Taking a deep breath, Noah surveyed the aftermath of the fight. His cloak was singed and his chest ached from the exertion, but he was unharmed. He had overcome the challenge, his quick thinking and diverse skillset proving once again to be his greatest assets.
But as he looked towards the remaining stretch of the bridge, he knew this was just a prelude to the final test that awaited him on the other side. He gripped Nemesis tighter, his determination hardening like the ice surrounding him. The race to conquer the dungeon continued.
Panic clawed at Noah's throat as the bridge shuddered beneath him.
A monstrous snowball, larger than a house, barreled towards him, its icy surface glistening with an ominous glint. He couldn't go back, the area behind him choked with the frozen carcasses of the White Eagles.
Escape seemed impossible.
Thinking fast, he discarded the idea of brute force. Nemesis, even in its magical gun form, wouldn't be able to shatter the snowball, and leaping over it was out of the question. His Unprecedented Sense screamed at him, urging him to act. This wasn't a test of firepower but of ingenuity and adaptability.
Taking a deep breath, Noah channeled his telekinetic energy. A surge of power coursed through him, reaching out towards the colossal snowball. He strained, pushing against its unimaginable weight, attempting to slow its descent. The bridge groaned under the combined forces of his telekinetic push and the snowball's momentum.
It wasn't easy. His telekinesis, powerful as it was, wasn't designed for such a monumental task. The snowball continued its relentless advance, albeit at a slightly reduced speed. He had bought himself precious seconds, but not enough. He needed to get over the snowball, and fast.
A desperate plan hatched in his mind. With a final burst of telekinetic energy, he slowed the snowball further, just enough. Then, with a powerful kick against the bridge's slick surface, he launched himself into the air. Gravity tugged at him, pulling him down toward the icy abyss below.
But just as he reached the peak of his jump, he pushed his telekinesis to its absolute limit. A wave of dizziness washed over him as he focused all his remaining energy on lifting himself higher. It was a risky gamble, a desperate attempt to defy the laws of physics with sheer willpower.
For a terrifying moment, it seemed like he would fall short. The snowball, slowed but unstoppable, loomed closer. But then, with a surge of unexpected power, his telekinesis kicked in. He felt himself rising, inches at first, then feet. He cleared the crest of the snowball by a hair's breadth, the icy monstrosity rushing harmlessly beneath him.
Landing heavily on the bridge on the other side, Noah gasped for breath. His body ached, and his telekinesis reserves were utterly depleted. He had pushed himself to the absolute limit, and for a moment, he allowed himself to savor the sweet taste of victory. He had cheated death, not with brute force, but with his ingenuity and his unique telekinetic abilities.
As he surveyed the remaining stretch of the bridge leading to the other side of the chasm, a newfound confidence surged through him. He had faced down a dead forest, a frozen wasteland, and an avalanche in disguise.
''This is harder than I thought but it is fun nonetheless.''
Surely, whatever challenge awaited him on the other side wouldn't be any worse. With a determined nod, he straightened his cloak and continued his march, the bridge shimmering beneath his feet as he pressed onward toward the final hurdle.
The icy air whistled past Noah's ears as he took a moment to catch his breath. His heart hammered against his ribs, a testament to the near-death experience he'd just survived. With shaky legs, he continued his trek across the bridge, his gaze fixed on the final stretch that led to the other side.
Suddenly, a deafening roar echoed through the cavern, shaking the very foundations of the bridge. Noah stumbled, his heart leaping into his throat. He whipped his head around, his eyes widening in disbelief.
There, blocking his path at the far end of the bridge, stood a creature straight out of a nightmare. It was an Ice Troll, a hulking monstrosity even larger than the ones he had encountered on the training grounds. Its skin was a sickly translucent white, its veins pulsing with a faint blue light that seemed to emanate from deep within its body.
