"Doesn't seem like a place you could get lost."

The sap worm cave had no particular traps, and the path was straightforward, so all they had to do was keep moving forward.

"Wind Cutter!"

KWA-KWANG!

The blade of wind struck the cave wall once more, slicing the worms to pieces.

"Didn't you say you'd only catch one more?"

"No, well... I just meant it figuratively."

That's what he said, but looking at the worms clinging to the wall, he couldn't help but feel a tingling sensation.

"How can I resist this?"

He could ignore the occasional straggler, but when he found a spot where beetles were clustered together in a swarm, he just had to unleash his magic.

And so, Carpe continued through the cave, racking up small bits of experience.

Then, at some point, the sap worms disappeared altogether.

"Huh?"

The air had changed.

The hot, humid, and sticky atmosphere had suddenly turned cool.

"Suddenly, the vibe is..."

-Looks like a boss is about to appear. Be careful.

As the Heavenly Demon predicted, the moment he rounded a corner in the cave, a vast space that was clearly the boss room came into view.

And strangely enough...

"...Fog?"

The entire boss room was covered in a thick fog, and in the center of that fog, a blurry silhouette was wriggling.

That must be the boss.

-The feeling is totally different from those beetles, eh? The atmosphere is pretty intense.

Yeah, it is.

He could see why thick fog was a common trope in thriller movies.

An incomplete view, in and of itself, created a sense of unease.

Gulp.

His mouth went dry from the tension, and he swallowed hard.

The fog was so thick that he couldn't see the thing clearly.

But instead...

Crunch - crunch-

The sound of something being chewed was crystal clear.

It seemed he had arrived just in time for the boss monster's meal.

Hoo. Lucky me.

Most creatures were inevitably vulnerable while they were feeding.

It was the perfect time for a surprise attack.

The boss monster, still unaware of its uninvited guest, continued its meal.

Carpe quietly extended his right hand toward the silhouette.

I'll have to use no-chant here.

There was no way he could shout out a skill name during a surprise attack.

But Lase had implemented a ridiculously absurd system when it came to 'skill names'.

Users could mentally activate any active skill in Lase, but...

-You know that if you don't shout the skill name when you use it, the effect is reduced by 50%, right?

If he used a skill without chanting, the skill's effect would be halved.

It wasn't just about damage.

Taking Wind Cutter as an example, if he used it without chanting, the damage would be reduced by 50%, the chance of inflicting Bleeding would be reduced by 50%, and even the fixed damage from Bleeding would be reduced by 50%.

In other words, every effect that the skill could potentially produce would be cut in half.

It was practically forcing players to shout out the skill name.

-I wonder why they even put a system like this in. Well, I guess I can understand it a little bit.

In combat, there was a bigger difference between saying the skill name and not saying it than people realized.

This was especially true in PvP between users.

They could guess what skill their opponent was using based on the skill name.

-Choose one or the other, I guess.

This system forced players to make a choice in combat situations.

If they wanted to prioritize stealth at the cost of damage, they could use no-chant.

If they wanted to ensure definite damage and effects, they could use chanting.

The developers' intention was to enrich the strategy by giving players a choice.

But currently, most Lase users followed the unspoken rule of using chanting to activate their skills.

For one simple reason:

You gotta shout the skill name to look cool.

There's a reason why martial arts comics always have characters shouting out the name of their technique when they attack.

The reason why they always shout the name of their move even in a life-or-death struggle that can be decided by a hair's breadth is because it looks cooler!

Efficiency and strategy were secondary.

Carpe completely agreed with this sentiment, but...

Well, there are times when I have to use no-chant.

Like right now.

Moreover, Carpe had an item that could negate the penalty of no-chant.

Enigma. Store Magic. Wind Cutter.

[You have stored 'Wind Cutter' in the Enigma.]

The first legendary item Carpe obtained after changing classes to a Magic Lord.

Additional Option 3 (Hidden): You can designate and store one skill. The stored skill consumes less MP and can be used with 'No-Chant.'

When using magic with this option, you will not receive the penalties of No-Chant.

The unique effect of the 'Magic Weapon - Enigma' was being activated.

Wind Cutter!

A blade of wind was created in front of his outstretched right hand.

[Due to skill enhancement, magic is additionally activated.]

The additional activation, which had only a 30% chance of occurring, triggered once again.

Two crescent-shaped 'Wind Cutters' crossed in an X shape and shot toward the silhouette.

Ka-ga-gak!

The blades of wind sliced through the fog and collided with the silhouette.

BOOM!

The air exploded, scattering all the fog around the boss monster, revealing its true form.

Crunch - crunch-

A triangular head and two large eyes.

