My inventory is full of monster materials.

As night deepened, a chilly evening wind swept through.

Suddenly, fine snowflakes began to fall from the sky.

The pure white snow swirled down, melting in the warmth as it landed on my shoulders, leaving only damp spots.

Henry instinctively reached out and caught a snowflake, murmuring to himself.

"It's snowing? How is that possible?"

It was during the "Month of Results" (September-October), and there were still two or three months until the "Month of Nightfall" (December-January). Normally, it shouldn't have snowed.

The others also watched this scene in astonishment.

Only Vera, the fennec fox, was excited, hopping and skipping as she chased the falling snowflakes, having a great time.

The light snow came and went quickly, gradually stopping in less than a quarter of an hour. The snowflakes that fell to the ground disappeared without a trace, as if they had never appeared.

Just then, a pair of bright white eyes suddenly appeared in the darkness outside the camp gate.

Henry's eyes narrowed, and he suddenly raised his hand and shouted in a low voice.

"alert!"

The group quickly grabbed their weapons and prepared for battle.

The owner of those eyes slowly stepped through the camp gate. The light from the campfire climbed up his steps, illuminating his tall, upright figure, and finally settling on his face—

With black hair and black eyes, a handsome face, and a gentle smile.

It was Mark.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Henry was overjoyed and quickly stepped forward to grab his shoulders.

"Mark! You're finally back!"

"Um."

Mark nodded slightly, his expression calm, but then uttered a sentence that struck like a bolt from the blue:

"I have found a way to deal with those two monsters."

"what?"

Everyone was stunned for a moment.

The strength of those two Tier 1 monsters was undeniable, and they were in a bizarre combined form. Even a Silver-level adventurer might not be able to handle them.

But when they saw the serious expression on Mark's face, everyone realized that Mark was a man who would never speak empty words.

His friends swarmed around him, eager to ask him the questions.

"Are you serious?!"

"Big brother! You're not planning to self-destruct, are you?!"

"What method is it?!"

"stop--!"

Clyde suddenly shouted to stop him.

The others turned to look at them with varying expressions.

As the supervisor of this mission, and also the person most directly affected, Clyde cares about this matter more than anyone else.

Therefore, everyone was willing to give him face and make way for him.

Clyde strode up to Mark, stared intently into his eyes, and asked, word by word.

"Mark, tell me honestly, do you really have a way to kill those two monsters?"

Mark nodded slightly.

"Yes, I have a way."

A hint of doubt flashed in Clyde's eyes.

"Is it the Exploding Ice Core? I remember you were researching it before, saying it was the key to dealing with monsters."

But Mark said in a calm tone.

"The ice core is gone."

These words stunned everyone like a thunderbolt.

What does it mean when the ice core is gone?

Our only backup plan is gone!

Although he saw that everyone was a little flustered, Mark did not explain much, but only gave a vague guarantee.

"Don't worry, we'll complete the mission tomorrow."

The group exchanged glances, trying to find a hint of a joke on Mark's face.

Unfortunately, Mark was serious.

The whole team fell silent.

Clyde closed his eyes, slowly tilted his head back, took a deep breath, and when he opened his eyes again, the worries in his eyes had faded, leaving only determination.

"Okay, I believe you."

"but..."

Mark suddenly said something else, instantly putting everyone's hearts in their throats.

Mark glanced around and his gaze settled on Clyde.

"I need to replenish a large amount of magic power in a short period of time. You need to give me more efficient magic power potions, the more the better."

After hearing this, Clyde's expression turned solemn, as if he had made up his mind. He nodded heavily, then turned and hurriedly ran back to his apothecary's hut without asking any further questions.

A moment later, Clyde returned to the group and solemnly handed Mark a long, rectangular mahogany box.

Mark opened the brocade box, revealing a blue crystal pendant inside—a gold necklace with a teardrop-shaped blue crystal the size of a fingernail, its surface engraved with intricate magical patterns and emitting a faint blue glow.

Clyde went on to explain.

