[You have defeated Created Emperor, Ariant.]
[The world that has now been ruined, Ariant.]
[You have severed the neck of the being that once ruled that world!]
[You acquire a massive amount of experience.]
[Your level has increased]
[Lv.39]
[Experience has reached the maximum!]
[To reach level 40, you must establish a special achievement.]
[Excess experience is not destroyed, and will be applied in a lump sum once the level-up condition is fulfilled later.]
My blade cleaved through the giant’s body.
KUUUUU-WOOM.......
I could see the enormous head.
Falling to the floor.
But.
“It’s harder than I thought.”
That flesh was far too tough.
I couldn’t cut it in one stroke.
I managed to cut the flesh somehow, but.
“Flesh isn’t everything.”
The dark-blue color in that body was a terrifying color too.
But what was more frightening was—
“The soul inside it.......”
To begin with.
The essence of these monsters wasn’t that flesh, but the soul.
Up to now, I’d been cutting down both the flesh and the soul the monsters had occupied.
Thanks to that, I’d been receiving experience like killing two blue-grade monsters at once.
Just like the other monsters.
I thought this one’s soul would also be easy to cut down.
But.......
“It’s big.”
Trapped deep inside this flesh.
But the soul was far too big.
Even though it was asleep deep in there.
To a degree I couldn’t even guess its size.
[Ingredient Identification (Enhanced)]
[King of the North Wind and Cold Snow, Winter Made Manifest, Progenitor of Frozen Soul, The First Frost to Fall, Ariant’s God of Destruction, The First One to Freeze to Death.]
[It is the king of Frozen Soul, Belsnickel.]
[It is the first being to freeze to death in the warm and abundant world, Ariant.]
[Through his lonely death, the existence known as ‘Frozen Soul’ was born in Ariant, and as he was reborn as a Frozen Soul, the concept of winter appeared in the warm world, Ariant.]
[That winter eventually covered the entire abundant world, and Ariant fell asleep inside eternal winter.]
[When Ariant’s divinity left the land in disappointment at the ruined world. It is said that Belsnickel, in place of the vanished god, ruled the world covered in winter.]
And.
The moment I read that message, I could know it by instinct.
“That’s an existence on a different level.”
Probably.
An existence I wouldn’t even be permitted to look at with the naked eye, in its original state.
An existence that can seize fate in its hands and twist it.
An existence that can intervene in the birth and death of ordinary lives.
An existence that can lead a beautiful, abundant, thriving world into ruin.
“A transcendent.......”
The magic power leaking from the soul asleep deep in there—
“It’s thick.”
A very thick......
Purple.
“Purple, seriously.”
It was the first color I’d seen since the moment I saw the magic power flowing from the hall built at the top of [Heavenly Mountain Martial Hall].
The master of Heavenly Mountain Martial Hall, the guardian divine beast of Dasmur.
And the demon that met my eyes in the skies over Gangwon Province.
That sort of overwhelming presence—something you only feel from those kinds of beings.
“It’s right in front of me.......”
That mighty soul.
Even though it was exposed defenselessly by the seal.
[Soul Cuisine Initiate]
“I can’t cut it!”
With power that was only at the initiate stage.
I couldn’t cut that soul.
-The king’s sacred body!
-Aah......! The finest flesh we presented to His Majesty......!
I succeeded in cutting its flesh away.
But I couldn’t cut down that sleeping soul.
“The time left!”
I urgently looked at the other giants.
[Time remaining until seal release – 38.......]
“There’s no time.”
Less than a minute remained until their seals broke.
In that time, I had cut down eight giants with their souls.
And I’d even succeeded in removing the king’s giant flesh.
But.
“I can’t leave this soul here.”
It’s an existence with power on that scale.
Even if it’s asleep right now—once those bastards are freed from their seals.
I couldn’t know # Nоvеlight # what influence the power of this so-called king would have on the other giants.
“How do I do this?”
The time given was short.
An existence I couldn’t eliminate with my ability.
But an existence I absolutely couldn’t leave here.
What method was there to deal with an existence like that?
I agonized for a short moment...... then.
“Haah, goddamn it. What else can I do.”
Letting out a sigh.
I muttered in a small voice.
“No matter how I think about it, there’s only one method that comes to mind.”
I can’t remove it.
And I can’t leave it here.
Then, well.
There’s only one answer, isn’t there.
“Huuuk.......”
Then.
After inhaling as much as I could—
SNATCH!
I stretched my hand toward that soul.
With blade work that’s only at the [Initiate] stage, I can’t cut that soul.
But even if I can’t cut it.
“I can still grab it, goddamn it!”
No matter how tough an ingredient is.
At least grabbing it by hand and moving it should be possible!
