Chapter 15: Match
by fnovelpia
The Ice Robot.
It was a gigantic robot assembled from ice that the Ice Princess shot out.
Building it itself wasn’t too hard.
‘The materials were already prepared over there.’
I just had to roughly shape and combine the numerous ice pillars the Ice Princess shot out.
I didn’t actually create the ice myself, just assembled it.
Building it itself was easier than I thought.
However, there was a problem.
Controlling it was ridiculously difficult.
‘Well…’
‘Of course, it’s going to be hard.’
After all, I was moving an enormous chunk of ice in real-time.
It couldn’t be easy.
But the performance was overwhelming.
Whoosh!
Boom!
Just one punch was enough to shatter the entire forest.
Whoosh!
Boom!
One kick was enough to destroy the ice wall made by the Ice Princess.
‘This is why piloting a giant robot is worth it!’
And the defense was flawless.
Swoosh!
Even the Ice Princess’s freezing attacks didn’t leave a scratch.
Not just the Ice Robot, but I, who was inside it, remained unharmed too.
‘It’s the same principle as an igloo.’
An igloo.
The traditional dwelling of the Inuit, made from ice and snow, which was surprisingly warm.
Of course.
Here, being “warm” means around 0°C.
When it’s -20°C to -40°C outside, 0°C feels warm in comparison, but objectively, it’s still cold.
However, 0°C was bearable.
‘I’ve got the <Glacier Robe> after all!’
A special magical armor that could withstand most cold temperatures just by wearing it.
This level of cold wasn’t an issue.
“Hahaha!”
“That level of cold won’t stop me!”
“Tch.”
Boom!
The Ice Princess dodged the robot’s punch and fired a barrage of ice.
She launched giant ice chunks continuously that looked dangerous if hit directly.
“Ice Shield!”
I blocked the ice attack with a thick, compact shield.
Ping! Ping! Ping! Ping! Ping!
Good.
Blocked them all.
The Ice Princess remained expressionless as she focused the ice in one place.
Whoosh!
She formed a gigantic ice mass.
It was the size of a 15-story apartment building.
‘Wow…’
‘That’s insane.’
The current Ice Princess was probably around level 3 to 5.
Practically a beginner.
But her magic power was immense, comparable to that of a high-level mage.
‘If she’s like this now…’
‘How strong will she be when she reaches max level?’
In the game, she could freeze entire mountains and shatter the Demon King’s castle with ice meteors.
But you know what’s even scarier?
The Ice Princess is actually a Sword Master.
Not a Grand Mage, but primarily a sword-wielding Sword Master.
‘Is that what it takes to be called the strongest among the A-ranks?’
Among humans, excluding the Hero, she’s the strongest.
On the other hand, I’m just a D-rank adventurer, slightly stronger than an ordinary person.
‘The Bracelet of Magic Power.’
‘Thanks to this, I’m barely managing to keep up.’
An item that grants MP+500.
Considering my MP is around 100 to 200, it’s essentially boosting it three to five times.
If not for this, controlling the giant robot would have been impossible.
So just fighting this far was already a huge accomplishment.
For a D-rank to do this much is impressive.
But I have no intention of being satisfied with just this.
‘I’m here to win!’
I had anticipated that the Ice Princess would launch such an attack.
I had seen that character countless times in <Prophecy RPG>.
It would be weird if I didn’t know.
In other words, I came prepared.
That means there’s a way to win.
Ping!
I took out a potion from my bag.
[Magic Power Amplification Potion]
“What?”
“Not enough stats?”
“Then I’ll just use buff potions to fill the gap!”
Gulp, gulp.
MP +100
“”
“One more!”
[Ice Magic Enhancement Potion]
Gulp, gulp.
Ice Magic Attack Power +50
[Brain Enhancement Potion]
Gulp, gulp.
Intelligence +30
[Magic Enhancement Potion]
Gulp, gulp.
Magic Attack Power +30
I kept drinking.
I drank all the buff potions to boost my magic abilities.
‘If it were another character, the percentage increase potions would be the best.’
‘But for someone weak like me, fixed stat increase potions are the best.’
‘A 20% increase?’
That wouldn’t add much.
Besides, those potions are too expensive to afford.
But the +30 potions are relatively cheap and perfectly suited for me.
‘Especially at the weak early stages, these are the best.’
So I drank them all and got stronger.
“Kahaha!”
“I’m brimming with power!”
I controlled the Ice Robot.
Whoosh!!!
The Ice Princess hurled the massive ice block, the size of a 15-story building.
Crash!
The Ice Robot’s punch pierced through the center of the ice block.
Then I manipulated the inside.
‘I can do it.’
‘I can do it now!’
The Ice Princess is not a mage.
The magical power is immense.
But the control over that power is practically nonexistent.
Later on, he demonstrates control on par with a wizard.
But not now.
Right now, he’s nothing more than a clumsy mage who can only hurl massive chunks of magical energy.
Therefore, doing something like this is possible.
‘Take control!’
He severs the Ice Princess’s magical power.
He eliminates the force controlling the ice pillars.
And then,
he takes control.
“Haaaah!”
Crack!
He could feel the Ice Princess’s magic being cut off.
But, the kinetic energy of the massive ice chunk didn’t vanish.
Boom!
The giant robot blocks it with all its strength,
but it won’t last long.
So,
he carves it down.
‘Break it from the inside to reduce its weight!’
Crack!
Crack-crack-crack!
The ice pillar shatters and scatters in all directions.
Thanks to that, the weight is reduced, and now the ice robot can barely withstand it.
But, just blocking it is the mark of an amateur.
A true master uses the opponent’s attack to counter!
“Transform!”
Crunch!
He transforms the ice shard embedded in his arm.
“Mode change!”
“Blaster mode!”
