After the Great Snowboar King collapsed, Lu Chen, drenched in sweat, landed on the ground. He had to admit—the fight had drained almost all of his strength.
That beast had thick skin and high endurance. Lu Chen had gone three rounds with it, smashing it countless times with his blazing Debate Club before finally wearing it down to the brink of death.
Out of the three charges, the most dangerous one had nearly grazed him. An impact of that level could've shattered his bones, but thankfully, he dodged every time.
The [Cold Warning] was still active, but having exerted himself so much, Lu Chen only felt heat coursing through his body. He didn't stop to rest. Swapping his weapon to the Blunt Sword, he walked straight toward the boar's head.
Time to finish it off.
With a swift stab, he plunged the Blunt Sword into the Great Snowboar King's head. As it let out a sharp, wailing cry, a system notification popped up.
[Achievement Unlocked: Defeated the True King of the Snowy Mountains...?]
[Reward: 100 Primogems, ¥100,000 real-world currency]
The boar's body gradually faded and vanished within the cave, leaving five slabs of cold fresh meat quietly lying on the ground.
[Great Snowboar King's Meat ×5]
Lu Chen stored them in the system, feeling delighted. Now he could deliver on his promise to make roast wild boar for Ei.
Things didn't rot in the system—it was better than a fridge.
He had everything planned out. Soon he'd pick up Qiqi. It had only been two days since they left the city, and they'd be back just in time for Ei's third-day match. After her win, they could all head to the beach for a barbecue celebration. It would be perfect...
Thinking about this, Lu Chen picked up a burnt-out torch from the ground, reignited it with Pyro, and illuminated the Great Snowboar King's den.
In the flickering light, a treasure chest with a bronzy sheen appeared ahead.
As expected, defeating a boss like this came with a chest reward. Lu Chen and Venti stepped forward—just as footsteps echoed behind them.
It was Wang Qi and the others. After Captain Liu's group bailed, the three of them had stuck around.
Wang Qi had helped during the wild boar ambush, but once the Great Snowboar King appeared, all they could do was hide and cheer from the sidelines.
Lu Chen opened the [Precious Treasure Chest], and a glow burst from within.
[Primogems ×80]
[Adventurer's Experience ×5]
[Skyrider Sword (Weapon)]
[Silver Sword (Weapon)]
[Mercenary Heavy Sword (Weapon)]
[Traveling Doctor's Pocket Watch (Artifact: Sands of Eon)]
[Mixed Ore for Refining ×5 (Weapon EXP Material)]
Not bad—worthy of a "Precious Treasure Chest." Lu Chen glanced at the three who were staring at the loot with hungry eyes and unceremoniously pocketed the Primogems and experience books.
Not like they could see any of it anyway.
The Skyrider Sword had a nice design. It was a three-star weapon and could serve as upgrade fodder, so Lu Chen took it out for a closer look.
As for the two-star weapons and the artifact, he left them. He wasn't stingy, and this was his way of rewarding Wang Qi and the others for sticking it out.
Of course, the real reason was that, to Lu Chen, those items were just junk.
If they were three-star or higher, he wouldn't have been so generous.
Lu Chen noticed all three had gained a full level. Compared to the loot, that was probably their biggest reward.
Wang Qi picked up two of the weapons, beaming despite the biting cold.
But when they reached for the ore after stashing the glowing pocket watch, they saw it was already in Lu Chen's hand.
"This stuff's no use to you, so I'll be taking it," Lu Chen said flatly.
"Uh..." Wang Qi stared at the ore. He'd heard it held mysterious energy—no one knew what it did, but on the black market, it was worth more than gold.
He really wanted to shamelessly ask Lu Chen for it, but when he opened his mouth, what came out was, "Alright, we don't need it. Go ahead."
At least they'd gotten something, right? No injuries either. His two brothers were standing safe beside him...
Only the strong had the right to claim spoils. Getting a share at all was already generous—far more than what Liu and his deserters had gotten...
Lu Chen didn't care what he was thinking. Still, seeing that he was sensible, he offered a kind warning.
"This isn't the end. The deeper you go, the lower your survival chances. The real cause of the weather anomaly lies at the very heart of the cave. Are you sure you want to keep going?"
"We're heading back."
Surprisingly, Wang Qi—who had seemed so stubborn before—backed off on his own.
Lu Chen and Venti looked at him. Wang Qi gave a wry smile. "Just making it this far probably used up all my luck. We owe everything to you two. I won't drag you down. We're heading out."
"Knowing when to push forward and when to pull back—not bad." Lu Chen patted him on the shoulder.
Despite being treated like a junior by someone much younger, Wang Qi didn't mind at all. He smiled sincerely. "Good luck to you both. Until next time!"
Lu Chen nodded and watched them leave.
Then he turned to face the depths of the cave. The final destination was just ahead—the source of the disturbance.
[Cold Value]was steadily rising.
He already had a hunch about what was waiting. He'd had a similar encounter in Dragonspine once.
He looked at Venti. "Let's go."
"Mm."
After walking a while, the darkness gave way to light, and the cave suddenly opened up. Before Lu Chen stretched a vast, icy expanse, like a palace of frost.
Not a real palace, of course—but the surrounding stone walls were covered with massive, clear ice crystals. Everywhere the eye could see was pure white, shaped into a kingdom of ice and snow.
Light poured in through cracks in the ceiling, making the crystals glisten. Day had already broken outside.
The scene reminded Lu Chen of the Starglow Cavern in Dragonspine.
Right then, the [Cold Value]hit its peak. At the center of the open area stood Cryo Hypostasis, radiating a bone-chilling cold from another world.
The quest marker indicated the endpoint was there—or rather, directly above Cryo Hypostasis.
A transparent block of ice hovered in midair. Inside, Lu Chen could faintly make out a small girl in blue and purple, peacefully asleep with her eyes closed.
Found you at last... Qiqi.
Venti looked past the ice encasing Qiqi and stared farther upward toward the sky.
A strange smile played on his lips, puzzling Lu Chen.
"What is it? Did you see something?"
"Nothing, nothing." Venti wiped the smile away, but the corners of his lips still curled slightly, as if he'd uncovered some big secret.
Lu Chen eyed him suspiciously. "Spit it out!"
"I'm serious, nothing! Come on, go fight the boss and save Qiqi!"
"Talk!"
"Talk about what? I've got a cramp in my neck!"
"You're still grinning!"
"My mouth cramped too!"
Lu Chen was inexplicably irritated by Venti's cryptic attitude. With nowhere to vent, he snorted and strode alone toward Cryo Hypostasis.
Fine, don't say it.
Time to fight the boss!
As Lu Chen walked away, Venti looked back toward the sky again and sighed with a helpless smile.
"You still came after all..."
"Still couldn't let go, huh... traveling all this way just to be here..."
"This excessive desire to protect... is it a blessing, or a burden..."