Chapter : 112
Northern Lands (2)
It didn’t take long for Suhyun to hear the full explanation about the Ice Dragon. He nodded subtly, thinking to himself,
“So we got stuck with a tricky one.”
As expected, they had been attacked by a monster with special abilities and trapped. What was unexpected, however, was that despite being trapped, everyone was relatively fine.
For a monster to not chase its prey to the end, there had to be a special reason. The Russians assumed they had escaped by luck, but Suhyun found it clearly suspicious.
They had encountered it not just once but several times, yet it never caught up.
“By the way… is this all the rescue teams?”
Suhyun could easily guess what Ivan was thinking. These people took pride in their abilities, and having been thoroughly beaten and forced to retreat, adding a few more people wouldn’t make a difference. Suhyun answered politely.
“The other rescue teams are acting separately. Given the situation, attempts at coordination have failed.”
“Ah… should we wait a bit longer and then join forces…? Should we send a signal to make it easier for them to find us?”
“That wouldn’t be a bad idea.”
Though there was a risk of attracting the monster, Suhyun wanted to consolidate forces as soon as possible. With Suhyun’s approval, Ivan called his subordinates.
“About that Ice Dragon… it seems there’s a specific reason it stays only in the plains of this mountain range. Perhaps it draws extra power from certain areas…”
“?!”
Ivan turned to Suhyun, puzzled.
“What did you say?”
“I’ve met it three times, and each time it retreated, yet it’s still here. There must be a reason for that.”
“…!”
Ivan felt a sudden pang of shame. As an outsider, Suhyun had immediately assessed the situation and analyzed the monster’s peculiarities, while he had been too complacent. Normally, he should have been the one making such analyses.
“I… I see.”
He silently revised his judgment of Suhyun. A person with psychic abilities strong enough to come this far was clearly no ordinary individual.
“Have you discovered anything else?”
“We met it three times; each encounter probably happened at different times of day, right?”
“We’re not foolish enough to do otherwise.”
When they first encountered the monster and escaped, changing the time of the next attempt was standard practice. After all, monsters also have active periods. In fact, all three challenges had occurred at different times.
“Yet you still met it. It seems the monster has the ability to track you.”
“That much is certain…”
Wait, we passed through the plains too… what’s going on?
It wasn’t unusual for monsters to attack lifeforms that entered certain zones aggressively. But selectively attacking some and ignoring others was strange.
Suhyun and his team had passed through the plains unscathed. If the Ice Dragon had the ability to sense humans, it would have attacked immediately.
“Not going down right away?”
“Even if I say anything, they won’t listen. Forcing it will just create tension. Let’s proceed smoothly.”
Suhyun was confident they could capture the Ice Dragon even if they descended immediately, but the Russians wouldn’t find this convincing. Forcing them could only escalate conflict. Since Suhyun had other objectives, he could afford to wait patiently.
While the Russian psychics sent signals and scouted for approaching monsters, Suhyun approached the researchers.
“You’re Dmitri?”
“Yes? Yes…”
“You’re younger than I expected. But was it really necessary to come all the way here for research? What could there be in a place like this?”
“It was necessary.”
Dmitri was surprisingly stubborn. Despite the situation, he seemed unrepentant about his choice.
“This might be a rude question, but couldn’t others have gotten dragged into this because of you?”
“Th-That’s… not likely.”
Even as he spoke, Dmitri’s expression showed he was somewhat hurt. The escort troops wouldn’t have been with him if he weren’t the president’s son. The same applied to the rescue team. He added in a low voice,
“…It’s not my fault I’m the president’s son.”
“You’re honest. I hope the research is worth it. While we wait, may I ask what exactly you came to investigate?”
Dmitri’s face brightened at the question. Suhyun instinctively stepped back. He knew that expression well.
In the past, Choi Ji-eun would appear cold and expressionless, but whenever she explained something she liked, it seemed her usual demeanor was false.
Are all scientists like this?
“If it’s classified…”
“No, not at all. It’s not classified, and since you came to help us, I can’t withhold this. Come this way. We were investigating plants in this Cameron polar region, including seeds from ancient ruins. Fortunately, we had some success!”
Outside, they could have died facing the Ice Dragon, yet this reckless researcher was delighted with his results. He didn’t seem inherently bad-natured, just a little off.
Well, coming from a powerful family… just not being rude is impressive enough.
Given his background as the president’s son, his courtesy alone earned him points.
“Did you bring this back?”
“Yes. As you can see, it was perfectly preserved despite the cold. Such luck is rare…”
Suhyun quickly scanned the clutter. He was looking for one thing: a grinder. Soon, he found it—a round, dented bronze bowl tucked in a corner.
It was a grinder.
Artifacts were items made by ancient species, often symbolic. Swords or jewelry were common, but occasionally, inexplicably mundane items appeared. The grinder was one such case.
