Volume 1, Chapter 82 – Northern Fortress

The journey over the snowy mountain was resolved surprisingly quickly, thanks to Mengyao and Bingxue taking turns to “take care” of Tianyin.

Along the way, they did encounter several groups of monsters unique to the snowy mountains, Snow Mountain Trolls, but in front of Mengyao, who was a Blood Knight, these creatures were easily dealt with.

Speaking of which, it was worth mentioning how the Blood Knight’s skill mechanics actually worked.

As previously mentioned, a Blood Knight’s skills were powered by emotion. Because of this unique setup, Mengyao didn’t use MP at all.

Unlike ordinary players, Mengyao had a Rage Gauge.

Of course, this didn’t mean that skills could only be used when Rage was available. Theoretically, Blood Knight skills didn’t require Rage to activate. However, Rage greatly amplified their power.

For example, take the skill description of one of the Blood Knight’s abilities that deals damage while stunning and knocking back the target:

════════♡════════ ❀ Knight’s Strike ❀ ────────♡──────── When Rage is above 50%, damage is doubled and the stun duration is also doubled. At 100% Rage, damage and stun duration are doubled again based on the 50% Rage effect, and knockback becomes knock-up. ════════♡════════

When Rage was at 0%, the Blood Knight’s skills were almost no different from those of a regular Knight. But once Rage built up, the skill power grew geometrically.

Not to mention the 150% and 200% Rage states described in the Blood Knight’s lore.

Also, due to the Blood Knight’s traits, it didn’t have a mana bar at all. In theory, a Blood Knight could unleash their skills infinitely.

Overall, it really was a class that seemed like a bug, so it was no surprise the System had classified it as a hidden job.

Beyond the snowy mountains lay a vast plain. After crossing Snow White City and the mountain range, their next destination was the Northern Fortress, which had a teleportation gate directly connected to Storm City.

The Northern Fortress was the only fortress within the Kingdom Faction that was linked to Storm City through a teleportation array. It was called the Northern Fortress for a simple reason, it stood on the border where the Kingdom Faction met the Stronghold Faction.

Further north of the Northern Fortress stretched grasslands and deserts, the territory of the Stronghold Faction.

The Stronghold’s main inhabitants were the Beastmen, along with races like Centaurs, Harpies, Trolls, and Ogres, tribal societies by nature.

The Stronghold had a large population, but because their land was mostly grasslands and deserts, they constantly coveted the Kingdom’s fertile lands.

A vast population meant a vast demand for food, and the Stronghold’s annual production couldn’t remotely meet that need. So nearly every year, the Stronghold forces launched assaults on the Kingdom to plunder food. The first line of defense that always faced these attacks was the great gate of the Kingdom Faction, the Northern Fortress.

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The Northern Fortress was the meeting point between the Kingdom and the Stronghold factions, and it was also the most vital choke point in the entire region.

Because of this strategic importance, armies from the Seven Northern Kingdoms and the Three Southern Empires were stationed there year-round to resist the Stronghold’s invasions.

After climbing down the mountain, the group found themselves in a wilderness zone. Along the way, Tianyin ran into some players grinding levels on wild monsters.

However, what puzzled her was that these players all seemed to have undead companions with them, and from the looks of it, those players themselves had also become Undead.

“Eh? Since when did so many Undead players start appearing…?”

It was honestly shocking.

Based on what Tianyin knew, transforming into an Undead was supposed to be extremely difficult. There shouldn’t even be an official method to do so yet.

“Master, you didn’t know? Actually, the method to become Undead has already started spreading among us outsiders.”

Mengyao explained in response to Tianyin’s confusion.

Although certain real-world information couldn’t be shared with NPCs, the System did recognize players as “outsiders.” So as long as they used that term when speaking with NPCs, the System wouldn’t censor their words.

Of course, Mengyao didn’t know that for Tianyin, the System didn’t block any information at all.

“The method to become Undead?”

“That’s right~”

Mengyao then briefly summarized what she had seen on the forum, the step-by-step process to transform into an Undead.

“The Frost Sword’s curse, huh. So that’s how it works. I see… that curse must be the key item that turns the living into the Undead.”

After listening to Mengyao, Tianyin quickly grasped the important part.

“Suu…”

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At that moment, Bingxue raised her paper.

