The Frost Demon's Thirst

The brilliant cross-shaped sword drove deep into Rekimond's chest.

Yet he did not so much as frown. In a voice as cold as the surrounding ice, he murmured, "The secret hidden here changed me. I have escaped death, but at the cost of a terrible curse. To keep from dying... I need blood."

Madness swirled in Rekimond's eyes.

A tremendous roar shook the altar.

"Now that you've set foot in this place, every drop of your blood belongs to me!"

Rekimond's skin began to rip apart in long shreds. From his once gaunt, frail frame, thick sturdy bones pushed outward, revealing skin that glowed with a deathly pallor. Black wings burst from his spine.

The utterly transformed Rekimond threw back his head and howled.

"Graaaaaaaaah—!"

The clan members beneath the altar cried out in horror.

"It's a monster!"

"What the hell? Weren't you supposed to give us the quest reward?"

The man they had believed was the quest giver had transformed into a monster. In the face of the sudden chaos, Kang Yoonsoo reacted first.

He leaped down from the altar and shouted, "Get away from the mana golem."

The clan members scrambled back. Sally jumped lightly from the golem's shoulder.

The mana golem standing at the room's exit suddenly slammed both arms into the floor.

BOOM!

The ice floor split cleanly in two with a deafening crack.

"I obey the command of the great adventurer Rekimond Aurel and will kill you all."

The mana golem possessed overwhelming strength. The steadfast ally from moments ago had become an enemy.

The Frost Demon spread its pitch-black wings wide.

"Ice shower! Rain down upon those who will become my blood and sustenance!"

It was the demon's wide-area spell. Hundreds of ice spikes formed in the air and hurtled downward like a deadly hail.

Kang Yoonsoo shouted quickly, "Shanette, Sally. Use fire to make a barrier."

"Flame Art!"

"Wrath of Flames!"

Two massive columns of fire merged into one and collided with the falling ice spikes. They could not melt every spike completely; sharp fragments still sprayed in every direction.

At the same time the mana golem brought both arms down with terrifying speed.

"I obey the command of the great adventurer Rekimond Aurel and will kill you."

CRAAAAASH!

"Aaaargh!"

Three clan members were crushed in an instant. The first casualties had appeared.

Kang Yoonsoo remained utterly calm.

I never expected to clear a ruin raid without any deaths anyway.

A wide-area spell from the Frost Demon and a mana golem blocking the only exit. In this nightmarish situation, Kang Yoonsoo would have to raid both bosses at once.

"Blizzard of snow! Freeze the lambs that will satisfy my desire!"

The Frost Demon on the altar began chanting another large-scale spell.

Kang Yoonsoo raised his voice. "Everyone, dip your weapons in the holy water."

Holy water looked like ordinary clear liquid, but when applied to tools it granted divine power. As they had learned in the Castle of the Dead, divine power dealt fatal damage to demons and undead. Simply coating the blades made their edges glow with bright light.

"Swordsmen and spearmen take the front line. Archers in the rear, fire at the Frost Demon."

The clan members formed ranks with disciplined calm. But from behind them the mana golem raised both arms high. If they could not stop its attack, their formation would only lead to meaningless slaughter.

"Henrik, extend the mana threads."

"I get the idea!"

The quick-witted Henrik nodded. He stored his doll in the summoning box and stretched the mana threads to their maximum length—at least fifty meters.

"Thread Binding."

It was the most basic puppeteer skill. Instead of controlling a doll, the threads were used to restrain a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠monster. The strands of mana shot from Henrik's hands and wrapped tightly around the mana golem's arms.

"I can't hold it long! Do something, fast!" Henrik shouted, face flushed with effort.

Kang Yoonsoo turned to the beautiful woman standing nearby.

"Iris."

"What is it?"

"Dig."

Before entering this room, Iris had consumed the heart of an Ice Landworm. The creature could burrow through frozen ground. She had absorbed that ability.

Teeth resembling the Ice Landworm's maw sprouted across the back of Iris's hand.

"Where should I dig?"

"Beneath the mana golem's feet."

Iris began tearing at the ice around the restrained golem's legs. The combination ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of the landworm's burrowing trait and a doppelganger's monstrous strength ripped through the frozen floor at terrifying speed.

The mana golem's body tilted sharply and toppled backward.

CRASH!

"Undead, pin the fallen mana golem so it cannot rise."

More than six hundred undead Ahinkul charged the golem. In that moment the archers finished nocking their holy-water-coated arrows.

"Airborne Shot!"

"Triple Shot!"

"Arrow of Sharpness!"

A storm of skill-enhanced arrows flew toward the Frost Demon like driving rain.

But the demon's chant finished first.

Whiiiiiiish—!

A savage snowstorm erupted around the Frost Demon. The blizzard was so cold that merely approaching seemed enough to flay skin from bone. Every arrow was swallowed by the gale and rendered useless.

The storm continued to expand, reaching even the clan members below the altar.