Ssssshh!
The ice fragment morphs into a massive beam cannon.
“Load!”
Clunk!
He loads the ice bullet, filling it with an explosive material.
“Aim!”
He points it straight at the Ice Princess.
“Fire!”
Boom!!!
With an enormous explosion, the ice bullet shoots out.
Compared to the Ice Princess’s ice pillar the size of an apartment building, it’s small, but still, it’s a colossal bullet over a meter in size.
And it’s fast.
“Hahaha!”
“It’s over!”
If that hits, it would be fatal.
But, it didn’t work on the Ice Princess.
Slice!
“I’ll get serious now.”
The Ice Princess slashes the massive bullet with her sword, then charges forward.
But, he’s not about to go down easily.
“Mana potion, bottoms up!”
Since his MP ran out, he quickly recovers with the potion.
And then, he reloads.
“Fire!”
Boom!!!
Another ice bullet flies out, but,
Slice!
The Ice Princess effortlessly cuts it down and keeps charging.
“Tsk.”
“I guess ice bullets won’t work.”
Crunch!
He transforms the beam cannon-shaped ice into a massive drill.
“Final attack!”
“Power Drill Break!”
He spins the drill and charges forward.
Now!
Let’s see how you block this!
…Or so he thought.
Slice!
“?”
The rapidly spinning giant drill splits apart too easily.
Even the robot’s right arm is severed.
“It’s over.”
The Ice Princess’s sword slices through the robot’s core.
“Heh.”
“Do you know what the ultimate final attack of a robot is?”
He quickly escapes, leaving a spark behind.
“Self-destruction.”
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!!!
The bombs planted in the robot explode in succession, causing a massive blast.
“Ugh!”
For the first time, the Ice Princess’s expression changes.
Although she shields herself with an ice barrier,
it’s not entirely effective.
It can’t be helped.
The bombs installed inside the robot are powerful enough to be used against mid-level boss monsters.
‘Getting hit by that directly and only ending up injured… Who’s the real monster here?’
It’s fine.
This isn’t over yet.
“Flame Sword Style – Blazing Flash”
He gathers all the heat generated from the explosion to create a flame.
‘This is the pinnacle of magic.’
Use everything around you.
Don’t rely solely on magical power, create everything through the world itself.
The flame a single mage can conjure is limited, but a flame created by harnessing everything around has no limits.
That’s the essence of ultimate magic.
Recalling the grand mage’s insight, he enhances his power further!
Whoosh!
Flame potion, oil, firewood—anything that can burn is thrown in.
To make the fire bigger.
To create a fiercer blaze.
To forge the ultimate flame that can melt the Ice Princess’s defenses.
He throws in everything he has, infusing all his power into his sword.
Then, he swings his sword with blinding speed.
‘I’ll stake everything on this strike!’
The sword cuts through the thick smoke, aiming precisely at the Ice Princess’s back.
“!!!!!!”
The Ice Princess hastily fortifies her ice barrier.
She restores the barrier that was shattered by the explosion, making it even denser.
But, There was no stopping the flame that held my everything.
Sizzle!
The ice melted the moment it touched the flame.
“This is the end!”
Ting!!!
The black metal sound echoed as the sword hit the Ice Princess’s abdomen but was blocked.
‘Did she strengthen her body with magic?’
It’s fine.
I just need to pierce through it like this!
The bomb I prepared beforehand touched the flaming sword.
“Flame Sword Style 1 – Blazing Flash!”
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!!!
An explosion at zero distance.
Hahaha!
No matter how strong you are, you can’t block this!
What?
Am I going to die too?
[Defense Crystal]
One-time use item.
It’s a tricky one that only blocks one attack for 10 seconds after activation.
But its effect is solid.
An explosion of this level…
“Ugh!”
…was not blocked properly.
Boom!
The shock from the aftermath made me roll on the ground several times, and the impact was so intense that my whole body screamed.
Well…
Considering the situation, this isn’t too bad.
If the shock is this strong even after using the Defense Crystal, the Ice Princess must have collapsed too.
Thinking that, I looked toward the Ice Princess with a hopeful expression.
Even though I used every item to full capacity, a win is a win.
If a D-rank beats an A-rank, that alone is worth bragging about for life.
…Or so I thought.
“Sigh…”
“You’re stronger than I expected.”
The Ice Princess wasn’t unharmed.
She was pretty hurt, and blood was flowing quite a bit.
But, She hadn’t fallen.
“I’ll repay you with a proper attack.”
The Ice Princess firmly gripped her sword and gathered cold energy.
Ah.
That one.
A technique where she unleashes sword energy enveloped in cold and magic.
One of the Ice Princess’s signature moves.
It freezes everything, shatters everything, and scatters the world like snowflakes—a brutal sword technique.
Snowflake Slash.
Ah.
By the way, I named it.
Our Ice Princess doesn’t usually name her techniques.
In <Prophecy RPG>, it was called “Sword Energy Containing Ice Power,” but “Snowflake Slash” sounds way cooler, right?
…Wait!
‘If that hits me, I’ll really die!’
So, I ran away.
“It’s useless.”
“My entire field of vision is the attack range.”
I know.
It’s a long-range technique.
No matter how much I run, I know I’ll get hit.
So, I ran towards Ria.
“Master?”
“Final move!”
“Ria Shield!”
“Master???”
The Ice Princess unleashed her sword energy, and I blocked it with Ria’s shield.
Ting!
Well…
The result was obvious.
No matter how strong Snowflake Slash is, it can’t penetrate <Absolute Invincibility>.
“Huh… Huh?”
The Ice Princess looked confused to see Ria completely unscathed after taking the full impact of Snowflake Slash.
I immediately shouted.
“Surrender!”
“I admit my defeat!”
And I ran away.
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