Frost Flower Tomb
Frost Flower Tomb
The final resting place of the thousand-year nine-tailed fox clan, a sanctuary where all their legacy slumbers.
Frostheim's eternal winter began right here.
"Are you heading in right away?"
I nodded at Baekseol's question.
"Yes."
The biggest reason I'd come to Frostheim.
I had to obtain one item slumbering in the Frost Flower Tomb, no matter what.
"Hm, very well. In that case, I trust you'll honor the condition I mentioned."
"I know."
Baekseol warned me with a serious expression.
"And follow my exact movements. If you stray even slightly, the curse left by our clan will activate. A curse infused with a thousand years of resentment... even a Haven captain wouldn't emerge unscathed."
I nodded instead of replying.
"Good. Marcus!"
"Yes, Captain."
"Escort Lilia to my castle and let her rest comfortably. I'll go to the tomb with Astra."
"Understood."
Marcus bowed politely.
Baekseol looked at Lilia and smiled gently.
"Lilia, can you rest alone for a bit?"
"Yes..."
"Such a good girl."
Baekseol stroked Lilia's hair with a smile.
A moment later, she turned to me, her expression shifting.
"Shall we go?"
We left the castle and headed to the rear.
There, three fox statues stood forming a triangle, with a massive boulder at the center.
A cold wind stirred as Baekseol stood before the boulder.
She clasped her hands and began murmuring in a low voice.
"Thousand-year frost, spirits of the nine tails..."
"The heir of frozen blood knocks upon the door..."
"In the name of our ancestors, open the sealed path."
⟨ Gate of Frost ⟩
Words flowing from her lips were no human tongue.
It was the ancient language used only by the thousand-year nine-tailed fox clan.
Baekseol's blue eyes began shifting to silver.
As her mouth stilled, blue light burst from the statues' eyes.
The massive boulder trembled and slowly split open.
Ku-gu-guung...
Once the boulder fully parted, stairs shrouded in white mist appeared beyond.
"Let's enter."
Baekseol turned to me.
A faint glow emanated from the thousand-year nine-tailed fox clan's emblem on her forehead.
Nine tails intertwined in a circle, with a fox's eye cradling a full moon at the center.
Stepping inside revealed a breathtaking sight that stole my breath.
Dozens—no, hundreds of fox statues lined both sides of the path. Each in different poses and expressions, yet all fixed their gazes toward the entrance.
Craaack...
Each step cracked the frozen floor like a scream.
Huu...
My exhaled breath spread white.
A bone-chilling cold, worlds apart from the outside, pierced my entire body.
It's cold, as expected.
Astra, circulate your black magic.
Ascaros's voice echoed in my mind.
Black magic resists mana. This chill isn't mere cold—it's a curse woven from mana.
Following his advice, I circulated black magic through my body.
As the dark energy flowed through my veins, the freezing chill eased bit by bit. Not gone entirely, but bearable now.
Baekseol spoke softly as she led the way.
"These here are all our clan's ancestors."
Sadness tinged her voice.
I examined the statues closely. Each was exquisitely lifelike, as if truly alive and frozen in an instant...
Are these really just statues?
In the game, I'd dismissed them as mere background props.
But seeing them now, so vividly real, sent chills down my spine. Horror, despair, and resolve mingled in every expression.
"Never touch the statues. And..."
Baekseol stopped and turned.
"Follow my exact footsteps. Not a single inch off. This is your final warning. Ignore any voices you hear."
I nodded.
Voices...
They'd started the moment we entered. Faint whispers brushing my ears like wind.
"How dare a human scum come here..."
"Die... die, you human bastard..."
"Turn back. Last warning. Go deeper, and I'll make you experience hell..."
At first, only voices brimming with hatred and rage.
But gradually...
"Heehee... play with me..."
A child's voice mixed in.
Pure yet eerie laughter.
"Come here... I'll show you something nice..."
"Aren't you lonely? Stay with us forever..."
The voices grew clearer with each step.
Men, women, elders, children... countless voices swirled around my ears without restraint.
Some seduced sweetly, others threatened sharply. As if hundreds, thousands of souls spoke to me at once.
