[Entered the 12th floor of the Tower of Myths.]
I nodded as soon as I stepped in.
Good thing I left my friends behind.
Whooooosh!!!
A brutal blizzard whipped through like it wanted to kill me.
If I'd brought them soaking wet, they'd have turned into frozen fish sticks right away.
"Damn."
I pulled a hat out of my inventory and put it on.
The wind was so fierce it felt like the snow was slapping me in the face.
"What the hell is the temperature here?"
I took out the digital thermometer I'd prepared in advance.
It had arrived fresh via overnight delivery.
Crack.
"Huh?"
It froze solid and cracked instantly.
The last reading it showed was -50 degrees Celsius.
"It broke? Right after I took it out?"
Denying reality, I pulled out the manual that came with it.
Lowest recordable temperature: -50 degrees.
"Sorry about that."
What can you do? It's human nature to check the manual only after something goes wrong.
I apologized one more time and sent the thermometer off across the river.
Anyway, the fact that it didn't just fail but shattered means it's way below -50.
No wonder the air felt so damn cold.
"What a insane blizzard."
Seira, who had manifested, frowned.
"Seira, use this."
I handed her the snow goggles I'd bought in advance for the 60th-floor section.
They were a tacky fluorescent color, so I figured she'd refuse, but she took them and put them on snugly.
Somehow, even those looked good on her.
I was about to give one to Dark when he manifested next, but it didn't seem necessary.
He didn't even blink as the snow pelted his face.
Truly a man of ice.
And then.
Ding!
The system reacted the moment Dark appeared.
[This is a fragment of memory held by the Immortal Dark Castro.]
[Frostheim, the barren snowfield where only those born to it can survive. No plant has ever bloomed here.]
[Clear the 12th floor of the Tower of Myths by making flowers bloom in Frostheim!]
"Are you kidding me?"
Jinhyuk blurted it out without thinking and quickly clamped his mouth shut in surprise.
It was the first time he'd ever talked back to the system.
That's how absurd the clear condition was.
An average person wouldn't last a minute here, and it wants me to grow flowers?
And this isn't your typical snowfield.
Massive glaciers, crevasses, and rocks scattered everywhere.
As a farmer's son, I can confidently say this place has every single worst element for growing anything.
"Sigh."
But what can I do?
I can't beat up the system, and if I want to climb higher, I have to figure it out somehow.
"Dark, were you born here?"
"Yeah. From the moment I opened my eyes, it was under a blizzard like this. It's been a long time."
"Have you ever seen plants growing nearby?"
"As if."
"Of course."
This won't work.
I need a walking encyclopedia.
"You called, Mas— I'm freezing to deaaaath!!"
Elia manifested with a scream and hid behind Seira.
She hurriedly threw on the fur coat I'd gotten from Yoo Suyeon.
Only then did she sigh in relief and walk over.
"It's been about 2,000 years since I last almost died."
"What almost killed you back then?"
"I got caught trying to steal an egg from a dragon's nest."
"Oh..."
That sounds exactly like something she'd do.
"I wanted to raise it as a pet. I planned to make it tougher than any other dragon and then return it."
Well, growing up with Elia would definitely toughen it up.
Though it'd involve a painful potion-chugging regimen.
"Elia, I need to grow flowers here. Got any helpful ideas? From what I know, flowers need sunlight, water, and soil. Sunlight is..."
I pointed around with my finger.
The massive dome-like glaciers enclosing the area.
They blocked the sun, casting shadows over the snowfield.
"I can just blast those away. Water we can fetch ourselves, so that's sortable. Soil's the real issue."
"Hmm. Yeah, that's tricky."
Elia crouched down and brushed away the piled snow.
On a normal mountain, you'd dig until you hit soil, but this place is all glacier.
No matter how deep you go, you'd just hit a crevasse— no dirt in sight.
"A flower that blooms in snow... I feel like I've heard of it, but maybe not."
Elia clutched her head.
Even after 3,271 years, this one's stumping her.
"Elia, keep thinking on it. We'll handle the groundwork."
I sent manifestation requests to the rest of the crew.
Camella and the Kanmo duo manifested, bundled up in warm clothes.
"Momo, set up a base camp over there. This might take a while."
"Base camp? What's that?"
"Just make a big bonfire. One that won't go out in this blizzard."
"Hmm."
Momo rubbed her chubby chin.
"The blizzard's too strong! The fire'll blow away!"
"I'll block the wind. Chubby, got any wooden sticks?"
"Here! Momo uses this as a walking stick when climbing mountains."
"Too short. My back'll hurt."
"Then take Master's!"
"Much better."
Camella, fur coat fastened tight, stepped back.
She pulled out a palm-sized ink bottle—must be something she always carries.
Dipping the stick in ink, she started drawing on the snow.
"The cultist's up to her creepy stuff again."
