Ch. 681..690

Chapter 681

"Why did you let him get so close?!" Halmut roared, backing away from Sterfen.

"I deserve to have some fun, given how long you’ve taken..." the voice replied jokingly.

"WHAT’S GOING ON?!?!"

"Calm down, Sterfen. There’s no need to shout. We’re in the same room."

Only a few meters from Sterfen and Halmut, a shadow suddenly appeared in the form of a standing silhouette. Gradually, the darkness swirling around the figure lessened and a human man was left standing there. However, the swirling darkness still covered the man’s entire face.

"See, I’m right here. No need to shout," laughed the man.

"You... Who are you?! How dare you interfere with Kartonia--"

Clicking his tongue and wagging shaking his head, the man interjected, "Uh, uh... You have no right to belittle me. Please, address me properly or not at all. I don’t mince words."

"Halmut..." Sterfen glared at the Sun God, who was sighing in relief while rubbing his nearly-punctured neck. "What have you done?"

"I’ve done nothing outlandish. Given my circ.u.mstances, I merely did what was necessary," stated Halmut.

"The high and mighty Sun God needs help from outsiders? Proof of how incapable you truly are..."

"That--"

"He’s not exactly wrong." The man shrugged. "I like you Sterfen. We’re more similar than we are different. Don’t tell me you’re mad about being outdone at your own game? I thought you would be excited to learn that there’s someone capable of teaching you more..."

While the anonymous man rambled for a bit, Sterfen contacted Jack and Daruun immediately, or at least he tried.

"By the look on your face, you’ve realized the truth of your situation." From the man’s tone alone his smile was apparent. "Call me 12-13. It’s a pleasure to finally speak with Kartonia’s expert on intel gathering and secrecy. I very much admire your work and tenacity. Personally, I believe that we can get along quite well. So, why not tell me how your mind is so well guarded for a man of your caliber?"

"You... 12-13, how are you blocking my telepathy?" questioned Sterfen, now ignoring Halmut’s existence.

"No asking questions!" Halmut roared, gathering energy for a breath attack. A plume of the dragon’s various coagulated energies erupted from his mouth only a couple of meters from Sterfen, intent on reducing the unguarded assassin to cinders.

The flames engulfed Sterfen along with Halmut’s bed. Both burned for a few seconds until the flames around Sterfen died down to reveal a thin barrier of darkness surrounding the assassin.

"No, Halmut. I want him alive..." 12-13 stated with a smile, snapping his fingers and dispersing his defensive darkness. "The block on his mind is far more intricate than I expected. For him to have such restrictions protecting him... it makes me ever so curious about what we can learn from him. Why not willingly share your story and mind, Sterfen? Then we can work together and I’ll even take you under my wing."

Sterfen remained silent. He cautiously stared at the mysterious man, trying to understand him better. "Why 12-13?"

"Why not?" chuckled the man. "Why Sterfen? How about we both open up and share our stories. You first."

Not getting anywhere, Sterfen said nothing more. He could assume what was coming. Both he and his father had underestimated Halmut’s importance to Jewel and now he was going to pay for that mistake via mental torture. But Sterfen also had the utmost confidence in his father’s mental barriers, knowing that only a select few across the void could successfully crack them. All he had to do was survive and that didn’t take any words.

"No? What if I reaffirmed your beliefs, that I’m from a place far from Kartonia and far more powerful than you can imagine?" 12-13 chuckled. "Still nothing? Then I suppose you’ll be fun after all..."

Acting calmer than Sterfen had ever seen him, Halmut retrieved a sofa from his storage and lounged back with a long sigh. "Finally..."

"Your job isn’t over yet." 12-13 turned his head to face Halmut. "We still need you to get that from Glacier Keep."

"Right, right..." Halmut casually responded and nodded.

The Sun Dragon then took out one of the sacred fruits that had recently been delivered. Lobbing in the air, Halmut opened his mouth in anticipation to enjoy his sweet reward.

"That’s mine!" A tentacle of darkness reached out and snatched the fruit from the air, fetching the sacred fruit for the shadowy man. "We had a deal. Don’t get ahead of yourself. After we get those fruits and that item, then I’ll take you and your surviving subordinates away for a brighter future."

"Fine... But can you at least explain why you want those fruits so badly?" Halmut asked while tossing a storage ring filled with the other sacred fruits. "Those were never part of the deal until--"

"Because I never expected Daruun to hide such a rarity on this backwoods planet of his. Had we known that, we might’ve taken a different approach to all this. But now that Glacier Keep will already be opened, the least we can do is take them along with us. You’ll receive special treatment for this find, that much is certain."

"Then I’ll make sure they’re taken away after the challenge begins," replied Halmut, glancing at Sterfen frozen in the air. "Once Jack and his people enter the keep, who will stop my Flood Dragons from raiding the rest of the fruits?"

"Just be glad that Tralbok still has that amulet," commented 12-13. "Now, you’ll be able to enter without needing to confront Daruun. And the moment you’re victorious, use the other amulet to return here and we’ll leave immediately. Wouldn’t you like to join us, Sterfen?"

"..."

"No?" Clicking his tongue, 12-13 sighed, "Well... If you don’t want to come along, then that’s fine... I’ll take my time extracting everything from your mind but I should finish in time to leave. I’ve got to make sure to fully extract your memory and leave nothing behind with nothing tracing back to me. But you already understand that since we’re both in the same line of work. So, tell me. Who was it that restricted your mind? Was it Eedaj? Or Jack? Or did you do it yourself?"

Chapter 682

"Himself?" Halmut blinked, startled by that question.

12-13 nodded. "Despite your intel, Halmut, Sterfen’s energy shows traces of illusion, water, and mental skills."

"WHAT?! And you never told me--"

"I’m not your aid nor your security guard," 12-13 coldly stated, glancing at Halmut through the dark mist surrounding his face. "I have no need to tell you everything I learn or to help you perfect your plans. So long as you’re on course to fulfill what I need, then that suffices me. Helping you with Kylon was already beyond my station."

"But that helped you too!" argued Halmut. "Without that--"

"Enough."

The calm yet cold statement wasn’t shouted or roared yet Halmut immediately stopped speaking. 12-13’s influence and control over Halmut was evidence of his strength, again proving to Sterfen that he had made a grave mistake.

"Sterfen, don’t be so sad," chuckled 12-13. "You were right to believe that Halmut was going crazy. I even tweaked his mind to make it more believable, allowing you to gradually lower your guard the longer you waited to strike. And though you knew it would be risky, you understood that tonight should’ve been the best opportunity to attack, an admirable quality in an assassin. You had the will to strike during an appropriate risk, even confident that you could fight Halmut by yourself in a fair fight. Though that may be possible, I can’t have that happening.

"Why not work with me? We can also use such a marvelous talent like yourself!"

