The moment X stepped inside, Seo-ah and Park Jae Hyun were thrown into a completely different reality within seconds When their feet touched the snow, the air that filled their lungs was as sharp as a blade. This was the Ice Realm a land where the sky was forever painted gray by an endless snowstorm, and even the sun seemed frozen They began to move forward. With every step, the crunch of ice beneath their boots shattered the silence like broken glass. Seo-ah tightly gripped the hilt of her sword, scanning the surroundings, while X activated his cybernetic eyes. A red light swept through the storm, scanning thermal traces hidden within the blizzard.
At that very moment, from behind what they thought was a massive block of ice, a Glacial Claw burst forth its body covered in crystal spikes and its four arms spread wide. With a thunderous roar, it sent snow flying into the air and lunged straight at the group X didn't hesitate for even a split second. The hydraulic systems in his cybernetic legs activated, launching him into the air like a spring. He spun mid-air in a swift flip.
His right arm shifted with a mechanical sound
"Target locked. Initiating thermal suppression."
The arm transformed into a cannon. Incendiary rounds fired from his arm slammed into the creature's icy armor, sending clouds of steam rising into the freezing air The monster staggered back in pain as X landed flawlessly on the ground.
At first, they assumed the creature was nothing more than a simple patrol monster and continued on their way.
They were wrong.
That was only the tip of the iceberg.
When they turned into a valley, the sight before them froze the blood in their veins.
Standing before them were hundreds of Glacial Orcs, each nearly three meters tall, their skin resembling frozen marble. At the front of the army stood the leaders, slamming their enormous ice spears into the ground.
Seo-ah spat to the side, her expression unwavering.
"Looks like we're screwed, boys… but turning back isn't written in our book.
Alright then… let's begin."
Seo-ah steadied her body and poured all her mana into her sword. The blade ignited with a purple flame She dashed into the army like a storm Every swing of her blade meant another orc being torn apart While X rose into the sky, raining down a barrage of bullets to support Seo-ah, he shouted below:
"Jae Hyun! Watch our backs don't leave any openings!"
But Park Jae Hyun was experiencing the greatest shock of his life An orc charging toward him swung its ice spear violently. Jae Hyun blocked the attack, but the sheer force of the blow sent him flying several meters backward With razor-sharp claws, it lunged again.
"I've grown stronger too… I can do this!" Jae Hyun thought, coating his hand with a dense layer of mana before throwing a full-force punch.
But it wasn't what he expected.
His fist only produced a dull echo against the monster's hardened skin.
The creature's counterattack was devastating A brutal punch slammed into Jae Hyun's chest Blood burst from the young man's mouth, splattering across the snow as he collapsed onto the ground.
As his vision faded into darkness, the only thing he could see was the monster raising its claw for the finishing blow Park Jae Hyun's vision had grown blurry as he lay on the snow. While feeling the warmth of his own blood against the freezing ground, the claw of the massive Glacial Orc descended upon him like a shadow blocking out the sun.
At that exact moment, X, who had been hovering in the air, crashed down like a meteor The heat wave radiating from his cybernetic arms instantly turned the surrounding snow into steam. X fired his right fist forward with a mechanical roar.
"Flaming Execution!"
The moment the punch struck the monster's chest, the creature exploded into thousands of icy fragments. X immediately dropped to one knee beside Jae Hyun.
X: "Are you okay? Say something, friend!"
Park Jae Hyun: (barely breathing)
"Thank you… but… I'm just a burden. I thought I had become stronger, but I'm nothing."
X grabbed Jae Hyun by the shoulders and shook him firmly. The cybernetic glow in his eyes shined with the warmth of a true friend.
X:"Listen to me, Jae Hyun! You're not a burden you just haven't found your rhythm yet. Your potential is waiting like water behind a dam. You need to release it Look, your technique is wrong. Never lower your guard. When the enemy attacks, don't gather the energy in your arm gather it at your center. And your strike… your strike must land right here, on the Solar Plexus That's the body's energy station. The moment you hit there, even the biggest giant will lose their breath."
X reached into a hidden compartment in his armor and pulled out a silver dagger wrapped in leather, ancient runes glowing faintly along its blade The moment the dagger left its sheath, the snowflakes around them seemed to change direction, as if they feared it.
It was the S-Rank dagger "Silver Wing."
X:This was left to me by my older brother, Jae Hyun. For me, it's the most precious thing in the world But my brother always said, 'Power is sacred in the hands of the one who knows how to use it You can become as strong as he was. Maybe even surpass him. Take this dagger. Let my brother's memory live on in your hands… in your victories."
