Maxed Out Leveling Novel

Chapter 89

31. The Cold Mt. Geumgang (2)

Snowy terrain makes it difficult to operate due to snow and cold.

The mountain terrain is difficult to navigate due to its ruggedness.

The combined snowy terrain was a challenge that made hunters hard by the environment alone.

No matter where you look, there is no flat land. Fortunately, the slope was not seriously steep or high enough that the mountain peaks could not be seen, but it was not particularly comfortable.

The wind was strong and cold enough to feel resistance. I also feel a little lack of oxygen. Should I be thankful that there are no blizzards?

In short, it was a dungeon that reduced places like the Himalayas or the Alps, or that only the vicinity of the summit was separated.

“It must be tricky.”

Cha Shin Hyeon muttered softly.

Since they had heard about the terrain in advance, his companions also paid a lot of attention to their clothes.

Even in the days when only science existed, even ordinary people could climb Everest with thorough preparation. A Hunter, who is in much better physical condition than the average person, could not stand this cold if he received the help of science and magic.

However, ‘to endure’ and ‘easy’ are two different things.

The floor is sloping and covered in snow, so you can’t tell what’s underneath. The soles of the feet are either sloppy or hard and slippery. Cold weather and strong winds make the body stiff.

In this situation, I cannot fully perform my skills.

It’s the same even if you’re a high-level expert or a high-ranking hunter. You must protect yourself first, so your nerves are obviously more dispersed than usual.

‘But maybe it’s the same with each other?’

Just because he was a member of the Cheonjo organization, he probably wouldn’t have cold immunity. If the environment is bad and this side’s combat power is low, the same applies to the Cheonjo side.

Do they think it’s enough to just undercut their opponents no matter what? How it was going to come out was left to be seen.

Unconcerned, Cha Shin Hyeon gave instructions to his teammates.

“Let’s start with the location tracking device.”

“Yes.”

The hunters dug up the snow at the bottom of the entrance and installed magic tools. When the work is finished, cover your eyes again and camouflage it.

Now, with Cha Shin Hyeon’s magic, or the corresponding tool, you can track it down at any time. It was a must-have tool in order not to get lost in the current situation like there because of the snow.

Meanwhile, Cha Shin Hyeon talked to Kang Chang-sik.

“How did you explore last time?”

“I didn’t really have a plan and I didn’t move. I came here out of curiosity.”

Changsik Kang scratched his head.

“I climbed that mountain with the idea of ​​going up to the highest peak first.”

Kang Chang-sik’s finger points to the mountain on the right. Cha Shin Hyeon saw the direction and smiled.

The smile that passed by for a moment, Changsik Kang, did not realize it and continued.

“After we finished climbing, the ridge continued to follow, and if we weren’t well prepared, we stopped exploring because it seemed pointless.”

“Then let’s head in that direction. It would be a little more convenient to go on a road I’ve been to at least once.”

Cha Shin Hyeon made the decision.

Since there was no one to object to, the destination was decided as it was.

Soon the group started moving.

bum bum.

We scramble through the strong wind and head towards the far-off summit. It was difficult to even have a conversation, so the team members moved on, leaving only footprints on the sloped snow.

how long has it been

In the middle of the line, Changsik Kang, who was walking next to Cha Shin Hyeon, suddenly raised his head.

“Come… … .”

It was a quiet voice, but no one heard it. Everyone looked up at the sky.

The sky at a location higher than the mountain we are currently climbing.

Something huge was flying in the sky.“… What is that?”

It was transparent like ice, so it was hard to see, but seeing the sunlight shining through it and glistening in the iridescent light, there was definitely something there.

Among the team members, Cha Eun-seol, who has the best eyes, was able to see it a little more closely.

“It’s like a bird… … ?”

It was. Although it was very large, it could be called a bird overall. First of all, there was something that looked like a head, a body, and wings. It seems to have legs too.

But if it were a bird, it had to flap its wings, and it didn’t move at all. It’s like a model carved out of ice. How the hell are you flying?

“Be careful. The attack will begin soon!”

Changsik Kang hastily issued a warning.

“Attack?”

The mouths of the team members who had been tilting their heads soon opened wide.

The air began to freeze along the path the monster was flying, and then a lump of ice appeared and started to fall!

