"The situation is worse than what I had heard."
"It looks like we need to move up our schedule. The Association seems eager for us to head to the dungeon as soon as possible."
Najik murmured, and Ihae responded. Kang Sihyun examined the expressions of the Russian Association members. Though they were smiling, their faces bore the unmistakable signs of anxiety and exhaustion. To reassure them and minimize the damage in Russia, it seemed prudent to advance the schedule as Ihae had suggested.
After exchanging a few words with Changsik, they decided to head directly to the dungeon without stopping by their accommodations. Upon conveying their decision to the Association, the members were visibly moved, their eyes reddening with emotion. They opened up about the urgent nature of the situation. Kang Sihyun felt a faint sense of sympathy for the Association members as he observed the ice-covered area, which seemed to have expanded since his last visit.
The journey to the harbor took two hours by sled. Changsik kept them warm with fire whenever it got cold, and Ihae shielded them from the strong winds with his body. As the harbor came into view, the Association members stepped back.
"This is as far as we can go with you."
Regrettably, the Association's Awakened Individuals were similar to civil servants and lacked high-ranking Awakeners. Venturing further into the blizzard would mean certain death for them. The interpreter translated their words into Korean. The blizzard was raging just a meter ahead.
Realizing the impossibility of proceeding together, Kang Sihyun nodded in agreement.
"Are the Russian Awakeners waiting in front of the dungeon?"
"Yes. They said they'd wait in front of the dungeon upon receiving our contact."
Thus, they needed to press through the blizzard. After bidding farewell to the Association, Kang Sihyun and his group exchanged glances before stepping forward.
"Let's depart."
"Can we make it through?"
"We have to try, don't we?"
Changsik's question was met with a calm response from Ihae. With Ihae taking the lead due to his larger build, followed by Kang Sihyun and Changsik, they proceeded. Ihae blocked the wind at the front, while Changsik supported Kang Sihyun from behind, just in case.
Though the gesture was somewhat burdensome, Kang Sihyun, having no reason nor desire to refuse, willingly took his place in the middle and tapped Ihae's back, signaling the start of their journey.
After walking for a little over an hour, the massive fissure they had heard about near the dungeon seemed farther away than expected. Dozens of Russian Awakeners were seen exerting all their efforts to prevent monsters from escaping the fissure, with barricades erected in the distance, barely discernible to the eye.
Kang Sihyun, whose dynamic vision had markedly improved, requested a course correction from behind Ihae.
"Let's veer a bit to the right."
"To the right?"
"Yes. Just think of it as moving diagonally until I say it's enough."
Ihae adjusted their path without questioning why. His trust in Kang Sihyun was grounded in the vast power Kang Sihyun had demonstrated in the Egyptian dungeon and the information Kang Sihyun possessed.
Without any objections, Ihae changed direction, following a clearing throat sound from behind. Kang Sihyun, feeling a prickling sensation at the back of his head, elaborated.
"The fissure is on the left. We have separate support heading there, so there's no need to get involved prematurely. We're here as dungeon support."
People tend to feel abandoned in their time of need, even if they know others are busy or have other obligations. Kang Sihyun wanted to avoid unnecessary friction.
"There's a fissure?"
"Yes."
"Where? I can't see it."
"It's more of a feeling."
Though he had actually seen it, Kang Sihyun chose not to mention this, to avoid hurting Changsik or Ihae's pride. After clearing up his doubts, Changsik resumed walking in silence.
The blizzard intensified, covering them in snow and obstructing their vision with flakes clinging to their eyelashes. They blinked rapidly to clear their vision, while Ihae and Changsik occasionally switched places to lessen the burden on each other.
It was only when they realized they were no longer walking on land but on a frozen sea that the fierce blizzard began to subside. The harbor was behind them, and ahead was nothing but ice. After about two hours of walking, they finally saw patches of ice not covered by snow.
"Let's take a short break here."
Ihae suggested, and Kang Sihyun, after exhaling a few breaths of white air, nodded.
Squinting into the distance, they could faintly see a towering ice structure. Its visibility from this distance indicated its immense height
, suggesting it was the dungeon that had appeared in Russia.
"How much farther do we have to go?"
"I'm not sure, maybe about an hour or two."
Having walked this far, they felt it would take about the same amount of time to reach the ice castle. Suddenly, Kang Sihyun shivered as a chill ran through his body, realizing his temperature was dropping.
"Doesn't it seem like our strength is dropping along with our body temperature? We have another two hours of walking ahead of us."
"So?"
"I'm cold. Could you light a fire?"
Changsik preempted any roundabout requests with a straightforward demand. A man, unable to hide his bemusement at the brazen request, conjured a flame in his palm.
The crackling fire warmed them, melting the frostbitten chill from their skin. Kang Sihyun expressed his gratitude by wiggling his fingers, now free from his gloves.
"Carrying the fire while walking would be difficult, wouldn't it?"
"Probably. After all, it was you who told us to conserve mana."
Changsik had suggested using fire for warmth to prevent freezing, but Kang Sihyun had declined, citing the need to conserve mana for unforeseen circumstances. Without further comment, Kang Sihyun rubbed his hands in front of the fire, joined by Ihae's larger hand.
"The dungeon seems quite far away."
"Considering we came all the way from the airport, I think we've made good time."
Having traveled four hours from the airport in such cold weather was an achievement. Kang Sihyun stretched his stiff neck, feeling it was time to end their peaceful and warm break.
"Let's start moving again. We should rest every hour to maintain our best condition before entering the dungeon. We'll check our status and apply healing then."
"It's like you're the leader here."
Changsik's tone was ambiguous, but Kang Sihyun chose to interpret it as a compliment on his leadership skills despite his young age. After expressing gratitude, Changsik averted his gaze, seemingly confirming Kang Sihyun's interpretation.
"Then, let's head out."
Ihae stood up first, taking the lead. They decided Changsik would take his place after an hour as they resumed their journey. Without the hindrance of the blizzard, their progress was smoother.
"There's the castle."
As the ice castle fully came into view, Changsik spoke up. Kang Sihyun stopped the group to check their condition, applied healing skills to Ihae and Changsik, and asked Changsik to light a fire. Once warmed up sufficiently, Kang Sihyun proceeded to meet with the Russian Awakeners waiting in front of the dungeon.
Like the encounter with Sherry, the foreign features of the Russian Awakeners were striking. Ihae initiated the conversation, and the Russians, who had been discussing among themselves while looking at the ice castle, turned their attention to Kang Sihyun's group.
"We're the support team from Korea."
Ihae introduced himself with a slight bow and extended his hand. Speaking in English due to his lack of proficiency in Russian, Kang Sihyun and Changsik also reached out their hands. Changsik's willingness to shake hands relieved Kang Sihyun, who had been concerned about potential rudeness on his part.
Kang Sihyun observed the six Russian Awakeners, three of whom were S-grade. Among them, the fire attribute Awakener, Igor, and the buffer, Lucia, were the most reliable in terms of position. The remaining S-grade was also trustworthy.
Misha, a dual-class Awakener specializing in mental and swordsmanship, ranked first in Russia. The presence of an Awakener capable of mental control and defense was reassuring, especially with information that Gula's offspring utilized mental abilities.
After introductions, Ihae conducted a brief and asked if they were ready to enter the dungeon. The Russians nodded eagerly, and both Ihae and Changsik looked to Kang Sihyun, who was most knowledgeable about the dungeon, to lead the briefing.
Kang Sihyun, feeling the intense scrutiny of the Awakeners, some of whom were nearly S-grade, cleared his throat uncomfortably before speaking.
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