Trait Hoarder

Castle of the Inexplicable – Part 3

The Drake let out a baffled laugh.

“Ha! The Arctic Sovereign?”

Then, he flicked out his long, snake-like tongue.

“Do you even know what kind of existence Arctic Sovereign is? Even when three Level 8 Grand Elders joined forces, they couldn’t defeat him. All they managed to do was provoke him, and they ended up having to seal him away. That’s why they’re still stuck in the Grand Elders’ Palace, unable to leave! And you’re saying you want to hunt him?”

Arctic Sovereign.

He wasn’t an episode boss like Massacre Empress or Saintess.

Strictly speaking, he was on the same level as Seo Woojin.

An intermediate episode boss at best.

In the game, he appeared as a Level 9 enemy.

‘Right now, he’s still Level 8.’

Arctic Sovereign only absorbed enough mana to reach Level 9 when the Ice Age arrived.

That meant there was still a chance.

No one knew this, but Arctic Sovereign had a critical weakness.

One that he could only completely overcome at Level 9.

And at Level 8? It was still a fatal flaw.

“I plan to lure him with bait and put him to sleep with a sedative.”

“Hah, what nonsense…”

“While he’s asleep, we’ll free your old comrades.”

“T-That’s…”

“Then, we’ll free and communicate with all the beings of the Northern Ice Mountain. If the dragons help, taking down Arctic Sovereign won’t just be a dream.”

Arctic Sovereign was a dragon hunter.

A natural enemy of dragons.

In the forbidden grounds of Northern Ice Mountain, which doubled as his lair, dragons were frozen solid, pinned in place like statues.

In Episode 4: The Arrival of the Evil Dragon, they were eventually released, but as of now, they would still be trapped.

There were also quite a few members of the Castle of the Inexplicable frozen there.

Most of them Level 7.

The plan was simple—wake them all up and take down Arctic Sovereign together.

“…Hah.”

Drake fell into deep thought for a moment.

“Do you really think that’s possible? Even putting the bait aside, just the idea of putting Arctic Sovereign to sleep with a sedative is ridiculous. He’s not some dumb beast.”

“But he is a greedy monster. And not just any monster—he’s a Great Beast.”

I opened my golf bag.

It was large enough to fit a small car inside, with room to spare.

Inside, I had prepared a certain ingredient in advance.

Dragon meat.

At least several hundred kilograms of it.

A mere mouthful for Arctic Sovereign, but still an extravagant feast for him.

Because there was no way for him to thaw and eat the frozen dragons around him.

At least, not yet.

“Hahaha.”

Drake sniffed the air, catching the scent of the meat, and let out a chuckle.

“Where on earth did you get this?”

“I hunted them myself. This one’s from Greece. That one’s from the Great Rift. A Golden Dragon and a Corpse Dragon.”

“A Golden Dragon and a Corpse Dragon… Life and death itself. Even their elemental affinities—light and darkness—are polar opposites…”

Drake fell into deep contemplation.

It took quite some time before he finally gave a slow, weighty nod.

“The bait is feasible. But no matter how strong a sedative is, it’ll only put him to sleep for about an hour at most. Do you think that’s enough time to wake all the victims of the Northern Ice Mountain?”

“It has to be.”

“Besides, no one knows how to wake them up. It’s not like we haven’t tried. We’ve used magic, miracles, and even potions, but all attempts have failed.”

That was true.

Because Arctic Sovereign’s petrification wasn’t a normal effect.

But I already knew the answer.

I reached into my golf bag and pulled out a red orb.

A Fire Marble, gifted to me by the Dokkaebi.

Flame Bead.

“Hm?”

The Flame Bead could create Dokkaebi Fire, a flame that inflicted critical damage on all evil beings.

Some even called it a divine exorcism flame.

Oddly enough, it also worked against Arctic Sovereign’s ice.