Park Jae Hyun:
"What? No, X… I can't accept this! It's the only piece of your family you have left. It's too important…"
X: (smiling)
"Please… accept it, my friend. From now on, you're not just my friend anymore—you're a warrior who carries my brother's legacy."
Jae Hyun grasped the dagger's hilt with trembling hands At that moment, a bond formed between the weapon and his soul.
The mana inside Jae Hyun resonated with the runes on the dagger, transforming into a pure blue light. His pain vanished instantly, and the blood flowing through his veins was replaced by pure energy.
Seo-ah, fighting dozens of orcs at once, shouted:
Seo-ah=Stop getting emotional! More of them are coming!"
Jae Hyun stood up He was no longer that frightened boy As a monster swung its claw toward Seo-ah from behind, Jae Hyun moved like a shadow. With a single motion of his dagger, he slit the creature's throat as smoothly as cutting through butter Then he and X stood back-to-back and charged into the army Following X's teachings, Jae Hyun combined Solar Plexus strikes with the razor sharpness of his dagger, performing what looked like a deadly dance After all the monsters had been eliminated, the massive gates at the end of the valley slowly creaked open This was the Throne Room The heart of the catastrophe
-
When the massive gates creaked open, the air inside felt even heavier than the raging storm outside. The ceiling of the hall was supported by colossal pillars of ice that seemed to stretch all the way to the sky. Everywhere they stepped looked like a transparent floor containing the frozen silhouettes of victims trapped there for thousands of years Upon the throne, however, there was neither a king nor any living being Only pure terror awaited them.
Seo-ah trembled at the sight before her. Her eyes widened in shock.
"Holy shit… No, this can't be. He should be dead!
X, switch to your true form—now!"
The chamber suddenly shook with a massive surge of energy X overloaded the core in his chest, removing the limitations on his cybernetic systems. Metallic components separated and reassembled themselves as blue mana vapor burst from his joints.
His human-like form vanished In its place emerged a full combat-focused Robot Form.
Every finger became a weapon barrel. Every movement turned into a calculated mechanism Seo-ah, meanwhile, spread her mana across her entire body like armor. A radiant suit engraved with glowing runes enveloped her, and in her hand appeared a dagger formed directly from her own soul.
Park Jae Hyun stood there in shock.
Park Jae Hyun=What is happening? What is this pressure?"
X answered with a metallic, echoing voice.
X=We feared this would happen, Jae Hyun. The one standing before us is the second strongest being of the Ice Realm: Xenomorph Years ago, we sacrificed our comrades to stop him. With the help of Second-Tier Mages, we believed we had buried him forever But he has returned… fueled by his hatred."
In front of the throne, a colossal knight nearly four meters tall slowly rose to its feet. Its armor resembled a living layer of ice. From beneath its helmet, only two cold blue lights shone through the darkness When the enormous ice sword in its hand scraped across the floor, the entire chamber trembled.
Xenomorph:
"You miserable insects…
What audacity made you return to finish the job you failed before?
This time… I will bury you inside this ice forever."
The moment X shouted "NOW, SEO-AH!", the attack began.
Mana bombs launched from X's shoulders turned the throne room into a burning inferno. Amid the flames and smoke, Seo-ah moved at the speed of light, appearing behind Xenomorph and striking him with a devastating dagger blow that sent the gigantic knight flying several meters Not wanting to lose the momentum, X brought his hands together and formed a pure Mana Bomb Xenomorph retaliated by launching frozen spears from his hand, but X moved like an acrobat, gliding through the air and dodging each attack before detonating the bomb directly against the knight's chest Seo-ah burst from the smoke like a shadow. Hooking her dagger into Xenomorph's leg, she dragged it upward, tearing open a massive gash that reached all the way to his head.
A huge explosion erupted.
The ceiling shook violently, and the entire room filled with dust and smoke.
X (his systems overheating, breathing heavily)
"I think… we did it, Seo-ah.
We're much stronger than before."
Seo-ah (lowering her dagger)
"Definitely… but something feels wrong."
X: What do you mean?"
At that exact moment, a savage silhouette appeared within the cloud of dust and smoke completely unharmed With a movement faster than light, Xenomorph grabbed X's face with a metallic claw and slammed him against the walls, throwing him across the room like a ragdoll The true face of the battle had only just begun to awaken
-
X was embedded deep into the wall, sparks bursting from his metallic body, while Seo-ah desperately tried to drive her daggers into Xenomorph's armor. But Xenomorph stopped her strongest attacks with his bare hands as if they were nothing more than mosquito bites.
