Shia Kalt Great Dungeon.
The true nature of this place became clear when I discovered the Protone Stone—it was undoubtedly the dungeon mentioned in Shadow Symphony.
I never imagined that finding a tiny mineral in cold soil could bring such a great shock.
—
Through the status window, I learned that this was indeed the Shia Kalt Great Dungeon; however, the problem lay in the fact that I, as a former gamer, knew almost nothing about this dungeon from the game.
I only knew that it was an Ice Dungeon and that it was one of the eight Great Dungeons. Honestly, the five stages I played may not even account for the tutorial in comparison to the vast world of Shadow Symphony.
—
It was said that each Great Dungeon had its own distinct characteristics and rulers.
Among them, the two Demon Realm Great Dungeons directly ruled by the Demon Lord himself were the most infamous.
Fortunately, the Shia Kalt Great Dungeon wasn’t one of those, but that didn’t mean I could relax.
—
“At least it’s not one of the Great Dungeons ruled by the Demon Lord…”
I refuse to join the red team as one of his subordinates. Even now, I vividly remember the game world where I carefully raised my characters, and I don’t want to be their enemy.
Though this isn’t one of the two Demon Realm Dungeons ruled by the Demon Lord, that doesn’t mean it’s safe. There are undoubtedly powerful monsters lurking around.
—
My situation is complicated by the fact that I’m a seed and this dungeon happens to be the Ice Dungeon.
—
“Hmm… where can I find water?”
—
In this deepest part of the dungeon, unseen in the game, I’ve now reached a point where my survival depends on finding even a single drop of water. Ironically, water is what I need, but it’s unavailable here amidst the abundant ice.
This is a dungeon where rain doesn’t fall—a perpetual winter dungeon.
Even if someone were to find me and offer water, it would be unrealistic to rely on such miracles in the dangerous Shia Kalt Great Dungeon unless they’re an extraordinary adventurer.
Ultimately, there was no other option but to pray to a god.
—
“Didn’t the Light God in Shadow Symphony have the name Mikel?”
Even though I’ve never believed in gods, they undoubtedly exist in this world. The sight of the 5-star Hero, Saint Seraphina, using divine magic to turn monsters into particles of light was something I’d seen countless times.
—
“Merciful Light God Mikel, please have compassion for this insignificant being and grant me your grace.”
I fervently prayed.
Though I couldn’t look up towards the sky, my prayer sank heavily into the cold ground.
Initially, I prayed reverently like Saint Seraphina, though I lacked proper formalities, my heart remained earnest.
—
Time flowed…
Perhaps.
Time had no meaning to a seed buried in the ground, and the unending darkness only intensified my desperation in prayer.
—
“Mikel… please… just give me a single drop…”
—
More time passed. I couldn’t measure how much consciousness had gathered during that span, but my prayers gradually turned into pleas.
“Mikel… save me… please…”
—
…And after what felt like an eternity, when I could no longer gauge the passage of time, the respectful tone was completely shattered.
“Mikel, give me some water already! How long am I supposed to endure this!”
—
Mikel had become the object of my frustration. Though my prayers could have horrified any cleric, I thought that not cursing the god who ignored so many sincere pleas was praiseworthy.
Perceived as an eternal span of time had passed, the status window still indicated that I was 0 years old. Meanwhile, my detection skill had risen to level 6, but I was unable to acquire any new skills, no matter what efforts I tried.
—
“Boom!”
Suddenly, a tremendous tremor came from the vast, endless darkness surrounding me.
“What? What is it!?”
It wasn’t the sound of water dropping. It felt like something massive had fallen to the ground.
In the confusion, my detection radar showed crimson blood spreading across the ground.
“Blood, blood!? Never mind that! I can’t hold on anymore! I might as well consume this!”
Though I felt an initial repulsion to drinking blood, why should I, who am no longer human, adhere to human ethics? Survival came first.
Moreover, oddly enough, as this seed, the blood just felt like another nutrient.
Soon, the blood enveloped my surface, and I started naturally absorbing its warmth.
This didn’t taste like the blood I remembered. Sticky but sweet, it tasted like warm sunlight.
“Ah… It’s so delicious!”
This was my first meal after reincarnating into this seed, and it was truly magnificent. As I savored the taste, I felt as if my energy was growing.
—
“「Hibernation」 skill has been erased.”
With the erasure of the hibernation skill, I felt the first stirrings of movement, and I was not at all sorrowful that the hibernation had ended—because this marked the beginning of my long-desired sprouting.
Delicate shoots and roots started to break through my surface.
“Finally!”
“「Blood Absorption LV1」 skill has been acquired.”