But Sterfen remained quiet, unnerved and unswayed.

"Always the hard way... But that makes you even more desirable, Sterfen." Shaking his head with a chuckle, 12-13 stated, "Give it time. You’ll be working with me, guaranteed."

"Would you mind making your presences scarce? I need to rest for tomorrow and I don’t want either of you two being seen by the Flood Dragons before I leave."

"Sure thing, Halmut. I need you in tip-top shape tomorrow," agreed 12-13, making both he and Sterfen invisible. Then, he brought Sterfen to the side of the room and placed his hands on the Assassin God’s head. "This will hurt. A lot. But don’t worry, I’ll keep your mouth from moving so shouting won’t be a problem."

Suddenly, Sterfen’s entire body tensed up and the pain of a thousand needles puncturing his brain overwhelmed him. He wanted to pass out but found himself unable.

12-13, on the other hand, was smiling under his cover of darkness and invisibility. The man sneaky man made sure that Sterfen was unable to become unconscious, forcing his mind to endure everything while wide awake. It was a common tactic to help exhaust and weaken the mind while extracting information. Also, 12-13 was quite curious how long Sterfen’s mental fortitude would last compared to others he had tortured in the past.

*****

YAAAWWNN

Jack stretched his body, making sure to get up and get his blood pumping after a good night’s sleep. He was welcomed to find a cold breakfast of various sushi plates, mostly vegetarian via the hydra farms, and all were delicious in their own right.

After finishing his morning meal, Jack was more relaxed than ever. Finally, his plan was about to go into effect. No plan was ever perfect but Jack was confident he could make it work.

Jack left his room and made sure to leave nothing behind. He wasn’t planning to come back, at least not until after he conquered Glacier Keep. The hero didn’t go far though, finding his way to Jinbe’s master suite. After knocking, Jack unlocked the door and made his way into the grand room built for the hydra head, the room that Raztol had always refused to use. Since it was the one best sized for the behemoth Mantis Leviathan, Raztol offered it in order to keep Jinbe from constantly being eyed by hydras in public.

’Jack... You’re entering Glacier Keep today, right? What will happen to me?’ Jinbe asked, struggling to relax on his giant sofa.

Smiling, Jack replied, ’You’ll wait here. I’m sure the hydras will be happy to have you here very soon.’

’Why?’

’Did you hear about the four Flood Dragons that left last night? Apparently, they made a fruit delivery but never came back. In the case that they come back after I enter Glacier Keep, I’m sure you’d be welcome to help fend them off,’ reasoned Jack.

’But Jack... I can’t--’

Placing his hand on Jinbe, Jack passed over a tidbit of energy. It surprised Jinbe but Jack explained, ’Now you’ll be able to reach lv. 90 and beyond. You already managed to fight a god one-on-one, I saw the injured wing. So why worry? You’ll have the elders fighting as well and I’ve made sure that you won’t get overwhelmed.’

’Really... How?’

’Don’t worry about that. Just trust me. Everything is going according to plan after some minor adjustments. You’ll be fine, and this will prove to the hydras that you’re better as an ally, not a foe.’

’Alright... Thank you, Jack.’

’Don’t thank me yet. At some point, I’ll have to help you breathe out of water so you’ll be able to travel with us beyond this planet,’ added Jack.

’That... That’s hard for me to fathom...’ Jinbe sighed.

Chuckling, Jack encouraged Jinbe, ’Don’t worry about it. You’ve been struggling to survive and adapt your entire life. Have you ever had a friend or ally?’

’Long ago... I don’t remember how long ago...’ replied Jinbe. ’I’ve been alone for a while...’

’Well, not anymore. Want to see something cool?’

Without warning, Jack’s human form suddenly began to change. Before Jinbe’s eyes, he was astounded to see Jack assume a form similar to his own, only much smaller and with four arms instead of six.

’From now on, thanks to our seal, I can share your bloodline. That should prove that you’re an important companion to me and I can be important to you too. So, can you trust me? For real?’

Jinbe was silent for a moment, touched to see Jack catching his true thoughts. ’I... It’s hard to trust others so suddenly... but I trust you more than others since you’ve proven worthy of trust so far...’

’I’ll take that as a yes," laughed Jack, hopping off the sofa. ’I’ve got somewhere to be, so I’ll see you after going through Glacier Keep. If the necessity arises, you can trust Raztol and fight alongside him.

Chapter 683

Seeing himself off, Jack left Glacial Palace and made a quick visit to Raztol’s humble abode. After making him a demigod as well and momentarily turning down the petition to make Wingreig one as well, Jack returned to Glacial Palace to meet Lunara. Together, they left for Glacier Keep.

They took the long passage through Glacier Reef and reunited with the helmed swordsman on the other side. Their entrance alerted all the other gods.

"And Tralbok?" asked Torian.

Jack smiled and nodded. He contacted Moranti then and there, leading to two figures appearing in a flash of purple energy.

The moment the chains were unlocked, Moranti laughed, "Here, you can have this as a bonus!" Moranti shoved Tralbok toward the legendary gods while lobbing a potion.

Torian snatched the potion and Grixor caught the red-faced Tralbok. They quickly administered the potion and healed the minor injuries that littered Tralbok’s body.

"That ungrateful, blasted imbecile!" shouted Tralbok, attempting to stare a hole into Moranti’s skull.

"Want to fight? I’m down!"

The God of Time started taking deep breaths as he walked towards the trees. Wanting what everyone else had yesterday, Tralbok didn’t want to waste energy or time before entering the unknown dungeon that was Glacier Keep.

Now, all they could do was wait.

Time passed at a decent pace. Everyone was either meditating, snacking on their second batch of fruit, or chatting within separate bubbles of silence.

"Shouldn’t we include him?" asked Lunara.

"Nah, don’t worry about him," replied Jack. "He’ll be fine."

"Well... what should I even call him?"

"Rynheart," Moranti answered, catching Lunara off guard. "Though he doesn’t say much so don’t expect a conversation. Best to let him be vigilant as always and inform him when necessary."

"Okay..." Nodding, Lunara reassessed Rynheart and took note for later.

Jack added, "He’s also a lot stronger than you’d expect, so don’t worry about him much. If anything, we can count on him to be a unique part of the team that can attack with a lot of power without even a moment’s notice. And now that we’ve added dark affinity to his rapier, he’ll only be more menacing."

Hours continued to pass and everyone’s anxiousness was growing, welling up inside them as they were got closer and closer to entering Glacier Keep. Jack was more excited than usual, not only because of his plan but due to the chance to explore a brand new dungeon. That was a rare event in-game and even rarer after coming to Kartonia. Everyone else felt the same as they hadn’t seen a new dungeon in thousands of years. For them, this was nostalgic.

But while everyone was gradually becoming more fixated on the sealed doors under the crystal clear lake, a familiar laugh appeared from above. "Sorry to keep you waiting for so long."

