Episode 131. 7th floor, cold land tundra (2) A
red mark engraved on a rock.
It was the mark left by the ‘Ice Trolls’, a tribe in the snowfield.
‘It must have been these guys.’
Jinhyuk’s eyes narrowed.
Originally, the Ice Trolls had to be located on ‘Baeksan (白山)’ on the west side of the 7th floor, not here.
But those guys have expanded their territory. right up to here.
‘It’s not just because the population has increased.’
Jinhyeok’s gaze once again turned to the sign.
I saw an ice troll’s unique mask painting painted on it.
okay. It doesn’t matter much so far. It was the kind common to many of the troll tribes in the Tower.
The problem is the shape of the marker.
Three red lines at the top of the mask.
In other words.
‘It’s a pattern used only when the greatest warrior emerges from the tribe.’
It is called the birth of the name class.
If the Dangun guild was defeated, there must have been a fairly powerful warrior. Maybe he’s a lot stronger than you imagined.
It was then.
flinch.
Jinhyuk’s senses caught something.
It will still take some time to get here, but you will see it sooner or later.
Not trolls. When you look at the amount of horse power, the approaching direction, and the number. There was a high probability that they were the players who had been guarding the entrance a while ago.
And as if to prove that expectation.
After a while, five men and women approached through the snow.
“Ugh. I can feel my limbs… uh!”
“I found the car!”
“Kang… Player Jinhyeok!”
“Whoa. I thought I was really dying Fortunately, the. To meet you so quickly.”
Seeing that his face was pale and shivering, he seemed to have struggled to come this far.
Well, at this temperature, simply standing there will quickly drain your stamina.
I could roughly guess why these people came here… but
Jinhyeok pretended not to know and trembled.
“They said you shouldn’t go into the forest, so what are you doing all this way?”
“haha. Well… we didn’t want to come either, but we can’t send player Kang Jin-hyeok here alone. Ah yes.”
“I think I need at least some directions.”
I don’t know who will guide whom.
‘Even if I drank three bottles of soju, I think I found my way better.’
Still, it came at a not bad timing.
The fact that these people came meant that the Dangun Guild’s main raid was also heading into the forest.
“I have something to tell you, but before that, everyone should warm up a bit.”
Seeing her consciousness flicker due to hypothermia, her condition seems worse than expected.
I don’t know if I’ll have to take a picture of Frozen with the ice dolls?
Jinhyeok activated ‘Fire Element’.
Roaring!
As the fireball the size of a soccer ball caught fire, the snow began to melt in an instant.
Between the snowdrifts, space was created for a few people to rest.
good.
This time, it’s the turn of ‘Glacial Molding’.
Jinhyuk lightly moved his hand.
Parts…
A thin film of ice completely wrapped around the players.
Appearance modeled after an igloo.
Even if it wasn’t a cozy shelter, it would be a temporary shelter to block strong winds.
“Oh my God…”
“I never thought he would make the magic link so smooth.”
“thank you. After all, having an S-class player is reassuring.”
“…It’s getting really warm.”
Exclamations of exclamation flowed from everyone’s lips.
The temperature has risen by more than 10 degrees, so it has to be.
Little by little, the color returned.
“thank you. Thanks to player Kang Jin-hyuk, I took a breather. My name is Kwak Dae-ho.”
He introduced himself simply as Kwak Dae-ho.
In my early 30s, the sad impression was quite impressive.
[Gwak Dae-ho, 33 years old.]
[Unique ability: ….]
[Skill: ….]
A stat window that doesn’t even need to be listed.
There was nothing I didn’t like about the B-class’s unique abilities or skills.
All of them are backwards compatible with the skills they already have?
Other people were also at the same level.
‘Nutrition values are spiritless friends.’
Jinhyeok brought up the main topic with the ‘eyes of gluttony’.
“Thank you. Rather, tell me how far away the Dangun Guild is now.”
“yes? What do you mean by that…”
Kwak Dae-ho made a surprised expression, then he blurted out his words.
Anyway, I don’t know why all of these people have 0 points for their acting skills.
A snarky old man like Rick, though he hid his true feelings well.
“I know roughly how things are going. Didn’t I send you all here to stop you from getting the phoenix feather first? Engineering chief Jang Jang-seok must have forced him to come because he didn’t want to come. You, the lower end, would have had no choice.”
“….”
When he was stabbed to the point, Kwak Dae-ho kept his mouth shut.
“I am not trying to tell you anything. In fact, there are more troublesome things than securing feathers.”
“Are you having trouble?”
“yes. See that tree over there?”
Jinhyeok pointed his finger at the tree from a moment ago.
Everyone’s eyes followed the fingers.
“It has a strange pattern on it.”
“Some kind of Africa looks like a tribal mask…”
“It’s a mark used by ice trolls. It must have been left by the trolls of the ‘Frostblade’ tribe, as the blade shape has been added to the top of the mask.”
“Ah, if it’s an ice troll…”
“I’ve heard of it. A medium-sized monster known to be the most ferocious on the 7th floor.”
They mainly live in groups and are very difficult to deal with because they are highly intelligent.
I didn’t even need to mention that each person’s fighting ability was outstanding.
Kwak Dae-ho and the rest of the players didn’t even know about the clan types or markings, but they had heard about how tricky trolls were.
“Are you saying this is their territory?”
“yes. As you can see, it seems to have broadened the area a bit. It’s probably because we won a big victory in the fight against the other races around us.”
A female player who had been silent at Jinhyeok’s words interrupted.
“Then shouldn’t we go back soon? As long as we control access and don’t encroach on their territory as we have done so far, there won’t be any problems.”
