Chương 41: Chapter 39

As the pounding footsteps drew closer, the temperature in the hall began to plummet. Frost spread rapidly across the stone floor, creeping up the marble pillars as the air turned white with fog. Within seconds, a thin layer of icy rime coated every surface. Soon, the being responsible for both the echoing footsteps and freezing temperatures stepped into view. He was a massive mountain of a man with icy blue skin and a long, patchy beard made entirely of ice crystals.

He towered several dozen feet tall, his aged face lined with deep wrinkles carved by countless years. Even his presence felt ancient. The name tag above his head was nearly lost in the darkness high overhead. The First Giant, Great Shaman Ymir (Mythic NPC) - Lv.??? For the first time, a notification appeared with additional information. The very first giant born with the creation of the tutorial world. Derives power from the accumulation of special ice crystals that form his beard.

Which are nearly impossible to destroy.

"You dare threaten to pluck my beard?" Ymir thundered.

"I still haven't forgiven you for pulling it out when you were a baby, you brat!" Adam's eyes flicked toward the giant's beard. Sure enough, several patches were noticeably thinner than the rest. Ymir carried a massive wooden staff in one hand. Calling it a staff felt inaccurate. It looked more like an entire tree whose branches had been shaved away. With an annoyed grunt, he swung it threateningly in their direction. A violent gust erupted from the movement, nearly knocking Adam, Mei, and Granessa off their feet.

Branch of the World Tree (Mythic+)"The plus mark..." Adam muttered while struggling to keep his footing.

"Hmph! Let's go, old man! I'm not scared of you!" Granessa ripped her battleaxe free and launched herself at the giant like a moth diving headfirst into a flame. Her flaming axe slammed against the wooden staff and ricocheted away. Instead of fighting the recoil, she used it. Spinning a full three hundred sixty degrees, she built momentum for a second strike. Ymir never gave her the chance. He casually kicked her out of the air.

Granessa became a blue blur before crashing into a marble pillar hard enough to leave an orc-shaped dent in the stone. She groaned and spat out a mouthful of blood. Ymir leaned down, wrapped his free hand around her body, and lifted her to eye level.

"Brat, you can't beat me, so quit struggling." Granessa responded by biting down on his thumb with all her strength. She couldn't even leave a mark.

"Ticklish."

"Want some help?" Mei asked. Ymir glanced toward the pair for the first time.

"No, I've got this!" Granessa roared. Then she began repeatedly headbutting Ymir's hand. Adam watched in stunned silence as she smashed her forehead against his skin over and over. Blood splattered everywhere. Cracks spread across her skull. Eventually, the damage became severe enough that she should have died several times over. Instead, she only grew stronger. Her aura intensified with every injury she inflicted upon herself.

Muscles swelled, veins bulged, and her strength continued to climb until she finally managed to pry apart Ymir's fingers and slip free.

"Hm?" Ymir raised an eyebrow.

"You seem to have gained some interesting abilities in the short while since I last saw you, brat." A faint smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.

"Still useless, though." He snapped his fingers. Granessa immediately dropped from the air like a discarded sack of potatoes. She was knocked completely unconscious.

"Hmph. That little thing never learns her lesson." Adam frowned as he studied the lingering traces of mana. Something about it felt strange. Ymir had clearly used mana, yet Adam hadn't sensed any spell formation or skill activation. The mana itself had carried a special effect that forced Granessa into a sleep state. It was a spell. Yet somehow it wasn't.

"Oh..." Adam muttered as realization struck him.

"Archmagus." He remembered something Granessa had mentioned earlier. Ymir's eyebrow rose slightly.

"You can feel it? Mana?" Adam tilted his head in confusion. Couldn't everyone? For a moment, Ymir simply stared at him. Then the giant laughed.

"Seems my rebellious granddaughter has brought home some interesting little humans." With a casual wave of his hand, Granessa floated into the air beside him. Ymir turned and began walking back the way he had come, each step sending faint tremors through the hall.

"Come. Follow me." Adam and Mei exchanged a glance before hurrying after him, struggling to keep pace with his enormous strides. Ymir led them through the frozen halls until they arrived at a grand chamber deep within the enormous building. The room was so cold that a thick layer of ice coated every surface. Frost clung to the intricately carved marble walls and pillars, obscuring details that had likely taken master craftsmen years to create. Even the air seemed heavier here, each breath leaving a cloud of mist.

At the far end of the chamber stood an enormous throne carved from pale stone and covered in crystalline ice. Towering statues lined both walls, each one depicting a giant clad in armor and carrying massive weapons. The statues were unnervingly lifelike. For a brief moment, Adam found himself wondering if they were actually watching him. Their expressions, posture, and proportions were so realistic that they could easily be mistaken for living beings frozen in place.

Yet no matter how convincing they appeared, he couldn't sense even the faintest trace of vitality from them. They were nothing more than stone. Ymir casually tossed Granessa's unconscious body onto the icy floor before settling onto his throne. The massive seat creaked beneath his weight. Resting his chin against one hand, the ancient giant studied Adam and Mei in silence. The room remained quiet for so long that Adam began to wonder if Ymir had forgotten they were there. Finally, the giant spoke.