“The Frost Sword… sounds familiar…”

“Pff, I totally forgot that Xiaobingxue is an Undead. For her to find that name familiar… wait, could it be that Xiaobingxue also became Undead because of the Frost Sword’s curse?”

Tianyin quickly came to that possibility.

“Suu…”

But Bingxue shook her head.

“I have a vague memory of how I became Undead, but I’m sure it wasn’t because of the Frost Sword.”

“It wasn’t? Then why does Xiaobingxue remember that sword?”

Tianyin asked curiously, and Mengyao gave her the same puzzled look.

“I think I’ve heard of it before… maybe even seen it once.”

Bingxue showed them the words written on her paper.

“If I remember correctly, that sword’s real name… is Frostmourne.”

“Frostmourne? Pff, that name sounds so edgy. What’s next, Firejoy?”

Tianyin joked, though she did consider that Bingxue’s memory might be hazy, so there was a chance she could be mistaken.

“Master, I think that sword called Frostmourne definitely isn’t an ordinary sword~”

For some reason, Mengyao’s thoughts always went in a completely different direction from Tianyin’s.

“I think that sword must be some sort of special artifact. Think about it, Master. Just the fact that it can turn the living into Undead through a curse makes it terrifyingly powerful, right?”

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“Wuu… well, yeah, that does sound pretty strong…”

Not knowing what else to say, Tianyin just went along with her loli disciple’s reasoning.

“Of course! And, well, according to my guess, Master, I think that sword definitely has a story behind it~”

“What kind of story?”

Standing nearby, Bingxue tilted her small head, looking curiously at Mengyao.

“Well, based on the name, since it’s called Frostmourne, there must be a tragic tale behind it. Maybe something like… a girl who sought power, found the sword, accidentally became Undead, and then returned home to slay her own father, the king.”

“Eh… Is there a story like that? Then maybe Frostmourne really is a fitting name.”

Tianyin thought that if the sword really was called Frostmourne, it definitely deserved a sorrowful legend to go with it.

After that, their conversation ended, and the group continued on their way. As they traveled, they encountered more and more players, though most were solo adventurers, so there wasn’t any trouble.

However, as days passed and they drew nearer to the Northern Fortress, Tianyin noticed something strange, the players in the wilderness were becoming increasingly organized.

These players weren’t Undead; though they lacked the efficiency of skeleton minions, their party setups were balanced, with tanks, damage dealers, and healers, a very solid formation.

When Tianyin looked at their IDs, she noticed they all had the same prefix: Kongjing.

It was clear that these players all belonged to a guild called Kongjing.

Though many of them were stunned by Tianyin, Mengyao, and Bingxue’s cuteness, their admiration stayed in their eyes. None of them tried to approach or strike up a conversation.

……

“Wuu… finally, we’re here…”

After several more days, Tianyin, Xiaomengyao, and the others finally arrived at the Northern Fortress, the border between the Kingdom and the Stronghold.

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This legendary fortress stood at the edge of the plains, its massive walls stretching for over ten kilometers and rising thirty meters high, protecting the Kingdom from the northern plains’ raids.

On either side of the fortress were steep mountain ranges, home to fierce beasts and venomous serpents. The mountains stretched for thousands of miles, and it was said that no one who entered them had ever returned alive.

Because those mountains were impassable, the Beastmen of the Stronghold could only launch their raids through the Northern Fortress. It was their one and only gateway into the Kingdom’s rich lands.

As Tianyin, Mengyao, and Bingxue arrived at the fortress, before they could even admire its grandeur, a soldier NPC approached, weapon in hand.

“You there, what are you doing standing outside the fortress? Hurry inside before the Stronghold’s army arrives!”

The NPC’s tone was more worried than scolding, genuinely concerned for their safety.

But Tianyin noticed one critical thing in his words.

The Stronghold’s army.

“Eh? The Stronghold’s army… what’s going on?”

The soldier sighed helplessly.

“I’m not entirely sure myself, but you should take shelter inside the fortress quickly. It’s not safe out here.”

“Not safe… because of the Stronghold?”

“Yeah. Their assault came much earlier than usual this year… I don’t know why, but for now, it’s dangerous outside. Get into the fortress, quickly.”

After saying that, the soldier continued urging them on. And after a brief farewell, Tianyin and the others obediently made their way toward the entrance.

Translator Note

Previously, the place name was Storm Fortress. But somehow, the author change it… or rather, split it to Northern Fortress and Storm City now.