It is a reasonable proposition.
The reason why the Dangun guild continued to die was because they recklessly set foot in this forest.
Conversely, it means that as long as you don’t approach their land, your life won’t be in danger.
but.
“no. The problem is a bit more complicated than that.”
Jinhyuk shook his head.
Those with enough intelligence to form a tribe won’t sit still just because they are left alone.
In fact, in the Tower of Trials in the past, when this level of power was equipped, the monsters chose one of two options.
Expand the area massively and go over the other floors of the tower.
or.
Turn your gaze and aim for the outside of the tower.
One of the two events is destined to happen.
‘The phoenix feather is also one of the materials used to open the gate. That means they’re aiming for the outside of the tower, not the 8th floor.’
A phenomenon called an outbreak.
In fact, Amsterdam in the Netherlands almost turned the entire city into a sea of fire due to the same phenomenon.
Back then, the much weaker gnolls and goblins popped out, but the damage was hard to quantify.
How much more, isn’t it the Ice Troll, which is a much higher species this time around?
‘The number of deaths could be difficult to estimate.’
USA Europe China India Africa Korea Japan.
It is unknown which side the outbreak will explode.
There was also not much time left.
As Jinhyeok explained the current situation, the five faces turned dark.
They realized that the situation was not serious.
I couldn’t help but believe it because it was a statement made by an S-class, not by anyone else.
But that was just then.
flinch!
Jinhyeok’s senses caught something again.
A completely different horsepower than before.
I could feel her footsteps lightly brushing the snow and her steady breathing.
As the crackling sound gradually grew, the players inside the igloo also noticed something approaching.
“It’s from our side…”
“Shh!”
Jinhyeok quickly stopped him.
Before I knew it, a dagger tinged with green light was clutched in my hand.
It was the ‘Fang of Pentagris’ brought from the Elven Village.
“Are you… hostile?”
Kwak Dae-ho swallowed dry saliva.
“Perhaps.”
An answer with an affirmative meaning.
At those words, the air in the room suddenly changed.
Realizing that a fight was imminent, the heart began to pump blood rapidly throughout the body.
And right at that moment.
Whoops!
A 2m spear flew with the sound of cutting the wind.
Kwak Kwa Kwa Kwam!
Kwaaang!
The spears were half-pierced through the ice wall.
It is a javelin.
Even though it is temporary, it has enough power to penetrate the wall made of glacial molding.
But no surprise. Another window knocked on the wall in succession.
bang! Quaang!
Gold was scribbled along the walls.
I can’t stand it for long like this.
It was almost certain that the next few times the windows would reach the players inside.
“Get outside and find cover first! If you stay here, you will be beaten!”
Kwak Dae-ho quickly gave the order.
“damn!”
“Hayoung drinks the potion and prepares to be cast right away. As soon as we find the enemy’s position, we will immediately counterattack!”
“all right!”
fault!
Taat!
Players step out of the igloo and form a formation.
Still, it was a quick decision and response worthy of belonging to the Dangun guild.
＊＊＊
Wheein!
A heavy snowstorm broke out.
I could feel something moving among the trees, but my vision made it hard to pinpoint the exact location.
At least at the level of Kwak Dae-ho and the rest of the players.
“Damn it. Where the hell did you shoot it?”
“I don’t know. It seems to be at the top of the hill, but there are so many points to aim for.”
“Whoa. This is like a rat in a poison.”
Hide behind a rock and stick your head out for a moment.
Shehehehe… Quaang!
As if waiting, the window came flying.
Colorful sparks shot up from the spear that bounced off the rock.
It was close.
If I had gone outside a little longer, my head would have been cut off immediately.
“Kuh! those children They have an accurate picture of our movements in this storm.”
This side does not know the opponent’s location, but the other side clearly grasps this side.
I could understand why none of the scouts who had gone earlier had returned.
With Mother Nature on her back, she snipers, but what can she do to hold on?
however.
Someone casually walked out of the rock.
It was Jinhyeok.
“Go Jin-Hyuk Kang! Dangerous!”
Kwak Dae-ho hurriedly shouted, but it was already too late.
Multiple spears rushed in at the same time.
Swoop.
Jinhyuk slightly tilted his head to the left.
A spear glided past 3 cm away from the ball.
Don’t overdo it or be in a hurry.
It moves around the interval of about half a step.
Fu-wook! hooked!
Missing spears stuck in the snow.
Then another spear flew in, but the result was the same.
hooked! Fuck! hooked!
It’s not about blocking or countering with a sword, it’s just avoiding by predicting the trajectory.
The absurd spectacle made the onlookers’ jaws drop open.
Such an acrobatic evasion in a place with no sight.
I can’t tell if I’m dreaming or not.
“Uh…”
“Is this real?”
“This is… S-class. It’s crazy… Really.”
In fact, some even tried pinching their thighs.
Did he feel that no matter how many spears he threw, it was useless?
No more windows flew out.
Besides, like a lie, the blizzard has stopped.
The sound of the wind died down and the visibility began to improve little by little.
over a small hill covered in snow.
I could see the ice trolls with blue eyes.
So far everything has been as expected.
but.
“What the hell is that…”
“What is that guy…?”
I could hear loud breathing from all over the place.
Creepy!
A cold chill spreads throughout the body.
Cold sweat ran down the backs of the players.
It had to be.
Among the trolls now facing each other, a completely unexpected presence appeared.
“…It really doesn’t give you a chance to get bored.”
A smile filled with complex feelings was also caught on Jinhyeok’s lips.
To be honest, I was quite surprised this time.