The giant knight shattered the daggers formed from Seo-ah's soul with a single motion, like breaking a piece of glass, and then hurled her across the hall with a brutal punch Watching everything unfold, Park Jae Hyun tightened his grip around the silver dagger in his hand. X's smile and his words—"You're not a burden."—echoed in his ears.
Turning his fear into rage, Jae Hyun charged toward Xenomorph But the difference in power between them was like an endless abyss Xenomorph didn't even bother looking at the young hunter flying toward him. A single punch exploded against Jae Hyun's rib cage, sending him flying through the air. The young man collapsed unconscious, his body drenched in blood.
Xenomorph:"Your pitiful state is truly pathetic…You insects don't even deserve death."
Xenomorph grabbed X and Seo-ah by their heads and lifted them into the air. Inside his mouth, a massive purple Mana Bomb began to form large enough to destroy the entire chamber.
The end had come.
Just as the deadly explosion was about to be unleashed, the ceiling of the throne room collapsed inward under an immense pressure A shadow descended from above.
With overwhelming force, the figure grabbed Xenomorph's head so violently that the mana bomb forming in the monster's mouth detonated within itself It was Eun-Woo, the Vice Guild Master With a single swing, Eun-Woo hurled Xenomorph dozens of meters away, smashing through massive ice pillars. His cloak fluttered in the wind, yet his eyes were filled with deep regret.
Seo-ah (coughing blood):
You… how can you be here? Only A-Rank teams were supposed to enter this place…"
X:Sir… you shouldn't be here… this wasn't the plan
Eun-Woo looked at his wounded team, unable to hide the tremble in his voice.
Eun Woo=I'm sorry… A major mistake has occurred. The intelligence division misidentified the dungeon's level. Hwan-Hee and Kang Woo our strongest S-Rank should have been sent here instead Kids this isn't an A-Rank or even an S-Rank dungeon like you thought This place… is a SSS-Rank Catastrophe Point."
When those words echoed across the chamber, a terror unlike anything they had ever felt appeared in the eyes of X and Seo-ah An SSS-Rank threat didn't mean the destruction of a city It meant the erasure of an entire country from the map.
Eun-Woo:Prepare yourselves! He hasn't even entered his true form yet.
Now… the real nightmare begins."
Before Eun-Woo could finish speaking, a pillar of light erupted toward the sky from where Xenomorph had been thrown The armored knight form cracked and shattered apart. As its bones broke and reshaped themselves, a colossal Glacial Dragon emerged The dragon's eyes burned with an icy blue light of death With a single roar, the entire dungeon trembled and even the outside world, the city of Sejong, began to shake.
Eun-Woo:Very well… If we are destined to die today, then we will die like legends.
Let's begin!"
Spreading his mana through every cell of his body, Eun-Woo began preparing that forbidden technique the one that would cost him half of his own life
-
When Xenomorph's knight armor shattered and a colossal Glacial Dragon emerged from within, the atmosphere of the dungeon changed completely It was no longer just cold. With every breath, a deathly energy froze the lungs When the dragon beat its wings once, the centuries-old pillars of the throne room tore apart like paper. Above Sejong City, the sky itself seemed to split open. The citizens of the city trembled as the roar rising from deep beneath the earth shook everything Eun-Woo could feel every mana vein in his body cracking. Even though he was already covered in blood, he did not step back.
"Looks like going home today isn't an option…
In that case, I'll take you with me!"
Eun-Woo brought his hands together in front of his chest The mana pouring out of his body was so dense that gravity around him began to distort. Stones rose into the air and floated weightlessly.
"REVERSE HEAVEN: ATONEMENT!"
In an instant, Eun-Woo's body transformed. His height increased, his skin hardened into a blazing armor, and his hands evolved into claws sharp enough to tear the world apart Like a beam of light, he launched himself toward the dragon When the two colossal powers collided, the shockwave melted the walls of the dungeon. As the dragon unleashed its Dragon's Breath, Eun-Woo lost half his body in that instant one arm and several ribs were gone.
But he did not stop.
With his remaining arm, he drove his claws into the dragon's throat When X and Seo-ah saw the sacrifice their leader was making, the fear in their eyes was replaced with pure determination Death was already at their doorstep But they chose to die attacking, not kneeling Seo-ah fused the remaining mana from her shattered daggers with her soul. A massive tornado began to form around her.