A seemingly impenetrable carapace and two large scythes.

A mantis.

A blue mantis that appeared to be about 2 meters tall was eating something.

"What?!"

Carpe gasped.

Incredibly, it had blocked both Wind Cutters without taking any damage.

As if it had a cryo ability, tiny ice crystals floated around it, and when those ice crystals collided with the Wind Cutters, they created a massive air explosion.

But that wasn't why Carpe was shocked.

"...What is that?"

As the fog cleared, the scene was revealed.

Centered around the blue mantis, the corpses of countless beetles lay scattered within a radius of about 5 meters.

Judging by the white frost covering each sap worm, they all seemed to have frozen to death.

And in the center of those beetle corpses was a massive beetle corpse that looked at least 5 times larger than the others.

Crunch - crunch-

The blue mantis was consuming that giant beetle.

-What's going on here?

Both Carpe and the Heavenly Demon realized it at the same moment.

That giant beetle was the boss of this sap worm cave.

And that boss had just been killed by another monster whose identity they couldn't figure out.

[You have encountered the Event Monster 'Fragment of Geyser'!]

At the same time as the notification, the name 'Fragment of Geyser' appeared above the mantis's head.

A name that was an even deeper red than blood.

It was proof that there was a level difference of more than 35 between it and Carpe.

"This is giving me some deja vu."

He had already experienced encountering an event monster with a level difference of more than 35 once before.

The Mad Priest he met in Luana's Pit.

It was the exact same situation as when he met the fanatic Maynades.

In other words...

"So, this means it's a monster related to the Magic King's relic?"

Carpe heightened his tension.

He had already experienced it once, so he knew that these event monsters were no ordinary monsters.

A moment's carelessness would certainly lead to death.

[Dragon's Eye is activated.]

Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated. First, he needed to figure out its information.

Carpe used the Dragon's Eye on the mantis named 'Fragment of Geyser', and...

"...Huh?"

He was faced with an information window that exceeded his imagination.

Ding.

[Event Boss: Western Ice Emperor (西氷帝) - Fragment of Geyser]

[HP: 33% MP: 33%]

[Skills Possessed]

8-Star Mind Control (Boss Exclusive Skill)

8-Star Ultimate Camouflage (Boss Exclusive Skill)

8-Star Blizzard Nova (Boss Exclusive Skill)

6-Star Praying Mantis Fist (螳螂拳)

[Equipped Items]

None

"Whoa."

Carpe uttered an exclamation that was difficult to put into words.

The mantis's information window was that astonishing.

The grandiose title of 'Western Ice Emperor', the HP/MP that was only 33% remaining, were all surprising, but the most shocking thing was that it had three 8-star skills.

Even the Field Elite Boss only had one 7-star skill... As expected, a mythic class quest had a matching level of difficulty.

-Hey.

"I know. I'll focus as much as possible without letting my guard down..."

-Let's run away. We can't beat this thing.

"...Huh?"

Carpe turned his head to look at the Heavenly Demon.

The Heavenly Demon's face wore a seriousness that had never been seen before.

-I thought maybe it wasn't that bad, but... damn it! It was the Western Ice Emperor's offspring?

"Who's the Western Ice Emperor?"

-I'll explain later, but for now, let's run...

That's when it happened.

Ding.

[Fragment of Geyser recognizes you.]

"Kyek? Kyeeeek?"

The giant mantis, which had been preoccupied with its meal, turned its head towards Carpe.

-Damn it. We're screwed.

"Is it because it's an invincible boss again? I think I can handle it, though."

It wasn't unfounded confidence.

The proof would soon appear.

[Fragment of Geyser uses 'Mind Control' on you.]

[Unsealing is activated. All mental interference magic and status conditions are removed!]

Chang!

With the sound of something breaking, the 8-star skill was shattered, almost anticlimactically.

Carpe grinned.

"One of its three 8-star skills is completely sealed."

Now there were only three skills left.

Among them, the only skills that seemed to be offensive were Blizzard Nova and Praying Mantis Fist.

If he focused only on those, it might even be easier than Maynades...

-8-star skills aren't everything.

"Huh?"

-Do you remember the 'Dragon's Eye' option accurately?

"Accurately?"

The legendary necklace 'Dragon's Eye' he obtained after defeating the event boss Maynades.

Its option was simple, but powerful.

"Of course, I know it. Checks the target's current HP/MP, equipped items, and skills... Huh?"

Carpe's face turned pale as he said that.

That's right. There was something.

A phrase he hadn't even thought of because it was such an exceptional clause!

Behind the Dragon's Eye option description, it was clearly explained in parentheses:

[However, skills of 9-stars or higher, and items of Epic grade or higher cannot be checked.]

