Ch.171Ice Horror (1)

The world beneath the cold ice sheet was a maze.

The underground space I had chosen as my nest was open in both directions, but this place was even more so. It seemed as if a giant mining drill had been moving around, creating tunnels everywhere.

The Sky Mother and I walked through the ice maze built underground.

Thanks to my auxiliary organs, I can avoid getting lost even in the dark. That’s fine for me, but the Sky Mother moved just as well in this place without a single point of light.

“Which way would be faster?”

[Zzzzz zzz zzzz zzzz (I think the right would be better)]

“Really?”

Her amber eyes glowed softly like a lantern as she walked beside me.

Among the phantom beasts (幻獸) that Volf can transform into, there are types that store light in their bodies and emit it as needed. Thanks to this ability, the Griffon can utilize its excellent vision regardless of day or night.

Like adventurers exploring unknown worlds with just a small torch, we continued toward where our nest was located.

‘Something feels strange.’

We’d been inside for more than 10 minutes but hadn’t encountered any creatures. There should be organisms living in underground spaces like this.

Plus, I didn’t notice at first, but the deeper we went, the more convinced I became that this empty space wasn’t naturally formed.

The Sky Mother seemed to think the same as I did.

“I think we’ve entered the wrong place.”

She pointed to a section of the wall with her front paw.

There were scattered traces of 3-meter-long gouges. They seemed quite old, with ice and dirt packed into all the marks.

But I know what these traces mean.

And what this place is.

This is a space created by a being more massive than any creature I’ve encountered so far.

A monster with formidable power, though not quite matching the Black Gallergorn.

[Zzzzzzz zzzzzzzz (This is an Ice Horror’s territory)]

“…Judging by its size, it’s at least a Subadult, or even beyond that.”

Ice Horrors molt as they age, and with each shedding, their bodies grow significantly larger and their carapaces harden. In the game, they limited growth at the adult stage for balance reasons.

But this is reality. If it continued to grow after reaching adulthood, I can’t even imagine how large it might be.

‘Those marks look like they were made by leg claws.’

With claws that size, the creature must be at least 150 meters long. Truly beyond standard specifications.

“Can you sense anything around us?”

[Zzzzz (Not yet)]

Naturally, I checked with my auxiliary organs before coming down here. I only felt the cool air, with no special movements detected.

I placed my auxiliary organs against the wall, but the result was the same as before.

However, if this is an Ice Horror’s territory, we absolutely cannot let our guard down.

Due to its massive size, it doesn’t travel far to hunt. It claims a certain area as its hunting ground and targets prey that enters.

‘We’ve been here for several dozen minutes. It probably already knows about our intrusion.’

It can detect scents and vibrations from dozens of kilometers away. I must assume it’s far superior to me, as I can only detect enemies within a few kilometers without my nest.

By now, it’s probably diligently coming to catch us.

Moreover, despite its enormous size, an Ice Horror can minimize the sound it makes while moving. The down on its legs and body reduces noise as much as possible.

Because of this characteristic, if you hear its sound, it’s likely already too late.

Even if we spotted it chasing us and tried to escape, this is its home ground. Fleeing would only buy time.

Instead, I need to prepare for how to fight it.

‘Let’s analyze this step by step.’

First, let’s look at the enemy’s advantages: I don’t know much about this specific creature.

While I know about Ice Horrors in general, I can’t be certain how much stronger this one is.

In the game, they never exceed 100 meters in size, but the one here is at least 150 meters. My current body size is 28 meters, and though I could grow larger using Hunter’s Emblem, I’d still be tiny compared to the enemy.

Unlike the Sea Demon or Black Gallergorn, which manipulate enemies with extraordinary special abilities, the Ice Horror doesn’t possess special powers. Instead, it’s a creature that overwhelms with superior physical abilities.

It surely exceeds me in both strength and defense.

Additionally, its detection abilities surpass mine. The Ice Horror can sense vibrations, sounds, smells, and various other elements with the antennae on its head.

It will quickly notice wherever I hide, so I can’t use my usual strategy of starting combat with a surprise attack.

An enemy with detection abilities superior to mine, and an unknown level of strength—these are its advantages.

‘Conversely, I have the same advantages.’

The Ice Horror also lacks information about me. It probably thinks we’re just Winter Walkers who accidentally fell underground.

‘It doesn’t know what I’m capable of.’

If it’s an entity outside standard specifications, so am I.

Even if my combat power is inferior to its, I have characteristics that can compensate for this.

Also, while I don’t know about this specific creature, I do know about “Ice Horrors.” Their habits, strengths, weaknesses—all that information is in my head.

Various characteristics, and the experience of hunting numerous Ice Horrors—these are my weapons.

After organizing my thoughts, I stopped the Sky Mother.

[Zzzzz zzzzzz (Let’s fight here)]

“Will just the two of us be enough?”

I shook my head at the Sky Mother’s question.

‘If it’s over 150 meters as I suspect, even breaking its carapace will be difficult.’

Even its thinnest shell would be several meters thick. Without a body enhanced by “Hunter’s Emblem” or a destructive trait like “God’s Whip,” I wouldn’t be able to inflict any damage.

So here, I need everyone’s help—No. 26, Adhigh Orr, and the Sky Mother.

[Zzz zzzzzz zzz zzzzzz zzzzzz zzzzzzzz zzzzzz (I’ll buy time. Meanwhile, go to the nest and bring them)]

“You’re going to lure it?”

[Zz (Yes)]

“Well, it’s true the creature tends to target larger prey first, but that’s not always the case. I might be attacked first.”

A valid point.

