The Acknowledgement - Volume One

The Frozen War

                The two sides clashed. The most bloodshed came from the Ice Bears, for each Shadow destroyed, two Ice Bears fell. The mages on the back line build up their power into one attack, burning the battlefield. "Mages with powerful fire magic, and infantry with quick regenerative abilities," Winter thought. "My Shadow Soldiers are much stronger than I expected. Their insane regenerative capabilities make them immortal," Winter mumbles to himself. "Although, it drains a lot of my mana," he added, watching his mana bar fall. A much larger, and stronger-looking bear came out of the cave, roaring. "You must be one of the bosses here," Winter watched it pummel through several of his infantry knights. "It wiped out quite a large amount of my Soldiers already. They're no match... And being out of mana makes it worse," Winter thought with a sigh.

~>System<{" The [Player]'s [Mana] Has Been [Depleted]. [Shadow Soldiers] Cannot be [Regenerated],"}>it rang<~

                "Igris... I think this is a job for you," he watched Igris walk past Winter. He stepped up to the Boss Bear, his long, black sword drawn. The Boss Bear roared as Igris charged at it. Within seconds, the bear was already damaged. Blood fell from the arm it tried to strike Igris with. From running up its arm, Igris landed, and pushed off a nearby tree, dodging another attack from the Boss Bear. He stabbed its other arm and started to drive his sword up its arm, cutting its thick fur and skin open. Before he got too close, he leaped off, taking his sword with him. The Boss Bear attempted to follow, but Igris quickly rushed behind it and slashed its legs. "Woah..." Winter watched in awe. The Boss Bear was all bloody and cut up. It began to wobble and fall over. Igris returns to the front side of the Boss Bear, and in one fluid motion, he cuts it up. Going through the bear's neck as it fell onto his blade. For a moment, the Boss Bear's head flew in the air, spinning. Just as the Boss Bear's corpse fell on the snow, Igris had caught its head and was returning to Winter. "If Igris had taken me more seriously, I wouldn't have stood a chance... But since I've leveled up, I think we might be even now," Winter thought. Looking down at the bear's lifeless head that was plopped down on the snowy ground before him. Igris knelt, paying respect to his Liege. "Maybe I'm still weaker than him," he thought, patting Igris's shoulder. "Good work," he commented as he walked past Igris. "I should make this guy into one of my shadow soldiers," Winter thought to himself, getting close to the Bear Boss's corpse. "Arise," he commanded. The bear began to move, its corpse consumed by the shadows underneath it.

~>System<{" The [Player] Has Successfully [Extracted] a [Shadow Soldier],"}>it rang<~

                The bear rose once more, standing on its corpse. The bears that had been raised from the dead roared in unison, paying respect to their new master. "Nice," Winter grinned softly. Outside the dungeon, Erik turned his head to Jonah, "How long has it been?" He asks, "About three hours, sir," Jonah replies. "It has already been three days inside the dungeon," he added. "I wonder how many of them are still alive," Jonah thought. "The environment inside a Collapsing Dungeon is anything but normal," Erik began. "Their skin might've burned under the scorching sun, they might've gotten frostbite from the extreme cold, or they might even be battling poisonous insects. The weak ones will be the first to go," Erik explained. "Oh no," Chul faced a monstrously large yetis. "Even if they somehow manage to get used to the environment, they'll need to find food and water too," Erik continued. "The low-ranking Mythics are going to have a hard time eating the corpses of beasts because of the high rank of the dungeon," Erik began again. "C-rank Mythics or lower are probably dead by now," he added. "That means Winter Greats is probably dead as well," Billy yawned. "Looks like coming here was just a waste of time," he sighed. "Oh, by the way. Winter Greats isn't a member of the White Lion Guild, right?" Billy asks his back facing Erik. "Then Why did he enter that gate?" He asked, deeply annoyed. They awkwardly stood there. "He's an old acquaintance of mine. He asked if he could participate in a c-rank raid, and I couldn't turn him down," Jonah half lied. "Jonah is covering for Winter Greats. That's how problematic it'd be for people to find out about him. Why even is an S-rank Mythic like Billy Bob looking for Winter Greats, a weak mage," Erik thought, looking at Jonah. "Oh, well. I guess there's nothing more I can do," Billy turned around. "Is that what you expected me to say?" Billy asks, grabbing Jonah by the neck. "It's a strange talent of mine, but I've always had a knack for sniffing out lies," his veins popping on his face. "Something's not adding up," Billy added, looking up at Jonah. "C'mon, spit out the truth! What are you hiding from me?" He asks. Erik clasped Billy's arm tightly. "Billy Bob. Let go of my Employee," he growled. "You have no right to order me around," Billy replied, his face deforming into a wrathful amalgamation. "Stop acting like a big shot, man," he added. "What did you just say?" Erik asks. Heavy, dense mana erupted out from the two in waves, Jonah fell onto his ass and stay there. Most if not everyone around the two weren't able to move freely because of the endless, heavy waves of mana rushing over them. "If we're not careful. There's going to be a face-off between these two!" Jonah thought, unable to stand up from the weight of their mana combined.