Just like the prediction, Noel and Anna found a small lake in the middle of the forest. There were at least some distances between the water and the nearest tree, so there was no dead tree floating in the lake.
At the same time, the water itself was a crystal clear, showing that it wasn't contaminated by anything.
"This is…" Anna narrowed her eyes and approached the water, examining it carefully. She even touched the water and felt the cold temperature even though it was still summer.
On the other hand, Noel found his system pop out of nowhere, startling him.
[Mission: Dive into the water.]
[Description: Dive down to the bottom of the lake.]
[Reward: Icy Plain 100 Years Old Ice.]
'This is…' Noel widened his eyes in shock. He almost forgot that his spirits could actually communicate with him through two ways. One was the usual meditation while the other one was through Ardagan's system.
However, this was the first time Noel received this sudden mission. When he looked at Anna who was already suspicious about the water, he could understand the reason. Since he shared his vision with the spirits, they, specifically Heisk, knew Anna had found out something about the ice underwater.
'I see. I should be the one getting this ice then. I don't know their use, but I believe it's useful for me.' Noel thought as he put down his bag and approached the water. "Move."
"Noel?" Anna widened her eyes, shocked. She felt the water was different. Although it was thin, she somehow saw the fluctuation of Spiritual Energy, albeit barely. That was why she examined the water to make sure of her guess.
But Noel was here and even started taking off his clothes.
"I won't be away for too long." Noel ignored her. Although it was embarrassing to strip in front of her, Noel had an objective.
Wearing only a trunk, he dipped his feet into this icy water lake. It was so cold that his body shivered.
"Kh." Noel gritted his teeth, wondering if he could do it or not.
"Spiritual Energy can resist the cold to a certain degree," Anna shouted, helping him. After that, she examined Noel's movement and thought, 'Did he notice something weird under the water? But even with my sensitivity, I could only sense it barely. If not because of the examination, I wouldn't be so sure something is inside.
'But from his action, he seems to know there is something in the water. How? I can't understand.' Anna frowned.
On the other hand, Noel used his Spiritual Energy to strengthen his muscle. To his surprise, he could feel the warmth as if his body was enveloped by fire.
This effect reminded him of the time he used the Spiritual Energy to strengthen him.
'Now that I think about it, whenever I used my Spiritual Energy during the dawn, my body would feel warm. On the contrary, my body cooled down during the second and third sparring of the day. Is it because of Ardagan and Heisk? Ardagan has that black flame while Heisk has ice. Ardagan is probably the reason I can withstand this cold. I shouldn't waste this chance then.'
Without hesitation, he walked to the center of the lake.
'Ugh. Now that I think about it, I don't know how to swim…' Noel thought while gritting his teeth as he took a deep breath before putting his head underneath the water, searching for something unique in the bottom of the lake.
Luckily, the lake wasn't that deep. It was only three meters.
After walking around at the area where he could stand with his head above the water, he found a small glimmer among the rocks at the center of the lake.
He changed the spots a few times and confirmed the blue gem buried underneath those rocks.
'Can I make it? I can only hold my breath for almost two minutes. The distance between me and that place… Well, the lake is not that deep. A single jump is probably all it takes for me to reach the surface. Getting a single breath to dive should end in an instant.'
After steeling his resolve, Noel took a deep breath and started running. His head gradually submerged as his body moved to the center.
It took him quite an effort to move underwater, but he managed to get another breath after jumping to the surface.
This would make him get more time to retrieve the light blue gem.
As soon as he reached the middle area, Noel hurriedly dug a bit at the spot where he found the sparkle.
'Where is it? Where is it?' He tried hard to see the sparkling, but the dust made the water muddy, covering his vision.
'Kh. This stupid dirt and sand.' Noel clicked his tongue and kept digging until he felt a cold surface touching his finger. 'Wait. This is…'
The shape was round, and the size was only a small finger's joint. However, it was clear that this was the item he was searching for, considering the mission was to grab an icy object.
As soon as he got what he wanted, Noel hurriedly returned to the surface. It might be due to the muddy water or Noel's lack of Spiritual Energy sensitivity, Noel didn't realize there was a green light glowing dimly underneath the ground where the icy object was.
Noel simply took the object out of the water as he laid down his body on the grass, exhausted. This was his first underwater experience.
"Hu… Hu…" He panted a few times while Anna approached him, staring at the blue marble on his hand.
"This is… What? This is not fair. I should have been the one going to the water!" Anna clutched her head as she started regretting to let Noel go. "This is 100 Years Old Ice from Icy Plain. The plain has a unique ice that can absorb Spiritual Energy, thus allowing them to grow stronger as time goes.
"And this 100 Years Old Ice can purify the water and keep it cool. If someone wears this as a necklace, their body will be cool." Anna gritted her teeth.
Noel hurriedly pulled his hand, protecting the blue pearl from getting stolen. "This is mine. We've agreed to split the loot, but it only applies to the crystals, not this one."