Trapped in a dire situation with the ceiling inching ever closer, Kang Sihyun couldn't afford the luxury of death by suffocation. His mind raced for a way out as the ground beneath him soared, and the icy fortress applying pressure from all sides seemed to be his first challenge to overcome.
Could he make it back if he escaped? What would become of him if the fortress crumbled entirely, making dungeon conquest an impossible dream? And what price would he pay for resorting to such foul play? These anxious questions chased each other in his mind.
As the sense of foreboding deepened, so did the lack of any concrete solution. But staying and being crushed to death by the ceiling was not an option.
"Jump through the window!"
In the end, Kang Sihyun decided to take the risk and escape the fortress. His companions, seemingly in agreement with his decision, dashed towards the ice-made window without hesitation as he gave the command.
As they began their escape, the ground's ascent hastened. Kang Sihyun, pushing his running to the limit, was the first to reach the window.
He tried to open the window desperately, but the ice-sealed window wouldn't budge, not even after he tried unlocking it.
"What's the problem?" Uiheon rushed over to ask. Kang Sihyun, gripping a shining rod, hit the window again, proving it unmovable.
"It's nothing!"
If there was no door, he'd make one. Kang Sihyun swung the rod at the window with all his might.
Bang! Bang! And then again, Bang!
After three forceful swings, a crack formed on the window, and the ice wall slowly began to split. Kang Sihyun delved into the fissure, hammering away once more.
Bang, bang, bang.
The repetitive violent acts finally made a loud breaking sound, and ice shards crumbled out of the window, opening up the view. As they secured a pathway out, the chill from outside seeped in.
Kang Sihyun, looking up at the ceiling that almost reached his head, called out to Lucia.
"Lucia, just in case, give me the flight buff!"
With little time to spare, he shouted as he jumped. Being the first in line, hesitating would risk others being crushed by the ceiling.
Following Kang Sihyun's lead into the risk, Uiheon kicked off the wall, accelerating their fall. Kang Sihyun, feeling Uiheon's hand reaching out to protect him, grasped it tightly and closed his eyes.
It was the 10th floor.
A fall from the 3rd or 4th floor might have been survivable, but not from the 10th. If they were to fall from this height, any part of their body could shatter upon impact. Just before their bodies hit the ground, Lucia, along with the Russian Awakeners, activated the flight buff on Kang Sihyun.
Their falling bodies were wrapped in a golden light and soared up, drawing an arc through the air.
Boom!
The sound of the floor and ceiling colliding was heard as the ice fortress trembled violently. It was a moment that made everyone's hearts drop.
"...Is everyone here?"
Kang Sihyun checked the number of his companions.
One, two, three, four, five, ...nine.
Fortunately, all had escaped safely.
"That was dangerous."
"But thankfully, everyone's safe. Is anyone hurt?"
"Why ask each one? We look fine, don't we? More importantly, what do we do now?"
"That's the question."
Despite Changsik's sharp tone, his point was always valid. Having survived, the next issue was how to re-enter the ice fortress they had been expelled from.
Breaking the dungeon's rules meant they wouldn't be welcomed back through the main entrance. Given they needed to acquire a sacrifice, a standoff of at least a day was inevitable, even if they couldn't be barred entry forever.
Spending the night outside would likely result in freezing to death. Even with Igor and Changsik present, safety couldn't be guaranteed.
"If we have to camp outside, dropping our physical strength is inevitable."
Was this the consequence he mentioned?
The penalty for thinking even a little seemed quite severe. Either die there or leave and start over.
Even if they were lucky to re-enter the dungeon immediately, they would have to start clearing from the first floor again, a headache-inducing prospect. After a moment of contemplation, Kang Sihyun looked at his companions. They remained silent, waiting for him to speak.
"Does anyone have any suggestions on what we should do next?"
"Shouldn't we try to re-enter?"
"We have to go back in."
"Then let's try entering through the main gate."
"It might not work, but it's worth a try. Any other suggestions?"
After exchanging looks, the Russian Awakeners put forward several suggestions, from returning to the
association to report the situation and preparing to break the ice fortress from outside. As they were pondering over these diverse suggestions, Changsik suddenly piped up.
"What about trying to enter through the hole we just made?"
