The 31st Piece Overturns the Game Board

[You use Ancient Glacier Shamanic Spell: Midwinter.]

[The amount of Eternal Snow obtainable increases.]

A chilling wind blew.

"How could he…?!"

"To think a human would use the power of a heroic spirit?!"

Everyone except Bron became stunned after seeing the Night Crow use an Ancient Glacier Shamanic Spell.

"What? How could that guy…?"

Bron awkwardly smiled at Skola’s question.

"It's a long story. Anyway…"

[Eternal Snow will accumulate every time you use a Glacier Shamanic Spell.]

Whish…

"It really is just like Branka's…"

Clank…

"Ugh…"

Krom lost hold of the chains. If there had been even a moment of delay, there was a chance his shamanic power would have backfired, and he would have become Encroached instead.

"Don't get cocky!"

Clank…

More chains began appearing.

[Krom used Shamanic Spell: Encroachment.]

[Prevent your target from using shamanic powers.]

Krom quickly swung his staff and shot chains toward the Night Crow.

Paf!

Paaf!

Clank…

The Night Crow easily fended off the chains.

Whish—!

However, they couldn't fend off all of them.

"Haha! Got you!"

Although Krom thought Seol was in danger, that wasn't the case in reality.

'I should find out more about this before clashing with Irizard.'

If the power Krom was wielding were Irizard's, then a better understanding of it could be crucial for his fight against her.

Thus, Seol deliberately allowed one arm to be bound by the chains.

- Hmm… Is this Irizard's power?

'I think I can use Glacier's power because of the opponent.'

- I agree. Irizard can probably seal Branka's power, too.

He might not have been able to use any Shamanic Spells at all had the opponent been Irizard herself.

Creak…

Creak…

"Die!"

An ice spike flew toward the Night Crow.

Crack—!

At that moment, a glacial wall formed before Seol, blocking the spike's advance.

"Tsk…"

Seol could still use Branka's Shamanic Spells. With them, he could easily subdue Krom.

'But that wouldn't be right. I need to gather more information.'

Even though he could have easily overpowered his opponent, he instead tried his best to understand his opponent's power further.

Creak…

Creak…

'Hmm?'

- I think I understand it now…

Jamad sent good news.

- It's at times like this when having secured a lot of Primal Powers is beneficial.

'What does that mean?'

- Rotation, Seol. Rotate the Primal Powers before they're frozen.

'…'

- Let me show you.

Creak…

Creaakk…

Jamad sensed the Primal Powers more clearly than Seol, allowing him to handle Encroachment more skillfully.

Swoosh…

As if a blocked meridian had been cleared, the Primal Power instantly spread throughout every corner of his body.

A tingling sensation surged like blood rushing back into a body that had been numb.

'So this was it.'

This is definitely a power that devours Shamanic Spells.

The Old God's power made the Shamans lose without them being able to do anything. If he hadn't endured Encroachment in the fight against Krom, he might have been utterly powerless against Irizard.

"Stop! Stop fighting!"

Sensing something strange, Zakcha shouted, but no one reacted. Especially Bram—he was watching the fight with a serious expression.

'It can't end yet.'

"Kiik! Let's see if you can…"

Whir…

As Krom tried to pull a trick with his crystal orb, Seol rushed toward him, unable to hold himself back.

BOOM—!

'Huh…? Was he always so fast…?'

An unexpected turn of events happened. He reached right up Krom's face much faster than expected.

"Kiik!"

The Night Crow's fist blew right before Krom's face.

'Damn!'

The speed even took Seol by surprise. He quickly withdrew his strength upon seeing Zakcha charging at him. Instead, he acted to achieve his original goal.

[Tendency: Shadow Theft activates.]

Swoosh—!

Clang—!

Creak…

Creeaakk…

Before anyone noticed, the Great General Zakcha had drawn his sword and stood before Krom.

"I told you to stop…"

"Ah, right. Though, I wasn't thinking of killing him." Seol said nonchalantly and backed off.

