Chapter 95 - 90: Jimmy the Fire Thief
Luh Yao clicked on the Snowman and switched to [Manual Mode].
Jimmy immediately stopped moving, standing blankly in place.
The Snowman’s Life Value and Mana Value appeared in the bottom-left corner of the screen, while its two Active Skills were in the bottom right.
[Snowball LV5] (5 Mana)
Creates a snowball to attack an enemy. Being hit by a snowball has a chance of inflicting the [Frozen] status.
[Ancient God Curse LV10 (10000/10000)]
Luh Yao clicked on the Curse.
Unlike the other Active Skills, the numbers after the Curse’s name changed abruptly with a single click.
(9990/10000)
The Faith value in the top-right corner also decreased by 10 points.
’Just as I thought.’
Having confirmed his theory, Luh Yao held back for now.
To completely remove the Curse from the Snowman, it would cost 10,000 Faith Value. For Luh Yao, this was a painful cost.
’If I invest this much Faith, will I get a proportional return?’
Luh Yao wasn’t sure.
It was like opening a loot box—a bit of a gamble, lacking the basic information needed to make a sound judgment.
He decided to look at the problem from a different angle.
’The Snowman’s [Undead] Trait is destined to be an ace up my sleeve. Its innate [Zero-Degree Domain] is a zero-cost, area-of-effect status, which will be incredibly useful against powerful enemies with high burst damage and mobility.’
These Traits were the source of Snowman Jimmy’s combat value.
It was precisely because of these abilities that Luh Yao had designated him as his third Apostle.
’Jimmy is on my side now, so I should definitely invest in him for the long haul and further develop his abilities.’
’He’s only level 5 right now; even a Burrower Monster can smash him to bits.’
’But to put it another way... Jimmy has the highest potential for growth among my three Apostles.’
’Should I just give up on the Snowman’s future? Should I keep treating him as a disposable tool, a self-destructing bomb?’
Luh Yao asked himself.
’No.’
’The Blood Knight has an extremely high level and is my strongest combatant, representing the present.’
’The Snowman, on the other hand, represents a future full of possibilities.’
Luh Yao didn’t hesitate any longer.
Since he had to develop the Snowman sooner or later, there was no time like the present.
He would start by removing its Curse.
Luh Yao clicked his mouse, and Faith poured in continuously!
9980/10000
9970/10000
...
9810/10000
...
After he held down the mouse button for a moment, the progress bar suddenly shot to full.
The Faith Value in the top-right corner was instantly cut in half.
Faith: 11,545
Luh Yao let out a breath.
’Whatever the result, this was my decision.’
’You’d better make this worth it, Snowman.’
A line of text appeared in the simulator.
[The Ancient God Curse has been completely removed from the Snowman. Its seal is gradually being broken.]
Jimmy remained frozen in place.
Flakes of snow began to emerge from its body, wrapping the Snowman in a white mist.
A faint golden light shimmered within the snowflakes. The light gradually shattered, and as the snowy mist dissipated, the scene became clear again.
Luh Yao, who had been full of anticipation, couldn’t help but feel a wave of disappointment at what he saw.
’All that flashy nonsense, and it’s still just a Snowman.’
A red felt hat, button eyes, branch arms with red gloves, a red scarf wrapped around its neck... He looked exactly the same as the first time Luh Yao saw him.
The only difference was a snowflake symbol at the Snowman’s feet, as if some status had been restored.
An exclamation mark appeared over its head, and a dialogue box popped up: "...I remember! I remember now! I was imprisoned in the Black Abyss by the Dark God."
Luh Yao double-clicked the Snowman to check its stats first.
...
[Apostle LV45] Fire-Stealing Snowman Jimmy
Attack 10, Defense 45, Knowledge 66, Mana 67, Luck 10, Morale 10
Life Value: 570/570
Mana Value: 1915/1915
Damage: 10
Defense: 62
Speed: 22
[Caster]
Consumes less Mana when Casting.
[Zero-Degree Domain]
When this ability is active, all targets within Jimmy’s line of sight will continuously take cold damage and have their speed reduced.