Everyone looked upward with both godly factions feeling differently.

"Don’t worry, I’ve already told you that I hold no grudges for what you’ve done due to lack of withheld information and unfavorable coincidence," reminded Daruun. "I look forward to seeing you all join the challenge of Glacier Keep. Remember, though you’ve all forged your own path thus far, you’ve also been favored by fate on many occasions. Now, it’s time to put that to the test."

CLAP!

As Daruun’s soft yet thunderous clap filled the chamber, the ground shook momentarily. The icy seal covering the doors shattered as the roxite doors began to move. To everyone’s shock, the full view of the roxite doors became clear. Once the icy cover was gone everyone could see that the doors spanned the majority of the lake floor. An ethereal energy still coated the doors though but didn’t interfere as those doors opened, proving them to be almost ten meters thick.

Beyond the surreal energy and the now-open doors was a gigantic spatial rift of swirling purple energy.

"I wish you all the best. Now go, before I close the door."

All the gods nodded in unison as if entranced by the swirling vortex below the lake.

"Let’s go!" Torian led the charge as the legendary gods took off into the deep lake. They were all equipped with water-breathing chokers thanks to Kylon but they now felt the chokers may not be necessary given the spatial rift.

"Thanks, Daruun!" Jack shouted, being the first from his party to dive into the water.

Moranti bowed and entered next, followed by Lunara. The last person was Rynheart who stood at the lake’s edge for a moment before looking upward.

"Go on," Daruun insisted with a warm smile and some water in his eyes. "We can catch up afterward. You should hurry."

"Thanks, Dad..." Having said that, Rynheart dove into the water and passed through the giant, short-range spatial gate.

"Jack and his plans... I’ve got to give me more credit for his creativity..." Daruun chuckled, waving his hand and shutting the bulky roxite doors. He then vanished, leaving only the thin film of illusory energy covering the doors and not impenetrable ice.

Coming out the other side, Jack was a bit relieved to be breathing air and not be underwater. He turned around to see Moranti and Lunara pass through with Rynheart coming up the rear.

Jack, his party, and the legendary gods all saw the spatial rift close behind them and looked around the giant chamber of roxite hundreds of meters wide. It was an octagonal room with one of the eight sides raised by a dozen or so steps. There, they all fixated on the human man sitting on the top step wearing clothes that reminded Jack of his homeworld.

"So, we finally have some Kartonians joining us!" laughed the man. "It’s about time."

Everyone was on edge, especially the legendary gods. Of course, Grixor was the first to ask, "Sir, do you mind if we ask for your name and an explanation?"

"Oh, did Daruun not tell you anything?" The man hopped to his feet and nonchalantly walked down the steps. "You’re here to challenge Glacier Keep, right?"

"Yes..." Torian responded. "But what is all this? We’ve never seen a dungeon like this, nor have we had someone such as yourself greet us upon entering a dungeon."

Sighing and nodding slowly, the man pounded a fist to his chest and beamed. "The name’s Oli.

Chapter 684

"The name’s Oli," the man introduced himself with a proud grin. He scanned over the gods and continued, "Daruun allowed you all to come early as residents of the home planet, so you’ll have to wait another half hour before I explain everything in depth."

Jack’s mind was going insane for many reasons. First off, Jack’s system had no luck in identifying anything about the man before them. Even after stating his name, Jack’s system didn’t load the name into its database. Second, the mention of this being the "home planet" gave Jack many different ideas and changed all of his assumptions of Glacier Keep.

Raising his hand, Jack also introduced himself, "My name’s Jack. When said we’re residents of the home planet, does that mean Glacier Keep is a dungeon for multiple systems?"

"Hey, at least you know about systems," Oli chuckled. "It’s nice to meet you, Jack."

"So that’s a yes?"

Oli nodded, "Yup, you’re right about that. Since you’re here early and it’s your first time, I’ll answer what I assume are your biggest questions and concerns, apart from what happens inside Glacier Keep. I’ll explain that when everyone else gets here.

"Glacier Keep is a challenge that Daruun frequently puts on for different zones. Normally, there’s one every month."

"That often..." Jack sighed and shook his head.

"This month it’ll be your own zone, surprisingly. But I doubt that’s by surprise given Daruun’s track record," added Oli.

"And how strong are you?" Torian asked, sharing the same thought as everyone else.

"Stronger than all of you, but that doesn’t matter right now. Let me explain something very important that Daruun wants you to know before the others arrive." Oli explained, "Your planet thrives on a power system based on levels, something very rare in the void. Every other planet participating in this month’s challenge will have come from different power systems and may even speak a different language. Lucky for you, Daruun made sure your planet’s natural language was Uncommon."

"What do you mean?" Tralbok asked with a questionable stare.

"Uncommon, the language that every traveling cosmician is encouraged to learn. Though the majority of the void doesn’t speak it, the majority of cosmicians do, hence the name Uncommon," stated Oli. "But don’t expect to understand the strength of others without a special skill or extreme sensitivity to energy. Though, by the look of it, a couple of you may be able to after all."

Oli’s eyes lingered on Jack but mostly focused on Rynheart, trying to see through his helmet. But there was one other person that continued to catch Oli’s eye. Walking closer to Jack’s party, Oli extended his hand. "What’s your name?"

"Moranti. It’s a pleasure to meet someone so powerful." Gladly, Moranti firmly shook Oli’s hand and nodded his head in respect.

"You’re the one I’ve heard about..."

"Hmm?"

Oli smiled and slapped Moranti on the back. "Dominus will be proud to see you..."

"DOMINUS! You know Dominus?!" Moranti shouted, catching Jack’s party off guard and puzzling the others further.

With a nod, Oli answered, "I know him pretty well, even better than I know Daruun, as a matter of fact."

"Then... are you from the Fate District or the Mirror District?"

Oli started blinking, startled to hear Jack’s question. "You know about Mirror District? Who are you exactly? I thought Kartonia has been closed off?"

"I guess you could say that I’m the one Daruun has been planning for since a few millennia back."

"OH! That’s you?!" Looking over Jack’s party once again, Oli began nodding and laughing hysterically. "Oh... you guys are going to be fun to watch..."

"Excuse me, but what is this place exactly?" asked Torian, getting back to the topic at hand.

"Right... This is the waiting chamber for Glacier Keep," answered Oli, stepping toward the legendary gods. "Here is where all challengers will congregate to learn of this month’s challenge. After that, I’ll open the entrance rift and you’ll be on your way."

"And... what are the zones you were talking about earlier?"

Sighing, Oli looked disappointedly at the legendary gods. "So, none of you know about the void, do you?"

When they either shook their heads or looked away in arrogance, Oli explained, "basically, the void governing system goes like this. At least one thousand plants make up a system, one thousand systems make up a precinct, and five hundred precincts make up a zone. Today, you’ll be facing people from your own zone, but Daruun mentioned that you’ll be allowed to participate in each month’s challenge from here on out."

