Raided The God’S Warehouse [EN]: Chapter 156

160. The Trial of the 16th Floor

The simple instruction to pass through the snowfield concealed a deadly trap.

Crevasses.

Deep fissures, formed in glaciers or snow valleys, lay hidden like treacherous pitfalls throughout the snowfield.

The depth of crevasses on Earth is around 10 meters, but here, these chasms were so profound that their bottoms remained swallowed by darkness.

Moreover, the fissures were composed of hard-packed soil and ice, rendering any attempt to climb out nearly impossible.

[Beware of Crevasses.]

Just in case, Se-un alerted his clan members to the presence of these hidden dangers via the clan chat.

While Se-un generally advocated for individual caution and self-reliance during trials, crevasses presented an exceptional threat.

Stepping onto a crevasse concealed beneath a deceptive layer of snow meant instant failure, regardless of one’s vigilance.

In that regard, the 16th floor’s trial proved far more perilous than previous challenges like ‘Mountain Climbing’ or ‘Desert Crossing.’

Of course.

– The movement of the Chosangbi becomes faster through inner energy.

This posed no problem for Se-un.

His steps, buoyed by the Chosangbi, remained firm even when treading on snow concealing a crevasse entrance.

Consequently, Se-un traversed the snowfield without the slightest hesitation.

Thanks to Chosangbi, he left almost no footprints, giving the impression of flight to any observer.

– The constellation, ‘Hungry Prince,’ drools as he discovers his first prey.

After about ten minutes of running across the snow, the first enemy materialized.

It resembled a polar bear, its head buried in the snow, its mouth stained crimson as if it had been feeding.

Perhaps due to the camouflage provided by the ‘Yeti’s Hide,’ the creature remained oblivious to Se-un’s approach, even at close range.

Se-un maintained his Chosangbi-enhanced acceleration and drew Durandal.

– Through inner energy, the first stance of the Blood Wolf Sword Technique, Blood Wolf Claw, is enhanced.

Swoosh.

Se-un’s blade cleanly severed the polar bear’s neck with the swiftness of a wolf’s strike.

The speed was so great that blood sprayed forth belatedly, leaving Durandal immaculate.

He glanced at the creature’s meal and saw a frozen human corpse, missing two limbs.

A human corpse in this snowfield.

Was this a deliberate attempt to instill a sense of urgency in the players? Or was this snowfield a graveyard of past challengers?

The reason remained unclear, but he felt no inclination to mourn the deceased.

Falling into a crevasse or becoming prey to a polar bear signified a certain level of inadequacy in the first place.

Even if they had conquered this floor, they would have perished before reaching the next safe haven.

The weak perish, and the strong ascend.

The Tower embodied the law of the jungle more ruthlessly than any wilderness.

– You have devoured ‘White Bear.’

– Absorbing nutrients increases your health by 2.

Perhaps his stats had become too high?

Lately, even devouring formidable monsters yielded less significant stat increases than before.

It was somewhat disappointing, but the ability to raise two stats by hunting a single monster at his current level remained a blessing.

If the stat gains from individual devouring diminished, he could compensate with quantity.

Therefore, Se-un hunted every monster he encountered while crossing the snowfield.

Even so, he maintained his pace.

The Blood Wolf Sword Technique synergized exceptionally well with high speed, allowing for seamless execution even in motion.

– The constellation, ‘Hungry Prince,’ savors the taste, saying that these prey are rich in fat and have an excellent soft taste.

After running for about thirty minutes?

A snowflake landed on Se-un’s skin, who had covered a distance that would have taken other players several hours in less than one.

Subsequently, snow began to fall from the sky as if on cue.

Fortunately, the wind remained calm, but the temperature plummeted as soon as the snowfall commenced.

Visibility also decreased by more than half.

From this point onward, the true challenge of the 16th floor began.

It also served as proof that he had traversed more than half of the snowfield.

‘It should be visible soon…….’

As initially planned, Se-un had no intention of simply rushing through the trial.

The snowfield theme encompassed a broader area compared to other themes, implying a greater number of hidden pieces, though he couldn’t locate them all.

Therefore, he intended to find at least the hidden piece indicated by the Guide of the Journey before his regression.

Of course, the Guide of the Journey was absent for the current Se-un.

Whether it had changed due to the authority of the two Demon Gods or had been completely destroyed during the use of Chronos’ Hourglass, the Guide of the Journey had not returned despite his efforts to recall past memories.

Moreover, Se-un’s pre-regression experience on the 16th floor was so distant that recalling specific details proved challenging.

So how did he remember the location of the hidden piece?

It was simple.

“Found it.”

The direction indicated by the Guide of the Journey at the time had been remarkably memorable.

Whoo-oong-

A colossal crevasse. Or rather, a precipice.

The distance to the opposite side spanned 10 meters, with a fierce blizzard raging in between.

