LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 18 -18-Release... Ice Prison Judgement!
Chapter 18: Chapter18-Release... Ice Prison Judgement!
Turning to face Caesar and Gresel, the unspoken trust he held for his companions was evident.
Pointing at the ground, he uttered a command: "Dig!"
Upon receiving the order, both Caesar and Gresel wore serious expressions.
While the task of digging might seem trivial for a swordmaster and a skeleton king of their caliber, an order was an order, and they never hesitated.
Caesar's Dark Dragon Blade and Gresel's Bone Chopping Blade alternated in tearing through the earth, with every strike sending mounds of dirt and rock flying as if turning the seas.
Time seemed to flow exceptionally fast at this moment.
In just an hour and a half, the insides of the hillock were entirely excavated. Such efficiency was unparalleled, even when compared to modern construction crews.
Upon completion, a massive magic array was unveiled.
Then, a familiar system notification echoed in Harrison's ears.
"Congratulations, you've discovered the entrance to the Fire Underground Cave!" Harrison was pleasantly surprised.
At that moment, a fiery gate gradually rose from the base of the magic array, revealing the passage to the Fire Underground Cave.
Witnessing this, Harrison leaped directly into the base of the hillock.
Standing before the magical entrance to the Fire Underground Cave, Harrison unhesitatingly stepped through.
As he did, three options materialized before his eyes, and a system prompt echoed in his ears: "Please select your desired challenge difficulty."
"Common."
"Hard."
"Nightmare."
"Common difficulty: monsters of standard strength, unchanged experience, and drop rates."
"Hard difficulty: monsters' strength increased by 50%, experience increased by 10%, and drop rates increased by 10%."
"Nightmare difficulty: monsters' strength increased by 200%, experience gained increased by 30%, and drop rates increased by 30%."
Faced with these options, Harrison, without hesitation, directly selected the Nightmare difficulty.
As the wind gently swayed, an amber-red glow emerged at the entrance of the Fire Underground Cave.
Accompanied by a warm breeze, Harrison ventured into this enigmatic realm.
Upon setting foot inside, he was immediately captivated by the sight before him.
Countless tiny flames, like stars in the sea, surrounded them.
These extraordinary embers possessed eyes - transparent and luminous, resembling the brightest stars in the night sky.
They fixed their gazes on Harrison, each eye seemingly concealing endless tales.
Almost simultaneously, as if reaching a mutual understanding, these flames converged their light and directed it straight at him in a barrage that bore clear intent to attack.
But in this perilous moment, the swordmaster swiftly moved, positioning himself protectively in front of Harrison.
To such a being, these incoming rays were like a gentle drizzle brushing against the skin, hardly a concern.
Before long, the skeleton king's unique skill activated.
The flames seemed bound by invisible chains, a manifestation of the skeleton king's Soul Fetters.
As time flowed, the Soul Fetters drawn by the skeleton king continued to sap the spiritual strength of these tiny flames.
The brilliance of the flames began to wane, and in a brief moment, those vibrant embers were extinguished one after another.
In the end, over two hundred of these tiny flames fell prey to the skeleton king.
Subsequently, Harrison's experience bar surged like flowing water, swiftly reaching 88% of level 20.
After a moment of silence, he crouched down to carefully examine the attribute panel of these little flames.
[Fire Feather Spirit]
[Level]: 20
[Rank]: Elite
[Base Strength]: 20
[Base Constitution]: 20
[Base Agility]: 40
[Base Wisdom]: 80
[Talent]: Basic Flame Immunity
[Skill]: Scorching Beam
The monster levels in the Underground Cave adapt according to the level of those who enter.
With an impressive wisdom of 40 points, these tiny flames could certainly deliver an attack potent enough to obliterate the average player.
Unfortunately for them, they encountered Harrison.
Harrison gazed upon the now emptied Underground Cave and proceeded forward.
He wondered what kind of monsters might still inhabit the nightmare tier of the Fire Underground Cave.
...
The Fire Underground Cave resembled a vast labyrinth, deep and expansive.
Even after clearing this particular region, the area they'd traversed was merely the tip of the iceberg.
Harrison directed both the swordmaster and the skeleton king to guard by his side.
At this moment, a thought sprouted in his heart: he wanted to personally experience the power of the Ice Prison Judgement.
Gradually, he concealed his staff. To channel the Ice Prison Judgement, he needed his hands to be unoccupied.
Softly chanting, an ancient and mystical incantation emerged from Harrison's lips.
Simultaneously, his consciousness rapidly swirled, and miraculously, the once blistering Fire Underground Cave began to experience a notable drop in temperature.
It was as if a northern wind swept across a desert; a chilling ambiance enveloped the entirety of the Fire Underground Cave.
The lava flow beneath began to thicken and even started to solidify.
Harrison acutely felt a significant drain on his wisdom.
Although the Lord of Element had reduced much of the consumption for him, at his current stage, the Ice Prison Judgement still posed a hefty burden.
He realized his oversight – he should have prioritized leveling up.
Shifting his thoughts swiftly, Harrison commenced using a simplified version of the Ice Prison Judgement.
As described in the Ice Prison Judgement codex, this strategy can be adopted when the caster's wisdom is insufficient.
With the gusts of the icy wind, the Fire Underground Cave became increasingly frigid, with frost forming all around.
At this juncture, the inhabitants of the Fire Underground Cave—fiery bats, molten ravens, and magma giants—seemed to detect the source of this chilling ambiance.
Drawn as if by a summons, they flocked together, converging swiftly towards Harrison's location.
Facing this oncoming horde of flame beings, both the swordmaster and the skeleton king stood battle-ready.
However, Harrison had already issued a warning. They must not intervene.
In this very moment, the temperature within the Fire Underground Cave plummeted further, with even snowflakes beginning to drift from above.
These weren't ordinary snowflakes—they bore the insignia of the Ice Order.
Animating as if possessing life, they descended gracefully, landing precisely upon each fiery being.
The moment a snowflake made contact with one, it instantly transformed its powerful fiery energy into frost.
The once formidable troop of flame creatures was now considerably weakened.
By the time they were but a few steps from Harrison, their entire forms were encased in ice, transforming them into crystalline ice sculptures.
Every inch of the Fire Underground Cave was now blanketed in frost.
The flames that once illuminated the entire cavern dimmed significantly, leaving only the icy blue glow emitted by the frozen flame creatures.
Finally, the simplified version of the Ice Prison Judgement drew to its conclusion.
The deployment of Ice Prison Judgement was unassuming in its display, yet its potency was undeniably terrifying.
It now ranked among the skills that could reverse the very ORDER of things.
The entirety of the Fire Underground Cave was encapsulated in ice.
Yet, this diluted version of the Ice Prison Judgement wielded a power merely one-tenth of its original might.
Harrison couldn't help but ponder.
If it was this formidable now,
What magnitude of force would it unleash if completely unfurled?
However, with his current strength, employing the full Ice Prison Judgement seemed overly ambitious.
"Crack~" "Crack~"
The icy seals imprisoning the flame creatures began to fracture.
With the shattering of the ice, The flame beings met their demise, one after another.
Countless golden glows merged into Harrison.
His form flickered thrice.
In this instant, he had ascended to Level 23. His experience bar swiftly surged to 95%.
With just a few more monsters to defeat, another level-up would be imminent. Harrison felt an unparalleled sense of comfort.
After all, every level-up rejuvenated him to his prime.
At this moment, from the remains of the extinguished flame creatures, four orbs of white light hovered in the air.
A thought struck Harrison.
Loot has dropped!