Chương 72: Chapter 69-Chosen Tundra

Professor Stargazer's hand draws away at the chalkboard, leaving a rhythmic tapping throughout the room. The sound of yawns, mostly mine, cut through the lazy silence. It's a calm and relaxing start to a new week. Whether it stays that way is yet to be seen. Ruby looks at me with confusion and mouths, "What are you doing?" I mouth back, "Listening intently," I [Lie]. She shakes her head.

"No, what are you wearing?" she mouths.

"Clothes." Ruby rolls her eyes. I look down at my clothes. I'm wearing my uniform, then a thin jacket, a thicker jacket, a winter coat, and a bulky parka on top. Now, you might be wondering why I'm dressed this way. Well, the answer is simple, really. It's cold. Not in here or even out there. I'm talking about the 8th floor of the Dungeon. It's freezing down there, and I'm talking 'tongue stuck to a pole' freezing, not this mild shit out here. Am I overexaggerating? No, of course not.

If anybody is overexaggerating it's her. My gaze drifts over to Penelope, whose face is hidden under a thick scarf and a colossal coat. I swear to the Gods that coat is larger than her. She looks like a bell, just waiting to be blown away by the wind. Not to mention her drills are comically resting over her scarf. I understand that the hairstyle is cute on her, but it's so impractical. Professor Stargazer finishes drawing out the diagram in front of her.

"So this is the general idea of where the weak points of most reptilian creatures are. We have the joints, the eyes, and of course, the wings if they have them. Can anybody tell me what these have in common?"

"They're the locations where the scales are either not present or are thinner for movement," Talon answers.

"Correct. Reptilian creatures have scales that are tougher than most armor. So, it's best to avoid directly cutting through the scales and instead try to aim for one of the weak points. This, of course, doesn't apply to those with the strength or skill to bypass the scales' defense entirely," Professor Stargazer explains.

"Professor, I have a question. If these weak points are prevalent in all reptilian creatures, couldn't The Chosen of the North have used them against Tyranus the Slumbering Disaster?" Viola asks.

"A good question. Most creatures have weaknesses that can be exploited. Undead are weak to Holy mana, shadow creatures are weak to Light mana, and reptilian creatures have these weak points, but there are exceptions. There are Undead that Holy mana has no effect on, shadow creatures that grow stronger with Light mana, and then there's Tyranus the Slumbering Disaster," she explains as she begins to draw a magic circle.

"What was different about her?" Viola asks.

"She's a Dragon. Dragons fall into the intelligent creature category. They have intelligence that equals or excels our own. Intelligent creatures have a tendency to be tricky. They know their own weaknesses and employ tactics to overcome them. They'll even use their weaknesses as bait in a battle. Tyranus, though, was in a league of her own. For all intents and purposes, she is considered the strongest living Dragon and one of the few [Archmages] in history.

A [Title] bestowed to only a handful of creatures to date," she explains. The students murmur at the newfound information. Seems I'm not the only one who didn't know that. [Archmage], even I've heard of that [Title]. It's supposedly given to a creature who has reached the pinnacle of magic in some way or another. Whatever that means. I mean, I'm not really a magic person, which is ironic considering my Magena blood. I wonder if Mateo has any cool [Skills].

Also, it would've been nice to know this information before we fought that Fire Salamander. Talk about terrible timing.

"Well, we seem to have reached the end of the hour. Before I send you all to the Whisperwood Forest, I have an announcement. Your reward for winning the Class War has been decided," she says with a dramatic pause. The whole room leans forward in anticipation. Reward? Oh, I forgot there was a reward. I wonder what we'll get. Maybe a trip to the Southern Isles, or maybe we'll get to go to the Palace. Ah, the Palace. So many things to steal and so little time.

"I know you're all excited, but don't get your hopes up too much. Starting next month, the First Years will have access to the Teleportation Circles under the Arena. This will give you access to the various training zones outside of class hours. Usually, this service is only available at the start of your second year, but the Headmaster believes you have earned the right to use it. Please, use it wisely," she says as she finishes drawing the magic circle.

White light fills my vision as I appear back in the Dungeon stairwell. Penelope comes trudging down the stairs with a pep in her step. Hopper, who's wearing only his uniform, beckons us to go further down.

"Disappointed?" Penelope says through her scarf.

"Are we talking about your hair?" I joke. She gives me a killer gaze.

"No. The reward. Are you disappointed?"

"Maybe a little bit. I was expecting something a little more reward-like," I say as I bury my face in my parka.

"It's not a bad reward, but it's certainly odd," she says with a hint of suspicion.

"What's so odd about it?" I ask as we enter the 8th floor. We're immediately blinded by the endless white plains of snow that are only broken by sporadic pillars of ice that go from floor to ceiling. Great, another big floor. Now what? Hopper hops around in excitement at the scenery.

"It's like back home. This must be a frozen lake," he says as he swipes the snow away. Penelope shakes her head.

