Chapter 13: The Snow King’s Artifact (1)

Aaron bit the inside of his cheek.

The creature in front of him was that dangerous.

“Human… my friend…”

A monster in the form of a man made of pure white ice.

It wore an antique-looking ice crown and a fur cloak as if it were a king.

“A corrupted fairy, huh?”

Aaron tasted bitterness.

Fairies dwelling in nature are generally gentle and friendly with humans.

But sometimes, there were exceptions.

The Snow King was one of those.

He exuded such a savage aura that no one would think he was once a fairy of snow.

Richard had said it was a 4-star monster, and that hadn’t been an exaggeration.

Crunch—!

Aaron kicked off the ground, charging at the Snow King who was twisting his body grotesquely.

Boom!

His spear, infused with mana, clashed against the monster’s arm.

Ice shards exploded in every direction, obstructing his vision.

“…!”

Aaron quickly leapt back.

Crack-crack-crack!

An ice pillar shot up where he had just been standing.

This wasn’t magic but the fairy’s natural power to control nature.

“Ptooey!”

Spitting out ice shards, Aaron readjusted his stance.

‘It’s frustrating that I haven’t broken through to the advanced level.’

He was on the cusp, but still a mid-tier knight.

Just one exchange was enough to confirm it—

Without properly weaving aura, piercing that thing’s body would be near impossible.

“At the very least, until the young master is safe…”

He had to buy time.

Boom! Boom!

Explosions echoed as Aaron and the Snow King clashed repeatedly.

“Human… let’s be friends…”

As the Snow King reached out, Aaron saw an opening.

His shoulder blurred, and in a flash, he launched dozens of thrusts.

Swoosh-swoosh-swoosh!

But—

“Tch!”

The Snow King didn’t flinch.

Ice shards surged toward Aaron’s neck, and he dodged quickly.

His hand throbbed from the recoil.

‘Too damn tough.’

Its defense was in another league compared to the guardians they’d faced before.

It was like going from fighting goblins to suddenly facing an ogre.

‘Still, this should’ve given the young master enough time to escape.’

He assumed Richard must have gotten away by now.

Now the problem was himself.

How could he shake this thing off?

If he fled, Snowfall might suffer collateral damage.

He had one chance—if he used a special move, his chances of winning would soar.

But if he failed, the consequences would be dire.

As Aaron wrestled with his thoughts—

“Aaron!”

A familiar voice called from behind.

He flinched.

Turning your head with an enemy in front was suicidal, but Aaron couldn’t help it.

“Young master…?”

“Sorry I’m late.”

Richard answered casually, holding a sword made of ice—the same kind the guardians had used.

“W-why did you come back!?”

Aaron shouted in disbelief.

“How could I face Gide if I ran away and left you behind?”

Aaron was speechless.

He came back for that reason?

“I’m a knight! My duty is to protect you!”

“That’s unnecessary.”

Richard cut him off, swinging the sword.

“Besides, you’re acting as Gide’s replacement butler. You’re not even my official knight.”

Compared to Aaron, who had been prepared to use his secret move, Richard was far too relaxed.

Aaron thought Richard didn’t understand how dangerous the situation was.

“Young master, I’ll buy more time.”

He tightened his grip on the spear.

He still believed he could buy time for Richard to escape.

He was even ready to use his trump card.

But—

“Stop saying pointless things.”

Richard suddenly appeared beside him and grabbed his arm.

“…!”

“Hold still.”

At that moment, Aaron felt something flow into his arm.

A warm energy that pushed away the chill of the ice palace.

“GRAAAAH—!”

The Snow King, now close, swung its arm.

“It’s dangerous!”

Aaron shouted and tried to move,

But Richard was faster.

Slice—!

The arm that Aaron couldn’t pierce even at full power was severed and thudded to the ground.

Aaron couldn’t believe his eyes.

“…!”

Light shimmered along Richard’s sword.

‘That’s… aura…?’

***

Richard raised his sword.

White light shimmered across the ice blade, dazzling the eye.

“This can’t be…”

To Aaron, it was unmistakably aura.

It made no sense.

How could Richard, who had been training with the sword for less than two months, wield aura—something reserved for only the most elite knights?

“Watch carefully.”

Richard glanced at Aaron and smiled—a calm, confident smile unlike his usual self.

“GRRR—! Human! Friend! Enemy!”

Boom—!

Richard clashed with the Snow King.

Every time his light-wrapped sword hit the creature, large chunks of ice were sheared off.

‘Is this really the same Richard I know!?’

Aaron didn’t even notice that he’d dropped his spear.

He was completely focused on the fight.

Richard moved with incredible poise and skill.

He dodged every attack—Slice!—and struck at every opening.

It was textbook perfect.

Aaron had tried the same thing, but with completely different results.

“GRRGH… GGHHHH…!”

The Snow King staggered, seriously wounded.

