Trait Hoarder-Chapter 286: Frozen Palace Ruins (3)

Frozen Palace Ruins — Part 3

What kind of treasures were waiting inside?

One thing was certain.

I was already holding the second most precious treasure of the entire vault.

The Frozen Crystal.

A gem scattering pure white frost.

Winter Queen kept glancing at it.

“Sir Sword Star. You’re going in, right?”

She spoke about the treasure vault, but her gaze never left the Frozen Crystal.

Of course.

Winter Queen was the successor of the Ice Spirits and the Winter Swordsmanship.

Just training beside the Frozen Crystal would bring her an incredible level-up.

Moreover, the Frozen Crystal was the essence of the Frozen Palace itself.

You wouldn’t be human if you didn’t covet it.

Unfortunately, I had no intention of handing it over.

I was the one who suffered to recover it.

My contribution to reaching this point was at least 90%, no, more like 99%.

Unless Winter Queen had made some significant contribution—which she hadn’t, aside from serving as a blood shuttle—she had no grounds to demand the Frozen Crystal.

I looked at Winter Queen and said firmly,

“Let’s make one thing clear, Lady Sileria. Do you acknowledge that my contribution to reaching this place and restoring the Frozen Crystal was absolute?”

“That’s…”

Sileria—Winter Queen—furrowed her brow.

A short sigh.

She shook off her lingering attachment and nodded.

“I acknowledge it.”

“If it weren’t for your bloodline, we wouldn’t have been able to reach this place. But truthfully, I did all the work, and if it weren’t for me, the Dark Demon King would probably have resurrected in the future. Isn’t that right?”

“I agree with that too.”

“Then I will take the Frozen Crystal. Is that acceptable?”

“I have no choice. Instead, I’d like to choose the first item from the treasure vault.”

A reasonable offer.

But I couldn’t accept it.

What if she chose the Heavenly Demon Divine Sword?

I held up one finger.

“Just one thing. I’ll pick just one first.”

“One more?”

“Yes. But I’ll give up ownership of everything else. You can take everything else, Lady Sileria.”

Two of the most precious treasures.

In exchange for giving her everything else.

Winter Queen fell into thought.

She surely knew that with treasures, quality mattered more than quantity.

“Sigh, alright. Honestly, if it weren’t for you, Sir Sword Star, we wouldn’t have retrieved anything. Do as you wish. No, take even more. We should probably split it half and half. Since you’re picking two first, I’ll pick third and fourth, then you pick two more, and so on.”

“I’m fine with just two.”

“You might regret it later.”

“If there’s something I really want, I’ll buy it from you.”

“Hahaha. Alright then.”

Winter Queen extended her right fist.

Oh? Seems like she’s been socializing a lot lately.

I bumped my fist against hers, and she laughed like a little girl.

“Shall we go in?”

“Hold on.”

I stared at the Frozen Crystal.

It radiated cold even just holding it.

[Magic Resistance]==[[Magic Nullification]]==[Magic Resistance]

Without this, I would’ve dropped it long ago.

Focusing on the inside, I saw a complex tangle of mana circuits.

Which meant only one thing.

[Arctic]

A trait similar to Ice Wall, but higher.

If I copied it with the World Trait, I could acquire it immediately.

Leaving the Frozen Crystal intact.

But after all that hardship, was it enough to be satisfied with just an Ice Wall-grade trait?

Crunch.

So I decided to devour it.

The Frozen Crystal.

The moment I bit into it, a violent cold froze my insides.

It felt like my whole body was turning into a statue of ice, but I endured it using Magic Nullification, Vajra Body, Indomitable, Ice Wall, and more.

“H-Huh?”

[Master?]

Ignoring their shock, I focused inward.

The overwhelming cold.

I calmly drove it into my mana circuits.

Into my heart, my organs, and my spinal cord.

An ordinary level 8 would have frozen into a block of ice.

But my transcendent body—reconstructed four times, even refining divine blood—endured the massive wave of cold.

Even my mana circuits began to change.

They grew thicker, stronger, and eventually, the Ice Wall trait evolved.

