Absolute Craft-Chapter 49: Reflections (2)

Chapter 49: Reflections (2)

The Winter General’s tomb resembled the hidden lair of an ice elemental.

Anything not forged from blue stone was crafted from ice or snow marble. Above them, a ceiling carved out of a white void cast an eternal glow across the entire space, its radiance bathing the ice chamber in sparkling light.

Though the entire floor was coated in ice, slipping seemed impossible. Naturally, drifts of icy mist rolled across the area.

In the center of the chamber stood three pristine ice tables, each serving a single purpose—to hold three precious items belonging to the Winter General and unlock them. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Blake entered and glanced at the system messages regarding the tables.

Since he was in the Winter General’s tomb and had battled him, earning his respect, he honored him with a moment of silence. Even though he had obtained many valuable insights and items, Blake chose to dedicate his full attention to this man and his legacy, hoping to learn more about him and the Eternal Winter Graveyard.

He placed each item in its proper spot and waited for something to happen. He didn’t have to wait long.

A bright white light engulfed the items, conjuring three small pillars. Within one of them, the old scabbard’s torn material was restored, giving it a polished look and renewed life. It now appeared as fresh as the other two, as though newly dropped from a monster.

Afterward, three keys materialized within the pillars. One key, linked to the scabbard, shattered upon manifesting—Blake had already used it to enter the dungeon. The other two keys floated briefly in their respective pillars before falling onto the items.

When the pillars vanished, a wave of ice crawled over the items, trapping them in its grasp and merging them with the tables. Only the keys remained free for Blake to pick up, which he did.

<You’ve obtained keys to The Winter Eternal Dungeon>

A new system message then appeared:

<In order to unlock The Winter General’s items, you’re to enter his echo and defeat the opponent he couldn’t defeat himself>

<The Winter General’s Echo (Epic)>

Blake accepted the challenge the moment it appeared. Though he was drained from constant battles and little rest, the notion of a challenge only he could face ignited his spirit, driving away his lingering fatigue.

His fighting prowess had taken him to the top and defined him. He would never miss an opportunity to expand his experience and knowledge.

Without even checking if he could log out and continue the next day, he simply pressed on.

<You have accepted the Winter General’s Echo challenge>

Instead of the usual teleportation jolt, Blake’s vision faded to black. For a moment, he saw nothing but utter darkness—until it parted like a curtain, revealing the familiar mansion. This time, however, there was no hint of ice anywhere inside.

He realized he was now at the opposite side of the mansion, moving toward the large doors. Those doors opened on their own, revealing a snowy garden and a clear path leading outside. At the far end, three hulking creatures stood in a row, their massive frames and bulging muscles nearly identical.

Three BlizzardBorn Minotaurs threatened to invade the Winter General’s home. These weren’t the same grade of monsters Blake and his party had previously slain; their rank must have risen alongside their height and muscle mass. They were so enormous that a family of six could have ridden on each of their backs. Even so, only one figure perched on a minotaur’s shoulder. Cloaked in a black robe with limbs wrapped in black bandages, he hid his face beneath a dark hood, giving no clue to his identity.

Feeling compelled to confront this uninvited guest, Blake took a few steps forward. However, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed something odd in the reflection of one of the mansion’s polished paintings: his features were completely different.

He now had short white hair and blue eyes. His handsome face bore no resemblance to his usual appearance. Yet he knew instantly that he was the Winter General, and the figure before him was the enemy the General had never managed to defeat.

’I can’t see my stats... I’m locked in a deep lore scenario where stats don’t matter,’ Blake thought, only to be surprised by a sudden system prompt:

<You’re able to use The Winter General’s skills as well as your legendary skills from The Spiritual Blacksmith and The Limitless Enchanter>

Blake closed the window and continued forward.

No sooner had he stepped outside the mansion than the cloaked figure addressed him, its voice a seamless blend of male and female tones.

"The Eternal Winter Kingdom shall fall, and its land will become The Eternal Winter Graveyard!" the figure declared.

Though Blake wanted to taunt him, he carefully chose his words. "Why should our kingdom become someone’s playground?"

The black-cloaked figure chuckled. "Death has cultivated the finest in coldness. If you want to blame something, blame the fact that you were born in these lands."

Suddenly, the three minotaurs growled. Their crimson eyes glowed with ravenous battle lust as their master jumped down, taking a stand behind them. Without any command, the trio lowered their horns and charged for the mansion—the Winter General their only obstacle.

"Not gonna spill the beans, huh?" Blake muttered, brandishing his saber.

Although it wasn’t the weapon he wielded best, he understood its fundamentals enough to handle it decently and inflict significant damage. More importantly, having his own fighting style in the Winter General’s Echo was the real game changer—one that would earn him the victory the Winter General had failed to claim.

Blake tightened his grip on the hilt and whispered, "The Eternal Blizzard."

<You have used The Winter Sword’s Eternal Blizzard (Epic)>

"Infinite Blessing," he added.

<You have used The Infinite Blessing on The Winter Sword’s Eternal Blizzard (Epic)>

<The Eternal Blizzard has received The Chaos Tornado (Legendary) Buff for thirty seconds>

Blake sneered as he received the perfect buff.