Chapter 173 – Splitting Up
As Edwin's figure vanished into the thick mist, the other students followed one after another, stepping into the Meteorological Tide.
Zhou Ning adjusted his hat with a tug and didn't waste another moment. He strode directly into the fog.
The instant he entered the mist, Zhou Ning felt as if he had stepped into another world. Though the area ahead was still shrouded in snow and fog, the density was far less than outside. Through the thinning haze, he could make out a vast complex of dilapidated castles and palaces in the distance—desolate and ghostly.
Not far ahead, Vice Principal Edwin stood with arms crossed, clearly waiting for all the students to arrive.
Zhou Ning instinctively glanced back. The entrance had already been swallowed by wind and snow. One by one, students continued entering the Meteorological Tide, curiously surveying their surroundings.
Soon after, all the students had assembled within the Meteorological Tide. Edwin swept his gaze across them and said in a deep voice, "From this point on, we'll split into two teams to explore—one heading north, one heading south. Regardless of what you find, regroup here at noon tomorrow."
"The Warrior, Meteorology, and Alchemy departments will come with me to the north. The Mage, Engineering, Cleric, and History departments will go south under Professor Rachel's lead."
Per his instructions, the expedition force naturally split into two teams, heading in opposite directions.
As an Alchemy student, Zhou Ning of course joined the northern team.
It wasn't until after the teams separated that Zhou Ning realized just how stacked their group was: himself, Leandro, Cress Bradenreiser, Rosie Lily, and even Warren Morton were all present. It was practically a gathering of plot-armored protagonists—surely the team's survival odds were decent.
At that moment, heavy snow fell inside the Meteorological Tide. Fog clung thick in the air, making visibility extremely limited. Edwin led the way, cautiously scanning the road ahead. He spoke:
"According to the information provided by 'Wisdom' Count Robbins, if we follow the road straight ahead, we should reach an ancient ruin of indeterminate age in the north. That's our destination."
"There'll be a fair number of monsters along the way, but most of them will be handled by Professors Raleigh, Wesley, and other instructors. You all just need to assist from the sides—there shouldn't be much danger."
Let's hope so… Zhou Ning nodded silently without a word.
Before long, Zhou Ning squinted his eyes, sensing a mild but distinct threat. With his Observation Haki, he could clearly see a pair of glowing blue eyes in the fog not far ahead.
It was an enormous Frost Lord—at least ten meters tall, double the size of the one Zhou Ning had encountered on the train. It was watching the intruding expedition team from a distance.
A massive aura of cold radiated from around it, freezing a large area of surrounding snow and suspending ice crystals in mid-air.
A Frost Lord!
It was a Frost Lord!
In the Kingdom of the Walrus People, the Frost Lord symbolized ice and snow itself—one of the most loyal servants of the Snow Goddess.
Facing this creature, Zhou Ning—now level 57—felt it would be a tough fight, but manageable if given enough space to maneuver. He should be able to take it down.
Just then, a sudden howling wind erupted. The Frost Lord surged forward, unleashing an overwhelming tide of ice-blue energy that swept toward the group like a crashing wave.
A chill ran up their spines. "Magma!" Edwin, standing at the front, immediately scattered a handful of yellow powder. In a flash, a blazing surge of magma burst forth from the ground, only to instantly freeze into black basalt under the ice. A wall of black rock rose beside Edwin, blocking the icy wave with an earth-shattering roar.
Then, golden light shimmered in Edwin's hands, and the black basalt morphed into a row of jagged stone spikes that lunged toward the Frost Lord.
Boom!
The Frost Lord barreled forward with terrifying momentum and slammed into the stone spikes, sending shards flying. It crashed through where Edwin had stood moments before—but struck nothing, sliding past.
"Professor Edwin is strong…" Zhou Ning murmured in surprise.
Edwin's secondary class seemed to be focused on earth-element combat magic—or perhaps, like certain boss-tier NPCs, he was dual-classed, with specialties in both Earth and Meteorology. Quite formidable.
Taking advantage of the moment, Professor Raleigh, Leandro, and several other warriors charged forward with greatswords raised.
Although the Frost Aura slowed them down, the effect wasn't too severe thanks to their heated battle aura. Leandro in particular landed a mighty blow to the Frost Lord's chest, carving a web of cracks into its icy core.
Zhou Ning surmised that Leandro likely had a specialty like "Weak Point Strike." That slash had struck the Frost Lord's ice core dead-on, delivering a devastating hit.
–1155!
Thud! Leandro was flung backward, slamming into the ground.
From mid-air, his peripheral vision caught a glimpse of Wayne Sturwell, wearing his signature black top hat, having circled around to the Frost Lord's front at some point.
In the next instant, Wayne raised his arms, aiming a black and a white pistol at the Frost Lord.
Bang!
With a thunderous crack, the twin bullets tore through the crack in the Frost Lord's chest and embedded deep inside.
In the blink of an eye, the colossal ice monster toppled with a crash, sending snow flying in all directions.
A 40% attack boost from his Gunner Genius class, combined with a weak point strike—just enough for a killing blow.
The battlefield fell silent.
Even though Zhou Ning felt it was a bit like kill-stealing, the sheer impact of the scene was too overwhelming. The massive Frost Lord collapsed like a felled tree before a lumberjack. Even Edwin looked startled by the shot.
Zhou Ning holstered his pistols as a notification popped up on his interface:
[You have slain a boss-tier creature: Frost Lord. Contribution: 42%. You have gained 36,000 EXP.]
[Progress for defeating 5 boss-tier creatures with firearms: 1/5.]
A pleasant surprise—Zhou Ning hadn't expected to gain quest progress this soon after entering the Meteorological Tide. Even a kill-steal counted.
"Well done, Wayne," Edwin praised sincerely.
Though the threat was swiftly neutralized, the skirmish still resulted in a casualty—a Warrior student was hit directly by the Frost Lord and killed instantly.
This served as a stark wake-up call for the remaining expedition members.
This wasn't just a game anymore.
The Frost Lord's ambush was only the beginning. Not long after, the team faced a second attack—this time from a swarm of ice-worm monsters. But Zhou Ning didn't even need to act; Professors Raleigh and Wesley, who bore an uncanny resemblance to superheroes from back home, dealt with the creatures with ease.
A while later, Edwin halted again. Taking a deep breath, he said, "I suggest we rest here for now. According to meteorological warnings, a hurricane is expected to hit the area ahead. I don't know exactly when it will arrive, but to be safe, it's better to wait it out here."
As the Vice Principal of Vick University, a senior bishop in the Temple of Earth, and head of the Meteorology Department, Edwin's authority in such matters was unquestionable. No one objected, and they quickly set up a temporary camp to shelter from the coming storm.