"This is a magic crystal pendant. The wearer can actively inject or draw magic into the crystal, and the storage capacity is equivalent to a 3rd-level spell."

Clyde paused, took a deep breath, and said.

"This is something I got in exchange for brewing a potion for an esteemed master. I'm lending it to you now. Is it enough?"

This was Mark's first time encountering magical equipment.

He picked up the crystal pendant, weighed it in his hand a few times—it felt icy cold and was surrounded by magic, but he only replied with a single sentence.

"well enough."

"Hmm?" x4

The group of people were instantly dumbfounded.

Judging from the tone... is it not enough?

It should be noted that even formal mages take third-circle spells seriously, yet Mark, who is at most a mage apprentice, is already looking down on them.

Clyde was not surprised by this, and instead went all in.

"Alright, I'll make you a 'Medium-level Magic Potion' tonight no matter what."

Intermediate mana potions are a standard mana replenishment method for professional mages in battle.

As the chief apothecary, Clyde could barely manage to refine it, but it would require multiple attempts and the consumption of more precious materials.

At this point, Henry and his companions' expressions gradually turned serious—they finally realized that tomorrow was a do-or-die situation.

Henry stood up, his expression solemn and resolute, and looked at everyone before speaking loudly.

"Everyone, get some rest early tonight. Tomorrow, we'll go and fight those two monsters to the death!"

……

……

The next morning.

After several days of fermentation, the area around Merito Falls has become rotten and decaying.

Apart from the relatively clean pool, the original stream had been blocked by animal carcasses, causing sewage to overflow and form a strange swamp.

In the swamp, a dozen or so vultures landed on a pile of corpses, pecking at the rotting flesh; swarms of flies buzzed annoyingly; and maggots wriggled and crawled among the carcasses...

At this foul-smelling "dining table," there was a huge diner—the cannibal Gulag—sitting beside a pile of corpses, devouring large intestines in his hands, his face covered in filth, his belly bulging.

In the pool, the Brain Core Slime King, having lost a large amount of colloid due to the previous battle, shrank to more than half its original size. It lay listlessly under the waterfall, letting the rushing water wash over its body.

On the high slope, the six members of the "White Eagle" team reunited, looking down at the entire view of Merito Falls.

Henry stared back and forth between the two monsters below for a long time before slowly turning his head to ask.

"Mark, what are your plans? And what should we do?"

The others all looked at Mark, their eyes filled with anticipation and nervousness.

Especially Clyde—his eyes were bloodshot, with heavy dark circles under them, and his eyes looked like they were about to pop out, which showed how hard he had worked last night.

For his own reasons, Mark did not reveal everything, only saying...

"I can cast a spell powerful enough to obliterate these two monsters, but I can only cast it once, and the casting time is uncertain, taking 10-20 minutes."

"So I hope you can go up and attract their attention, gather them together, and drag them out until I finish casting my spell."

"Delay for 20 minutes..."

Henry nodded and pondered for a few seconds, his gaze sweeping over the faces of his teammates.

Brady, Emily, Clyde, and Orion all returned resolute looks.

Henry nodded emphatically.

"no problem."

Henry then turned to the others and gave them serious instructions.

"Everyone, did you hear me clearly? This time, we're not going to kill the monsters, but rather draw their fire and stall them until Mark finishes casting his spell. Understand?"

The four responded in unison.

"clear!"

……

……

Clang—clang—clang—

Deep in the dense forest, a loud metallic clanging sound suddenly shattered the eerie tranquility of Merito Falls.

The ogre Gulag didn't care at all, still keeping his head down and taking big bites of the plain sausage in his hand.

However, the Slime King on the pool, like a startled bird, tensed up and leaped, pouncing on the ogre's head.

Then, it skillfully infiltrated the cannibal's brain and took over its body.

Suddenly, the cannibal stopped eating, disgustedly tossed aside his large intestine, grabbed the huge spiked club beside him, and looked fiercely into the depths of the dense forest.

At the same time, a robust figure emerged from the dense forest—Henry, carrying the repaired tower shield, slowly stepped out of the shadows of the trees.

