Chapter 803: Act 153 – The Young Prince Who Pits His Teacher
The ice layer was thicker than imagined. In Brendel’s view, the so-called glacier of eternal years was no more reliable than glass. With a strength a thousand times that of an ordinary person, he had mastered the most fundamental rules of this world—lines. What was considered solid in the mortal realm became a relative concept here. However, Brendel dared not strike the ice surface with his overwhelming strength, as piercing strikes and techniques like Medisa’s torrent could cause significant collapses on the ice wall, but it was more likely to trigger secondary collapses, completely sealing them off in this cold and dark underground.
Thus, he could only shave away the ice layer, avoiding structurally weak spots. Sometimes, after digging several feet forward, he encountered shattered ice blocks overlapping like broken glass. Even when cursing his bad luck internally, he could only change direction and continue; no one dared to gamble with their own life. The Radiant Sphere was an air-type first-ring spell, lasting a fixed half hour. Kehua’s spells went out twice during this time, but this eldest daughter of Echis was astonishingly obedient, requiring neither reminders nor any fidgeting, naturally casting another when needed.
She resembled a noble girl educated in the upper echelons, rather than the feared eldest daughter of Echis, who was the head of monstrous entities. Brendel had heard plenty of rumors about this young lady in his previous life, while Anlek watched Kehua over and over, looking extremely unaccustomed to the sight.
But in truth, Kehua’s dark side was her true nature as Echis’s eldest daughter; how her obedient soul came to be was unknown.
For Brendel, the task of scraping the ice was purely strenuous labor—there was no technique involved, just exhausting. After digging a passage barely wide enough for one person and advancing about one hundred fifty meters—of course, with countless detours along the way—he was utterly drained and had to take a break. Anlek scoffed disdainfully and stepped forward. Although he was a soldier, he had learned systematic magical techniques after joining the Everything Returns Society; while not as outrageous as controlling elements, it was more than sufficient for melting ice.
It must be said that wizards, in general, did not employ flashy tactics when battling swordsmen. The speed of a swordsman often forced a wizard to choose the most straightforward and robust spells to end the fight, so when wizards and elementalist mages battled swordsmen, it was often a pure contest of strength, determining the victor within a few rounds. But in non-combat contexts, spellcasters generally held a considerable advantage. It was no wonder Anlek laughed at Brendel, as he unleashed several fire spells, directly melting out a passage through the ice at a speed at least several times faster than Brendel’s.
Unfortunately, the duke did not bask in his glory for long; after casting only a few spells, he became breathless and greatly astonished, for although a wizard’s stamina had always been problematic, it should not leave him panting after just a few spells. Anlek was puzzled, but Brendel quickly realized the reason: the air. The air inside the cavern was sparse to begin with, and Anlek was casting fire spells—was that not self-destructive? After being mocked a few times by Brendel, even a thick-skinned noble like him could not help but blush and had to resort to other spells to scrape away the ice.
He ultimately chose a Wind Blade spell, which turned out to be no different from Brendel’s choice, inviting further ridicule.
Not having the upper hand, Anlek’s progress barely exceeded Brendel’s. He advanced only one hundred meters and emerged, dizzy. His strength was far inferior to Brendel’s, and casting spells consumed more stamina than swinging a sword. After they both retreated, Kehua replaced them; Brendel’s suggestion was for him and Anlek to swap, with Kehua merely maintaining illumination. After all, having a little girl take the place of two grown men—not only Brendel, but even Anlek found it somewhat embarrassing.
Regardless of how fervent Anlek’s zeal was, his status as an upper-class individual meant that based on his education, even two Brendels could not compare.
However, much to both men’s surprise, the seemingly delicate Miss Kehua possessed an unexpectedly formidable strength. Without displaying any techniques, they saw the layers of ice vanish as her progress exceeded Anlek’s by over ten times; even Brendel could only watch in awe. Startled, the two abandoned their rivalry to question her method, but Kehua silenced them with just two words:
Divine Power.
