Chapter 135: The Frostblade Tribe (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 135: The Frostblade Tribe (1)
Roles were assigned to each person.
Lee Tae-min, Yu Yeon-hwa, and Teresa set off to scout the area where the Demonic Humans and the Blood Clan were stationed.
Meanwhile, Cheon Yu-seong left the Tower after receiving a certain mission from Jinhyuk.
He had grumbled and complained endlessly, but only for a moment.
What was the point of saying no a hundred times?
It wasn't as if refusal was ever an option anyway.
Finally, Jinhyuk headed toward the Freshwater Lake along with the players of the Dangun Guild, including Jang Eun-seok.
Amidst the howling wind and a landscape blanketed in white, a dozen or so men and women marched in a single file.
"Watch your step from here on out. This terrain is full of crevasses, so you must follow exactly where I step."
Jinhyuk led the group from the front.
"Tsk. Who does he think he is, acting all high and mighty?"
Walking a short distance behind Jinhyuk, Jang Eun-seok clicked his tongue.
His face, twisted with irritation and jealousy, was dripping with inferiority.
And it was only natural.
The Dangun Guild was always nominated whenever people discussed the most influential guilds in the world.
And hadn't he proudly secured the position of raid leader there?
Furthermore, during their ninety days on the 6th floor, the guild's standing had grown even more solid, and the players' influence had risen higher than that of almost any other profession.
To put it bluntly, high-ranking executives of major guilds had no reason to envy members of parliament.
And yet...
Why on earth was that bastard...!
'Why is he getting more recognition and attention than me?!'
The corner of Jang Eun-seok's mouth twitched.
Even now, he could see Jinhyuk walking ahead, bathed in the envious gazes of the raid members.
Honestly, the guy just happened to know a bit more information. If not for that, Eun-seok would have kicked him out long ago.
"Don't you agree, Tae-ho? Huh? I mean, just because he got a few first clears, why is everyone sucking up to him like this?"
Jang Eun-seok asked, seeking agreement.
The man walking right beside him offered a bitter smile.
Lee Tae-ho.
He was the de facto vice-raid leader for this raid.
He and Jang Eun-seok were close friends, having been together since before the Tower of Trials appeared.
Thanks to that, now that everything had become reality, his past skills and experience were recognized, allowing him to join the Dangun Guild.
"Don't talk like that. If it weren't for Player Kang Jinhyuk and the others, we might all be dead by now."
The difference between the two was that, unlike Jang Eun-seok, Lee Tae-ho knew how to acknowledge others.
Knowing that inferiority was nothing but poison, he was the type to try and absorb his opponent's strengths.
If his combat sense had been slightly better than Jang Eun-seok's, he might have surpassed him to become the raid leader.
"Damn it. I can't say anything around you. Just wait. I'll overtake a guy like him in one go this time. Obtaining the Phoenix's Feather, crushing the Demonic Humans—I'll do it all with my own hands."
Jang Eun-seok clenched his teeth.
Yes. He would make sure of it.
The protagonist of this raid was none other than himself.
However...
Even this conversation, which they thought would be completely drowned out by the howling wind...
'Well, this is quite tragic...'
Jinhyuk was already listening to every single word.
His pity was genuine.
Even though he didn't like the guy, he had brought him along because he found his hard-working attitude somewhat commendable.
But he had just made up his mind.
Exactly how hard he was going to run Jang Eun-seok ragged.
* * *
The Freshwater Lake.
It was the coldest place on the 7th floor, and at the same time, the location where all the mana of the floor converged.
As befitting a place where powerful energy gathered, a massive number of anomalous monsters inhabited this area.
However, the ecosystem, which had been maintained by a natural balance of power, had recently been completely shattered.
And it was none other than the Ice Trolls who did it.
To be precise, it was by the tribe known as the 'Frostblade'.
And right now, a short distance away from the Freshwater Lake, thousands of Ice Trolls were gathered.
"...Hmm."
Sunk into a chair made of red fur, a troll let out a deep groan.
Blue skin, long tusks.
His sharply gleaming eyes were particularly striking.
He was a beast whose physical build was nearly 1.5 times larger than any of the other trolls gathered here.
How much time had passed like that?
Eventually, unable to bear it any longer, one of the trolls spoke up.
It was a troll with a broken tusk.
"Chief... we cannot do this. No, we must not do this."
A single word of two syllables.
At that word, which carried the weight of an entire race's destiny...
The troll who had remained silent finally reacted.
"I know."
A low, heavy voice rumbled out.
He knew exactly what the troll with the broken tusk meant by those words.
But...
"There is no other way."
A heavy weight hung over their brief exchange.
Caracal, the chief of the Frostblade Tribe and hailed as the greatest warrior in their history, had reached his conclusion.
There was no other way.
That submitting to the Demonic Humans and the vampire Blood Clan was inevitable.
He had to rationalize it that way.
Of course, this decision was not what they wanted.
Pride and honor.
Those two values were the pillars that supported the name of the Frostblade.
However, in trying to protect those values, everything the tribe possessed was on the verge of being reduced to ashes.
The alliance composed of the overwhelming Blood Clan of the Decasus Family and the Demonic Humans showed not a shred of mercy.
'I do not fear the death of our warriors.'
To die fighting a strong opponent was a warrior's ultimate wish.
Their lives were not precious to them.
Death was familiar and close, something they could accept at any moment.
The problem was...
The powerless children and females.
The precious companions who carried the future of the tribe.