My outstretched hand.
Grabs that cold soul made into a sphere.
And then.......
“SKREEEEEEE!!!”
A scream like I was being ripped apart poured out of my mouth.
*****
The moment I grabbed that soul with my hand.
A single thought dominated my mind.
“It hurtsit hurtsit hurtsit hurtsit hurtsit hurts......!”
It feels like my hand is burning.
No.
It isn’t burning.
“It’s coldcoldcoldcoldcoldcoldcoldcoldcoldcoldcold.”
It was so cold.
That the pain only felt like burning.
“It hurts...... it hurts...... it hurts so...... much......!”
The greatest pain I’d ever felt in my life.
Was when I crossed that wall of heat.
I had to feel pain like my whole body was burning to death.
But.
“It’s not even comparable......!”
The soul clenched in my hand right now.
The pain from that soul wasn’t even in the same universe as what I felt crossing that wall.
“I-I’d rather...... just pass out......!”
Pain on a level that makes no sense.
When pain like that hits.
A person’s brain often runs away from it by fainting.
“I-I’d rather...... j-just kill me.......”
Or.
Sometimes, from the shock of that enormous pain.
They die right then and there.
Thinking about that.
You could say it was a foolish judgment to touch that soul so rashly.
I already had a rough idea of the power that soul possessed.
And yet I stupidly reached my hand out anyway.
A stupid act that I wouldn’t have a word to say even if it led to death.......
That’s what it was.
But.
GRIT.......
Even as pain ruled my head.
I clenched my teeth.
And lifted that soul.
“It hurtsit hurtsit hurtsit hurts......!”
It wasn’t because my willpower was so strong.
It wasn’t some reason like that.
SQUEEZE.......
Before grabbing that soul with my hand.
I had pulled one object out from within my shadow.
And I had been holding it in my hand.
[Blade of Sacrifice, Victimia]
A demon sword that shares the power applied to itself with the owner holding it.
[Ability currently applied]
[Curse - Eternal Pain]
That curse the Chair used was still embedded in this demon sword.
The skill he’d even threatened to put on me.
The effect of [Eternal Pain] was simple.
[Applied - Death Resistance, Fainting Resistance]
[Not Applied - Pain Increase, Severe Pain]
“Gghk......!”
Even inside pain that felt like my brain would burst and kill me.
I can’t faint.
I can’t die.
“It hurtsit hurtsit hurtsit hurts......!”
Even though my head was filled with nothing but painful screams.
My reason stayed crystal-clear.
And I felt that pain vividly.
“I-I’d rather...... die......!”
A power that doesn’t even allow you to run away from this pain through death.......
A power that literally grants eternal pain.
A curse that the Chair only obtained after passing level 30.
A curse that was the very best in the use called—
“Torture.”
Using the power of that curse.
Without running away into death.
Without collapsing into fainting.
“It hurts, it hurts...... it hurts, but......!”
With clear reason.
Gritting my teeth.
Even in pain, I pulled the soul clenched in my hand in.
This is so fucking vile.
But there was a reason I had to do this.
“I can’t leave this bastard here......!”
The existence those bastards praise and call their king.
A transcendent with purple magic power.
It’s sealed, but.
If those giants are freed from their seals.
I don’t know what influence this bastard’s power will have on them.
I absolutely couldn’t leave it in the giants’ arms.
“If I can’t cut it either......!”
In the end.
There’s only one method left, isn’t there.
“I take it.”
TAP.
I moved the soul clenched in my hand.
Then loosened the strength in my gripping fingers.
And then.
PLIP.......
[Shadow Veil]
That bead-like soul.
Rolled into my shadow.
*****
“Huuuk...... huuuk...... huuuk!!!”
Only after Belsnickel’s soul rolled into my shadow.
Was I able to escape the pain to some extent.
“D-d-d...... did I...... s-succeed......?”
The residue of pain left in my head was still vivid.
With a trembling body, I stared down at my hand.
“It froze.”
It was a soul sealed and sleeping.
It didn’t display any special power.
It isn’t even a physical existence.
“When I grabbed the soul...... the time remaining until seal release was 38 seconds.......”
After grabbing that soul.
The time it took to store it in my shadow was only—
[Time remaining until seal release - 36.......]
Two seconds.
Just two seconds.
In that time, just by “touching” that bastard’s soul.
If I hadn’t had [Blade of Sacrifice, Victimia], I would’ve felt pain severe enough to die of shock.
And my hand froze solid.
“......Huuuk!”
SLICE—
When I swung the dagger in my hand and struck my frozen hand.
The ice shattered—and the flesh inside it shattered too, scattering into pieces.
SSSSSS......