That left them speechless. Kehua was the most pure-blooded offspring among the Duskwalker lineage. Although the Duskgazer Dragon was a chaotic entity, it was also a manifestation of order. It could be regarded as a deity. Beneath it, Echis was indeed an ancient god, albeit not belonging to the same pantheon as Martha. From Kehua to Jin Hai, each was a demigod—this was known to Brendel.
Divine power was, in essence, a form of existential strength.
Brendel could only gaze at it but never reach it.
Anlek watched Kehua carve a path through the ice, momentarily falling silent as he appeared lost in thought. After a while, he turned back and glanced at Brendel. “Earl Toniger, what are you thinking?”
Brendel was slightly taken aback; he had been contemplating Charles, Medisa, and Himelam. The three of them had gone silent since the Spiral Hall’s collapse, leaving him uncertain whether they were dead or if this place blocked psychic communication. Brendel reasoned it was likely the latter because Medisa, Charles, and the others were not lacking in strength or experience; compared to Anlek, they were certainly stronger. If Anlek could survive, it was hard to believe those three would perish under the glacier even with misfortune. The absence of any response from them indicated this place might be shielding psychic connections.
Moreover, this was the God’s Eternal Resting Place. According to the game lore, it was the core BOSS area, with likely unique restrictive effects—after all, even outside the Spiral Hall, there were constant dimensional anchors.
Yet, he was more concerned about the Young Prince. The Young Prince’s own strength was barely equivalent to a silver-tier; if he accidentally lost the Young Prince here, Princess Grifian would certainly tear him apart. Of course, that princess might not be his match at the moment, but Brendel did not want to become the target of her hatred for life.
While he was anxious, he did not expect Anlek to approach him for conversation—what a bizarre development. Although they had exchanged words earlier, it was limited to—“Ignorance.” “Foolishness.” “Are you planning to perish with me by consuming all the air here?” “You’re calculating a gentleman’s innermost thoughts with a villain’s measures!” Such unnutritious dialogue.
Brendel looked at him with curiosity.
“I find it odd,” Anlek spoke without waiting for Brendel’s reply, “with your abilities and youth, coupled with such strength, why not achieve something elsewhere? I’ve heard that woman, Veronika, extended an olive branch to you in the Loop of Trade Winds. You have no origins nor background; a person like you will surely be heavily utilized in the Empire, isn’t that better than stirring trouble in Erluin?”
“Oh,” Anlek mumbled to himself, “I forgot you are Darus’s grandson. But with the relation of Darus and the wind spirits, you could become a legitimately titled earl in Saint Ausoor with just a word. If I remember correctly, you currently hold an earl title but need to seize land yourself; how are you any different from those cheap Pioneer Knights in the Temple?”
This influential old man shook his head, evidently perplexed about why Brendel insisted on sticking around this small Erluin and opposing him. After a brief period of interaction, he could almost guarantee that without Brendel, the outcome of the Ampere Seale battle might have been vastly different.
Brendel took a glance at this guy, astounded that at this point, he was still dreaming. He simply could not understand what drove this man to go bankrupt for the Everything Returns Society, leaving him so wretched. However, he found it difficult to answer Anlek’s question; his reasons for staying in Erluin were rather strange. If he voiced them, they might infuriate this noble, as part of his motives was to retaliate against Anlek.
Furthermore, nationalism was not unfamiliar to players. But for this era’s Erluin and the Cruz people, it felt rather ahead of its time. Erluin could be considered one of the most embryonic nationalist entities in the entirety of Vaunte, thanks to its foundational history and the process of nation-building. Yet, even so, Erluiners remained willing to accept co-governance with the Temple of Fire, and fundamentally, they were inclined to acknowledge themselves as descendants of the Fire King, just with differing ideologies.
But for Brendel, the Temple of Fire was deeply detested. Most players shared his sentiments; to them, Erluin was Erluin, and Cruz was Cruz. The concept of nation was far clearer to players.
Yet, such reasons could not be shared with Anlek, so he merely cast a disdainful glance at the noble without responding.
