Chapter 148: The Ice Lord
The tremor came so suddenly that many students immediately lost their footing and slid toward the other side of the train car. Zhou Ning even saw a few players in the distance—each with an ID above their heads—also tumbling over in disarray. One of them was none other than Qingbai Wild Sake.
Thanks to Zhou Ning's [Elegant Footwork] talent, which granted him excellent balance, he had no trouble staying upright. But when he looked out the window again, he was startled by what he saw: a five-meter-tall Ice Giant was climbing up the train. As it ascended, it casually tore open a train car. Cold wind blasted in, and a nearby player was instantly frozen into an ice sculpture.
Zhou Ning: …
That's… the Ice Lord? Isn't that the monster that only appears deep within the Weather Tides? Zhou Ning couldn't help but feel a mix of shock and confusion.
The oppressive presence of the Ice Lord caused several students in the car to scatter in panic. One bolder mage student stood his ground, crackling arcs of lightning dancing from his hands as he hurled a barrage of bolts at the Ice Lord.
But when the lightning hit, it was like a stone sinking into the ocean—no damage at all. The health bar above its head didn't even budge.
A warrior student took a deep breath, his eyes blazing with anger. His muscles swelled as he drew a greatsword and charged at the Ice Lord.
"Get back! Don't go near it!"
Seeing this, Zhou Ning shouted urgently. The Ice Lord was notorious for countering melee fighters. Its icy aura could massively reduce the attack speed of close-combatants. If you weren't tough enough, you'd be frozen before you got a hit in. That was practically suicide!
Without hesitation, he drew his Ebony and Ivory pistols. Kicking off with his right foot, he sprinted toward the front car.
Seeing Zhou Ning's silhouette, Qingbai Wild Sake—who had been planning to hide—perked up. He'd read on the forums that Wayne Sturwell had appeared in West Lin Town and was originally planning to track him down for some exposure. He never expected to encounter him here—right in the middle of a rare combat encounter!
The warrior student also stopped, watching Zhou Ning's black-hatted figure appear just seven meters from the Ice Lord—right outside its freezing range.
Suddenly, the Ice Lord's body went rigid, momentarily stunned. Zhou Ning seized the opportunity, raising both pistols—one black, one white—aiming their dark barrels at its head.
Without a hint of emotion, Zhou Ning pulled the triggers.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A burst of thunderous gunfire exploded, and shimmering ice crystals scattered like a shower of petals. Zhou Ning glanced at the data flashing across his interface, and his pupils shrank slightly.
---
[Ice Lord]
Level: 59
Age: 245
Attributes: Strength 140, Agility 95, Vitality 156, Spirit ?, Willpower ?, Charisma 49
Mood: Enraged
HP: ?
Status: Healthy
Traits: Ice Resistance (+100% Ice Resistance), Colossal Creature (+1000 HP, +72 ATK), Fire Aversion (-50% Fire Resistance) [Further details unknown]
Skills: Frost Nova (Advanced), Freeze (Advanced), Chain Frost (Intermediate) [Further details unknown]
---
Another monster near the version cap—just showing up like that?
Zhou Ning had loaded a special bullet into the faster-firing Ivory. When the fourth round chambered and fired, it silently activated the extraordinary bullet effect: a round imbued with fire whirled into the Ice Lord's body, stunning it once more.
At the same time, a talisman silently appeared in Zhou Ning's left hand—one of several he'd acquired from Wright Phillips.
Then, holding the Ivory in that same hand, Zhou Ning pinched the talisman. As the Ice Lord stood dazed for two more seconds, he spoke in a low voice:
"Flame."
As his concentration gauge dropped, Zhou Ning flicked his fingers, launching the flame talisman with uncanny precision into the Ice Lord's mouth. With a shriek, flames burst from its throat, white smoke billowing out.
Zhou Ning didn't stop. He abruptly raised his pistols again, the shadowy barrels locking onto the Ice Lord's face.
Bang! Bang!
With twin roars, two flame-infused bullets wrapped in Armament Haki and Ripple energy slammed into the Ice Lord's gaping maw.
-743! -765!
With another ear-splitting cry, the frost-wreathed giant trembled violently. The blue flames in its eyes flickered—and vanished.
After a short pause, its massive body toppled from the steam train, slamming into the ground below with a deafening crash that left a giant crater and sent tremors through the earth.
The warrior student watched this scene from afar, stunned speechless for over half a minute. His mind replayed the moment over and over—Wayne, with twin pistols, firing flame bullets as the five-meter monster fell.
He had studied the monster encyclopedia before this mission. The Ice Lord was listed as a quintessential extraordinary creature, a threat level above high-tier warriors. Even his own mentor—Advanced Warrior Tim—had to tread carefully against it and might not even win. Yet Senior Wayne had ended it in ten seconds, as easily as knocking down a wooden dummy.
They were the same age, and yet the gap felt insurmountable.
Zhou Ning exhaled and holstered Ebony and Ivory. Defeating the Ice Lord had been far easier than expected. He hadn't even used his clan technique—just a bit of Conqueror's Haki and a talisman had done the trick.
Of course, part of that was due to the compatibility of his attributes and skillset against the Ice Lord, but his personal growth was undeniable.
The Ice Lord had only appeared for less than two minutes, yet the entire train car was already coated in ice. Two students had even been frozen solid and killed on the spot. If Zhou Ning hadn't stepped in, everyone present might have died.
Thank goodness for you!
The surviving students were all shaken to the core. Some were even on the verge of tears as they crowded around to thank him.
"Thank you, Senior Wayne!"
"We owe you our lives, Senior Wayne!"
"…"
Zhou Ning had long since grown used to this kind of reaction. He accepted it calmly and with poise.
Before long, the steam train's crew rushed over to clean up the mess and patch the car. They didn't dare stop the train in the middle of nowhere—not in this extreme weather. Who knew what else might happen out here?
Fortunately, it was just an accident. The rest of the journey passed without incident.
During casual conversation along the way, Zhou Ning learned that the warrior student from earlier was named Warren Morton, the top second-year student of the warrior class. He seemed to come from a wealthy background, judging from his gear—his greatsword had paralysis and slow effects, clearly a high-grade extraordinary weapon that couldn't be had for less than a thousand Vecktas.
An hour and a half later, the steam train arrived at West Lin Town.
As Zhou Ning stepped off, snow was still falling thick and fast. A piercing chill made him shrink into himself.
Damn… is winter really coming?
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