Chapter 36: The Apostles’ Purpose

[Red Dungeon (A)]

• Eliminate the Fallen Apostle (A) who failed to accept the Shard of Divinity and became corrupted.
• The Fallen Apostle’s ability is Ice Magic.
• Has extremely high Water Attribute Resistance.
• Fallen Apostle 0/1
• Rewards: A-rank Magic Stone, Rift Pass, A-rank Skillbook, ???

After checking the information about the Red Dungeon to be cleared this time, I turned my gaze to look inside the dungeon.

White snow was pouring down wildly.

So heavily that you couldn’t see an inch ahead.

Wheeeeee!

A piercing wind blew that could almost hurt the ears, but it wasn’t terribly cold.

‘Is this the effect of eating so much Attribute Grass?’

The first thing I did whenever I visited the Dragon Lair was eat the Attribute Grass that Fryra brought.

Thanks to that.

My understanding of attributes improved quickly.

My attribute resistance increased rapidly as well.

On top of that, all the Attribute Grass I ate yesterday were top-grade B+ quality.

‘An effect brought by the Growth of the World Tree.’

Recently, with the dwarf, fairy, and witch joining, the World Tree’s growth accelerated. The blessings it brought became much stronger.

Moreover, the Fairy of Sunlight’s skills further enhanced the effects of Attribute Grass, raising their quality significantly.

Wheeeeee!

Still, standing still, I felt a slight chill creeping up.

“…I need to eat even more diligently.”

I moved forward, raising my body temperature with basic Fire Attribute Magic.

I also sent warmth down to my legs.

The heat flowing toward my feet melted the surrounding snow. Maintaining enough heat to dry the water, I moved.

Walking became much easier.

‘Let’s try going over there first.’

Through the swirling snow, I saw a gigantic ice castle.

I headed in that direction.

I used Haste magic to increase my speed while surveying the surroundings.

I recalled the first time I entered the dungeon.

Statues made of ice.

And just as an eerie feeling came over me, the ice statues moved and charged at me.

“Fireball.”

I formed a fireball and threw it at the ice statue rushing toward me.

Boom!

The statues shattered explosively.

But the shattered statues melted away only to reform back into their original shapes and revive.

On top of that, many more ice statues joined the battlefield from afar.

It was impossible to count their numbers.

The whole area was just filled with ice statues.

“This is a bit problematic.”

I used Fly magic to levitate into the air.

The ice statues that were jumping to grab me from the ground started holding onto each other’s bodies and stacking up.

It felt like a scene from a zombie movie.

Watching the rapidly rising ice tower, I drew mana from the Dragon Heart.

Strengthening power, increasing range.

Enhancing attribute as well.

I cast the enhanced fire magic with the laws I knew.

“Fire Buster.”

A massive explosion swallowed the tower made of ice statues.

Kraaaaaang!

The huge ice tower in front of me was erased. But it wasn’t over. The remaining ice statues continued stacking the tower.

“Fryra.”

Whoosh!

Fryra appeared in the air, and I lifted her in a princess carry.

[Master?]

“Can you take care of those guys?”

[Yes.]

Fryra pulled something out of her bosom.

The Attribute Grass I had eaten this morning.

Sunflower of Blazing Sun.

At least a B-rank item.

She threw it toward where the ice statues gathered and activated her skill.

Vroom!

The sunflower, affected by Overgrowth and Rampage Touch, grew enormously and shot flames in all directions.

Kraaaaaang!

Kaang!

Kagagagang!

Like a volcanic eruption, the blazing sunflower seeds erased the ice statues from this world.

The statues disappeared before they could gather in one place.

Hot heat remained where the sunflower exploded, preventing the statues from regenerating.

“I should’ve called you sooner.”

I landed on the ground and moved with Fryra toward where the ice castle was visible.

Growl!

My stomach made a noise, and Fryra’s eyes widened in surprise.

[Already hungry? Didn’t you eat a lot just now?!]

“You got that right.”

Lately, using magic made me hungry.

So I hadn’t been able to properly practice magic.

When I finally ate, sleepiness would hit, and the day would just fly by.

Even though there was a lot of mana left in the Dragon Heart, that was why I called Fryra.

[Here they come again.]