Emily, Brady, Clyde, and Orion followed one after another.

The sunlight shone on them, making them look so energetic and full of indomitable spirit.

After the previous battles and the rest and training over the past few days, they now appear more confident and prepared.

The ogre, controlled by the Brain Core Slime King, instantly flew into a rage upon seeing Henry and his companions. It raised its massive spiked club, took heavy strides, and forcefully carved a path through the filthy corpses.

Henry raised his shield and stood in front, while loudly warning his teammates.

"It's coming! Remember our tactics, stay calm, don't panic!"

"yes!"

The four responded in unison, quickly entering combat mode and taking their positions according to their pre-arranged roles, ready for battle.

The next second, the huge spiked club, accompanied by a howling wind, slammed down on the most conspicuous Henry.

At the same time, Orion quickly stepped forward, stood side by side with Henry, raised his shield, and activated "United Defense".

bang-

The violent collision echoed through the mountains and forests for a long time, and the shockwave spread out, stirring up a cloud of mud and fragments of corpses.

Henry and Orion had already reviewed and prepared their strategy.

This sudden blow did nothing to shake their defenses.

When the ogre saw that its plan had failed, it opened its huge mouth and let out a mental roar.

Just then, a small sun rose in the center of the team.

Emily raised her staff high and activated "Guardian Light," causing the golden emblem on the staff's head to burst forth with dazzling light, enveloping everyone in the team.

The mental roar swept over them, creating only a weak shockwave, which had no deterrent effect whatsoever.

The cannibal was completely enraged. His gaze was fixed on Emily, and his throat bobbed as he prepared to unleash a foul-smelling "thick phlegm."

boom!

Suddenly, the cannibal's vision was obscured by a red powder. The intense, spicy sensation forced him to stop and frantically rub his eyes.

Clyde chuckled softly and then pulled a bottle of milky white powder from under his robes and smashed it down.

The ogre's skin was touched by the exploding powder, and it immediately felt an unbearable itching all over its body, completely disrupting its attack rhythm.

Clyde has been studying this these past few days.

Since cannibals have strong regenerative abilities and are not afraid of toxins, we will find another way: only interfere with them without killing them.

So Clyde specially concocted disgusting powders such as dragon's breath pepper and itchy spores.

"Wow—!"

Taking advantage of the ogre's distraction, Brady let out a strange cry, dragged his longsword forward, and swung it hard across the ogre's ankle, leaving a long wound.

"roar!"

The ogre screamed in pain, trying to smash the little bug under its feet, but Brady rolled and dodged, moving nimbly and frantically trimming the bug's feet.

After this exchange, the cannibal was completely overwhelmed and unable to fight back.

This shows that the five members of the "White Eagle" team are no longer what they used to be.

But... that's all.

They lack strong damage dealers and decisive moves, making it impossible for them to finish off the ogres.

……

……

Deep in the dense forest.

Mark peered through the gaps in the branches and leaves at his teammates' struggle. After a moment, he looked away and muttered to himself.

"Now, it's my turn."

At this point, Mark re-equipped himself with the "Intelligence +3" skull and drank a bottle of Intelligence-boosting potion, pushing his Intelligence to the maximum of 20 points.

Immediately afterwards, Mark drank the "Intermediate Magic Potion" that Clyde had just made that morning, and then held and absorbed the magic crystal pendant in his mouth.

A surge of pure magic swept through my body, and I felt a faint sense of fullness spreading through me.

After laying all the groundwork, a thought flashed through Mark's mind.

Chanting incantations can provide some assistance when casting spells, but the content of the incantations is very important.

Taking the 4th-circle spell "Ice Spirit Dragon" as an example, you can add a revered name to the spell—such as "Frost Maiden," the ruler of ice and snow, or "Five-Colored Dragon Queen," the source of the bloodline of the colorful dragons...

Suddenly, a thought flashed through Mark's mind, and he remembered the panel notification from last night—"Ilúvatar's Gaze".