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"Interesting indeed." His icy blue eyes narrowed slightly.

"A powerful mage born with a magical deficiency who compensated through physical training, and a genius fate holder who did not squander her gifts, but instead trained herself beyond perfection." He tapped a thick finger against his chin.

"Which world did you two come from?" If they had heard that question before meeting Skysandra, they probably would have been shocked. Now, however, they understood that the tutorial was far more complicated than they had originally believed. The countless races, hidden histories, and impossibly powerful beings they had encountered suggested a reality far larger than a simple survival game.

"Earth," Mei answered after a brief hesitation.

"Earth..." Ymir muttered. His eyes unfocused as he searched through ancient memories.

"That name is familiar, isn't it?" Several seconds passed. Then his expression brightened.

"Ah, yes. The world without magic, yet possessing the strange ability to record knowledge beyond its own understanding. I've seen it within the shamanic realm." Adam and Mei exchanged confused glances. Neither had any idea what he meant by that. Ymir noticed their expressions and chuckled softly.

"Shamans are connected to many worlds through a shared realm. It is a place where spirits, memories, legends, and possibilities intersect." His voice carried the tone of a teacher explaining something to children.

"Your world exists within that shared realm just like countless others. However, your people have never been able to consciously access it due to the severe lack of magic on your planet." He paused before turning his attention toward Mei. The old giant's gaze sharpened noticeably.

"It's a wonder your world managed to produce a fate holder at all." His eyes lingered on her for a moment longer.

"Let alone one as talented as you."

"They don't call me the Main Character for nothing," Mei boasted casually.

"Nobody..." Adam instinctively started to argue, only to stop halfway through the sentence. After a moment's thought, he realized she was technically correct. The system really had called her the Main Character. Ymir nodded.

"Yes. That is what the Company refers to you fate holders as." The giant settled deeper into his throne and rested one massive hand on the armrest.

"So, what brings you here? Surely you didn't travel all this way just to watch my granddaughter embarrass herself."

"I'm not an embarrassment!" Granessa shouted. She sprang upright from the frozen floor as though she hadn't been unconscious only moments ago.

"Mhm," Ymir absently. Granessa immediately looked ready to charge him again. Before the grandfather-granddaughter argument could resume, Adam hurriedly stepped in.

"We came to charter a ship. We need to cross the sea and help the human kingdom if we want any chance of getting back home."

"For the quest against the demon king, I presume?" Ymir asked. Adam nodded. At this point, it didn't seem strange that Ymir knew about their objective. Everyone powerful they met appeared to know far more about the tutorial than they did.

"I see." Ymir stroked his icy beard thoughtfully.

"Unfortunately, I can't help you. We..."

"Huh?!" Granessa interrupted.

"We have a ton of boats. Why can't they borrow one?" Ymir slowly turned toward her. The disappointed look on his face somehow felt more intimidating than his earlier threats.

"If you would allow me to finish speaking," he said patiently, "I was about to explain that we recently dispatched the last of our ships." Granessa immediately shrank back.

"Oh."

"The humans requested reinforcements and supplies. Our fleet departed two days ago." The orc girl awkwardly scratched the back of her head.

"Right..."

"However," Ymir continued, "if crossing the sea is absolutely necessary, we can spare a small vessel." Something about the way he emphasized the word small made Adam uneasy.

"How small are we talking?" Mei asked. Apparently she had noticed it too.

"An orc rowboat." Ymir shrugged.

"There should be enough room for the three of you if you don't bring excessive luggage." Adam stared. Mei stared. Granessa stared. They all three gave him the blankest stares.

"A rowboat?" Adam repeated.

"You expect us to cross an entire sea in a rowboat?"

"It's either that or wait until construction finishes on the next fleet."

"How long will that take?" Ymir considered the question.

"A month. Possibly two." Adam rubbed his temples.

"We don't even know how to row a boat properly, let alone navigate across an ocean. Waiting sounds like the safer option." Mei frowned.

"But what if we fail the main quest while we're waiting?"

"Your quest is to defeat the demon king before the human kingdom falls, correct?" Ymir asked.

"It is."

"Then there is little reason for concern." The giant's expression remained calm.

"The demon king has only launched cursory attacks so far. Most of their forces are currently occupied on the opposite side of the human kingdom." He leaned back in his throne.

"The other races have proven far more troublesome than the demon king anticipated. The elves in particular have offered fierce resistance." A slight frown crossed his face.

"Though they also have their own problems."

"What kind of problems?" Mei asked.

"Their unruly cousins."

"Cousins?"

"Dark elves." Ymir gave Mei a long, evaluating look. The scrutiny made her shift slightly in place.

"You bear a remarkable resemblance to them."

"Right?" Granessa exclaimed.

"I thought she was one when we first met."

"The dark elves have aligned themselves with the demon king's forces. At least, according to the latest intelligence provided by the humans." He waved one massive hand dismissively. A frigid gust swept across the chamber, rattling ice crystals hanging from the ceiling.

"Anyways." The giant's attention shifted back to the trio. A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"Tell me about your adventures." His gaze settled firmly on Granessa.

"Most importantly, I'd like to know how this brat managed to get herself cursed by a mythic-class being." Granessa immediately looked away.