Outside the dungeons, a player was watching the fight with the troll in awe. "Just who are they?" he wondered, "they managed to take down a troll so easily? And a whole unit too!"
This player was no one special. He was wearing a dark hoodie that covered his face, and he wore black clothes under black leather armor.
Around his neck was a dark black cape that waved down to his legs. All that was visible were his bright blue eyes that glowed like two pinpricks.
His game name was: Supreme Magus level twenty-two. Just as his name suggested, Magus was his class.
The players stared at the cold river's flowing water and a few ice glaciers that were half broken. The second unit did not leave a single trace after sinking into the icy river. First the troll and now the second unit.
Snow fell off the walls again when the third unit, led by Uragi, caught up with the remaining players of the second unit– four men from whom one was half-frozen, another had lost its torso and was about to die; and three monsters.
When two wolf-like creatures halted at the edge of the Yuki lair's entrance, supreme magus gasped. His eyes went wide, "No way…" he looked in disbelief.
Three orcs whose skin color was a hue of blue and green halted behind the wolf-like creatures. Inside the cold dungeon, they were bare feet and wore fur hides.
These creatures were not wolves because they had fins similar to a shark and a whale. Their dorsal fin stood proud on top of their shiny black skin (it was not even fur!), but they had tails similar to an orca whale's tail.
"I am sending help, do not move," Kuzu told Uragi to stand by while his help arrived.
"Hm. And thanks for the Akhitars and Akhluts," Uragi said, "Akhitar, order them to jump into the river." Uragi looked at one of the orcs, the tallest one.
Akhitar nodded and then spoke in Uralic Orcish language, "Lord Akhlut, please aid us with your help!"
That was enough for the two Akhluts to get moving. First, they took a step back. Magus' face widened. Their muscular paws and thick legs expanded.
Hitori and Kamiya watched with twisted expressions. Due to the previous win, Reon had gained some control over her nerves so she was watching right now too– she was confused too.
The seven feet long Akhluts raced forward and leaped forward– off the entrance's edge– cold water splashed out of the river along with a few ice blocks that fell on the surface around them.
Everyone was confused, the audience, the trio but two sides were not– Kuzu and his men, and Supreme Magus.
Magus' eyes were about to fall off, 'I hope they know what these monsters are…' he thought, 'truly dangerous… Akhluts.' He gulped and tried to maintain his calm.
Kuzu's men reached the Kori dungeon. A few jumped forward and emptied a few containers of some white substance into the river. Then another pair stepped forward to spray some kind of liquid all over the water.
"W– what did they do?" Kamiya frowned.
"I do not know…" Hitori concentrated on the screen.
Reon creased her eyebrows closer before releasing them at the sight of the river water freezing back together. She rubbed her forehead and leaned forward.
"What were those monsters and what was that substance?" Kamiya continuously rubbed his hands together, and his leg continued breaking the concrete beneath his feet.
"Dry ice… if I am right," she said, "Ethanol was sprayed over the blocks of dry ice thrown into the river…" she explained, "see, a road is forming."
As the ice vapors cleared, everyone got a clear view of the frozen road that was recreated in place of the broken ice path. But the road looked like thin glass.
Thump.
Two more pairs of men came from behind and placed two large containers in the thick pile of snow. They pulled out two thick hoses.
Carefully, two men stopped at the edge of the entrance and shouted, "Switch on!" the hose almost jumped out of their hands.
Burbling sounds erupted from inside the container, then the hose before a huge fountain of liquid fell on the ice glaciers.
Gas vapors erupted as soon as the contact was made with the ice, followed by evaporated waves and ice waves, blinded the audience and even the trio along with the enemy players.
Reon adjusted her eyes but could not guess what they had done. The spraying lasted for another two minutes. It took the gas one more minute to clear.
And when the gas cleared, everyone's eyes were left open.
"O– Oye, that the heck is that?" Yaban asked. Kuchiki clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"They teach you this reaction during the second year, god…" Kuchiki groaned.
Yaban looked at Kuchiki in surprise, "oh, do they?"
"I am a Mage, not a Scientist! You are the one who should know what they teach you in the community!" Kuchiki shouted in anger, "No wonder you had trouble passing the community exams." He calmed and rubbed his hair back, then adjusted his glasses.
"Oh…" Reon chuckled, "that is liquid nitrogen," she said, "I should have known it immediately."
The ice path was revealed. The men created the path again but Kamiya was not able to do anything because the kori dungeon did not belong to him anymore hence he could no longer set any new traps or send new monsters.
He had set the 'snow wall' trap before the dungeon was conquered so he was able to activate the trap even after losing the dungeon– only activate, not manipulate.
"Advance!" Uragi shouted as he took the lead and slid down the ice path till he and his unit was thrown on plain ground.
Kamiya stopped rubbing his hands, "The first checkpoint." He cupped his hand under his chin and covered his mouth with his fingers.