Was it because he had swallowed the Manpasikjeok? (TL Note: “Manpasikjeok” (만파식적) is a legendary Korean flute, meaning “a flute that calms ten thousand waves,” believed to have magical powers to bring peace and prosperity, and is featured in Korean folklore and plays.)

Regardless, it was capable of thawing his frozen victims.

“…What is this?”

Drake’s eyes filled with disbelief.

“Are you some kind of magical lamp containing a genie? How do you always have exactly what’s needed, right when it’s needed?”

“I did my research.”

“Hmph. Well, I suppose a superhuman as powerful as you would have the right connections. Fine. If you have anything else prepared, let’s hear it.”

“I brought this as well.”

This time, I pulled out a Golden Ruler’s Staff.

Now, imagine being frozen for decades and only just waking up.

What would be your most urgent need?

Elixir.

A means to fully recover.

But distributing elixirs to all the people and dragons? Impossible.

That’s where the Golden Ruler’s Staff Elixir came in.

“A complete healing agent…”

“You figured it out right away. We’ll brew it into a medicinal solution and have them drink it. That way, they’ll recover immediately and regain their combat ability.”

“Put the target to sleep with bait and sedatives… Wake them up with the Red Crystal… Heal them with the Gold Stick…”

As far as I knew, there were three Level 7 superhumans sealed in the Northern Ice Mountain.

And an entire legion of dragons.

There weren’t any Level 8s among them, but among the dragons alone, four were at Level 7.

Including me, that made eight Level 7 combatants.

That should be enough to hunt even a Level 8 enemy.

“…Alright!”

Drake straightened his back.

“I’ll bring this before the Elders’ Council as an official proposal. We’ll hold a meeting and decide whether to go through with Arctic Sovereign raid.”

“I’ll start my preparations. When will the decision be made? I don’t have much time.”

“Hm… That’s hard to say. We tend to be very cautious in our approach.”

Oh, yeah.

I knew.

Left to their own devices, they’d drag things out forever, yawning through decades before finally making a decision.

Like I said.

These guys were long-lived species. They were in no hurry.

It’d probably take at least ten years before they made up their minds.

I didn’t have that kind of time.

Once Drake left, I unwrapped the dragon meat.

A magical preservation seal.

Thanks to that, the meat was as fresh and pristine as if it had just been butchered yesterday.

Chop! Ch-ch-chop!

I swung the Black Tiger Sword.

I swung my sword, executing Mars Swordsmanship, while also channeling the power of the Master of the Blade trait.

A chunk of meat, roughly the size of ten grown men, was instantly minced.

The shredded pieces shot up into the air before falling—

Right into the giant cauldron I had prepared.

‘One round won’t be enough.’

There was just too much meat.

I portioned the two types of dragon meat and mixed them in the cauldron, using the Black Tiger Sword in reverse grip like a massive shovel.

At the same time, I lit the alchemy cauldron.

I needed to make the sleeping potion.

‘Maybe I should have asked Drake to make it instead?’

No, it was fine.

I already knew the recipe for a Arctic Sovereign-specific sedative.

And I had all the necessary ingredients with me.

Bubble, bubble.

The medicinal liquid began to boil.

A strange scent mixed with waves of mana spread through the air.

From a distance, an elf who had been observing me hesitantly approached.

“What did you discuss with the Elder?”

“You didn’t hear?”

“Hmm! Well, you see…”

There was no way an elf hadn’t overheard.

I gestured toward the boiling alchemical brew.

“As you probably heard, I’m going to hunt Arctic Sovereign.”

“Is that even possible?”

“You heard everything, didn’t you?”

“Well…”

“It’s just a matter of executing the plan properly. Put him to sleep, free the prisoners, heal them. You know who’s imprisoned in Northern Ice Mountain, don’t you?”

“Of course. How could I not?”

The elf’s expression turned wistful as she gazed toward the Northern Pole.

There, within Northern Ice Mountain, were three Level 7 captives.

None other than the former Guard Captain, Defense Captain, and Surveillance Captain.

