Chapter 65: Ice Queen

  Once I had the third Darknessbound Core shard in my possession, my first instinct was to combine them all into one.

  I pulled the other two from my second inventory and brought them together. Suddenly, the edges where they were supposed to connect glowed brightly, and with one click – I was holding a whole stone in my hands.

  [Darknessbound Core]

  “My, my…” Goren said, narrowing his eyes. “So, what is it supposed to do again?”

  “It’s supposed to imprison Erebus without having to fight him.”

  “Oh.” Goren responded simply. “And how will it work exactly? Do we just aim the stone at him and – poof? He’s stuck inside?”

  I was about to retort, annoyed by his casual, aloof attitude, but I stopped. He was right. How does it work?

  The item’s description didn’t provide much clarity either. Instead, it only deepened the mystery: A prison meant to bind Darkness. It stands empty – a cage with no prisoner. Without the key to seal its target, it is nothing but a simple piece of stone.

  So, we need a key…

  I wondered if any of the Key Items in my possession were the required key – specifically, the Eye of Axul. But the glassy orb didn’t react to the Core.

  “We need some key…” I muttered.

  “A key?” Goren asked. “What kind?”

  I shrugged. “I wish I knew.”

  Before we could continue our discussion, more Priestesses of Axul emerged from the shadows.

  Goren applied Apparition Oil to his daggers, attempting to strike them – but even that failed. Every attack we threw went right through them, dealing no damage.

  “So, they’re not wraiths.” Goren remarked while we sprinted away, escaping them. “That’s reassuring.”

  “Reassuring?” I asked, confused.

  “Yeah.” He replied. “I was running out of oil...”

  I rolled my eyes. “Stop joking around and think about how we can take them down!”

  “I’m thinking, I’m thinking.”

  After descending too many floors, we eventually managed to lose them, finding refuge in a secluded chamber.

  Goren, catching his breath, placed a hand against the stone floor. Apparently, he had a unique skill that let him estimate how far underground he was.

  “I think it’s the twelfth level.” He said, looking thoughtful. “Might be the thirteenth too. Don’t quote me on that. I’m not big on math.”

  I sighed, shaking my head. Did it really matter what floor we were on?

  I could already tell by myself that we were somewhere in the 10s, and that was enough.

  “Any other useful insights?” I asked, rolling my eyes.

  Goren looked thoughtful. “Don’t you feel a bit colder here?”

  I was about to instinctively brush him off, but then – I felt it.

  The temperature had dropped significantly.

  It wasn’t exactly freezing, but the change was unmistakable.

  All the Memory Fragments. All the Vestiges. They all flashed through my mind at once.

  Lysandra.

  She had possessed ice magic.

  But after all these years…could she even still be alive?

  ***

  The cold chambers continued across the entire level, but we didn’t encounter any of the Priestesses of Axul.

  Instead, we fought the usual monsters of the tomb.

  After slaying a few Void Spiders, a joyful message appeared.

  [Quest Completed: Charlotte's Nemesis #4]

  [Reward: 20,000 XP]

  [+20,000 XP]

  [Level Up! You have gained 1 Skill Point]

  [New Quest Available: Charlotte's Nemesis #5]

  [Slay 1,000 Void Spiders]

  [Current Status: 501 / 1,000]

  [Reward: 25,000 XP]

  Without hesitation, I immediately allocated the skill point into Temporal Trace, maxing it out.

  [Skill Upgraded: Temporal Trace lvl.10 - MAX]

  [Skill Upgraded: Déjà vu lvl.9]

  [Next Level: lvl.10: Gain an additional skill point and unlock ‘Total Recall’]

  Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

  Unlock Total Recall? What’s that?

  Judging by the name, it could mean full recollection of all my memories.

  God, I wish.

  [Déjà vu System: Level 53]

  [Loop Count: 55]

  [Experience Points (XP): 9,376 / 77,000]

  Just a bit more…

  I allocated the two extra points into Agility, bringing it up to 59.