"DIVINE FORM: STORM!"
Like a wind goddess, Seo-ah dove into the dragon's wings, each strike sending icy scales flying through the air Meanwhile, X permanently deleted every safety protocol in his system His engines spun at the edge of explosion. Red light burst from his eyes and joints as he roared:
"THE KING'S SACRIFICE: ANNIHILATION!"
Turning himself into a massive missile, X launched into a suicidal dive straight toward the dragon's heart Eun-Woo, on the verge of losing consciousness, gathered the last fragment of his energy His body turned completely black, resembling a black hole pulling everything around it inward.
"HELL SINGULARITY!"
Seeing the combined determination of these three warriors, Xenomorph (Dragon Form) activated his final survival instinct Inside his mouth, he began gathering an energy sphere powerful enough to destroy the entire dungeon perhaps even part of the city above.
"DRAGON'S RUIN!"
Four overwhelming powers converged at a single point At that moment…
Time stopped.
Light swallowed sound.
The explosion was so immense that the sky above Sejong City lit up like midday even though it was the middle of the night The dungeon completely collapsed Reality itself tore apart And our heroes found themselves thrown into another dimension, lying in the middle of a lake of blood When the dust finally settled…
The bodies of Eun-Woo, Seo-ah, and X were barely recognizable. Half of their limbs were gone, and their signs of life were fading.
And standing before them
Though his armor was shattered
A shadow still remained standing.
The King of the Glacial Realm: Draupnir
-
After the explosion, the massive mana cloud rising above Sejong City slowly began to disperse But the team was no longer in their world Reality itself had been torn apart, dragging them into the ancient dimension known as the Heart of the Glacial Realm a place where the sky burned crimson red and the ground was covered with frozen corpses.
The scene was horrifying Half of Eun-Woo's body was burned, his breathing coming in ragged gasps. Seo-ah and X, with shattered armor and fading lights, lay in the middle of a lake of blood like lifeless statues Meanwhile, Xenomorph had reverted to his original knight form. His helmet was cracked, and stripped of all his former glory, he crawled helplessly across the ground At that moment, footsteps echoed so cold they sounded as if they came from the coldest point in the universe The true ruler of the realm, King Draupnir of the Glacial Domain, emerged from the darkness.
He wore a massive cloak made of black ice, and in his eyes burned a pure blue flame devoid of any emotion.
Draupnir walked toward his dying general, Xenomorph Without hesitation, he crushed the general's head beneath his heavy boot.
Draupnir="You worthless filth…
You failed to protect my throne and allowed these insects to damage my realm. Even your death holds no value."
Draupnir then turned and began walking slowly toward Eun-Woo, Seo-ah, and X.
A sword formed in his hand made entirely of black ice Feeling the cold breath of death approaching, X gathered the last of his strength and turned his head slightly toward Seo-ah The mechanical lights in his eyes flickered as his systems began shutting down completely.
(barely whispering)
X="…Looks like this is the end.
I lived a good life But Seo-ah… before I go, there's something I need to say I loved you.
I wanted you to know that inside this pile of metal… there was actually a heart beating."
Seo-ah smiled weakly, too exhausted even to wipe the blood from her face A single tear fell from her eye, freezing in the air as it dropped.
"You stupid robot…
I loved you too."
Awakening: The Wrath of Park Jae Hyun
Draupnir raised his sword into the air.
Draupnir=Pathetic Now all of you will die
At that exact moment, the fingers of Park Jae Hyun, who had been lying unconscious in the background, twitched Inside Jae Hyun's mind, memories flashed like a film reel the moment X gave him the dagger with a smile, and the way Seo-ah protected him like a brother At that instant, the seal inside him shattered The silver dagger in his hand began to shine like a white sun, fueled by its owner's rage When Jae Hyun stood up, the air around him began to heat up The ice beneath his feet started melting His eyes were no longer human Pure white energy poured out of them Draupnir paused in shock From this boy, he felt an overwhelming Authority the kind that could make even gods kneel.
Park Jae Hyun's voice echoed like thunder across the entire realm:
"Anyone who dares to touch the people I love…will pay with their life.
Did you hear me?
"YOU ARE DEAD."
The silver dagger in Jae Hyun's hand transformed into a massive pillar of light.
Draupnir's Absolute Defense ice barriers began cracking simply from Jae Hyun's gaze A mere Sorcerer had not awakened.
A King Slayer had risen