It was not at the level of just dropping some ice cubes.

Hail the size of a baseball can shatter a car window, and the ice falling from the sky was bigger than a watermelon. If yes, death was certain.

Such oversized hail covered the surroundings and rainwater was pouring down. I’m going to have to run at full speed right now, and I’ll just have to go out of range.

“Moreover, that attack must not be blocked from close.”

Changsik Kang explained quickly.

“I have experienced it myself.”

“Can’t you stop it?”

“Try to intercept. what happens.”

“Eunseol-ah, shoot me.”

Cha Shin Hyeon gave me a wink. Cha Eun-seol, who quickly came to his senses, pulled the protest.

Nettle juice!

An arrow soared at high speed.

An arrowhead collided head-on with a block of ice that was falling from the sky. The moment when the hail that could not overcome the power of the arrow cracks and breaks at once.

Fuwaak!

An explosive chill rose like a flame.

Cha Shin Hyeon, who was watching, frowned.

His senses give details of what just happened.

That ice is not simply made by pouring water and lowering the temperature. This is a special ice created by monsters with magical powers. Simply put, it’s monster-style magic.

The ice made in this way still contains the magical energy of the cold attribute, and the moment the ice breaks, it releases the magical energy. It wasn’t a great level, but it wasn’t a power to ignore either.

“Is this because it’s impossible to defend?”

In fact, even with the abilities of the current team members, the power of hail can be defended.

Even if it was a block of ice that fell from a height of several hundred meters, it was natural that the powerful monster’s kick was stronger.

But the hail is not pouring down one or two, nor is it just falling on the shields of tanks. The more widely distributed, the more difficult it is to defend.

In addition, it would be even more painful if this additional cold energy was added. Because it was like adding a magical blow to a physical blow.

No, even considering that, it can be prevented. The high-ranking hunter reservists should not be taken lightly.

It can only be prevented, but the exchange of damage is too one-sided, so it becomes a problem.

Right now, the monsters are just flying in the sky and spraying ice. This side is focused only on blocking and cannot counterattack at all. It was clear who was to blame.

“I am.”

Cha Shin Hyeon raised his magic with a tongue-in-cheek. Here he had to go.

Whoops!

The magic of the flames dances and heats the surroundings. It was so hot that the team members could feel the temperature change with their skin.

The magic that had been rising steadily stopped at a point about 20 meters from the ground. The flames that had gathered there built up a huge wall.

The falling ice cube collided with the Flame Shield.

Chewy profit!

The hail disappeared with a loud noise.

The flame, equipped with both the heat that melts the ice and the physical power to the wall, was the castle itself.

The reaction of the team members was modest. I’ve seen Cha Shin Hyeon’s skills a lot over the past month, so I’m not surprised at this level.

“Five… … .”

Only Kang Chang-sik, who is the first to observe his skills, exclaims with admiration.

“Go first.”

After Cha Shin Hyeon’s instructions fell, the group started moving again. The hail continued to fall, but now nobody cared.

Cha Shin Hyeon asked Changsik Kang.

“How did you respond last time?”

“I was alone, so I just moved quickly. It’s not a threatening attack if you can dodge it.”

“Hmm.”

It was a simple yet smart way.

It was a wide-ranging attack that could only be avoided by ordinary hunters, but if you were learning light work, this was nothing. Even Cha Eun-seol, who is a top expert, is possible, but Kang Chang-sik, a top expert, will snort and avoid it.

But now with a hump, it is impossible.

“Is there any way to get rid of it or do something about it?”

“well. Just like he can’t touch me, there’s no way I can touch him… The reason I went back after not being able to explore for a long time in the past was because that guy kept sticking around. Is it impossible with magic?”

“I can’t even cast magic that far away. You have to get close with flying magic, but that’s risky… … .”

First of all, I needed to say something like this. There was no need to show all of my abilities.

“For now, I will go on. I can still afford it.”

But a new question arises.

A monster that attacks unilaterally from a position where there is almost no way to control it. Attacks that seem insignificant also pile up, and if they pile up, they can never be ignored.

And monsters do not overshadow guests. If they welcomed this side like this, Cheonjo would have been attacked in a similar way.

However, I am strong enough to overcome it myself.

