Episode 210 Niflheim (2)
―You have successfully started the artifact.
―<Draupnir> opens the gate.
“Then shall we begin? foggy world. To Niflheim.”
Along with Jaehyun’s words, Hella burst out in a small astonishment.
‘really… I did it… ?’
She just couldn’t believe it.
To fully understand and transform the arithmetic formula recorded in the artifact, and open the door to the desired coordinates.
This was something that even a mythical being could not do easily.
Bondi movement magic, unlike those in fantasy novels, is very difficult.
By human standards, it was difficult even with five or six S-class wizards.
However, Jaehyun succeeded in doing this only once.
Hella had a hunch.
The reason why the anti-Aesir priests chose him as their adversary. that it was never a mistake.
“Come on. Don’t you have time?”
Jaehyun said that after removing the mana rebound completely before he knew it.
Hella looked at him and truly realized. How great is natural talent.
Also, to what extent the efforts and senses that go beyond that affect a person’s growth.
‘Among the gods, no one has grown up to such a rapid level. What on earth makes him so strong?’
She couldn’t tell, but it wasn’t a bad thing.
“Let’s go.”
Rather than reprimand Jae-hyeon for doing something dangerous, Hella decided to trust him.
As she followed Jaehyun, Poppy also responded by raising her hand.
Kreung!
Poppy seemed to be in a good mood too. This was the beginning of a new ordeal.
Whoa!
Between the vortex of magical power swirling around the gate, just like that, the three beings disappeared.
Before long, it was none other than what appeared in front of those who passed through the gate.
It was thick fog and huge ice walls.
* * *
Niflheim.
It is a world located directly opposite Muspelheim, the world of flames, and refers to a cold world filled with fog.
In mythology, it is described as having existed before the creation of the world along with Muspelheim, and it was also an area close to Helheim, the district of Hel.
‘According to the literature, there is a story that Helheim exists inside Niflheim, but… … That’s not true, Hella said.’
Before opening the gate, Jaehyun had heard a lot of stories from Hella.
She knows what kind of place Niflheim is and what monsters appear.
He also told me in detail where the path to the Mist Garden was prepared.
Fortunately, according to Hella’s story, once you get to Niflheim, it won’t take too long to get to the place of the ordeal.
“ha.”
Jaehyun sighed and looked around. Every time he breathes, the white breath breaks and scatters as smoke.
We have already arrived here and have been walking for about 30 minutes.
For Jaehyun, who has a transcendent body, this kind of cold was not a problem, but it was different for young Poppy.
The boy was trembling as if he was weak against the cold.
No matter how wonderfully potential a dragon is, Poppy was just entering its growth phase.
Enduring the cold of Niflheim is premature.
Greung… … .
Actually, Poppy’s voice wasn’t very good.
As if he couldn’t reproduce it, he lightly raised magic in his hand.
―Active skill «Ignition».
―The target’s body temperature rises.
Jaehyun warmed up Poppy by using the fire skill that raises body temperature.
Even if he doesn’t die, Poppy is the only pet. I had no intention of hurting her here.
After a while.
As he walked around the cracked area, Jaehyun saw a field that revealed the characteristics of Niflheim little by little.
A place full of ice and fog, devoid of any warmth.
Jaehyun walked around the streets and captured the scenery around him.
This is Niflheim, the world of fog. You never know what could happen at any time, so you have to be extra careful.
‘The level of the monsters that appear is not that high. Most of them are below grade B. There must be a stronger monster in the center, but there is no one that can feel threatened yet.’
Jaehyun looked around closely and calmly organized his thoughts.
The process he is doing now is a kind of mapping.
During the midterm exams in the past, even in a dungeon modeled after Muspelheim, Jaehyun read the surrounding field information first before engaging in battle.
Dungeon and field raids are old days, and information is everything.
This process always increases the radar’s survivability.
while thinking Suddenly, Jaehyun’s feet stopped.
he muttered as he warmed up.
“It came slowly. … … What if it’s at this level? I don’t even need to go out.”
Jaehyun lifted his head and looked ahead.
From there, the monster’s cry gradually began to be heard.
Grrr!
Jaehyun encountered several demon beasts nearby. He quickly figured out their identities.
troll.
They were monsters with tenacious vitality, and were notorious among the raiders.
However, the magic beasts that Jaehyun and his group encountered were not ordinary trolls. The guys whose shoulders and faces were covered with white ice, as if they were frosted.
This was a monster that had never been reported in the society.