Ice Horrors generally prefer larger prey, but there are exceptions. They’re cunning creatures that sometimes act unpredictably.

For instance, they occasionally subdue weaker enemies first before targeting larger prey. If it behaves that way here, the Sky Mother would be in great danger.

[Zzzzzz zzzzzzz (No need to worry)]

The enemy may be cunning, but we’re no slouches when it comes to strategic thinking.

‘Children, it’s your time.’

The circular membrane where my thick dorsal shell meets my waist tore open with a sticky sound. Small demons that had been inside the nest poured out.

The infection-related fusion trait, Tooth Fairy Nest, had activated.

Compared to my 28-meter body, these murderous fleas still looked tiny as they lined up before me. The Sky Mother, realizing what I was planning, nodded.

“…I understand.”

[Zzz zzzzzz zzzzzz zzzzzzz zzzzzz (Right. When you reach a fork, turn right)]

“I know that without you explaining.”

The Griffon snorted and met my eyes.

She didn’t say anything, but I could easily guess what she was thinking.

I nodded slightly, and she immediately ran forward.

After sending her off, I looked at the tooth fairies.

‘I have tasks for you to do.’

The creatures, receiving my thought waves imbued with my will, began moving to find their respective tasks. As they dispersed, I also changed position.

There’s a suitable battlefield for fighting it nearby.

–

“It” was crawling through the ice cave with countless legs when it suddenly stopped.

There was a change in the vibrations flowing from afar.

The large and small vibrations that had been moving together suddenly split and moved in different directions.

“It” knows what this means. Among prey that move in groups, adults sometimes act as decoys to protect their weak offspring. This case seemed similar.

If so, the answer is clear.

Target the smaller vibrations. The young are slow and weak, so eat them first, then target the stronger adult later—that’s much more effective.

“It” was about to follow the smaller vibrations as usual, but its antennae detected new vibrations.

Tiny vibrations were pouring out from the larger vibration.

Having never encountered this before, “it” was slightly confused. Was the smaller vibration acting as bait this time? Or had it misdetected?

“It” placed its two long antennae on the ground. Small tremors and sounds mixed with the cool sensation of soil and ice traveled up the antennae.

It judged these to be footsteps of small creatures, meaning there were offspring around the larger vibration.

The reason for the change in the large vibration it had felt earlier was probably because it was a creature carrying its young. Though rare, such creatures did exist, so “it” accepted this explanation.

“Ssssssssss”

After retrieving its antennae, “it” set off again.

The destination was where numerous vibrations were gathered.

It moved its hundreds of legs diligently, gliding through the ice maze. Despite its enormous size, it moved very quietly. If another creature had heard it, they might have mistaken it for wind blowing through a hole somewhere in the underground space.

After moving for a short time, “it” sensed prey. Ten young ones were in front of it.

Probably some offspring that had fallen behind while fleeing.

Though they were young, they seemed quite aggressive, as the stragglers charged at “it” when it appeared in the passage.

“It” spread wide the four jaws covering its mouth and plunged its head straight into where the prey was. The four jaws dug up the frozen ground like an excavator. The young ones, mixed with soil, stones, and ice, went straight into its intestines.

This method was possible because the size difference between the two was so enormous that comparison was unnecessary.

After dispatching ten young ones in one breath, it continued forward.

Its antennae told it that after passing through this passage ahead, there would be a cavity. The large vibration and the young ones were gathered there.

Thinking of the upcoming feast, digestive acid dripped from its jaws. Eager to fill its intestines with fresh meat as soon as possible, it rushed through the ice cave.

It quickly passed through the passage and poked its head into the wide cavity. The distance to the “large vibration” was close enough for its antennae to grasp the outline.

“Got you.”

A small sound traveling through the air.

“It” didn’t know what this sound meant.

But it knew what the massive energy detected from the entity making that sound would result in.

“It” tried to quickly retreat back into the passage, but its size made this difficult. While it was stuck in the passage, unable to move properly, what it had feared became reality.

An enormous amount of energy flying from inside the cavity burned its carapace. As not only the shell but also the flesh inside was completely heated, “it” screamed.

“Ssssss!”

The pain was similar to what “it” had felt when attacked by flying snakes when it was very young.

The difference was that this had incomparably greater destructive power than what it had been hit with back then.

The energy not only burned it but also collapsed the ceiling and walls above its head. As soon as the energy flames ended, rocks and ice buried it.

–

‘According to plan.’

There are several ice passages in the cavity where I am, but I deliberately left 10 tooth fairies in that particular passage.

I was confident that an Ice Horror, which targets offspring or the weak first, would surely trample the tooth fairies on its way. And I prepared to fire Psychic Breath as soon as I felt the tooth fairies’ deaths.

The reason I used Psychic Breath instead of God’s Whip was simple. If I used God’s Whip, the entire ice plain above would obviously collapse.

If that happened, everyone except me would be crushed immediately. The Gallergorn flying outside would quickly notice something was down here.

For these reasons, I used Psychic Breath, the second most destructive long-range attack method after God’s Whip.

‘Besides, the enemy’s large size actually made it more effective.’

I estimated the creature’s length at 150 meters, but judging from its head alone, it seemed even larger. Because its body was so big, it couldn’t escape despite detecting my attack early, as it got stuck in the passage.

‘At least I’ve secured the first strike.’

The passage the creature came through completely collapsed, but an Ice Horror isn’t weak enough to die from that kind of attack. At most, only the parts of its carapace directly hit by the Psychic Breath would be damaged.

It will soon emerge and pounce on me.

‘Before that.’

To face a monster, I need to become a monster myself.

I activated Hunter’s Emblem.