Just on the feet of the Sun God’s Peak. Through the dark a dead campfire crackled as the air from the mountain blew. Two figures were sleeping on a tree just next to it.

It was an old man and a child. Their hair was quite in disarray since they hadn’t taken a bath for quite some time now. Each of them was tied to a tree branch covered by a blanket.

But the boy woke up. He was awakened because of the noises of the old man. It had been happening for three days already. Was the old man alright? The boy had just been letting him be but tonight he decided to wake him up.

<--->

In the northern reaches of the central continent lay a dungeon shrouded in mystery and peril. Though often referred to as the Dungeon of Ice, its true name was Frost-fire Grotto. This subterranean maze became increasingly stunning and treacherous with each descending level, a beguiling blend of beauty and danger.

Maintained by the northern Kingdom of Horando, also known as the Mountain Kingdoms, this frigid expanse was perpetually cloaked in white. The mountains themselves said to be colossal magical stones, exhaled frigid air, a testament to their icy nature. These towering monoliths, hypothesized to be composed of rare ice stones, dominated the landscape.

Within this realm, a clan revered the mountains as deities, worshiping it as their icy majesty.

As one ventured deeper into Frost-fire Grotto, the dungeon's ethereal beauty unfolded, with crystalline formations and shimmering ice sculptures, while lurking threats grew ever more formidable, challenging even the bravest adventurers.

Deeper and deeper to the floor, to the level where the Frozen Waterfall was. This was the deepest part a party had ever been into and the party that was pushing was there fighting their way but this was to survive, their limit had already been passed, and they were already exhausted.

A party of six.

Alphecca Varus, the sword of light. He was a man whose confidence bordered on arrogance, yet his impressive accomplishments justified his lofty self-regard. His presence commanded attention; he exuded an air of authority and self-assurance that was difficult to ignore. His success in dungeon diving spoke volumes, providing a solid foundation for his seemingly inflated ego. He carried two articles of swords and wore a closed leather jacket while wearing some armor inside the jacket

Elway Sen-ran, silent hands. He was a prominent noble in the central region, yet his reputation as an adventurer was nonexistent. Nevertheless, he held legendary status within the underground society. His notoriety instilled both fear and respect wherever he went. He was the clandestine operative of the group, the shadow lurking behind the glow of the limelight.

Redgar Nigel, The Fearless. Renowned as a collector of knives, he maintained a reserved demeanor, yet harbored a profound passion and empathy within. This inner fervor defied his outward appearance. He steered the party's moral compass towards righteousness, advocating for non-violence unless absolutely essential, this was rooted in his ancestral origins. He was the last blood of the Red Monks, his name was a testament to it.

Lenaya, Flame Charmer. One of the females in the group, she was a master Fire Mage. Her magic transcends into the highest form and only one of the few users of Fire Magic at the level of Magical Laws. That was the only Flame part of her title. The charmer part was because of her beauty. She was as tall as men at her party and every part of her was seductive. Through her golden flowing hair, her hourglass body, and the way she spoke. The strange thing was that she wasn’t married yet.

The Black Hood of the Church of Light. A mysterious figure perpetually at the Hero's side across every Era was a master of Magic Craft and could seamlessly fill any role within the party. Clad in the distinctive black vest and hood, a unique uniform from the Church of Light, his presence was both a symbol of unwavering support and a beacon of mystical prowess.

Tristana Spina Glacialis of the Ice Blade. The best user of ice magic of her time. She could conjure any type of weapon from her magic and was said to be on par with the Hero of the Era’s swordsmanship. The duel between the two was legendary. Her hair was short, bob-cat and with a tinge of highlights of blue. A modest body inside her leather armor that was made for quick movements and flexibility.

…

The party was escaping but on Alphecca’s mind, it was a tactical retreat. The Black Hood and Tristana were tired. They were the healer of their party. They had been dungeon diving for almost three months now.

There was a safe floor four levels above where they were. The 78th floor was a den of Hoarfrost Spiders. Like spiders, they shoot webs but there's icy fluid that could instantly freeze flesh. This was the farthest dungeon dive in the Frost-fire Grotto.

