Chapter 178: Kingdom of Winter 3

Only half of Woohyuk's request ended up being accepted.

Colesman only granted him the right to use the Frost Queen's Necklace.

Moreover, he told Woohyuk to use it only when absolutely necessary.

However, Woohyuk didn't mind these results because he had expected from the beginning.

'There’s no way he would lend me Cardion so easily.'

As its name suggests, Stormblade Cardion was a powerful weapon.

The weapon could cause a storm in a radius of 1 km and sweep away everything except the caster.

However, because of its troublesome and dangerous nature, it was difficult to control it properly unless one had reached a high level.

'It won't be very useful in this situation either.'

Attacks with a wide AoE were good for large battlefields, but it would be a problem if the range was too wide.

Therefore, the Frost Queen's Necklace was more valuable in the current situation.

It could create ice golems and make the Frost Giants who would wake up from their long sleep obey the user.

While Woohyuk was creating a giant ice golem by carving out a frozen lake, Sieg ran to him to report.

“As you predicted, the undead army is trying to block the supply line. They are currently building a barricade-like fortress on the main road and attacking the wagons they find.”

“Keep monitoring them. Don't intervene with their plans yet.”

“But will Nigel get caught in the trap? As a lich, he must be quite intelligent...”

"He will."

Woohyuk knew the Lich Lord very well.

He had been training at Dreadlore for a very long time with the hopes of being recognized as Nakron's successor.

However, Nakron ended up choosing Woohyuk.

The Witch of Greed Angrboda must’ve informed Nigel of this as soon as she learned of it.

Therefore, Nigel was probably fuming and boiling with rage right now.

Sieg nodded at Woohyuk's explanation.

“I can understand his anger. Dreadlore's right of succession was passed on to a human instead of him, a lich who was of the same race as Nakron.”

“Up until today, Dreadlore had no true owner. So, when I show up proving that I am Nakron's successor, Nigel will be pushed out of power and lose his position.”

“Will you use that ice golem to attack Dreadlore? Its size is really gargantuan.”

Sieg looked up at the ice golem Woohyuk was working on.

It looked like it could potentially trample on 10,000 undead troops on its own.

This ice golem wasn’t something that anyone could create, even if they had the Frost Queen’s Necklace.

To create such a powerful ice golem, one needed a great amount of skills and mana capacity.

It was safe to assume that this was not much different from the ancient golems in the myths.

“It's role is to simply draw attention. Dreadlore has been famous for its impregnable castle from ancient times, so we’ll need a little trick like this.”

“.. As long as you motivate yourself, you could conquer the entire world, My Lord. Even with just a few troops.”

Elite vassals such as Leifina, Bailey, and Tinia were not involved in this expedition.

That was how much Woohyuk was confident in his abilities.

As Sieg understood the will of his lord, Brynhild descended from the cold sky as she flapped her wings.

“I have dealt with all the witch familiars who were wandering in the air. There were quite a lot of them. She must’ve built a sanctuary somewhere nearby.”

“And Helena?”

“On her way here by foot. I was going to bring her together with me, but she said she was scared of flying. But she won’t be in danger since there aren’t any threats in the area.”

“I see. Her personality may be a bit strange, but she is still a saintess. Even if enemies appear, she can protect herself.”

Helena was useful when fighting against the demon faction due to her powers.

In addition, whenever she had time, she told Woohyuk about the contents written in the Nameless Tome and the Sangreal Chronicles.

Thanks to her, Woohyuk was able to obtain a lot of useful knowledge.

'If I hadn't met Eteria Rodinus, my plans would have gone seriously wrong.'

Only by restoring the Three Ancient Chronicles and completing all of the epic quests related to them could he prevent the upcoming catastrophes.

The first catastrophe among them was the advent of the fallen angel Cruella.

According to Helena, Woohyuk would need the reward for completing the epic quest linked to the Edda Chronicles to seal her.

In other words, no matter what happened in this expedition, he absolutely had to obtain the chronicles.

If he failed, the dark future that Boetius had shown him would become a reality.

By cutting a large chunk of ice from the lake, Woohyuk determined himself.

***

Dreadlore, the fortress of the dead.

A blond white man stood alone on the high wall frozen by the cold.

His name was Peter Logan.

He was the head of the Reaper Clan, which ranked 3rd in the overall clan rankings.

“Hmmh... I’m so fucking bored.”

historical

Logan had to defend Dreadlore while Nigel was away.

Angrboda, the Witch of Greed he followed and worshipped, had joined hands with Nigel.

The two were eager to find a certain man.

“Is there anything interesting happening around here?”

Logan looked down the wall with a distinctive gloomy expression.

A skeleton swordsman with an old spear was walking right under him.

Logan picked up a little pebble from the floor and dropped it on its head.

The skeleton stopped and looked straight up at Logan.

“...”

“Ah, sorry, sorry. It was an accident.”

Logan grinned as he acted innocent.

Quite the nasty attitude.

However, the skeleton swordsman resumed his march and continued his walk.

Logan was quite high in Dreadlore's command system.

“At least messing around with the undeads isn’t so boring.”

Suddenly, the events at the Labyrinth of the Dead came to mind.

After long twists and turns, he had reached the secret room, but the treasure chest was empty.

Although he had received a Hidden Class ‘Soul Reaper’ as a reward, he couldn't help but collapse in shock.