[Supreme Ice]

That’s what I decided to call it.

Not Ice Wall-grade, not Dark Flame-grade, but something comparable to Supreme Flame.

Normally, it would take gathering six materials and achieving several accomplishments to obtain this.

The Frozen Crystal had condensed that into an instant.

And it wasn’t just that.

My very stature was elevated.

My mana circuits were reinforced.

To put it simply, it was like rapidly gaining experience.

Not enough to reach level 9 yet, though.

I’d probably have to do something similar ten, no, twenty more times to reach level 9.

‘In the end, I’ll have to kill the Saintess.’

More precisely, I’d have to defeat the old father she summons during Phase 3.

“Fwooo.”

I exhaled.

The frosty breath lingered in the air like dragon breath.

I flicked my finger.

A pure, transparent light shimmered as if duplicating the Frozen Crystal.

This was Supreme Ice.

Unlike Supreme Flame, it didn’t have divinity, healing, or purification effects, but in terms of pure destructive power, it probably surpassed it.

The attribute was reversed, but otherwise, it was similar to Supreme Flame.

Especially when mana was gathered and detonated—its destructive power would be overwhelming.

“You… you ate it?”

“Consuming it is the most effective method.”

“Wow… wah… ugh…”

Winter Queen groaned like she was in pain.

Administrator 718 stared at me, dumbfounded in his small dragon form.

[To think you could eat that and still be fine… Master’s stomach must be forged from not just steel, but mixed with eternal iron and orichalcum.]

“Not wrong.”

If it’s my stomach, maybe it could digest not just steel but even eternal iron.

Not that I planned to test it personally.

Step, step, step.

I approached the treasure vault.

An ancient magic alloy door blocked the way.

There were no keyholes or handles in sight.

Only a complex and mysterious magic circle was engraved on the door.

Winter Queen stared at the magic circle with a subtle expression.

“I can feel it. The door is calling to me.”

“Let’s begin. You shouldn’t need to bleed as much as before.”

“Alright.”

Winter Queen cut her palm herself.

She scooped a handful of blood and sprinkled it on the door.

A single drop would have been enough, but she overdid it.

As expected, there was a reaction.

Woom. Woooom.

Even after nearly a hundred years, the magic was still preserved.

Light burst forth.

A bright magical light scanned Winter Queen thoroughly.

It wasn’t just scanning her biological data.

It was detecting even the dormant genetic information within her DNA.

Soon, a static-filled mechanical voice flowed from an old speaker.

[Gene confirmation complete.]

[Genetic data of First Heavenly Demon Dokgocheon and Queen of the North Sea Curiana detected.]

[Welcome back, rightful heir of the Frozen Palace.]

[Opening the treasure vault.]

Clang, clang, clang.

The door opened with a dull rumble.

Click, click, click, the magical lamps lit up.

Naturally revealing the full interior of the treasure vault.

“My goodness!”

It really was amazing.

The place was packed with all kinds of treasures.

Gold and silver?

That wasn’t even worth calling treasure.

There were artifacts enchanted with high-level magic.

Rare materials like dragon hearts and demon king horns.

The holy trio—Elixirs, Nectar, and Ambrosia.

Even scrolls containing ancient magic.

The magical glow from the treasures dazzled the eyes, and the mana waves made my whole body tingle.

Winter Queen let out a happy scream.

“Just selling one of these would let me live in luxury for life!”

That was about right.

I scanned the treasure vault casually.

Even using the Eyes of God to search, nothing particularly caught my eye.

Every single item was inferior to my equipment.

There were plenty of things good enough to give my disciples, but honestly?

All four of them were already at level 7.

I had gotten them weapons and given them the Dragon Set and Arctic Set.

At this point, they should fend for themselves.

“Let’s go in.”

“Y-Yes!”

At the very back of the treasure vault.

The innermost part of the Heart.

There was a second sealed door.

As we stood before it, a fierce energy pricked my skin.

“Sir Sword Star. This is…”

“Yes. It’s the Heavenly Demon Cultivation Technique.”

The Heavenly Demon Divine Sword was inside.