Towering over the bridge, the Ice Troll was a walking glacier. Icicles hung like jagged teeth from its massive jaw, and its eyes, like chips of polished sapphire, glinted with a pang of primal hunger. Its thick, muscular arms were tipped with razor-sharp claws that dripped with a glistening frost.
With each monstrous breath, a plume of frigid air billowed from its nostrils, swirling around its imposing form.
The Ice Troll let out another ear-splitting roar, the sound reverberating through the cavern and shaking the bridge itself. The crystalline surface beneath Noah's feet trembled, sending a tremor of fear through him. He knew this was the final guardian of the fourth floor, the ultimate test before he could reach the other side.
This wasn't the lumbering, slow-witted troll he had faced before. This creature, born of the frozen wastes, seemed to radiate an aura of icy power. Its movements, though powerful, were surprisingly quick and agile. This was a battle that would demand not just brute force, but tactical thinking and a masterful use of all his skills.
Noah gripped Nemesis tighter, the familiar weight of the hilt a grounding force in the face of this monstrous challenge. He could feel the heat of his Flame Art coursing through the blade, a defiant ember against the chilling aura of the Ice Troll. A surge of adrenaline coursed through his veins, replacing fear with a steely resolve. He wouldn't let this monstrosity deter him.
He had come too far to turn back now. With a battle cry that echoed through the frozen cavern, Noah charged forward, ready to face the final guardian of the fourth floor.
A primal roar of defiance erupted from Noah's throat as he charged towards the Ice Troll. The bridge vibrated under his every step, the tremors amplified by the monster's own enraged thrashing. His mind raced, formulating a plan.
Reaching the midpoint of the bridge, Noah slammed his foot down on the crystalline surface with a resounding crack. Shards of ice erupted from the point of impact, propelled by his telekinetic force towards the Ice Troll. The frozen projectiles, a desperate attempt to buy him a precious moment, slammed against the Troll's chest, momentarily halting its advance.
With that brief window of opportunity, Noah transformed Nemesis back to its familiar obsidian blade. Flame Art surged through his veins, imbuing the sword with a fiery aura that crackled menacingly as the Troll's icy aura washed over him.
Raising the blade high above his head, he unleashed one of his signature attacks – the Splitting Wave Slash. A surge of dark energy erupted from Nemesis, manifesting as three vertical beams of pure black energy. They tore through the air with a hum of raw power, aimed with deadly precision at the Ice Troll's upper body.
The Troll, distracted by the hail of ice shards, was caught completely off guard. Its massive arms, raised to ward off the unexpected attack, were too slow to block the full force of the Splitting Wave Slash. The three energy beams slammed into the creature's chest with a sickening thud. Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡•𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚⚫𝙣𝙚𝙩
A bloodcurdling shriek, a sound that echoed with both pain and fury, ripped from the Ice Troll's throat. Three deep gashes, raw and glistening, appeared on its chest where the energy beams had struck. Icy blue blood, tinged with the heat of Noah's Flame Art, spurted from the wounds, staining the pristine bridge.
The Troll roared in rage, its fury momentarily eclipsing the pain. It flailed its massive arms, sending shockwaves through the bridge that threatened to topple Noah from his precarious stance. He gritted his teeth, gripping Nemesis tighter, his muscles screaming in protest.
But even a wounded Ice Troll was a formidable foe. Noah knew this was just the beginning. The final challenge of the fourth floor had begun a brutal dance of fire and ice, steel and fury. He had tasted victory, but the battle was far from over. With a determined glint in his eye.
''This will surely be fun from now on.''
Noah braced himself for the Troll's inevitable counterattack, ready to unleash the full fury of his skills to overcome this icy guardian and claim victory on the fourth floor.
Trolls are known for their regenerative ability besides their robust strength. It was time to test this, what he was after was simply as you could have guessed the regenerative ability possessed by the trolls, to put it simply he wanted to test the monster's regenerative ability to understand his ability better.
The Ice Troll was nothing other than a lab rat before Noah, a powerful D-rank reduced to the state of being a lab rat.