Reon did not know what monster awaited Uragi at the first checkpoint. Soon, she lost her interest when fifteen undead Maha emerged from the dark corners and then into the arena that had frozen ice around its corners.
"Attack!" Uragi shouted.
Bullets, arrows, explosions, blasts, and blades of twenty-seven people and three orcs did not take long to defeat the fifteen Maha. They charged forward to the second checkpoint.
Kamiya closed his eyes and leaned back before pressing an option on the control panel.
Uragi and his men were alert, they glanced around themselves with much care. The ice walls shone back their reflection, a bright light glowed down on them from the top.
No one saw anything. Uragi was about to advance and leave the second checkpoint. As soon as he took his first step, an icicle spear stabbed the ground in front of his foot.
Uragi pulled his shield in front of him and squatted down, "Down! Everybody down!" The players hid behind their defenses but the orcs could not.
Kamiya parted his lips, "Now."
Swing, swing, swing, sling.
The sounds of arrows leaving their bows filled the floor. Uragi lifted his eye to take a look and saw a bunch of icicle spears charged at them.
"Ugh!" A spear pierced through an orc's head and dropped it dead.
Magus jumped forward, "They did not kill the main Akhitar, did they?"
His eyes searched for the main Akhitar. His eyes fell on an orc that had a large wolf drawn on its back. Magus sighed in relief.
The spears showered down and killed a few players too. Uragi was not sure if the attack would ever stop.
Just after ten seconds, the spears stopped attacking them. Uragi lifted his head with a grin but– he saw a unit of fifteen dwarf elves surrounding his unit.
"Fuck…" Uragi covered himself, "fire!" he ordered his archers and shooters.
The elves quickly cast a spell and summoned an ice shield in an instant. Hitori was amazed to see their control over the ice element.
"Amazing…" he watched them closely.
Then from the sides, the elves counterattacked Uragi's unit as they closed the distance from all sides.
Spears, spikes, and balls of ice flew high in the air and rushed down on the enemy players. They still held their shields steady while walking toward the group of players.
"Tch." Uragi glanced around him, "we are covered." During this chaos, the orcs were grieving over the loss of their friend.
Emotions trigger the worst part of every person. The main Akhitar lost it. It rubbed its cheek and looked at the elves in anger.
"Argh!" it threw its hand and rose ten feet tall with a roar. The elves stopped and took a step back, they changed their target to the main Akhitar orc.
"No!" Magus shouted once again, "do not attack that orc!" But the elves did not listen to him.
The orc swung its arms and knocked every spear, then it used its spear made of bones and ivory to defeat the spikes and ice balls.
Akhitar took a step forward with every move of defense and the elves continued stepping back.
Uragi rose too and shouted, "Cover Akhitar!" he charged at the elves on the other side, his men got up and rushed to cover Akhitar.
"Oh, crap." Hitori threw his hands, "I thought we had this one," Hitori said.
Kuzu saw that Uragi was about to clear the floor so he ordered Gigi to keep his wave ready to invade the dungeons anytime.
Destroying the second checkpoint, the third wave– left with fourteen men and two orcs– entered the third checkpoint.
The archers there did not wait for their enemy to get used to the setting, they started an open fire at Uragi's men as soon as they entered the Christmas Elves' turf.
The arrows first pierced through a few men and one arrow went past Akhitar's head.
Hitori jerked his head when the arrow missed the main orc, the same was Kuzu's reaction. But Magus on the other hand was relieved once again– he held his breath during this attack phase.
Kamiya had used the 'Icicle Spear Shower' and now he wanted to see what these Christmas elves could do.
Akhitar blocked an arrow with its spear but another elf took the advantage and shot an arrow at it. Magus grabbed his head when the arrow pierced through Akhitar's leg.
Half of the elves among the fifteen elves aimed their arrows at only one target… Akhitar.
Hidden in the cracks of walls, the Christmas elves' arrows flew at Akhitra like meteors.
Uragi tried to cover it, and so did his men. They all were disappointed when blood spattered down on them and a few arrows fell on top of their heads.
Soon, the Akhitar's spear landed on the ground and it slid against the ice wall. The elves did not stop there, they continued shooting their arrows, and killed the second orc too.
Magus tried to gasp but was left speechless, "Shit, shit, shit, NO!" Magus grabbed his head, "ah… why?!"
"Yes!" Kamiya clenched his fist in happiness. Hitori smiled victoriously, "the orcs are down!"
Kuzu grinned wider than anyone, "Fucking stupids… mages do not have brains, do they?"
The ground rumbled. Ice slid down the walls, the frozen ice bounced off the ground. Uragi and his men glanced around frantically.
"W– what is happening?" Uragi demanded but his men were as confused as he was.
The rumbling of the ground, bouncing off the ice, and sliding of ice down the walls confused the audience and the trio too.
Only two were not confused– Kuzu and Magus.
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