  Was I now the adventurer with the highest Agility in the kingdom? I couldn’t say for sure, but it was quite likely. Even among the 80+ leveled adventurers not may would even think of placing almost 60 points into Agility.

  “What are you doing, Spellsword?” Goren’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. “Don’t space out. We’re still not in the clear – those bloodthirsty wenches are probably still looking for us.”

  “Right…” I muttered, barely containing my annoyance.

  We reached the staircase and descended even deeper.

  There, an empty floor revealed itself before us.

  But something wasn’t right…

  Déjà vu tingled in my mind, pulling my attention toward the large wall to our right.

  What’s that all about?

  I made my way toward the wall, Goren following closely behind.

  “Did you see something over there?” he asked.

  “I’m not sure…” I replied. “Have you been here before?”

  He shrugged. “Dunno. Might’ve been. Can’t say for sure. Erebus has been halting my progression for a very long time now. Besides, everything here looks the same – you can’t really expect me to remember every floor.”

  “You could’ve just said no.” I pointed out and continued toward the wall.

  At this point, Déjà vu was going crazy, and I immediately stopped.

  “Why did you stop?” Goren asked.

  “Something is…off about this wall.”

  I wasn’t sure myself. But if Déjà vu reacted this strongly, then I had been here before – and that meant there was a reason to be cautious. It felt like it was warning me.

  “Let’s see.” Goren said, stepping ahead of me.

  “Wait – “

  Too late.

  A giant claw burst through the wall, shattering it before slashing straight at Goren.

  The hit connected, but Goren dissolved into dark mist.

  A second later, he reappeared next to me, his eyes narrowed at the wall – now perfectly intact again. The claw, however, was gone.

  “Okay.” He exhaled. “What the fuck was that?”

  Surprisingly, I actually felt relieved he was still alive.

  “I’ve definitely been here before.” I said, Déjà vu still tingling in the back of my mind. “I can recall that claw…vaguely.”

  “Anything else?” Goren asked. “None of my skills can detect a presence. This can’t be a monster.”

  “Could be a wraith.” I suggested.

  He shook his head. “Unlikely. I can usually sense those too.”

  Reaching for his neck, he pulled out a medallion and held it up.

  “This is a Warding Medallion.” He said. “A unique item for Rogues. It lets us see apparitions and…other stuff.” He studied the wall again before sighing. “But I can’t see anything. The claw, though…we both saw it.”

  I nodded slowly, analyzing his words. “Then what could it be?”

  “An illusion?” Goren suggested, but his face soured immediately. “But then – “

  “It wouldn’t have been able to hit you.” I cut in, finishing his thought.

  “That’s right.” He nodded, grinning. “Damn, Spellsword, we’re so in sync we’re already finishing each other’s thoughts.”

  I rolled my eyes and turned to leave.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” Goren asked, looking confused.

  “Heading deeper.” I said. “There’s no point fighting this…this claw or whatever it is. We don’t know what it is, what it does, and I don’t want to die yet.”

  “Spellsword, Spellsword…I didn’t know you were a quitter.”

  His remark made me stop and turn back to face him.

  “This is a mystery.” He continued. “It’s the first time I’ve stumbled upon it, and I’m curious. Aren’t you?”

  I studied him silently. Why was he so eccentric all the time?

  “Well?” He raised an eyebrow, waiting for an answer.

  I sighed. “Sure, I guess…But if – “

  “Ah, ah, ah.” Goren wagged a finger. “No ifs or buts. This claw might lead us to the key we need.”

  “You can’t know that for sure.”

  “And you can’t know for sure that it won’t.”

  Hard to argue with this logic…

  But that just meant we’d have another problem – I’ll have another problem.

  “Somehow, I feel like if we do solve this mystery, I’ll end up being marked.”

  “Maybe.” Goren shrugged. “But if that happens after we get the key to the Darknessbound Core, why would it matter? We’d already have it – the prison! Erebus wouldn’t be able to halt us anymore. We could seal him away and be done with it.”

  There was sense in his words.

  I sighed again and stepped back to his side. “Then what do you suggest we do, genius?”

