Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Ding—
A clear and crisp sound could be heard, then a pale blue map appeared in the backpack. The map was drawn using Ice Spirit Crystal Liquid. It was an ice-blue radiant grand hall, and the interior was carved with a huge Goddess of Ice’s Statue.
Just as Lin Jie came in contact with the map, the armor on Lin Jie’s hands was also covered in a thin layer of ice. It was simply a map, but the power of the Ice Elements was very powerful.
“Brave warrior, you have done well! I never expected that you could kill the pack of White Wolves in 10 seconds.” The soldier in the camp said seriously, “The information we have obtained from exploring was that the Ice Spirits within the Ice Shrine have already been controlled by an evil power. They are planning to attack the City of Light! Originally, we hoped for you to be scouts and return to relay the news. However, now, I think you have the strength. Would you be willing to help us eliminate the evil and protect the City of Light?”
Lin Jie said, “Then what about you?”
“Us?” The few soldiers looked at each other and smiled. He then said seriously, “Our souls have already been annihilated, it’s the Grand Mage in the camp who sacrificed his soul in exchange for the ability for our corpses to move. Now, the information has been conveyed, it’s time for us to rest.”
Bu Yi was stunned. “I am a Priest, I can revive you,” she said.
“No, it’s useless. Priests can summon souls, but they are unable to create souls. The reason why we have persevered here all along was to be able to convey the message to you and complete our last mission. Oh, the City of Light, my homeland, my wife, my child… I have given my all, I only hope that you can live peacefully…”
The voice became softer and softer. The skin of the soldiers who had been guarding the camp had suddenly shriveled up, revealing the frightening skeleton within. They had died long ago, the only aim in surviving was to send the message back to the best of their ability and protect the people they wanted to protect.
This camp also gradually disappeared with it. Everything was an illusion, which had been formed by the sacrifice of that unknown Grand Mage.
Baili Changcheng sighed deeply. He frowned and said, “I am losing control of my emotions a little. These few people have made me remember those soldiers that have been guarding the national border. They shed blood and sacrifice their lives in battlefields, but their identities would not be known. In the end, it was difficult to even send their ashes back home.”
Bu Yi also lowered her head, it was obvious she had received a huge mental shock.
“It’s all data.” Only Lin Jie calmly spoke those four words. He waved his hand and said, “Let’s go and enter the map. The Ice Shrine is our final destination. The EXP is rich, and there is an abundance of treasures too. If our luck is good, then we might even be able to open a few rare treasure chests.”
Bu Yi exchanged a look with Baili Changcheng, then they looked at Lin Jie weirdly. Bu Yi hesitated to speak, but she still spoke. “Lin Jie, Do you… really feel nothing?”
“No, I was touched by them too, I respect them and am very moved by them. I even have the urge to hold a grand funeral for them, but what meaning is there in doing so?” said Lin Jie. “Doing that will bring no benefits and will even result in huge expenditure. Therefore, even if I was moved to tears, I would still head in the most correct direction! I will use the most suitable method to obtain the most benefits. These benefits, I can give them to my relatives, my brothers, and friends, I can bring benefits to all the people I want to protect.”
“But…” Bu Yi seemed to still want to continue speaking, but she was stopped by Baili Changcheng.
“Everyone’s thinking is different. What Fu Sheng said is correct, these are only data. No matter how real they seem, they are still data. Data exist to release missions for us and give us rewards. There’s no need to be overly torn or grieved over it. However, what you said is not wrong either. There are some things in the game that have the qualifications for people to be moved by then too. Although this world is virtual, humans’ feelings are not fake.” Baili Changcheng said seriously, “The only thing we need to do is to follow our heart and leave no regrets, that is all.”
After hearing what Baili Changcheng said, Lin Jie took a glance at Baili Changcheng with a complicated look, but he immediately looked somewhere else. He smiled and said, “Alright, there’s no need to argue over a few NPCs, let’s enter the map first. Isn’t our aim to bring our cute friend, Baili Changcheng, to level up?”
“You’re the one that’s cute!” Baili laughed and smoothed things over. Everyone crossed the camp and gradually headed deeper into the Borean Tundra.
Along the way, Bu Yi kept her head down as if she was thinking of something. To that, Lin Jie could only secretly sigh. In Lin Jie’s previous life, he had also been moved from the bottom of his heart for the few soldiers, even to the point of tears, he admired their devotion to the city greatly.
However, after being reborn, he felt that too many things would happen in the world every day. No matter if one was moved or not, there were many things one would not be able to change. The only thing one could do was to try their best to become even stronger and protect the people they wanted to protect, that’s all.
Regardless of whether the two had finished their thoughts, Lin Jie took big steps as he walked into the Ice Shrine first.
Along the way, the pack of White Wolves became much more concentrated. The sound of wolves howling was non-stop. Within the howling cold wind, countless packs of White Wolves were hidden. However, those packs of White Wolves did not take the initiative to attack like the White Wolves outside, they just let out angry roars to prevent Lin Jie and the others from going near them.
As the three of them progressed, a radiant and magnificent Ice Shrine, which looked like it was made if ice crystals, was revealed!
This shrine was almost 30 meters tall, and it was made using Cryolite throughout. It was like a naturally made ice palace, and the ice crystals that were without even a speck of dust made one intoxicated in its beauty. However, the ghastly biting wind from within made it seem weird.
The Ice Shrine had a total of three floors. Each floor was 1,000-meters wide, and the end would not be in sight. At the top was where the Goddess of Ice’s Statue was placed. Currently, weird sounds could be heard from within. It seemed like whisperings but also wailing.