'Jamad, you also felt that… right?'

- Yes. To think someone like that was possible.

Rotating Primal Powers. Doing that allowed him to move differently than usual.

A ticklish sensation followed—a feeling he recognized from before.

'Don't tell me…'

It was similar to what he felt when Karen surpassed her limits while fighting against Yaksha.

'Yes… perhaps…'

This might be the clue that would allow him to move to the next level.

While Seol was sorting out his thoughts, Zakcha turned and said to Bram.

"Bram, this method doesn't seem appropriate."

"…"

"Bram!"

Bram wasn't paying much attention to Zakcha. However, as he screamed at him again, Bram got up and approached him.

BOOM…

BOOM…

"So you're searching for something appropriate, huh…? What could that be?"

BOOM…

BOOM…

Bram's massive size was incomparable to Zakcha's.

"Hmm? Say it."

"Are you right in your mind?"

"Haha… Right in my mind?"

Paf!

Bram grabbed Zakcha by the collar, lifting him off the ground.

Despite his feet dangling in the air, Zakcha kept a calm expression.

"When have I been right in my mind?"

"The negotiations are over… you will regret having rejected Irizard's grace."

"I'm looking forward to it."

Paf…

After breaking free from Bram's grip, Zakcha's cloak fluttered as he withdrew.

"We're leaving."

"Kiik…"

"Kiik!

Having regained his composure, Krom pointed his staff at Seol and shouted, "Just wait. I'll ensure you have a terrible death!"

"Yeah, sure."

"Kiik!"

As the moles hurriedly retreated, Bram approached Seol.

BOOM…

BOOM…

"Human."

"I won, didn't I?"

"That power…"

Upon seeing the ferocity in Bram's eyes, Bron quickly stepped in.

"Brother, since the unwelcome guests are gone, why don't we continue our discussion?"

"Come back when the sun sets…"

"I'll do that…"

BOOM…

BOOM…

As Bram departed along with his warriors, Bron approached Seol.

"We're fortunate to have at least experienced Irizard's power, even if it was just a little."

"Encroachment… That was dangerous."

"Haha… Right? So, how does it feel to have experienced the power of an Old God, even though it was indirectly?"

Seol laughed as he pulled out the crystal engraved with a white bird from his pocket.

"It seems doable."

[You have successfully stolen a special artifact.]

[You have earned the special achievement 'Thief!']

[You have earned the special title 「Phantom Thief」]

* * *

Before sunset, the group was assigned a tent that could barely be called a lodging.

Seol was given a spot next to Yeva and Ishi’s tents.

With plenty of time left until evening…

Whir…

Seol, staring at the blue glowing crystal, checked its information.

[[Wonder: Crystal of Dawn]

Rank: Wonder

Recommended Level: None

Weight: 0.1kg

A crystal created by a legendary magician.

After the magician disappeared, its whereabouts were unknown—until now, when it has resurfaced once more.

Bonus effect: Emits the power of extreme cold.]

It had a very straightforward description.

Seol shuddered at the immense energy he felt upon grabbing the crystal.

- I can feel it! It's Azran's power!

Although no one called him, Ur appeared out of nowhere and verified its authenticity.

During the fight, Seol created a piece of ice identical to the crystal using Branka's power. That had been his intent all along. He used the distraction caused by his attack on Krom to swap the Crystal of Dawn with the fake.

'I was wondering if it will work… And it did.'

Thanks to Zakcha's timely interference, Krom hadn't noticed the switch before he left.

Although Seol had seized it, he hadn't yet decided how to use it.

'Even if I forge it as a weapon, I already have Agony…'

Karen, Jamad, and Karuna all had decent weapons. Even if he crafted a weapon from the crystal, there was no guarantee it would outperform theirs.

Its compatibility with ice powers made it perfect for Jamad, who used Glacier Shamanic Spells, or Ur, who had obtained the Frozen Truth. But Jamad's main power was the Primal Power of Earth, and Ur couldn't wield equipment.

