Ever Frost

Chapter 63: Drops

‘Trap? Treasure? This is obviously a challenge.’

Ebony was unbothered whether it was a trap or a treasure. To him the dungeon was challenging them. Take it if you can.

Placing an oddly suspicious bright white box in the centre of a room that had pathetically thin walls. It was hardly hidden. Not even preventing them from taking or touching it with a group of monsters. Not even bothering to stop them from leaving by sealing the entrance.

Ordina was mocking them a...

Chapter 62: Trap or Treasure

“The Earthen-Topaz Core Golems are likely elite monsters. There shouldn’t be too many of them in this baby dungeon.” Hector commented.

“We..we already en...encountered three of them.” Tuffock rebuked.

“...Crap. How long was I out for?” Hector was always so easily surprised or shocked when his expectations were wrong.

“Less than a day.” Ebony replied.

“Ar..are you really feeling okay to move around? Ma..mana poisoning is pretty serious, yo..your symp...

Chapter 61: Rest

Turning the clock back, hours ago. It was pitch black, dark and cold. Silent till a pinging sound echoed in the enclosed darkness.

“Tewa. Report.”

“Boss Hard! You’re in Ordina?” Tewa spoke into his myriad bracelet.

“...”

“Ye..yes boss Hard. Ordina is a lot stronger than we originally thought it was. Of 26 parties, 9 of them are uncontactable, 8 confirmed wiped out, the last is presumed dead. All 45 of them were under level 100. Throughout the other part...

Chapter 60: Rabble?

“Ebony! Stone mage! Hel…”

“Get down!”

Ryley's urgent call broke Ebony’s line of thought on whether he would stay eerily calm if he killed a person.

Ebony heard Scarlet raising her voice for the first time over Ryley’s call, cutting him off. Not willing or perhaps not bothered to ask Tuffock about his rash killings, Ebony quickly sped up. The sound coming from both their myriad bracelets. Hector’s was pinging too but he didn’t pick it up, unconscious and all...

Chapter 59: Spiral Slope

‘...Woah.’

“I’m impressed.” Ebony said.

The wall that trapped them was broken wide open. On the ground far up ahead was a mix of the earth that the wall was made of and pieces of the core golem. The only parts that could be differentiated were the parts with no longer glowing yellow veins.

…

There was no reply from Hector. He fell forward. Fainted. Ebony caught him before he hit the ground.

The ‘battle’ ended extremely quickly. To describe it simp...

Chapter 58: Walkway

Ebony no longer had an advantage over Scarlet. He needed to change the flow of battle. She was going to be really dangerous soon enough. Having no idea how, Ebony had his last resort of using what his Class was supposed to actually do.

He did secretly practise it once in a while but never had enough mana to stably use it in battle. There was also the fact that he didn’t really want to be seen using it. Ebony didn’t find it completely necessary to keep it a secret but that didn’t m...

Chapter 57: Foggy Peak

Ebony didn’t know how long he was asleep for but he woke up as if he had starved for a week. He felt weak. His resources were full so he was out for quite some time. Or not.

Ebony knew that his full health came with this weakness of his since his vitality hadn't filled up. He was probably going to add some Vitality. The health regenerated from mana doesn’t fully heal Ebony. Something just feels missing in his body as if energy was drained out of him.

Ryley’s concern was misp...

Chapter 56: Clearing A Path

Mana conservation was the name of the game?

No.

Of course not.

Mana was there to be used.

And so Ebony did.

Frost Mist Perception Sphere was at maximum output. Its ability to slow, hinder and freeze his opponent’s movement and sight is stronger than ever. It was a thick bluish mist instead of white now, normal humans could hardly see their hands put in front of their eyes.

The beginning was the toughest. The first step, always the hardest to take.

A...

Chapter 55: Blockade

3 days.

For 3 days, they moved towards the shadow in the distance at a more leisure pace. Actively looking for fights, stopping and resting after a fight because all of them were hitting above their weight class. They used a lot of mana and stamina in every battle. Even Ebony uses most of his mana pool.

Especially when they were attacked by a mixed group of monsters while they were resting.

Ryley adjusted his aim according to the gravity levels in the meantime and gave bette...

Chapter 54: Proceeding Halt

In a large room was a square table with 7 seats, two on each side with the exception of one. The room was luxuriously decorated with paintings, crystals and what not. Nothing in the room was made of any mundane materials if not treated or enchanted.

“The plan is going well.”

“Ay, too damn well, Evans. They’re gathering in numbers unheard off. The borders cities are gonna go crazy if they know what’s abou’ta come.”

“Gero, how many times do I have to tell you t...