However, Anlek misunderstood, shaking his head. “It’s normal for young people to yearn for power. I can understand your mindset of preferring to be the head of a chicken rather than the tail of a cow. But even if you became the regent of Erluin, what would it change? The accolades you receive would hardly exceed those you have now. People might respect you, but that respect stems from your power. Eventually, all will turn to dust at the end of time. You should look further; there is something in this world called truth.”
Brendel was taken aback. This guy was trying to cultivate him into a believer of the Everything Returns Society during such a time—was he mad? Yet, the ideology of the Everything Returns Society held great appeal for some in this world because Vaunte possessed certain mystical elements. On Earth, right and wrong were merely human definitions, but here, they served as one of the validations of law—some crazies devoted their lives to pursuing these things, like Anlek. But Brendel scoffed at it. He was about to retort when, at that moment, he suddenly perked up, hearing peculiar sounds.
He waved his hand to silence Anlek and reminded, “Miss Kehua, please stop for a moment.”
The sounds traveled far off, and sure enough, the noises from Kehua ceased. Once the ice remained quiet, Brendel finally discerned the sound—it was like a saw cutting wood or someone plowing the ice with an iron plow, producing such strange sounds. The sound started faint but gradually grew louder. Even Anlek could hear it, and the duke’s expression changed: “That sound seems familiar.”
Brendel also found the sound quite familiar.
It was rhythmic, progressing slightly forward then pausing, only to advance again a few minutes later.
After a while, Kehua dashed out from the ice path and told the two, “That sound is ahead of us.”
“It’s coming towards us?” Brendel inquired.
Echis’s eldest daughter nodded.
“Can it turn back?” Brendel asked, suddenly feeling a bad premonition.
“I fear it may be too late; it likely heard our voices and is heading this way,” Kehua replied.
Brendel immediately turned to Anlek, who had earlier been eloquent beneath the ice but seemed to have forgotten what might lurk under the glacier. Of course, the main issue was still the unknown nature of that lurking entity; beneath this eternal glacier, anything could exist. If they encountered those notorious monsters, they could count themselves fortunate, but the worst case was facing nameless horrors where fleeing was impossible.
Beneath the surface of the entire Vaunte lies the famed Great Hive, and the glacier was no exception. Brendel did not know what lay beneath, but he knew that area was beyond level ninety.
Realizing this, he couldn’t help but glare sternly at Anlek.
Anlek felt embarrassed, falling silent, but he had already lost face throughout the day, so he merely scowled.
The three of them had stood for only a moment when they suddenly heard the sound of ice cracking ahead, as if to compensate for its prior foolishness. Duke Anlek reacted swiftly, proposing, “We could carve a side passage along the ice to take shelter in; make the opening narrower. The monsters beneath the glacier tend to be massive for fat storage. I suggest letting Miss Kehua handle this since the three of us only risk making noise when we act.”
Brendel nodded; this was in line with his thoughts, but Anlek’s knowledge slightly surprised him. The terrain of Vaunte was diverse, and the monsters’ ecosystems varied accordingly. By the tone of the duke, he seemed quite familiar with them.
They quickly retreated thirty-four meters and carved a ‘T’-shaped side passage into the ice wall, then each took shelter inside, with Kehua having her own space as a lady, while Brendel had to squeeze in with his enemy Anlek. Before entering the side passage, Brendel carefully disguised the entrance to appear as a natural crack—this tactic he had perfected in the game, and he was the only one among them capable.
Not long after the three of them had hidden in the side passage, they heard a dragging sound ahead, resembling ice shattering like glass before collapsing on both sides. The noise was deafening, leaving Brendel awestruck. That monster had to be enormous; though Anlek had claimed that monsters beneath glaciers were mostly large due to fat storage, he had never encountered one of this magnitude. The sound soon approached, the noise of collapsing ice almost thunderous. Brendel wanted to peek out to see what it was—if he were still a player, he would have surely done so—if he died, it would only mean a level loss, but players’ curiosity often outweighed level concerns.
But now he could only endure, until he suddenly noticed Kehua’s lips moving as she signed to him.