  He scratched his head. “Damn. I don’t know. I didn’t actually think I’d be able to convince you. Give me a moment to think.”

  I shook my head, in disbelief at myself for listening to him. I really hope this wasn’t a huge mistake.

  After a few seconds, Goren suddenly exclaimed, gesturing for me to step back. “Let me check something real quick.”

  I did as he asked and watched as he stepped into the claw’s range once again.

  The moment he did, the claw materialized, breaking through the wall and lunging straight at him.

  But he was ready.

  Goren rushed forward, sliding at the last possible second, dodging cleanly under the massive swipe. Then, he propelled himself upright, summoning the golden bow from before into his hands.

  In one fluid motion, he loosed a magical arrow straight at the claw. But the projectile phased right through.

  Then, a second claw erupted from the wall, slashing toward him.

  “Watch out!” I called out.

  But Goren was already moving. He flipped backward – once, twice, three times – dodging both claws with an impressive display of acrobatics and agility while seamlessly swapping to a dark metal sword.

  The moment he completed his last jump and landed on his feet, he pointed the sword forward, its tip aimed at the wall.

  Suddenly, the blade released a powerful, dark-red blast of magic at the gaping hole in the center.

  The claws vanished instantly, dissolving into thin air.

  “Well, that’s that – “

  Before Goren could finish, another claw shot out from the hole in the broken wall, lunging straight at him.

  He dissolved into dark mist again before getting hit, reappearing outside its reach – his golden bow already in hand, another arrow charged and aimed at the wall.

  I watched tensely, wondering whether to jump in, but so far, he seemed to have things under control.

  He loosed the second arrow at the hole in the wall.

  The projectile went in and exploded inside, sending debris flying and crumbling most of the wall.

  The entire level shook violently, dust raining from the ceiling. For a moment, I feared Goren’s stunt might bring the entire upper level crashing down on us.

  But something entirely different happened.

  In hindsight…I think I would’ve preferred the ceiling collapsing on us.

  A wave of frost burst from the broken wall, spreading rapidly and plunging the temperature even lower until –

  [Status Effect: Freeze lvl.5 – Max Freeze level. You are Frozen in place. Movement Speed reduced by 100%. Agility reduced by 100%. Unable to move or take any physical actions for 25 seconds]

  Ice encased both Goren and me up to our necks, rooting us to the ground, leaving only our heads free.

  I desperately tried to move inside the ice to break free, knowing that it would be useless. Sadly, I had no resistance to freezing effects. And judging by Goren’s lack of movement, neither did he.

  “I was about to say…I figured out what the claws were.” Goren muttered, his voice surprisingly casual despite our predicament. “We couldn’t sense a presence because they weren’t a monster. It’s an ability.”

  He shook his head, seemingly talking to himself. “But then you might ask – whose ability is it? And why can’t we pick up the attacker’s presence?”

  I kept struggling against the ice but paused when he suddenly exclaimed.

  “It’s because it’s a portal!”

  That caught my full attention.

  “A portal?”

  “Yes!” he nodded as much as he could while being frozen. “The hole in the wall – I aimed my attacks there on purpose because I knew it would reach our attacker on the other side. The entire floor shook not just because the wall began collapsing, but because somewhere above us, a completely different chamber exploded from my shot.”

  His eyes flicked toward me. “But looking at us now, I guess it didn’t kill them.”

  My heart raced as I slowly realized who the attacker was.

  Slowly, making her way through the broken wall, was a tall figure – her long, dark, unkempt hair obscuring most of her face.

  Her skin was decayed. Her robes tattered and rotting.

  But through the strands of her hair, I caught sight of her milky-white, lifeless eyes.

  High Priestess of Axul, lvl 110.

  My stomach twisted. Here she was.

  The person I had dreaded so much turned out to be…another Undead?

  Lysandra – the High Priestess – was also Undead.

  “Well,” Goren muttered, his tone dry. “I think we’re done here, Spellsword. See you in the morning.”

  A split second later, she swung her hand and we shattered into tiny pieces.

  [Health: 0% - You Have Died]