-Meet the Frost Trolls.
Jaehyun raised his eyebrows as he listened to the sound of the system.
He first decided to use his skills to check the enemy’s simple information.
―Active skill 《Insight Eye》.
―The risk level of the designated target is 《Low》.
“Well, even if they’re a bit tough, it’s okay.”
Jaehyun murmured and put down the poppy he was holding.
I could feel his butt touching the floor and his body trembling. Poppy looked up at Jaehyun.
sniff?
Jaehyun smiled at Poppy’s reaction.
“If you move a little, it will be less cold. Kill those guys and I’ll give you this. how is it?”
Jaehyun took out something from his inventory and waved it.
Poppy was agitated at first, but soon began to drool while looking at something Jaehyun took out.
It was a sandwich.
It is also a special purple sandwich that Poppy likes, made by Kim Yoo-jung.
… … Note that blueberries are not included.
‘Instead, Yamata no Orochi’s tail is included, so it’s a food that will be of great help to Poppy’s growth. I also really like Poppy.’
Fortunately, Poppy really liked this sandwich.
I don’t understand Kim Yoo-jung’s bizarre eating habits, but I decided to think of it as my own personality.
Jaehyun briefly recalled yesterday.
Before leaving for this journey, Jae-hyun gave Kim Yoo-jung the ingredients and asked him to make food for Poppy.
In addition, I didn’t forget to ask to be Poppy’s head chef.
[Of course I should! It’s food for my Yongyong!]
In the middle, offensive words were mixed, but Kim Yoo-jung readily agreed.
He is also very close with Papi, and the person who eats his own food… … It wasn’t, but her presence seemed to give her quite a sense of uplift.
Of course, it was a part that Jaehyun couldn’t understand, but I decided not to pay much attention.
Quao… … !
Poppy let out an unusual cry and stood in front of the enemy.
Apparently, the special sandwich stimulated his switch. He wiped the drool with his front paw and saw three trolls surrounding him.
“Poppy, do your best.”
Jaehyun cheered. Hela didn’t accompany her on the school trip, so she didn’t know how much stronger Poppy had become, so her expression was interesting.
“Then look forward to it… … .”
Kreung!
―Fafnir II activates the active skill 《Giant》.
―Fafnir II activates the active skill 《Dragon Fear》.
At that moment, Poppy’s size suddenly began to grow, and then a huge roar erupted.
The body of the guy who grew up without knowing it was over 2 meters.
Unlike his significantly different size, his cute face remains the same. Looking at the huge pink soles, Jaehyun smiled involuntarily.
―Fafnir II activates the active skill 《Dragon Breath》.
bang!
The breath that came out of Poppy’s mouth accurately hit the enemy.
Jaehyun looked at the place where the white flames shimmered.
One of the trolls was already lying on the floor in ashes.
Jaehyun couldn’t help but be genuinely surprised.
“… Originally, I thought it was incredibly strong for its rank, but… .”
I never thought the power of a C-rank dragon breath would be raised to this level.
Jaehyun shook his head and looked at Poppy with an innocent expression.
‘It’s a story I heard in the valley of the dragon, but… … As expected, Poppy’s potential is great.’
In the past, Jaehyun had heard about Papi from ‘the one watching’.
Like the system said, he had great potential.
Jaehyun briefly opened the stats window with a satisfied expression.
[Active skill]
Name: gigantic
Grade: B
Explodes magical energy to temporarily grow your pet.
As the size increases, the power of stats and skills increases.
* It can be returned to its original state. Hugeness is maintained only when the skill is used.
[Active skill]
Name: Dragon Fear
Grade: B
With a wild roar, greatly reduces the physical abilities of enemies weaker than you.
* Decreases the stats of enemies who heard the roar by 20%.
[Active skill]
Name: Dragon Breath (Back)
Grade: C
A skill that attacks the enemy by exhaling the dragon’s breath.
It is a skill that is upgraded whenever the dragon’s rank rises.
*With the effect of white flame, it steals the vitality of opponents with strong regenerative power.
Jaehyun felt satisfied that Poppy’s newly acquired skill relieved the inconvenience he had experienced so far.
First, gigantic.
This does not simply increase the size, but also increases physical stats and skill power.
Not only that, but it can come back to its original size.
He was well aware of the great advantages of such an effect.
‘Once Poppy gets too big…’ … It’s not just one or two inconveniences.’
There is nothing dumber than attracting unnecessary attention from others.
