Jackpot! The 9-Star Permafrost
“Ugh. It's over.”
As the tension drained from his body, a wave of exhaustion washed over him. Carpe couldn't fight it off any longer and plopped down right there on the spot.
“My liege. Are you all right?”
“Carpe. You okay?!”
With the fragments gone, Permafrost vanished too. Tina, freed from her ice prison, and Mirage, who had shifted back to her Alteer form, hurried over.
“Kyu! Kyuu!”
Mukhyang, now free from the brainwashing, scampered over too, eyeing the fallen fruit of Rudram and trying to gobble it up again.
“Hey now. This isn't yours anymore. From here on out, I'll be keeping it safe.”
Mukhyang's ears drooped long and low as Alteer snatched the fruit right in front of her.
“Kyuuu……”
“Don't look so glum. No matter what anyone says, you're the top hero who protected that fruit. Once we're back in the village, I'll treat you to all the elf acorns you can eat.”
“Kyu?! Kyu kyu!”
Mukhyang perked up instantly at Alteer's bold promise, forgetting her disappointment as she nuzzled right up against Alteer's cheek.
Carpe couldn't help but chuckle at the sight.
-Sly little glutton. She always lands on her feet.
“I'm gonna die. It's fun, but man, it's exhausting.”
-That's why I'm telling you to take it easy sometimes? You keep picking the most bullshit paths, so of course it's gonna be tough.
“Hey, come on. You know better than that. The easy paths always have crap rewards.”
That's right. Rewards.
That's why he'd rolled around like a madman for this.
Where Servingje's fragment had crumbled into ice dust, three items shimmered with radiant light, waiting for him.
“Jackpot.”
Carpe sprang back to his feet.
Nothing cured fatigue like checking your rewards—way better than some half-assed break.
Just like how seeing that paycheck hit your account wiped away all tiredness!
“Gotta be huge, right? Obviously a massive haul! Four Calamities aren't some random dog's name.”
-It's just a fragment, not the main body. Still, with difficulty that bullshit-level, the rewards should be nuts.
When he'd taken down Mainades—the first event boss and an invincible one—he'd scored two items.
A Legendary-grade necklace, Dragon's Eye.
And a Unique-grade weapon, Fanatic's Scythe.
“One Legendary, one Unique. Total jackpot. This time it'll be at least that good, right?”
No, this foe had been way tougher. Maybe even a super jackpot awaited.
“What if all three are Legendary?”
-Doubt it... but hell, maybe.
Cheonma always ribbed him for his wild optimism, but not this time.
The opponent had been that ridiculous.
Considering the name value of the Four Calamities, anything could drop and it'd make sense.
“Whew.”
Carpe took a deep breath and approached the items, peering at their silhouettes.
None were huge.
A ring.
A magic material.
And... a skill card.
“Huh? A skill card? Not a pack?”
-...It dropped a skill card? For real?
They say when something's too absurd, you don't get mad—you just go eerily calm.
That was Cheonma's mood right now.
-What the... what is this...
“Tch. If it'd been a pack, I could've Repeat-ed and picked the best. But a single card? No dice. So close, yet so far.”
-Close my ass. Cut the crazy talk and log out first.
“Huh? Log out outta nowhere?”
-Grab a calming pill and log back in. Or you might have a heart attack. Don't wanna end up a Patron Spirit, do ya?
“...What're you on about?”
Carpe stared, wondering what the hell this guy was saying, but Cheonma looked strangely enlightened, like he'd achieved nirvana.
-You know why RaSe players go insane hunting boss monsters?
“Duh. Bosses drop good loot. Not just RaSe—most games are like that.”
Cheonma nodded at Carpe's answer.
-True. Some hunt for quests, but most bosses get farmed for their unique drops.
Most boss monsters dropped signature gear.
And those boss-exclusive items usually outperformed same-level equipment.
-But besides that unique gear, there's one more jackpot hidden in boss drops.
Skill packs.
Unlike regular mobs, RaSe bosses had a tiny chance to drop skill packs.
From mid-grade all the way to top-grade.
With skill packs scarce outside leveling, a “high-grade” or better from a boss was priceless—name your price.
-But there's a hidden piece on top of that.
A single card, not a pack.
Exactly Carpe's situation.
“Why's a single card the hidden gem? A pack at least lets you fish for good ones.”
-Because single-drop skill cards are fixed. You know exactly what you'll get.
“Eh?”
Fishing thrill?
This single card packed more punch than any Repeat grind from a pack.
-Boss single cards drop one of the boss's own skills.
“...Huh?”
After a brief mental buffer.
Carpe's jaw dropped. He instantly got why Cheonma was freaking out.
