"Splat!"
A sharp sound rang out.
The picks, which had only just been used to excavate the Iceberg, broke at one end, and the broken piece of pick flew out in a spiral, leaving a very shallow hole in the ice ahead.
Glancing at the pick in her hand, Alka helplessly tossed it aside.
The same thing happened to Sofia and the viruses who were next to him.
At this point, the ice pick in his hand had no effect on the ice in front of him.
The only thing that had an effect now was the flame in Alka's hand.
However, the scale of the effect was limited.
At best, it would only burn a dent the size of a thumb. Melting all the ice was just a foolish dream.
"What do we do now?" Jason asked, looking at the broken pick in his hand.
They were in trouble again.
The ice blocks were truly difficult to deal with, and their hardness was simply laughable.
It's gotten to the point where all we can think about is how to dig through the ice in front of us.
He looks at the pickaxe in his hand.
The tools now limit our exploration. Given their power, if there are better tools, they should be able to break the ice in front of them.
Alka thought for a moment and said, "You'll temporarily limit the ice's regeneration rate, and I'll prepare better tools."
Hearing Alka's words, several people changed.
Alka returned to the ship and went to the workshop in the cabin.
Her right hand was covered in a precise brush, and blue stripes shimmered on it.
Alka was gathering some materials to craft several magical pickaxes. It might have been a bit wasteful, but for the treasure, it was worth it.
In the worst-case scenario, the church would reimburse them for these expenses later, and in the end, they completed their tasks and worked on them.
Thinking about this, Alka approached the workbench and began crafting it.
About a day later.
Arka returned to the digging site with the tools.
Meanwhile, Sofia and the others were resting in a tent nearby.
Seeing Arka approaching, they emerged from the tent and took the new ice-digging tools from him.
Jason swung the pickaxe twice.
"How do I use this thing?"
This pickaxe was outwardly no different from a regular pickaxe, except that the materials it was made from looked more modern.
The handle also had a square with an eye symbol.
Arka shouldered the pickaxe and walked into the cave.
As they walked, he said, "Come with me, I'll show you."
After emerging onto the previous ice surface.
Arka held the pick axe high in her hands, and magical power flowed down the handle to the head of the pick axe, where it touched the icy surface.
A thin layer of silver light appeared on it, and then Alka struck it hard against the ice.
The 30-centimeter tip of the pick axe sank straight into the ice, and Alka infused it with magic again.
The pick axe could be seen vibrating several times, and he, using electricity, grabbed the pick axe and applied force.
A large chunk of ice split into several pieces, fell away, and revealed a conical pit about 40 centimeters deep.
Looking at the effect before him, Alka turned around with satisfaction and said to everyone, "Well, how is it? Not bad."
This icebreaker was carved by Alka with a spell. Besides its durable material, it's also extremely sharp, and has a powerful structure at the back that allows it to vibrate.
When one end hits the ice, it vibrates rapidly several times, causing the ice to instantly lift and activate.
The effectiveness of the icebreaker wire has increased.
Watching Alka's behavior and then glancing at the ice axe in his hand, Jason approached.
He also took action.
However, due to the difference in physical structure and magical power, Jason only dug 20 inches deep.
But it was enough, and it fully demonstrated the effectiveness of this tool, which significantly increased their speed.
The effectiveness was greatly increased.
"Okay, everyone, let's get started."
All four began swinging their ice axes and digging into the ice in front of them.
"Go! Go!" a child's voice called out from behind.
The doll Lucilia held two ribbons next to them and encouraged them.
Alka had done many strange things for Lucia.
"Finally, we've dug here."
Jason sighed heavily, tossed aside his well-worn magic pickaxe, sat down on the ice, and rested, ignoring the cold on his buttocks.
The others weren't much better off.
They all gasped for breath, leaning against the ice.
The air they exhaled immediately turned into a cold mist and dissipated into the air.
Finally, they reached the top of the pit, and the cold here reached a limit that many people could withstand.
Even though all three were dressed in thick clothing and remained in it, they still felt a piercing chill permeating their bodies.
To avoid illness and frostbite, they had to resort to magic to banish the piercing cold from their bodies.
This increases their body's magnesium intake.
Even Julia, who I was more resistant to the cold and wore a layer of warm clothing to protect myself from the cold.
But for her, it was enough.
It took them a whole week to cover the 160-meter distance.
Because the ice hardened slightly for every 10 meters they dug, significantly slowing their speed.
They continued digging, except when they needed to rest and eat.
But that took a week, because it took them three days to dig the last ten meters.
The last few days felt like they were digging through ice with a small spoon.
