Thud thud thud thud!
As huge beast footprints were carved into the snow-covered field, two silver forms were running powerfully up a hill.
“W-wow! It’s too fast! And I really don’t like this!”
“You’re noisy, junior. How about calming down a bit?”
“No, just look at that! Three beauties clinging tightly like that, don’t you feel any complaints? We’re a group of three women and two men, does this combination make sense!?”
“The opposite sex only weighs you down.”
Cherni’s grumbling complaints and Deathly Death’s nonchalant voice carried through the wind.
I glanced to the side.
On the back of a huge wolf with silver fur, the Silver Fang Wolf, Cherni and Deathly Death were riding. The Silver Fang Wolf running through the wind looked like a silver flash.
It matches my hair color.
I want this as a permanent pet.
“Ahah!”
I laughed out loud, which was rare for me.
I was also riding on the back of a Silver Fang Wolf running through the wind. Though the cold wind of the snowy field struck my face as if it would cut my skin, it was bearable enough with the Ignition Stone.
Rather than cold, it felt good.
Squeeze.
“Huh!?”
I flinched at the two pairs of hands strongly hugging my waist and abdomen from behind, lowered my posture and grabbed the Silver Fang Wolf’s fur.
Then I puffed my cheeks slightly and looked back.
“Unnies… I told you, you won’t fall off if you just hold onto the Silver Fang Wolf’s fur?”
“I-I don’t care! I’m scared!”
“Hehehe!”
Bae Merong was holding my waist with her eyes tightly closed and face buried in my hair. Chris was at the very back, stretching out her long arms to hold my stomach with a silly grin.
“Huah…”
“Eek!?”
I was startled by the hot breath I felt on the nape of my neck. It’s Bae Merong’s breath.
“Hey, Bae Merong!”
“Ow, ow. Hehehe!”
Chris angrily poked Bae Merong’s sides.
“U-unnies, let go! We’re going to fall off!”
Splash!
Ignoring the commotion of Bae Merong and Chris clinging tightly behind me, the two Silver Fang Wolves facing a huge lake jumped into the large lake. And they started swimming forward with us on their backs towards the artificial building-like structure in the center of the lake. Fortunately, our group riding on the backs of the huge Silver Fang Wolves didn’t get wet.
“A lake that doesn’t freeze.”
Actually, from the time users first entered the ‘Par Snowy Region’, the structure that looked like an elite dungeon was too clearly visible.
The blatantly suspicious ‘lake that doesn’t freeze’. And beyond that, the faintly visible huge ice fortress.
There were attempts by users to make boats and float them on the lake to enter, but they were all drowned by giant fish monsters living in the lake. Well, even if they had reached that ice fortress on the island in the center of the lake a bit earlier, they wouldn’t have been able to enter due to the magic circle blocking the entrance.
The life skill ‘Taming’ that can be obtained at level 45 by completing hidden quests in the snowy region.
It’s quite recent that information spread about being able to get close to the fortress in the center of the unfrozen lake by using this to tame Silver Fang Wolves.
And finally, the day when the magic circle blocking that entrance opens has come today.
Our group crossed the lake with the Silver Fang Wolves, advancing towards the huge ice fortress.
[Entry Level 45]
[Elite Dungeon (4-person party recommended)]
[Ice Palace of the Frozen Land]
“Bye, Silver Fang Wolves!”
I waved to the pair of Silver Fang Wolves swimming back across the ‘lake that doesn’t freeze’ after dropping our group off in front of the ice palace.
Then, I examined the faces of the users gathered in front of the ice palace.
“Oh, you’ve arrived now. Uhahah!”
“Hello, Mr. Hopkins.”
“For raids we cooperate as guilds, but in elite dungeons we’re all competitors?”
“Huhu, Mr. Disappointing, you were already here too.”
Chris exchanged greetings with the ‘Red-White’ guild members.
The ‘Hopkins party’ and ‘Disappointing party’ had already arrived in front of the ice palace. All the advance party members of the Red-White guild were gathered in one place.
Besides them, quite a number of other advance party users were gathered too.
‘GG Group’s guild master WeGotMarried and ‘Plan B’s guild master Cho Hyunsoo were also visible. WeGotMarried smiled brightly and gave us an eye greeting, while Cho Hyunsoo snorted and turned his head away.
Though the GG Group affiliated with the Alpharion Empire and Plan B of the Betarion Empire were sworn enemies, they didn’t fight outside PVP fields to the extent of taking penalties.