"Ugh! My body—!"

"Just brushing against it feels like I'm freezing!"

The ultra-low temperature blizzard threatened to freeze everything it touched. Hands grew numb; weapons became almost impossible to grip. The snow-laden wind blinded them.

"Sally."

"Flame Armament!"

The salamander spread both arms wide. Brilliant flames wrapped around everyone's weapons. The welcome warmth greatly reduced the cold damage.

"Swamp of Curse."

Thick black fog spread across the floor. Strength drained from sword arms. Courage faltered for no clear reason. Some clan members coughed in pain.

"It's a curse!"

"Breathe carefully!"

Powerful wide-area magic paired with a weakening curse. The demon standing atop the altar was a formidable monster.

I need to force the Frost Demon down from the altar first.

As long as it remained at the top, it would keep bombarding them with area spells.

Kang Yoonsoo shouted, "White, carry me."

"Marknok!"

The loyal werewolf ran over and lowered its body. Kang Yoonsoo mounted him.

"Run toward the demon."

"Lamirukra?"

"Extend your claws and run along the wall."

White charged forward at ferocious speed. Even as the blizzard threatened to freeze his cheeks and eyes, the werewolf ran with desperate tenacity. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Instead of heading straight for the altar, he leaped high toward the wall and began climbing it, claws gouging the ice.

At that moment a chilling voice sounded behind Kang Yoonsoo.

"I'll devour you first."

He looked back. The Frost Demon had already spread its black wings and was flying straight at him.

"Ice Touch."

The demon's black arm radiated blue frost. Kang Yoonsoo reflexively leaped from White's back. But jumping blindly into open air sent him plummeting at terrifying speed. Below, the Frost Demon watched him with cruel, gleaming eyes.

Only seconds. A handful of seconds will decide life or death.

Kang Yoonsoo took a short breath. The fall was nearly a free dive. The wind pressure was so fierce it was almost impossible to keep his eyes open. Yet he closed them completely and gripped his sword hilt.

The swordsmanship he had learned from Death General Caliburn. The stronger the opponent, the more life force the skill consumed. Kang Yoonsoo brought down his blade, wreathed in both flame and holy power. The strike resembled a bolt of radiant lightning.

CRACK!

It carved fiercely across the Frost Demon's chest. The cross sword was still embedded there, and Kang Yoonsoo's blow landed as a critical hit. He drove his blade hard into one of the demon's thick wings to halt his fall.

"Get off me!"

The Frost Demon thrashed wildly, flapping its wings. But Kang Yoonsoo had no intention of letting go. He struck the back of the demon's neck repeatedly.

Three consecutive strikes slammed into the demon's chest like a mad frenzy. Each use consumed twenty percent of his vitality and carried a high chance of failure, yet every successful hit delivered devastating power. Thanks to the cross sword already lodged in its heart, the damage was magnified.

It was enough to throw the demon's flight off course.

"Khuk!"

Flapping its wings while leaving an enemy on its back was suicide. The Frost Demon slammed violently into the wall. Its body lurched; the base of its wings shuddered. Yet Kang Yoonsoo kept his balance, sword still buried deep. Like a stubborn parasite, he refused to let go.

"Damn you!"

The Frost Demon descended slowly to the floor. The instant it landed, Kang Yoonsoo dropped from its back and shouted, "Everyone, focus all attacks on the demon!"

"Uwaaaaaah—!"

More than two hundred clan members charged the Frost Demon. Weapons coated in holy water slashed and arrows flew in dense volleys.

The Frost Demon bared its teeth and swung an arm whose nails had grown into long claws.

"Cold Armor!"

A layer of icy armor formed over the demon's entire body—an advanced defensive spell. Arrows and sharp blades froze solid the moment they touched it.

"Your blood and flesh will become my strength! Give them to me!"

The Frost Demon thrust its arm forward, skewering five clan members through the chest. It crushed their corpses in both hands and began devouring them with wet, greedy sounds. The demon's wounds closed. Its mottled muscles swelled.

The Frost Demon slammed its bare fist into the floor.

BOOM!

CRAAAAACK!

Part of the floor split apart. The more blood and flesh it consumed, the greater the demon's raw power grew.

Everyone's faces turned deathly pale. A woman with reddish-brown hair charged forward.

"Fire Strike!"

Shanette's great scythe, wreathed in flame, struck the Frost Demon squarely in the chest. As an Ignus Warrior, her fire was on an entirely different level from the flames on the clan members' weapons.

The frost demon grimaced in pain and swung its powerful arm. Shanette dodged swiftly and shouted, "Sally!"

"Wrath of Flames!"

Fierce fire erupted from the spirit's arms. But the surging flames struck Shanette's own body instead.

The Frost Demon sneered. "Fools! You can't even aim properly and hit your own ally!"

"Oh my," Shanette laughed coldly, her body still wreathed in fire. "Do you really think so?"