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115
“Guh, son of a——!”
Eyes wide, the section chief scrambled backward as though crawling.
A white wyvern of a size that appeared to be around four meters.
A name tag floated above its head.
[Elite: Guardian White Wyvern (Lv.138)]
-Insane;
-Elite level 138?
-Why is something like this showing up here?
-Who’s supposed to kill that;
-Help us, vanguards.
The viewers reacted with shock at the information.
The snowy mountains had monsters of various levels, but that wyvern defied common sense.
The word ‘Elite’ prefixed to its name indicated it was a monster of an even greater caliber.
“What is that thing?”
“Oh……!”
A flustered Kim Jaeha and a sparkling-eyed Avantgarde.
Just then, an alert sounded and a message appeared before them.
[Quest]
The guardian’s domain that protects the master of the snowy mountains.
A trial is imposed upon challengers who set foot within.
Objective: Dispose of the White Wyvern to prove your worth.
Reward: White Wyvern’s Heart
(Entry and exit from the generated combat field is prohibited, and death results in the forfeiture of challenger status.)
[Field Effect: Frost Debuff applied.]
[Attack speed and movement speed reduced by 30%.]
Shhk—
An orange semi-transparent field appearing alongside the message.
The trial had begun.
“Huh?”
“Challengers?”
“What debuff is——!”
The people for whom the same message had appeared each reacted with surprise.
But there was no room for anything else.
Shing—!
Hanbit drew his sword from its sheath and said:
“Let’s kill that thing first.”
***
Clang—!
Boom boom boom—!
The battle that began with Hanbit’s attack was chaotic.
Avantgarde and Kim Jaeha following right behind.
The initially flustered Taeyul party also collected themselves and raised their respective weapons.
Boom—!
Whoosh—!
A few players of around level 100 made reasonable showings.
But the White Wyvern, upon being attacked, only thrashed with greater intensity.
“Can we even kill this?”
“It is incredibly durable!”
Even with everyone’s combined assault, there was no end in sight.
Slash—!
“Ugh!”
A member of the Taeyul party torn apart by the creature’s claws.
The more the battle went on, the greater the damage piled up.
Whoosh—!
Just then, the wyvern, beating its wings, opened its mouth wide.
“A breath attack! Get clear!”
Hanbit, catching the incoming attack, raised his voice.
Cold Breath — the creature’s primary attack.
That was the sign it was about to use it.
Thump—!
Hanbit quickly took cover behind a large boulder.
The creature’s attack began at the same moment.
Boom boom boom boom—!
A snow-white breath let loose with a bizarre sound.
It swept through the area where the players had been in a single pass.
-Insane. Lol.
-Incredibly strong;
-Is it even killable?
-Throw one of the Taeyul guys in to keep its mouth busy.
-Oh.
“Isn’t this way too rough?”
“With the debuff stacked on top, it’s so sluggish it’s quite awful.”
The speed reduction imposed by the field effect was significant to the senses.
The gap between perception and movement was enough to throw even players off.
Boom boom boom—!
The White Wyvern’s breath did not stop.
An air of intending to freeze everything here.
The only one unaffected by this situation was Hanbit.
‘It really did come out well.’
The Frost-Touched Armor of Flame, crafted from gathered materials.
The cold resistance 60 attached to it was working exactly as intended.
The debuff was barely perceptible.
‘The hunt is the problem though…….’
Hanbit had not yet used his skills.
On the off chance.
It was in preparation for what might unfold in the Snow Drake’s fortress.
‘The mana should be manageable.’
The Elemental Manifestation skill consumed a great deal of overall physical capacity.
That created a significant burden on combat endurance.
By contrast, Elemental Amplification, newly learned this time.
According to the skill description, only the mana consumed was considerable — there was no risk like that of Elemental Manifestation.
The question was.
Whoosh—!
The wind beginning to surge from the sword was the spirit’s power.
Could Elemental Amplification actually take effect on this force?
It was only natural to wonder.
‘Let’s try it.’
Gripping the sword handle with both hands, Hanbit focused his entire mind.
The principle of Elemental Amplification was forced amplification.
A structure that consumed mana to greatly strengthen elemental forces within its range.
Shhk—!
The skill activating with that thought immediately brought about change.
An irregular flow born from the surging wind.
If Sylph rejected this magic after all——
Whoosh—!
Just then, a massive gale suddenly erupted from the sword.
Powerful enough to make it hard to even keep one’s footing.
Shhk—
Simultaneously, the breath the wyvern had been unleashing stopped.
“Ugh!”
Mana drained in an instant made his mind reel.
He could not collapse.
With that resolve, his body surged forward.
Thump—!
The wind raging with enough force to impede running was barely bound to the pale blue-white blade.
Suppressing that power, Hanbit plunged forward and leaped high.
Whoosh—!
A sword swing with everything behind it.
Along its arc, a massive wind blade was born.
More vivid and intense than any before, it consumed the air as it advanced.
And the moment the wind reached the White Wyvern’s neck—
Slash—!
With a sharp sound, the creature’s head fell to the ground.
Ding—
[The quest has been completed.]
[You have obtained the White Wyvern’s Heart.]
[The combat field has been lifted.]
Shhk—
The orange field disappearing with the message.
The trial had been a success.
-Wow.
-Is that Elemental Amplification?
-Broken. Lol.
