The Sensation of Frozen Snow
The incident in the city had wrapped up nicely.
Lim Dojun set off for the Canyon of Frozen Snow.
'They said it would take a few days for the Soul Stone to awaken. I should wrap this up quickly before then.'
Thanks to the help of the Extreme Martial God Sect followers, he had managed to extract Park Chan-woo's soul from the Soul Stone.
However, the shock from the Soul-Shattering Sword meant it would take several days for the soul to fully awaken.
— Crunch. Crunch.
Lim Dojun rode his drake, advancing toward the entrance of the Western Mountain Range.
The Canyon of Frozen Snow lay along one of the mountain range's branching ridges.
'Who would have guessed there'd be ancient ruins here where you could learn the Magic Tower's secret arts?'
The Blue Magic Tower had purchased land across the continent for business and magical research, turning them into private properties. This place was no different.
It wasn't known to the outside world, and even those who stumbled upon it would simply assume it was just another piece of Blue Magic Tower territory and move on.
Only the occasional mage came and went, and there was no regular supply traffic.
"It's so boring because no monsters come near thanks to you."
"Grr..."
Lim Dojun stroked the drake's head.
While not quite as bad as the Milberg forward base, the Western Mountain Range had an extremely high monster density.
Yet Lim Dojun hadn't seen a single monster on his way here.
Things might be different once they crossed into Monster Land, but at least in this area, there were no creatures bold enough to approach a drake.
"Ugh!?"
Just as they neared the canyon, a short scream rang out, and something fell from the trees with a thud.
A middle-aged man in a blue robe pointed at Lim Dojun, his eyes wide with shock.
"D-Dr-Drake!?"
Even standing still, the killing intent radiating from the drake automatically put him on edge.
He gripped his staff tightly, ready to attack at any moment. The drake's eyes began to fill with murderous intent as well, but Lim Dojun bonked it on the head.
"Enough. This is a mage from our Magic Tower. Let me down."
The drake's eyes grew languid again. It lowered Lim Dojun as if it had lost interest.
"Greetings, senior. My name is Jun. I'll be entering the canyon this time."
Lim Dojun greeted the other mage politely.
He had heard about this before coming.
The man was a Blue Magic Tower mage and the guardian who watched over the Canyon of Frozen Snow, preventing outsiders from entering recklessly.
"...Jun. R-Right. I was told someone would be coming. ...Though I didn't expect you'd arrive on a drake. I'm Cedric."
Guardian Cedric let out a dry laugh as he stood up.
In all his years as a guardian, he'd seen plenty of talented mages. But this was the first time he'd ever seen one riding a drake.
"Haven't you heard? It seems my name has been spreading quite a bit around here lately."
"Rumors about a mage who rides a drake? Hmm. I haven't left the canyon recently, so this is the first I've heard of it."
Lim Dojun found that strange.
'What? I earned three achievement points. I thought that would've spread my name around quite a bit.'
Maybe people living deep in the mountains still hadn't heard?
Three points at once was a huge deal, yet the threshold for recognition seemed strangely high.
"Well. Either way, you made it. The journey here must have been... no, I suppose not for you."
Normally he would have said, 'The trip here must have been tough, but the real hardship is yet to come,' but Cedric changed his words.
What hardship could there be for a mage riding a drake?
He probably even took naps on the way!
"...But inside the canyon, it's different. The Canyon of Frozen Snow is a place so agonizing that even the great mages who are now Elders found it incredibly difficult. Just thinking about it again makes me shudder."
"I'm prepared for that."
Lim Dojun nodded.
Since his military days, he'd mastered the art of building patience.
Natural awakeners who wanted to succeed in missions that even returnees found difficult couldn't do it with ordinary training.
Cedric liked the weight in Lim Dojun's eyes. It wasn't something you saw in typical young mages these days.
"Good. I'll look forward to it."
Somewhere in Seoul, at the heart of the Ghost Temple.
This was the gathering place of otherworldly sorcerers known as the Ghost Temple, filled with their secret sorcery techniques.
The Soul Binding Hall was one of their most powerful secret arts.
If you erected a monument with your name in the Soul Binding Hall, even if you died, your soul would return alive.
Revival required precious materials and enormous funds, but the chance to live once more was an incredible advantage.
"Park Chan-woo? Ah, that guy. The lucky bastard who managed to get a monument in the Soul Binding Hall."
"With his skills, it's ridiculous that he even qualified to leave his name there."
Because it was an extra life, everyone wanted a monument in the Soul Binding Hall, but space was extremely limited.
Park Chan-woo had been fortunate enough to claim a spot when one opened up, thanks to having decent enough skill at the time. But to the core members of the Ghost Temple, he had always seemed rather pathetic.
"That's not the issue. If he couldn't return to the Soul Binding Hall, it means his soul was completely annihilated."
"Someone has properly attacked our Ghost Temple."
"Hehehe. We need to preserve his soul and make him suffer for eternity."
Returnees never turned down a fight that came their way.
The Union tried to manage them as much as possible, but these people had spent their lives in the other world fighting nonstop. There was no way they'd fear something like this.
Some even welcomed it as an interesting new event.
"From what I gathered, Go Wonjin attacked Park Chan-woo's house."
"......?"
"......"
A sudden silence fell over the room.
"Go Wonjin? You don't mean... that Mad Dog from Astelgard?"