Chapter 53: Closer Apart

It was more and more apparent that they were not the first party to reach the second floor. They did find signs of battles as they carried on. Fallen trees, deep gouges in the earth, blood. The dungeon not repairing the damage instantly.

They got closer and closer to the pillar. It was grey in colour and rose all the way to ‘sky’. Ebony didn’t exactly see the ceiling so it was hard to say if there was a fake ceiling.

They didn’t actively look for monsters to hunt but that ...

Chapter 52: Meet

Breakfast was fruit salad including apples, melons and a grape like fruit more on the sour side. Fresh toast with sausages, beans and pan-fried mushrooms. A thick warm beverage that was a little milky. Ebony pondered why he bothered bringing all the lousy jerky or stupid souper bread. Disappointed with the lack of eggs again.

“Did ya see the two-tailed fox yesterday? Damn was she hot. Why did you just leave? We could have chatted them up a little.” Hector said to the guys at the tab...

Chapter 51: Night

Hector came back with Ryley on his back, the tip of his hair singed . Ryley was asleep, or unconscious with a frown.

“Looks like he’s not used to the mana density. He did run around the whole day.” Hector said with singed hair.

“Will he be okay?” Ebony asked.

“The mana density isn’t all that high. It’s a little lower than what you dished out so he should be up soon. A day or two and he should fully get used to it.” Hector just tossed the man into his tent.<...

Chapter 50: Camping

'Not enough offensive skills…’

Ebony was pretty awed by Scarlet’s and even Hector's damage potential. Especially Scarlet.

He had focused on defensive and evasive skills so much that he lacked killing power or efficiency.

If a few strikes or less was enough to take a monster down he wouldn’t have to have let that rogue get killed.

Sure, Chaotic Repulsive Membrane helped quite a bit with its current strength and so did the high frequency mana vibrations. Insuffic...

Chapter 49: First Floor

As aggressive as they claim the dungeon to be, there were too many people around.

Larger groups of part gazelle part Rhoat monsters have attacked them but they could always see other parties facing the same monsters.

Another monster that prowled the grassland was the kobolds he heard Rowent and the others have fought. They were less than a metre tall with a lizard and wolf mix of facial features and their bodies were furless and scaleless. Skin much like humans. Not sure if they w...

Chapter 48: Dungeon Delving

Ebony got 5 levels in his Class, 10 in his Sub-Class and 6 in his Profession. Reaching 60, 42 and 52 respectively.

Excluding the 6 points to Wisdom he still had 100 unspent stat points. Ebony contemplated for 2 seconds. Then he slammed all 100 into Wisdom.

His current stats were more than enough for most monsters but he found himself lacking mana to train all his magic at the same time. Even though he had been getting more and more mana efficient with his skills and they cost less...

Chapter 47: Awaited Day

A while back. Right after Ebony split off from Hector.

Ebony pulled the other golem away as Hector pushed his golem back so Tuffock couldn’t help both. Possibly because Hector told the others that Ebony could handle himself, Tuffock went to back Hector up instead.

Hector looked like he was doing well as he pummelled the golem over and over again. However, it didn’t last.

The golem constantly recovered and pulled mud mass back onto its body protecting its core. Ebony’s ...

Chapter 46: Golem Hunt

“It was all thanks to you, Hector.”

“...you’re quite the wretched rascal aren’t you.”

Now that Hector said that, Ebony did seem a little meaner to Hector. It was kinda fun messing with him.

They then went on to spar with each other.

Ebony had to face the large issue of not being able to grip onto the ground without his feet touching it or having any friction.

Since he could extend it to his clothing it could also retrieve it but it was actually slight...

Chapter 45: Playing Around

“I only met her a few weeks ago, here in Plainston.”

“Nah wayyy. That kent beh all. She ain’t ass cold ta ya as ta uss.”

“Ye. yes. You protected. he.her from the metal fragments and. And she didn’t... didn’t look annoyed.”

“Really? The Xengs are all proud. Very proud. I heard getting protected by someone not part of their family, relatives or close friends irritates and displeases them greatly. They think they are being looked down on for needing you to p...

Chapter 44: Bar

After the introduction, none of them wanted to stay for the team duelling with other parties.

Hector suggested going for a drink, only Scarlet declined. Hector seemed unexpectedly happy about that while Ryley almost declined to drink as well but changed his mind on second thought.

Ebony did like alcohol. The inns and taverns are open in the day even though only breakfast and dinner are proper meal times. People here drink during the day and have snacks too.

Beer, ale and mea...

Chapter 43: Resolve

'So that’s the ice swordsman hybrid and the Xeng woman. She really is wearing a full mask. The other guy…seems like a normal stone mage, looks young for a human mage for one. Time for my dramatic entrance.’