‘How is Cheonjo okay?’

Cha Shin Hyeon’s eyes narrowed.

* * *

As we crossed the first peak, we saw a ridge leading to a higher peak, as Changsik Kang said.

After Cha Shin Hyeon said that we should go until we could go, the group continued to walk.

It was a series of difficult mountains, so there was nothing more convenient for me to have passed one hurdle. Still, everyone walked hard without complaining. I couldn’t complain because I knew that the person who was struggling the most was Cha Shin Hyeon.

‘Are you okay?’

Hana Song, who was protected in the center of Jinhyeong, glanced at Cha Shin Hyeon.

Monsters were still pouring ice from the sky, and Cha Shin Hyeon was still maintaining the roof of flames.

Although Cha Shin Hyeon is often said to have demonstrated magical powers like monstrous monstrosities, he is unlikely to have infinite magical powers. It will never be easy to keep magic, but he doesn’t show any signs of difficulty. Is it really okay, or is it because of pride?

“Coming again!”

“Get ready!”

Song Hana suddenly woke up to the shouts of her teammates.

The monster changed its strategy when repeated attempts to scatter ice until it crossed the first peak didn’t work.

It didn’t change the way they attack.

The guy called his colleague.

The old one continued to sprinkle ice, and the new one sprinkled ice in front of the group’s progress. It was not a method of sprinkling a lot of small things, but a method of sprinkling a small amount of large things.

thud!

A large, round piece of ice that is larger than a human body is roughly thrust into the ground.They are going up the mountain, and there is a slope towards this side, so of course they will roll this way.

It didn’t just roll over, but a chunk of ice came down, growing in size with snow all around.

I wondered how it was possible because it wasn’t just the pile of snow that was easy to make a snowman, but I wondered if it was because of the magical power of the monster.

In any case, the ice block becomes a giant snowball by the time it reaches them. There was no difference from rolling a lump of handmade rock.

Paang!

The arrow shot by Cha Eun-seol crushes the snowball and reduces its size.

“Ugh!”

Joo Young-seok, who is in the lead, catches the snowball with his shield. Meanwhile, Woo Jae-won and Ko Go-hyeok rushed in and broke the snowball.

Easy profit!

Changsik Kang, next to Cha Shin Hyeon, helped roll two or more snowballs. I don’t know what kind of skill it is, but when I swing my sword, light is emitted and it shatters snowballs.

‘I’m still fine… … .’

There was no difficulty in moving forward.

Catching monsters is to attack the dungeon, and there is no way to touch the monsters, and they are completely failing to capture them now, but they do not feel threatened at the moment.

However, if Cha Shin Hyeon’s magic runs out, from then on, she will suffer several times more than now.

Before that happens, I have to pay something… Cha Shin Hyeon doesn’t seem to have any plans this time around. At this rate, I would just go hiking and go back.

Hana Song’s gaze, who was breathing a light sigh, accidentally turned towards the top of the mountain.

“… uh?”

She made a noise involuntarily.

For a moment, she felt as if she had seen a human shadow on the mountain.

But when I closed my eyes and opened them again, there was no one there.

“What’s going on?”

“Oh, no, I think I misunderstood.”

At Cha Shin Hyeon’s question, Song Hana shook her head.

That was the moment.

Kugugugugung!

Suddenly the floor shook violently.

“What, what?”

“Is it an earthquake?”

Although he staggered, he quickly managed to balance, but it was not unusual. The moment when the Hunters raise their bewildered voices.

Kuroooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo cute!

With a huge roar, half of the peak they were climbing began to crumble.

an avalanche occurred.

It was different from rolling a few chunks of ice.

Countless piles of snow and ice poured down as a huge tsunami. Sections of several hundred meters were broken down, and the whole field of view was dyed pure white.

“Ah… … .”

No one even thought of running away. She only let out a single moan and didn’t even have the spirit to spit out abusive language.

Like earthquakes, tsunamis, storms, and all natural disasters.

This avalanche was on a scale that mere humans could not resist.

Even if it was a high-ranking hunter, even if it was a great wizard, it would be the same.

However.

The last time Song Hana saw Cha Shin Hyeon’s expression was-

‘… Are you laughing?’

Finally, the question.

Her consciousness ceased there.