NOVEL WEB Chapter 145: Chapter 145: Glacier Territory
Back during the rest stop on the fiftieth floor, Emiya had already repaired some of the adventurers' worn-out equipment.
Of course, the fees were collected by Riveria, and the pricing was anything but vague.
This meant they could truly push forward, to the fifty-ninth floor.
"The main challenge on the fifty-ninth floor lies in its extreme environment."
"If you're not adequately prepared, even a Level 5 first-rank adventurer won't last long in the frigid currents there."
"That said, the strength of the monsters doesn't match the dragon-types from the Dragon's Vase, nor are there particularly tasty individuals like the Strong Dragon(Cadmus) or Cannon Dragon(Valgang)."
This was intelligence left behind by the Zeus Familia, unsigned.
After clearing the monsters, it seemed even the dungeon itself entered a period of rest, the broken hole in the ceiling of the fifty-eighth floor was rapidly repairing itself.
At that moment, Chloe, Raul, and the others were actively dissecting the powerful dragon monsters, searching for valuable drops.
Lunoire: "My god, so many drops! Dragon fangs, dragon scales, and, wait, is this a blood vessel? No… is it a dragon's nerve? It's so thick… Wait a minute, could this be… the top-grade material used for crafting magic wands?"
"These are materials dropped by those dragon monsters that fired those ridiculous blasts. If we use this stuff to make a wand, we might be able to create something incredible… We've hit the jackpot this time," Raul said, his eyes glowing.
Chloe: "The cats hit the jackpot, nya!"
Aki: "The cats… well, we really did get lucky, but these drop items are too big. We'll have to wait until the return trip to haul them out."
After speaking, the group moved southward along the corridor, preparing for a temporary rest.
Though they encountered a few scattered monsters along the way, they were no threat to the fully combat-ready Loki Familia.
"Didn't expect to clear the fifty-eighth floor so smoothly," An adventurer marveled.
"This time we really have to thank Princess Riveria's powerful magic, and Lord Emiya's help," The elf girl next to him nodded in agreement.
The adventurers sat in a circle, slowly drinking stamina and mind potions. Emiya drank his own potion while projecting smithing tools to perform emergency equipment repairs for everyone.
During the short break, Ais came over to Emiya's side. She blinked as she looked at the weapon he'd used earlier. After swallowing nervously, she asked, "Master, that sword… what is it?"
Emiya looked up and simply answered, "That's the anti-dragon sword I projected, Balmung."
"That sword… can I use it?", Ais hesitated for a moment but ultimately asked.
Emiya shook his head and gave a regretful smile, "Sorry, I can lend it to you, but you won't be able to perform its true name release, and its durability would be a serious issue."
Ais: "True name release?"
"Right. For these projected weapons to unleash their full power, I have to release their true names myself. Plus, without my magical energy supply, the sword would quickly lose power, especially given your intense fighting style," Emiya explained.
"I see…", Little Ais looked deeply disappointed.
"Captain, is this the entrance?", Tione walked over to Finn and asked with curiosity.
"Yeah, no doubt about it. This is the entrance to the fifty-ninth floor," Finn stood planted with his spear, his gaze steady as he looked toward the dark cavern ahead. A cold wind howled out from the cave, making a faint weeping sound.
[Glacier Territory], that's what it was called according to the intelligence from the Zeus Familia. Supposedly, cold and fast-flowing glacial rivers ran through it, and adventurers had to overcome a grueling environment to press forward.
The frigid air would wrap around the body like invisible chains, slowing movement and making it difficult to exert one's full combat power.
Now, standing at the entrance, everyone could already feel the chill on the wind, but it wasn't as terrifying as imagined.
The cold wind blew across their faces, but for adventurers, it brought only a mild, non-piercing chill.
"But… doesn't it feel a bit weak?", Finn frowned and muttered, "The intel said it could freeze a first-rank adventurer's limbs… is this really all there is?"
Mind you, they hadn't even donned their fire spirit cloaks yet.
"Right? I thought it would be deathly cold, but it's just regular cold wind," Tiona laughed. She could feel the chill, but it was clearly within bearable limits.
Finn mused aloud, "Did the Zeus Familia exaggerate? Doesn't seem likely."
Riveria analyzed calmly, "It could just be due to the cave's structure, the cold doesn't spread out easily. Maybe the real chill begins after we go inside."
Finn fell silent for a moment, then lightly licked his thumb as if confirming wind direction, "Maybe. Either way, we have no choice but to move forward."
He looked up and issued an order, "Everyone, switch to fire spirit cloaks. We move out in five minutes."
Everyone obeyed, quickly retrieving their fire spirit cloaks from their packs and putting them on, preparing to enter the unknown glacial domain.
In the darkness that blanketed the tunnel into the abyss, Raul and the other supporters lit up magic stone lamps. The dim light cast flickering shadows on the cold stone walls.
The frigid wind howled through the narrow passage. As the adventurers delved deeper, the temperature in the air clearly dropped.
However, perhaps due to the fire spirit cloaks, no one, not even Lefiya, who had the lowest endurance stat, felt unbearably cold.
Tap! Tap!
Footsteps echoed in the silent tunnel, as if reminding them of the unknown challenges that lay ahead.
Finn stood at the head of the group. He turned to look at his companions, his gaze steady, "From here on, we enter a domain no god has ever seen before, the Unknown."
The group advanced steadily and resolutely through the cold wind, passing through the dim tunnel. Suddenly, the view opened up before them.