"That hole?"
"The one we just came out of."
He gestured towards the broken wall. Kang Sihyun shook his head.
With the ceiling now collapsed, there was no space to re-enter.
Just as he was about to dismiss the idea, a cunning plan struck him.
Sure, the 10th floor might be closed off, but what about other areas?
Like, perhaps, the highest floor where Nonus was said to reside.
Trying to enter through the main gate, as they had discussed, was one thing, but this could be an even better option if successful. Kang Sihyun's lips curled up slightly, causing Changsik to frown.
"What kind of dangerous plan are you laughing about so menacingly?"
"It might be a bit dangerous."
At his ominously calm response, Changsik retorted. Kang Sihyun smiled slightly and gathered everyone's attention.
"I have a plan, would you like to hear it?"
Everything is hardest the first time around.
Having already been expelled once for cheating, what's the harm in cheating a second time? Besides, the plan involved something outside of Nonus's maximum influence.
Kang Sihyun shared the plan inspired by Changsik's suggestion.
Initially met with stunned silence, the companions' expressions quickly turned from incredulity to anxiety, and finally, they looked at Kang Sihyun as if he were a stranger.
"...Why are you all looking at me like that?"
He had expected some praise for his fairly decent suggestion, but the reaction was unexpectedly chilly. More accurately, it was the odd looks directed at him that shifted the atmosphere.
Facing their awkward gazes, Kang Sihyun showed his embarrassment as Misha sighed softly.
"Do all Korean Awakeners take such reckless approaches?"
"Is it too reckless?"
"The idea of flying up to the 20th floor with a flight buff and breaking in does seem quite reckless."
Hearing Misha calmly summarize the plan made it sound indeed foolhardy. Kang Sihyun had no choice but to shrug, accepting the risky nature of their scheme.
"Risk often equals reward. If we succeed, it's not a bad plan at all."
"I know, that's why we agreed to it."
Regardless of the process, meeting the final boss without having to clear the remaining 10 floors was a significant advantage. Misha checked everyone's mana one by one before looking up at the top of the fortress with a slight tilt of her head.
The top of the fortress was just visible if they craned their necks enough to hurt. Kang Sihyun apologized to Lucia, who had to cast the flight buff on all nine of them.
"Sorry for putting you through this again, Lucia."
"What are you talking about? This is why we came!"
Lucia cheerfully recast the flight buff on the group. Kang Sihyun took a deep breath and looked at Igor. Considering the unknowns they might face on the highest floor, it seemed prudent to have the sturdiest among them, Igor, take the lead.
Kang Sihyun surrounded Igor with a barrier in case of emergencies and signaled for them to start.
"On three. One, two."
Three.
At Igor's signal, they all soared towards the sky. The ascent to the 10th floor was smooth, but from the 11th floor onward, the wind grew fiercer. By the time they passed the 15th floor, even with the flight buff, it was hard to keep control in the face of the strong gusts.
This wasn't a sudden change in weather.
Nonus had sensed the approaching humans and was exerting his power.
"If you feel like you're going to be blown away, grab onto the person next to you!"
It was better for several to be carried away together than for one to fall behind. Following the advice, two S-class Russian Awakeners immediately held onto each other. Changsik stuck close to Igor, breaking through the wind at the forefront, with Uiheon supporting from behind.
"There, the 20th floor!"
After several close calls of being blown backwards, they finally saw the top of the fortress. At Kang Sihyun's shout, Igor and Changsik clenched their fists.
Whoosh!
Flames hot enough to cause burns even in this cold erupted from their fists. Uiheon drew his sword next to them, and Kang Sihyun narrowed his eyes, sensing the interior of the fortress.
There was no special energy felt.
After checking several times, Kang Sihyun yelled now was the moment.
Changsik and Igor swung their fiery fists. Uiheon's sword energy sliced through the flames, striking the fortress's window first.
Scratch.
A tiny crack appeared on the ice fortress's outer wall.
Changsik and Igor's fists precisely targeted that gap.
Crash!
The window shattered under the impact of their punches.
Since the window was relatively thinner and weaker than the outer wall, this was possible.
It seemed doubtful, but they had succeeded. Kang Sihyun's smile brightened.
The unconventional method had worked.
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