Chapter 804: Act 154 – The Frostbitten Fang
Haruz stared wide-eyed; he finally recognized that the person covering his mouth was his teacher, the Earl of Toniger, and instinctively fell silent. At that moment, Brendel also spotted the other figures who had fallen: the second and third to roll down were Phillas and Laurena, followed by another shadow that landed on top of them. Phillas grunted as the scholar girl, holding a thick diary, tumbled off the Lady Knight and landed headfirst into the snow, yelping in pain. Lastly, a tall fellow came crashing down, but unfortunately, he hit his head directly against the ice surface. Brendel watched as this red-headed man got back on his feet and recognized him as Prince Rainwright.
“Mister Brendel!”
“Lord Earl!” Phillas and Shi Do exclaimed in surprise as they saw Brendel. He looked at them with a mix of disappointment and frustration but didn’t bother to silence them; the sound of something like iron plowing through the ice was echoing from a distance, and it was too late to discuss anything. They had to run immediately.
Brendel released Prince Younger, drew the Earth Sword, and approached the side path, keeping a close watch on the wriggling rear section of the Frostbitten Giant Worm that was moving ominously toward them. He hesitated for a moment, calculating his chances, then spoke, “Miss Kehua, it’s up to you now; please open a passage quickly. I will hold it off for a moment.”
“Of course, Mister Humanity.” Kehua nodded immediately and started preparing her spell.
Prince Younger seemed to finally realize that he had caused trouble; he looked pale as he regarded Brendel. The knight glanced back at his helpless students and sighed. He had never truly played the role of a teacher before, but cherished this only student, especially because he was Erluin’s heir, the future king. He patted Haruz’s shoulder to reassure him, indicating that Prince Younger had grown a lot after experiencing that dream, and that earlier events weren’t entirely his fault. He sympathized, deciding not to impose too much pressure.
Haruz, however, appeared very excited. He took a deep breath, saying, “Teacher, I want to stay with you.”
“Don’t be foolish; remember your identity and act more mature, like a man. I won’t tell the princess about your childish remarks.” Although fighting alongside a future king sounded tempting, especially with the life-and-death battle that lay ahead, Brendel wasn’t willing to risk his life. He calculated that he had a chance fighting the Frostbitten Fang alone but having a burden would surely lead to death.
Moreover, he didn’t need to cultivate his influence in Haruz’s mind.
Upon hearing Brendel mention his sister, Prince Younger’s expression changed instantly, and he dared not say another word, fearing his sister was now as terrified of mice as a cat.
Brendel glanced around, looking for someone reliable to protect Haruz. He first looked at Phillas and Laurena but shook his head; that couple was too unreliable. Shi Do was also not an option; the scholar girl herself was still a sheltered young lady dependent on others for everything and lacked protective abilities. Finally, his eyes fell on Prince Rainwright. He hesitated briefly and said, “Your Highness Crown Prince, I officially entrust our future heir to your protection. I trust the Cruz royal family’s reputation; surely, you won’t let me down?”
Prince Rainwright was slightly taken aback. He glanced at Haruz beside Brendel and nodded. Brendel breathed a sigh of relief. Though nobles on Vaunte often schemed against each other, the relationships among royal families were relatively good, primarily because they shared common enemies—the feudal lords, the strong religious forces, and the fact that royal families frequently intermarried, forming ties. The fact that the Cruz Crown Prince dared to vouch for his royal family’s reputation improved Brendel’s view of him greatly. At the very least, it demonstrated that he was a capable heir to a vast empire not afraid to take responsibility.
Brendel further considered that the Crown Prince might want to form a closer bond with Erluin, given that he had been quite close to Haruz from the start.
But that was irrelevant to him. He turned to Anlek, “Lord Duke, stay with me.”
Anlek didn’t lift his eyelids, merely grunted in acknowledgment without objections. He understood that Brendel didn’t trust him enough to leave him with the prince; if so, he didn’t bother to waste words.
In a brief exchange, outside the ice path, the Frostbitten Giant Worm King’s purplish-red, corpulent body had retracted in layers, and through the ice, its massive mandibles could now be faintly discerned. After making sure the others were prepared, Brendel stepped to the side path, raised his sword without hesitation, and slashed at one of the segments of the Frostbitten Giant Worm King’s body. To his surprise, the Earth Sword’s dark blade struck the Frostbitten Fang effortlessly, but it felt like cutting through a layer of thick skin; that robust epidermis was so tough it didn’t even break and almost rebounded the blade.
Brendel stood dumbfounded. The Earth Sword was considered a holy weapon, wielded by someone with Elemental Awakening prowess, and he had unleashed all his strength for this one strike, yet it left no mark—not even a dent. It was as if the skin had returned to normal the moment the blade was repelled.