"Kyeeeek!"

Was it upset that its skill had been shattered?

The emotion of anger was clearly revealed in the voice it spat out.

"..."

The moment Carpe realized the seriousness of the situation, suddenly, a cold wind blew.

At first, it was just a cold wind, but in an instant, it turned into a biting blizzard.

And the blue mantis stood at the center of that blizzard.

"Kugh?!"

As the blizzard fiercely struck Carpe's body, his HP was reduced.

What was absurd was that this blizzard wasn't a skill.

It was merely a premonitory phenomenon before the skill was activated.

-...It's coming!

The moment the blizzard reached its peak, the creature's red eyes turned blue.

Crack!

The ground began to freeze, starting from around Geyser.

At the same time, an unpleasant voice, like the scraping of metal, echoed in Carpe's head.

[Die.]

The strongest 9-star Ice-attribute skill.

[Permafrost!]

Crack-crack-crack-!

The ice that manifested from the creature radiated outward like an oncoming wave.

The ice wave, which shattered all the corpses of the sap worms scattered on the ground, targeted Carpe's life.

"Damn it!"

Carpe cursed.

It was a touching moment to witness a 9-star active skill for the first time, but unfortunately, the situation was the worst.

He could tell instinctively.

He couldn't dodge this.

Even if he poured all of his saved stats into Agility, he would be swept away within 3 seconds.

And the moment he was swept away, he would undoubtedly be shattered to pieces.

"Inventory!"

It was a movement that was almost a conditioned reflex.

Carpe quickly opened his inventory and pulled out a scroll, but...

Crack!

The ice had already reached and frozen Carpe's feet.

[You have been exposed to the range of the 9-star skill 'Permafrost'.]

[You will be afflicted with the status condition 'Frostbite' with a 100% chance.]

[All movement is slowed. Skill cooldowns are increased by 100%.]

The 9-star skill Permafrost wasn't a particularly powerful skill in terms of damage. The single-hit damage was even lower than that of an 8-star skill.

However, everything else besides the damage was outstanding.

Tremendous activation speed, wide-area debuff field, and the best complex skill that also dealt wide-area damage over time!

Unless the user had magic resistance maximized, death was certain the moment they were exposed to Frostbite.

But there were always exceptions.

[Unsealing is activated.]

[The status condition 'Frostbite' is removed!]

Chang!

The moment the Unsealing was activated, all the ice that had been restraining Carpe was shattered.

"Kugh!"

Carpe didn't miss that opportunity and tore the scroll.

[Moving to the specified coordinates.]

Woosh!

When he came to his senses, he was already back in the Elven Village.

[HP has fallen below 60%, activating the Rune of Recovery.]

[1% of HP is recovered every second for 10 seconds.]

He hadn't even been hit by the skill properly, it had only grazed him, but his HP was plummeting.

Carpe collapsed to the ground in that spot and took a deep breath.

"Ugh. I'm alive."

-Are you okay?

The Heavenly Demon's voice was filled with concern.

It wasn't concern for his body. He had avoided a game over at the point he had returned to the village.

The problem was his mental state.

Carpe, who had defeated all the enemies he had fought until now and had been on a rampage, had retreated for the first time.

Was he perhaps greatly heartbroken and losing interest in the game...?

-You must have been surprised, so how about taking a little rest?

"Huh? Why?"

-......Are you really okay?

But in conclusion, the Heavenly Demon's concerns were as insignificant as a speck of dust.

"Of course, I'm okay. I just had such an amazing experience."

Carpe was smiling more brightly than ever before.

He could say with certainty that this was the most tense he had ever been in his life.

An elation that was difficult to put into words dominated his body, and at the same time, his competitive spirit blazed.

"Let's get it! We're definitely going to get it!"

-......I really can't follow your way of thinking.

It's so simple, it's at the level of Muk-Hyang.

The Heavenly Demon muttered to himself.

"Ah, but hey, what exactly is that thing? It's not a monster related to the Magic King, is it?"

But the Heavenly Demon seemed to know about that mantis.

If it was a quest related to the Magic King, the Heavenly Demon shouldn't know about it either, right?

-Ah, that? That thing is...

But the Heavenly Demon's answer was not to be.

The Elven Queen, Altair Woodguard.

She narrowed her forehead as if she had a headache and appeared in front of Carpe.

She examined the ice fragments stuck to various parts of Carpe's clothes and then sighed.

"Hoo. Why are all the Magic Kings so reckless? Carpe. Are you alright?"

"Oh, yeah. As you can see, I'm perfectly fine."

"That's a relief, then. If you can move, follow me. I'll answer what you're curious about."