The blizzard completely obscured visibility, even just 5 meters below the cliff’s edge.

This was where the Guide of the Journey had pointed. The location of the hidden piece.

‘Of course, I haven’t been able to confirm it.’

The pre-regression Se-un lacked his current power.

The Guide of the Journey had revealed the hidden piece’s location, but he lacked the means to retrieve it.

At the time, Se-un had sighed and sought an alternate route when the guide pointed below the cliff.

There had been numerous instances where he failed to find the hidden piece even with the guide’s assistance.

Walking along the crevasse, he found a narrow, bridge-like connection to the opposite side and stubbornly crossed over.

But things were different now.

Taat.

Se-un leaped off the cliff.

Still, the bottom of the cliff remained shrouded in blizzard and darkness, rendering everything invisible.

Just before Se-un’s body plunged into the abyss, the authority of greed activated.

– The Treasure Vault of Greed has been opened.

[Icarus’ Wings]

– Wax wings created by Icarus, the son of Daedalus, to escape the island of Crete.

Flap!

Wings composed of feathers and wax unfurled behind Se-un’s back.

While they possessed the weakness of melting in excessive heat, a concern irrelevant in this environment.

Rather, the frigid air hardened the wax, securing the feathers firmly.

That didn’t mean flying was easy.

The crevasse teemed not only with frigid air but also with intense blizzards.

Spreading one’s wings within proved exceedingly difficult.

Se-un circled around the crevasse entrance to acclimate to the wings before descending.

Whoooo-oong!

The blizzard intensified as he descended the cliff.

The blizzard spewed out chilling cold to block intruders, but Se-un’s body and even his wings were protected by ‘Yeti’s Hide.’

Moving his wings felt stiff, but not to the point of impossibility.

‘I can’t secure visibility.’

Upon reaching a certain depth, sunlight became blocked, and the blizzard intensified to the point of complete visual impairment.

Even employing treasures like ‘Monarch Eagle’s One Eye’ or ‘Night Owl’s Eye’ yielded similar results.

Since he couldn’t rely on his senses, only one option remained.

Searching.

Suppress the five senses and employ magic to perceive the surrounding mana.

By maintaining only the senses necessary for flight, the mana became more perceptible than before.

The traces of mana were shaking wildly due to the blizzard…….

‘Found it.’

He located a place where the mana traces remained stable and unperturbed.

Se-un immediately flapped his wings and flew towards that location.

The wings weren’t mere appendages; each movement consumed mana.

Sustaining flight within the blizzard rapidly depleted his mana reserves.

Had Se-un not been a 5th Circle mage, he would have been unable to reach that area even with wings.

As he approached his destination, the hidden piece became faintly visible.

Between the cliffs, a wall constructed entirely of ice stood erect.

Entry seemed challenging, so he immediately prepared magic.

– According to the mysteries of the Black Tower, the power of ‘Fire Cannon’ is enhanced.

Kwaang!

The representative of flames struck the ice wall.

He anticipated an easy victory, but the ice wall remained unscathed, without a single speck of soot.

It was sturdier than he had anticipated.

Se-un considered using Mammon’s treasure but, after confirming sufficient mana reserves, approached the ice wall.

He raised his hand above it and prepared the same magic.

– According to the mysteries of the Black Tower, the power of ‘Dark Flare’ is enhanced.

Kwaaaang!!

The intense heat emanated directly from his hand.

The magic he had used earlier had been weakened by the blizzard due to its long-range application, but now he used it in direct contact with the ice wall.

Naturally, its power amplified.

Thanks to proper mana management, he avoided foolishly burning his palm.

The intense heat flickered, but the frigid blizzard prevented it from reaching his wings.

The blizzard created smoke, and the ice wall soon shattered.

“Amazing.”

Upon entering the wall, the atmosphere transformed into one of tranquility.

Looking back, the blizzard couldn’t penetrate the broken ice wall, as if a transparent barrier existed.

The chilling cold persisted, but thanks to the Yeti’s Hide, Se-un could walk comfortably inside.

The mana density detected by Searching increased exponentially as he advanced.

‘There doesn’t seem to be any monsters.’

He sensed no living creatures nearby, so he refrained from drawing his sword.

He focused all his senses and observed his surroundings as he moved forward.

Perhaps due to the cold, ice flowers as beautiful as crystals bloomed everywhere.

While admiring the increasingly dense mana, Se-un finally reached the end of the path.

Perhaps due to the mana density, large and beautiful ice flowers that could not be compared to those in the passage bloomed everywhere, covering the walls and ceiling.

And in the center of it.

“Oh, what a truly beautiful treasure.”

– The constellation, ‘Hungry Prince,’ opens his eyes wide.

A small, slender blue flower elegantly revealed its beauty among the ice flowers.