Chapter 204

Chapter 204 – Chapter 43: Storm

The legend of the elder dragons, who were said to have the same power as a god, was handed down in various places throughout the Demon World . The species with the longest historical record among the various species of the Demon World were the dark elves, but the elder dragons were even older than the dark elves .

The elder dragons had existed throughout the history of the Demon World . This meant there were many legends about them, especially from the Era of Struggle . The reason for this was very simple .

The Era of Struggle had been a horrible era in which all the species of the Demon World fought against each other, resulting in death and killing every day . In the days when the cruelties of war couldn’t be escaped, only the areas ruled by the elder dragons had escaped from the battles .

The absolute power of the elder dragons had not allowed any conflicts in their territory . There had been some groups foolish enough to challenge the elder dragons, but their fates had always been the same . Even among the dragons, who were called the best species, the elder dragons were special . They were dragons with the power of gods .

In the myths and legends, each of the elder dragons were given their own image .

Ainkel had the power of life and was the benevolent mother of Enger Plains . She gave peace to the people who entered her territory . In all the records, she had been painted as a saintess .

Enkidu was a tyrant with the power of destruction . However, ironically, due to his violence, Enkidu’s territory was more peaceful than the territory of any other elder dragon . Even the strongest species wouldn’t dare to boast in Enkidu’s territory . If Ainkel was a mother, then Enkidu was a father .

Recorder Torres was portrayed as an inquisitive scholar and Violent Kaltein a silent warrior . Although the Cruel Talia was portrayed as a youthful girl, she was considered ‘cruel’ for her ability to wipe out whole groups with a smile on her face .

Guardian Queian always appeared as a sage in the stories . He wasn’t benign like Ainkel nor was he cruel like Talia . Unlike Torres, Quiean often got involved because of his curiosity . However, he wasn’t as violent as Enkidu, nor could he stay silent like Kaltein .

The last appearance of the elder dragons had been around 1,000 years ago . Since then, no one had spotted the elder dragons in the Demon World .

&

The Great Enkidu had lived for thousands of years . He had been born after the first elder dragons had already been annihilated by the red dragon . From the time he had been born, he had known what his role was and who his enemies were .

The elder dragon had the same power as a god, but he was no longer the same as he had been in the past . He had changed exactly 1,000 years ago .

Enkidu thought as he lay down in lava .

The Four Riders of the Apocalypse and the elder dragons couldn’t intervene in the world in the same way as before . Moreover, both sides had just woken up from a very deep sleep .

However, the story was already continuing on without Enkidu’s intervention . The indirect conflicts were then repeated, and the Great Enkidu acknowledged that the flow of destiny was accelerating due to these conflicts .

The Great Enkidu was patient . He had a hunch about his role in this torrent of destiny and instinctively felt that the moment when he would need to perform his role was just around the corner .

Enkidu sighed, with a fragment of Ainkel’s broken soul remaining by his side .

&

A frigid cold…

The entire world seemed to be coated in white . A blizzard was in motion, and the wind was like a knife . The harsh cold caused their breaths to freeze . It had been fine after just crossing the limit line . The cold was worse, but the wind was at a fairly bearable level . A group of casios attacked them, but they weren’t a big threat .

However, hell started once a day passed after crossing the limit line .

In-gong was reminded of the documentaries he had watched of Mount Everest . They were obviously walking through the plains, but it was hard to breathe like they were in a high mountain area . The thick snow made it difficult to move, and the blowing winds couldn’t be blocked by their collars .

Silvan had tearfully given up the Black Flame Dragon . Of course, that didn’t mean it had been left behind at the limit line . A minimal number of people had been left to run the Black Flame Dragon, and it headed back to Enger Plains .

All of those present were wearing winter clothes made of casios leather . The previous big battle at Enger Plains meant it wasn’t difficult to produce clothes for 200 people . However, there was a limit to how much they could protect their bodies using the winter clothes and tools .

“Magic! Create a fire with magic! Do it!”

Amita cried out from their position on Carack’s back . Despite the winter clothing, Amita’s tail still flinched from the cold . Amita’s words weren’t for Carack but the children of the demon king at the front . Felicia, who was walking the closest to them, nodded, but she couldn’t look back .

“Can’t! Blow out, everything!”

Her lips didn’t move well because of the cold, so her pronunciation was weird . However, the meaning was understood . The wind and cold were so strong that it was hard to even use fire magic . Even if she did create a fire, it would blow out in a few seconds .

“Bell Fire! Bell Fire!”

Amita exclaimed as they buried their face in Carack’s back . Although their pronunciation was off, they seemed to be requesting for Hellfire . Felicia pretended not to hear it . She couldn’t waste her magic power beyond the limit line where anything could happen at any time .

“Hah…ha…”

Her footsteps were too heavy because of the snow . She was wearing large coloured goggles to protect her eyes from the light reflecting off the snow .

She felt like she was going to die . It was difficult to breathe, and she couldn’t see well because of the colours goggles . If there wasn’t a rope tied around her waist, then Felicia would’ve missed the person in front of her .

