Chapter 46: Slaying the Frost Goddess
As a Divine, her insight was vast. Yet, she had never encountered a freakish existence like Liam.
Liam didn’t give her a moment to think; his attack was already in motion. Against a Divine whose attributes remained hidden, he couldn’t afford the slightest lapse in concentration. Anything less than perfection would invite a cataclysmic disaster.
Liam’s Attack Speed was pushed to the limit, his damage output a relentless torrent. To Eira, the Frost Goddess, such high-intensity combat should have been trivial.
"Adventurer, as many surprises as you've given me, you are still just an Adventurer. Even with the Deicide Mark, you remain a mortal."
Eira gradually regained her composure. Liam’s output was formidable, and her current strength wasn't even a ten-thousandth of her peak. But what did that matter? Even with a Basic Attack, she was confident she could kill him.
Liam didn't bother responding. There was no point. Only the one standing at the end would be declared the victor.
Whish! Whish! Whish!
Arrows continued to fly from Liam’s bow in a frenzied blur. Eira didn't stand idly by; she moved like a specter, flickering behind Liam in an instant. Then, she unleashed a rapid-fire succession of ten strikes against him. Her own Attack Speed was nothing to scoff at.
Liam’s health bar plummeted by over a million.
"Heh."
Seeing such a massive chunk of Liam’s health vanish, a triumphant smirk spread across Eira’s face. "And here I thought you were something special. It turns out you’re only this much."
In her eyes, the battle was already decided. If the rhythm continued like this, there was only one possible outcome: Liam’s certain death.
But just as her arrogance peaked, a sense of fatal crisis surged in her heart. An inexplicable tension gripped her soul.
What is happening? Eira couldn't understand it. Even with her divine sight, she couldn't perceive the hidden, specialized power woven into Liam’s arrows.
Thwip!
With a faint whistle of air, Eira, the Frost Goddess, collapsed. The Death Cycle had triggered. She had fallen.
Until the moment of her death, she didn't understand why. How could a Level 1 Adventurer possibly one-shot her?
"No!"
Feeling her life force dissipate, she managed one final, shrill scream before she perished completely.
System Prompt: You have slain the Ethereal Form of Eira, the Frost Goddess.
System Prompt: You have cleared the dungeon: Traces of the Frost-Corpse.
System Prompt: You have obtained 311 Skill Tomes.
System Prompt: You have obtained 598 pieces of equipment.
System Prompt: You have obtained +39,999 Gold Sovereigns.
System Prompt: You have obtained +500 AP.
System Prompt: You have obtained 1 Gold Grade Lord's Heart.
System Prompt: ...
The system notifications chimed incessantly. Meanwhile, Liam’s level began to skyrocket. In the blink of an eye, he reached Level 20. Had it not been for the restriction of his class advancement, his level would have climbed much further.
The dungeon was cleared.
At that moment, a pillar of light erupted within the Mortal Sanctum, showering down upon Liam.
"Brave Adventurer, congratulations on slaying Eira. In you, I see the hope for the resurgence of humanity."
"It is a pity you are an Archer. You cannot inherit my Legacy. Otherwise, I would have certainly bestowed it upon you."
"However, you have done me a great service. I shall grant you a magnificent reward."
As the voice faded, the Apparition ahead pointed a finger.
System Prompt: The Lord of the Mortal Sanctum has offered you a special skill. Do you accept?
"Accept."
A beam of light merged into Liam’s body. Simultaneously, a new entry appeared in his skill interface.
Dual True Damage (Passive)
Level: Cannot be upgraded.
Effect: Your damage is converted into True Damage, and all damage dealt is doubled.
Cost: None.
Cooldown: None.
Mastery: None.
Everything was listed as "None." Liam raised an eyebrow. This skill... it was powerful. Extremely powerful.
But for him, it was a bit of a mixed blessing. First, Liam’s Basic Attack was already True Damage, so the conversion part was redundant. The real benefit was the doubling of True Damage.
However, to Liam, more damage wasn't necessarily a good thing. He needed to stack HP. If his damage was too high and he one-shot every monster, he wouldn't be able to stack his health properly.
But the skill was already bound; there was no changing it now. Besides, higher damage meant faster clearing speeds and the ability to tackle higher-level maps.
Furthermore, Liam noticed something interesting. The three passive skills Barney had obtained also started with "Dual." Was there some connection between them? He kept the thought to himself.
"Senior, are you the powerhouse who originally slew the Frost Goddess?" Liam asked curiously.
The Apparition nodded. "Indeed, it was I."
"Back then, I was young and headstrong. I couldn't stand the Divines oppressing us, so I struck out. The result was the entire Primordial Eastern Empire being forced into an eternal slumber here."
Liam’s eyes lit up. He hadn't chosen to fight Eira instead of leaving for the Astral Kingdom just for the loot—he did it for this exact opportunity.
"What must I do to see the Primordial Eastern Empire's Resurgence?"
The Lord of the Mortal Sanctum looked at Liam with surprise. "The Resurgence of the Primordial Eastern Empire... a noble ambition."
"However, the Empire was suppressed by the collective power of the Western Pantheon. To bring about its Resurgence, you must break their seal. But you do not yet possess that power."