This week's digging even caused blisters to form on their bodies and palms.
You could tell they were truly experiencing the miner's emotions.
But fortunately, hard work pays off, and they finally managed to reach their goal, even though their pickaxe was badly worn.
The cold from below was so obvious and piercing.
But the ice beneath their feet seemed to be nothing special.
Of course, that was only to the naked eye.
Sophia dropped to her knees, covering herself with thick clothing, and touched the ice beneath her feet with both hands.
The ice below was so cold that if you hadn't covered your hands with clothing, you would likely have frostbite.
The silver waves continued to descend, exploring the environment below.
Due to the stimulation of the treasure and the so-called attack, the energy below was abnormally chaotic, hindering Sofia's detection.
Previously, she could only notice obvious holes here because the ice and soil were still very visible.
Now, at the top, she could conduct a more thorough investigation.
"That's right, it's beneath our feet, that's where the cave entrance is."
While Sofia was speaking, he picked up a pickaxe and drew a circle between them, one and a half meters in diameter.
The trace disappeared after a dozen seconds.
Sofia continued: "There's still a thick layer of ice here, about 20 meters deep. Below 20 meters lies a hollow layer, devoid of ice but full of energy."
This time, this is their final destination. They still have 20 meters to dig.
It's no easy task.
The deeper you go, the closer you get to the hidden treasure. One can imagine the hardness of the ice.
Looking at the spot Sofia had marked, Alka rested and, holding the pickaxe with both hands, infused magical power into it and struck it hard.
With a clear sound.
The effect was unsatisfactory.
Only a small hole was created, from which a few pieces of ice flew out.
The ice beneath me hardened again, once again exceeding the cutting range of the tools I had in hand.
Watching this scene, Jason sighed helplessly next to him.
Even though they had expected it, what they feared most had finally happened.
"That 20-meter distance is really far."
Arca said helplessly, throwing down the pickaxe he was holding.
The more difficult the task, the deeper you descend—20 meters, and even a magical ice pick is unlikely to produce a better effect.
I knew it wouldn't be that easy.
It really is troublesome.
Honestly, it's better to place several strong monsters near the treasure and wait for them.
Even if it's a puzzle.
Arca would rather solve the puzzle and fight the monster than face this outrageous blockade.
This doesn't match the actions of treasure hunters.
What's blocking them is so obvious and simple.
I didn't expect that the hardness of the ice would bother them one day.
Very good, this will test their patience.
I can't help but start mentally reviewing the known information, searching for the best way.
First of all, we know that he can't fall. If he does, he'll be 100% beaten, and his life could be in danger.
The task of descending and disabling the ancient guardian can only be given to Sophia and others who don't have the treasure.
And based on the difficulty of the task, we can deduce that as long as they don't have the treasure, the ancient guardian won't attack them.
Otherwise, the difficulty should be indicated by several spirals.
If they do manage to break through and reach the pit below, the first thing that will stop them will be the piercing cold emanating from the treasure in its agitated state.
By surviving this cold and disabling the Ancient Guardian, the treasure's agitated state may fade.
This is considered a great success.
It sounds simple, but the ice block falling to the bottom has already stopped them.
Thinking about this, Alka turned his head and looked at Lucilia, who was sliding across the ice.
Wouldn't it be easier if we simply opened a tunnel through which Lucilia could pass?
Let Lucilia go and disable the Ancient Guardian.
This seems feasible if Lucilia is provided with protective measures to ensure her safety.
Thinking about this, Alka decided to first dig a small tunnel downwards so she could observe the situation below.
If the situation is favorable, have Lucilia descend through this tunnel and disable the Ancient Guardian.
"Let's dig a small tunnel, 20 cm wide, and first see what's going on down there."
Hearing Alka's proposal, the others turned their heads and stared at him.
Although I don't know why this is necessary? But since Aka said so, all that's left is to try.
After all, there's no good way now.
We can only take this step by step.
Flames erupted from Alka's palms, rushing toward the spot Sofia had marked.
After burning for most of the day and resting a bit, he finally burned a hole 10 centimeters deep.
Good.
Digging a hole 20 centimeters wide might be impossible.
"If it only takes 20 centimeters, I'll try."
Julia suddenly screamed, magic flared, and a halo appeared behind her. Three liquid ribbons flew out of it.
What should she do? Under her control, the liquid on the three ribbons began to glow with a metallic sheen, then overlapped each other, forming a cone that pressed against the pit Alka had just scorched and began to spin wildly.
It transformed into a thin drill.
The friction between the drill and the ice surface produced a sharp sound, but ice fragments could be seen flying violently in all directions.
It worked.
