Adrian and Creepysoo brought down the Ice Golem with ease as Kanlaon had increased fire attribute abilities that were deadly to it. The two went to pick up the loot and discovered nothing.
"Did it really not drop anything even something like a core or something? What did it drop air?" Creepysoo stated while throwing a tantrum.
Adrian who saw the peculiarity of the situation frowned. The Ice Golem suddenly attacked them but it felt like they were being probed by someone or something. He thought that it was a player but golems created by players drop their broken cores when broken.
"It seems that we are being watched but not by a player." Adrian stated which Creepysoo heard clearly.
"How can you tell?" Creepysoo asked.
"The Ice Golem looked like it was probing our attacks and defenses. When we destroyed the Ice Golem, I felt like a soul was freed from it. Golems do not have souls so that should not have happened. The Ice golem also did not drop anything. That only happens when a boss monster summons minions to kill intruders." Adrian muttered and then he suddenly had a realization.
Adrian took out the crown fragment and it glowed albeit faintly. He suddenly felt the entire mountain shake and several figures started emerging from the bottom of the snow.
"We are out of here." Adrian stated as he grabbed Creepysoo and beckoned Kanlaon to carry them.
"Wait..Why?" Creepysoo protested but he also saw the large bodies rising from the snow.
"Yeah. Can you make the escape faster then?" Creepysoo stated as he let himself be carried.
Numerous Ice Golems appeared on the mountain but Adrian and Creepysoo are already away from them. The ice golems looked like they were searching for someone or something as they were swaying their heads sideways. Adrian saw this interaction was finally convinced of his theory or it added more probability of it being true.
"It seems that the whole mountain is considered as the main dungeon. The outside is like its first floor." Adrian stated while they were still flying down towards the city.
"What are we going to do then?" Creepysoo asked.
"We will wait for the others at the foot of the mountain. I have at least verified that there is a fragment here in this area. I tested it using another fragment and it glowed." Adrian stated.
"So basically that assault squad of ice golems happened because you had to whip out the crown fragment." Creepysoo stated while squinting his eyes and looking at Adrian.
Adrian was sweating because Creepysoo may have been right about the situation so he kept quiet until they descended to the foot of the mountain. When they reached the bottom, Adrian hurriedly contacted all his friends and even his sister.
"How did you get level 99 so fast?" Adrian asked as he knew that Creepysoo did not have an experience multiplier and his movements were far more restricted than Adrian's.
"I solved that problem by having the higher level undead NPCs fight with me in higher leveled dungeons." Creepysoo replied.
"I wish I could use that method but the Daemos population is small and already spread thin. I was practically left to fend for myself. He is considered a prince of the undead so he has royal status. He was basically spoiled by the Undead King." Adrian told himself as he calmed down.
The others arrived soon after while some needed to be fetched. Adrian had to ask Creepysoo to fetch Levin Cloud, Peridot and Kabrakan. Vayu and Soleil appeared like they manifested using their respective elements. Solstice, Mina's in-game name, appeared via a gaudy carriage that represented her ducal affiliation.
Everyone was level 99 except for Adrian and Mina. They only need to succeed on this raid and all their characters will get pass the level threshold. Adrian then named the party to Conquer Mt. Nieve in order to clearly indicate their objective.
Adrian introduced all of them to each other so that they will not be complete strangers. Adrian's childhood friends are very friendly to the others but clearly put some distance between them and Mina. It seems even they were wary of the tigress. Even the upcoming tigress Peridot was afraid of her.
They all shared their experiences on their journeys especially those who are of different races. Mina's story was particularly interesting as they gained a new perspective on the town of Genesis. Adding Adrian's story into the mix and it will give a big clue that the beginner town is very important for hidden events.
The group decided to build up their teamwork so they decided to attack any monster that comes their way as they climb the mountain. Adrian took out the crown fragment in hopes that he could get Creepysoo to trace the energy of the monster that creates the ice golems. It would be easier to find the entrance if they get a reading on the undead energy.
They encountered a lot of ice golems along the way but those things were only high in health despite being level 105. Kanlaon easily beat one that Adrian was reprimanded to not join the fight by his sister. It would be counter intuitive if Adrian's soulbound would kill one immediately.
Everyone became strong and had improved skills now that they got used in the game. Levin Cloud could both attack and heal at the same time. Peridot can now use clay soldiers that can mimic human movement and would stun enemies if she detonated them. Kabrakan now is a bull demi-human and had two towering shields that was bigger than him.
Vayu and Soleil also improved greatly as they were hurling spells more and faster than before. The two still looked like they were having fun and enjoying themselves. The most noticeable person was Solstice as she hacked any enemy that they came across with blinding speed. She was the fiercest of them all as her weapons made of blood impale and slash anyone that opposes her.
Creepysoo mainly was a support and used black magic to damage and weaken the enemies. Adrian had to just observe and wholeheartedly focus on finding the entrance to the dungeon with Creepysoo's help. The light coming from the crown fragment was already glowing faintly despite them being just near the foot of the mountain.
Earlier on when Adrian first brought it out, they were located somewhere near the middle. It glowed faintly in the middle but the glow was brighter near the foot of the mountain. Adrian was sure that the entrance is near here but it was very elusive.
"Should I melt the snow?" Soleil asked as she was half fire elemental.
"As long as you do not use your most powerful skill then I think it is alright." Adrian replied.
"What does the entrance look like anyway?" Levin Cloud asked.
"That would be the million dollar question. It seems whoever is observing us is cloaking the entrance so we do not find his location. We cannot see him but he can see us." Adrian stated as this conjecture is getting more and more correct.
Ice golems would always pop up wherever the group may be so it is only reasonable to say that the enemy knows of their location. Soleil started melting the snow that is around the group using fireballs. The cooldown of the skill was one second but due to the unique nature of a half elemental it is doubled but they do not consume mana.
Soleil was so bored that she just randomly hurls fireballs around them in hopes of hitting something. Maybe it was effective or so because one of the fireballs managed to hit a transparent wall. Creepysoo then immediate detected the undead energy permeating from that place but it disappeared as fast as it is sensed.
Adrian used his evil eyes and detected an anomaly ten meters in front of them. It appears like something was blocking his vision from permeating the snow. He could see the other areas fine as he can see what was buried in the snow but not that area ten meters in front of them.
"I think we found it. Everybody get ready as something might pop out from the snow." Adrian stated and he was right.
Ten Ice golems rose from the snow when they went near the area where Adrian detected the anomaly in his vision. This time Solstice did not bar Adrian from joining the fight as they were clearly outnumbered. If they take a long time then the number of ice golems might increase so they had to finish of these giant clumps of ice.
Kanlaon lead the charge as he took care of one ice golem while Sirius and Adrian confronted one. Soleil and Vayu each had one. Solstice is confronting one while the remaining five were being preoccupied by Levin Cloud, Peridot and Kabrakan until the others kill the ones they are facing.
Soleil and Kanlaon were the first to finish their battles as they had the elemental advantage. By the time the others took down their respective ice golem, the remaining five were dealt with the combined forces of Kanlaon, Soleil, Levin Cloud, Peridot and Kabrakan.
Everyone checked their gears and statuses before Adrian went near the anomaly. He blew up the piled up snow using Quantum Repulsion and discovered a reflective ice mirror. He touched the mirror but it was actually not solid but was an illusion as his hand passed through.
[Do you want to enter the Tomb of Gefroren? Yes or No?]