Chapter 19 - Ancient Ruins (2)

　　"This is Yuslan’s Ice Palace?" Taehyun asked, his teeth chattering in the bone-chilling cold. He had stepped through the door into a world trapped in the dead of winter. As he scanned the area, Riel pointed across a long, narrow bridge.

　　"No, Master. I believe that is Yuslan’s Ice Palace."

　　Beyond the bridge stood a magnificent palace of sculpted ice, something straight out of a fairy tale.

　　"If that’s the palace, then this is just some kind of outer field?" he wondered aloud.

　　"You seem very cold. We should hurry inside."

　　"Somehow, I doubt a palace made of ice will be any warmer," he muttered, glancing up at the blizzard raging overhead.

　　"Cold! Moo!"

　　"Kieek! Kieek!"

　　His soldiers, completely unprepared for the arctic conditions, were trembling uncontrollably. If only I’d known, I would have brought supplies for this, he thought with a pang of regret, though he knew it was impossible to scout a ruin’s environment beforehand.

　　[A deep chill is seeping into your body.]

　　[Physical stats will temporarily decrease.]

　　[Your movements are beginning to slow.]

　　[A deep chill is seeping into your soldiers’ bodies.]

　　[The soldiers’ physical stats will temporarily decrease.]

　　[The soldiers’ movements are beginning to slow.]

　　[The soldiers’ health is decreasing.]

　　[The risk of illness for you and your soldiers is increasing.]

　　That’s a lot of debuffs, he thought grimly. The penalties were crippling his army, and the constant health drain and rising risk of illness were even more alarming. Illness? Like a cold? We have to move, now. Even Riel was shivering, her breath misting in the air.

　　Taehyun rushed his soldiers toward the bridge. The moment they set foot on it, monsters materialized from the swirling snow.

　　[The spirits guarding the bridge of the Ice Palace have been summoned.]

　　[The Low-rank Ice Spirits, the Shirkas, are enraged by your intrusion.]

　　Creatures of pure, crystalline ice appeared before them.

　　"D-Damn it!"

　　"Master, your commands!" Riel urged.

　　"Ah, right! All units, battle formation!" Shaking off his initial shock, Taehyun quickly arranged his troops. This was his first time in direct command.

　　[The Command skill has been activated.]

　　[The soldiers’ reaction speed has slightly increased.]

　　[The effect of the Affinity skill has been activated.]

　　[The soldiers begin to understand the Master’s orders more quickly.]

　　He put his commander skills to the test, placing the minotaurs at the front, followed by the warrior goblins and wild dogs. His ranged units—the imps and archer goblins—formed the rear guard, with him and Riel positioned safely behind them all.

　　Twelve enemies, he calculated. We’re taking constant damage from the cold, so this has to be fast.

　　The Shirkas were already attacking, sending jagged spikes of ice erupting from the ground. His minotaurs stood firm, absorbing the blows, but the spikes remained, blocking their path.

　　"Imps and archers, ignore the spirits! Focus on destroying those ice spikes!" Taehyun commanded. "Riel, concentrate your Battle Heal only on the two minotaurs!" He then turned his attention to his melee units. "Wild dogs and warrior goblins, circle around and strike them all at once!"

　　His orders were rapid, not perfectly systematic, but decisive. His army responded instantly. Riel watched in awe, a shiver running down her spine at his sharp tactical judgment. In a blizzard, arrows are inaccurate, and the imps’ fire magic is nearly useless, she realized. He understood that immediately and repurposed his ranged units to clear obstacles instead. It was a simple deduction, but for someone in their first real battle, it was an astonishing display of battlefield awareness.

　　"Moo!"

　　The tide of battle shifted in their favor. The slowed minotaurs were still impenetrable shields, and his goblins and wild dogs scrambled over the shattered ice to overwhelm the spirits.

　　[The Elite Low-rank Warrior Goblin’s Pierce skill has struck the Low-rank Spirit Shirka.]

　　[Critical Hit!]

　　[The Low-rank Spirit Shirka’s health has been greatly reduced.]

　　One by one, the Shirkas began to fall. An army that should have been thrown into chaos was now fighting with overwhelming force, all thanks to his commands. Against all odds, in a hostile environment, Balak had claimed its first victory.

　　***

　　[Obtained a D-rank Mana Stone from the Low-rank Spirit Shirka.]

　　[Obtained a D-rank Spirit Stone Fragment from the Low-rank Spirit Shirka.]

　　[Obtained a Chilling Dagger from the Low-rank Spirit Shirka.]

　　The spirits guarding the bridge crumbled to dust, leaving behind a small pile of loot. As his victorious soldiers cheered, Taehyun collected the items. Looks like this place is a good source of D-rank magic stones. I can expand the army again soon. He also found a spirit stone fragment and a dagger. I’ll save the fragment for later and give the dagger to one of the rogue goblins.

　　With the items secured, he led his forces across the bridge.

　　"I took more hits than you! Moo!"

　　"No, I did! Moo!"

　　The minotaurs were now arguing over who had been struck more times. Taehyun sighed in relief. Thank God they didn’t go berserk. If both had lost control out here, it would have been a catastrophe.

　　Soon, they stood before the palace entrance.

　　[You have reached the entrance of Yuslan’s Ice Palace.]

　　[Yuslan’s laughter can be heard.]

　　A witch’s ominous cackle echoed around them, a chilling welcome. Taehyun tilted his head back, estimating the palace’s size. Almost ten stories tall, and maybe five times the area of Balak. The field was just a warm-up. The real challenge starts now.

