MMORPG: Conqueror Of The Arcana Dynasty

Now that the effects had worn off, I could feel the monstrosity of the merciless blizzard. It was tremendous. The frost particles, combined with the heavy wind, were freezing my body and mind.

It was unimaginably cold—perhaps colder than anything I had ever witnessed. I could feel the chilling wind surging through my nasal passage and hardening my lungs—eventually, making it difficult for me to breathe.

I was hanging on the icy wall, supported by my lance. Neither did I have a clear visual of the cave above me, nor the ground beneath me. All I could do was nothing but to keep myself together in that position.

"What a delightful day, keh-keh-kehhh!"

The voice was even more sinister than I thought as if someone was rubbing their nails on a blackboard while letting out a burst of wicked laughter. It was that kind of and lacing with utmost satisfaction.

As I heard the voice, I felt an additional pressure on my lance.

The blizzard blocked the visual and I could only guess a shadowy figure—about the size of a human but with a twisted body shape—sitting on it.

'A bat?'

It was the first thing that came to my mind after seeing him. However, it was unmistakably the demon. His burning crimson gaze confirmed it.

"Nothing gives me more joy than savoring a specimen's emotions. They are magnificent. They are exhilarating—especially when the specimen has complexity while understanding their own emotions. It produces a mysterious sentience that never fails to amaze me, keh-keh-kehhh!!"

'What?' I frowned when I heard those words. He was definitely speaking about Shika. 'So, does that mean he had put her under some mental spell? That bastard!'

I was furious, hearing those words. I pulled out a low-graded lance—the one I bought from Ela's shop and tried striking him.

"Why you, bastard!" I yelled.

As I swung the lance, the additional pressure from the Valaic Blue disappeared for a split second. Then I felt it again after my futile attempt.

"Oh.. easy, easy SPECIMEN! Don't urge for your death so soon. I have yet to savor your emotions as well. You seemed to have high mental endurance. So, I've decided to break your physical endurance first. I'll break your mental endurance in the process and then eat your emotions as well."

"You bastard! What have you done to Shika?" I screamed, swinging the lance around.

"Ahh!! You're talking about the female specimen? Don't worry. Her emotions are quite complex, yet fragile. Just a small taste of her emotion caused my tongue to tingle relentlessly. So, I used up my magical abilities a bit. Let her dream for now. Let her find herself in the center and entangled by the threads of her emotions. Let her be at the brink of her despair. There's no fun in eating raw meats, is there, keh-keh-kehhh!"

"YOU SON OF A…"

I struck relentlessly. The lance only cut through the wind and hit nothing. If I had a clear vision at the moment, I might've landed a hit or two at him. Right now, it had no effect whatsoever.

"Aren't you an impatient once, specimen?"

When I heard that I felt another strong punch on my forehead. It was as impactful as ever. It was as painful as ever.

[Damage sustained!]

[Health: 1800/1860]

However, it was as strange as ever and only drained 10 HP.

Dammit!

My grip loosened and I fell into the vicinity.

Cutting through the blizzard my body hit the snowy landscape beneath.

[Damage sustained!]

[Health:1770/1860]

Even the fall damage was greater compared to the damages inflicted by the demon. It didn't hurt that bad though.

I stood and I pulled the Valaic Blue from the snow, which fell afterward. Clutching the B-graded lance, I wondered if it would be of any help.

I mean, yeah, I had high penetrability, but that wouldn't help me pinpoint the demon who had nearly five times my agility. I couldn't rely on my lancer class.

Then again, the class I had in mind to switch into, wasn't suitable for close-range combat either. If I were to switch, I might be able to locate him, yeah, but that would also decrease the possibility of defeating him—not to mention the possibility itself was low to begin with.

Sigh!

"It's a gamble to switch and so was when we took this quest. It's not time to complain.

Shika might be in a grave danger if I don't decide anything soon."

I took a deep breath before commanding,

"SWITCH!"

[Class Shifter (Stage III) has been used]

[Class: Archer (Tier 7); ACC: 54(+15)]

[Item: Storm Arc (Grade B) has been selected]

After shifting to archer class, my vision somewhat enhanced due to the additional accuracy stat. They were handy.

And the Strom Arc—an archery bow made from a jade-black, semi-solid material—was perfect for this weather.

It had a high affinity to strike my enemy—it didn't matter whether they were hiding within a sandstorm or a blizzard. Besides, this bow could auto-generate arrows to attack. I didn't need to rely on external arrows whatsoever.

I pulled the string. An arrow made out of the same metal but rigid, shined across its edge. I was ready to unleash.

In that merciless blizzard, I controlled my trembling body and focused. I scanned the area around me and when I picked up the small hint of the demon, I unleashed it.

"It missed, dammit."

I unleash a few more. They missed as well.

Even though I had additional accuracy stat, it made no difference. It was difficult to locate him in the blizzard—especially in the nighttime.

"Summon Zariel!" I commanded and Zariel appeared in the same dramatic way she used to.

[Contracted Seraphyll: Zariel (Type: Inferior) has been summoned]

"Zariel, stay on guard. We have a demon as a foe and I cannot locate him in the blizzard."

Before she could brag nonsense or complain about the situation, I informed her about the current circumstances.

Despite how she acted childishly most of the time, she was pretty quick on the uptake if the situation had been problematic. She looked concerned. Then quickly scanning the surroundings, she asked.

"Zanthrix, where's Shika?"