"Before your Second Advancement, collect the Divine Blessings of the Ten Sovereigns of the East and return here. Only then can the seal be broken."
Liam’s mouth twitched at the requirement.
"Remember, it must be before your Second Advancement. If you complete it, you will likely be unable to enter this place again," the Lord of the Mortal Sanctum warned.
Liam was speechless. Before the Second Advancement? Ten Divine Blessings? And specifically from the Eastern Deities? This was beyond absurd.
For an ordinary player, receiving even one Divine Blessing before their third advancement would be cause for a celebration. He was being asked to gather ten different ones before Level 50.
The difficulty was astronomical. He currently had three Blessings of the Gods. Two were from Gaea the Earth Mother, and one was from Eira. But by the Lord’s criteria, that only counted as two distinct deities.
"Understood. I will do my best to gather ten Eastern Divine Blessings before my Second Advancement," Liam nodded.
Despite how impossible it seemed, Liam felt it was worth the attempt. The task had two main hurdles.
The first was the timing. In Twilight of the Gods, the Second Advancement occurred at Level 50. This meant he had to stay under Level 50. For Liam, the level itself wasn't the restriction; he had already proven he could dominate a hard dungeon at Level 1. The real problem was the restriction of the Astral Kingdom. According to his past life’s knowledge, players couldn't leave the starting zone before their Second Advancement without special circumstances.
The second hurdle was the "Eastern" requirement. He had three blessings, but two were from Gaea. Finding ten different Eastern Deities in the starting zone was a nightmare-tier challenge.
Still, the die was cast.
"It looks like I need to prioritize hunting for Divine Blessings," Liam thought, his expression grim.
As someone from the Eastern Realms, he genuinely wanted to see the Primordial Eastern Empire's Resurgence. As an experienced veteran, he also knew the rewards for such a feat would be staggering.
Liam could have left the dungeon immediately, but he didn't. He retraced his steps, returning to the Novice Village.
When the villagers saw Liam return, they all came out to meet him. Rivers took the lead, stepping forward and bowing deeply.
"Brave Adventurer, your strength exceeds my wildest imagination. You may take any three items from our village as a reward."
Rivers waved his hand, and several villagers stepped forward with various items. Liam’s eyes widened as he scanned them.
He saw Dr. Lowen holding a class advancement scroll: Heavenly Grade Hidden Class: Venomous Alchemist. There were several other Hidden Class rewards, but Liam barely glanced at them; he already knew how to obtain those classes through other quests.
Suddenly, a small booklet caught his eye.
Fragmented Tome of Laws (Unknown)
Description: Contains insights into the Laws of Glacial Frost. Mastering this allows one to touch the threshold of the Laws of Glacial Frost.
Liam took a sharp breath, disbelief washing over him. Without his memories of the future, he might have overlooked this. But now, his hands trembled slightly with excitement. This was a piece of the Codex of Principles. Even fragmented, it was priceless.
One of the paths to godhood was Enlightened Apotheosis. The reason it was considered impossible for most was that finding an entry point was unrealistic. Now, here it was, laid out before him. Even if ice-based laws didn't seem to fit him now, it didn't mean they wouldn't be vital later.
His second choice was the Weapon Evolution Scroll in Rivers’ hand.
Weapon Evolution Scroll (Special)
Effect: Evolves one of your weapons.
Usage: Single-use consumable.
This was another item he desperately needed. He immediately thought of using it on the Tome of Mortality, but it was incompatible. A shame—evolving that would have made him unstoppable.
Since the Tome was out, his next thoughts were the Tears of the Life Goddess, which boosted his HP, or the Purifying Jade Amulet. After a brief deliberation, he chose the Amulet. While he could stack HP infinitely, the utility of the Purifying Jade Amulet was irreplaceable.
System Prompt: Do you wish to use the Weapon Evolution Scroll on the Purifying Jade Amulet?
"Confirm."
System Prompt: Evolution in progress... Success!
Purifying Jade Amulet (Unique Gear)
Requirements: Can only be worn by the intended recipient. Cannot be dropped or stolen. Cannot be equipped by others unless voluntarily gifted.
Effect: Grants 85% immunity to Airborne, Crowd Control, Slow, Curse, Poison, Burn, Freeze, Paralysis, and other negative debuffs.
Durability: 100.
Liam considered the Everlasting Scroll in his inventory. He had been debating which weapon to use it on, but now he knew. He applied it to the Amulet.
As long as the Purifying Jade Amulet was indestructible, he could walk through almost any battlefield with impunity. 85% CC reduction was broken in any stage of the game.
"Use Everlasting Scroll."
The durability changed from 100 to "Indestructible." Liam smiled. On the surface, the Amulet added no attack power, but its true value was staggering. He even wondered if he could eventually push it to 100% immunity. Weapon Evolution Scrolls were rare, but they existed elsewhere.
Finally, he looked for his third item. The villagers held many treasures, including a Saintly Grade Awakening Stone. It was useless to him, but invaluable for those around him. The higher a person’s Innate Talent, the harder it was to awaken in the early stages. This stone solved that problem.
"I’ve made my choices," Liam said.
Rivers smiled. "Thank you. Because of you, our Novice Village is finally ready to return."
"Return?" Liam asked, surprised. "What do you mean?"
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