With that thought in mind, Mark no longer hesitated. He bent his hands into an "OK" shape and crossed them together, precisely locking onto the battlefield below the waterfall through the round hole in the middle.

Then, Mark began chanting obscure and solemn incantations.

"أَتَضَرَّعُإِلَيْكِيَاإِلٰهَةَالْحِكْمَةِ."

(I pray for enlightenment.)

"أَرْجُوكِأَنْتَهَبِينِيقُوَّةَالسِّحْرِ."

(I pray for the power of magic.)

"أَرْجُوكِأَنْتَرْعَانِيبِرِعَايَتِكِ."

(I pray for the goddess's favor.)

"وَأَنْتُسَاعِدِينِيعَلَىالتَّوَاصُلِمَعَكَائِنَاتِعَالَمِالْجَلِيدِ."

(I beg your help to communicate with the beings of the Ice Plane.)

...

As the chanting intensified, Mark's magic was drawn out of his body, forming a huge magical vortex above his head, gleaming with a cold, pale blue light.

……

……

The Plane of Ice, the Frozen Continent, the Ridge of Eternal Silence.

The continuous ice peaks pierce the sky, the wind howls, snowflakes fill the air, and even the thin air is frozen into suspended ice crystals.

Occasionally, a few frost dragons can be seen flapping their wings and soaring through this frozen territory, emitting sharp roars.

At the highest point of the peaks stands a magnificent crystal palace.

The palace is made entirely of pure ice crystals, with ancient ice and snow patterns carved on the columns, and light refracts through the crystals to create a dazzling blue glow.

At this moment, a young ice dragon, 15-16 meters long, excitedly traversed the corridors, calling out along the way.

"Great-grandmother! Great-grandmother!"

The young ice dragon ventured into the deep hall and saw a hundred-meter-long ancient white dragon coiled on the throne.

Her body was covered with thick, snow-white scales, each scale bearing the marks of time, and she exuded an ancient and weathered aura.

Sensing the movement, the ancient white dragon slowly opened its eyes. Its enormous pupils were like an icy blue abyss, devoid of any emotion, as it looked down at the little dragon before it.

The young ice dragon immediately stopped, prostrated himself in respect, and spoke with barely concealed excitement.

"Great-Grandma, the gate to the dimensional world is summoning us from the main plane, but the contract master is a very weak human. Father and uncles think..."

He paused slightly, looked up at the ancient white dragon, and added in a low voice.

"They felt that the summoning contained the aura of a white dragon, which was an offense to us. They did not want to accept the contract summoning, nor did they allow their younger siblings to accept the summoning."

"But I think that although the White Dragon is foolish, he is still from the same source as us. Plus, I have just come of age and plan to go to the main plane to gain some experience."

Faced with the little schemes of his bloodline offspring, the ancient white dragon did not expose them, but simply raised its head and sniffed the air intensely.

Immediately afterwards, like the booming of a bell, a deep and resonant sound echoed throughout the entire palace.

"I smell the scent of 'wisdom,' a contract endorsed by the gods."

"Go if you want, but..."

The ancient white dragon paused slightly, as if lost in a distant memory, its gaze softening.

After a long silence, she finally spoke.

"This is your first time accepting the contract summons, which will have a profound impact on your life. Remember, choose carefully."

"I know, Great-Grandma!"

Overjoyed at receiving permission, the young ice dragon immediately bowed and paid his respects before dashing to the palace gates, flapping its wings, and soaring into the swirling snow.

The ancient white dragon slowly turned its head, its gaze falling on its back—where a huge, azure ice crystal was carried, and within the ice crystal was a blurry human figure, who had been sleeping for countless years.

……

……

Mark's prayer recitation was coming to an end.

His voice grew increasingly hoarse, but his expression became more resolute, eventually even showing a do-or-die determination.

"وَبِدِمَائِيوَسِيلَةً،اسْتَجِيبُوالِنِدَائِي."

(I answer my call by offering my bloodline as collateral.)

"هُنَا—تَجَلَّوْا!"

(Here it appears!)

