Chapter 93. This is Harder to Control

In the next moment, Kim Do-Joon found himself in a completely different place, a stark contrast from the basement he had been in just seconds ago.

He stood in a small port town that seemed to belong in some far-off foreign land. The entire village was blanketed in white snow, so much so that even the sea had frozen solid. Large sailing ships, some fallen and others tilted, were scattered across the freezing water.

And then, he felt the biting chill. The cold was so intense that it seemed to pierce through to his very bones. Kim Do-Joon instinctively rubbed his arms in an attempt to warm himself.

My resistance to cold is...

Thanks to the heart of the Glass Snake, boosting his Cold Resistance to an impressive seventy-five percent. The fact that he could still feel this level of cold showed the absurdity of the situation. It wasn’t just the low temperature, but the very mana in the air carried an extreme chill.

Ha...

Kim Do-Joon let out a deep sigh. Indeed, this was the place he had chosen.

[You have entered the Frozen Harbor.]

It was the third option he had considered: the Frozen Harbor. Initially, he had planned to choose the first option, the Lake of Lava, since his ultimate goal was to gather the essence of fire. But then, he hesitated for a moment.

[Skill: Fragment of the Heart of Flame Level 61]

This skill was the reason for his hesitation. Originally, Kim Do-Joon had only sought out elixirs with the Essence of Fire. But ever since he obtained the Fragment of the Heart of Flame, elixirs with a yin nature, which contained cold energy, had also become viable options.

The Fragment's level grew in sync with his mana, and his mana was drawn from a core of cold energy. In other words, both the Lake of Lava and the Frozen Harbor were acceptable choices. However, there was one key difference between the two.

The Fire Elixir would be useless if it's not of exceptional quality.

Kim Do-Joon had learned this lesson the hard way when Sallyon first brought him some herbs. Even after chewing on one of the roots, his mana didn’t increase one bit.

On the other hand, elixirs infused with cold energy, even in small amounts, could provide consistent benefits. As the core grew, so too would the Fragment of the Heart of Flame, merging and evolving with it.

The Lake of Lava would’ve been the better choice

only

if Kim Do-Joon could obtain a Legendary-rarity elixir. Hence, the Frozen Harbor was a safer bet.

Besides, expecting to find a Legendary-rarity item in a Tier 6 labyrinth wasn’t realistic.

Yeah, that's asking too much.

Reflecting on the last labyrinth he had faced—the Sky Road—he realized that, aside from meeting Jecheon Seong, it hadn’t been all that challenging. If it were a dungeon, it would have been considered about an A-level difficulty.

At that level of difficulty, it was hard to expect even a Legendary item, let alone something of Epic grade. That was why he had chosen the Frozen Harbor instead of the Lake of Lava.

First things first.

Ha—

His breath turned into a thick cloud of steam as he exhaled. It was so cold that he could barely move. He needed warmth before he could do anything else.

Using the energy from the Fragment, he conjured a fist-sized flame in the air. The warmth from the fire spread out, enveloping Kim Do-Joon. It brought some much-needed relief from the intense cold.

He did a quick stretch to ensure his body was moving properly. Then, Kim Do-Joon pulled out his spear, Karlish, from his inventory and headed toward the village.

Pretty small, huh?

The village was indeed much smaller than he had anticipated. Contrary to what one might expect from a port town, bustling with activity, this was more like a tiny rural hamlet. Fortunately, this meant it didn’t take him long to survey the entire area. However, there was a problem.

— There's nothing here.

Karlish's voice echoed in his mind, sounding puzzled.

Yeah it seems so...

The village was completely deserted. Not a single soul, item, or even a trace of monsters was in sight. Only the broken, dilapidated buildings and streets, all enveloped in an eerie silence, greeted him.

— By the way, didn't you mention gaining some kind of mysterious power? Is this it?

Karlish asked, noticing the Fragment of the Heart of Flame floating beside Kim Do-Joon.