"... How many planets? That’s... five hundred million planets?!" Torian shouted, putting it into perspective and shriveling up everyone’s understanding of the universe beyond Kartonia, apart from Jack.

"Yeah, that’s the basics. So don’t expect your competition to be pushovers. You’ll be facing the best of the best from the Emerald Zone today. Give it your all or you’ll leave without anything to show for it," continued Oli.

"The best of the best... So we’re a part of the Emerald Zone?"

Surprised by Jack’s question, Oli asked, "Why would you know about Mirror District but now know about your home zone? I find that a little hard to believe..."

"Excuse me... I have a question." Tralbok then asked, "Does teleportation work to get here?"

Oli shook his head. "No, teleportation won’t work for anyone as weak as you guys. But since it’s your homeworld, you should be able to leave via teleportation."

"Why’s that?" Jack questioned.

"Because sensing this place via spatial energy is impossible. The only hope of getting someone here, apart from spatial gates like the one you all took, would be via summoning with a powerful item as the guide. That’s your only hope of getting someone else here, but that would only work for you guys since I assume you would summon someone from this world."

"So... we’re still in Kartonia?" asked Jack. He tried to find himself on the map but it was hopeless.

"Yup, but you’re far below the world you know. Daruun made sure it was impossible to find from the outside and only found via signals from the inside."

Without warning, a brilliant, holy light flooded the chamber. Oli was the only one to look directly at the source unfazed. "Oh... So you wanted to bring another challenger?"

As the light faded, everyone else spotted the newly-arrived figure in human form standing beside Tralbok.

Like many others, Jack mumbled under his breath, "Halmut..."

 

Chapter 685

"Halmut..."

As Jack and the others were all caught off guard, including all legendary gods apart from Tralbok who was given the order to summon him, Halmut smiled confidently. "So... This Glacier Keep? Why are we all waiting here?"

"Hmm... not bad," commented Oli, amused to see another arrival. "So Kartonia managed to bring five full teams on their first time, well done!"

"Sir, why are we all waiting here? Hasn’t the challenge begun?" Halmut turned and asked the unusually dressed man.

"Sorry, but Kartonians were sent early so that I could explain a couple of things. From the sound of it, I don’t need to repeat myself if you already know this is a challenge and not a dungeon."

"Then can you explain the--"

"The terms and conditions of Glacier Keep will be explained when everyone gets here. Wait patiently like everyone else, big boy," chuckled Oli.

"You mean little boy."

Everyone immediately turned toward the helmed man, the only one using illusory energy to distort his voice. Halmut followed the gazes of the gods and stared cruelly at the helmed man. "What... did you say?"

"Do you prefer the term runt? I guess that would be more fitting..."

"YOU!"

"Waaait..." Oli’s calm tone cut through the tension as Halmut gathered energy in his mouth. "There’s no fighting allowed in the waiting chamber. Save your fury for the challenge, got it?"

"Lucky you," laughed the helmed man. "You get to live a little longer..."

Without a word, Halmut stormed ahead with lightning and wind energy. His claws tore through the air as he effortlessly reached for the man’s covered head.

Lunara was about to step forward. She was also off-put by Halmut’s appearance and beyond furious with him after learning what Kylon was going through. And now that she was also lv. 99 with a bloodline of equal strength, Lunara had no fear of taking Halmut on head-to-head. However, Moranti extended his arm to block her while Jack grabbed her wrist. They didn’t allow Lunara to intervene.

Halmut’s hands shifted into hybrid form claws, but just his arms. He didn’t want to make the weak, newly-ascended god feel that important. Those powerful claws arched downward with no success at hitting their target. Instead, the helmed man had teleported and lunged his rapier forward from behind without hesitation or fear.

This wouldn’t faze Halmut, though. His combat experience was among the highest of all gods. He turned to match the rapier’s strike with heated breath.

"I said no fighting..." sighed Oli, snapping his fingers.

THUD!

Both Halmut and the helmed man suddenly crashed to the floor. Their entire body was prostrated and flattened against the roxite floor, even struggling to let air into their lungs.

Everyone was astounded further, utterly perplexed at Oli’s casual tone of annoyance as the strangely dressed man sauntered toward the two grounded men. Oli squatted down low and cupped a hand over his ear directly over the two men. "What was it I said, again?"

"No... figh... ting..." the helmed man groaned after losing the ability to hide his voice. His roxite helmet began to crack under the oppressive force pinning him down. "He... star... ted it..."

"True, true... I suppose you’re right about that." Snapping his finger, Oli released the helmed man. "I think you’ve learned your lesson."

Wheezing, the helmed man shook as he took in deep breaths, resuming the act of hiding his voice. He was frantic to regain his breath and mobility.

Sighing, Oli glanced at Halmut who had remained silent. "You know, you may be some hotshot on Kartonia among the strongest on the planet, but don’t get ahead of yourself. You’re but a single grain of sand at the bottom of the ocean, among endless cosmicians feeling the boundless pressure of greater forces throughout the void. Got that."

Halmut had already lost the last of his breath and the force only got worse the longer Oli took to speak. When given the chance to reply again, Halmut stammered, "Yeah... Got... it..."

"Close enough..." SNAP!

The mighty Sun God felt sweet release as his body was able to relax once again. Clamoring to his knees and then his feet, Halmut stared at the nonchalant man with wavering eyes.

"What?" Oli asked, "You think I’m afraid of you? Or afraid of who you might know? Please... I’ve known Daruun longer than you have and have even more powerful friends if necessary, so I welcome the challenge."

"Sorry..." Halmut pulled his gaze away, no longer daring to cause trouble or go against that man’s orders. Even if he was a part of Jewel, that didn’t mean he was invincible in this particular circ.u.mstance.

"Sorry about that... Let me fix that for you." Oli glanced at the cracked helmet and lobbed some yellow, earthen energy to envelop it. Suddenly, the helmet began to repair itself and return to its usual form. "Fixing such a weak item is easy, so forgive my brutal warning. I’m sure you understand my reasoning and won’t hold it against me. Or else..."

"I’m sorry." Bowing, the helmed man immediately showed his respect. "It’s my fault for inciting Halmut and I should’ve saved that anger for the challenge."

Oli smiled and raised an eyebrow. "Good... I like you. Make sure to leave a corpse behind if you die in the keep. I’d hate to see your life wasted so easily."

While everyone else was trying to understand the meaning of Oli’s warning, Jack was busy with something else. No matter what he did or how many times he tried, Jack was unable to contact Sterfen. Whether it was via the pact, via the message skill, or anything else Jack found no way to reach his father.

’Jack... I can’t reach him...’ Lunara telepathically mumbled with worried eyes.