What kind of monstrous defense is this?
Not just Brendel, but Kehua hadn’t finished preparing her spell, and the others hiding in the side path were stunned by the sight. Even if they didn’t know what kind of sword Brendel wielded, his talent as the continent’s most outstanding genius and a potential Sword Saint was renowned. He was only twenty when he awakened the elements, yet he couldn’t even break the skin of this fat worm with his full strength.
“Lord Earl,” Shi Do turned pale, continuously apologizing, “I’m so sorry, it’s all our fault.” She believed their falling reverberations had attracted the monster, which wasn’t far from the truth; the real culprit, however, was the prince beside Brendel. He waved at her, indicating it was okay, then stepped back and focused white light on his sword before slashing again.
This time, Brendel employed the piercing strike technique. The attribute to breach defenses finally took effect, and this sword opened a bloody long gash on the Frostbitten Giant Worm King’s body—though for them, it was long; to the boss, it was like being pricked by a needle. Still, the excruciating pain sent the Frostbitten Fang into a fury. It let out a howl of agony, and its segment jolted up from the ice path, crashing into the ceiling. One strike, two strikes, Brendel felt as though a seismic wave was shaking above him, and debris started raining down.
“Alright, Mister Humanity!” Kehua suddenly cried joyfully at that moment; she had finally completed the mysterious spell. The ice wall before her vanished like a magic trick, and she stepped forward, immediately burrowing a long passage into the glacier.
“Keep going; I’ll attract its attention for a bit.” Brendel said, holding the tremoring walls of the tunnel with one hand. After the pain from the strike, the Frostbitten Fang was no longer merely retreating but turning to charge at them directly. The ice layer might as well have been underwater for it; it didn’t impede its advance at all. As it approached, it opened its mandibles wide, and several tens of thousands of teeth closed in, ready to dig a massive hole beneath the ice.
The sounds of cracking ice echoed loudly in front of him, and Brendel felt his scalp tingle. He glanced to the side; Haruz was the first to enter the tunnel, followed by Shi Do, Laurena, and Phillas, with Prince Rainwright bringing up the rear. Seeing this, Brendel felt a twinge of admiration rise; this guy wasn’t cowardly but showed a sense of duty. However, he thought to himself that Rainwright was a historical figure, destined to be one of Cruz’s most famous emperors, and certainly wasn’t a mediocre talent.
Once everyone had entered the tunnel, only Brendel and Anlek remained. Brendel couldn’t follow them into the tunnel; Kehua’s digging speed with magic couldn’t match that of the Frostbitten Fang. If he went in too, they’d all be doomed. He had to stay behind to attract the monster’s attention for a while, then figure out how to escape through the tunnel.
But soon, Brendel began to worry that he might be overestimating his heroism. In front of him, the ice layer was cracking open, looking like a blue ice surface blooming with a white rose, yet both of them understood that it wasn’t a rose but the increasingly sprawling cracks beneath the ice.
Ultimately, the layers of cracks surfaced on the ice, causing the layer to bulge and explode into fragments, flying forward. Brendel only saw a flash in front of him, as countless teeth seemed to grow from the ice wall ahead, surging toward him. All the ice was consumed by those gnashing teeth, revealing a writhing maw. The size of that mouth alone made him look up in awe—stinking and vile, Brendel recognized that this was the Frostbitten Giant Worm King.
“Anlek, if you want to live, don’t pull any tricks!”
At this stage, retreat was no longer an option. Brendel summoned all his courage, roaring as he thrust his sword at the monster’s upper jaw—the writhing maw resembled a series of concentric circles layered from the outside in, with each layer formed by countless razor teeth. Brendel aimed for the upper half of this round mouth, knowing a bit about its defenses, and he struck without hesitation, using piercing strikes directly as the sword plunged into the giant’s mouth, nearly embedding itself hilt-deep. A burst of pus and blood sprayed downward, almost drenching Brendel’s face.
This was the culmination of Brendel’s bravery. He felt as if he were standing inside the monster’s mouth; if it simply closed its jaw despite the pain, tomorrow on Vaunte, there would be no more Earl of Toniger, only the excrement of the Frostbitten Fang. Fortunately, the creature’s waste consisted of ice crystal-like substances—colorless, odorless, and not overly disgusting.
