Chapter 448: How to Overcome the Cold 3


    A dungeon reacting to mana to pull in just one person, cold mana-infused wind blowing from within, House Wesley''s crest in the Empire''s north.


    Any experienced gamer would recognize this combination as a personal dungeon.


    "Stay close, I''ll have to block it with my body."


    "Got it, Roland... Ah cold!"


    -lol Of course metal armor''s cold


    -But however cold it is, isn''t teacher fine wearing that hunk of metal?


    -Born 6★ tank, surely they can handle cold armor? Looking at their performance they could probably bathe in lava


    -If walking alone drains HP by %, definitely Katie''s personal dungeon


    -Still if teacher can block it physically probably can brute force it, that''s HC for you


    Plus constant gales blowing from deeper in the cave. Wind that felt chilling even to my 6★ body was enough to freeze a fragile mage''s flesh solid. In gamer terms, direct exposure caused damage over time per second.


    The proper approach would be sending someone from House Wesley immune to DOT damage first. This seemed less Katie''s personal dungeon than a Wesley family dungeon. Those preferring older women to young girls might target Ann Wesley the "Ice Rose."


    How to seduce the northern duke''s daughter busy with successor training was, well, not my problem.


    "You okay, Hanna?"


    "Oh, yeah. Just brushed against your armor getting too close."


    I slowly advanced while caring for Han Se-ah, ignoring viewers'' jeers. The chat was already full of accusations about alpha male natural flirting and Han Se-ah seizing chances to flirt with teacher... but I felt wrongly accused.


    Look, if Han Se-ah died we''d go back to yesterday, you bastards.


    Then we''d have to fight through random monster waves in the snow again - who''d want another monster corpse bath? Anyone wanting that mix of blood, guts, bone fragments and excrement should be hanged by the Goddess Faith for sexual deviancy.


    Though that was once daily life, quality of life improved after player Han Se-ah logged in - living happily and cleanly was the main reason for her unknown beating immunity.


    Conversely, claims of Han Se-ah flirting with me were intriguing. I wasn''t some pubescent boy imagining retirement plans from one cheek touch, but... Han Se-ah maintained clear boundaries.


    Having collaborated with other streamers without a hint of scandal, she avoided even shoulder or arm touches while eagerly watching our party''s romantic encounters - why suddenly touch my cheek?


    "Roland, something''s ahead. Seems to be what''s making this wind."


    "Yeah? We''ll need to break or stop it. Am I walking too fast?"


    "No, I''m fine."


    Though I could guess viewer mob psychology and how Heroes Chronicle worked as a game, Han Se-ah''s mysterious mind was beyond my estimation.


    So I decided to focus on clearing the dungeon. Even with Han Se-ah as baggage, a personal dungeon shouldn''t be too difficult.


    Following her voice from behind, I pushed aside distracting thoughts and pressed forward until a blue statue appeared. As if proving its cold ice attribute physically, a sapphire-like solid blue wolf statue.


    "Ah, ah so cold really! Forget HP drain, it''s weirdly cold! Can''t tell if it''s stinging or freezing, like it''s gently scratching my skin- ah shit!"


    -Scratching skin?


    -I''ve seen this in PE during partner dodgeball lololololololol


    -You had partners in PE? Get out impostor


    -lol Just need to hide behind his back but keeps getting hit dodging left and right


    -Either teacher''s back isn''t wide enough or Han''s got shoulders too big to cover


    Han Se-ah complained to viewers from behind, but her busy mouth suggested it was manageable. Making that assessment, I carefully observed the wolf''s snapping jaws.


    I''d thought sapphire or mana stone blue, but seeing occasional flashes like a slime''s core, probably mana stone. Plus it kept biting at the same spots.


    Most concerning was that deep groove in its wide-open mouth. Too big and deep for a keyhole, roughly sword scabbard sized.


    Could this follow House Wesley''s swordsmanship?


    Approach immune to the wind using family mana, break through the wolf''s attacks with family sword techniques, then insert the inherited sword or proof like a key. That picture emerged thinking of it as a Wesley family dungeon.


    You know, like martial arts novels where ancestors leave sword marks on walls or mechanical formations teaching techniques - the fantasy version.


    "Hanna, this wolf... seems to be House Wesley''s treasure."


    "The wolf? Well, at that size it''d be super expensive..."


    "...This isn''t gem but mana stone golem, and there''s something inside rather than the wolf itself. Seems we need to insert House Wesley''s sword in its mouth to stop it."


    "...Oh."


    Though she couldn''t see the wolf''s mouth stuck close behind me, she''d obviously observed through her camera. Finding such minor reactions annoying to address, I continued:


    "So, if I grab it could you try melting it somehow with mana control?"


    "Huh? Melt it?"


    This dungeon made for House Wesley seemed about 4★ difficulty. The journey here was tough from our brute force approach, but the wolf itself just moved in preset patterns.


    However, I held shield and warhammer instead of a sword, and Wesley''s rightful heir waited worried in the snowy field outside.


    So only one option remained - break through stupidly and stubbornly like always.


    ''If Han Se-ah decides this is impossible and resets, it''s another blood party, fuck.''


    Resetting a tower day was fine, but I didn''t want to repeat a day of camping covered in monster corpses, blood and filth. Just as Korean men worry about college entrance exams and military service when asked about time travel.


    Thinking this, I set down my shield and warhammer and caught the wolf''s neck in a headlock.


    Kae, kaeng--!?