Chapter 48
For the past twenty years or so, Weed had lived without having to walk on eggshells.
But the instincts he had honed over time—his sense for subtle cues—had never gone away.
Blink blink.
The moment the Ice Dragon looked at him with its pale blue eyes, he sensed something strange.
Usually, sculptural lifeforms first checked their bodies and were simply overjoyed at being born.
But the look in the Ice Dragon’s eyes was far more complicated: joy, resentment, sorrow—all kinds of emotions mixed in.
‘No way… does it recognize me?’
(The Ice Dragon’s behavior is definitely suspicious.)
Weed knew that many aspects of his sculpting powers had been transferred to Abyss.
The Ice Dragon blinked at him again, gazing as if in disbelief—or perhaps pity.
—Master…
Weed didn’t know exactly how, but one thing was certain: its memories had returned.
He looked at the dragon’s face, which had come closer.
It had been over twenty years since he last saw this dragon.
And this time, it wasn’t in Royal Road—but here, in Roanoke, that it had come to life.
“You little guy…”
Weed gently stroked the dragon’s snout with his two remaining fingers, lost to frostbite.
He was happy to see a creature who shared memories from Royal Road, but he hadn’t come to Roanoke for a reunion—he was here to save his daughter.
So practicality had to come first.
‘If it retained its memories, it probably kept its personality too, right?’
(That is likely.)
‘Wasn’t this one timid and overly cautious?’
That had been the defining trait of many sculptural lifeforms in Royal Road.
The Ice Dragon, in particular, was strong against the weak and weak against the strong.
(It probably accumulated combat experience in Royal Road, though its combat power hasn’t transferred over.)
‘Exactly. Still, it’s the least reliable one of the bunch…’
Suddenly, the Ice Dragon raised its body, spread its wings, and let out a powerful roar.
—KROARARARARAR!
That overwhelming roar was the very symbol of the mightiest being: the dragon.
Of course, it wasn’t a real dragon, but a crafted lifeform.
Even so, its mere presence exuded the superiority to make other beings bow.
And then…
The Ice Dragon immediately tripped and fell on the frozen ground, unable to support its massive weight.
‘Yep, it’s definitely the same Ice Dragon.’
Weed led the Ice Dragon toward the extreme point of the frozen land.
Even though they were entering a region of savage cold, it was more bearable than when he traveled by sled.
His clothes froze to the point of crumbling, but thanks to sculpting, his cold resistance had increased slightly.
(The Ice Dragon’s presence seems to be boosting resistance.)
‘That’s good to hear.’
The Ice Dragon sculpture originally granted +20 cold resistance, and even after being brought to life, that effect still applied.
This reincarnated Ice Dragon was even stronger than the one born in Royal Road.
You have granted life to the Ice Dragon sculpture.
Based on your current Art Stat of 611, the sculptural lifeform’s level is converted to 82.
With the masterpiece sculpture bonus, its level increases by 30% to 106.
As a winged monster capable of flight, its level is reduced by 10% to 96.
Its body, composed of ice infused with extreme cold, adds 15% back, resulting in a final level of 110.
The Ice Dragon can now use: Flight, Ice Breath, and Dragon Fear.
A level of 110 placed the Ice Dragon among the top-tier users in Roanoke.
Major cities and guilds were hotbeds of war, and many top-level users operated there—but even so, the dragon had reached 110 instantly.
‘How well will it perform against actual users?’
(In large-scale battles, main combatants are typically around level 80.)
(Level 100–110 users have solid equipment and skills. The Ice Dragon would likely melt away if thrown into battle immediately.)
In Roanoke, war-loving users ruled cities through Line Guilds, who favored high combat power and level.
So while its level was high, the Ice Dragon couldn’t yet withstand attacks from those guilds.
‘I need to train it well.’
Still, just having the Ice Dragon during this extreme expedition was incredibly reassuring.
Its massive body blocked the cold wind, making survival more bearable.
With no natural cover in the area, its 200-meter frame acted as a perfect windbreaker.
‘Short legs make it more effective against wind flow.’
The Ice Dragon had short legs compared to its heavy body and large wings.
It waddled while dragging its tail—but surprisingly, viewers found this adorable, and its popularity skyrocketed.
—Trust me. This kind of cold is nothing to me, Master.
“There’s a dangerous area up ahead. The wind gets much stronger.”
—A breeze is nothing to me.
They reached a rugged terrain with jagged ice chunks.
Weed stuck close to the dragon as they arrived at a region where three ice storms raged simultaneously.
The storms extended from the ground to the sky, tearing the world apart.
“We just need to get through there.”
……
The Ice Dragon said nothing as it looked at the storms.
Chunks of ice were sucked in, shattered into particles, and scattered like snow across the land.
—You want us to go through that?
“You can do it.”
—That’s impossible.