Servingje's fragment.
It had six skills.
8-star Blizzard Nova. 8-star Mind Domination. 8-star Ultimate Camouflage. 6-star Mantis Fist.
And... 9-star Permafrost and 9-star Quarter Life.
“...No grade caps, right? Nothing like 'only up to 8-star'?”
-No caps, man. Drops any of 'em. All of 'em.
“Whoa... insane.”
His heart started pounding.
1/3 shot at a 9-star skill. 5/6 for 8-star or better!
Even worst case, just dodge that 6-star Mantis Fist!
“What if it's boss-exclusive and players can't learn it...?”
-Nope! Even boss skills get player-adapted. No worries there.
Cheonma's firm assurance swelled Carpe's chest with emotion.
No— it felt like it might burst.
RaSe had a forced logout for extreme mood swings, and this qualified.
“Ah, shoulda taken that calming pill.”
This wouldn't do.
Time to check the other two items first, calm his heart.
“Whew. Ring first.”
Carpe picked up the ring and checked its info.
◈ Wear Restriction: Slayer of Servingje's Fragment
◈ Magic Attack: +80
◈ Description: A ring infused with the aura of Servingje, one of the Four Calamities. It harbors a chilling frost that can freeze even souls.
◈ Magic Power: +15
◈ Option 1: Ice skill damage +20%
◈ Option 2: Damage from ice skills -50%
◈ Option 3: Binding effects like Freeze and Restrain doubled
◈ Non-tradable
“Whoa.”
Far from calming, his heart raced harder.
No way—it really was Legendary!
-Damn, this insane game. How many Legendaries now? Options are busted too. Ice damage reduction alone makes it a keeper forever.
“...And if an ice skill drops next, it'd be perfect.”
-Feels like foreshadowing. Kinda ominous...
“N-next item!”
The second was a hexagonal magic material, like a crystal of snow.
◈ Description: Condensed over eons, this frost makes for exceptional magic material. Known as ice essence, it's perilously powerful with immense icy might.
◈ A being beyond mortal reach lingers within.
“A being beyond mortal reach?”
Carpe tilted his head, picking up the ice crystal—
Ding.
Trap Item Triggered!
“...Trap item?”
-Whoa.
First trap item since that egg from the tutorial.
But this trap was no joke—nothing like a random mob hatch.
Servingje – Gazer’s Mark Activated.
From now on, Servingje—one of the primordial Four Calamities—has its gaze fixed on you.
One of the Four Calamities had marked him!
“Uwaaaah! Uwaa!”
-Insane! Throw it away, quick!
The terrifying alert left Carpe and Cheonma both stunned—but then:
Curse on user lifted.
Unlock pulled him from the muck again.
His legs gave out once more, and Carpe slumped down.
“...Whoa. My hype just crashed hard. God Unlock strikes again.”
-Ugh. Even as a ghost, I feel cold sweat. Damn. If Servingje marks you, how the hell do you even play?
Character deletion, probably.
Revived from the abyss, his heart finally settled.
“Whew.”
Finally, the last supper.
The best reward of them all.
As Carpe lifted the skill card, its pattern faded away, revealing the truth.
Thud!
-...What're you doing?
“Too scary to look all at once...”
-You're something else.
Carpe covered the card with his palm.
Then slid it aside bit by bit... like peeking at a poker hand.
“9? Gimme a 9!”
The top curve was a circle.
Yes! 9 or 8! Dodged the 6!
“Here goes!”
He yanked his hand away.
Ding.
9-Star Skill Card – ‘Permafrost’
“Kaaaaah!!!”
Carpe howled to the four winds right there.
* * *
The continent of Acrux, backdrop to Last Savior.
In the massive nation of Jenonia, the Magic Kingdom to the west, stood the continent's tallest peak: White Crown Mountain.
Its eternal snows near the summit resembled a white crown—hence the name. A natural fortress repelling all humans.
And in a certain cave at its absolute peak.
Ice dust from afar seeped into a slumbering being within.
[…….]
Servingje.
The massive blue mantis, curled in the vast cave, sensed its fragment's destruction and awoke.
[…….]
Interesting.
This fragment had rarely developed ego, so he'd been watching it closely—yet it crumbled so pointlessly.
But that wasn't rare.
Fragments were designed to inevitably perish by another's hand.
What amused Servingje was that its slayer had shrugged off his curse.
[Intriguing.]
Slayers of fragments gained commensurate power.
But at the cost of embedding in their psyche... which this one had shattered.
In near-eternal life, a first.
[Direction... east?]
It stirred.
One of the world's strongest sensed an irregularity.