Winter Queen swallowed nervously.

“If we open this, another monster isn’t going to pop out, right?”

“It shouldn’t. The Dark Demon King has been completely destroyed. And the treasure behind this door couldn’t possibly be tainted with his lingering will.”

“Ah, you came here to retrieve this?”

“That was my original goal.”

Winter Queen, her hand still not fully healed, placed it against the seal.

Administrator 718 grumbled.

[The Frozen Crystal and now the Heavenly Demon Divine Sword… you’re uprooting the entire Frozen Palace.]

“Isn’t it good news for your creator?”

[Sure, but my mission was to protect the Frozen Palace.]

“Consider it a restoration fee. I think I earned it.”

[Still…]

The Frozen Palace had already been freed from dimensional distortion.

Of the three of us, only Winter Queen didn’t realize it yet.

She would be shocked when we got outside.

After all, by entering through Mount Arctic, we had moved thousands of kilometers to the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk.

Whirrrrr.

The motor noise rang out.

The door opened.

And a shrine was revealed.

The first thing that caught my eye was a sword.

As fitting for the First Heavenly Demon who roamed across Eurasia, it resembled a Western longsword more than an Eastern-style sword.

Magical inscriptions engraved on the hilt gleamed silver.

Otherwise, from the blade to the hilt, it was entirely black.

The sword emitted a clear, pitch-black radiance like a rainbow.

The black light fundamentally blocked any approach.

If you couldn’t break through it, you couldn’t even get close.

Holding it was the same.

Anyone unworthy who tried to grab it would be turned to dust.

“Wow, that…”

Winter Queen shrank back.

“Isn’t that way too dangerous? If we touch it, we’ll be annihilated.”

“Exactly.”

But what about me?

I reached out.

Copying the Heavenly Demon Cultivation Technique with my World Trait, I overlaid it onto my hand and brought it toward the Heavenly Demon Divine Sword.

The black light let me pass easily.

However—

Craaaack!

“Ugh!”

The moment I grabbed the hilt.

A black thunderbolt slammed into me.

Agonizing pain tore through my body, forcing me to drop the sword.

No, my hand and arm were completely crushed.

I instinctively fell to my knees, coughing up blood.

“Damn it…”

The reason was simple.

Lack of qualifications.

Did I have the Heavenly Demon Cultivation Technique?

That wasn’t the issue—it was purely a lack of stats.

The Heavenly Demon Divine Sword wasn’t just a genuine divine weapon—it was even stronger.

The minimum required stats were enormous.

You’d have to be level 9 just to barely meet them.

‘Still, isn’t this a bit much?’

It’s fine.

I gripped my right shoulder and stood up.

I pulled out an Elixir magic chip from my Armory and used it.

It still wasn’t enough, so I activated the Golden Fleece’s resurrection ability.

[Undying]==[[Eternal]]==[Undying]

Once I evolved Undying, I finally began to recover.

This was no joke.

I could still feel residual pain.

I pulled out a bottle of Elixir and drank it, then downed a few top-grade holy waters too.

Winter Queen and Administrator 718 stared at me with horrified faces.

“Those are so expensive…”

[I’m astonished! You survived that?!]

Why were they shocked by completely different things?

I clenched and opened my fully regenerated right hand several times.

What should I do?

If I couldn’t draw the Heavenly Demon Divine Sword, how was I supposed to take it?

Administrator 718 sneered.

[Looks like there are things even you can’t do, Master. It seems you won’t be able to take the Heavenly Demon Divine Sword. How about picking up a few other swords from the treasure vault instead? There’s a Dragon Slayer and the Holy Sword of the Avenger.]

No thanks.

I’d rather stick with the Black Tiger Sword and Mjölnir.

I calmly stared at the Heavenly Demon Divine Sword.

And the altar where it was embedded.

A skull altar carved from the Dark Demon King’s entire skull.

The floor, ceiling, and walls were all covered with a six-sided magic circle.

Modern magoscience had moved on to spatial magic circles, but in ancient times, this was the limit.

The magic circles suppressed the Heavenly Demon Cultivation Technique and preserved the Heavenly Demon Divine Sword…

Good.