-Info) It’s a rank 4 Epic hidden skill.
-The wind was huge. Lol.
-With that level gap, just swallowing it whole seems right.
-Have you seen this person’s stats?
-Around the same level as 100-plus players.
-Probably even higher with skill bonuses.
-I’ll just shut up and take the guide……
The power far exceeding what the level would suggest set the chat blazing.
“Looks like there was no need for me to step in after all.”
Just then, a voice came from above.
A man in a hood, spear slung over his shoulder, smiled.
It was vanguard Liwei.
Thump—!
Lightly leaping down, he landed.
Then he looked around and surveyed the people.
“Why did you bring so many?”
Liwei’s gaze fixed on the Taeyul players.
Since he had not been watching the stream, he didn’t know the situation.
“Why is that vanguard here? Did you call him?”
The section chief, who had been crouching flat on the ground, got up awkwardly.
An expression suggesting he suspected something was being pulled.
Hanbit took out a mana potion and drank it as he said:
“I used the wish token to ask for help. Reaching the fortress is difficult without vanguard-level strength.”
“…Hmm.”
-Look at that disgusting expression;
-Every time that guy goes ‘hmm…’ I feel like flicking his head.
-I just don’t like this person.
-For real, please go away.
The chat filled with criticism at the section chief’s air of discontent.
Ding—
[Notice has donated 1,000 won.]
[Due to a bug on the Taeyul Corporation website, the public bulletin board is currently open at all times.]
-Huh?
-This is my time to shine.
-The keyboard… I was trying not to take it out……
Viewers stirring in their seats along with the unfortunate news.
Hanbit swallowed a laugh and said:
“Please don’t go too far. This is a deal in progress, after all.”
“A deal?”
Liwei shifted his gaze and asked.
Hanbit thought for a moment, then gave a brief explanation using the same reason he had given the viewers.
“Is that right?”
That was the only reaction.
An expression that was hard to read, but the purpose in calling Liwei was to get his assistance.
Having offered it as the prize of their competition, he would surely give his best.
“Let me get the situation sorted for a moment.”
Hanbit drew the eyes of those around him.
Then he produced a snow-white sphere from his inventory and set it on the ground.
“This is the White Wyvern’s Heart. As I said — it’s the entry pass to the fortress.”
“That thing is the entry pass? Didn’t you take out a different item?”
The section chief, who had been scanning the chat, strode over.
His face flushed red as though about to burst a blood vessel.
“If you’re doubtful, check it yourself.”
“Move!”
Crouching down, he strained to look closer.
Hiss—
An intense chill radiating outward.
The section chief stood awkwardly, unable to close the distance.
“You can just check the information.”
“…I know that!”
A nudge of a comment made him snap and stand up.
Then sheepishly checked the information.
[White Wyvern’s Heart]
Rank: ?
Grade: ?
Description: A crystal in which the cold of the White Wyvern has been condensed to its limit. The dense chill it radiates impedes and simultaneously protects the trial’s challengers. It also seems to have some other use.
“What does that even mean?”
The section chief, having checked the contents, made a baffled face.
Not a single part was easy to understand.
“If you don’t know, step back.”
Hanbit pulled a pair of blue gloves from his inventory.
The non-freezing cooking gloves received as the prize of the cooking competition.
Their ridiculously oversized shape made them immediately conspicuous.
Shhk—
Gloves on, Hanbit crouched to pick up the white sphere.
At that moment, the section chief suddenly grabbed his arm.
“I’m the one who should be carrying this.”
“What?”
“You called it the key, didn’t you? I can’t know what you might pull, so I should hold it.”
-Phew……
-I’ve been patient enough.
-You started this.
-1st squad, deploy.
-Website emergency.
Another unlikeable action.
But Hanbit calmly asked back:
“You want to hold it? It’d be better if I did.”
“Quiet! I said I’m holding it! Give me the gloves!”
The section chief snatched the gloves away and crouched awkwardly to grab the sphere.
Rustle—
The intense chill still radiating outward continued to permeate everything around it.
“Ugh!”
The section chief, arm stretched out, furrowed his brow.
A sharp cold that felt entirely real.
By now the debuff alerts must be appearing enthusiastically before his eyes.
“Should I take it?”
“I said no!”
The answer was the same when asked again.
The sight of him waddling about was quite amusing.
“So — we’re heading to the fortress now, right?”
Liwei, watching the section chief with dry eyes, asked.
Hanbit gave a nod and replied.
“We’re going to find another crevasse and enter through that.”
“The entry pass? One is enough?”
“It covers the entire field, so it’s fine. The people out there will be the problem.”
The crowd swarming at a distance.
Players who had been forced to do nothing but watch due to being banned from the combat field.
Hanbit turned toward them and said:
“Fair warning — you’d better hurry. There aren’t that many wyverns left.”
“Huh?”
“Not that many?”
His statement set people murmuring.
In truth, the remaining number at most would be around five.
Dawdle and even sneaking in attached to another field would likely become impossible.
Shrieeeek—!
Just then, a wyvern’s cry reached them from the distance.
Hanbit looked at the players and asked:
“Not going? Seems like another one’s about to be knocked out.”
“Son of a——!”
“Move, move!”
“Spread out and find the positions!”
Sensing urgency, they kicked off the ground and scattered quickly.
Watching them, Hanbit too moved his feet and said:
“We’re going too.”
