The Seal of Ruthlessness was already fully activated.
Thanks to that, Elric was now able to invoke his spells with much more confidence than before.
Hwaaaa!
First and foremost, the temperature within the range touched by Elric’s mana field plummeted sharply.
Given the already cold environment, the decreased temperature inevitably slowed the movements of the Yetis.
Then, a cold gust of wind swept through.
Elric also had to painstakingly move slowly within the snowstorm created by the Snow Mountain King.
Those creatures lost their sense of direction the moment their vision was obstructed, stumbling around.
It was as if heavy shackles were attached to their feet. They couldn’t approach him properly. Frost slowly formed on their joints, and ice clung to them.
Meanwhile, from the sky, sharply pointed icicles began to pour.
Kieeek!
Amid the swiftly collapsing Yeti warriors, Elric charged through them, heading straight for the Snow Mountain King.
‘I am continuously gaining a clearer sense of the cold attribute.’
The more seals he consumed from the Yetis, the faster Elric was able to comprehend the various effects granted by the seal.
The seal wasn’t just about altering one’s physique and granting advanced magic.
Specifically, it raised one’s attribute power, resistance, and comprehension level related to that attribute.
The fundamental trait of the Seal of Ruthlessness was ‘coldness’.
It strengthened the body’s ability to withstand such cold, and also helped in easier detection and handling of the elements constituting the cold.
Consequently, Elric was continuously manifesting ice-related magic.
‘Blizzard’, ‘Ice Arrow’, ‘Ice Flower’, ‘Cold Wind’…
Hunting Yetis became faster, and his speed at breaking through the Snow Mountain King’s blizzard also increased.
He had to confront several guardians of the same rank as the first Yeti leader at once.
He faced life-threatening situations multiple times.
But somehow, Elric always managed to overcome them and move forward.
While he was climbing the ridge, Elric instinctively realized that he had grown a step further.
As expected…
Paaah!
The Seal of Ruthlessness, which had been gradually forming, suddenly erupted in bright light.
Initially, there was only one pointed mountain engraved on it, but now another one has formed behind it.
‘2-stars.’
Elric smiled broadly.
His incrementally improving resistance and sensation towards the cold attribute had suddenly leaped to a surprising degree.
Moreover, his inner eye exposed more veins related to the cold attribute.
This not only made it easier to utilize the seal’s magic, but his mana field also expanded slightly.
Although he still consumed a lot of mana and stamina, Elric wisely replenished the deficit by quickly absorbing the seals from the fallen Yetis.
In that manner, he continued to kill, consume and moved forward while continuously growing the Seal of Ruthlessness.
“…I’m here.”
He was finally able to confront the Snow Mountain King, who still stood in the same place.
However, contrary to his expectations, the appearance of the Snow Mountain King remained unrecognizable.
From a distance, it appeared as though its form was shrouded in shadow.
It certainly didn’t look anything like the other Yetis that were covered in ape-like fur.
It was impossible to discern its exact appearance.
He could only guess that it looked closer to a human form.
‘Could that shadow have been magic? Insane!’
How much magic must one possess to appear like that?
Its color, clarity, and viscosity were all of superior quality.
‘Mephisto praised it so highly, spitting in excitement. What kind of being was it when it was alive?’
By estimation, it might not have reached the level of a Demon King, but it seemed like it could be at the level of a Military Commander.
Even now, with such immense magic, its aura and imposing presence seem too weak.
‘Is it because of its insanity? Is that why?’
Of course, that didn’t mean he’d let his guard down.
Even in its degraded state, the Snow Mountain King was a formidable opponent he couldn’t fight so rashly.
No matter how many Seals of Ruthlessness he had collected, there still existed a vast gap between them.
‘I have no idea how I’m supposed to beat something like this.’
Kwakwakwa!
‘But I’ll give it a shot.’
The difference in their levels was significant, but it seemed to lack any reason.
Depending on the strategy, there might be a way for him to conquer it.
Elric had faith in his tactics.
With determination, he gripped the Seal of Ruthlessness tightly and charged at it.
Then he met his second death.
‘How did it get me?’
The moment Elric opened his eyes, he chuckled bitterly.
He tried to exploit the Snow Mountain King’s lack of reason.
Ridiculously, his memory abruptly stopped at the very moment he was charging.
Why?
The reason was simple.
‘It was just too powerful. Overwhelmingly so.’
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The blizzard it instinctively spewed out for defense was immensely powerful.
He was frozen instantly.
He didn’t even have a moment to realize how he was defeated.
‘I’ve gathered so many seals, yet it’s still hard to approach it. How on earth am I supposed to win?’
It was such a ridiculous difficulty level.
Elric was tired.
Yet…
“Ugh.”
He unknowingly licked his lips.
He had become this strong just by obtaining seals from the Yetis. What if he could plunder the seal of such a powerful being?
Just thinking about it made his heart pound.
“Mephi.”
[Yes?]
“The Snow Mountain King. It looked like a female.”
Based on its silhouette, that’s how it seemed.
However…
Flinch.