Astra, keep your wits about you.
Ascaros warned.
They're vengeful spirits trapped here. Driven mad by sensing the warmth of the living...
Vengeful spirits mean...
Ascaros replied after heavy silence.
Yes. All these statues... seem to be people who were truly alive.
I looked at the statues again.
Now I understood why their expressions were so vivid.
Baekseol's words echoed: the true meaning of "our clan's ancestors."
"Your blood looks delicious... warm blood..."
"Become like us... together forever..."
But I ignored them and kept walking.
How long had we gone? A small door finally appeared. And before it...
This is...
A being on another level from the previous statues loomed before us.
A massive nine-tailed fox statue stood guarding the door.
It towered at least ten meters high.
Or maybe more. I had to crane my neck far back just to glimpse its head.
Baekseol halted before the statue, her expression turning reverent.
"This one is..."
She drew a deep breath.
"The progenitor of the thousand-year nine-tailed fox clan, 'Snow Flower.' Our clan's first nine-tails, who ascended to divine realm."
Baekseol knelt.
"Beyond this door lie the treasures our clan guarded for a thousand years, and all the secrets of this place. But..."
She looked up at me.
"Before entering, we must pay respects to the progenitor. Otherwise, the door won't open."
Baekseol bowed her head and began chanting in that ancient tongue again.
"Great progenitor, Baekseol has returned. To uphold the blood oath, and..."
"I come with a human guest. Grant him mercy."
⟨ Oath of Blood ⟩
I knelt to follow Baekseol, lowering my head—
Flash—!
Silver radiance exploded from the massive statue's eyes.
What...?!
The world twisted in an instant. The ground vanished beneath me, sky and earth inverting in a dizzying vertigo.
Thud—
When I regained my senses, I stood in an entirely different space.
A realm filled with white mist. No up or down, a void world.
And...
"So, you are human."
A beautiful, majestic voice resounded.
Raising my head toward the source, a massive nine-tailed fox slowly emerged from the mist.
Its pure white fur gleamed softly like moonlight, nine tails swaying languidly, filling the space like a galaxy.
Its size defied measurement. I felt like an ant before it.
Golden eyes gazed down at me.
Overwhelming pressure filled that gaze.
"What brings you here, human?"
I was still dazed by his question.
What the hell? The progenitor of the thousand-year nine-tails... Nothing like this in the game. And no such event entering the Frost Flower Tomb either.
But despite my confusion, truth spilled from my lips unbidden.
"To take the Frost Flower Gloves."
What?!
I startled at my own words.
"Huhu... Such a surprised face."
Snow Flower lowered its head, peering closer.
"This is my mental realm. No lies can be spoken here. Only truth may pass your lips."
It paused, then asked again.
"But the Frost Flower Gloves... made from my fur. Why do you need them?"
Ha... so that's it.
I sighed inwardly.
Frost Flower Gloves.
The one item in the Frost Flower Tomb unrelated to ice or snow... who knew it was gloves made from the progenitor's fur.
In the game, described merely as a special-grade item.
"Answer, human."
Snow Flower's voice rang again—an irresistible command.
"To protect this world."
"The world..."
Snow Flower's eyes subtly shifted.
Suddenly, intrigue flickered across its face.
"Come to think of it, human, you bear that one's power."
That one?
I was puzzled. What was it talking about?
"Remarkable. To think a human possesses that one's ability."
"What do you mean?"
Snow Flower smiled enigmatically.
"Oh? You haven't realized yet."
It seemed lost in thought for a moment.
Then murmured an incomprehensible name. I couldn't catch it fully, but it sounded like someone's name.
"*** sees something in this one... Hm, very well."
Snow Flower gazed straight at me again.
"I'll grant what you desire. In exchange, fulfill my request."
"What is it?"
"Do you know the fate of the thousand-year nine-tails?"
The sudden question left me speechless for a moment.
The game had no detailed lore on them.
"No."
"I thought as much. Humans wouldn't know."
Loneliness tinged Snow Flower's voice.
"Thousand-year nine-tails gain immense power over a millennium, but bear a cursed fate. We..."