This time, Fryra took out a different flower and threw it forward.

It wasn’t as powerful as the Sunflower of Blazing Sun, but it was strong enough to clear a path.

Following the path Fryra cleared, I soon arrived in front of the ice castle.

Wheeeeee!

The wind itself wasn’t strong.

But the cold that flowed out was incomparable.

The chill was so strong my whole body trembled.

‘I need to raise my temperature.’

I increased the heat maintained throughout my body to resist the cold. I transferred heat to Fryra, who I held tightly, and entered.

The castle’s interior was relatively simple in structure.

There was a large space with a gigantic chair placed inside. But the chair was as tall as a 10-story building.

[It’s huge.]

“Indeed.”

On that massive chair sat a skeleton holding a sword.

Bones made of ice.

An old, worn crown on its head.

And a tattered cloak draped over it.

[Using Golden Dragon’s Eye.]

[Fallen Apostle (A)]

• A fallen apostle who failed to accept the Shard of Divinity.
• Overall Stats: A
• Potential: S
• Possessed Items: Snow Sword (B), Broken Crown (A).
• Possessed Skills: Ice Soldier Summon (A), Ice Knight Summon (A), Snow Kingdom Swordsmanship (A), Blessing of Cold (A), Undying Heart (A).

The things to watch out for were the soldier summoning and the Undying Heart.

‘A Lich, huh.’

Not just any lich, but a Frozen Lich blessed by the Blessing of Cold.

To capture that guy, I had to find and destroy the Life Vessel hidden somewhere here.

“Orc, summon Ropenheim.”

Orc and Lophenheim joined the battlefield.

The goblin was busy with a task and couldn’t be summoned.

[Hoo. It’s cold.]

“If you call this cold, what are we up against this time? Could it be that giant?”

“Yes.”

Gururururung!

The ground trembled as the fallen apostle sitting on the chair opened its eyes.

Apostle with glowing red eyes.

The moment he stood up, he raised a heavy sword.

At the same time, blue light flashed and ice soldiers poured out.

“Fryra, take care of the soldiers. Ropenheim and Orc, handle the lich.”

“Understood.”

[Understood.]

[Yes.]

Each moved according to their assigned roles.

Fryra wiped out the soldiers using flowers related to the fire attribute.

Kraaaaaang!

Boom!

Flames danced as they melted the ice soldiers, and Orc and Ropenheim swiftly rushed through, swinging their axe and sword.

Kakang!

Thud!

Aura from Orc’s axe slashed the lich’s leg, and Ropenheim’s sword destroyed the opposite leg.

Losing balance, the lich fell.

‘Where could it be?’

This time, I cast Detection Magic obtained from clearing the labyrinth. Mana spread in all directions, gathering information.

I looked up toward the chair where the fallen apostle had been sitting.

I sensed distortion near the chair’s pillar.

“Is it there?”

Using mana from the Dragon Heart, I stretched out my left hand.

As I extended it, flames surged up, forming the shape of a bow.

Drawing the bowstring with my right hand, I created a flaming arrow.

‘Fire Arrow!’

I imbued it with enhancement, explosion, and concentration incantations, greatly increasing its power.

Focusing my mind, I poured in mana.

Using Meditation Magic, I drew mana around me into the Dragon Heart.

Wuuuuuung!

Wuuung!

I pushed the fully charged mana back into the Fire Arrow.

The red flames blazed intensely.

Then they shifted to yellow, then blue.

Blue Flame Arrow.

“Everyone, take cover behind me.”

Aiming precisely, I released the arrow I held.

In an instant, the blue arrow shot forward at incredible speed.

Shaaak!

The arrow hit the chair.

And just a moment later.

A scorching gust of heat rose, sweeping through the path the arrow had traveled.

The ice soldiers melted and evaporated.

At the same time, a massive explosion followed.

Kraaaaaaang!

The Blue Flame Arrow shattered the lich’s Life Vessel.

[You have cleared the Red Dungeon.]

As the clear message appeared, golden lines flickered in my sight.

‘Hidden Piece?’

Following my gaze, it extended beyond the ice castle.

I first collected the skillbook and magic stone where the fallen apostle had fallen.

I sent the guardians away and followed the line outside.

Growl!