Just as the intel had described, they arrived at a cold wilderness crisscrossed by glacial rivers.
Bone-piercing cold winds assaulted them from all sides, while pristine snowflakes swirled wildly in the storm, like an endless icy desert.
Finn scanned the surroundings and reminded them in a low voice, "Everyone, be careful. The monsters here are mostly bears and wolf-type magic beasts. There are also dangerous foxes and killer rabbits hiding in the snow… none of them will let us off easily."
Just as Finn finished speaking, Riveria noticed something odd about Emiya's expression, he seemed to be staring in a specific direction.
She asked softly, "Shirou, what's wrong?"
Emiya didn't answer immediately, still staring toward the east. After a moment, he slowly opened his mouth, "That way… there's an oasis."
The group followed his gaze.
However, perhaps due to the blizzard obscuring their vision, most of them saw nothing but an endless snowy wasteland.
Even powerful warriors like Gareth saw nothing after staring for a long time, only the overwhelming wind and falling snow.
But among the group, some, Riveria, Alicia, and the other elves with keen vision, as well as Ais, did notice something unusual in the distance.
That wasn't normal snow. Amid the storm, a faint green silhouette flickered in and out of view.
"It's definitely an oasis… or rather…", Finn narrowed his eyes, trying to make out the vague shape.
He lightly pressed his thumb, feeling a sharp pain, "More like… a forest?"
"Incredible. That such a sight exists on this frozen fifty-ninth floor…", Riveria said softly.
Ais gripped her sword tightly, "That place… something about it feels like it's calling to me."
"Oasis? A forest…? A forest in this kind of extreme cold? That's way too strange," Tiona exclaimed.
Tione looked puzzled as well, "Indeed, no matter how you think about it, it doesn't make sense."
The Amazon sisters didn't have the farsight abilities of archers. Coupled with the howling wind and constant snow, they squinted in the direction Emiya and the others were staring, but saw nothing.
The image of a frozen plain mixed with a forest was something they simply couldn't reconcile.
"Sure it's not tundra, nya?", Chloe asked hesitantly.
Emiya shook his head gently, "No, I'm quite certain, that's a forest."
Gareth stroked his beard and thought for a moment before calmly stating, "In the intel left by the Zeus Familia… there was absolutely no mention of anything like this."
Riveria nodded, "Exactly. With their capabilities, it's impossible they'd overlook such an obvious area."
Finn fell silent for a moment, then suddenly realized something, "Wait, Riveria, if we can already see the edge of that forest from here…"
Everyone turned to Finn, awaiting his explanation.
Finn's expression grew increasingly serious, "This, the entrance point to the fifty-ninth floor, is located in a fairly southern area. The dungeon's area expands the deeper you go, by the fifty-ninth floor, it's already bigger than all of Orario. If we can see the forest's edge from here…"
Riveria realized it too, her face slightly changing, "That means nearly half of the fifty-ninth floor's area might already be taken up by the forest."
Although she was a princess of the elf race and naturally close to forests, this brought her no joy. On the contrary, it was too abnormal.
"What should we do next?"
Tione couldn't help but ask, looking to Finn for a decision.
Finn bowed his head, thinking. After a moment, he looked up and swept his gaze over the group, as if seeking the answer.
"Of course we move forward," Said Bete and other adventurers who hadn't had their fill yet.
"Besides, we won't know what's happening unless we see it for ourselves," Aki said calmly, her eyes filled with clarity and resolve.
Just then, Emiya noticed something. He looked toward Ais, "Ais, what's wrong?"
Ais had been silently standing in place, staring off into the distance.
She looked up, her voice filled with resolve and a touch of longing, "I want to move forward… I want to know what's over there."
Finn looked to each member of the group, confirming their conditions. Everyone looked back at him, fearless.
He nodded and made the decision, "Alright, we move forward. Target—the forest area."
The wind howled on. The forest's shadow loomed faintly through the snowstorm.
["ARIA—"]
A sudden voice echoed across the icy plains.
"Who?", Ais whipped around, pupils contracting as she instinctively shouted.
Riveria rushed over at the sound, concerned, "Ais, what happened?"
Ais glanced around. Other than the howling wind and falling snow, it was completely silent. She turned back to Riveria, "…Riveria, you didn't hear it?"
Riveria: "Hear what?"
Ais hesitated, then shook her head, "No, nothing."
"You dumb magic klutz!", Bete's voice suddenly rang out, filled with irritation and a hint of impatience.
"Ah?…Right!", Lefiya responded belatedly, snapping out of her daze. She immediately finished her magic incantation.
Volley Fire Javelin burst out like countless flaming meteors from the tip of her staff, fiercely bombarding the group of monsters ahead. The blazing flames lit up the dark icefield, carving a searing arc through the air.
Bete didn't stop. He leapt high into the air, his body shooting like a silver lightning bolt above the flames.
The metal boots on his feet flared with dazzling red light, the gem in the sole glowing brilliantly.
[Mithtril Boots: Flosvirt]
— A special weapon forged personally by Tsubaki, Orario's top blacksmith, and her proud work, possessing magic absorption properties.
[T/N: I am about to start a new WebNovel and currently in the phase of searching for it. Since, you all are ultimately going to read it, how about have a say in what I should search for? So check my Discord or pinned post in Patreon for the poll. It helps me immensely to bring suitable novels. Or if there are any translation that are abandoned, throw it at me. I'll see what I can do. Enjoy~]
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