And among them, the former Guard Captain was the elder brother of this very elf—

Winter Queen, an SSR-ranked character.

In the game, after hunting Arctic Sovereign, the former Guard Captain would return and take up his old post, making it possible to recruit Winter Queen.

‘Should I bring her along too?’

The problem was that at this stage, she couldn’t be promoted yet.

Not only did I need to hunt Arctic Sovereign, but I also had to hunt the Antarctic God as well.

And the Antarctic God was inaccessible until the Ice Age arrived.

For now, it was enough to establish connections and earn their gratitude.

You never knew when or how that might come in handy.

Feigning ignorance, I continued.

“I’m going to rescue those three and free the dragons. With the dragons’ help, we can hunt Arctic Sovereign.”

“The dragons are too arrogant to help, no matter what kind of debt they owe… Ah, wait. No, that’s not true. You can speak Dragon Tongue.”

“Exactly.”

Among the dragons, there was an Ancient Dragon.

Normally, an Ancient Dragon was Level 8, but this one was… well, let’s just say it wasn’t all there.

A dim-witted Ancient Dragon.

So technically, it was Level 7.

It couldn’t even use magic and had the intelligence of a beast—

But an Ancient Dragon was still an Ancient Dragon.

In Arcane Seoul, recruitable Ancient Dragons were usually highly intelligent.

But the one sealed here?

It was the most powerful war mount in the game.

Sure, you could get other Ancient Dragon mounts later, but at this stage?

This was the only one available.

The others wouldn’t appear until Episode 4: The Arrival of the Evil Dragon, when they crossed over through dimensional rifts.

“If the Captains and dragons join forces…”

The elf stole a glance at me.

I had wiped out three combat divisions alone.

Her mind must have been racing with possibilities.

But suddenly, her face darkened.

“There’s something you need to know.”

“What is it?”

“If Arctic Sovereign senses danger, he unleashes the Northern Winds to freeze everything around him. And while everything is frozen, he heals himself. That’s how our former Captains were defeated.”

The elf clenched her fists.

She had been there.

Her skills weren’t enough, so she had been positioned further away—

Just barely escaping the freeze.

But even as she fled, she had no choice but to watch her own brother turn into an ice statue.

And that was where Arctic Sovereign’s weakness lay.

Why was it a weakness?

Because when he unleashed the Northern Winds, his core was exposed.

Just like the Wraith King during his third phase.

At Level 9, he no longer had that weakness.

By then, he would permanently be surrounded by the Northern Winds.

That made him an absolute pain to deal with.

You needed maxed-out Cold Resistance just to barely survive.

“I’m aware.”

“You… already knew?”

“Yes. And I already have a plan to deal with it.”

My original plan was the same as how I handled the Wraith King—

Equip magic resistance and cold resistance, get close, and land a Supreme Flame strike.

But thanks to Poca, I had another option.

I ran a hand over my weapon case.

Inside was a rocket launcher—

Mountain Wail Rocket Launcher.

It was going to be a key weapon in hunting Arctic Sovereign.

The elf’s tension visibly eased.

“…That’s a relief. I’ll join you.”

“The Elder just told us to wait until the council makes a decision, though.”

“You said you don’t have time, right? Neither do I. The Elders’ Council will take at least five years, maybe even ten to reach a decision. I can’t just sit around waiting.”

That worked perfectly for me.

Plan A was to gain full support from the Castle of the Inexplicable through the council’s approval.

Plan B was to go in alone and handle everything myself.

Plan A was ideal, but if that wasn’t possible, then I had to go with Plan C.

Plan C was to secure the help of the three Captains.

“Are you sure you can ignore the council’s decision? You’re a Captain.”

“I’ll take a leave of absence. My vice-captain can handle things. There hasn’t been any major incident for the past ten years anyway. And if something really happens, the Grand Elders are still here.”

The elf, who had initially been hesitant, had now completely flipped.

Was it because of the sedative-like influence I had over her?

No, it was probably because her own brother was at stake.

