Nine Snow Women tucked away their liveliness, standing still like ice sculptures near the ritual site, occasionally turning their heads, with a flash of nervousness and anticipation in their icy crystal-like pupils.
As the sunlight grew increasingly intense, the fluctuations in the Magic Field also reached a peak, then gradually calmed down.
The Snow Women turned around, holding their breath and intently watching as the coiled body of the White Snake slowly unfurled.
From the gaps between its icy white scales, a soft radiance spilled out.
Although it was a time of bright sunshine, the sight of this light still instilled a calm sense of security in one's heart, as if walking in a dark cave for a long time and finally seeing a glimmer of light at the exit, making one eager to approach it.
Then, that light slowly dissipated, and in the center of the array, a girl with jet-black hair stood tall.
Her body, adorned with intricate Magic Patterns forming a beautiful gown, gradually converged and finally disappeared into the Stigmata on her legs, dyeing them a blue-green color as Magic Power slowly flowed, as if carrying the vastness and depth of the ocean.
That comforting, soft brilliance bloomed from within the girl, and although it had receded, it still seemed like an endless spring, gently nourishing her body, making her skin appear enveloped in a layer of moist light.
Her posture was as dazzling and warm as the rising sun, captivating one's gaze.
The massive body of the White Snake retreated back into the lake with gentle, silent movements, watching the girl who was slowly opening her Emerald Eyes, with a look of surprise floating in his gentle snake eyes.
"Such pure Light Power, truly unexpected...no, perhaps this is the expected outcome."
The Frost Matron, just Inches Away, was visibly moved.
The Snow Woman Clan, living beyond civilization, largely harbor cold and restrained personalities due to environmental and innate influences. Although there are occasionally more extroverted individuals, in general, regardless of their inner feelings, they seldom express their emotions openly.
However, now, the other Snow Women unconsciously gathered around, their icy and exquisite faces melting away, unwittingly displaying looks of enchantment.
On this entertainment-deprived, eternally unchanging landscape of the Snow Mountain, the Snow Women had few activities to pass the time. Even if they occasionally learned some forms of entertainment from Humankind, they would soon grow tired of them.
But there was one thing they never grew tired of.
That was the sunrise.
On days when the snowstorm ceased and the dark clouds dispersed, climbing to the highest point of the Snow Mountain to greet the sunrise, when the dawn's light illuminated the summit of the Snow Mountain, reflecting a brilliant golden sparkle on Ice Heaven Lake, the magnificent and stunning scene was never boring, no matter how many times one witnessed it.
Merely gazing at her filled one's heart with warmth and hope, as if no longer fearing the darkness, able to bravely confront Evil.
Amidst everyone's gaze, the Hero slowly opened her emerald green eyes. A deep and mysterious sea-blue flash passed through her eyes, then concealed itself within the depths of her pupils, seemingly absorbing the vastness and mystery of the ocean in an instant.
She did not rush to feel the changes within her body but instead turned her head, her gaze falling on the ice sphere floating beside her. The ice sphere quietly hovered in the air, emitting bursts of cold mist.
In the next moment, the ice sphere suddenly silently shattered, transforming into countless snowflake-like light points, scattering with the breeze, blending into the snowstorm like a fantasy.
[The Awakening result of the Gleaming Scale Serpent is: R7 Fantasy Species: Mutant Attribute]
10. Critical Success/Extreme Failure
[Elemental Spirit: Fantasy Snowflake Scales Rank7]
A spirit that manipulates snow and light, its snake-shaped soul hidden within the Magic Core.
The body of the Gleaming Scale Serpent completely dissolved under the deluge of High Position Race's magic, leaving only the Magic Core and soul.
However, its strong will remained unyielding. The soul hidden within the Crystal Core gathered the remnants of its elementalized form, forging a new body, and also completely assimilated the lineage from the Fantasy Species, making it its own power.
Now no longer the original snake-type Magic Creature, a brand-new Elemental Spirit was born.
[Dark-light Glimmering Scale Snake LV31 advanced to Fantasy Snowflake Scales LV34]
Fantasy Snow Lv 6: Creates hallucinatory snowflakes. Provides damage mitigation of D Agility * 0.6
Gleaming Scales Lv 10: Reflects confusing light. Provides an Imprisonment determination of D Perception + 100
Composite Element Magic: Ice Light Lv 5: Elemental Spirits naturally manipulate the Magic Element in the atmosphere, achieving what human Mages find unthinkable. Controls ice and light elements.
Illusory Crystal Core: Both the entity and the soul are located within the Magic Core. The body that appears to be the Ice Snake is an illusion. Immune to physical attacks, taking damage of D2 when facing attacks it's weak against, will not truly perish unless the Crystal Core is shattered.
Snow light scatters with the wind, and the pitch-black scales that reflected the colorful sunlight fell to the ground.
There was no sign of the Big Snake inside the ice sphere, only a crystal-clear Magic Core.
Seeing this, the expression of hope on the Hero's face was replaced by panic.
"What happened to it???"
The Hero had not even had time to sort out the gains acquired from the Siren before hurriedly pointing at the gleaming Magic Core and the scattered pitch-black scales before her.