He was momentarily taken aback before quickly realizing what she was trying to convey.
Four words.
Frostbitten Jaw.
Damn it, Brendel finally understood what was outside. It was that damned Frostbitten Giant Worm King. All of a sudden, every hair on Brendel’s body stood on end; this place was the main battlefield for those creatures beneath the glacier. He had seen the Frostbitten Giant Worm King once before in the Spiral Hall and had an impression of its meat-grinder-like teeth. That thing was not something like Mein or Mel that had just awakened from eternal sleep and were still in a weak state. It could have been living under the glacier for countless years, and its power could only be described as terrifying; the key factor was its size, rendering most attacks completely useless.
Brendel remembered that in the game, defeating this terrifying monster leader required large guilds to use siege weapons like magical ballistae, thanks to the game’s settings.
Now, under the glacier, to confront this beast barehanded—Brendel estimated it would take about ten or so level 130 warriors like himself to resolve the problem.
Moreover, the Frozen Giant Worm King thrived in this terrain; its mobility and sensory abilities were far superior to those on the surface. Brendel suddenly began to ponder whether hiding here would expose them to the thing. Fortunately, it seemed that Martha was still on their side, as the Frostbitten Giant Worm King slithered by outside the side passage, seemingly unaware that three little mice were hiding here, patrolling slowly while gradually moving away.
Brendel suddenly thought that the direction in which the Frostbitten Giant Worm King was headed likely led to the broad glacier outside the Eternal Square, and the creature must have escaped during this period, eventually becoming the famed BOSS of the Sleepers’ Sanctuary.
However, at this moment, he felt no revelation of ‘so that’s how it is’; instead, he was drenched in cold sweat.
Beside him, the once formidable Duke Anlek shared the same sentiment, his face turning a pale iron color, not daring to draw even a deep breath.
As the three of them listened to the Frostbitten Giant Worm King move further away, their hearts gradually settled, especially as Brendel suddenly realized that the creature’s departure would leave a long, winding passage behind—saving them significant effort. This passage might even connect back to the underground beneath the Spiral Hall, where the Frostbitten Jaw was originally supposed to be locked away.
Lost in his thoughts, Brendel suddenly saw Kehua speak to him again.
What was she saying this time?
Brendel was slightly taken aback. He saw that the eldest daughter of Echis was moving her mouth again, yet this time her meaning was a great deal more difficult to understand.
“Above, what above?” Brendel confusedly looked up, his face suddenly turning ashen. He saw that the ceiling of the side passage they had excavated was extending with long cracks, the eerie blue ice surface gradually turning white; this was a clear sign of impending collapse. Damn it, Brendel silently cursed, what now? Should they escape, or stay here? Escaping seemed to lead them to that Frostbitten Giant Worm King.
However, remaining here, the glacier collapsing was no trivial matter.
He was drenched in sweat trying to make a choice, but the speed at which the ice cracked was faster than he had imagined. Before he could speak, the sound of the ice layer collapsing echoed above. To Brendel’s utter surprise, what fell was not a thick mass of ice that would bury them underneath but a thin layer of ice wall, followed by a few individuals dropping down.
“Ah!”
“That hurts!”
Upon hearing those voices, Brendel’s heart surged with joy—this was the Young Prince’s voice. But just as he was about to rejoice, his complexion changed dramatically as he reached out to catch the falling figure and hurriedly covered his mouth. The Young Prince, evidently shocked to find someone beneath, was yanked unexpectedly by Brendel and, startled, turned around to shout, “Teacher!?… Wuwuwu!”
And just at that moment.
Brendel felt the Frostbitten Giant Worm King outside come to a halt. This giant had stopped; it certainly wasn’t halting to brew tea or anything—it had sensed some movement. As for what it sensed, it was hard to say. Holding the Young Prince who was still muffled, Brendel felt a chilling sensation at his back.
Could it be this unlucky, Young Prince? Are you not just putting your teacher in a pit!?
He thought bitterly, on the verge of tears.