“Yo yo yo! You’re in the presence of the great Hector! Wait, I'm not the last one here? Damn, dramatic lateness failed.”

‘Damn it I didn’t check for the last guy. Whatever, let’s see. WHAT THE HECK! Meditative? A mana slave? But he's so young, a slaver? Should...

Chapter 42: Target Practice

The archer leaped right over staring the stone mage down from above, taller than Ebony and slightly taller than Hector. He had a long face with an angular chin. They were all clean shaven, Ebony never grew facial hair so he had the luck of not needing to shave.

The archer’s most eye-catching feature was his unnaturally long arms. His hands could almost touch his knees when he stood straight with his arms by his side.

He had a dark colour scheme chainmail over leather armour, his...

Chapter 41: Party Gathering

Ebony was only able to survive early in the battle, due to his, possibly over 2500 Intelligence powered Layered Ice Carapace. He was not sure how 100% Mana Resilience worked even if it doesn’t just multiply like than it was still over a thousand Intelligence. It was much stronger now that his stats increased.

Scarlet however, didn’t have any defensive skills or spells as far as he was aware. It may be because he never managed to make her use it but he doubted it. Scarlet’s fightin...

Chapter 40: Who’s Flexing Now?

Fear and excitement was replaced with tranquil calm almost as soon as it came.

Ebony made a sharp turn to face the golem. Opting out of Icebody Enhancement as he needs the Agility, he’ll be able to put it back on fast if he needs to take a blow. The golem couldn’t make a sharp turn like Ebony as it skidded to a stop.

2 Ice Swords flew towards the golem before he completed his turn. The golem didn’t stop it from stabbing into it. It didn’t have anything that looked like eye...

Chapter 39: Bubble Hills

Ebony didn’t play around with multicasting and practising this time. He didn’t have the spare mana for it. Battle Song consumes 30 MP/Min and Repulsive Body consumes 100. Even with 100% mana efficiency for both of them it would be 15 and 50 mana per minute.

Mana cost stipulated by skill definition wasn’t absolute, he knew this long ago. He can manually try to be more efficient with it. Using less or even more mana to bring down or up the effects of the skill was also possible and ...

Chapter 38: Sub-Class

“Bring me the list.”

“This is all of them at the moment, Sire.”

“...All boring. Help me sieve out the apprentice class, normal warriors, archers, rogues and mages.”

“Certainly.”

…

“That’s all there is?”

“...It is near the edge of the Empire, Sire. Even if many have flocked over, the talented and blessed are few. Those that have a certain level of ability would likely be in a party already.”

“Haa. Alright, I hope there are...

Chapter 37: Upgrade

Ebony made a sphere of mana not unlike his compression training, pushing as much mana into without compressing it. The sphere expanded to his limit of more than 5 metres, he kept pulling everything back into as small a sphere as he could then pushed it to its limit again.

It apparently helps with expanding his range, at the same time training his Mana Compression. Using Frost Mist Perception Sphere would help train the skill and Ice Mana Manipulation at the same time. Multitasking to th...

Chapter 36: Elemental Affinity

Ebony went to the same inn again since he didn’t know any other and was too lazy to look for another. The inn was obviously well to do seeing how there were [Master Architect]s around. The surrounding buildings were emptied out and being demolished, likely bought by the inn owner for expansion.

By some alignment of stars, Ebony got the same room which was just cleared on the same day or so the dwarven lady says. The price hasn’t risen and Ebony did keep some ores on him, he rented i...

Chapter 35: Duel

“Thank you. For the inn and also this.” Ebony said and tetted in greetings, no longer actively avoiding Scarlet.

Gloves seemed to be worn by most people, even in summer. Maybe it was a freelancer or traveller thing.

“...You owe me one.” Scarlet eyes burned into Ebony’s.

“...” Ebony didn’t know what to say. He wanted to propose a spar but he was kinda tired and wanted to rest soon. There was an awkward silence between them as they stared each other down.

Chapter 34: Spirit

Name: Ebony Rime

Core Skill: Deep Persistent Meditation Lvl 111

Class: Meditative Swordsman of Frostblaze - Lvl 49

Class Skills:

Treading Step Lvl 59

Ice Mana Manipulation Lvl 60

Icebody Enhancement Lvl 77

Single-handed Greatsword Mastery Lvl 54

Frost Injection Lvl 54

Ice Sword Lvl 35

Two-handed Power Stab Lvl 40

Layered Ice Carapace Lvl 38

Frost Mist Perception Sphere Lvl 23

Empty Skill Slot

Empty Skill Slot<...