’Don’t worry, Mom... I’ll contact Daruun right now and get to the bottom of it...’

Blinking in a fit of shock, Jack was glad to have made a pact with Daruun for easy communication. Though he knew Daruun was busy, Jack had to make the call.

Chapter 686

’Gramps, something happened...’

’Jack, what’s wrong?’

Getting an immediate response, Jack was a bit surprised. ’I thought you were busy?’

’I am, but to have you contact me when I wasn’t expecting it, I can only assume that something drastically wrong has occurred. Now speak, Jack, don’t waste time,’ stated Daruun.

’I can’t contact Father...’

’What?!’ There was a moment of unannounced pause but Jack didn’t question Daruun. ’Jack... I can’t reach him either...’

’Then--’

’I can only assume that something has occurred that was beyond my predictions... Perhaps Halmut was more important to Jewel than I had anticipated...’

’What should I do?’ Jack asked.

’For now... nothing.’ Before Jack could interject, Daruun continued, ’If your father is truly in trouble, then you won’t be able to do anything against his oppressor. I’m certain that he’s still alive and within Olympic Chateau, but I can’t inspect that place without entering it due to a mental barrier that Halmut created with Jewel’s help long ago.

’Wait until one of my bodies can safeguard the planet. Once I’m positioned to block anyone trying to enter or exit the planet, enter Olympic Chateau and gather intel. If you find someone oppressing your father, don’t bother acting, as that would only result in your capture as well. Do you understand?’

’Yes... I can do that.’

’I can safely assume you have your own means of entering Olympic Chateau, given your plan, correct?’

’Yeah... I’ll get in easily... I’ll just have to alter my plans accordingly.’

’Good...’ Daruun nervously sighed. ’Wait for my signal. The moment I’m ready to defend Kartonia and make a move against a possible invader, gather the intel and inform me immediately.’

’How long will it take?’ Jack asked.

’Maybe an hour or two... Sorry I can’t act immediately, Jack. I’m sure you also know that your father is still alive which is the important thing,’ Daruun reaffirmed. ’For now, focus on Glacier Keep.’

’And enter that room you mentioned before?’

’Right... of course you wouldn’t forget,’ Daruun laughed lightly, trying to lighten the tense conversation. ’Good luck.’

Shaken, Jack nodded and tried to act normal. ’Mom, don’t draw too much attention. Daruun will be intervening soon, so there’s no need to worry about Dad right now, okay?’

’Okay... I’ll do my best,’ sighed Lunara, trying to refocus herself.

Changing the conversation, Jack approached Oli and sat beside him on the steps toward the raised platform. "Mind telling me where you got such a great fit?"

"Oh? You mean my hoodie and sweats?"

"What else would I mean? How come you have those but they’re better than my best armor?" asked Jack, confusing the gods overhearing the unhidden conversation.

"You transmigrated too, right?" Oli replied with a question.

"I’m not the only one?" A bit startled, Jack started to laugh. "So, that theory of alternate worlds is real?"

"To an extent..." Oli chuckled as well. "You’ll find that similar words exist across the void. Typically, such worlds are developed as experiments or trials of powerful cosmicians. It’s rare for a cosmician to make a world as intricate as Kartonia because it’s easier to plant some human predecessor species and watch the natural evolution of man and technology. Some cosmicians do it in search of inspiration or original ideas for inventions or training while some just lacked entertainment or had nothing better to do."

"Then... is that why I can assume humanity is the dominant race in the void?" Jack deduced.

Nodding, Oli answered, "For the most part, but not among cosmicians. Humanity makes up the bulk of the general populace but cosmicians come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. Technically speaking, I’m not human either."

"What?! But you--"

"My soul was born human, but during rebirth and transmigration that changed," laughed Oli, startling everyone in the room and confusing most. "I’m just one example of the many strange cosmicians throughout the void. Never assume you know a cosmician you just met. There’s no telling what they’re capable of, who they really are, and the level of threat they pose. A critical rule of cosmician combat is to understand your opponent. If you can learn who your opponent is, then you’ll be best suited to face them. But if they learn who you are first, then the opposite is true."

"So... Doesn’t that make it harder on well-known cosmicians?"

Giving Jack a finger gun, Oli smiled. "That’s exactly it. Fame in the void is a double-edged sword. For the most part, it keeps the majority of people from threatening you, but those that will threaten you will do so in secret and usually mount a single all-out attack to overthrow someone before they know better. And if you’re best tricks and skills are well known, can you even call them a trick?"

"Makes sense..."

"Anyway, the others should be arriving in three, two, one..." As Oli finished counting, the wall opposite the raised platform suddenly became a giant spatial rift like before. "Time to get started..."

People began to walk through the deep purple rift with streaks of green energy, similar to the spatial gate in Earthen Keep that led to Daruun’s private office. The legendary gods backed away to one side with Halmut while those with Jack stepped to the opposite side. Dozens of humanoid figures began to enter the space and stand between the divided gods. Most were human but some had different colored skin, size, or key features that proved them to not be, such as bestial noses, ears, eyes, scales, tails, and any manner of physical feature imaginable.

"Welcome!" Oli stood back up and threw his arms open wide. "Finally, we get to begin the challenge!"

"Are these the Kartonians?"

At the front of the emerging cosmicians, there were two young similar-looking, blonde-haired men looking to be in their twenties by mortal standards. It was one of them that spoke first. The same man scanned over the people on both sides of him and asked again, "Are these them?"

"Yes, that’s us," Jack answered, proving his confidence as a leading figure. "My name’s Jack and I’m with them."

Following Jack’s finger, the two men looked at Moranti, Lunara, and the helmed man. Scoffing, the man who spoke earlier remarked, "That’s it? What about them? What are you, the minority of your planet?"

Chapter 687

Just when Jack was feeling irked and about to reply slyly, the second man gripped the first man’s head. Then, the second man bowed while forcing his counterpart to do the same. "Please, forgive my brother’s attitude. He only gets like this when he’s nervous."

"Hey! That’s--"

"My name is Woltin Sicabor, and this is my twin brother Wollice Sicabor," introduced the second man, who was slightly taller than the first. "We’re the sons of Whallen Sicabor, the zone leader of the Emerald Zone."

"Oh..." Jack and those from his party immediately bowed as well. "Of course, there was no offense taken."

Some of the legendary gods bowed as well, but only some. At the same time, Jack lifted his head along with the twins and asked, "We’re glad to finally face Glacier Keep alongside the rest of our zone."

"No, the pleasure is ours, right Wollice?"

"Y-yes," admitted the humbled young man. "Sorry for the disrespect."

"None taken." Jack waved his hands innocently while stepping toward the others in his party. "Allow me to introduce them. This is Lunara, my mother. This is Moranti, a powerful companion of mine, and he... Well, he prefers to remain anonymous to keep them from assuming his abilities."