At this point, she was even more eager than me.

“If you’re going to help, you should bring your friends along as well.”

“Friends?”

“The Rock Giant and the Nine-Tailed Fox from earlier.”

“Ah…”

The elf hesitated for a moment before nodding boldly.

“Sounds good! The Defense Division and Surveillance Division won’t fall apart just because their Captains are gone! But I should at least let the old-timers know.”

“We’ll depart as soon as we’re ready. If there are any other Level 7 fighters who can join, I’d appreciate recommendations. Anyone below that won’t be of much help.”

“Yeah, that makes sense.”

Aside from the three Captains, it would be difficult.

Lore-wise, there were other strong warriors, but most of them were too old and too close to the Elders’ Council—they would insist on waiting for an official decision.

The three Captains, on the other hand, were younger and had family members trapped in Northern Ice Mountain, giving them a strong personal incentive to act.

I waited patiently.

I shaped the sliced dragon meat into round bait, completing the lure.

Deep inside the bait, I embedded the sleeping potion.

Just to be sure, I also embedded a mana circuit—

Using the reinforcement catalyst [Hypnos].

Hypnos, the god of sleep.

When applied as a catalyst, any attack laced with it induced drowsiness.

With the sleeping potion and Hypnos catalyst combined, the target should stay asleep for at least an hour—

Maybe even two hours, unless physically attacked.

“You’re really planning to hunt Arctic Sovereign?”

“I heard the details. I’m in.”

The three Captains joined immediately.

Other Level 7 fighters from various races watched from a distance, hesitant.

Their expressions said it all—

They doubted whether I could actually hunt Arctic Sovereign.

More than that, they were afraid of getting involved and suffering the consequences.

They only approached occasionally to buy medicine from me.

“Here. Take these.”

I handed each of the three Captains a bundle of potion bottles.

I had prepared special immunosuppressants and pre-brewed Golden Ruler’s Staff Elixir.

“…Why are you giving us these?”

“As we move, I’ll be thawing people out. When they wake up, make them drink this. You three should take yours now.”

For non-human races, immunosuppressants were essential to unleash their full potential.

This was also a reputation-building quest.

The three Captains exchanged glances before uncorking the bottles.

Immediately, their faces flushed red, and hot steam rose from their bodies like vapor.

“Phew. My body’s burning up.”

“Ugh, I feel heavier…”

“Hehehe! My tails aren’t itchy anymore. I can actually breathe now!”

“Let’s move out.”

The bait was ready.

I wrapped it up neatly and stored it in my golf bag.

Northern Ice Mountain wasn’t too far from the Castle of the Inexplicable.

We reached it quickly at full speed.

“This is it.”

The Nine-Tailed Fox whispered.

“I’ll cast Stealth and Invisibility spells on you. But be careful—Arctic Sovereign has sharp senses. If you get caught, run immediately.”

“Understood. Oh, I’ll be moving alone. You three wait at the entrance.”

“Got it. We’ll move once Arctic Sovereign takes the bait to its nest.”

“I’ll meet you in the Frozen Statue Forest.”

I stepped into Northern Ice Mountain.

Jagged, towering ice peaks stretched across the landscape.

It was massive.

The ground was a frozen wasteland, and the sky was littered with multiple ice suns.

And there it was—

Arctic Sovereign.

Lounging in a nest made from the broken peaks of the ice mountains, basking under the light of the ice suns.

A massive ice bird.

In some ways, its shape resembled a phoenix—

But instead of flames, it was covered in ice.

Its level was slightly lower, but otherwise, it was eerily similar.

I activated Stealth and moved carefully.

The plan was simple—drop the dragon meat lure and retreat.

All I had to do was—

…But then.

Arctic Sovereign suddenly lifted its head.

Had it sensed something?

It snapped its head from side to side, scanning its surroundings—

Then locked its gaze directly onto me.

Even though I was just walking away from the three Captains.

Flash!

Its eyes gleamed.

–TL Notes–

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