Chapter 147 - Ice Lands

{Your party has successfully entered the summoned dungeon}

{Defeat the Boss to complete the Quest}

{Exiting the Dungeon will be impossible without defeating the Boss}

A blue sky filled my eyes, I raised a hand to block out the dry air as it hit my face. My throat instantly closed up as I desperately wet my lips to replace the dryness.

Snow fell over us from endless directions in the sky.

“A snow biome, so this is what a summoned dungeon is like?” Veldor caught snow in his hands as he admired the blue and white horizon. “How exactly did you know this would be here again?”

“It’s best not to ask, weird stuff seems to happen to him all the time.” Arga chimed in.

We stood in an open valley with icy grounds around us, the same colour as the sky. Suddenly, a spree of cracks opened out of the ice not far from our feet. My eyes darted to the direction of the cracking and small health bars filled my vision.

{Ice Walker Lv15}

{Ice Walker Lv9}

{Ice Walker Lv10}

Veldor and Arga raised their weapons with haste, my hand rose and I spoke clearly,

“Let’s mow them down while they’re spawning!” My hand lit up with a red aura as I aimed towards the group of skeletons wrapped in icy armour. “Flare!”

A ball of fire shot out of my palm and exploded against the Ice Walkers, they blew back and separated from the lower ends of their body. Even with most of them left decapitated or dismembered, their health bars remained.

“They’re not dead…? Is it because they’re undead-type monsters?”

Arga rushed ahead and raised her sword high above her head, as she approached the skeletons by her feet, she brought it down with a crushing speed. The Ice Walker’s skull burst open and the rest of its body stopped squirming.

The health bar disappeared! Destroying the skull must kill them, in that case...

{User has activated Strike Kick}

My leg swiped through the air and struck the Ice Walker's skull just as it rose from the ground. Its spine snapped back as the head flew off of its shoulders and a moment later, the health bar dropped to zero.

“Everyone aim for their skulls!”

***

“We managed to clear them out pretty easily,” I stated.

Veldor adjusted his shield over his arm and shook a bone off of his foot. “Agreed, I expected much more from a dungeon.”

“Is it really this easy to beat a dungeon?”

Walking ahead we came to a large gap beyond the snowy valley where a long bridge stretched out in front of us.

We approached the halfway point of the bridge when suddenly I felt the intense freezing touch of ice rush up my side.

“Brrrr~” Arga grabbed the sides of her arms. “Why’s it gettin’ even colder?” She asked.

“Don’t worry, if the rest of the monsters are as easy as those skeletons then we’ll be done in no time,” I replied.

The infinite gap below the bridge roared out. A rush of blue and black flew above the ice bridge and blocked out the sky with its enormous wings.

Two large wings, each easily big enough to flatten me with a single swat. A long tail wrapped in stakes of ice that ran up its spine. Every aspect of that beast screamed murderous, at a single glance I knew the difference in strength between it and the Ice Walkers.

{Ice Drake Lv35}

Its head pulled back the moment it came above us. It flapped its wings at a steady pace, just enough to keep it above the bridge and out of our reach. A chilling mist surrounded its mouth and increased by the second.

Veldor held his shield up in a defensive position but his arm shook aggressively.

It’s charging up a breath attack, there’s no way he can defend against that with a shield! We’ll be blown off the bridge at this rate–

The drake's head slung forward and the overwhelming burst of chilling breath fell over the bridge. I ran past Veldor and extended out my hands.

“Stein Guard!!!” I screamed.

{User has activated Stein Guard}

My shield of mana wrapped around us and the beam of icy air struck against its shining surface. A multitude of alternating colours raced across my face as I struggled to keep the barrier up. My hands shook, if I dropped my grip even for a second we’d all be frozen to death.

{User has successfully replenished their mana}

I dropped my hands and let out a deep breath once the last specs of icy air fell away.

Arga and Veldor rushed past me, the dragon responded with a deafening cry and lashed out with its tail. Arga downed a bottle and tossed the empty container away as she drew her sword.

The ice wrapped over its tail acted as a weapon but Veldors shield was sturdier. He took on the hit and held his ground, the moment its tail struck his shield the ice was smashed into tiny fragments.

The drake stumbled back and Arga rushed to its side. Her sword was consumed by a swirling crimson flame. She leapt off the beast's risen tail and struck it in the head, delivering an explosive blow.

A massive chunk of its health bar dropped and Arga landed on her feet at the drake's side. It fell back and shook off the damage like it was nothing. Just as the beast rushed in for a bite, its nose bounced off the surface of Veldors shield.

“Not today!” He said as he intercepted the attack.

The two of them pulled back and I ran ahead in their place, one arm extended out. I drew my chakram and slashed against the drake's leg but didn’t manage to break through the scales. A flash of golden sparks shot off the tough exterior of its skin and I bounced off.

Once I landed back on my feet I tossed the blade to its neck. The green hue of wind carried the chakram towards the neck in a spiralled motion but its scales didn’t allow it any progress.

Agos continued to fly back around and cut past it but the result was the same each time.

“I can’t budge through those scales, I need to break through with something stronger!”

I looked at Arga and she nodded back, knowing exactly what I was thinking.

We ran from both sides and closed in on the monster. Still thrashing around, the drake tried to swat away my chakram but the intense wind its wings created only sped up Agos’s attacks.

With one hand raised, I chanted my skill and watched as Arga charged at the other end of the drake. A burst of wind left my hand and pushed the drake towards her, only for Arga to slam a flaming sword into its waist.

The drake was brought to the ground and both of us backed away. Arga turned to Veldor and screamed,

“Use it now!”

Veldor ran ahead with his shield unequipped from his arm, as he approached the beast he quickly fastened the shield over his mace and with a slight click, both objects had become one.

Veldor lept into the air and brought down the makeshift hammer. It delivered a powerful blow and a wave of icy wind exploded out from under the dragon's shin as it smashed into the ice bridge.

As the wave of blue wind cleared, the screen of light appeared to announce our victory.

{Enemy slain, experience points will be distributed}

{1500 Exp gained}