If they were to lose them all, the name of the Frostblade would be buried in the snow and vanish forever.
Therefore,
Because he had to endure all of that,
Caracal abandoned both honor and pride.
He, and no one else, had to shoulder that entire burden.
For that was the duty of the chief who led the tribe.
"Chief...!"
"I will permit no objections. All warriors, inspect your weapons one last time. When the Blood Clan arrives tomorrow, we will follow them and strike down the humans."
This was the end.
Survival, traded for honor, had been decided.
But right at that moment,
Someone approached the territory of the Frostblade Tribe, a place where even giant magic beasts dared not tread.
"Why is the mood so gloomy here? It looks like a waiting room full of people who just lost everything down to their underwear at a casino."
It was Jinhyuk.
* * *
"H-He's crazy..."
"H-He's out of his mind."
"Damn it, is this a dream or reality? Why did I even come here..."
The players belonging to the Dangun Guild had to struggle to control their uncontrollably trembling bodies.
They were a group of barely a dozen people.
When Jinhyuk first suggested going to the Freshwater Lake, they thought his goal was to secretly snatch some hidden piece, or perhaps hunt some high-experience, high-reward monsters on the outskirts.
But when they heard that the reason they came here was to meet the Ice Trolls... and of all tribes, the 'Frostblade' tribe, known to be the most ferocious, they felt as if the sky were falling.
This was suicide.
Going into the home turf of thousands of trolls with this small number of people was no different from asking to die.
"P-Player Kang Jinhyuk. Please, reconsider..."
Lee Tae-ho desperately grabbed Jinhyuk's sleeve.
If they hid like corpses in the crevices of the rocks and waited for an opportunity to escape, there was still a way to survive.
So please...
Please, just don't cause trouble.
Everyone stared at Jinhyuk with desperate eyes.
But it was already too late.
"Why is the mood so gloomy here? It looks like a waiting room full of people who just lost everything down to their underwear at a casino."
For Jinhyuk had already brushed off their hands and stepped out.
The bright smile plastered across his face was a bonus.
"A human!"
"An intruder!"
The Ice Trolls gasped in unison.
They readied their spears and shields in an instant.
Indeed, they were a battle-hardened elite tribe.
"..."
Caracal also looked at Jinhyuk with an intrigued gaze.
Regardless, Jinhyuk walked forward leisurely.
Step.
His steps soon came to a halt. Exactly at the spot directly facing Caracal.
He couldn't go any further due to the layers of guards surrounding the chief.
"Hmm. Are you the boss of this tribe?"
"I am. My name is Caracal. I lead the Frostblade Tribe."
Caracal answered readily.
And he immediately asked back,
"What business do you humans have here? Surely, you didn't come to fight us with that pitiful number."
"A difference in numbers... If you're a fool who simply believes quantity trumps quality, I'll be very disappointed. If that's the case, it makes me look like an idiot for coming all this way just to see if you're a card worth playing."
"What... did you say?"
Caracal's face contorted.
And it was only natural.
Caracal was praised as the strongest warrior of his clan, and it was no exaggeration to say he had practically unified the 7th floor.
If there was a boss monster here, he was skilled enough to easily claim that title.
Yet to be looked down upon like this...!
Even the other trolls nearby were tilting their heads, wondering if they had heard correctly.
"You... dare to test me? To see if I am useful or not?"
Rumble!
An indescribable bloodlust began to flood the lake.
It was numbing.
The fine hairs on their skin stood on end.
The pressure felt on the skin was immense.
Hmm...
That's strange.
Was the chief of the Frostblade Tribe always this strong?
"With this level of strength, you wouldn't have been pushed back by the Blood Clan either. I don't get why you tucked your tail."
Jinhyuk shrugged.
No, seriously. Why submit to the vampires when he was this strong?
Of course, someone with the title of knight must have come from the Demonic Humans' side, and the two Blood Clans were no pushovers, but...
Well, with thousands of troops and a capable leader like Caracal, they had more than enough power to put up a fight.
"Do you think I submitted out of fear of just those two?"
"Hooh."
What he just said carried two meanings.
One was that he was confident he wouldn't lose even against Bertion and Ophelia.
And the other was that there was another member of the Blood Clan from the Decasus Family besides those two.
And a higher-ranking vampire at that.
'Interesting.'
Yes, there had to be this level of difficulty and variables to make it thrilling.
If everything was too easy, it would take away the fun of enjoying this world.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Jinhyuk's heart beat rapidly.
Placing the numerous pieces on a giant chessboard in the right places and moving them as desired to orchestrate the grand game—that was the true beauty of setting up a board.
Of course, to make it a success, there were several mountains to cross.
And the guy growling in front of him right now was one of them.
Caracal picked up the massive spear resting beside his chair.
"Come at me all at once. You humans are cowardly by nature anyway. I will take on all of you by myself."
"Really? Sure, let's do that then."
"As expected, even you wouldn't dare commit such a dishonorable act... Huh?"
Caracal's eyes shook in utter disbelief.
But Jinhyuk simply reiterated what he had said as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Why? We are cowardly humans, and we don't know the first thing about honor. Is there a problem?"
Honor? Pride?
Those were things for them to fuss over.
He had absolutely no use for such things.
"You heard him, right, Dangun Guild? We just need to attack like the incredibly cowardly bastards we are. Everyone, grab your gear."
Surely, a chief wouldn't back down now after what he just said.
Crack!
Jinhyuk lightly cracked his knuckles.