The mud beneath their boots was thick, smelling of ancient decay and frozen mineral salts. As the team ventured deeper into the Glacier, the bioluminescent moss on the walls pulsed with a rhythmic, sickly green light, like the heartbeat of a dying god.
Standing in their path was the Zyrakthar. Even as a "baby," the beast was a titan of flesh and scale. It stood nearly fifteen feet tall, its hide covered in obsidian plates that shimmered with an oily, iridescent sheen. Two jagged, ivory horns—the "Thorns of Ruin"—protruded from its skull, humming with a low-frequency vibration that made the air tremble.
Rayn stood with his arms crossed, his white hair glowing faintly in the gloom. He didn't move an inch, his crimson eyes fixed on the creature with the cold detachment of a butcher eyeing a side of beef.
"What the fuck is this overgrown pig?" Rayn asked, his voice echoing through the cavern.
Matthew let out a short, mocking bark of laughter. "You mean to tell me the 'New Sovereign' doesn't recognize a common jungle beast? Perhaps you spent too much time in your palace counting gold, Rayn."
Rayn didn't laugh. He didn't even blink. He simply turned his gaze toward Matthew, and the temperature in the cave seemed to drop another ten degrees. "I didn't ask for your pathetic attempt at wit, old man. I asked what it is. If you want to keep that tongue in your mouth, use it to answer me."
The mockery died in Matthew's throat. Chandler stepped forward, his hand resting on the hilt of his heavy claymore. "It's a Zyrakthar, Lord Rayn. A 'Mountain Crusher.' This one is a juvenile, but don't let that fool you. An adult can grow to the size of a small city and level a mountain range in a single afternoon of foraging. They are solitary creatures—born alone, killing alone. But they are spiteful. If you kill one, the 'King' of their kind will feel the ripple in the Gnosis. That King... he's a calamity. He can crush Ashburg just by walking through the gates."
Chandler's voice lowered. "Only those at Phase 4 or higher can even dream of taming one. This baby here? It can still rival a Phase 7 and 8 masters in raw, brutal strength."
Rayn looked at the beast and then back at his "team." A dark, wicked smirk played on his lips. "Phase 4 strength after becoming king? Pathetic. I'm not wasting my energy on a piglet."
He turned his head toward Freddy and Victus, who were standing a few paces back, their faces still pale from the humiliation in the streets. "You two. Go. Kill it. If you can't handle a baby pig, I'll feed your internal organs to the next monster we find."
Freddy's jaw dropped. "What? You want us to fight that thing? You or your 'wife' could end it in a second! Why send us into the meat grinder?"
Rayn's expression went dead. The "demon" that lived beneath his skin seemed to peer out through his pupils. "Did I ask for your opinion, you piece of shit? Or did I give you an order? Court death if you want, Freddy. Disobey me, and I'll make sure you're still conscious when I peel the skin from your legs."
The sheer, cold malice in Rayn's voice broke their resolve. Freddy and Victus exchanged a look of pure terror before turning toward the Zyrakthar. They lunged forward, their Vortex auras flaring—Freddy's a muddy brown, Victus's a flickering, unstable gold.
The Zyrakthar sensed the movement. It let out a deafening roar that shook the stalactites from the ceiling and charged. The ground groaned under its weight. It moved with terrifying speed, its massive hooves churning the mud into a spray of filth. It lunged at them, its head lowered to impale them on its jagged thorns.
Freddy and Victus tumbled to the side, the beast's massive flank brushing past them like a runaway carriage. The boar skidded, its obsidian scales grinding against the cave wall, sending sparks flying. It spun around, its eyes glowing with a feral, orange fire. It opened its maw, and a concentrated ball of flame erupted, searing the air.
"Deflect it, you idiots!" Rayn shouted from the sidelines.
Victus threw up a barrier of golden Gnosis, the fireball exploding against it in a shower of embers. But then, the Zyrakthar's behavior changed. Its two massive horns began to glow—not with fire, but with a sharp, crackling blue light. The air grew heavy with the scent of ozone.
"Thunder," Rayn whispered, his eyes widening.
He didn't wait for Freddy or Victus to react. In a blur of white light, Rayn summoned his Ice Sword, the blade carved from the coldest depths of his soul. He flickered across the mud, appearing above the beast in a flash. With a savage, downward arc, he sliced through the base of the glowing thorns.