Due to the thick winter clothing she wore, Felicia wriggled and lost her footing . Normally, she would’ve screamed, but it didn’t emerge this time . The good news was that Felicia didn’t fall because there was a hand supporting her waist .

“Are you okay?”

It was In-gong, who often looked back while walking . Unlike the others, his pronunciation was fine, and he didn’t seem tired at all . Felicia leaned against In-gong’s firm arm clad in a thick winter coat .

“P-Pleasant . Isn’t Shutra cold?”

“Yes . ”

In-gong said, laughing awkwardly . In fact, In-gong didn’t feel any cold right now . His was a body which didn’t feel the cold, heat, or any poisons .

‘Indeed, Protagonist Body . ’

However, if In-gong said that he didn’t feel the cold, then he didn’t know what resentment would be poured towards him .

“Shutra, sustain…”

Caitlin said with admiration from where she was walking, not far from Felicia . Her stamina was high, but her words couldn’t help being affected by the cold .

Felicia took a few breaths and tried to leave In-gong’s arms to walk, but it wasn’t easy . She had already lost strength in her legs . In-gong supported Felicia’s waist and asked,

“Do you want a ride?”

Normally, Felicia would’ve refused, but not this time . She nodded instantly . However, just as In-gong was about to raise Felicia to his back… There was a banging sound from the side . When he turned his head, he saw a red light which acted as a signal in the snow .

“I’ll be back!”

In-gong left Felicia to Caitlin and activated Wind Style . He glided over the snow as he heard a loud roar .

“Yeti!”

The yeti, which looked like giant gorillas with white fur, were attacking the rear of the party . There were only a few yetis attacking 200 people, but the party’s combat power had fallen greatly due to the frigid conditions . It was a situation where the number of victims could be unimaginable .

“Kuooh!”

However, he didn’t need to worry . By the time In-gong arrived, Vandal was already attacking the last of the yetis . In-gong quickly used White Eagle and Black Eagle to help and asked Vandal,

“Vandal, are you okay?”

“I’m okay, though I moved a little wildly due to the cold . ”

Vandal smiled after smashing the yetis in a flash . In-gong sighed with relief and placed the bodies of the yetis in his inventory . The peeled off fat could be used for a fire and the meat could be eaten, so the corpses would be useful somewhere .

“Be careful not to sweat . ”

In-gong wondered if it was possible to sweat in this cold weather, but the sweat would be impossible to stop once it started .

After half a day, the party decided to seek refuge from the cold in a large cave where frost giants resided . Thanks to the help of the Giant King’s Sword, they were able to establish a friendly relationship without any bloodshed .

As soon as they entered the cave, Felicia and Anastasia used magic and spirits to block the entrance of the cave . Although small air holes were present, it was enough to stop the cold . Amita sang in front of a large fire ignited with the help of the last flame . The divine power in the green flame could be felt by In-gong’s divinity .

As the air in the cave warmed up, the environment became more tolerable . Moreover, the 200 people had to stick close to each other, so the heat could be felt .

‘I’m glad I found this cave . ’

In-gong sighed with relief as he closed his mini-map . In this cold weather, he wouldn’t have been able to relax if they needed to sleep in tents out in the cold .

“Hah…huh… Prince, is the area beyond the limit line always like this? I suddenly feel a great respect for the barbarians . ”

Carack asked after catching his breath . As In-gong took out food from his inventory, he agreed,

“I guess . ”

It was why the western and eastern barbarians always attacked the limit line . However, Anastasia shook her head as she heard their conversation .

“It isn’t always like this beyond the limit line . The east and west is more livable than this . And… this frigid zone won’t last long . ”

“Is that just your wish?”

Anastasia stayed silent at Carack’s question . However, it really was the case . Everybody’s moods darkened . If this cold persisted, they would be wiped out before even reaching Shutenberg .

However, fortunately, there was still some hope .

“Don’t worry too much . Princess’ words are correct . ”

“Indara?”

It was Indara, who was the head of the sura warriors and served as a guide . He reassured them with a confident expression .

“In around three or four days, the cold will weaken . But… the attack of the creatures will intensify from that point forward . ”

“I would rather fight . ”

Carack answered, and everyone laughed in agreement .

“The Demon World is really good . ”

Someone muttered suddenly, and In-gong agreed . Compared to beyond the limit line, the Demon World was really decent . There were some cases of wastelands like Evian, but the vast majority of the Demon World were areas with livable temperatures and land where crops could be grown . After tasting the terrible environment beyond the limit line, everyone nodded while Indara shrugged .

“It is a legend but originally the Demon World was a very difficult land to live in . It was similar to beyond the limit line . ”

“What are you talking about? There was a legend like that?”

Felicia, who sounded like a dying chicken, asked with curiosity . Anastasia laughed at Felicia but instantly sat down next to her and used recovery magic . Indara took a deep breath before turning to In-gong and asking,

“Your Highness, do you know the legend of the Red Dragon?”