Sensing the tension between those of Kartonia, the twin brother immediately understood. Woltin asked, "Then is there a placeholder name that we can call him for the time being?"

"Rynheart..." quietly stated the helmed man, still altering his voice.

"Well, Rynheart, it’s a pleasure to meet you, as well as Lunara and Moranti." Woltin nodded in respect while shaking each of their hands.

Wollice did the same, following his brother’s example. "Would you mind me asking what races you all are? Most of you don’t appear to be human or at least carry a bestial energy."

"Sorry," Jack interjected with an answer, "But it would be best to reveal that in battle. Might as well use our unknown status to some kind of advantage."

"Then we’ll do the same," Wollice chuckled, warming up to Jack a bit more. "Then, do you mind explaining why the strongest of you Kartonias are bunched up here against the others? Or should we assume that this is a classic example of the strong minority challenged by the weaker majority?"

"Excuse me," Halmut spoke loudly to grab everyone’s attention, "but I feel you’re assuming incorrectly."

"Are they now..." Jack shrugged and ignored Halmut. He threw both arms around the twins’ shoulders. "So, you’re from the capital of the zone, right?"

"Of course. Would you like to visit us sometime?" Woltin replied. "It would be an honor to receive the first Kartonians."

"Really? Has the rest of the zone heard about us?" Jack asked.

"It’s only been in the last thousand or so years but Kartonia grabbed everyone’s interest the moment the zone learned of it. To keep people from searching into Kartonia further or asking too many questions, District Leader Daruun opened Glacier Keep as a challenge for all zones to participate one at a time. As our district leader’s hand-crafted world, how could Kartonia not get the attention of the masses?" reasoned Wollice. "And to be the first people to meet Kartonians is an honor for us, so long as you stand up to our expectations."

"And I’m sure you will," added Woltin, nudging his brother’s side. "From there energy alone, we’ll need to keep an eye on you and your people, Jack."

"I take that as a compliment."

Amid their conversation, Jack was letting his system create a new passive function. Upon the arrival of the other cosmicians, the system had given him a new notification.

[Failure to assume and evaluate the levels of strength among those present. Would the user like the system to adapt and assume local levels of strength?]

Jack selected it immediately, happy to see that there was no price tag involved. But then he got a warning.

[WARNING: Levels will be self-generated by the assumption of power and energy levels emitted by local cosmicians. Data may be incorrect and misleading without the retrieval of proper information or a skill gathering deeper levels of information of local cosmicians.]

[Proceed anyway?]

Inwardly sighing, Jack allowed his system to begin the function. Now that it had finished updating, Jack noticed the strange and varied results. The levels varied among the hundred or so cosmicians in the chamber but the twin brothers were a perfect example of unexpected results.

[Woltin Sicabor, lv. 83, Mage]

[Wollice Sicabor, lv. 79, Swordsman]

Already, Jack understood that his system was completely wrong in its evaluations. Jack guessed that the system had assumed the class based on the apparel and equipment that the twins wore, something Jack could do in his sleep. But the levels were horribly wrong. It was clear to everyone that all people in the chamber were cosmicians, yet his system classified them at such a low level... It was baffling.

While finished the conversation and let the brothers greet Halmut and his people, Jack tried a different tactic. Jack searched for the energy that the brothers were showing and then understood his system’s evaluation.

Jack then warned his party via telepathy, ’Everyone, many of them are concealing their energy. Don’t take them lightly and assume that everyone you face is just as strong as you. Understood?’

’Got it,’ replied Moranti, taking mental notes for the near future.

Lunara agreed, ’Thank you, Son.’

’I’ll do the same.’

Both Lunara and Moranti were surprised when they looked back at their mysterious counterpart. Already, their equipment made their levels invisible and somewhat blurred their apparent levels of energy. Now, however, they were both startled to see Rynheart’s energy levels completely vanish. Jack then did similarly, doing his best to reduce his energy to match the twins.

They had only just met foreign cosmicians and they already discovered a key difference between them.

’Don’t depend on your system too much,’ Jack added. ’Now that we’ll be facing people from outside of Kartonia, it only makes sense to not judge them by Kartonia’s standards and means of measurement.’

While the others nodded in agreement, Jack thought to himself about what he could do. His system was everything to him, far more so than to the others in Kartonia. Jack was certain that he would need to find a skill to help him better evaluate and read opponents by the standards of the void and not Kartonia. With that in mind, Jack reopened his skill list and searched through Daruun’s skills to no avail.

 

Chapter 688

"Now that you’re here and have met one another, let’s get things started," Oli spoke casually but his voice resonated through the chamber with great force. "And now that I’ve got your attention, allow me to explain some things..."

Jack eventually found a skill that was absolutely perfect, but there was one problem. It was a six-star skill... Giving up his search at the moment, Jack listened in to Oli’s explanation along with everyone else.

Oli waved his arm and a table appeared at his side. On top of the table were hundreds of thin, rectangular items. From Jack’s perspective, they looked like an all-black credit card without any writing or imagery anywhere.

"These are what you’ll be using inside of Glacier Keep," explained Oli, retrieving a card from his storage and not the table. "Everyone will get one card and that’s it. Also..." A stack of matching black armbands appeared beside the cards. "These will mark whose team you are on. You may not be able to tell the difference, but Glacier Keep will. Everyone will need them upon entry, so don’t store them away. Now, line up as teams and get your items."

Jack’s team took the lead, followed by the Sicabor twins and then Halmut. After everyone was handed a card and band, they returned to their previous spots.

"Now, I’ll explain how the cards work. Watch this."

Everyone watched Oli carefully as he retrieved a small, spherical ore of some sort. It was glowing gently until Oli crushed it and the energy passed through the air and into the card in Oli’s other hand.

"Each of these ores can be considered a key. Your card will absorb the keys and keep track of how many you have. Take a look." Holding the card for all to see, Oli showed the red "1" now appearing on the face of the card. "To proceed through Glacier Keep, you’ll need more and more keys. You’ll gain these keys through various means, defeating constructs, completing puzzles, winning challenges, defeating other challengers, etc. What matters is how many keys you have. Is that understood?"

"Yes!" the twins and a majority of cosmicians shouted.

"Now, check this out. I want you all to place a drop of your blood on the card. Otherwise, you won’t be able to activate them. Go on."

They all followed orders, pricking or nibbling their fingers to give up a drop of precious blood.

"Now pour your energy into the card to help it process your blood." Once everyone did that, Oliu began to descend the steps and walked toward Jack. "Do you mind if I use you for an example?"

"Go right ahead," Jack chuckled, curious to see what would happen.

Continuing, Oli placed one of those ores in Jack’s hand. "Now crush it and show everyone that it worked."

Jack complied and happily saw his card gain a key before anyone else in the competition.

"Don’t get too excited. This is where the example is needed," laughed Oli.