“You never know unless you try. The wind’s rough, but if we walk along the storm’s edges, we can make it.”
—You’ll die, Master.
“I’ll be fine. I won’t die.”
Three ice storms.
Weed, with improved cold resistance, tried to pass through alone.
He failed—losing four fingers—and barely escaped with his life.
He returned to the dragon, frostbitten and trembling.
Seeing his condition, the Ice Dragon spoke solemnly.
—Let’s go through together this time, Master.
“You said we’d die.”
—It’s dangerous. But I don’t want to be left alone here if you die.
They had to cross this death zone to reach the extreme point.
Weed walked with the Ice Dragon.
‘This might be a mistake.’
The farther they walked, the worse the cold became—numbing his limbs.
The Ice Dragon spread its wings to shield Weed from the wind.
Every step was agony. He could feel: stopping meant death.
You are frozen. Movement is impossible.
As Weed halted, ice crystals rapidly formed over him.
—Let’s go back, Master.
His jaw trembled violently.
His ragged leather clothes had torn, and the cold locked his body.
“J-j-jus-just a-a li-little fu-further… we’ll… ma-make… it…”
—Master, if we continue like this, you’ll die.
“W-we ha-have… t-to pass… th-through… th-the s-storm…”
The cold was lethal—his breath froze in front of him.
—Understood, Master.
The Ice Dragon picked Weed up in its mouth and waddled forward.
In this place, even time and air seemed frozen.
Weed’s consciousness began to blur from the cold—until he heard AI dialogue.
(A paulownia coffin is prepared. Genetic merging for human purging has been completed.)
The Ice Dragon pressed through the ice storms, enduring damage across its entire body but never stopping.
KRAAAAAA!
The roar of the storms gradually faded.
—We’ve made it through, Master.
Even beyond the storms, Weed couldn’t move—his tongue was frozen, and he couldn’t speak.
His whole body felt flash-frozen.
He feared falling asleep and never waking up again.
The Ice Dragon brushed snow off Weed’s body with its stubby arms.
Frozen state removed.
Cold resistance is slowly restoring body temperature.
Once past the ice storms, his resistance started healing him slowly.
He had lost several fingers and toes to frostbite, and now even his limbs were barely functioning.
“We need to go a little further… away from that storm.”
The Ice Dragon carried Weed forward in its mouth.
Ding!
You have reached the extreme point of the Frozen Land.
You have completed a never-before-accomplished adventure.
Adventure Achievement Unlocked!
All stats +3
Strength and Vitality +5
Max HP +500
Cold Resistance +100%
You have acquired the epic keyword: ‘Ice’
Weed had reached the extreme point and achieved a unique adventure no one else had accomplished.
His swollen limbs from frostbite were now rapidly healing.
Even the color returned to his face.
“I guess I won’t need to collect more fingers and toes.”
The Ice Dragon also received a reward:
Sculptural lifeform Ice Dragon has gained new powers:
Can summon Ice Storms.
Ice Breath becomes colder.
Gains an Ice Armor.
A thick, ice-forged armor formed on the dragon’s body—strong enough to withstand most attacks.
The extreme point of the frozen land wasn’t empty.
It was the coldest region in the Distorted Rift, shielded by ice storms.
No living beings existed here—but there was a massive city frozen in snow and ice.
“This city’s even bigger than Seraborg Castle…”
While not quite as developed as Ashford—the most advanced city in Roanoke—its overall scale was comparable.
The city walls stood 12 meters tall.
(It’s a metropolis. Judging by the architecture and crest on the gates, this is the city of Sullium—said to have vanished from the Nord Kingdom 250 years ago.)
‘How is a city from 250 years ago still here?’
(There’s no record.)
‘No surprise—nothing’s ever properly recorded.’
Weed explored the city with the waddling Ice Dragon.
In the streets, people were frozen mid-run. Some lay collapsed on the ground.
Arms, legs—or heads—were missing.
(Bite marks. They were eaten.)
‘Looks like it.’
Finding the culprits wasn’t hard.
There were giant rats, frozen mid-meal with human bodies.
(Lesser Beasts.)
‘The very race said to have brought about Roanoke’s destruction…’
Lesser Beasts looked and behaved like rats. They lived in sewers, ruins, dungeons, and swamps.
Male and female pairs bred daily—and in just a couple of months, their numbers would reach hundreds.
From hundreds to thousands… then tens of thousands.
“Squeak! That’s my son!”
“Squeak squeak! No, I’m the dad!”
In small numbers, they avoided humans and scavenged trash.
But once they gathered in large enough groups and fear disappeared…
“Squeak squeak squeak!”
“Squeak! I’m hungry!”
They began revolting en masse.
Lesser Beasts burst from sewers and wells—attacking people, spreading poison, chewing down buildings with sharp teeth.
They turned cities into ruins and devoured everything in sight.