Mephisto’s reaction was surprisingly evident.
Although he tried to act indifferent, he couldn’t deceive Elric’s sharp senses.
[…So, what’s your point?]
“Look at this?”
He simply poked fun at the topic out of mere curiosity.
But this changes the game.
Elric smirked.
“Were you two dating?”
[What…!]
“No? So you were rejected?”
[What nonsense are you spouting?]
“Well, it can be embarrassing to admit something like that.”
[The idea that I, who has received the grace of the Demon God and has ruled over countless demons, would get rejected by a mere lower-ranked commander…!]
Mephisto vehemently denied it, raising his voice.
But Elric didn’t listen to the end of Mephisto’s retort. Instead, he reconnected with the imaginary world.
‘I can tease him about this for a long time.’
From then on, every chance he got, Elric charged at the Snow Mountain King.
And he was defeated.
Over and over again.
‘If it doesn’t work the first time, try again. If twice doesn’t work, try it three or more times.’
The story completely changed when he could retry multiple times.
He could set up multiple strategies and apply them in order.
And if he failed, he could immediately incorporate the feedback and devise a new plan.
‘But no matter how many strategies I devise, the most fundamental thing I need, as Mephisto said, is the achievement of the seal. I need to keep collecting them.’
Fortunately, even after defeating numerous Yetis, they kept reappearing.
Elric almost massacred them, continuously collecting their seals.
And so he took one step closer.
‘A seal alone won’t suffice. I need magic to break through.’
He needed to use the Seal of Ruthlessness more efficiently.
Luckily, he had a great reference.
‘Snow Mountain King.’
It was always standing in the same spot, like a huge wall.
‘What if I can mimic her magic?’
The Snow Mountain King’s magic, having witnessed it numerous times, greatly inspired Elric.
The more he tried, the more he learned, and he began to notice new features and aspects he hadn’t before.
Since she was the one who awakened the Seal of Ruthlessness the most, it would likely be the closest to the ‘correct’ way.
The challenge would be the vast difference between the worldview Elric had built and the Snow Mountain King’s.
They were of different origins and species, after all. It was obvious, but Elric was not one to give up.
‘If I can’t, I’ll just steal it.’
So, he aimed to mimic everything about her.
Habits.
Actions.
Ways.
Theories.
Elric gradually became more aligned with the being known as the ‘Snow Mountain King.’
And this time, he was able to take two steps closer.
“You’re trying to ‘understand’ the Snow Mountain King. A seal isn’t just for consumption. You are trying to understand it deeply. That’s a great mindset.”
Otto Han, seeing this side of Elric, casually commented with a smile.
There, Elric got another new hint.
“You have limits in your imitation and theft. To go beyond those limits… the meaning held by the Snow Mountain King… You must understand ‘eop’ [Karma].”
Of course, it wasn’t easy.
“There are things I can’t use right now. Some I can’t understand theoretically, or they can’t be filled with an image. For those… let’s fill them in the library.”
If he realized something, he would document the theory and experiment against the Snow Mountain King.
There couldn’t be a more sure way to learn.
Just like that, he took the third step.
Endless challenges.
Endless death.
And equivalent experience and study.
All of those intertwined.
The fourth and fifth steps followed.
Kukukuku!
“…I finally reached it.”
Elric finally managed to approach the Snow Mountain King.
For the first time, he set foot in her ‘territory’, which seemed impregnable.
Paak!
An ice arrow was shot at the Snow Mountain King.
A shadow was torn apart, revealing a woman with her eyes focused beneath it.
Kyaaak!
The Snow Mountain King screamed like a roaring beast for the first time as if it were displeased.
But Elric found it rather pleasant.
After all, the one who had been standing still like a statue was now reacting to him for the first time.
It was clear that he, who had been invisible to her, had reached a certain level.
‘I no longer feel fear even when our eyes meet.’
Now, they were finally at the same level.
Kwaak!
The Seal of Ruthlessness, now at 3-stars, sparkled brilliantly.
“Even if he had a good lineage, the chosen descendant is certainly a unique character.”
Otto Han chuckled.
If it had been an ordinary challenger, they would have broken down long ago.
Every time Elric faced death, he didn’t just die so easily.
Most of the time, he froze to death, and he often died from being beheaded or bleeding too much from having his limbs severed.
Sometimes, he even starved to death when the fights got too prolonged.
It was nothing less than a hell no ordinary person could endure.
But Elric never surrendered.
Not once did his will break. In fact, every retry made him laugh harder.
He enjoyed it so much.
Whether he felt ecstasy from dying or was just a masochist was unclear.
But Otto Han loved that part of Elric.
Because having such an unyielding will and endless desire to improve was extraordinary in itself.
Of course, innate talent was a bonus.
So, Otto Han could easily define Elric.
“He’s a madman. A madman who will not appear again in our family.”
And just as his mumbling ended.
Puaaak!
For the first time, the Snow Mountain King’s severed left arm could be seen flying into the air.
“He did it. Finally.”
And Otto Han laughed heartily.
