Chapter 878 Summit Surprises and Frozen Finds

Chapter 878 Summit Surprises and Frozen Finds

Ren landed on the summit, feeling the impact reverberating through his body, his HP dropping by half in an instant.

[You've suffered Bludgeoning damage!]

But at least he was still alive.

"Evie?" he immediately called out.

"I'm fine," came a muffled voice, and when Ren looked to the side, he found Evie stuck in a pile of snow.

"Evie!" Ren hurriedly helped her to her feet.

"Thanks, I almost got buried there," Evie said as she brushed the snow from her clothes.

Ren couldn't help but stifle a laugh. She was small and cute when she did that.

Evie peered up at him from beneath her long lashes, a playful glint dancing in her eyes. "You just laughed, didn't you?"

"Sorry," Ren chuckled, unable to contain his amusement. "I couldn't help it. How did you manage to get buried in the snow?"

"Did you see the size of that thing?" Evie gestured towards the towering pile of snow nearby. "It could swallow you whole."

Ren doubted the snowdrift was that massive, but he wisely opted to keep his mouth shut unless he wanted to endure an endless barrage of stomping on his feet.

"Hey Iraelyn, how are you going to get up?" Vivi asked Iraelyn, who was still stuck with Potato and the others down below.

"Wait, I'll go down there and help you up!" Azazel offered, but Ren immediately grabbed him by the collar.

"And who's going to hurl you upward when that happens?" Ren asked pointedly.

Azazel thought for a moment, then grinned. "I guess I'll just have to hurl myself—!"

Azazel was flung to the side while Ren addressed Iraelyn.

"Get down with the others first. Climb up here after the swarm has ceased!" Ren commanded.

While Iraelyn was busy coercing Potato and the others into considering the ascent back to Whispering Peak, Ren and the rest of the group were preoccupied with inspecting the summit, where the Goddess of Gossip supposedly imprisoned.

However, instead of finding a majestic castle as expected, all they encountered was a barren expanse of ice, with a towering sphere at its center.

"I thought there would be a grand castle here," Elena remarked, a hint of disappointment coloring her tone.

"Or a prison,' Evie added.

"Is the Goddess really here?" Desira scanned the surroundings with a furrowed brow. "I don't see anything except that ugly-looking icicle spire."

Ren and the others approached the only structure at the center of the summit.

It was an imposing ice spire that seemed to stretch endlessly upwards.

"Hey, what's that inside?" Elena leaned in, peering through the crystalline surface.

Upon closer inspection, the group discovered a woman trapped within the ice.

"Could it be . . . ?" Vivi's voice trailed off in surprise.

"It must be the goddess," Desira remarked, her enthusiasm lacking.

"Yes! We've finally found her!" Azazel exclaimed, jumping to his feet. "Now we can finally learn where Lorelai is!"

"Don't get your hopes up too much," Malifira interjected, placing her palms on the ice. "I believe this crystal is the reason why we couldn't use magic in the first place."

"Eh? Really?" Azazel shrugged, seemingly unfazed by the revelation.

"Perhaps we could break this crystal and free her?" Elena suggested optimistically.

Malifira shook her head solemnly. "I'm afraid it wouldn't be that simple. This ice is protected by some kind of powerful array, making shattering it nearly impossible."

"But not entirely impossible, right?" Ren inquired.

Malifira beamed at Ren. "That's correct. However, we need Iraelyn's brute strength for that."