Extra's Magic-Chapter 165 Combat Exam (6)

Clank...

The sound of metal clashing against metal echoed through the silent, snow-covered forest, disturbing the calm stillness of the Ice Dungeon.

"Shit..."

I cursed, deflecting another sword strike from my opponent. My Mana surged into my blade, coating it with shadows and allowing me to strike with deadly precision.

How did I end up in this mess?

Well... right after I collected the cores of all the Snow Owls I had killed, I was ambushed by an Ice Golem twice my size.

It was an F Rank monster and wielded an Ice Greatsword that gleamed with a wicked, icy aura.

Swish...

As I dodged another attack from the Golem, I took a couple of steps back, observing its massive body that was made out of entirely ice.

Its blue, crystalline surface seemed impenetrable, but luckily my Weapon Art's first movement could ignore all the armor, hence I had a shot at breaking through its tough surface.

Roar...

Opening its maw wide, the Ice Golem let out an ear-splitting roar, shaking the trees and causing snow to cascade down from the branches above.

However, I quickly dashed toward it with a burst of speed, aiming to strike at its weak spot – the glowing core embedded within its chest.

Whoosh...

The Golem swung its sword in a wide arc, trying to catch me off guard, but I ignored it, just lifting my other hand and muttering two words under my breath.

"Aura Blade..."

Golden particles began to swirl within my hand and manifested into a translucent, ethereal blade.

Clank... Crack...

The greatsword of the Golem collided with my Aura Blade, sending a shockwave of force rippling through the air, however, to the monster's surprise, my Aura Blade held strong, only cracking slightly under the immense pressure.

Pluck...

On the other hand, my Authority enchanted with Shadows plunged into the exposed core, shattering it into countless shards of ice.

For a second the golem seemed to freeze in place, its massive body trembling before collapsing into a pile of shattered ice as the last remnants of its mana dissipated into the frigid air.

"..."

Looking at its shattered body, I took a deep breath and retrieved one of the health potions I bought in the Dark Auction yesterday.

Swallowing its contents, I frowned, feeling the disgusting taste of the fish-like potion linger on my tongue.

However, despite the distasteful flavor, I could feel my bones that had cracked under the pressure of receiving powerful blows from the Ice Golem slowly starting to mend and heal.

It was not a very pleasant feeling, but also most certainly not the most painful one.

It was a small price to pay for the points I had received.

Huff... 𝙗𝙚𝒅𝒏𝙤𝙫𝙚𝒍.𝒐𝙧𝙜

A cloud of steam escaped from my lips as I exhaled, my breath visible in the chilly air.

A total of 3 hours have passed and now I have a total of 112 points, which should place me at the upper echelons of the leaderboard.

However, the competition was far from over.

My entire Points could almost be considered a mere drop in the bucket compared to what some of the other participants had accumulated.

By now, the protagonists should usually have around 300 points, however, there was no guarantee, since all of them seemed to be stronger than in the original game.

It wasn't necessarily a bad thing but now it was kind of a challenge to secure a higher position on the leaderboard.

"..."

Roaming through the snow-covered forest, I tried to find any signs of movement or footprints that could lead me to my next target, however, it seemed as if there was no sign of any other creatures in the vicinity.

It was a bit ironic, since the first time I entered an Ice Dungeon, every single step I took brought forth a hoard of aggressive monsters, which I usually had to fight.

And yet, here I was, wandering through an eerily quiet forest, devoid of any signs of life.

"Should I venture deeper?"

Glancing toward the dark and foreboding path ahead, I weighed the risks and rewards of delving deeper into the unknown territory.

The stronger monsters would surely await me in the depths, but so would greater rewards and opportunities to gain more points.

If I were to venture deeper, the risks of me failing but also passing with a higher score would increase.

"Ughhh... Whatever happens, happens I guess."

Sighing, I muttered to myself, before turning toward the dark path and taking my first cautious steps into the unknown.

Crunch... Crunch...

***

"What is this bullshit!?"

I exclaimed, frustrated by the lack of progress I was making in the Ice Dungeon.

I'd been walking in a straight line now for more than an hour and yet not even a single monster had crossed my path.

This lack of encounters was, really, testing my patience.

By now, I was growing increasingly impatient and starting to doubt that my decision to venture deeper was the right one.

But I knew that giving up now would not lead me to the leaderboard.

"I just need to keep walking..."

Looking at the endless expanse of snow-covered trees and the seemingly never-ending path ahead, I made up my mind to push forward.

Even if I were not to meet any monsters along the way, I knew that the Boss Monster was located somewhere further in the depths of the Ice Dungeon.

I visited this dungeon a few times when I was playing the game and approximately remembered the general layout.

If I were to just continue walking in that direction, I knew that eventually, I would reach the Boss Monster's lair.

The creature within was a D-Rank Frostfire Tiger, a fearsome beast that could breathe icy flames and possessed incredible strength and agility.

It was a monster even graduating students would have some problems to overcome and yet it was a monster that we had to defeat to gain 500 points.

I could still recall countless times I'd died to its massive claws and was frozen in place by its chilling breath.

The Frostfire Tiger was really a monster of nightmares, and facing it alone was a daunting task.

Or that was what an average person would think...

These monsters had one crucial weakness...

They were very weak to sounds, especially loud and sudden noises.

If I managed to startle the Frostfire Tiger with a well-timed explosion spell or a thunderous crash, I could gain the upper hand in the battle and use the opportunity to defeat it.

"I'll just need to enchant some of the items, then~"

A small smile started to creep onto my face as I realized that I had the perfect solution to my plan.

It was my skill 'Rune Enchantment'. I could use it to create a powerful explosive rune that would trigger a massive noise upon detonation.

"Hehehehe..."

An eerie giggle escaped my lips as I imagined the Frostfire Tiger's roar of surprise and confusion when it fell into my trap.

Grrr...

However, my thoughts were interrupted by a deep growl that echoed through the icy forest, snapping me back to reality.

"Finally!"

I exclaimed, rather happy than wary of the sudden appearance of a monster.

Before I could react, however, a silhouette leaped out from the tree line, casting a shadow across the snowy ground.

!!!

At the last second, I threw myself to the side, avoiding the massive body of the creature and rolling to my feet.

"Oh, a ghoul!"

Its skin was pallid and mottled, stretched tightly over its emaciated frame. Its sunken eyes gleamed with a sickly green light, and its lips curled back to reveal yellowed, jagged teeth.

"I'm quite lucky, am I not?"

I muttered under my breath, tightening my grip on my longsword. It seemed like my luck had finally shone, bringing forth an unexpected adversary. This was an E Rank monster, but it was still a formidable opponent, especially in the confined space of the forest.

Grrr...

With a guttural growl, the ghoul lunged at me, its bony fingers extended like claws. Reacting quickly, I raised my longsword to block its attack, the clash of metal against bone ringing out in the frosty air. The impact sent a jolt through my arms, but I held my ground, pushing the ghoul back and creating some distance between us.

Growl...

I could see its decaying muscles strain as it prepared to strike again. There was a dark hunger in its eyes, a relentless determination to tear into its prey. I knew I couldn't afford to underestimate it, despite its lower rank.

Swish...

As the ghoul lunged once more, I sidestepped its attack, my longsword slashing through the air in a swift counterattack. The blade bit into the ghoul's side, eliciting a guttural hiss of pain. Dark ichor oozed from the wound, staining the snow beneath it.

Hsss...

But the ghoul was far from defeated. It snarled and swiped at me with its clawed hand, catching the edge of my coat. I felt a sharp sting as the fabric tore and a shallow cut formed on my arm.

"It was brand new... Oh, now you fucked up!"