'Turning it into equipment is out. In that case…'

He frowned.

"I have to consume it…"

In fact, that was how Azran used the Crystal of Dawn. He devoured the crystal and enhanced his magic.

The crystal was obviously too large to swallow, so he must have absorbed it through his mana.

"If devoured… Who should do it?"

Who was going to consume it?

Seol naturally thought Ur should consume it. After all, he inherited Azran's power.

However, there was also a reason to hesitate.

'Who knows what trouble it might bring…'

Seol once dealt with a similar issue after taking the Pill of Eternal Life when he left the South.

The Artifacts left by his Legendary ten pieces possessed extraordinary power. Even Seol had to be cautious about using them.

'What if Ur consumes it and vanishes for three years?'

That dreadful scenario kept circling in his mind. He couldn't help it because he had experienced something similar before.

- There's a way.

Ur proposed a solution to Seol.

- It's risky if I consume it and pointless if you do?

'Yes.'

- Then let him consume it.

Whir…

An avatar that looked exactly like Seol appeared before him.

"Ah!"

- Hahaha… See? It's simple.

It was the least risky course of action. Among his summons, Ur was the one who used Seol's avatar the most efficiently.

After a moment's hesitation, Seol gave an order to his avatar.

As he did, the avatar brought the crystal to its mouth.

Crack…

The crystal shattered into fragments, turned into powder, and then swallowed by the avatar.

Crack…

Crack…

[The avatar has consumed the Crystal of Dawn.]

[It freezes from the overwhelming power.]

Crack…

Seol frowned upon seeing the avatar frozen.

"Did it fail?"

- There's no way. Send him back. I'll study how to use that guy.

"Alright."

Whir…

With a quick motion, Seol sent the avatar back to the Void Door.

It was as if he'd already received the reward from this Adventure.

A few moments later…

"Let's go together."

"Okay."

Seol headed toward Bram's tent. Then went along with Bron and Brutul to where Bram was.

There, he heard an unexpected response.

"Bron, go back. The Icemaw can't join you."

"What…? What did you just say…?"

"I'll say it again. The Icemaw… cannot join you."

"…"

It was a shocking answer.

'Did the Icemaw never intend to get involved in this war from the start?'

However, the unsettling atmosphere made it hard to believe that was the true reason.

Seol quietly observed the situation.

"As expected. So you still hold a grudge against me for having cast you out…"

"No, that's not the reason. We…"

"How shameless, Bram."

"Brutul…"

"You have brought such suffering upon my mother with those hands, yet…"

"Brutul! Don't come forward! This…"

"You deserved to be exiled! That day… that day, we…"

Seol raised an eyebrow.

"We… trusted you…"

Bram reacted to Brutul's words… and his reaction was intense.

"Y-yes… That's right… We've committed an unforgivable sin, one that cannot be forgiven."

"Then! Shouldn't you answer our call and seek redemption?!" Brutul faintly smiled.

"We weren't able to overcome it…"

"…"

"The curse of the heroic spirits… They made sure to keep us bound… We're still starving."

"That…"

Seol and Jamad were starting to understand the situation.

'Did they end up killing their kin out of bloodlust? So that's why they were exiled…'

- It's a common occurrence when trolls cannot break free from the Blood Curse. However, the Icemaw might have craved for too much power.

Seol nodded at Jamad's whisper.

"That can't be true… You said there's a way! You asked me for time!"

As the story unfolded, more secrets came to light.

It seemed the exile of the Icemaw had been something Bron and Bram had discussed long ago.

"It's too late… No Shaman could appease the heroic spirits after Branka’s death. Everyone who attempted to perform the memorial ritual ended up dying after being cursed by the heroic spirits. Now…"

"Branka… Branka… Him again? This…"

At that moment, Bron murmured as if he had just realized something.

"Branka… Branka…"

Then he turned around and looked at Seol.

"Branka!"

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