　　He swallowed nervously as the two minotaurs pushed open the massive doors.

　　[You have entered Yuslan’s Ice Palace.]

　　[The cold disappears.]

　　[The existing debuffs are being removed.]

　　A wave of warmth washed over them as they stepped inside.

　　"It’s not cold in here, despite how it looks," Taehyun said, relieved.

　　"Indeed. This is much better," Riel agreed.

　　The first floor opened into a grand hall with a large staircase directly ahead and corridors branching off to the left and right. As Taehyun took stock of his improved condition, a large, red message flared to life before him.

　　[The spirits guarding the 1st floor of the Ice Palace have been summoned.]

　　It was a warning: dozens of Shirkas were materializing around them.

　　"Damn it! Everyone, to arms!" Taehyun shouted.

　　As his soldiers fell into formation, the eyes of the minotaurs, who had been glaring at the spirits, began to glow a furious red.

　　[The two Mid-rank Shield Minotaurs are beginning to go berserk.]

　　[They are on the verge of losing their minds.]

　　"Damn it all! Not now!" The one thing he had feared was happening. Just as they were surrounded, his main tanks were losing control.

　　"Kill! Kill! Moo!"

　　"Moo!"

　　The minotaurs tossed their shields aside and charged headlong into the swarm of Shirkas.

　　"Riel, what’s your mana?!" Taehyun yelled over the din.

　　"Only half remains from the last fight! I will have to rely on my Light of Healing ability to supplement my spells!"

　　"Got it! Conserve your mana, but focus everything you have on the minotaurs! The rest of you, they’re distracted! Attack now!"

　　Even for Mid-rank Shield Minotaurs, taking on twenty Shirkas at once was suicide. Taking advantage of the enclosed space, free of wind and snow, Taehyun unleashed his ranged attackers.

　　Swoosh! Whoosh! BOOM! A storm of fireballs and arrows slammed into the Shirkas, their health bars dropping instantly. The goblins and wild dogs surged forward to join the fray. Fortunately, the berserk minotaurs were only targeting enemies, allowing the assault to proceed smoothly.

　　"It hurts! But it does not hurt! Moo!"

　　"That’s right! Moo!"

　　But their reckless charge was taking its toll. The minotaurs’ health was plummeting.

　　"Master, I am out of mana!" Riel cried out.

　　"Damn it! Archers and imps, focus fire! Take them down one by one, starting with the front!" With Riel’s healing gone, his only option was to reduce the enemy’s numbers as quickly as possible. His choice was the right one. As the Shirkas began to fall, the pressure on his minotaurs lessened.

　　[You have won the battle against the Low-rank Spirit Shirkas guarding the 1st floor of the Ice Palace.]

　　[You have cleared the 1st floor of the Ice Palace.]

　　[You have obtained 4,000 Zen as a reward.]

　　[The experience of Balak’s soldiers increases by 120.]

　　[The wild dogs’ combat experience has slightly increased.]

　　[The goblins’ combat experience has slightly increased.]

　　[The imps’ combat experience has slightly increased.]

　　[The minotaurs’ combat experience has slightly increased.]

　　[The Named B-rank Supporter, Riel of Healing, has leveled up.]

　　They had won, but just barely. Taehyun sank to the floor, not even bothering to read the notifications. A cold sweat trickled down his neck. That was too close. If the minotaurs had even slightly less health or Endurance, our front line would have collapsed.

　　He let out a long breath and glared at the minotaurs, who were now recovering from their frenzy.

　　"I cannot move my body. Moo!"

　　"My shield is gone. I think you are the culprit. Moo!"

　　"Sigh." The two brutes did not even remember what had happened. Still, I’m lucky their berserk state gave them that temporary boost to their stats.

　　He let the soldiers rest and walked over to Riel.

　　"Master, I have learned a new skill," she announced. She had finally reached level 10.

　　Right, Riel had a class from the start, he remembered, pulling up her status window for the first time in a while.

　　[Riel of Healing]

　　[Rank: B (Named)]

　　[Level: 10]

　　[Class: Priest]

　　[Title: Hand of Healing]

　　[Affiliation: Balak]

　　[Loyalty: 76]

　　[Favorability: 40]

　　[Obedience: 25]

　　[Skills: Battle Heal, Sublime Will]

　　[Special Ability: Light of Healing (Active)]

　　[Strength: 1] [Endurance: 1] [Agility: 2] [Stamina: 2]

　　[Mana: 6] [Divinity: 8] [Affinity: 4] [Luck: 3]

　　Her loyalty, favorability, and other stats had all increased. And now she had a new buff skill: ‘Sublime Will’.

　　[Sublime Will]

　　[Skill Level: 1]

　　[Description: Casts a buff on five allies that increases their stamina and Endurance for a set duration.]

　　This is incredibly useful. Balak’s entire strategy currently revolved around its two minotaurs. A buff that made them even tankier was invaluable.

　　"What do you think?" Riel asked, tilting her head as she clutched her staff.

　　Taehyun found the gesture unexpectedly cute and fumbled for a response. "Uh, oh. It’s good. No, it’s great! A buff like this will be a massive help to the army."

　　"Is that so? I’m glad."

　　"Let’s rest a bit longer, then scout the first floor," he decided. "There are rooms down both corridors. It’s better to see what’s in them before rushing to the second floor."

　　"I agree."

　　They had no potions or scrolls to heal the entire army at once, but with Riel, they could recover over time. Having her with me is an absolute blessing, Taehyun thought, the close call reinforcing just how indispensable she was.

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