They were running on thin shallow ground. The liquid could inflict permafrost on any organism it touched except for the Spiders that kept on spawning from it. (It was Liquid Nitrogen and was kept from becoming gas by the temperature)

Lenaya was in the lead, she kept her party warm by casting heat enchantment to keep their body warm.

“I’m going to cast one again!!” Lenaya screamed as she raised her staff. A dim reddish glow basked their party.

Alphecca was the rear guard as they ran. He would shoot laser beams just by quickly drawing his sword. The magic would effectively destroy the spiders dissolving them.

“We are almost there!” Alphecca screamed.

The women glared at him while the boys continued running.

“I hate your optimism,” Lenaya complained but a beautiful smile cracked on her lips. The optimism of their leader was the reason he was the leader in the first place.

“Aw common! I’m just raising your spirits!” Alphecca screamed full of life and he sent another laser slash. It killed clusters of spiders as the beam jumped around the ice particles that had good reflections.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

“It should be close!” the black hood screamed, he was the one who was doing the mapping so he had the idea.

They passed the thin shallow ground and now had the space to maneuver but they continued the straight line formation with Lenaya on the lead, Redgar, Black Hood, Tristana, Elway, and Alphecca.

“I see it!!! Three enemies waiting at the stairs!” Lenaya screamed as she was on the front lead.

From their party lining up in a straight line formation, Redgar went out of the line and dashed forward to attack. With a wave of his to hand four knives floated from the pack that was behind him. It landed on his hands by holding two handles at the same time it would look like a double-sided knife.

The enemies waiting on the stairs to the next floor were Large Rabbits with armor and weapons made out of ice. Glacial Rabbits were their name and can be found on the mid-levels but as the level went deeper they became bigger and better.

“Just go on straight! Elway!!” Redgar said and proceeded to attack.

Elway threw two pieces of magic stones. It even floated for a few seconds in the air allowing Redgar to hit it with his Fire Knife making it explode a little (Same method for Raphael and Paramour’s combo) its explosion effectively created a smoke screen and Redgar did his work.

Rabid Elements 4x was the name of the technique Redgar used. It was easy to dodge when used on a straightforward attack but its power speaks volumes. The large rabbits died immediately. The earth element broke their armor, the water element enhanced the wind that cut them and finally, the fire element seared their flesh.

The party passed through. Between the two lumps of meat. Finish with his work Redgar fell back in his position in the right timing.

They immediately went up the stairs and began climbing up. There would be monsters there but rarely.

Every adventurer understood that the dungeon was, in some way, a living organism. It had a core that functioned as its heart, suggesting that the dungeon was aware of their presence. Moreover, the older the dungeon, the more it evolved, becoming a better version of itself.

Dungeons were dangerous and it would force its will when it saw its chance. One could call it fate or even coincidence, but the dungeons were there to kill humans. It was a fact that could never be changed.

The party went up the stairs and dungeon monsters began spawning out of the walls. The rarity was just in a very good timing. From the white-haired yetis and crystalline scorpions and the mix of a few greater ice elementals. It was trouble even for the greatest party in the whole realm.

As they had practiced hundreds of times they immediately went into formation and began the fight.

“This does not look good!!” the Black Hood said, it was more like a comment rather than a complaint.

“There!! That’s the weak side!” Tristana who was conserving her strength pointed out the left side of the monster parade. Her advice though was well taken.

From the rear side, Alphecca immediately attacked. His flash step totally removed the concept of distance. Meat and blood began painting the frozen stairs staining it, beautiful but deadly.

“Stop wasting your energy you show off!!” Redgar screamed, unlike Alphecca he was just aiming for the monsters that would need to be killed for the team to move forward.

“The spiders are coming!!!” Tristana who was now in the back said.

Elway immediately fell back then threw some bombs, he then screamed “30 seconds!!!” his quick thinking and solid decision had saved the party many times.

From the slippery stairs, the team began their ascent. The real problem was the Ice Elementals. The way they manipulated the ice was second to their nature and any kind of water was vulnerable to them. That meant that it was a natural bane for humans whose body was composed of water.