As Richard paused to catch his breath, he glanced at his sword.

‘Didn’t expect this Easter egg to help so much.’

While Aaron was buying time, Richard hadn’t been idle.

The sword in his hand, although it resembled the guardians’ ice blades, was entirely different.

It was a unique weapon created from a hidden blueprint in the ice palace.

The requirements: gather ten of the guardians’ ice swords, smash them, and bury the pieces in snow.

‘Ice Crescendo.’

It was a legendary sword he had half-jokingly designed for the game—but it had never appeared in-game.

Slice—!

But now, it was glowing in Richard’s hands, slicing through the Snow King.

Of course, that alone wouldn’t have let him fight a 4-star monster.

“No! That disgusting light…!”

The glow on Richard’s blade wasn’t aura.

It was divine power—faith condensed into light and infused into the sword.

To a corrupted fairy, divine energy was devastating.

It was more effective than aura, like being burned by holy fire.

That was why Richard chose this place for his first outing.

The loot was good, and he had the elemental advantage.

“Let’s wrap this up.”

He glanced at his status window.

He had reserved just enough divine power for today.

He could only maintain the light for about 3 minutes.

His expression hardened.

[Skill Activated: Hyper Focus.]

From that moment, his world changed.

All he saw was the Snow King.

Its movements, breath, and path—all crystal clear. Nothing else existed.

Boom! Smash!

He nimbly dodged the irregularly rising ice spikes.

Richard felt like his body was moving on its own.

His special skill, Hyper Focus, had helped during training—

But it shone even more in real battle.

To focus like this in a life-or-death fight was nearly impossible.

Richard’s sword struck true again and again.

The Snow King’s attacks, meanwhile, flailed uselessly in the air.

A 4-star monster was being overwhelmed.

Aaron watched, confused and amazed.

‘…Maybe Richard inherited the true bloodline of Bartenberg more than anyone else.’

A thought he would have scoffed at before.

But now, he couldn’t dismiss it so easily.

Thud!

***

Soon after, the Snow King collapsed into fine shards of ice.

Its body dispersed into snow, leaving only the ice crown and fur cloak behind.

Richard picked them up.

‘Whew… finally got it.’

The Snow King Set.

The Easter Egg sword “Ice Crescendo,” the crown, and the frost cloak.

He had now collected all the artifacts he came for.

“What are you hiding from me?”

Aaron asked as Richard quietly placed the crown on his head.

How could he not be curious?

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“That’s not the point—”

Rustle—

Richard silently draped the frost cloak around himself.

“I can’t tell you yet.”

“Understood.”

Aaron closed his mouth.

Though he hadn’t noticed it at first due to the shock, something about Richard now felt different.

“Looks good on me, huh?”

With his jet-black hair, sharp eyes, and the regal crown and cloak, Richard now had the aura of a cold prince.

‘…He really looks like a prince.’

Aaron murmured, then suddenly realized something.

“Haha, do I really?”

Richard smiled and started walking.

There was no need to waste more time here.

But Aaron was thinking something else—

‘So that’s what it was…!’

His eyes now burned with desire.

All the tangled emotions inside him coalesced into a single feeling—Anticipation.

***

On the snowy path back down the mountain…

His body felt heavy after the battle.

‘I pushed myself too hard in front of Aaron…’

The 4-star monster, the Snow King.

In the game, it hadn’t seemed so scary.

But in real life, the pressure had made him gulp.

Only then did he realize—

He had been taking combat too lightly.

No matter how many strategies he knew, in the end, he had to fight.

‘Without Hyper Focus, I would’ve been screwed.’

It really saved him.

That unique power was the only reason someone with no experience could move so efficiently.

When the Snow King’s attack came out of nowhere—

When ice surged toward the back of his head—

Hyper Focus let his body react instantly.

It was like the extreme focus of someone fleeing from a bear.

He had always thought it was useful, but after real combat, his opinion changed.

‘It’s not just useful—it’s my lifeline.’

A thick, solid, steel lifeline.

As they quietly descended, Aaron spoke up.

“Young master, when are you taking the advanced knight exam?”

“Advanced knight?”

What kind of question was that?

“You defeated a 4-star monster and used aura. You’re more than qualified. It’ll shake up House Barten…”

Ah—so that’s what he was thinking.

He must’ve believed Richard was hiding his true power all along.

“I only beat the Snow King because I got lucky. And that wasn’t aura.”

“Then what was it…?”

Aaron looked puzzled.

But Richard couldn’t explain further—any more and he’d sound insane.

“It was just the power of the sword I found. Don’t go spreading weird rumors.”

“Understood.”

Aaron finally replied.

Maybe because what he saw today was so different from the Richard he knew.

“So you plan to reveal your power once you’re stronger?”

“What?”

Aaron, deep in thought, suddenly looked intense.

“The crown—the symbol of succession… It’s a perfect symbol to declare your ambition.”

Richard was left speechless.