The small drill, made from ribbons, proved far more powerful than they had thought.
It sank almost smoothly. Although the process was slow, it was clear to the naked eye that it was sinking deeper and deeper.
Two days passed in this manner.
Several breaks were necessary.
Julia wiped the sweat from her brow. Although meditating during the break had restored her physical and magical strength, this control had drained her mentally.
"Almost there, get ready."
When the voice faded, the three ribbons, gathered together, suddenly emptied and fell directly onto one section.
This meant they had drilled a tunnel.
A shockwave of energy erupted from the tunnel.
The ribbon immediately dissipated, and several people leaned toward each other and retreated.
From the small tunnel, only 20 centimeters wide, gray energy and light blue icy energy were constantly escaping.
A sharp chill erupted.
The surrounding area could be seen with the naked eye, but then it began to freeze again.
And these gray energies escaping, Alka felt, constantly striking his body.
And this affected only him. When these energies passed through Sophia's people, they caused no harm.
Only Alka was being pushed back step by step, and his arms and legs went numb.
He quickly extended his hands, and magical power surged outward, forming a layer of water shield.
However, under the influence of the piercing cold surrounding him, it immediately turned to frost and formed an ice shield.
This effectively strengthened his defenses and allowed him to resist the gray energy rushing toward Alka.
The silver ripples beneath Sofia's feet continued to spread, raising layers of sacred flame light.
The cold around her was dissipating.
Otherwise, the pit would freeze again, and all the time spent would be in vain.
As the energy surged at a furious speed, the 20-meter pit burst open before it could freeze.
These accumulated energies surged outward furiously, and after about 10 minutes, they finally subsided completely and poured out of the tunnel.
A turbulent flow of energy caused a blizzard to erupt outside, forcing Porolo, who was standing guard outside, to curl up to withstand the strong wind and snow.
Arca sat helplessly on the ice.
The gray energy that had just poured out must have been the ancient guardians' attack energy.
The goal was perfectly clear: to strike themselves.
As the information stated, they targeted the man with the treasure and attacked.
The enraged people, now exhausted, immediately rushed to Alka to check on the others.
Alka waved his hand, indicating he was fine, and said, "I'm fine, just a little tired."
"Why did those energies have to attack you?" Sofia couldn't help but ask.
Since they all saw it, the gray energy passing through them didn't cause any harm, but when it passed through Alka, it struck him like a heavy hammer.
And these energies were good as long as they were far away, but those close by would turn the corner and hit Alka even if they passed by.
It was as if he was drawing firepower toward himself.
Alka shook his head helplessly.
"I don't know, maybe there are some other abilities and energies down there, or maybe they were attracted to some of my physical attributes, so they attacked."
After resting for a bit, Alka came to her senses a little.
Several people approached the pit.
Sophia's silver ripples transmitted downwards again.
This time, the detection was more detailed. The energy erupting from the cave had no significant effect.
"There appear to be some ruins down there." There are two high-energy objects opposite each other. One of them must be the treasure the church mentioned. It's emitting a distinct chill."
"Something is attacking the treasure next to it. It's a ball with four legs. It's very large, about three meters."
After Sofia's words, two cards appeared in Alka's hand, with the numbers 1 and 2 written on the front.
Alka threw She threw card #2 straight to the bottom of the pit.
When the card fell, it turned into a mirror, and a silk thread remained hanging from it in Alka's hand.
Card #1 in Alka's hand also turned into a mirror, but the mirror reflected the same image as mirror #2.
However, below, only a blue energy ball and a gray beam can be seen.
Other areas are very dark and impossible to see clearly.
Although two objects facing each other emit light, it does not diffuse.
Alka controlled the lantern to lower and cast light.
Meanwhile, the mirrors in their hands showed the following image.
Several people looked at the photograph.
Alka used the silk threads to control the mirror's slow rotation, attempting to fully capture the surrounding environment below.
Clear ruins are visible below. Although they were dilapidated, they were undoubtedly man-made.
Or one could say they were created by other intelligent beings.
A blue energy ball hovered above the corpse, and the original appearance of the ancient guardian was revealed.
The heavy sphere, with serious defects on its side, was dilapidated, even revealing its internal structure. A luminous element was visible on the structure, very noticeable.
There was a small depression in front of the sphere, from which gray energy was emitted.
At that moment, the sphere tilted on the ruins, its two thick, mechanical, cylindrical legs still holding it up.
The other two were completely destroyed, and they had to lean on the ruins to maintain their balance.
Through the situation on the screen, visible to everyone.
Alka began to recount all the information he knew, comparing it with the situation on the screen.