The air grew colder with every step. Frost clung to the stone walls, forming veins of white that pulsed faintly with buried magic. Each exhale from Kuro misted before him, fading into the silence. Even his skeletons, immune to the elements, creaked with frozen joints as frost spread across their armor.
The temperature wasn't natural. It was the cold of death, not weather.
Kuro's grip on his blade tightened. "This isn't just ice magic. It feels… hungrier."
The corridor widened into a circular chamber. Jagged crystals jutted out of the floor like fangs. Dozens of frozen corpses—soldiers, adventurers, even beasts—were encased in the walls. Their eyes remained open, expressions twisted in silent screams.
A notification blinked faintly:
[Zone Entered: Frozen Catacombs]
[Environmental Effect: Soul Freeze – Continuous Mana Drain, 5 MP per minute]
Kuro cursed under his breath. Even standing here was a battle of attrition.
"Defensive formation. Mage skeletons, conserve your mana."
The group advanced cautiously. Every crunch of ice beneath their boots echoed too loudly.
Then the corpses stirred.
Hairline cracks spread across the icy prisons, glowing with pale blue light. Slowly, one by one, the bodies broke free. They weren't alive. They weren't normal undead. They were something in-between.
[Enemy Identified: Frostwraith Soldier – Lv. 48]
HP: 62,000 | MP: 12,000
Trait: Soulbound (Reforms once unless purified)
A dozen of them moved at once, dragging frozen weapons behind them. Their movements were stiff, but their aura radiated hatred.
"Of course," Kuro muttered. "They don't stay down."
The first clash shook the chamber. His vanguard skeleton blocked a halberd strike, but the sheer force sent cracks through its shield. Another soldier stabbed forward, ice spreading along the blade.
Kuro countered with [Shadow Burst], shattering two wraiths into fragments. For a moment, he thought it was enough—until the shards began pulling together, reforming.
"Tch. So purification it is."
He gestured sharply. "Flame barrage—concentrated!"
His two mage skeletons obeyed, unleashing fireballs that lit the chamber with searing light. The wraiths shrieked as flames clung to their icy bodies, halting their regeneration. One by one, they collapsed into lifeless ash.
The victory was costly. Mana drained faster here, both from the environment and his constant commands. Kuro steadied his breath.
A flicker on the far wall caught his eye. Another mural, cracked but visible. It showed a warrior clad in armor that gleamed like ice, leading legions into battle. But unlike the Undying King, his expression was… blank.
Almost mechanical.
The air thickened again. From the shadows, chains of frost slithered along the floor. They linked, tightened—forming a massive gate of ice at the end of the chamber. Runes lit up across its surface.
[Trial Gate Detected – Commander's Seal #1]
Requirement: Defeat the Guardian of Frost
The ice shuddered. A massive shape pressed against the other side.
Kuro's heart skipped once.
This wasn't the final trial. But it was the first step.
He looked at his soldiers, frost clinging to their weapons, and whispered to himself:
"Let's see if we're ready to fight a commander's shadow."
The gate began to crack open.