Responding to the signal from my stomach, Fryra put some herbs she had cultivated in her mouth and chewed as we walked.

Walking steadily, we soon returned to the exact spot where I first entered the dungeon.

A golden light flickered there.

I crouched down and cleared the snow with my hand.

‘Ice?’

The floor was made of ice walls.

Using mana, I melted the wall to create a large hole.

Inside was a vast space.

An ice cave.

The golden line led further into the cave.

Moving forward, I saw a person.

A faint, translucent figure.

A young man wearing the crown, cloak, and sword the fallen apostle had worn, strapped to his waist.

“Nice to meet you, descendant of Gold.”

“Who are you?”

“I’m the boss you just defeated. Strictly speaking, it’s just my body without my consciousness.”

An apostle?

“I don’t have much time, so here’s a brief explanation: I was an Apostle of the Ice Dragon God but was forsaken and sided with Gold as a traitor. That’s how you should understand it.”

“Traitor?”

I decided not to ask for details as there was too much to explain.

“Have you met any other Dragon God Apostles? Besides in the Rift? In reality.”

“I met an Apostle of the Thunder Dragon God.”

“Terrible fellows, that first one.”

“First one?”

The young man gestured with his hands.

“Dragon God Apostles roam all dimensions hunting the successors of the Gold Dragon. It’s like a game.”

“They set an order and get hunting chances based on that order. Success earns points, failure loses points.”

“What do they gain from that?”

“The chance to become mid-tier apostles. So they desperately try to kill you by any means necessary.”

The young man’s gaze turned cold.

“Especially the Thunder Dragon God’s apostles tend to set traps in labyrinths and summon Dragon God bodies to capture their targets. You should prepare countermeasures for that.”

“How can I trust the information you give me?”

“What if you’re a traitor feeding me false info?”

“You’re a cautious one.”

The young man smiled wryly and pointed behind himself with his finger.

There was a box.

The Golden Dragon’s Eye showed a golden light pointing at the box.

I slowly approached and checked what was inside.

[Rift Pass]
[Dimensional Tavern Pass]

Was this the mystery reward?

“Do you believe me now?”

“How do you catch a Dragon God body then?”

“That I can’t tell you. If I did, the Dragon God would find out.”

The young man shook his head.

“Now go. Take revenge on those bastards for me.”

Is this the fun that talent brings?

Every time I climbed the tower, I felt something filling deep inside my chest.

[11th Floor: Create Two Circles.]

Yoo Seolha closed her eyes and added another ring over the one she already had.

The ring formed so easily.

She wanted to quickly move to the next floor and learn new magic.

Click!

The firmly closed door didn’t open.

[To ascend to the 12th floor of the tower, your tower level must increase.]

[To raise your tower level, you must accumulate achievements, offer loot obtained from dungeons, or make donations.]

Thirst welled up inside.

I wanted to go higher.

Yoo Seolha stepped out of the Golden Magic Tower.

“Yoo Seolha? Are you saying you were inside the Golden Magic Tower until now?”

“Ah. Just a moment. I’m in a hurry.”

I brushed past the association staff who tried to speak with me and stopped by the hospital room attached to the association.

My mother was sleeping on the bed.

I pulled the blanket up over her and grabbed my phone before leaving the room.

I left a message that everything was fine, turned off the light, and headed to the association.

At the Hunter specialized bank inside the association.

I took a number and waited.

“Customer number 21?”

“Yes. I’d like to withdraw cash.”

“How much?”

“10 billion.”

“Excuse me?”

“10 billion. In cash, all of it.”

I handed over my ID and card.

The bank employee looked dumbfounded, then glanced away slightly.

“…I-I’ll confirm and get back to you right away.”

After a moment, the bank director personally came out to verify my identity. Only then was I able to receive the cash.

“Thank you.”

I gathered the cash and walked toward the Golden Magic Tower.

“Yoo Seolha?”

“Just a moment. I’m in a hurry.”

I passed by the staff and entered the Golden Magic Tower.

“I’m offering all of this.”

Whoooosh!

The bag I was carrying vanished in a white light.

[Tower Level Increased.]
[You can now climb the tower. Would you like to move to the 12th floor?]

I nodded with all my might.

“Yes.”