Chapter 16: The Blessed One

On the lonely peak of Ice Gate Mountains, the chief of the Frostzards stood. His eyes were still fixated on the sun that slowly settled down. Instead, it was replaced by a green orb that was supposed to be the moon.

"...Before my bed, the bright moonlight,

It seemed like frost on the ground.

I raise my head and gaze at the bright moon,

In my heart, thoughts of family and friends.

I wanna leave, but it's too soon..."

In a deep voice, he recited a poem. This was one of his hobbies.

"...Quiet Night Thoughts

A Song of Mount Bīng Mén (A/N: Bīng Mén Translates to Ice Gate)

Far up the cold mountain, the stone path winds.

Amidst white clouds, a dwelling comes into view.

Pause, sit, and love the forest at dusk,

Frost-kissed leaves, redder than flowers.

Deeply aware, though distant, emotions endure,

Sadly gazing at the murmuring flow.

Facing my love, no words need to be said,

Yet, recalling old feelings, I cherish the bright moon..."

"I... Have no regrets."

Out of nowhere, some kind of dark energy accumulated right behind the Frostzard. The dark energy slowly materialized into a shadow, a 3D shadow.

It looked quite menacing. Abruptly, the shadow kneeled on the ground. Dark energy sparked around him.

Though reciting poems was a hobby, it was also a method—a method to summon his most trusted spy, Azkoth, a female of the Shadow race. They were one of the most unique races living in this entire world, and due to their ability that enabled them to travel through the shadow realm, the members of this race were often called the hunter race, the spy race, the assassin race, and the tracker race.

The one working for the Frostzard Chief could be said to be the best of the best within his race. He managed to become a stage 7 Zulu entity at the tender age of 156.

His talent just slightly paled in comparison to the current young chief and this Frostzard Chief.

After pondering for a few more seconds, the Frostzard Chief finally opened his jaws. "Was that the truth?"

"Yes, my lord. Every bit of it was true."

"Then why didn't you intervene and save my general?"

"Because..."

"Because?" The Chief asked in a calm voice, his calm lake-like eyes reflecting the green moonlight.

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"Though with my appraisal, I made sure he was just at stage 3 of Zulu rank... I could sense the aura of a deity on him, a very mysterious aura. Moreover, I have a gut feeling; it's more than one deity—he is a blessed one."

"Blessed one..." The Frostzard chief, for the first time in a while, frowned as his expression became grim. The Frostzards believed in deity Ranka, the Toad men believed in the lord of storms, the werewolves believed in the Almighty Wolf God.

Everyone had their different beliefs. It was said that these gods once upon a time really walked on lands. But after the Ice Ages, these gods were never to be seen again. No one could hear their soothing tones. It was believed that the gods had abandoned this world.

But a few rumors were present—few rumors that said gods hadn't abandoned this world. There still existed some gods that loved their children and blessed a few of them with the powers of Godhood—the Blessed Ones!

Even the Frostzard Chief had yet to see a single blessed one.

'A blessed one...' Ripples suddenly seemed to form in his calm lake-like eyes as his mind went blank for a second.

"My lord? Are you okay?" These words brought him back to reality. After giving a small cough, he replied, "Yes, I'm okay."

"Are you sure you sensed godhood?"

"Yes, 100%. Those auras in his body were similar to the presence left on the artifacts and relics of gods." Though these relics and artifacts that were used by gods almost went extinct, there was actually one of them in the Frostzard Clan.

The ashes of Saint Pride, a demigod and a follower of the Deity Ranka. Though they were useless, the power alone contained by those ashes was more than enough to blow up any Zulu rank life form.

The strength possessed by even the slightest amount of godhood was beyond any mortal's mind; it was beyond comprehension.

At first, the Frostzard Chief was planning to send some spies and understand the general strength of that monkey. However, it looked like he needed to make changes in his plan.

The winds of this world were changing; they were becoming more violent and hazardous.

The Frostzard Chief looked at the northwest side and said softly, "A blizzard is coming."

...

[North-West side of the great boundary]

"Yawn~" Allen released a soft yawn as he stretched his body, releasing all the tension within his joints. After relaxing his body, he looked at the small hut.

"Sigh, customers might come soon. What will they think upon seeing this?"

"Master!" Abruptly, a voice echoed in the air. It was from within the shop. A young-looking toad energetically rushed towards Allen with a black rifle in his webbed palms.

The manner in which this Toad walked was quite funny. While it resembled a human running awkwardly, to make it funnier, the toad was also hopping within certain intervals.

"What is it, Mud?"

"Master! You were so cool! Accept me as your disciple!" In an excited voice, the toad said.

"No, you're weak." The excited toad still hadn't lost any hope. His eyes were still cheerful.

'Ah! The irony.' Allen smiled slightly as he shook his head and then walked inside the hut, the toad following him.

Once Allen entered his store, he would practically be invincible. Because he could literally turn his shop into a mass-killing weapon. But without the owner, the weapon would remain useless.

This was true even for this hut.

Haa... I really wish for an auto defense mechanism.

In a low voice, which was barely audible, Allen said. "Hey system, to repair this shop completely, how much will it cost?"

[15,000 system credits]

"Ahh~ and here comes the rip-off."

[What? I'm serious]

"The last thing you are is serious. Even a toddler won't take you seriously. Maybe chunibyos will." Saying this, Allen looked at the Toads.

"Welcome, master!" Some Toads near him could hear his words, but mostly ignored it. They were already used to this. Looking at these Toads, a small smile bloomed on Allen's face. It wasn't human interactions, but at some point, these Toads seemed more human than an actual one; they seemed to have more humanity than the actual ones.

To some extent, they really seemed to be humans.

"Now let's enjoy Frostzard meat along with master!" And this was when the immersion finally broke. Well, the keyword was to some extent.

Shaking his head, he looked at the roof. "You all wanna see magic." Like children who were offered to listen to magical tales, the Toads came excitedly. A few old mature Toads just looked from afar with a humanly smile; the look on their faces was slightly creepy.

"System, do it for 5,000."

[Dea- wait what! No, I'm an honorable system who gives correct pric-]

"Cut the chase. 7,500."

[...]

[Deal.]

Suddenly, blue pixels gathered on the rooftop. The damaged walls recovered to how they were previously before destruction.

"Wow!"

The Toads watched this miracle happen with widened eyes.

...

A/N: Took a day off yesterday and had a good rest. Next break will be after 15 chapters, after chapter 30 is published.

...