“By the way, it’s strange. This place has the strongest cold energy in the ‘Par Snowy Region’, but the lake doesn’t freeze.”
“Well, it’s a game, right? There’s probably some setting like magical power or something?”
“Hmm, I guess so? Since it’s a game.”
Listening to Chris and Bae Merong’s conversation, I fell into thought for a moment.
Of course, this area was cold in the past too. Still, if you think of this world as spherical like Earth, it’s not that far north in terms of latitude.
To begin with, it’s incomprehensible that permanent permafrost would spread right after crossing one mountain range from the plains region.
Then, there’s one thing to consider as the reason this place became permafrost.
“Is it the influence of demonic energy?”
The fact that this region is again covered in bitter cold is also evidence that demons have started to act up.
The demonic energy of demons handling cold has lowered the energy of this place even more.
In fact, after defeating the demon army commander who had attacked humans while based in the snowy region in the past, the temperature of the snowy region had started rising little by little.
In some areas, greenery was slowly recovering. Before perfect greenery could be restored, I had left this world.
I heard there were elves living there too.
Lost in thoughts of the past for a moment, I raised my head feeling Chris’s hand grabbing mine.
Chris scratched her face and spoke.
“Um, that, you’re doing it today, right?”
“Yes.”
I finished the broadcast test too. Though it’s just an account for streaming video so I’m not directly communicating and broadcasting like a streamer, I set it so anyone can come in and watch.
Chris made a slightly stern expression.
“Don’t overdo it. I was so surprised last time.”
“Yes~”
I lowered my head and fiddled with my fingers.
Of course, I don’t intend to overdo it. Unless it’s that ridiculous being waiting for me at the top of the tower, I’m confident I won’t get hurt in this world.
Still, to claim to be the protagonist, I need to show a cool appearance. I didn’t want to run away just because I got a little stuck.
For that.
Whirr, boom.
Just then, the sound of the magic circle at the entrance of the ice palace being released was heard, and a bridge crossing the moat was laid as if to welcome the heroes who had reached here.
“Chris unnie, you go ahead first.”
“Okay. Rain said you’d come in a little later, right?”
I nodded.
Chris approached the front of the dungeon. As if following her, the advance party members started gathering at the dungeon entrance one by one.
“Alright, it’s our turn this time!”
“Isn’t it going to be No Name party or Chris Raid Party winning anyway? I guess I’ll just broadcast.”
As users murmured and disappeared into the ice palace one by one, Chris and her party members who looked back at me last also disappeared into the instance dungeon interior.
Elite dungeon, ‘Ice Palace of the Frozen Land’.
The first elite dungeon of the new expansion pack.
Its conquest has begun.
“Ahem.”
Tap tap.
I walked left and right while opening an internet window, watching the streaming screens of advance party users broadcasting on the video streaming site.
“Certainly, the really fast people don’t broadcast.”
The parties of the ‘Red-White’ guild leading the forefront of elite dungeon conquest didn’t turn on broadcasts.
Chris party, Hopkins party, Disappointing party.
I heard all three parties are in the top 10 in terms of initial conquest speed alone. I thought anew that really amazing people are gathered in the Red-White guild.
Broadcasting during the initial trial of dungeons or raids has big disadvantages.
To discover the gimmicks for conquering Named bosses, numerous trials and flashes of insight are needed.
And serendipity, was it? Anyway, many things are discovered by chance too.
The gimmick discovered by the fastest broadcasting party. There are cases where progress is reversed by subsequent parties using that as is.
While the abilities of individual party members are of course important, it’s inevitably disadvantageous if conquest strategies are leaked.
Of course, this doesn’t apply to me who plays in a way others can’t follow.
The reason I don’t go in right away is also partly a self-imposed penalty for using a Legendary weapon.
“Since it’s the first elite dungeon of the new expansion pack, it’ll be much harder than now.”
Surely, there will be gimmicks different from before too.
Won’t there be gimmicks that make invincibility skills useless? Like the enrage of the ‘Ice Ogre King’ on the 9th floor of the Ice Spire Tower.
It was also fun watching the process of other people conquering the dungeon.
“Oho.”
I soon found the broadcast with the fastest progress.
A party that quickly passed the mob sections and reached the 1st Named boss.
When I turned up that screen, a familiar laugh was heard.
* * *
-Kekeke!
A Swordsman wearing a blue robe, Plan B’s guild master.
It’s Mr. ‘Rock Cho Hyunsoo’.
I laughed holding my stomach in front of the ice palace.