“「Blood Absorption」– Grow by absorbing blood”
Even though there wasn’t much beyond the blood in front of me, I somehow acquired a surprisingly fitting skill. Since I had already absorbed the blood, it felt somewhat natural.
With the newly formed roots, I began to voraciously suck in this delicious blood.
“「Blood Absorption LV2」 skill level has increased.”
“「Blood Absorption LV3」 skill level has increased.”
I started growing at an incredible pace as new roots formed. With each new root, I could sense the world expanding around me. Growing within the cold ground felt as if I was searching for light in the darkness. I finally felt truly alive.
Soon, I grew four roots and my stem was quickly extending towards the surface.
Through my growth, I was able to detect the source of the blood.
“☆☆ Frost Drake LV77”
Though the status window informing me of the source of that indescribable blood lump was impressive, that wasn’t the main concern.
“Level 77!? And it’s a Drake!?”
In the game, the highest level heroes I nurtured with considerable investment only reached level 80. The fact that a Drake, which was much stronger than a regular monster of the same level, could be lying here dead so tragically was frightening. And somewhere in this dungeon existed something capable of annihilating a being like that.
Additionally, the most shocking aspect was the complete silence around me. No matter how far I expanded my detection range, nothing else was detected. There was no trace of battle or any other living creature besides the corpse of the drake. It was as if the massive body had simply fallen from the sky, and the surrounding area was disturbingly clean.
“What in the world… exactly happened here?”
My mind was filled with questions about the mystery of the dungeon and fear—but as a plant, I knew there was little I could do.
“If there’s no one around, I might as well finish drinking the blood.”
After drinking all the Frost Drake’s blood, my 「Blood Absorption」 skill reached level 7. At the same time, my stem had grown to just below the ground level, and roots spread out like a spider’s web around me. But as the warm blood surrounding my body disappeared, an icy chill gripped me completely.
“Ah!”
For the first time, I vividly felt the bitter cold of the Ice Dungeon. That chill ran through my body, dimming the light of life in an instant. I never imagined I would miss my days as a seed so quickly. I felt as though I would freeze to death at any moment.
—
HP: 23/28
My previously unseen HP gauge was rapidly decreasing.
Just then, a new skill responded to my desperate situation.
“「Freeze Resistance LV1」 skill has been acquired.”
“「Freeze Resistance」– Generates resistance to freezing effects”
It wasn’t helpful at all. It felt like I was about to meet the blueberries I’d once stored in a freezer during my past life.
“HP: 16/28” 「Freeze Resistance LV2」
As the chill continued to freeze my mind, making it harder to think, the status window kept sounding with alerts.
“HP: 11/28” 「Freeze Resistance LV3」
The cold relentlessly drained my vitality, and my consciousness grew increasingly faint.
“HP: 7/28” 「Freeze Resistance LV4」
“HP: 4/28” 「Freeze Resistance LV5」
At the moment when death was almost upon me, the notifications came even more rapidly.
“「Freeze Resistance LV6…」 「HP: 3…」 「Mikel’s…」 「「Freeze…」 「 「Freeze…」…
—
“「Freeze Block LV1」– 「Freeze Resistance LV10」 skill has evolved.”
“「Freeze Block」– Blocks freezing elements below certain thresholds.”
It was like waking up from a long nightmare. It wasn’t that the cold disappeared—it was that I simply stopped feeling it. I realized, only after nearly stepping through the threshold of death, that my 「Freeze Resistance」 had evolved into 「Freeze Block.」
“Hmm… Am I alive?”
“HP: 2/28”
“With only 2 HP left, I nearly died.”
The evolution of 「Freeze Resistance」 into 「Freeze Block」 felt like a divine intervention, rescuing me from the brink of death. I was so close to burning to death or freezing to death—I was certain that if I died and reincarnated again, my 「Inferno Stigma」 would have an ice version feature.
“Wait, didn’t 「Hibernation」 have effects like Freeze Block?”
It definitely didn’t.
But considering the name, 「Hibernation」, it did seem like it should have had such effects. How careless of the status window to omit such an obviously helpful effect.
“Uh… and why didn’t I question that?”
It was my mistake for taking the incomplete explanation of the status window so literally. It would have been helpful if there was a wiki like in the game.
“Ah… well, I’m the fool then.”
The cold of this Ice Dungeon will no longer be a threat to me. It seems like it’s time to sprout.
—
I checked my stats one last time.
—
『★ (Unnamed) Seed LV10 (Evolvable) 0 Years ♀』
【Attributes】HP: 2/28MP: 28/28
Attack Power: 0Magic Power: 10Defense: 39Magic Resistance: 39Agility: 0
【Skills】「Detection LV6」 「Blood Absorption LV7」 「Freeze Block LV1」
【Traits】[Inferno Stigma] [Mikel’s Support]