Yes.

—

Hmm...

Interesting...

Is there something wrong?

— No, it's nothing. You've obtained a rare kind of energy, that's all. And it seems the amount of energy you have has increased, too.

Although Karlish didn’t elaborate further, the amused tone in his voice suggested that this was a good thing.

The amount has increased...?

Kim Do-Joon could definitely feel the difference. Originally, his power had only come from the cold mana from his core, but now, he had gained the spirit energy on par with it. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say his mana had effectively doubled.

Well, because I'm also getting double the effect from my mana stats...

If one were to consider only his total mana capacity, he was probably already among the top-tier. Technically, it was mana plus the spirit energy, but since he could freely control both, they were effectively the same.

After thoroughly inspecting the village, Kim Do-Joon came to the conclusion that there was truly nothing here.

If that’s the case, is it over there?

The next moment, his gaze shifted to the frozen white sea. Near the horizon, something had been moving around for a while now. The main stage of this labyrinth seemed to be out on the sea.

Kim Do-Joon left the port and stepped onto the frozen ocean. Just to be sure, he gave the ice a few solid knocks and confirmed that it was indeed thick and stable.

Then, Kim Do-Joon began walking across the sea, searching for any signs of monsters. As he passed by several large sailing ships, he finally spotted the monster he had seen earlier.

[Ice Giant]

- Compatibility: 65%

True to its name, the creature was a giant made entirely of ice. It was hulking and muscular, wielding a massive club also made of ice.

I guess the Compatibility isn’t much different from the statues in the Sky Road.

Kim Do-Joon noted with a hint of disappointment. Still, it was about what he had expected. As the tier of the labyrinths increased, the growth in Compatibility would naturally slow down.

"

Groooaarrr!

"

The Ice Giant roared, spotting Kim Do-Joon and charging at him.

— It's coming!

Kim Do-Joon nodded, feeling a surge of excitement.

Yes, this is what a monster should be like.

After spending so much time in Vulcanus’ domain, where the monsters had been surprisingly tame, seeing a monster charging at him so aggressively was almost nostalgic.

"

Groooaar!

" The Ice Giant’s face twisted in anger.

To the towering giant, Kim Do-Joon was nothing more than a tiny, weak insect. How dare this insect stand so calmly in its presence? With the full force of its momentum, the Ice Giant swung its massive club down, eager to crush the insignificant bug beneath it. Its lips curled into a slight smirk at the thought

Crack!

"

Gro...?

"

But instead of the “insect,” it was the giant who was shattered. The object it had dismissed as a stick wielded by a bug had completely obliterated his prized weapon. It didn’t stop there. The flames surrounding that stick lingered like an afterimage, melting not only the shattered pieces of his weapon but also his very arm.

"

Grwah! Grwaaah!

"

The giant roared in agony. It was an experience unlike any he had ever encountered. Living his entire existence in this frozen world, he had never felt such intense heat. And yet, his primal instinct stressed the terror of his body melting away.

Good, it's working.

A satisfied smile spread across Kim Do-Joon’s face. This was the first time he’d fully unleashed the power of fire. He didn’t even use any special technique, and merely wielded the pure force of flames. It worked brilliantly!

Whoosh— Crack!

After a few more strikes with his spear, the giant crumbled entirely, melting away into nothing.

He learned that breaking and melting his opponent’s body was far more effective than simply using energy to melt it outright. It made sense, since melting smaller pieces of ice was far quicker than a solid block.

[You have defeated a monster. You have gained Experience Points (EXP).]

As the Ice Giant fully dissolved, a message window appeared before Kim Do-Joon. At this level, it seemed that this labyrinth wouldn’t be too challenging. With that thought, Kim Do-Joon turned to leave.

"

Huh?

"

Crack! Thud!

