtainable by completing a hidden quest in the snowy fields at level 45.
The information that one could get close to the fortress in the center of the Unfrozen Lake by using this skill to tame a Silver Sword Wolf was only revealed quite recently.
And finally, the day the magic circle blocking the entrance would open had arrived.
Our party crossed the lake with the Silver Sword Wolves, heading toward the giant ice fortress.
[Entry Level: 45]
[Elite Dungeon (4-Player Party Recommended)]
[Frozen Palace of the Tundra]
"Goodbye, Silver Sword Wolf!"
I waved at the pair of Silver Sword Wolves that had dropped our party off in front of the palace and were now swimming back across the 'Unfrozen Lake'.
Then, I surveyed the faces of the players gathered in front of the ice palace.
"Oh, you're here. Uhahat!"
"Hello, Mr. Hopkins."
"We may cooperate as guilds for raids, but in an elite dungeon, we're all competitors, aren't we?"
"Huhu, Mr. Seopseobi, you're already here too."
Chris exchanged greetings with the members of the 'Red and White' guild.
In front of the ice palace, 'Hopkins's Party' and 'Seopseobi's Party' had already arrived. The vanguard members of the Red and White guild had all gathered in one place.
Besides them, quite a few other vanguard party players had gathered.
The guild master of 'GG Clan', We Got Married, and the guild master of 'Plan B', Jo Hyeon-su, were also visible. We Got Married gave us a nod with a smile, while Jo Hyeon-su snorted and turned his head away.
The GG Clan, affiliated with the Alpharion Empire, and Plan B of the Betarion Empire were like cats and dogs, but they didn't go so far as to fight outside of PvP fields and incur penalties.
"Anyway, it's strange. This is the coldest part of the 'Parh Snowy Fields', yet the lake doesn't freeze."
"Well, it's a game, right? Maybe there's some lore about magical forces or something?"
"Ahem, I suppose so. Since it's a game."
Listening to Chris and Beimerung's conversation, I was lost in thought for a moment.
Of course, this place was a cold region in the past, too. Still, if you consider this world to be spherical like Earth, its latitude isn't that far north.
In the first place, it doesn't make sense for a permanent tundra to appear just by crossing a single mountain range from the plains.
If that's the case, there's only one possible reason why this place became a permanent tundra.
"Could it be the influence of demonic energy?"
The fact that this region was once again covered in severe cold was also proof that the demons had begun to stir.
The demonic energy of the frost-wielding demons had lowered the temperature here even further.
In fact, in the past, after defeating the demon corps commander who had used the snowy fields as a base to attack humans, the temperature of the region had gradually risen.
Some areas even began to slowly regain their greenery. Although, I left this world before they could fully recover.
I'm sure I heard there were elves living there, too.
Lost in thoughts of the past for a moment, I looked up when I felt Chris's hand take mine.
Chris scratched her face and spoke.
"Um, that thing, you're doing it today, right?"
"Yes."
I've already finished testing the broadcast. It's just an account for streaming video, so it's not like I'll be interacting with viewers like a streamer, but I've set it so anyone can come in and watch.
Chris put on a slightly stern expression.
"Don't overdo it. You have no idea how surprised I was last time."
"Yeees."
I lowered my head and fidgeted with my fingers.
Of course, I don't plan on overdoing it. Unless it's something as ridiculous as that thing waiting for me at the top of the tower, I'm confident I won't get hurt in this world.
Still, if I'm going to present myself as the protagonist, I have to look cool. I didn't want to run away just because things got a little tough.
To do that.
*Whirrr, thooom.*
Just then, the sound of the magic circle at the palace entrance deactivating was heard, and as if to welcome the heroes who had reached this place, a bridge was laid across the moat.
"Chris, you guys go on ahead."
"Okay. You said you were coming in a little later, right, Rain?"
I nodded.
Chris approached the front of the dungeon. As if following her lead, the vanguard members began to gather one by one at the dungeon entrance.
"Alright, this time it's our turn!"
"Isn't it going to be either the No-Name Party or Chris's party that wins anyway? Might as well just stream."
The players murmured as they disappeared one by one into the ice palace, and finally, after one last look back at me, Chris and her party members also vanished into the instance dungeon.
The elite dungeon, the 'Frozen Palace of the Tundra'.
The first elite dungeon of the new expansion pack.
The conquest of that place had begun.
"Ahem-hem."
*Pace, pace.*
I paced back and forth, opening an internet window to watch the streams of the vanguard players broadcasting on a video streaming site.
"As expected, the really fast people don't stream."
The parties from the 'Red and White' guild, who were at the forefront of elite dungeon conquests, didn't turn on their streams.
Chris's party, Hopkins's party, Seopseobi's party.
In terms of first-clear speed alone, I'd heard all three parties were in the top ten. It made me realize once again what incredible people were gathered in the Red and White guild.
Streaming during the initial attempts of a dungeon or raid is a huge disadvantage.
Discovering the mechanics to beat a named boss requires countless attempts and flashes of ingenuity.
And was it called serendipity? Anyway, there are also many cases of accidental discovery.
The mechanics discovered by the fastest streaming party. There are cases where a subsequent party uses that exact information to overtake them.
The individual skills of the party members are important, of course, but if the strategy is leaked, you're inevitably at a disadvantage.
Of course, this doesn't apply to me, as my playstyle can't be copied by others.
The reason I'm not going in right away is partly a self-imposed penalty for using a legendary weapon.
"Since this is the first elite dungeon of the new expansion, it'll be much harder than before."
There will definitely be new mechanics we haven't seen before.
Maybe even a mechanic that nullifies invincibility skills? Like the 'Ice Ogre King's' berserk mode on the 9th floor of the Ice Crystal Tower.
There was also some fun in watching other people try to clear the dungeon.
"Oho."
I soon found the stream that had made the most progress.
A party that had quickly passed the trash mob section and reached the first named boss.
As I maximized the screen, a familiar laugh could be heard.
- Kkikiki!
The swordsman in the long blue robe, the guild master of Plan B.
It's 'Gyuam Jo Hyeon-su'.
I clutched my stomach and laughed in front of the ice palace.