“Boohoo… Boohoo.”
Just as the three of them stepped into the shrine, a layer of white mist instantly blocked their view. Hideous and frightening faces could be vaguely seen from the white mist. It was actually tens of Snow Elves, which had instantly ambushed them when they entered the map!
“Be careful!” shouted Lin Jie loudly.
Dark Chaotic Hole instantly enveloped the three of them, and the word “MISS”, which popped up from their heads, filled the place.
[Ice Shrine’s Snow Elf] (Elite)
Level: 60
Health Points: 130,000
Magic Attack: 1,029-1,346
Defense: 550
Additional effect: Ice Breath (All attacks and skill has an additional 15% to freeze the target)
These Snow Elves held all kinds of weapons in their hands, such as staffs, longswords, long spears, short bows, and so on, their weapons varied.
They could actually fight with weapons! There were a few Snow Elves that wore armor as if they were players. Even monsters would wear equipment?
What was more fearsome was that the instant they entered the map, 1/3 of the Snow Elves charged towards them. It was as if they were being guided by something, instantly surrounding the three of them so closely they had nowhere to escape.
“The number of monsters here exceeded 500, what the heck is happening?”
“Should we leave first?”
They were shocked by the large number of monsters, so both Bu Yi and Baili Changcheng sought Lin Jie for his opinion. The attributes of these Snow Elves were not low, the most important thing was their numbers. With so many of them and being so concentrated, in addition to them being able to use the skill “Frostbolt” of Ice Mages, their ability to crowd control was very strong, wanting to face their attacks head-on was just looking for death!
The good thing was that the entrance was behind them, so they only had to turn back to leave.
Lin Jie was also astonished, but his eyes were looking around in search of cover. There were numerous monsters within the Ice Shrine, and the EXP was rich, that was what Lin Jie had understood from the start. The only thing he did not expect was for the monsters to actually be so crazy!
“Let’s go, there is a crystal table against the wall 50 meters away. It can block the monsters around us, and we will at most be attacked by six monsters at once,” said Lin Jie.
Without further delay, he immediately activated Hunter’s Forward Charge and rushed out. Since he was the first to step inside the Ice Shrine, naturally, the aggro of the monsters was concentrated on him. The monsters, which filled the sky, instantly made a move and squeezed towards Lin Jie.
By going under the small crystal table, it could just nicely block all attacks from monsters above completely. As for the other three open sides, one would at most be attacked by six monsters at the same time. With Lin Jie’s defensive abilities and Bu Yi’s healing, it was easy enough to tank the monsters.
“Thunder Descent!”
Within the Broken Blade, thunder beads exploded, instantly covering Lin Jie all over with lightning! Broken Blade even gathered a Thunder Blade, which could be vaguely seen, and with a swing of Broken Blade, it turned into a thunder whip, attacking the highly concentrated Snow Elves!
One could only hear the sound of lightning raging and going wild, making shivers run down one’s back. Lightning struck everywhere and almost strung all the Snow Elves together. After Thunder Descent was activated, Lin Jie’s attacks had the paralysis effect and could be transferred to others.
Snow Elves let out tragic wails, and more than half of the Frostbolts gathered had dissipated.
Bu Yi waved her staff, and with rounds of Sacred Fire descending from the sky, just comparing the power, it was no different from Domestic Fat Cattle’s Blazing Fire Rain!
Bu Yi was an Ascetic Priest, so her equipment was mainly to strengthen Power Word Shield and healing spells, so her magic damage, of course, could not be compared to a top Fire Mage like Domestic Fat Cattle. The reason why Bu Yi could deal such high damage was due to the restriction from elements. Sacred Fire had additional damage enhancement when dealing with Ice-type Elves.
However, as compared to players that had normal armor, a Priest that could deal such high damage was already quite formidable.
Baili Changcheng itched from watching and was eager to join the fight, but his level was too low, so his damage output would be suppressed to the maximum. After pondering for a while, he just started cheering from where he was, which rendered Lin Jie speechless.
The monsters which filled the sky were all entangled by lightning. A Snow Elf, which was closer to Lin Jie, even received a heavier blow. It was instantly pierced through by a blade, and its corpse turned into a faint current of air, which was then absorbed by the scale armor on Lin Jie’s skin surface.
Snow and ice were basically water too, so naturally, they could be absorbed by Sea King Scaly Armor. Meanwhile, the lightning energy entered Lin Jie’s body, and his Follower Space seemed to send a wave of messages to Lin Jie. As if Herya had sensed the aura of thunder, she released a powerful strength.
—’Your Mystic Skill Book [Sea Riding Skill] has activated the skill [Lightning Spear Strike].’
“Lightning Spear Strike!” Lin Jie shouted in a low voice as lightning gathered in his hands. The purple lightning struck down in zig-zag nine times before descending—it came down as smooth and fast as a waterfall, before gathering to form a spear!
In the next instant, the long spear was thrown, and after it hit a Snow Elf, it actually instant split into 100 spears! In that instant, up to a hundred long spears could be seen landing on the Snow Elves surrounding the Snow Elf that was hit first!
That was the special effect of Lightning Spear Strike: Conduction of electricity. When there were monsters surrounding the lightning attack’s target, before and under the Paralysis state, the Lightning Spear Strike would attack once more.
Sizzle— Sizzle—
In such a moment, Lin Jie thought it was still not enough, and in his hand, another five Lightning Spears appeared!
