Absolute Craft-Chapter 80: Supreme Blizzard (3)

Chapter 80: Supreme Blizzard (3)

Sol’s heroic adaptation to the perilous situation thrilled Blake. His little companion had grown so much that he could act boldly and flawlessly on his own. All his efforts so far had finally paid off!

Moved by his unconditional love for Sol, Blake realized how much he had changed from his old self. Back when he led the Cerberus Guild, his sole focus had been on grabbing top-tier loot and winning at any cost. But now, he genuinely relished Sol’s small victory. He didn’t care that Sol possessed legendary or "universe" titles; to him, Sol was simply his beloved companion. The true reward wasn’t in the monster’s drop—it was in Sol’s personal progress.

He felt the same about Beatrix’s growth. She had tremendous potential, something Blake might once have treated as inevitable. Yet she, too, had pushed herself, trusting him completely.

At that moment, Blake’s view on victory shifted.

The blade he held—and the blade he had become—would carve a path so Beatrix and Sol could secure a total victory.

Why?

"...because we’re Cerberus," Blake murmured with a grin. "Beatrix, keep your aim on the troll and wait for the opening we create."

With no further explanation, Blake leaped onto one of his ice tracks and slid toward the troll. Along the way, he conjured more tracks, creating a terrain advantage and boxing the monster in, preventing it from launching wide-range attacks.

The Stone Troll General appeared locked down by these ice claws. Blake planted one foot on the tip of a claw and launched himself over the troll’s head—seemingly a risky move while in midair.

When the troll raised its rod in anticipation, an unseen force abruptly stopped Blake’s movement and yanked him sideways onto a curved ice track. It happened so fast that by the time the troll realized his new position, Blake was already at its side, slicing into its armor with Supreme Blizzard’s Third Stance.

[-164 HP!]

"Its defenses are up," Blake thought.

Still, he continued pressing forward. He repeated his aerial maneuver, seeking angles for consecutive, well-timed strikes. It wasn’t so much a trick as it was the enchantment White Oni had inherited from Pride’s Second Coming—now adapted to his new gear: Cold Axis (Legendary). Thanks to that enchantment, Blake could pull himself along his ice tracks like he was manipulating gravity. With the Ice Claws pinning the troll from its shoulders to its feet, he had a wide field of ice paths at his disposal.

Previously, this enchantment focused on weight control. But with Blake’s armor now essentially a second skin, he needed added agility. Evidently, his crafting spirit had reconfigured the enchantment to suit him better.

Suddenly, Blake heard a loud tick-tock in his mind. A hot, tingling sensation flared across his back—a black tattoo of a clock and gears sprawled from shoulder to waist. Some of the gears shifted in his favor, as if a tiny creature crawled under his white armor.

<The Enchanting Clock (1/3)>

<You have performed 100 slashes>

<The first enchantment—Triple Speed (Legendary)—prerequisites have been met>

<You can use Triple Speed Enchantment>

<Triple Speed—boosts everything related to your DEX by 300% (500 MAX DEX CAP). Your basic attacks have a 25% chance to deal triple damage, and you have a 50% chance to increase movement speed by 50% after using a movement speed skill.>

"There it is," Blake muttered with satisfaction.

He had spent two hours nonstop enchanting, gambling for the perfect effect to store in his newly acquired level fifteen skill. Luck finally smiled on him when Triple Speed emerged in his skill list for a twenty-second window, which he snapped up eagerly.

Such extreme speed would overwhelm many players, but not Blake. His top speed far exceeded this, and he never lost himself in a storm of uncontrolled slashes. With the enchantment active, he felt he could end the troll immediately.

Yet his plans had evolved.

He rushed the troll with no special trick this time, luring it into a close-quarters exchange where raw combat skill determined the outcome. The troll had displayed remarkable finesse, and Blake relished their duel. Even so, the disparity in attack speed was too great for the boss to handle, leaving it unable to effectively counter. If not for its heightened defense at low health, the troll would have already fallen. Of course, Blake’s real goal was to set up his allies for the finishing blow.

He avoided finishing it prematurely, continuing to unleash a steady flurry of slashes. Each slash morphed into a slice of cold mist, poised to aid Beatrix—the linchpin of their formation. Though Blake never expected her role to take shape exactly like this, he wholeheartedly welcomed the change now that he had experienced just how rewarding it was to watch his close companions grow.

Suddenly, the troll abandoned its stance and smashed its rod into the ground with a thunderous roar. Fissures snaked across the floor, up the walls, and through the ceiling. Scorching air whooshed from the cracks, clashing with the blizzard that surged in moments later.

Within seconds, the chamber seemed ready to explode. Simply standing was risky.

Blake whispered, "11th... you really do make use of everything, don’t you?"

His sharpened senses told him all he needed to know. Near death, the Stone Troll General intended to bring the entire place down with it, heating the chamber until it collapsed.

It would die in the line of duty, unwaveringly loyal to the end.

"I respect that... but you won’t deny Cerberus their spotlight. You won’t take this moment from them," Blake declared.

In the past, if an enemy died by its own hand, no loot would drop, and the old Blake would’ve been furious. Now, however, he refused to let anything ruin his companions’ bright moment.

Gripping his katana with both hands, he held it diagonally across his chest. "The Conqueror Of The Winter."

<You have used The Conqueror Of The Winter (Legendary)(Active)(200 MP)(30 minutes CD)>