The Mist Vol 5 Chapter 54

Vol 5 Chapter 54

Then, the cold air that had subsided gained strength from the wind and chilled the surrounding air, while the melting ice powder clumped together and solidified. The man repeated similar actions for a long time, building up a layer of ice in front of him that looked sturdy enough to step on. After testing its strength by kicking it several times and pressing down on it from above, he seemed satisfied and nodded his head vigorously before stretching out both hands to point forcefully towards the distant front.

"Good. Just like that!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the whirlwind exploded roughly once with a sound of tearing air, then rose up, spewing white ice powder. It looked like a white rainbow. Following it, bright red flames flickered their tongues and rose up, trailing sparks.

Rob glanced at Evan's dumbfounded face with his mouth wide open beside him, realizing that his own expression probably wasn't much different.

The magic unfolding before their eyes was so fantastic that they could hardly believe it.

As the whirlwind sprayed snowstorms high in the air, the flames following it melted the ice powder just enough to make it stick together. The ice chunks created by the combination of fire and snowstorm were now clearly revealing their form, extending from the edge of the cliff where the man was standing.

Although it was built high enough to avoid the heat of the lava, it clearly resembled the shape of a staircase-like bridge.

Had they ever heard of someone skilled enough to single-handedly create an ice bridge between cliffs? Was this man really a user? Could he actually be an NPC?

Rob looked at the mage who was creating this unbelievable miracle.

Although his back view was static, an incredible presence could be felt. The water or sweat running down his rolled-up sleeves and the back of his neck showed that he was truly pouring all his concentration and power into the magic.

"Damn... I'm not seeing things, right...? Is that really a person?"

Chow cursed beside him, uttering profanities he had said he'd given up long ago. His gaze was also fixed ahead, lost in amazement.

"It's freaking awesome..."

Rob also muttered blankly. No answer came, but they both knew they shared the same feelings.

When the slowly but surely forming ice bridge finally began to cross the halfway point, the man at last stepped onto his creation. He walked up the seemingly slippery surface without a hint of hesitation. Eventually, he reached a dizzying height without any railings. One misstep would surely result in falling into the lava and logging out, but he didn't seem tense at all.

Although it looked dangerous enough to give goosebumps just by watching, the man never gave up. His slow, step-by-step progress even evoked a sense of awe.

The man stopped briefly after crossing a little more than halfway. He waved his arm as if measuring something in the empty air, then moved his body much more carefully than before and took a big step forward. It looked like he was doing a pantomime. When his body, which moved without issue, touched the ground for the next step, the man stood still in that spot for a while.

"Why is he doing that?" Evan asked curiously.

"Did some problem arise?"

"Don't say such unlucky things. I don't want to experience seeing a user melt to death after falling into lava... Look, he's moving again."

As Rob was speaking, the man started walking again. As if that spot had been the critical point, he now walked quickly without a hint of hesitation, looking even more precarious, but he didn't fall.

Finally, the man reached the other side and disappeared behind the sulfurous haze. As soon as he vanished, the magically created ice bridge quickly crumbled and melted. The moment of miracle ended as the broken ice chunks plunged into the lava with splashes.

"Whew..."

It felt like they had just woken from a dream. Rob's group couldn't take their eyes off the place where the man had disappeared.

"Damn... That's really amazing... Damn..."

Chow kept repeating the same mutters.

"Hey, Rob... What embarrassing things did we do in front of that person earlier?"

Rob just shook his head silently.

"I don't know either..."

Even after seeing all this, they still couldn't understand why the man had come here and done such things. The only thing clear was that respect for him had begun to sprout like Jack's beanstalk in their hearts.

[ Although it's my magic, to think you could manage bridge-building with just two 6th circle spells. I'm truly impressed. I won't mock you anymore from now on. You deserve respect. To be able to accomplish such digging voluntarily, you must have an extraordinary mindset. ]

Superior had been chattering continuously since Kapros had crossed the ice bridge and set foot on the other side. Kapros was running into the cave visible ahead without looking back, with a Fireball placed in front of him as he descended.

Although it was boring enough that not even monsters, let alone anything else, had appeared, the eerie silence and heavy atmosphere he had felt since passing through the barrier outside the cave increasingly intensified his premonition that something extraordinary awaited at the end.

[ But your magical power must be hitting rock bottom now, right? How much is left? ]

The subtle voice was more overtly tinged with interest than concern.

Superior had been so amused, wondering how many more times Kapros, who had shown only unexpected aspects so far, would overturn his expectations, that Kapros had been tempted to untie the stick and burn it more than once or twice. However, as Superior said, Kapros's magical power had indeed fallen to the point where he could barely use 6th circle magic once or twice more.

He had thought that since learning 6th circle magic, his magical power had increased so much that it wouldn't run out easily, but it seems that was just his optimism. If he had time to recover his magical power, it would have been good, but having come this far, he had a near-certain feeling that if he logged out, he would lose the thread he had barely grasped. So he reluctantly decided to move forward, taking the risk.