Kancho swallowed dryly, glaring at Camella.
His expression said he wouldn't miss a single move.
'We're on the same side, Kancho.'
I watched with sad eyes for a moment.
Once she finished drawing, Camella untied her prayer beads.
She began murmuring like she was chanting Buddhist scriptures.
"My ears are weird!"
Kancho pressed his perky ears flat.
She was whispering softly, but it felt like the whole space was echoing booming.
"Seal."
At the final word, blue light flowed from the ink beneath her feet.
A massive translucent wall rose up around Camella.
It wasn't just impressive in shape.
Inside the barrier, her long hair stopped fluttering.
A space that denied entry to the raging blizzard.
It felt like that one spot had been cut out and isolated from the world.
"Boss."
"Yeah?"
"I saw this in comics. It's a technique barrier masters use. But isn't Camella a shaman?"
"Yeah. Guess she's a shaman and a barrier master."
"Definitely a cultist."
"Let's call her multi-talented."
"A multi-talented cultist."
While Kancho and I traded pointless chatter.
"This is more like it."
Camella sat down, restringing her beads around her neck.
"Hey, Chubby. Come brew some tea... Oh, you're already in."
Momo had already slipped inside the barrier and was stacking firewood.
"It looked warm! I'll stack this and brew it!"
Jinhyuk walked up to the barrier and rubbed his chin.
This... this is good.
Maybe I can make it work.
A space that creates a greenhouse effect.
"What're you doing? Come in."
"I've got work to do. Camella, this thing holds up even in an avalanche, right?"
"Of course. Who do you think I am?"
She gave a thumbs-up, and I turned away.
"Let's go, Kancho."
Screeech!
Kancho, who had been dashing toward the barrier, slammed on the brakes.
Acting like he never intended to enter, he snapped into a salute.
"Yodel Ranger Vice-Captain Kancho! Awaiting the boss's orders!"
"Sorry, Kancho. We'll finish quick and rest inside."
"A Yodel Ranger's basic is constant combat readiness! No need for rest!"
I patted the stalwart Kancho and pulled chocolate from my pocket.
"This is from Seohee—she got it in Japan. Only one, so eat it in secret."
"Thanks!"
Crunch crunch!!
'Huh?'
The big chocolate vanished in an instant.
Kancho had shoved it all in and was chewing away.
His face beamed like he'd won the world.
Anyway, blood sugar should be fine, right?
After he swallowed, I pointed to the rocks in the snowfield.
"See those embedded rocks? Blast 'em all. Crush 'em small, and I'll clear 'em."
"Roger! Got it!"
"Seira, see the glaciers blocking the sunlight? Slice some off."
Anyone else would've thrown a hundred question marks at that, but.
"Got it."
Seira was unfazed.
She nodded calmly and drew her magic sword, Tarkhan.
She lightly pushed off the ground.
Leaping high, she assumed an iaijutsu stance.
Normally, iaijutsu requires feet on the ground, halving power in midair. But it didn't matter. She had power to spare.
[Najever-style Iaijutsu 3rd Form, Dragon Surge]
Swoooosh!!
As she swung, pitch-black sword energy rippled out in a circle.
It seeped into the surrounding glaciers.
No thunderous roar.
No flashy whoosh effect.
But it was enough.
Rumble...
Black lines etched along where the energy touched.
The glaciers slid cleanly along the cuts.
"Wow."
Elia clapped like a seal.
Camella, sipping tea inside the barrier, let out a disbelieving chuckle.
She'd seen ghosts, demons, all sorts—but this still shocked her.
That such a display of martial prowess existed in reality.
"Hah."
Dark, watching, chuckled too.
He knew Seira had leveled up after the last sword collection.
He'd witnessed her power in lightning rain and demonic release.
But he was surprised again.
A knight who could slice a mountain with one sword.
Unbelievable.
"Damn, she's strong."
Dark muttered quietly and looked away.
There was his master, Yoo Jinhyuk, standing with Elia and Kancho, clapping like seals.
Seeing that insane feat made him certain once more.
He could get way stronger than now.
With that guy.
"Kancho blast!"
"Blasting!"
Jinhyuk and Kancho snapped back and started moving fast.
The sliced glacier chunks would crash down soon, triggering a massive avalanche.
Might as well trigger it all at once and deal with it.
Boom! Bang!!!
Explosions erupted everywhere.
Jinhyuk snatched the flung rocks with his eternal cold iron and hurled them far away.
Dark exhaled softly.
This was Frostheim.
His birthplace and home.
That's why he'd thought it impossible.
Blooming flowers in this land of death.
But for some reason.
His mind had changed.
'Something tells me it might just happen.'
He smiled quietly and stepped forward.
Then leaped.
He was going to give it his all, more than ever.
To get stronger.
To fulfill his old friend Luca's wish, even if late.
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T/N:
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