Blood flowed from the wound.
And I could see the blood of [Night Noble] restoring the severed hand.
Even if the recovery speed had slowed down.
It slowed, but it didn’t disappear.
As for the regeneration the Chair received by submitting to these things.
Its limit was replacing permanently damaged areas with ice.......
But.
“The blood of Night Noble is an incomparably superior version of that.”
The severed area would soon regenerate perfectly.
-Wh-what did you do.
-I can’t feel the king’s soul......?
While I was thinking that.
I heard the giants’ flustered voices.
They were unable to move because of the seal.
And yet I’d touched their king, who’d been behind them the whole time.
“Even if they want to turn their heads to look where I am, they can’t.”
They couldn’t even guess what I’d done.
And in the middle of that, their king’s presence abruptly vanished.
-D-did the king pass away?
-No, no. He didn’t pass away. Very faintly...... I can feel him.
-Then where is he?
Looks like they still didn’t properly realize I’d put their king into my shadow.
“If you go inside Shadow Veil, even a powerful presence weakens to a degree.”
When their king’s presence suddenly weakened.
They seemed severely shaken.
-You...... you......!
-I will never, never forgive you......!
......Anyway.
Looks like I didn’t have the luxury to dawdle anymore either.
[Time remaining until seal release...... 8]
RUMMMMMMBLE.......
Maybe the seal was almost fully released.
A huge vibration pulsed from the giants’ bodies that had been unable to move.
“Then, looks like I’ve done everything I need to do......!”
And.
After cutting across between the giants.
“Bye, everyone!”
-Youuuuuuuuuuuu......!!!
“Meeting you sucked, and let’s never see each other again!”
With everything I had.
I started fleeing toward the outside of the Gate.
*****
[Time remaining until seal release...... 0]
In the end.
The seal was completely released.
RUMMMMMBLE.......
-A-ah.......
-At last, the freedom we sought so long has come!
The ice giants that had been sealed.
Began to move.
-Revenge...... we must have revenge.
-Revenge for our brothers!
Giants with overwhelming power.
It was the moment they regained their freedom.
But.......
-Before that, we must confirm the king’s safety first!
-......!
Fortunately.
They didn’t look like they had the leeway to chase me immediately.
While I ran as far away as possible.
I kept glancing back, watching those giants.
-T-the king’s sacred body.......
The enormous corpse I’d cut down.
The bastards surrounding that corpse.
They looked like they were sinking into deep despair because they couldn’t properly feel their king’s soul.
-The flesh is something we can change at any time. Recovering the remains is important, but...... more than that, we must find the king’s soul!
-Why does the soul feel weak?
-Just as we forcibly postponed our seal release. It may be that something was done to the king’s remains.
-It is possible the king’s soul fell deep into that flesh. We must go in to find it......!
As their solution.
It seemed like they decided to examine their king’s body first.
“......Thank god.”
They’re completely barking up the wrong tree, but.
Should I call it luck.
[Processed Soul of Wise One Iterek]
[Processed Soul of Extreme Saint Baleim]
[Processed Soul of Interpreter Anador]
The bastards who likely had the knowledge to notice even those details.
Had already been processed and were inside my shadow.
[Knight Commander of the Frozen Kingdom, Spear of the Icicle Ariadon]
[Great Warchief of the Sharp Forest, Glacier Hammer Olodon]
The bastards left over there.
Just from the names, they were the combat-focused ones.
“I was worried what if they came bursting out right away...... but if they stay obsessed with that side, I have some breathing room.”
I did everything I could do here.
Twenty boss monsters emitting blue-grade magic power.
One dark-blue-grade body.
And one purple-grade soul.
Out of that, I killed eight.
I severed the mighty body that held dark-blue power.
And I even stole their king’s soul.
“With only ten minutes, this is the limit.”
The maximum results I could get within the given time.
“It’s a little daunting when I think there are still twelve left......!”
Even so, I’d cut down almost half.
And.......
The effect of that became clear quickly.
[You have exited the Gate!]
“......Huff, huff.”
After sprinting with everything I had.
Once I came out of the Gate.
While I was running toward where our side was.
I.
Felt an awkward sensation I hadn’t felt in a long time.
When I raised my hand and pressed it to my forehead.
DAMP.......
A thick moisture.
I could feel it there.
“Sweat.......”
Because I ran with everything I had.
My body heat rose.
“It’s hot.......”
After tearing off the thick outerwear I’d bought from the shop.
I tossed it roughly nearby and kept running.
“Huh?”
And only right before that thrown coat hit the ground.
I finally realized it.
An experience I had not felt even once since crossing into Gyeonggi Province.
“......Hot?”
Heat.
I could feel heat.
