https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-181-The-Fall-of-the-Frost-Part-1-/13676424/
Chapter 180: The Players' War
As a vital strength of the Kingdom of Ashen, the Players naturally took part in this battle. But these Internal Test Players—only a thousand strong—were far too few to influence the war’s outcome. Their power seemed to have skyrocketed, but that was just an exception. Only a handful, like Singo, Stuffed Bun, and Charlotte, had reached Level 4, the upper limit for Elite Players. In the entire Internal Test Player cohort, fewer than a hundred had achieved this. Most players remained stuck at Level 2, and that was the norm.
In this hardcore Game, ordinary Players couldn’t even hope to defeat the available monsters—Furious Boars, Hill Giants—let alone challenge them. So they did nothing but quietly complete their Daily Tasks, serving as laborers for Ailezegai.
But this war against the Frost Disaster was on an entirely different scale.
According to the Player Panel, an adult Frost Giant had an average Challenge Rating of 8—nearly equivalent to a Minor Boss. And there were three hundred such Frost Giants in this conflict. Even the Kingdom of Ashen’s Elite Forces suffered massive casualties, requiring dozens of deaths to kill just one.
Thus, Kai Xiusu issued this mission only to Level 4 Elite Players. As for the rest? Let them stay safely in the city, quietly contributing to the battlefield’s Strength through Contribution Points. Dragging them into the frontlines was nothing short of sending them to be slaughtered—awful for gameplay, and utterly pointless.
Still, some low-tier players inevitably followed behind the high-level veterans, foolishly rushing into this chaotic battlefield.
“Holy crap… why are there so many question-mark bosses?!”
“The number of Elite Monsters is insane!”
“Wait… this isn’t even a boss—just regular trash for this dungeon!”
“What?!”
“You dare call this trash?!”
Before the player could finish his complaint, a sharp pfft! echoed through the air—then silence.
The Frost Giant swung its massive bone club with casual indifference, reducing the Player to a smear of blood and meat. No reaction. No warning. Just instant black screen.
“Pathetic little thing,” the Frost Giant muttered, scratching its head in mild confusion, then resumed charging forward.
But soon, it was swarmed by over a dozen Wyverns diving from the sky. After tearing through four of them with brutal efficiency, it finally succumbed—pierced through the heart by a venomous tail strike. Its heartbeat ceased.
“Let these primitive fools witness the strength of Magitek Technology!”
Steel Tide summoned his upgraded armor—this new version of the Sentinel model stood six meters tall, resembling a Gundam in scale and presence. The left arm braced an Energy Field Shield, deflecting boulders hurled by the giants, while the right hand unleashed relentless volleys of Arcane Bolts from a Magical Crossbow, pinning down several Frost Giants with overwhelming firepower.
“I’ve waited for this moment my entire life!”
“Give me your heart!”
A player known as Tata Kai, an Artificer, activated his custom-built Three-Dimensional Mobility Device, forged with Transmutation Spell Runes. With a sharp thwip, he shot a grappling hook that latched onto the back of a Frost Giant’s neck, then slashed down with all his might.
Shhhhk!
The blade tore through thick hide, spilling blood.
But the giant didn’t die. Instinctively, it slammed its massive hand back—crushing Tata Kai into a pulp.
“Huh… strange little thing,” the Frost Giant mused, staring at the smear of blood on its palm, utterly baffled.
This particular Frost Giant was far larger than its kin—eleven meters tall, known among its tribe as Big Block - Keba. Its close-combat prowess rivaled only the clan’s chieftain, Kasa. No wonder Tata Kai had mistaken this towering behemoth for a prime target.
“Hahaha! Did you accidentally walk into the wrong movie?!”
“Let me teach you a lesson!”
Steel Tide burst out laughing in the cockpit.
He fired a barrage of Arcane Bolts from his right arm, striking the giant’s skull repeatedly.
“Foul, iron construct! I’ll crush you flat!”
Keba, unyielding and thick-skinned, charged through the storm of explosive projectiles, relentless in its advance.
The Frost Giant raised its colossal bone club high.
“Shit…”
Steel Tide looked up, dread surging through him as the monstrous silhouette loomed over him, threatening to swallow the sky. Instinctively, he activated the highest-tier Force Field shield.
Boom!
Crack!
The shield shattered like glass.
The blow sent the armor spiraling inward, crumpling like tin. Explosions tore through the cockpit. The machine collapsed into scrap metal—its pilot already reduced to a lifeless smear, fused with his beloved mech.
“Guild Leader’s dead again!”
“What kind of damage is this?!”
“Even Steel Tide—that gacha god—was one-shot. Who the hell can survive this?!”
On the ground, the battle raged with brutal intensity. But in the sky, the situation was quieter—just dodging boulders hurled from below.
Singo and Stuffed Bun rode atop a Two-Headed Dragon, streaking across the battlefield above.
Stuffed Bun scanned the carnage below, eyes widening at the sight of Steel Tide’s instant demise. He whistled in disbelief.
“That Frost Giant… took dozens of Arcane Bolts, then one swing—gone. What’s the deal?”
Singo nodded grimly. “This war’s too hard. Even us Level 4 Players can’t make much difference. Let’s just hunt the weaklings. No point tempting the bosses.”
He pointed toward the battlefield’s edge.
“Especially him.”
Kasa and Dolo were locked in a brutal duel. The area around them was a wasteland—no living thing remained. The ground was shattered, scorched, and torn apart by shockwaves with every clash of their weapons. Each impact sent out ripples of raw force.
A Crimson Scale Conqueror from the Royal Power Guild, a player named Dadao, tried his luck—aiming a Hidden Arrow at Kasa.
But before he could release the string, the Frost Giant chieftain, sensing the threat through its beast-like intuition, seized the moment during Dolo’s brief pause and hurled a rock straight into the sky.
“Fool!”
“Who gave you the nerve to interfere?!”
The stone flew like a shell, piercing the air with deadly precision—striking Dadao and his dragon mid-flight. Both were torn apart, plummeting violently to the earth.
Stuffed Bun swallowed hard, his voice dry.
“…Yeah. You’re right.”
To them, Kasa’s name glowed in crimson—flashing red with danger. If their Permissions were higher, they might have seen the words Challenge Level 16 hovering above the giant’s head.
Singo studied the battlefield and finally spotted a lone Frost Giant, isolated from the main conflict. Its Challenge Rating was standard—just 8.
“This one,” he said.
“Same old plan—Control-and-Distraction Maneuver on me, Damage on you.”
“Deal,” Stuffed Bun replied. “Just don’t steal my Kill Credit—”
“First, prove you can land a hit!”
In a distant corner of the battlefield, two Wyverns sliced through the sky, diving down with deadly speed.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
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