[Snowball LV15] (15 Mana)
Creates a snowball to attack an enemy. Being hit by a snowball has a chance of inflicting the [Frozen] status.
[Blizzard LV5] (100 Mana)
Summons an ice Storm that deals continuous damage to the surrounding area. The Storm’s damage is determined by the ability’s level and Mana Value.
[Hand of Fire Stealing LV5] (600 Mana)
[Jimmy’s Exclusive Ability] Jimmy stole the sealed embers from the Dark Divine Hall and gave them to everyone outside the Divine Hall. Jimmy possesses divinely skilled thievery and stealth abilities, capable of stealing even from a God. The success rate and effect of the theft depend on the ability’s level and his speed.
...
Luh Yao was stunned.
’This honest-looking Snowman’s real identity is a master thief!’
’He even dared to steal from the Dark Divine Hall... No wonder the Dark God sealed him in the Abyss and tortured him endlessly.’
Just putting himself in the shoes of the Divine Hall that had been robbed, Luh Yao was already getting angry.
Still, considering the Snowman stole fire from the Divine Hall to give embers to the people outside, he could be called the Prometheus of the Pixel World. The title of Hero he once had was indeed well-deserved.
The only pity was that after the Curse was removed, his [Undead] Trait disappeared along with it.
It wasn’t actually an invincible skill, but rather a component of the Dark God’s Curse—a divine punishment that trapped the Snowman in an endless cycle of resurrection and torture.
Although Luh Yao was sad to see this ability go, he had no choice but to accept it.
Suddenly, an idea sparked in his mind.
’The Snowman’s [Hand of Fire Stealing] specialty could be put to good use.’
’For example...’
’The [Black Abyss] is a World Level treasury left behind by a Main God...’
Luh Yao quickly typed a question above the Snowman’s head.
—Can Hand of Fire Stealing be used in the Black Abyss?
"Yes, Lord God."
The Snowman was extremely respectful, its head bowed, not daring to look directly at the computer screen from within the game.
—Is Hand of Fire Stealing also effective against the Tyrant?
"Yes, Lord God."
—If you use it on him, will you be discovered?
"Lord God, please trust in my skills. Many years ago, I successfully stole the Fire of Faith from the Main God’s Divine Hall."
Luh Yao’s brows furrowed.
’This "fire" isn’t the kind of fire I was imagining.’
’The Snowman stole a God’s Faith...’
Luh Yao was a little dumbfounded.
Jimmy explained, "Lord God, the Dark God didn’t collect Faith through normal means. He stole all the light in the world and locked it away in the Divine Hall. People had to offer up Faith just to receive a glimmer of light from Him."
"Back then, the entire world was plunged into complete darkness, and monsters lurked in every corner. They were Hunting all living things, and without light, they were stronger than ever before."
"There was nothing but blood and wreckage everywhere... only the stench of death and endless black."
"I wanted to steal the light and bring color back to the world."
"Unfortunately, the light was sealed onto the Dark God’s very body. I had no way to steal it without alerting Him. I couldn’t do it. I was too weak."
As he spoke, a frustrated emoticon appeared above the Snowman’s head.
"In the end, I could only sneak into the Divine Hall and steal the Fire of Faith from before the Divine Statue, returning that Faith to everyone. I hoped those embers would return to where they belonged..."
"But the people who got the embers back secretly prayed and told the Dark God. I was captured by Him soon after. The Dark God tortured me repeatedly before sealing me and throwing me into the Abyss."
Luh Yao wasn’t surprised.
’Good deeds aren’t always rewarded. That’s just the reality of life. And that’s also why good people are so precious.’
He typed again, asking something he didn’t understand.
—Why did you steal the fire?
"No one had ever been able to steal a God’s light and fire."
"Everyone thought that Snowmen could only make Snowballs, that we were just stupid, clumsy monsters."
Snowman Jimmy said, "If I could do it, I would be the most unique Snowman of all."
"..."
Luh Yao was rendered speechless.
Countless retorts stuck in his throat.
’Alright then.’
’You really can’t judge everyone by the same standard.’
’Especially when it’s a Snowman.’
’Being able to continuously reach new, unprecedented heights on the path of courting death... that’s a talent in itself.’