Good. They haven’t noticed yet!
Its appearance and its alien power meant even psychics likely hadn’t noticed. Suhyun wondered if they’d even touched the bowl.
“Have you heard of the Cactus Flower? It blooms only in warm jungles, yet surprisingly, there’s a similar species up north. Its effect is completely different, though…”
“Ah, sorry, hold on a moment.”
Suhyun stopped Dmitri from rambling and gestured to Luiril.
“Why?”
“That bronze bowl. Take it—steal it if you have to.”
He had approached Dmitri only to retrieve the grinder. Luiril, however, didn’t understand the command.
“Really? Steal that?”
“It’s easier since no one will notice if it disappears.”
“Sure, but why?”
“There’s a reason. Take it quietly.”
“Got it, got it. I’ll do it.”
Luiril nodded without further questions. Suhyun often gave odd instructions, and she had grown accustomed to following them.
Shaina watched the pair gloomily, her ears drooping.
I should have brought the Poschkan tiger…
It might have helped. Currently, the tiger only obeyed her. Suhyun had refused immediately.
- No. The climates are totally different. Bringing it would cause trouble, and with so many Russians around, taming a strange monster could create unnecessary complications.
She had never doubted Shaina’s ability, but seeing Luiril excel in teleportation made her anxious.
“Suhyun Kim, is the team coming from below another rescue team? I doubt the people wandering here are civilians…”
“Correct.”
In the distance, the Chinese team led by Liu Xin appeared. Suhyun scratched his chin, lost in thought. Once a formidable enemy, now they looked like mere presence below him.
What are these guys planning?
“There’s no need to wait any longer. Let’s break through now.”
Liu Xin was energetic, but the other Chinese members looked tired. Suhyun whistled inwardly; the delay had worked perfectly.
“Right now? What about the other rescue teams…”
“Due to the aftermath of the Dragon Slayer Project, other teams are unlikely to arrive. No Chinese team except mine will come. What about Korea?”
“About the same.”
“Then let’s follow the plan…”
“No. You’ve come a long way; at least take a rest.”
Suhyun indicated the members under Liu Xin. The thick eyebrows of the slightly embarrassed Liu Xin twitched.
He’s not the type to miss this.
“…Alright. Thank you. Let’s rest a day before departing.”
Suhyun felt uneasy. He had planned to casually slip away with the grinder, but he sensed something more. Liu Xin’s participation, normally unlikely, and his unusual haste…
What is it? Am I missing something…?
It didn’t matter. If they wanted to make a move, let them. Suhyun was confident he could face them head-on.
- The Ice Dragon’s trickiest aspect is its regeneration. Ordinary attacks barely affect it. It was doubtful if conventional attacks even worked.
- How about fire-based attacks?
- More effective than others, but still not lethal.
The Ice Dragon’s regeneration was different from trolls—it was closer to ghost-type regeneration. Its ice body shattered when struck, but it immediately reconstructed itself.
It’s closer to a mythical beast type…
- Capturing it isn’t necessary. With more personnel, containment is easier. Let’s plan to escape while keeping it in check.
- Priority one: avoid contact and escape. Priority two: restrain while escaping.
- Let’s do that.
- Another caution… it can shoot cold energy. Psychic shields can block it, but it’s extremely potent. Most importantly, Dmitri must not get hurt.
Everyone agreed. Dmitri was an invaluable asset who must remain unharmed.
- We’ll attach our healer to Dmitri.
- Thank you. I apologize for such a request before risking our lives in battle.
The Russian healer had died during a previous Ice Dragon encounter. Hearing this, Liu Xin stationed his team close to Dmitri.
They planned actions for several contingencies. Being professionals, their discussion was swift. Once the final check finished, they departed.
“It’s not coming out?”
“Could it be this time…”
“Fall back!”
“!?”
Ka-thunk!
As if mocking the murmuring humans, the monster appeared, smashing the plains. Its glittering ice body loomed over them: the Ice Dragon.
Thanks to Suhyun’s warning, no unnecessary victims were harmed. Predicting its instincts ahead of time, Ivan was impressed.
Even under a surprise attack, Suhyun remained calm, staring into the dragon’s eyes. Its odd behavior clearly had a reason.
“?”
The Ice Dragon was clearly targeting Luiril. It opened its mouth, shooting ice spikes that embedded into the frozen ground with a chilling sound.
“Why me?!”
It didn’t miss several times, yet it aimed for Luiril first…?!
Suhyun realized while signaling the formation: the monster wasn’t detecting humans. It was detecting the artifact—the grinder!
When Luiril disappeared, the dragon looked around, confirming Suhyun’s suspicion. Meanwhile, the humans prepared to confront it. Surrounding the massive beast, they looked like indigenous hunters cornering a wild animal.