As Mark's chanting ended, a blinding screen of light popped up before our eyes.

[Spell consumption exceeding mana limit detected, risk of backlash. Continue?]

At this moment, the magic crystal on Mark's tongue was already transparent and clear, and the magic power in his body had long since dried up, causing him to experience a tearing pain all over his body.

But a fierce glint flashed in Mark's eyes.

This is not only for teammates, but also an obsession with magic—like weaving from left to right on the field to the goal, knowing that this shot will exhaust your body, but as a man, you have to shoot!

"yes--!!"

At Mark's shout, the massive magical vortex above his head rapidly collapsed, compressed, and reorganized inward, gradually forming the shape of a ten-meter-long dragon.

At the same time, Mark's body suddenly trembled, and wisps of crimson aura were forcibly stripped from his limbs and bones, mixing into the magic pool above his head.

Mark's skin gradually turned pale, his eyebrows and hair turned snow-white, and his pupils turned pure ice blue. Fine blue cracks gradually appeared on his cheeks, body and arms, as shocking as shattered ice.

At that moment, Mark could no longer hold on. His legs buckled, and he collapsed to one knee, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

The blood fell onto the grass, but instead of spreading, it instantly congealed into a cluster of glistening ice crystals, radiating a bone-chilling cold.

[Severe spell backlash detected. Gained the trait "Ice Scar Frozen Blood (Blue)"]

"Frozen Blood (Blue)": Charisma +4, Constitution -2, Mana Flow -50%

At the same time, the giant ice crystal dragon above took shape, its eyes suddenly opened, and it immediately let out a deafening roar.

"roar--!"

The young ice dragon raised its head and loudly proclaimed its true name to the sky.

"My name is Frost Glasien Vituras Ulysses! Descendant of the Ice King of the Frozen Continent! Eldest son of the Frost Dragon Ulysses family!"

Then, Frost suddenly spread his wings, only to find that he had shrunk.

"Is the body that descends to the prime material plane this weak? It's only one or two tenths of my usual strength... Oh right! Where's my contractor?!"

Frost looked around and saw only the shadowy woods. He suppressed his desire to explore and played, sensed the mental connection, and soon found Mark lying on the ground.

Frost stretched out his enormous dragon claw and carefully picked up Mark, asking.

"Excuse me, are you my contractor?"

Mark was feeling dizzy and disoriented, managing to transmit his thoughts with difficulty only through a weak mental connection:

"I am... Quick, go to the waterfall, use your dragon breath to kill that ogre... And, don't hurt my friend..."

The moment Frost grasped the Contractor's intent, a powerful sense of mission swept over him, and he suddenly spread his wings and roared.

"receive--!"

……

……

The battlefield beneath the waterfall.

Henry and his companions were locked in a fierce battle with the cannibal.

Suddenly, a deafening dragon's roar echoed through the dense forest, resounding throughout the heavens and earth, followed by an unknown, melodious low murmur that made people's eardrums buzz.

At this moment, everyone, from the squad members to the ogres and the brain core slime, was gripped by a deep fear—a fear stemming from the suppression within their bloodlines.

A moment later, an ice-blue figure soared into the sky from the dense forest, swooped down and swept across the battlefield, freezing the ground in its wake.

Henry was greatly alarmed, but he forced himself to maintain his imposing presence and shouted.

"It's a dragon! Get out of the way—!"

The shout briefly broke the silence, and everyone was terrified, quickly collapsing to the side.

In contrast, the cannibal was trembling and unable to move.

Because the dragon's might of the ice dragon Frost was holding it firmly in place.

The ice dragon took a deep breath, its chest surging with violent frost dragon breath, which, like a torrent, lashed out at the ogre.

The ogre was instantly frozen—its skin was covered with a thick, pale layer of ice, and even the air currents were frozen by the frost energy, extending backward three or four meters.

In the blink of an eye, the Brain Core Slime King and the Ogre duo, whom the "White Eagle" team had struggled to defeat despite all their hardships and tribulations, had been frozen into an ice sculpture.