Someone had reached there before him and had gained a better reward.

“Well, Soul Reaper isn’t so bad.”

He had the ability to increase his stats and equipment levels by harvesting the souls of the enemies he killed or to summon monsters.

It was unsatisfactory compared to the Necromancer class that could directly create undeads, but it suited his tastes.

As Logan fiddled with the pistol at his waist,

“Clan Master, I have captured the men who were loitering in the area.”

A heavily armed white woman with brown hair approached him.

Logan raised his head.

“Oh, enemy scouts?”

“After briefly interrogating them, they seem to be deserters. They said they killed their vicious boss and ran away.”

It was a common occurrence in the military cities of the Norton Kingdom.

The military’s discipline has become disorderly and internal corruption had reached its peak.

However, there was also the possibility that they were spies, so Logan did not make a decision yet.

“Perfect timing. I was thinking of something to do, so I’ll interrogate them myself. Lead the way, Evelyn.”

“Yes, Clan Master.”

Evelyn turned and headed to the place where the deserters were held.

When they arrived at their destination at the execution stand, Logan saw the men groaning, tied to wooden posts.

“Ugh...”

"Please.. Take us in...!”

They wanted to be Logan's men.

Even if they returned to their city, they would be hanged.

The climate in the Norton Kingdom was harsh, so it was impossible to hide in remote mountainous areas for a long time.

However, Logan shook his head as he didn’t really need more soldiers.

“I can't trust people who killed their own boss. What if you are dissatisfied with me and try to kill me one day?”

“That, that won’t happen! I'll do anything you want, so please give me a chance!”

One of the soldiers shouted in despair.

Logan approached him and tilted his head.

“Anything I want?”

“Y-yes! I'll join the Witch Cult right away! Engrave the brand on my body!”

“Hmm...”

As Logan pondered, he put his hand on his chin.

After a while, he drew his pistol and stuck it inside the deserter’s mouth.

Click.

The sound of the gun recharging resounded, and his left index finger pulled the trigger.

Bang!

Gunfire resounded inside Dreadlore.

"No way. I prefer to kill you and do something more interesting afterwards.”

“That, that’s...!”

The remaining prisoners were shocked as they had seen the back of the victim’s head explode.

Some of them had received bits of flesh on their faces.

They hadn’t expected Logan to be so ruthless!

While they had heard rumors of his notoriority, they didn’t expect him to kill deserters who had come to join him.

As the atmosphere changed drastically, Logan smirked and looked at the others.

“Anyone else? If you can entertain me, I might not kill you right now.”

“...”

Everyone tried to come up with a plan in their heads.

Some of them tried them out, but Logan shook his head.

“How disappointing. Trying to make me laugh with such a boring joke. Hey Evelyn, light them on fire. I’ve made my mind.”

“As you wish.”

At Evelyn’s glance, members of the Reaper clan gathered piles of firewood around the prisoners.

Afterwards, a magician shot a Firebolt, and flames rose towards the deserters.

Grey smoke began to soar in the air from the center of Dreadlore.

“Arrggghhhh! Aaaaahhhhhhhhh!”

The men screamed painfully as fire burned their legs and melted their flesh.

Logan giggled at the sight, then spoke to them.

“If you want mercy, tell me anytime. Because I am the only Savior you can count on right now.”

“Kill me now! It's too painful!”

“Really? Then I won’t hold back...”

Logan raised his pistol again.

Afterwards, a hole appeared on the man’s right chest.

Bang!

“Aaaagggghhhh!”

"Huh? My aim was off. Sorry, I guess I pulled the trigger too hastily. It’s a special weapon made by Sir Aleister, but I wasn't careful enough.”

He had obviously avoided a vital spot on purpose.

Logan stopped speaking and repositioned himself slowly.

And..

Bang!

This time, the bullet passed through the man's right knee.

Realizing that Logan was messing around, the prisoner cursed him.

“You damned motherfucker! I curse you and your descendants to suffer at the hands of demons!”

“Ah, it’s hard to keep watching a man wither in pain. My bullets aren't hitting the target, so I’ll have to use another method. Evelyn, bring the oil.”

“I knew you would ask for it, so I’ve prepared it in advance, Clan Master.”

Evelyn pointed at the oil drum in a corner.

Logan smiled in satisfaction and lifted it with both hands.

“There are infinite ways for humans to die. And this is just one of them.”

Black oil poured out as he shook the container.

Afterwards, the flames encroached on the soldiers and soared like crazy.

Logan shouted with all his heart with an expression full of joy.

“Amen!”

For him, death was sacred.

The fate that all mortals had to accept.

It was liberation and salvation, but on the one hand, it was also truth.

Similar values as Aleister Crowley.

That was why he had chosen to work with Logan.

In the midst of this frantic execution,

“Clan Master! There’s trouble!”

A member of the Reaper Clan ran towards him.

Logan spoke with an annoyed expression.

“What is it? My game isn’t over yet.”

“An incredibly huge ice golem is walking this way with over 10,000 troops! According to the flag’s emblem, they seem to be the Rhine Kingdom’s army!

“.. Huh?"

The finger on the trigger stopped moving at the last second.

Immediately, he heard the cries of a cat from the top of the wall.

“Meooow! Finally found him!”

It was Catsy, the beastwoman Woohyuk had tamed as his pet.