But now, Brendel couldn’t be sure if his gamble was correct. He tightly gripped the sword handle with one hand and pressed his other hand against the creature’s tooth-filled upper jaw. Luckily, he was protected by Bahamut’s blessing, and the magical gauntlet saved his hand from being shredded. At the same time, he firmly braced his foot against the creature’s lower jaw, preventing it from closing. Unfortunately, the flesh and armor he had used in the battle against Ampere Seale were long ruined; he now wore only a pair of regular military boots, which hadn’t even been reinforced with metal to prevent slipping. That moment’s pressure made Brendel acutely aware of the meaning of “ten fingers linked to the heart”—only to realize that this phrase could also apply to one’s feet.
He felt as if the entirety of his foot had been pierced, and the pain was so intense that he nearly convulsed. Luckily, the monster wasn’t in a better situation; its upper mouth was pierced by the Earth Sword, causing it enough agony that it nearly rolled about in the ice path. It desperately tried to swallow the little thing lodged in its mouth, but Brendel wasn’t easily overpowered. His vision darkened as he activated his frenzied talent, and with double the force, he held his ground against the Frostbitten Fang.
Brendel was well aware that the Frostbitten Fang was strong in defense, which is why players needed magic cannons to deal with it; its attack power was merely comparable to regular bosses at this stage, if not slightly weaker. Otherwise, the battle would be impossible, and players would likely complain to the game company. The situation was the same here; Brendel sensed that the monster’s attack power was perhaps only slightly stronger than what it had been in the game, but still limited. Tanks without Elemental Awakening strength could withstand this boss, and as an awakened warrior with a frenzied talent, there was no reason he couldn’t hold back this beast.
Yet in the game, tanks had a complete healing support team behind them; here, he had none, and he knew he couldn’t engage in a prolonged battle with this creature, or he would surely perish.
“Anlek, what are you waiting for?”
Anlek certainly wasn’t waiting. However, even he, accustomed to turbulent situations, was taken aback by the sight before him; the massive maw several people high loomed right in front, its densely packed teeth reminding him of the barbed devices in his underground torture chamber. Right now, the maw had transformed into a compressed oval shape, trapping Brendel tightly inside. Anlek knew the Earl of Toniger was waiting for him to act, but the old fox’s expression kept changing.
He was well aware that if he acted from behind, Brendel would be a dead man. But the problem was plain; once Brendel was dead, he’d be next. The Frostbitten Giant Worm clearly wouldn’t understand that the enemy of an enemy is a friend. If teleportation spells could still be cast, he might consider abandoning Brendel and escaping, but the situation changed once they entered the Hall of Contemplation; the entire area under the Spiral Hall was enveloped by a constant dimensional anchor, and casting teleportation spells was nothing but a fantasy.
He sighed, realizing that the other man probably thought it through before entrusting his back to him; unless he risked everything and went all out with Brendel, he wouldn’t dare move an inch against this beast.
With that clarity, Anlek darkened his expression and asked, “How do you want me to help?”
“Do you have any spells that can keep this guy’s mouth shut?” Brendel, bloodied, asked.
“There are, but I can’t guarantee their effectiveness,” Anlek replied, “You know as well as I do that with your Elemental Awakening strength, if you can’t even hold it back, my spells would be useless.”
What Anlek said didn’t surprise Brendel; in fact, he could guess Anlek’s thoughts. It was simply a matter of whether to escape alone or share the risk with him. Even in the worst-case scenario, if Anlek wanted to perish alongside him, it would just be a foolish recount. He still held the Flowing Pointer, which could spare him a life at any moment. With the time acceleration at tenfold, the entire world seemed almost stagnant for him. It was precisely because of this that he dared stay behind to buy time.
“Then put up an Ice Wall and seal its mouth,” Brendel instructed immediately.
“Ice Wall?” Anlek was taken aback. That spell might work against goblins, but would it be effective against this creature?
“Exactly, hurry up!” Brendel shouted.
The Duke grunted in dissatisfaction, but his hands moved quickly. With a flick of his staff, a pane of ice as thin as glass emerged before Brendel, precisely sealing the Frostbitten Fang’s mouth. However, Anlek couldn’t shake off the feeling that this spell wouldn’t hold; barely moments passed when the ice wall developed clear cracks.
But the next moment, he suddenly saw a purple mist surging out from the giant worm’s throat, which was just blocked by the ice wall. Anlek tapped into his experience and quickly recognized it, “Petrifying Breath!?”
“Looks like you have some knowledge,” Brendel replied. “Now your task is to keep reinforcing this ice wall. If we hold out for half an hour, we can retreat.”
Anlek looked skeptically at Brendel, increasingly convinced that this guy must be the successor of the Dark Dragon; otherwise, a regular Frostbitten Giant Worm wouldn’t possess such a breath ability. How could he be so accurately privy to the capabilities of this mutated creature? But despite his doubts, he prudently asked, “How do we retreat?”
