Chapter 57 – The Raid Begins

The entrance to the icy cavern echoed with roars of beasts and shouted orders. The cold was so sharp that every breath turned into a cloud of mist, stinging in the lungs.

From the hastily built watchtower of frost, the Guild Master’s voice rang like a warhorn.

“Hold the line! **Crimson Fang**, **Silver Hawk**—keep the Frost Golem in check! All support parties, guard the rear!”

But theory rarely survives first contact with reality.

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### The Monster Swarm

Hundreds of **Ice Lizards** slithered down the frozen walls, their forked tongues tasting the air. Their bodies glinted in the pale blue light as they swarmed toward the backlines with terrifying speed.

Sari’s chain snapped forward. “**Chain Bind!**” Several lizards were caught midair, thrashing violently, but the rest surged past her, rushing toward the archers and healers.

Doni loosed arrow after arrow, his hands a blur. “**Rain Meteor Shot!**” Streaks of glowing arrows rained from above, skewering a dozen of them—but the tide did not slow.

Zareen’s staff shone brightly as he chanted spell after spell. “**Defense Up! Regen!**” A shimmering barrier covered the formation, buying them precious seconds. Beads of sweat rolled down his temple, freezing almost instantly in the frigid air.

Screams erupted across the cavern. Parties that once boasted of their ranks were now retreating, their faces pale with fear.

“This isn’t a raid,” someone shouted hoarsely, “this is a massacre!”

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### The Sub-Boss Unleashed

A deafening roar split the air, followed by a quake that shook the cavern. **Frost Golem**, a creature as tall as a fortress tower, slammed its massive fists into the ground. Shards of ice erupted like spears, throwing adventurers through the air like rag dolls.

Crimson Fang’s shieldbearer charged forward, attempting to hold the creature at bay. The impact sent him flying back, his shield cracked in half.

“Focus fire!” the captain of Silver Hawk bellowed. The mages unleashed a barrage of fire spells, a blazing inferno meant to melt through the golem’s icy hide—

—but the flames died before reaching their target, snuffed out by the freezing air itself.

“It doesn’t work!?” a voice cried out, high with panic.

Zareen clenched his jaw. *If this keeps up, everyone will be wiped out before we even see the Ice Dragon.*

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### The Crumbling Formation

Yuna stepped up beside him, her black sword raised. “You see it too?”

He nodded grimly. The once-solid formation was in complete disarray. The Guild Master kept barking orders, but no one was listening—every party was fighting for its own survival.

“If we stay here, we’ll be dragged down with them!” Sari shouted over the chaos.

“I’m too young to be lizard food!” Doni cried, firing blindly into the swarm.

Zareen took a deep breath, heart hammering. There was only one chance.

“The right tunnel is still open. If we move now, we can break through before everything collapses.”

For a heartbeat, no one spoke. Only the howls of monsters and the crashing of ice filled the air.

Then Yuna nodded, her eyes sharp. “Agreed. I’m with you.”

Sari spun her chain with a grin that didn’t quite hide her fear. “If you’re going, I’m not staying behind.”

Doni groaned dramatically. “Fine! But if I die, make sure my statue looks handsome!”

Even in the chaos, they managed a short, breathless laugh.

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### Breaking Away

Zareen raised his staff high. “**Barrier Breakthrough!**”

Blinding white light burst forth, forming a tunnel of protective energy that forced the monsters back and carved open a path.

“Now!”

The four of them sprinted through the gap, their boots pounding against the icy floor. Behind them, the raid battle raged, screams and roars echoing in their ears—but none of them looked back.

The right tunnel sloped upward, away from the heart of the battle. Zareen’s lungs burned from the cold, but for the first time since the fight started, he felt like he could breathe.

*We made it out…*

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### A Chilling Passage

The tunnel narrowed as they advanced, the walls glowing faintly with embedded crystals of frozen mana. The air was colder here, almost biting, and every sound echoed as though the ice itself was listening.

Sari shivered and hugged her arms. “Ugh… even my bones feel frozen.”

Doni glanced over his shoulder nervously. “Are we really abandoning the raid? If the guild finds out, we might be branded deserters.”

Zareen stopped and turned, meeting each of their eyes. His expression was calm, but his voice carried a weight they hadn’t heard from him before.

“If we’d stayed back there, we’d already be dead. But if we push forward… we might actually reach the Ice Dragon before the rest. And maybe… just maybe, we can end this.”

Yuna studied him for a long moment, then a rare, faint smile touched her lips—an expression that always made Zareen feel steadier. “I agree. We were meant to reach that dragon.”

Zareen nodded firmly. “Then from here on, we fight not just as survivors—but as a team.”

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### The Peak and Its Shadow

The tunnel finally opened into a cliffside ledge. Before them stretched the northern peak, an endless spire of jagged ice crowned by a swirling snowstorm.

Through the blizzard, something vast moved—wings the size of ships, beating slowly, casting colossal shadows across the mountainside.

A pale blue light pulsed within the storm, like the heartbeat of a sleeping god.

“The Ice Dragon…” Zareen whispered, awe and dread tangled in his chest.

Sari gripped her chain so tightly her knuckles turned white. “It’s… way bigger than I imagined.”

Doni swallowed hard. “We can still turn back, right? Right?”

Yuna stepped forward, her black blade trembling slightly as it absorbed the surrounding darkness. Her voice was steady as ever. “There’s no turning back. If we want this world to survive… we keep going.”

Zareen tightened his grip on his staff, feeling its familiar weight anchor him.

*Every mission, every battle, every loss—it all led to this moment. Now it’s our turn to face destiny.*