The blue light died instantly as the horns hit the mud with a heavy thud. The beast let out a pathetic, high-pitched squeal. Seizing the opening, Freddy and Victus drove their blades into the Zyrakthar's throat, twisting the steel until black, steaming blood sprayed across the cavern floor. The giant beast collapsed, its legs twitching in the mud until the light finally left its eyes.
Rayn landed softly, his ice sword evaporating into mist. He walked over to Matthew, his gaze burning. "Why the fuck didn't you tell me it could emit thunder through its horns? You were going to let my front line get fried."
Matthew and Chandler looked at each other, a flicker of guilt passing between them. "The Zyrakthar only uses its thunder powers when it feels a 'Death Threat,'" Matthew muttered. "We thought Freddy and Victus would be fast enough to kill it before it realized it was dying. It was a tactical assumption."
Rayn's hand moved faster than the eye could follow. He flicked his finger against Matthew's forehead with enough force to send the old man stumbling back.
"Listen to me, you old fossil," Rayn hissed. "I don't want my team injured. Not even a scratch. We don't know what kind of hell is waiting for us 200 kilometers deep in this hole. Keep your 'inner ideas' to yourself and tell me every goddamn detail about the beasts we face. If I lose a soldier because you wanted to play a guessing game, I'll replace them with your head."
Matthew bowed his head, his face flushed with shame. "Understood, Lord Rayn."
The Shard and the Sleeping Guardian
Vespera called out from further down the path. "Rayn! Look at this. The edge of the pathway is glowing."
The group moved toward her. There, atop a waist-high stone pillar, sat an artifact. It was a miniature black boar, no larger than a thumb, but it pulsed with a heavy, ancient energy. It looked alive, its tiny obsidian scales shimmering with a dark light.
"The Shard of Zyrakthar," Matthew whispered, his eyes filled with awe. "It's a Phase 7 artifact. It was created by slaying a hundred Zyrakthars and condensing their essence. It allows the user to command fire, and in moments of desperation, it grants the power of Thunder. It also boosts physical strength significantly."
Matthew looked at Rayn. "You're currently at Phase 8, Rayn. This artifact is a tier above you. It would be incredibly helpful for your progression. But you have to refine it with your willpower before you can store it in your core."
Rayn picked up the tiny boar. He felt a faint heartbeat through the stone. "It's alive? Do I have to feed this thing?"
"Yes," Matthew replied. "It eats rocks. Specifically, the minerals found in these cave walls. It will provide you power as long as it has energy."
Rayn looked at the artifact, thinking of his own abilities. He already commanded lightning and fire through his collector power. Adding another external source felt redundant. As he tightened his grip, the tiny boar artifact suddenly began to tremble violently. It let out a microscopic squeal of terror and jumped out of Rayn's hand, scurrying across the air to land in Freddy's trembling palms.
"What the hell?" Rayn muttered. "Why is it scared of me?"
"Maybe there's a stronger artifact... or a beast... already inside you?" Matthew suggested, looking puzzled.
Rayn went silent. Rayn was puzzled because he didn't refine the gambler's heart and thinks :"What they are talking about?". He remembered the Sky Leap Relic—the treasure of the Human Kingdom. He had never truly looked at it since the chaos ended. He closed his eyes, using his Sense Power to look inward, diving into the depths of his own Core.
In the center of his spiritual sea, he saw it.
A small, snow-white Griffin was curled into a ball, sleeping soundly. Its feathers were like spun silk, but Rayn noticed faint, lingering injuries on its wings. It shimmered with a pure, holy light. Rayn remembered the words of the elders: there were two Griffins—one for destruction, one for protection.
This isn't just an artifact, Rayn realized, his heart hammering against his ribs. It's a companion. It didn't just teleport me... it carried me through millions of stars to get me here. Grandmother didn't give me a tool; she gave me a guardian.
The Griffin had exhausted itself saving his life, and now it was slumbering to recover its strength. No wonder the "Shard of Zyrakthar" was terrified; it was like a common rat standing in the presence of a sleeping dragon.
Rayn opened his eyes, a new sense of purpose in his gaze. He looked at Freddy, who was holding the trembling boar artifact. "Keep it, Freddy. Refine it. Use its strength to make sure you don't die in the first ten minutes of the bandit war. I don't need it."
He looked into the darkness of the cave, where a more than hundred kilometers of monsters and mysteries awaited. "Let's move. We have a lot more blood to spill before we find the heart of this Glacier."