SSS Awakening: Rebirth of the Strongest Vampire God-Chapter 136: Beneath the Ice

The party stepped into a narrow, dimly lit cavern, the walls glistening with jagged ice that shimmered like the teeth of a hungry beast. The air bit at their skin with a cold that went straight to the bone, far worse than the snowstorm outside. A thick mist curled around their feet, rising from the cavern floor like a living thing. Each breath crystallized in the air.

Mendoza shivered and clenched his jaw. "What the hell is this place?" he muttered, his voice quivering with more than just cold.

Even Sylvara couldn’t handle the cold inside the small space.

Aurora’s staff glowed faintly, casting a weak light that barely pushed back the unholy cold. "It’s...some kind of ice elemental chamber," she whispered. "I can sense the mana swirling through the walls. It’s... strong."

"This place is a node of pure ice mana. I can’t stay inside any longer." Mira was the first to get the hell out. After a couple of minutes, Mendoza and a few others also gritted their teeth and ran outside.

They wanted to stick it out to preserve their dignity, but when their health started dropping, they couldn’t linger anymore. Even for big guilds, potions were precious at the moment, and without proper planning, one simply couldn’t use a health potion just to take a look around.

Sylvara, pale and shivering, forced herself to remain. "Damn it," she hissed, her breath a ragged fog. "What the hell is this place?" Now, only she, Nevin, and a couple more from the main party remained, including Aurora.

Of course, Mark and Kate were still standing as if nothing was bothering them. Sylvara could only give a bitter smile, looking at their casual stance. "Where did he go? Do you both know what place this is?" She tried asking, but both of them simply remained mute and shook their heads.

She knew the three were extremely close, but they couldn’t even talk without Damon? Sylvara let out a sigh. She herself was reaching her limit and prepared to head out when suddenly a splashing sound came from a corner.

Everyone immediately turned to look, and only now did they notice a small opening on the ground, like the sort that formed when the top layer of ice on a frozen lake was broken. Except this thing was pitch black.

A sickening chill crawled up their spines as the gaping hole in the ice yawned open, revealing a small pool of water so black it seemed to absorb the faint light from Aurora’s staff. The mist curled around the edges like a living serpent, and the air grew even colder.

Sylvara’s heart thudded. "What... is that?" she breathed, every word forming a delicate frost that hovered before her lips.

Nevin, his eyes wide, stepped closer, his breath ragged."Something’s... moving down there."

Just as he spoke, the water’s surface shuddered, and a man casually pulled himself up. Damon was dripping wet from head to toe as he stepped out of the pool of water like he was just getting out of a local swimming hole.

Water dripped from his black hair and ran down his pale skin in rivulets, steaming faintly in the frigid air. His crimson eyes glowed like dying embers, locking onto Sylvara and Nevin with an intensity that made them both freeze.

Damon grinned. "Aren’t you guys diving in? The water feels amazing. Check it out."

Sylvara shivered, half from the cold and half from the look in his eyes. "What... what did you find?" she asked, her voice trembling.

"Nothing much. Definitely not related to the mission you asked for my help with." Damon shrugged. "If you don’t believe me, feel free to take a dive and check it out for yourself."

Seeing that he had no intention of sharing any information, Sylvara kept quiet and did not ask him anymore.

Damon, as well, simply ignored her and turned to Mark. "Come on. Its your turn. You too Kate. Go ahead and take a dip both of you."

Mark’s eyes widened slightly, his runes flaring momentarily before he grinned and cracked his knuckles. "Hell yeah," he muttered, clearly unfazed by the sinister pool. He walked over to the edge, gave Damon a thumbs-up, and then jumped in without a second thought. The water hissed around his body as he dove deeper and deeper.

Kate’s crimson eyes sparkled with mischief as she followed suit. She twirled her staff, conjuring a protective blood barrier around her skin. "No use." Damon chuckled. Kate pouted, and jumped in anyways with the barrier to test things out for herself.

The water churned as if alive, swallowing them both in a swirl of black and frost.

Sylvara watched them go, her lips pressed into a tight line. The cold was so intense that her teeth chattered even while she tried to keep her composure. "You’re really not going to tell us what’s down there?" she asked Damon again.

Damon pretended as if he did not hear her. Then he turned on his heel and vanished into the shadows, leaving Sylvara and her team standing alone, the cavern’s cold seeping deeper into their bones.

Nevin shifted uncomfortably. "What now, Sylvara? Do we follow them?"

Sylvara stared at the black water. "No," she said at last, her voice hard. "We came for the mission. Whatever that bastard is up to, it’s not our concern... for now."

She then walked out of the horrific cavern, not wanting to stay there even for a moment longer. Outside, the others had set up a campfire in a cozy and comfortable place and were resting their bodies and mind.

Sylvara settled near the fire, wrapping her cloak tighter around her shivering frame. Her mind replayed Damon’s casual smile, the cold arrogance in his crimson eyes, and the cryptic way he had spoken. What the hell was he hiding down there?

Everyone clearly had the same question in their minds as they looked at her for answers.

She closed her eyes, exhaling a frosty breath. "Rest up, everyone," she said. "We’re not done here yet. We still need to finish the mission, whatever he’s doing can wait."