In that sense, the giantization skill was a pass.
The next skill I checked was Dragon Fear.
A skill that reduces the stats of opponents weaker than you through a roar.
It was almost similar to how Heimdall forcibly sealed the power of reappearance with Gjallarhorn in the past. Although there is a difference in power, it is a skill that can be usefully used.
The last one was the Dragon Breath, which could be called Papy’s exclusive weapon.
This rank has risen by 1, and has now reached C.
There was a clear difference in the changed breath, not just a simple increase in power.
‘The flames he exhaled turned white. It’s probably because he ate white salt at the altar.’
At that time, ‘Those Who Watch’ said to Jaehyun.
The white flame is a very precious flame, and it is something that is not easily seen.
Also, it is said to be very useful because it absorbs the tough life force of the opponent.
Jaehyun realized that he was right when he saw the fallen troll in front of him.
Gua… .
The troll was completely crushed and breathless.
‘It’s absurd that one C-class pet can make a troll like that.’
Basically, trolls are class A monsters with very good regenerative power. Even if you think you killed it, it was also an intelligent being that would rise up and attack the raiders.
However, Baek Yeom was completely taking away even his tenacious vitality.
The two remaining trolls standing in front of Poppy looked at him and screamed.
ah… !!
Kreung!
But Poppy didn’t seem to care much.
The guy’s attention was on the sandwich he could only get after winning.
It was also made by Kim Yoo-jung. His greatest concern was the poor cooking, which is embarrassing to even call it terrible.
“Isn’t it exploitation of labor anyway? Poppy is still growing up.”
Hella jokingly shot at him from the side, but Jaehyun neatly ignored it.
Jaehyun cleaned up the remaining two frost trolls before he knew it, and welcomed Poppy back with a triumphant expression.
“good job.”
Greung.
After a short cry, it soon shrank back to its original size.
The guy who returned to his original form put out his front paw and confidently asked for a sandwich from Jaehyun.
As if Jaehyun couldn’t help it, he put on the white gloves he had taken out of his inventory and held up the basket containing the sandwiches for a moment.
Taat!
He pulled out a sandwich faster than light and handed it to Poppy. The boy was delighted and pushed the purple-stained bread into his mouth.
―The pet’s growth rate is increased!
System messages were also heard steadily.
A sandwich made from the tail of Yamata no Orochi. It was a shame if it didn’t work.
“No matter how I look at the dragon’s taste, I can’t get used to it.”
Even Hella raised both her hands and feet when she saw Poppy eating her sandwich.
She was even wearing a black mask when she took it out.
After stroking Papi moderately, Jaehyun started walking again.
frost world. Niflheim never knows what will happen. If you’re not as careful as possible, you’ll end up dying.
Recalling this fact deeply, Jaehyun stepped towards the center of the world filled with ice walls.
* * *
“so. How much further do you have to go? Do you know the exact location?”
After walking for half a day, Jaehyun asked Hella.
Hella spread her magic for a moment, felt the energy around her, then nodded.
“It’s not long now. A little further and we will arrive.”
Surprisingly, Niflheim itself was not that wide.
However, there were many magical places, so Hella had to keep disabling the barriers along the way.
Like that, while fighting the cold and frost demons, I was advancing little by little.
Finally, the group reached their destination.
The center of Niflheim.
Looking closely through the magic detection, the air shimmered like a haze, and even at first glance it seemed like a place telling me that there was something here.
‘It must have been hidden by magic to hide the Aesir’s fugitive. It’s worth knowing.’
At that moment, the corner of Hella’s mouth lifted, and a voice flowed from her mouth.
“This is it. If you accept the quest given here and break the barrier, you can reach the Frost Garden… … .”
Jaehyun didn’t even pretend to hear Hella’s words and immediately raised his magic power.
yet.
Pachang!
After breaking the magic with absolute arithmetic, I cautiously stepped inside.
Hella laughed as if she was exhausted.
“… … If this was going to happen, couldn’t it just have been broken with absolute arithmetic from the beginning?”
“That is my magic. Because at times like this, we have to save it.”
Jaehyun shrugged his shoulders at Hella, who had an unfair expression.
Then, suddenly, a woman’s voice was heard in their ears.
A high-pitched voice, as if exasperated.
“what! Where is this! Who has been so early for so long?!”
A woman’s screaming voice came from inside.
Jaehyun murmured with a puzzled expression at that absurd statement.
“what? Why are you saying that even if you come early?”
