Chapter 19: Polar gate

Chapter 19: Polar gate

Hans reached the entrance of the gate and was taken aback by its size; he didn't doubt that it could easily fit at least a truck which was quite different to an E-Rank gate's entrance which could only fit a few people at once.

From what he had been told, among the four exploration teams sent inside, none had returned.

Undaunted, Hans ventured forth. However, contrary to his expectations, what awaited him on the other side of the gate was far from ordinary.

He couldn't discern anything and only felt that it was difficult to move, which made him wonder, 'Am I... underwater?'

Forming a cup with his hands and bringing it before his mouth, Hans released a bit of oxygen to determine which way was up. He then swam as swiftly as possible until his hand hit something.

It was solid, but also very cold, only then did he realize that it was ice.

Almost out of breath, Hans summoned his remaining energy to cast a spell.

In his haste, he opted for {Fireball} and cast it right inside the ice to avoid the spell's effect being stopped by the surrounding water.

It didn't take long for the ice to melt, finally allowing Hans to regain his almost-lost breath.

"Cough! Cough... haaa"

Exhausted, Hans lay on the ice and tried to expel all the water he had accidentally inhaled while trying to breathe. Gét latest novel chapters on nov(e)lbj/n(.)c/om

Only when he stood up to his feet did Hans finally get the chance to survey his surroundings.

After taking a look, he realized that he was in the middle of a frozen lake that stretched out for a few hundred meters in all directions with distant white mountain peaks and plenty of pine trees covered with snow that could even be seen afar.

The biting cold wind blew and penetrated Hans's wet clothes, causing him to shiver as countless snowflakes descended on him from the obscured sky.

His breath formed a trail of steam that was big enough to rival that of a chimney's plume.

"First things first, let's get out of this ice, standing on this isn't a good idea, nor is it safe," Hans then started to walk.

Nonetheless, with his clothes soaked wet and the temperature around being way below freezing, his endurance stat couldn't keep him safe from the cold and his fingers started freezing, allowing frostbite to set in.

After he arrived at the pines, Hans took off his clothes and released his skill, {Fire Veil}.

Though the efficiency was barely sufficient to stave the chill and warm him, the mana consumption was insane, he took the chance to warm himself up and dry his clothes using a hot breeze.

Only after he put his clothes back on did Hans finally start to feel a bit warmer and couldn't help but consider himself lucky to have entered this gate during fall with his jacket and jumper on, or else, had he gone in there with nothing but a t-shirt and pants, he would've been frozen to death by now.

The sensation of stuffing himself under three layers of clothing was truly the best comfort for Hans at the moment.

Just as he savored this peaceful moment of respite, a loud rustling sound erupted to his left. The trees in the distance started falling and the earth beneath Hans' feet started trembling.

What seemed to be an avalanche was closing on Hans, obliteration to the ground everything that came in its path.

Hans darted out of harm's way and crouched close to the ground to observe the passing snowstorm, but when he observed it up close, he noticed that there was something inside it.

When the avalanche subsided, a massive beast that looked like the fusion between an owl and a bear, with snow-white fur remained on the floor, watching around to find the prey it seemed to have lost.

Hans, who hid behind a tree, thought incredulously, 'Are you for real?'

[Race: Owl Behemoth

Name: None

Level: 92

Strength: 117

Dexterity: 59

Endurance: 99

Name: None

Level: 95

Strength: 142

Speed: 113(-25)

Endurance: 197

Wisdom: 1

Skills:

{Stone Skin (Tier-3)

Description: Envelopes the user's entire body or the selected part of their body in hard stone, making it impenetrable for arrows and blades.

Effect: Dexterity -10, Endurance +30,

Defense against sharp objects +100%.}

{Berserk (C-Rank)

Effect: Reduces the user's wisdom to 1, but in exchange, raises all of their other stats by 50%.

After the skill is used, all of the user's stats will be reduced by 30%.}

Sub-skills:

{Death Cry (D-Rank)

Effect: If in a critical situation, the moment berserk finishes, the user will emit an atrocious cry that will inflict an abnormal condition (Fear) on all of its enemies in the surroundings.}}

Description: A wild bear who has won countless battles and evolved over time, its {Stone Skin} is currently weakened due to its low wisdom, a result of the skill {Berserk}.

Current Evaluation: A low Rank-C beast due to the injuries it has sustained and the freezing effect caused by the spikes in its body.}

A true monster among monsters.

The moment the bear's {Berserker} would finish, the {Death Cry} would apply the status {Fear} to the behemoth's, turning them weaker.

By then, the bear's intelligence would've returned to normal, making it more sensitive towards sneak attacks.

This meant that there was only one chance for Hans to kill it, and it was now.

Hans rushed forward while maintaining his skill {Stealth}, closing onto the elite monster, and just when he was a couple of feet away from it, he started chanting the spell {Greater Fireball}.

The monster, caught up in its fury, couldn't manage to notice Hans, and by the time Hans' hand touched its fur, the spell was already done.

A violent heat surged into the bear's body, causing it to suffer more than it ever had in its entire lifetime.

Before dying, however, it decided to put up a last struggle, and dedicated all of its remaining energy to let out a deafening cry.

{DEATH CRY}

————

Sub-skills:

Sub-skills are specialized branches of a skill.

For instance, within a martial art skill, the initial form could be considered its primary aspect. Whereas sub-skills are within a wide variety of skill sets, like {Flame Control}, which might include techniques like {Flame Spear} or {Flame Fist} which fall under the category of flame arts.