“I’m increasing the Fire Enchantment!!” Lenaya who was in charge of the enchantment warned them.

Rather than the warm enchantment it was a hotter version of the magic. A barrier of flame surrounded the bodies of the party. This time it was Lenaya’s turn to lead the charge.

Elway who was now in the rear kept check of their distance from the bombs to make an assessment “We are still in range!! Rubble would hit!!” he also warned, 10 seconds had passed from when he threw the bomb and a lot of the spiders were already over it.

“I will conjure an Ice Wall!! Don’t worry!” Tristana said. Her magic was already running low because she had to revive the Black Hood earlier in a brutal battle against a denizen of the Frozen Waterfall level.

They had successfully defeated Mist Dragon (It's like an oriental dragon, which means it’s the long one a “Wyrm” basically) but after that, they were swarmed by the Hoarfrost Spiders like they were waiting for them to be on their weakened state.

The rules of the dungeon could ever change as they go deeper and it was an accepted fact that’s why they were in their situation right now.

Tristana as she said conjured an ice wall by just flicking her hands. Lenaya and the two fronts, Redgar and Alphecca fought valiantly, only the 5 Ice Elementals and they were free to go but it was not that easy.

The dungeon of ice, Frost-fire Grotto was famous for its beauty but its infamy rose as it was one of the hardest dungeons for a party of an adventurer to dive in.

I even heard that a clan was cleanly wiped out when they did their dive.

The cold was starting to sting my fingers. I should have followed Elway’s advice to wear gloves but I just couldn’t feel my sword if I did that.

“SCREE!!!!”

A dying sound of one of the Ice Elementals, this lump of ice was probably the most annoying type of enemy I have ever encountered. I’ve already fought the four basic types of elementals and this one which was a combination of two proved to be the strongest of them all.

Redgar’s knives were amazing, I couldn’t believe that he felled the first one before me. Although it was annoying, it was just my elemental magic was not compatible with this enemy.

“We are still in range!! Rubble would hit!!”

I heard that musky voice, Elway just had to put the bombs. Well, I trust him and the party trusts him too. Should I use the Dragoon extract now?

“Alphecca!! You have used too much already in the fight against the dragon!! Stop it! We can make it!”

Her voice was warm and crisp like the fire she was conjuring. Lenaya warned me as I touched my chest pocket, am I really that predictable? I continued the fight using my flash steps and level 2 sword edge I’m slowly chipping off 3 of the ice elementals.

There are currently 5 of them, I’m managing 3 while Lenaya and Redgar had one each. I saw Redgar staring at me after he beat his ice cream. “Help her!!” I said to him. He just nodded to me and went on his way.

I felt cold biting in my limbs, Lenaya’s Flame Armor was effective but against three Ice Elementals it would be hard to keep up. It's their aura, the magic properties they exude. No wonder this dungeon hadn’t been pushed as far as we had.

It was just luck that there were no doppelgangers in this dungeon so far. I had to up the ante and increase the tempo of my attacks. I could feel eyes behind my back. I wasn’t showing off, but the sooner this shit was finished, the sooner we could go.

“You are going to break your knees sooner or later,”

I heard his ragged voice, Redgar really loved dissing me.

“Shut up! It's finished! Let’s proceed!” I answered with results and smiled at him.

The Ice Elementals which was basically a lump of sentient Ice began to disperse.

We would still need to scale up floors so that we could rest. Yeah, it should be like that.

“BOOM!!” the explosion of Elway’s bombs resounded from behind and we were just out of its range, that meant Tristana wasted her magic a gain. Now we could safely cut off from the Hoarfrost Spiders.

…

I felt my shoulders shaking. A voice pulling my feet to sweep off my weight.

“Old man!! Wake up!!” A familiar voice. A god damn annoying voice

“I’m still sleeping, shut up!” I said.

Wait am I dreaming?

As the dream in front of me collapsed I forced my eyes to wake up and I was back into reality. The face of the brat was on a worry and I was sweating buckets.

“Brat don’t look at me like that,” I said with a hiss.

I felt a cold wind soon after followed by trickles of water… it had begun to rain.