"That's right."
"...Shit."
Every Ghost Temple member present wore a troubled expression.
It wasn't just anyone. It was that Mad Dog.
Normally, they would track down whoever attacked the Ghost Temple and exact revenge. But the Mad Dog was a different story.
It wasn't new for that bastard to swing his sword around without caring who he cut.
His skills were considerable too, so among returnees, the quiet saying "Just avoid the Mad Dog if you can" had been circulating for a while.
"...Did Park Chan-woo do something wrong?"
"He might have. Or maybe not. Does the Mad Dog ever bother distinguishing between people before he bites?"
"Ha. Are you scared of that guy?"
A few of the Ghost Temple members sneered.
"He's just never met a proper opponent yet. I've been wanting to fight him once anyway. I want to see just how strong he is that people say not to touch him."
"...Right. We can't let this slide. This is a matter of our pride."
"Exactly."
If they stayed quiet after getting hit, they'd only get hit more in the future.
They needed to show that the Ghost Temple wasn't to be touched lightly.
Besides, the Ghost Temple had never been the type to sit still anyway.
"It's about time we remind the world of the terror of the Ghost Gods. We need to prepare a nice club for that Mad Dog."
In the darkness, ghostly auras flickered and rose.
The Canyon of Frozen Snow was an ancient ruin that had existed since long ago.
At its center lived an ancient spirit of cold, and the power emanating from that spirit had frozen the entire canyon.
"The Blue Magic Tower has placed a barrier around it, so you can't tell from outside. But the moment you step inside, you'll feel a cold that pierces straight into your flesh."
Cedric, who had come along to guide him, explained.
A guardian's job wasn't only to chase away people who stumbled upon the ruins by chance. It also included guiding mages who came seeking the secret arts.
"I see."
"Oh? Your voice isn't even shaking. Seems like you can handle it. Do you usually have high cold resis—"
As he spoke and looked at Lim Dojun, Cedric realized something was wrong.
Lim Dojun's expression was far too calm.
Having guided many mages before, he knew the usual reactions.
Teeth usually chattered so badly that speech became slurred. In severe cases, the whole body would shake so much that movement became difficult.
"...Aren't you cold?"
"No. I'm fine."
Yet Lim Dojun looked perfectly normal.
He really was fine.
'They call it the Canyon of Frozen Snow, but it's not bad at all?'
The entire canyon was frozen solid, and every breath came out as thick white vapor, but he didn't feel cold.
Lim Dojun instinctively understood why.
'The Crystal Dragon's curse. Pretty much every unusual situation comes back to this.'
Just as he'd gained immense talent for cold-based magic, his resistance to this kind of freezing temperature was also exceptional.
"Do I just need to head to the center of the ruins like this?"
"...Yes. If you continue adapting to the cold and communicating with the ancient spirit, you'll awaken a new sensation."
Cedric nodded, looking somewhat dazed.
This newcomer seemed to endure the cold even better than he did, despite having already awakened the secret sense... It had to be his imagination, right?
The two of them slowly walked deeper into the canyon.
Inside stood a large altar, above which a single blue butterfly fluttered about.
"From here on, you really need to be careful. It may look cute, but as expected of an ancient spirit, it's extremely finicky."
Any mage skilled enough to enter the Canyon of Frozen Snow would already be considered a genius.
Anyone below that level couldn't receive the secret arts. And mages of that caliber were usually arrogant.
They tended to see the ancient spirit as something to be commanded, which naturally led to friction.
It wasn't uncommon for mages to be thoroughly scolded by the ancient spirit and driven out of the canyon.
While it spared their lives, most mages who suffered such humiliation never returned.
— Flutter. Flutter.
At that moment, the ancient spirit above the altar slowly began flying toward them.
Cedric tensed up noticeably.
The ancient spirit rarely left the altar. For it to move like this was highly unusual.
And then the spirit flew straight into Lim Dojun's arms.
— Flap flap flap.
"Mm. Yes. Nice to meet you too. Ah. Can you understand me? I can mostly understand you."
— Flap flap flap.
"Good. That's fortunate. I'd like to obtain the sensation that can only be learned here. Will you help me?"
— Flutter.
"You already knew? Focus inward? Hmm. I'll give it a try. Just a moment..."
Lim Dojun watched the butterfly flitting around in his arms before focusing on his senses.
The sensation of cold he felt nearby.
The energy emanating from the ancient spirit.
'Is this it?'
Because of the Crystal Dragon's curse settled deep within his body, he hadn't noticed it before. But in truth, the sensation wasn't that difficult to perceive.
He might not have noticed it alone, but the ancient spirit continuously provided powerful stimulation to help him feel that exact sense.
It came so quickly that Lim Dojun wondered if he was mistaken. He opened his eyes, and before him floated a system message.
You have learned the skill 'Frozen Snow Sensation'.
The proficiency and power of cold-type magic will increase significantly.
Lim Dojun broke into a wide smile.
"Oh. It looks like it worked, senior. I can definitely feel a different sensation now!"
Since a skill had appeared, it was certain.
He turned to Cedric with a joyful expression, but the guardian was staring at him in utter disbelief.
"No... That's not a sensation you're supposed to obtain that easily... It should be incredibly cold and painful... And that spirit... It's not usually like that..."
He didn't even know where to begin pointing out how abnormal this was.