Then, Oli reached out and flicked Jack’s card, obliterating it with ease. It crumbled and evaporated but a strange ethereal energy seeped out of the disintegrating card and gradually enveloped Jack.

"Three, two, one..."

Oli counted as Jack suddenly vanished from where he stood in the same fashion that the card had dematerialized. Jack then rematerialzed at the raised platform where Oli was standing before. Everyone was amazed to see what was going on and curious to understand the example.

"These cards are now linked to you and are your lifeline. Some of you will die today but that’s okay. The moment your card is broken, you’ll be transported back here in three seconds and the same goes for if you die. If you die, the card will recognize that its host has perished and it will activate the same teleportation protocol so that we can revive the fallen corpses."

Spotting a raised arm, Oli asked, "What’s your question?"

Woltin nodded and dropped his arm. "Does that mean you have the material to revive us to our full strength?"

"Yes, we do," answered Oli, surprising most presently listening, especially those from Kartonia. "Reviving a one-star cosmician isn’t much of an expense for the district, so consider yourselves lucky to have a chance at life and death combat without fear of permanently passing.

Oli returned to his spot on the platform, spotting Jack reaching for the table. With a chuckle, Oli snapped and stopped Jack’s hand. "Sorry, but only I can hand out cards. No extras for you."

Receiving a handout from Oli and feeling a release of the strange pressure, Jack nervously laughed and walked toward his party.

"Also, take a look at my card now." Oli continued his explanation as everyone realized the greater importance of the cards. "I now have two keys because I stole Jack’s. So the cards act as a totem to help us keep the challenge relatively safe, it also becomes your means of forfeit and retreat should you choose to surrender your points to others. And don’t bother placing them in your storage items or they won’t be able to gather your keys. The key energy will always go to the nearest receptacle, so if your card is in storage it may go to a teammate or a foe depending on your circ.u.mstances. Understood?"

"Yes!" shouted everyone, more unified than the last time.

"Good..." Oli sighed and sat back down on the top step. "Before I open the keep and we begin sending people in, let me say this. Though you’ve all forged your own path thus far, you’ve also been favored by fate on many occasions. Now, it’s time to put that to the test!"

A swirling vortex of purple energy then opened up behind Oli. "Go for it! Charge in and don’t worry about your teammates just yet. The challenge will only begin once all forty-one teams enter the keep. So go!"

Halmut was the first to act. During the wait, he had already reimagined the teams made up of legendary gods. Together with Tralbok and two Flood Dragon gods, Halmut rocketed into the massive spatial gate with terrifying speed.

The Sicabor twins weren’t any different. They were smiling in excitement as they led their team and others charging in to the spatial vortex.

Jack’s team waited till the end, not in any hurry.

"Wasn’t expecting you to be so casual," remarked Oli.

"I could say the same," Jack replied with a chuckle.

Smiling, Oli titled his head back toward the spatial gate. "You’re the last ones. Stop wasting my time and get in there. And good luck."

With that, Jack’s party stormed into the spatial gate just before it closed on itself. Now alone, Oli stretch and fell back onto the ground. The roxite roof suddenly lit up as a vast number of illusory screens appeared for Oli to spectate on the many challengers within the keep.

"Now, don’t make this too boring..." sighed Oli, smiling in hope of a better show than usual.

Chapter 689

As the spatial energy faded, Jack and his party found themselves in an empty room. The walls and floor were made of the same roxite from the previous room while the ceiling was covered in the same glowing ice that made up Glacier Reef. There was only one way out of the room but there was a thin, metallic barrier blocking the hallway.

’I guess it’s time to get serious,’ Moranti chuckled telepathically.

Jack was busy checking something else. He immediately opened his system menu to verify what worked and what didn’t. The hero sighed and drooped his head upon learning that his map was useless, as was his god’s eye mini-map cheat. There was an update to his language function, which now had tabs created per planet thanks to his system overhearing conversations of the zone’s cosmicians. Kartonia’s main language was also changed, no longer being labeled as [Humanian] but as [Uncommon].

But that didn’t ease the disappointment that Jack felt. Jack mentally mumbled, ’I guess we do this the hard way...’

’I guess the armbands kept us together,’ commented Moranti, getting the others’ attention. ’I can sense a shared spatial signature in our armbands, so the keep must’ve kept us together during the shuffling rift.’

’And that’s why Daruun warned us of groups of four...’ Lunara agreed and nodded.

Jack mentioned, ’My map skill is useless down here so we’ll be handling things like everyone else, without any cheats.’

A distorted chuckling voice was heard in their heads. ’Leave it to a player to keep looking for cheats...’

Laughing, Jack looked back to Rynheart. ’Yeah, yeah... you know you’d do the same.’

’True, if we were able.’

While Jack and joked with the helmed man, Moranti stepped toward the barrier in the hallway. After knocking on it, he was astounded by its flexible yet resilient structure. ’I don’t know what this is but we won’t be breaking it, that’s for sure.’

’Before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s test a few things.’ Jack then blinked away in a flash of purple light, reappearing a few meters ahead beside Moranti. ’Okay... so local teleportation is still a thing. I think we’ll be able to teleport to each other within the keep, so splitting up may not be a terrible option.’

Oli’s voice then resonated through the room, "Before I let you all loose, let me state something that should’ve been obvious. For the privileged few trying to get a leg on the competition through unfair means, I recommend you put away your two-star items now before I disqualify your entire team."

Those in Jack’s party shrugged as they were clearly not part of that group, but they were glad to hear that Oli kept people from using such weapons. It also let them understand that they weren’t the most privileged or prominent of the challengers. Though they were technically endorsed by Daruun, Daruun was also well known for letting his people grow naturally with little to no interference. Or as Jack would joking put it, Daruun was a cheapskate that struggled to believe in taking shortcuts.

"I’ll repeat myself once more. Put your two-star equipment away now or I’ll remove your team and you’ll face the consequences of tarnishing Glacier Keep’s reputation. Three, two... Good. Thank you for your inconsiderate cooperation, Halmut. I look forward to seeing how everyone else will punish you for nearly disrupting the challenge. Good luck, everyone!"

Just like that, the metallic barrier suddenly faded out of existence like Jack’s card had during the earlier demonstration.

But Jack’s party was focused on something else. They were hung up on the person Oli had called out.

’Everyone...’ Jack took a deep breath and shook his head. ’I think I should remind you that Halmut has been in contact with an organization outside of Kartonia. That was how he managed to seal Skaryn in the first place and I assume he’s been keeping some of his best items hidden this whole time. Keep that in mind and be careful of him. If any of us confront him, tell everyone immediately so we can act accordingly. Got it?’

Once everyone nodded, steeling themselves and forcing out all fears of Halmut, the party moved forward.