I had a decent idea.

I drew the Black Tiger Sword and poured Sword Force into it.

Before Winter Queen or Administrator 718 could react, I equipped the Sword Blade trait.

I slashed the blade like a razor.

The magic circles, mana, and even the stone floor were sliced cleanly.

“Wh-What are you doing?!”

[Gasp! What are you doing, Master?!]

My choice was simple.

Couldn’t pull the sword?

Lacking qualifications?

Then I would just carve out the entire altar and take it.

I lifted the skull altar.

About the size of a barrel.

But it fit snugly into my golf bag.

The premium golf bag Seong Huiyeong once gifted me.

Thanks to cutting-edge magoscience, it seemed none of the Heavenly Demon Cultivation Technique’s aura leaked out.

It didn’t seem to affect any of the other items inside either.

Administrator 718 drooped his wings.

[Wh-What a barbaric method…]

“You have to use your brain.”

[It looked more like you used brute strength…]

I packed everything I needed.

Lifting the now heavier golf bag, I said to Winter Queen,

“Lady Sileria. You heard from the Grand Elders, right? They promised that the Castle of the Inexplicable would aid me if I requested it.”

Winter Queen, who had been dazed, finally snapped back to her senses.

“Yes, I heard. If you call, my brother, my friends, the Elders, and I will all come to help. The Grand Elders have recovered a lot, and just the three of them can defend the Castle of the Inexplicable.”

That much?

I had thought even one of the Grand Elders would be enough.

“I’m requesting it now. You know I’m at war with the Cult of the Old Father. In a week, I plan to dismantle the barrier and launch an assault on the Old Father’s Divine Kingdom. Please come help me then. Also, contact the four dragons we saved before and bring them too.”

Deeply carved into the back of my neck, the magic circuit.

The Dragon’s Summon.

Even though they had limited it to three uses, if I said it would all be settled in one campaign, they’d agree to come.

And that wasn’t all.

I was planning to call in the goblins too.

Even if they couldn’t join the frontlines, they excelled at rear support.

I was pouring everything into this final battle.

“Alright. I’ll head straight to the Castle of the Inexplicable and inform them.”

“You’ll need to use the Grand Escape magic chip I gave you earlier.”

“What?”

“This isn’t Mount Arctic anymore. It’s the Sea of Okhotsk.”

“Wh-What do you mean?”

“You’ll see when you step outside.”

I also pulled out my Grand Escape magic chip.

I decided to leave the private aircraft with Winter Queen for a while.

After all, the allied races would need transportation.

I told her to return it after using it.

Time for farewells.

Administrator 718, perched on Winter Queen’s shoulder, looked at me.

[I understand now why you’re taking the Heavenly Demon Divine Sword. It’s because of the Heavenly Demon Cultivation Technique, isn’t it? That enormous Heavenly Demon Cultivation Technique emanating from the southern nation.]

“Exactly.”

[Then just carrying the Heavenly Demon Divine Sword won’t be enough. Even if you manage to mimic the Heavenly Demon Cultivation Technique in that strange way of yours, it won’t be able to defeat the true Heavenly Demon Cultivation Technique. At the very least, you must draw the Heavenly Demon Divine Sword to destroy the massive Heavenly Demon Cultivation Technique spread over the southern nation.]

As expected of a magic spirit crafted by Red, the ancient dragon.

Even with the Frozen Palace’s dimensional distortion removed, he still sensed the existence of the black dome over Korea.

Maybe he had even glimpsed Red’s memories.

I tapped the golf bag lightly.

The Heavenly Demon Divine Sword’s required stats at 9th level.

Level 9 was still a distant goal for me.

But if it was just about matching the minimum stats, I already had a plan.

“I have a way.”

[You do?]

“Yeah.”

The first step.

Evolution.

Combining six Mutant traits to create a higher trait.

The one I’d been keeping in mind along with Wish.

If I evolved it with the World Trait again.

If I evolved, then evolved again, and transcended evolution to amplify my stats three times over.

The Heavenly Demon Divine Sword would become mine.