"Ding, exchange successful!
Congratulations to the host for obtaining the intermediate immortal technique: Extreme Cold Ice Wind."
[Extreme Cold Ice Wind]: Intermediate immortal technique. Consumes all of the caster's magic power to unleash a freezing gale that permanently seals the target in ice.
(Note: This ice wind cannot be undone by moonlight residue, and does not require the caster's body to disappear.)
Ethan's heartbeat quickened as the description echoed in his mind.
As I thought. Even if I use forbidden magic to trade, the immortal system purifies the cost. No life to pay just magic power. Losing mana is nothing compared to losing your body forever.
His lips curved upward, unable to hide his excitement. This was no ordinary spell. This was a power that stood shoulder to shoulder with Ur's Absolute Freeze, yet stripped of its fatal flaw. An immortal seal with no chains terrifying and absolute.
The system stirred once again within him.
A vast surge of cold magic swelled in Ethan's veins, like a glacier awakening inside his body. His already immense reserves of power swelled further doubling in size.
He clenched his fist, ice crystals blooming across his skin before fading into mist. So this is Extreme Cold Ice Wind… an ace that can topple even demons.
Closing the forbidden tome, Ethan's face quickly returned to calm as he handed it back to Lyon.
"You… you learned it already?" Lyon's eyes went wide. He had been secretly poring over that book for months, barely scratching the surface of its cryptic runes. And Ethan? A single glance and he looked completely unruffled.
"No," Ethan denied smoothly, shaking his head. "I just memorized the contents. True mastery takes time."
Lyon bit his lip, half in disbelief and half in pride. "Hmph… even so, you don't scare me! The reason I want this magic is simple " His voice rose with boyish fervor. " to defeat you! Ethan, let's duel again later! This time I'll definitely win!"
Ethan studied Lyon's sharp glare, that burning desire to catch up, and for a moment he almost smiled.
Lyon… you'll never understand. For me, this battle was already over before it began.
Lyon's smug grin froze on his face.
He had imagined Ethan crumbling under his Absolute Freeze, had relished the thought of finally reclaiming his pride after months of humiliation. But Ethan's calm words were like a bucket of icy water.
"Can't you see the end of the page?" Ethan's voice was quiet, but each syllable cut deeper than any blade. "The price of using that magic… is your life. Your entire body perishes, leaving nothing but ice behind."
Lyon's pupils shrank. His fingers trembled as he flipped frantically through the tome. At the very end, hidden beneath pages of complex diagrams, he finally saw it: Ur's own stern warning written in sharp, unshakable strokes.
[Absolute Freeze] The caster's body will vanish in exchange for binding the target. This is an ultimate taboo. Do not practice lightly.
Lyon's breath caught in his throat. His face went pale, all the arrogance draining away.
No… I never read this far. I only managed the earlier sections, the preparation stances, the control arrays… I didn't know… I didn't know!
He clutched the book tightly, knuckles whitening, lips quivering. "So… this magic… it's… suicide?"
Ethan crossed his arms, his gaze cold but not without a trace of pity. "To bind a demon at the cost of your own life… Tell me, Lyon, is that really worth it just for your pride?"
The boy's jaw tightened, his pride screaming in denial even as fear gnawed at his chest. He had trained night and day for four months, driven by the single thought of surpassing Ethan. And now, that dream had turned into a death sentence.
For the first time, Lyon felt the full weight of the path he had chosen.
Ethan, however, only watched him quietly, the corners of his mouth curved in the faintest of smiles. So this is how history nearly repeated itself. But as long as I'm here, I won't let Ur's tragedy come to pass again.
Lyon's hands lingered on the cover of the forbidden tome, reluctant yet shaken. His dream of standing above even Ur had driven him to this moment, but now, faced with the truth of Absolute Freeze, he could only feel bitterness. To win glory at the cost of vanishing forever such a hollow victory held no meaning.
At last, with a quiet exhale, he slid the book back into its place. The arrogance in his eyes dimmed, replaced by something Ethan hadn't seen before: humility.
"…Thank you."
Ethan raised a brow, genuinely surprised. For Lyon, whose pride was as sharp as ice, to force out those two words was no small thing. Still, he didn't make a show of it. Instead, he reached out and patted the boy's shoulder with the casualness of an older brother.
"It's fine. But remember this magic always comes with a price. The stronger the spell, the heavier the cost. If you rush in without thinking, you won't even live long enough to defeat an enemy. You'll just die by your own hand."
Lyon's lips pressed into a thin line. His usual bravado was gone, replaced with a quiet gloom. "I… understand."
For the first time, he truly saw the childishness of his own obsession. While he had been fixated on surpassing Ethan, Ethan himself had treated him like little more than a noisy younger brother never taking offense, never retaliating too harshly, simply brushing aside his antics with calm indifference.
In that moment, Lyon felt the weight of the role reversed. So this is what a real senior brother should look like.
Ethan clapped his hands once, breaking the heavy silence. "Alright, enough brooding. Ur will be back soon. Let's get out of here before we get caught."
His gaze swept over the shelves once more. So many rare grimoires, each whispering promises of power… and yet, he forced himself to turn away. Greed was a chain as dangerous as any spell. Having obtained the 『Extreme Cold Ice Wind』 was already fortune enough. Any more, and it would only breed trouble and worse, disappointment in Ur's eyes.
He couldn't allow that.
Together, the two slipped out. Lyon busied himself wiping away snowy footprints and restoring the room's order, while Ethan moved with a steady composure, as if nothing had happened at all. By the time the door closed behind them, their little secret had been buried.
When Ur and Gray returned from town, the two boys were already outside Lyon circling the snowy courtyard in forced training, Ethan standing calmly with arms crossed, watching the horizon.
No one would ever know what had just transpired within the magic library.