Suddenly, the ground beneath him began to tremble, almost causing him to lose his balance. The ice beneath him was giving way. Fortunately, Kim Do-Joon’s agility stat was already at level seventy, allowing him to quickly leap to safety before he could fall into the sea.

Is it another monster?

Perhaps another monster was attacking from beneath the ice. Kim Do-Joon turned around, expecting to see an enemy. He found out that it was simply the ice that had melted away in certain spots where the Ice Giant had fallen, leaving a gaping hole like a fishing hole in the ice.

The cause was clear.

I guess my flames did this...

Kim Do-Joon scratched his cheek. He had been a bit too enthusiastic, wielding his newfound power without considering the consequences. The excitement of using the fire for the first time had made him go overboard, leading to this unintended result.

— Be careful, kid. If you fall in, you might freeze before you can get out.

Kim Do-Joon nodded in agreement when Karlish warned him. He hadn’t expected the frozen sea to pose such a challenge. While he was confident he could escape even if he fell in, there was no reason to be reckless.

Well... I guess I could avoid using the Heart of Flame altogether.

However, that felt like a waste. The fire made defeating the Ice Giants so much more efficient.

Instead of that, I should just practice controlling it.

Training to master the power would be the better choice. After all, hadn’t Vulcanus, even when fighting Nereid, scattered flames everywhere without burning the forest? Since the flames of the Fragment of the Heart of Flame were also that of Vulcanus, if he could reach that level, the same feats should be possible.

Alright then.

Kim Do-Joon resolved as he once again wrapped his spear in the Fragment’s fire. At that moment, he decided on his goal for this labyrinth: to master the control of his newfound power.

***

"

Ugh!

"

Splash!

Kim Do-Joon stumbled back, barely maintaining his balance as the ice beneath him cracked and splashed into the sea, only to slowly rise back to the surface. Despite the freezing temperature, sweat dripped down his face as he surveyed the scene before him.

— It’s quite impressive... in a way.

The once-solid ice was now scattered with floating fragments, melted away by Kim Do-Joon's overzealous use of fire. Just to be safe, he took another cautious step back, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

This is harder to control than I thought.

— That's because it's different from your usual mana.

Kim Do-Joon exhaled slowly, trying to steady his breathing. His body naturally absorbed the cold mana from the surroundings, thanks to his breathing technique and mana recovery skill. However, this wasn’t much help at the moment, as he was relying solely on the spirit energy, not his usual mana.

It’s definitely more challenging than handling mana.

The Fragment of the Heart of Flame, while responsive, did not always follow his commands precisely. Unlike mana, which moved exactly as he directed, the spirit energy seemed to have a mind of its own, sometimes resisting his pull and other times surging uncontrollably.

I can’t even manage the amount of energy properly, let alone direct it where I want.

[You have defeated a monster. You have gained Experience Points (EXP).]

Splash!

"Damn it," Kim Do-Joon grunted as he jumped back again.

𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Once more, he had overdone it, melting not just the Ice Giant but also the very ground beneath them.

— Still, you seem to be getting better.

Do you think so?

Kim Do-Joon sighed, wiping the seawater from his face. By now, he had hunted down dozens of Ice Giants, all while using only the power of the Heart of the Flame.

He could feel himself gradually improving, gaining more control. However, the better he got, the more he realized just how far away he was from reaching Vulcanus’ level. The gap between them was immense, and it was starting to weigh on him.

— Didn’t you say he was a Fire Spirit? Expecting to reach that level overnight is just unrealistic.

Yeah, I guess you're right.

Kim Do-Joon took a deep breath to refocus. Karlish was right, because he was just at the beginning of his journey. There was no need to rush.

The next moment, the cold air filled his lungs, jolting him back to full alertness. While the Heart of Flame kept him warm, the frigid air still stung as it entered his body.

Then, something unexpected happened.

[You have absorbed the energy of Ice Crystal.] [Your mana has increased by level 1.]

A new and unfamiliar message appeared before Kim Do-Joon’s eyes.