"We'll talk later. For now, let's try to figure out how to get to the next floor." If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

"Alright. If you wanted to see me, all you had to do was ask," I tease. She rolls her eyes.

"Where do you get that confidence from?" she asks.

"Would you like to know?" Penelope thinks for a second.

"I feel like it's a trap. So, no."

"Guess you're missing out. Hopper, how safe is this floor?!" I ask. Hopper looks around and as he stomps on the ice.

"Should be safe. The ice is pretty thick, and I don't hear anything."

"Alright, well-" I say and immediately stop as I watch the ice below Hopper suddenly crack. A large serpent-like creature crashes through the ice, sending a screaming Hopper flying into the air. Penelope and I watch as Hopper manages to shield himself with a shard of ice right as the beast tries to take a Hopper-sized bite. He hops off the ice and goes into a free fall.

"You think I should catch him?" Penelope asks.

"Nah, I've seen him easily jump out of the third floor, and he was fine," I say.

"Somebody catch me!!" Hopper yells as he falls out of the sky. Penelope gives me a look.

"Oh, he's fine. He's joking," I say.

"I'm not joking!! Is this because I ate your pudding without asking?!" he yells. Penelope gives me an even stronger look.

"Fine, save him," I say. Penelope disappears and reappears until she gets to the spot where Hopper should land. She then uses her shields to slow Hopper's descent, eventually catching him. Should I remind them of the serpent-like creature? Nah, they obviously remember.

"CJ, I'm going to remember this!!" Hopper yells as he taps his foot on the ground. The ice below them suddenly cracks as the serpent-like creature yet again flies out of the frozen lake. Hopper and Penelope dodge out of the way, managing to keep themselves from becoming fish food. The two of them run towards me as the creature trails through the ice behind them. Why are they coming this way? It's nice over here. There aren't any monsters. I can lean against the dungeon wall.

It's even a little warmer thanks to the proximity to the previous floor. I hate this floor.

"Charlatan, don't just stand there, do something!!" Penelope yells. What do they expect me to do? Use [Throw] to kill it? That thing is bigger than the Giant we fought, and it's not like I can use the same tactic as last time. This one can actually breathe underwater, but I guess I do have to come up with something. Taking note of my surroundings, I groan. Gonna have to run.

"Follow me!" I yell as I run towards the nearest ice pillar. Penelope and Hopper veer to the right to meet me. The snow slows our movements as we sink with each step, except for Hopper, who's built for this.

"What's the plan?" Penelope asks as we trudge through the snow.

"We use the environment to our advantage," I say as I point at the gigantic ice pillar. Penelope nods.

"That should do it, but this thing isn't going to fall for that without bait."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. The two of you push ahead and secure a foothold on the ice pillar. I'll be the bait," I say with a sigh. Penelope disappears and reappears as she pushes forward. Hopper speeds up as he hops ahead. Why do I always have to be the bait? Is it because of my charming good looks and winning personality? Yeah, that's got to be it. What else could it be? The ice behind me cracks as the creature continues to chase after me. It's gaining speed. It must have sensed that Hopper and Penelope had left.

Guess it doesn't want to lose its last prey. I understand, though. Who would want to lose me? The beast bites forward. I quickly [Throw] a pebble into its eye, causing it to reel back in pain. The beast gains on me in anger. Well, since it's angry.

"Follow me, you goldfish! I've got a great mackerel recipe I've been itching to try out!" I taunt as the ice pillar is mere steps away. It leaps forward, clear out of the water. Its razor-sharp teeth close in. Its breath stings my eyes right as Penelope appears and then disappears with me. We reappear off to the side, right as the creature slams headfirst into the ice pillar. The pillar cracks, but luckily holds. The creature looks around with a dazed look as green blood pours down from its head.

Hopper, positioned on the ice pillar, lets loose a volley of arrows that pierce along the back of the creature. As it tries to slink back into the water, the arrows glow with a light blue glow. Ice forms along the body of the creature, freezing it in place. Penelope rushes forward, closing the distance in an instant. The creature goes to bite at her, only for it to find its teeth shattered by Penelope's crackling greatsword. Dazed, confused, and injured, the serpent-like creature thrashes against its restraints.

Penelope hits it with one powerful strike after another as she aims for the weak spots. Taking a rock, I [Throw] it at the open wound on its head and watch as the rock veers terribly off course. It instead bounces off the ice pillar, shattering a piece of it that was already weak from the previous impact. The jagged spike of ice falls and perfectly finds its home in the skull of the serpent-like creature. Huh, neat. A sudden wave of nausea greets me as I struggle to keep my breakfast. I hate this feeling.

Ice Serpent LvL. 22 has been Defeated. Skill <Throw> has Leveled Up Level Up!! +1 LCK +1 DEX"Anybody want to help me carry this back?" I ask, half-joking. Penelope and Hopper both look at me with a disappointed look.

"No," they say in unison.

"Fine, but don't come crying for my mackerel dish later," I say as I look the Ice Serpent over. How in the hells am I supposed to get this thing back with me?