The passage was well-lit thanks to the luminescent ice lining the keep’s ceilings. It also made seeing the next room very clear. As soon as the room came into view and the party noticed what was waiting for them, the four mannequin-like constructs came to life.

’Can everyone see their levels?’ Jack asked, getting a unified reply. ’Good... we’ll need to secure and share as much intel as possible. Now let’s break them.’

All four gods leaped into action, each attacking a lv. 93 mannequin in their own way. The victory was earned immediately and each mannequin dropped a core that was dark grey with a slight shine. They smashed their respective cores and found themselves with their first keys.

Curious, Jack turned to the helmed man and held out his hand. ’Do you mind?’

Rynheart handed his card over and allowed Jack to test a few things. Jack didn’t bother breaking attacking the card. Instead, he wanted to see if there was a means of transferring points without breaking cards. A few seconds later Jack found his answer.

’Look...’

The party watched as Jack placed his card beneath Rynhearts. Nothing happened at first but after three seconds the display on Rynheart’s card changed from "1" to "2". Looking back to Jack’s card there was only a "0" displayed.

’So transferring keys is possible without breaking cards... But why didn’t Oli mention that before?’ Jack asked in thought.

Rynheart was the one to answer first, ’Perhaps it’s only possible with teammates. We’ll have to try it with someone else to verify, but it may be safe to assume as such considering some of the key parts of the cards’ inscriptions are also on the armband.’

’Really?’ Jack and the others then removed their armbands and looked on the side that faced their arm. ’I hadn’t noticed... Nice catch.’

Moranti chuckled, enjoying the little show that Jack was putting on for Lunara and him. ’Now that you two agree on something, shouldn’t we get moving?’

 

Chapter 690

’One last thing. Moranti, can you go back to the other room and try teleporting back to us?’ Jack asked.

Nodding, the God of Space left in a hurry to test their theory. Confirming that would allow them their strategies to be quite adaptable, giving them an advantage on anyone that couldn’t move so freely.

’Mind if I take a different approach?’ Rynheart asked the party telepathically. ’Jack, can I keep that extra key? I’d like to scout out the keep and check through everyone’s room. Perhaps your map would work better after I rush through as many rooms as possible?’

Jack smiled and agreed, ’I like that idea, but stay invisible and only kill constructs if you need more keys. Let us try and hoard as many keys as possible. For later use. That okay with you?’

’Sure. I’m not after treasures anyway...’ The helmed swordsman shrugged and took his card. As Moranti teleported back to them, Rynheart extended his card to both Moranti and Lunara. ’Do you mind passing me your keys? It’ll help me sneak through more rooms and give us more intel.’

Moranti held out his card without a word, placing it under Rynheart’s for three seconds to pass his only key to the swordsman. Lunara did the same, glad that they have some sort of strategy.

The moment Rynheart had all four keys, a sheet of illusory energy dr.a.p.ed over him. Now invisible, Rynheart approached the next barrier which had a "1" displayed across its metallic surface. It quickly faded away like the previous barrier and the swordsman was on his way.

Jack then opened his map and checked to see if it was working. Casting god’s perspective briefly, Jack saw through Rynheart’s eyes and mind. To his joy, Jack returned to his own sight and menu to see that Rynheart’s exploration could indeed help Jack form a map of sorts. And there was something new as well. Each of the enemies that Rynheart had spotted remained on the map, although they weren’t unless Rynheart was actively watching them. Realizing that they marked where enemies were at the time that Rynheart passed them, Jack found the party far more capable of planning.

’The next room only has one construct,’ Jack commented with a smile. ’Rynheart left it alone for us and it’s lv. 97. Who wants it?’

’May I?’ Lunara asked, stepping toward the open passage. ’I haven’t had a chance to fight seriously since becoming a high-level god. This should help me a bit.’

’After you.’ Moranti bowed and motioned to the next room like a gentleman.

Following Lunara, the party entered the next room. They found the barrier already gone and the larger mannequin construct coming to life. Lunara stepped forward and retrieved her spear. She wanted to know how strong her human form was, giving herself a trackable benchmark of her strength.

To her surprise, she found the construct to be an easy foe despite her lack of transformation. Lunara’s frost spear stabbed through the construct and shattered it like a block of ice.

What no one was expecting was the different colored core. It was silver and glowed brighter than the previous cores. Lunara picked it up and got a nod from her teammates before crushing it and taking the keys inside.

’5 keys... So stronger opponents offer more keys, a classic concept,’ Jack concluded. The hero used god’s perspective yet again, finding the Rynheart three rooms further ahead. ’The next room has two lv. 95 mannequins.’

’My turn!’ Moranti chuckled, charging ahead.

Both Lunara and Jack laughed as they followed along. Their strategy was definitely making the trip easier and removing some of Glacier Keep’s mystery, at least so far.

*****

Hydra guards carefully stood watch at the trench’s entrance but they were unaware of the four Flood Dragons nearly a kilometer away. Those Flood Dragons waited there, hesitant and nervous. Their faces were riddled with worry and regret.

"Make your move now!"

"But... your excellency--"

"NOW!" roared Halmut. "Otherwise, consider your people as a useless and unnecessary existence that will be wiped out the moment I’m back!"

"Y-yes!"

Putting away the contact crystal, the Flood Dragon in charge looked to her three comrades and shook her head. Using general telepathy, she relayed the orders, ’It’s time... Remember, either we try or they die...’

The others nodded but were too saddened to reply. Together, all four Flood Dragons sighed and rushed toward the trench.

As the Flood Dragons reached the hydra guards, some guards shouted, ’Have you come back to--’

’Evade or die!’ shouted the lead Flood Dragon, unleashing a torrent of boiling water from her mouth. The spray fell onto one of the three-headed guards, killing one of its heads. When the guards tried to step up against the dragons the lead Flood Dragon shouted again, ’Evade or die! There’s no other choice!’

Four Flood Dragons tore through the barricading hydras, acting against their will and either killing or brutally wounding all who dared stop them.

Deeper down, word of invaders was already being passed through the chain of command and the hydra elders were quickly alerted of the incoming dragons.

’This...’ Raztol was already rushing toward the open space over Glacier Reef, followed by the elders doing the same. As Wingrieg and Hindrad arrived on the scene, Raztol sighed, ’This is what we feared...’

Hindrad scowled and argued, ’And where this protection that they offered us?! How dare they--’

’Here’s a part of that protection.’ All the elders turned to spot Jinbe swimming over, each with a different expression on their face.

’How dare you?! We have no way of trusting you after countless years of being our foe!’ stated Hindrad. ’I was against feeding you but only because we were promised that you would be leaving the deep sea after they returned from Glacier Keep. You have no--’

’Thank you, Jinbe,’ Raztol interrupted the consul and bowed his head to the mighty leviathan.

The angered consul was about to say more but Wingreig spoke next and smiled, ’Given your size and abilities, can we count on you to take one of the dragons?’