Absolute Craft-Chapter 71: Level 15 (4)

Chapter 71: Level 15 (4)

No sooner had Blake mentioned the blizzard’s approach than the true ice element manifested, covering the cave in a relentless storm. His vision shrank dramatically, allowing him only a partial glimpse of the troll standing across from him.

It stood still, weapon raised overhead, unleashing mayhem.

<The Stone Troll General (Awakened) (Epic) Lv. 15 HP: 2500/2500 MP: 3961/5000>

Its mana points had dropped—and continued dropping—as the blizzard raged around them. Shards of ice pummeled Blake’s head and armor, chipping away at both durability and health.

The same was likely happening to Sol and Beatrix, though Blake couldn’t see them yet.

Meanwhile, the blizzard’s effects worsened. Ice coated him from head to toe, forcing him to rotate his neck, swing his sword, roll his shoulders, straighten his back, and shuffle forward just to shake it off.

Otherwise, it would have entombed him in ice.

<You’re exposed to an immense coldness>

<Your dexterity has been lowered by 40%>

<Your attack speed has been lowered by 30%>

<Your movement speed has been lowered by 20%>

<Your stamina consumption has been increased by 45%>

Besides these debuffs, Blake’s vision was also severely limited. The game system never explicitly listed every crowd-control effect, since some were skills while others were part of the immersive environment.

Remaining still would only let the cold tighten its hold. Determined, Blake charged forward to disrupt the chant and end the blizzard. Unfortunately, he was no longer as swift—piled-up debuffs weighed him down. He trudged ahead like he was trudging through a snowdrift. Eventually, he closed in on the troll, but the monster’s weapon struck first, slicing from a blind angle concealed by the swirling snow.

A sharp slash raked Blake’s pauldron, exposing his undershirt. He dropped to one knee, bracing himself against the ground.

I’m starting to understand its gear design, he thought. It doesn’t rely on sight because it planned to conjure this blizzard from the start. That explains how it fought even when Sol’s flames covered its face.

Each second made it harder to see the troll—even though it was only a few steps away. Worse, when Blake tried to stand, he realized his knee had frozen to the floor. The ice hadn’t been this powerful before—ordinarily, he could break free with basic maneuvers—so the troll’s last attack must have reinforced it, or the blizzard intensified near its source.

Just then, another overhead blow hammered Blake’s helmet, forcing his head down. Through the tear in his visor, he stared at the ground, eyes wide. He had anticipated heavy resistance, but it had been a while since his stats were cut so dramatically.

His body simply couldn’t keep pace with his mind.

He was still rusty.

At that moment, a gentle whimper reached him through the storm. Blake recognized Sol’s voice, but he couldn’t turn his head to look.

Had he managed it, he would have seen the extensive cracks crisscrossing Sol’s dragon husk. Despite looking pitiful and on the brink of shattering, Sol pressed on through the blizzard, clinging to Blake’s helmet and snuggling close, radiating warmth.

Sol’s Sunshine melted the ice around Blake. This little one had saved him countless times in the Winter Lands—almost unfairly often.

Yet dismissing Sol’s abilities as "cheating" against the 11th Lost King’s creation wouldn’t be right.

Once that warmth enveloped him, the blizzard roared even louder, striking Blake with the same ice and snow—but mostly from one side now. A chain reaction followed: cracks formed across Blake’s armor, which warped and then burst.

Half his face was exposed, scorched by the explosion. Shattered pieces of his right pauldron and chest plate dropped away, along with the right side of his greaves, previously frozen to the ground. All that remained was raw, bloody skin beneath.

Sol suffered even more. His dragon husk shattered entirely, and his heat caused constant bursts around him. Unable to hang on to Blake, he spun wildly back and forth in the storm, crying in pain and confusion.

Freed from ice by his armor’s destruction, Blake rolled backward, desperately searching for Sol. He spotted the glowing golden orb zigzagging in the blizzard, and his heart ached at his companion’s suffering.

Kyria’s image flickered in Blake’s mind, soothing him.

Otherwise, he might have done something reckless that would only hurt Sol more.

He raised his katana and whispered, "The 11th Lost King... I acknowledge you. I’ll scour the annals of history to learn your name and pay it proper respect. Your creation has defeated us, so I’ll die here with style."

Some things never change.

Blake angled his katana toward his own chest. "As long as there’s even a one-percent chance of winning, I’ll fight. But this time, I’ll be back—Stone Troll. No... we’ll be back, ready for you and your creator’s plans."

With no hesitation, he plunged the katana into his heart—an act even top players were wary of due to the mental shock. But in Blake’s mind, if he could kill others, he could kill himself, too.

<You have lost all your health points>

<You have died>

His vision went dark.

When he opened his eyes, he was in a pitch-black space. To his surprise, Beatrix and Sol were there as well. The Supreme Archer collapsed to her knees, lowering her head so her blonde hair fell forward, revealing her long ears.

Because of the blizzard, Beatrix had been useless. The raging wind and clamor made her bow nearly impossible to use effectively—removing her helmet wouldn’t have helped much. By the time she thought about switching to melee, Blake had already rolled away and ended his own life.

Her pride was wounded, leaving her shaken not only by her inability to save Blake but by how thoroughly the 11th Lost King’s creation had neutralized her.

Sol, too, was in terrible shape, crying loudly.

Blake settled onto the dark floor, crossing his legs.

"Did we lose our skills, abilities, or experience?" he asked aloud. "We didn’t. We lost a fight, sure, but we learned more than our enemy. We got new insights, realized our weaknesses, and saw our overconfidence shot down. Honestly, we did fine. That troll is just a piece of the past, a roadblock. We’re better than that. I know it. All we have to do is adapt. And I swear on my name, I’ll make sure we do—so we can crush that monster, along with the genius who created it."

Sol blinked away his tears and looked up.

Beatrix also turned to her master.

Blake sat calmly, not at all like a man who had just been defeated. To Beatrix, he again resembled that commanding figure who subdued her, prompting her to become his steady, level-headed servant. Sol saw an unbreakable father figure in him. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Blake formed a fist and held it out. "You with me?"

Beatrix responded first, and Sol let out a hopeful whimper as he perched on their joined hands.

Blake chuckled. "We’ll make it happen. Also, Beatrix... I never noticed you had long ears. You’re sort of like an elf."

Beatrix flinched, covering her ears and turning away.

Blake and Sol exchanged glances, then eyed her more intently.

In the end, Beatrix stood her ground, refusing to explain.