The Ice Princess by the commoners. The Doted Princess by the nobles. The Frigid Bitch by my enemies. But none of that mattered to me. Because I was living on borrowed time. I had no energy to spare to those that fawned over me or those that criticized me
I held the Unique Skill, {GOLDEN RULE}, that was passed down since my beloved mother met her death. On the bed when she lay with her life force slowly leaking out she screamed to the little girl who was in shock.
Be smart, she screamed. Be strong, she said. Use the power that I am passing down to the fullest, as a terrible calamity is coming towards us all. She said all of this to a frightened girl that was losing her mother, and then passed away
I imprinted those last words into my brain from that day forward, using the skill handed down to me to get through many of the political messes in one piece.
The skill showed a dark light whenever my older brother, the Crown Prince, looked at me. So I avoided him and anything to do with him like a plague. It showed a green light whenever my naive younger brother played with me, so I kept him close and made him rely on me
It showed a light blue light with my father, so I acted as the most perfect daughter and gained his affection, making me cruise through to my unshakable position that I have currently. Those that crossed me often met with misfortune or death, making those cowards utter the name of Frigid Bitch whenever they gossiped among themselves
I used my means to establish an extensive information agency that saw all the happenings of the kingdom and its surroundings, with more than half of its departments focused on my older brother who shone in a dangerous black light
But all of this wasn't enough. My own fate was still murky. My unique skill showed me that undoubtedly, all that I had done had changed nothing, and that death was still approaching. A calamity was still coming. No amount of information I collected was enough. This fostered something that was my only weakness to this day, the fear of the approaching death.
Even the strongest powerhouses of this kingdom did not deter the skill from sending me the same message. I worried about the demons that were constantly increasing their influence across the lands as I thought about the impending calamity
I exhausted all my resources. I surrounded myself with the best of guards from the kingdom that my escorts were no less powerful that those protecting the Crown Prince, the bastard that would most likely take control of the kingdom once my father passed
I could feel the malice he had towards me even though my position did not come close to threatening him right now. I could recently feel his malice towards our father, which made me even more cautious to the point that I began putting plans into place that would put my own life on the line
I didn't bring myself to act yet, as I continued calculating all the possible scenarios. Would it be regicide, corruption, or betrayal that I had to stop? No answers presented themselves over the years, as my fate continued to become darker and darker
That is, until today.
Chapter 75 - The Library
The change occured when I was making my way back to Snowy Peak. After my attention was called to one of the many people that looked at me with fervent eyes, I witnessed a blinding golden light that completely took me by surprise
If I didn't have the veil on my face today, they would have all seen my shocked expression at the sight of one man brilliantly shining with a golden light. I moved my sight the instant I could see him begin turning and resumed climbing the bridge
My lips moved silently as a message that could only be heard by the ears of one of my most trusted aides came out. The aide hiding in the shadows was surprised, but quickly moved as she pulled back from her position and stayed with the carriage below
She was an expert in her own right, and would not be caught monitoring the group that was still gazing towards me.
My shock was due to the fact that I had never seen a golden light on a single being my entire life. The unique skill [Golden Rule] had activated to its peak of the color gold as it let me know I had found the thing I was searching for all this time
The color gold was the highest it could show, and even that golden light was shining so bright that it almost blinded my eyes. This unknown figure would be the one to save me from death. He would be the one that stands between me and a calamity
My heart fluttered as I tried to calm myself. This feeling was not one that many people could come across. The feeling of finally having something you have been searching for so long in arms length. I would not let it get away.
Whatever I had to do, even if I had to give up my soul, I would find a way to hold on to this opportunity. This person would have to be treated with utmost care. I thought for a bit before my lips moved once more, sending another message to the already shocked aid who didn't think her shock could increase even more today. Now, I just had to wait.
---
The meal with the mercenaries ended on a good note, with me hearing tidbits of information that made me all the more curious to find a library in this town and see what things I can glean from it
I broke off from the loud mercenaries that continued to discuss the same princess and other nobles they took fancy to as I walked around different parts of this large kingdom. Figures of mostly humans and a few demi humans packed the streets as everything ranging from taverns, inns, and stores selling a variety of things were present
Some stores held weapons and armor made from different materials and beasts, others were selling small but colorful beasts as pets in shops that many people congregated in. I walked past all of these sights for the next few minutes as I soon came upon a large building with the sign of a book upfront
I opened the large doors and came into a scene of peace, with people quietly moving around as books floated on and off shelves. I went towards the librarian that turned out to be a middle aged man with a goatee and asked for some books on the kingdom's history
He looked my figure up and down in a perplexed manner as he grabbed the staff near him and tapped it down four times, which led four thick books to fly out and land on the counter
Only people of higher status chose to spend their time reading books, so there was a fee to use the reading space in the library. I gave the librarian 1 gold and carried the books towards a corner of the building with enthusiasm. I hadn't read books in quite a while, and looked forward to learning about the large world I was in
The last half of the day passed like this, with me doing something I never pictured myself doing when I first became a hunter. Flipping through the many pages and reading was not too bad, as almost everything was new information I was learning about for the first time
Also, through the use of [Recorder], I was able to quickly bring up information on something that I had seen before by just recalling a few words about it, whereby like a film, the moment that I read about it would replay in front of me
I was looking forward to getting more skills like these that don't necessarily have any offensive and defensive power, but were useful as they were.
The information I learned was expansive. Starting with the Frozen Kingdom and its four peaks, the kingdom was under the rule of a powerful individual whose strength was a rank above EPIC. The ruler of this kingdom is called the Ill.u.s.trious Ruler, King Roark Belmont. He had led this human kingdom that remained the only one of its kind in the Beast World to prosperity for the past 100 years.
Under his rule, humans faced no persecution and he welcomed demihumans to come live in the kingdom in search of better lives. His peaceful policies allowed for the continued growth of his kingdom and the goodwill of the mythical kingdoms of beasts
Rulers of the beast kingdoms did not bother with the rising kingdom in the North, where it was plagued by the cold environment and tough terrain that previous rulers could not fully overcome. King Roark made his legacy by elevating the kingdom to greater heights during his reign, until it stood toe to toe with the most powerful of kingdoms in the world
Su
rrounded by mountains, the Frozen Kingdom was easy to defend, with enemies only able to trek from one direction. The kingdom held four great land masses above them that were called Snowy Peak, Frozen Paradise, Summit Peak, and King's Crown.
The kingdom thrived on vegetation and animals that grew specialized for the cold, with a wide array of plants that allowed for a booming economy.
There was such a wide array of history with this kingdom that I was almost overwhelmed with the task of rising to become one of its influential figures in the near future.
But the tremendous power I held affirmed my resolution. I would follow the plan of taking down beasts in these surrounding Nests around this Kingdom and slowly grow. I will clash with EPIC ranked beasts the moment I was fully confident and equipped with a wide array of rank S skills. Surely, even if it takes some time, my goals would be achieved
Chapter 76 - Going Solo
I left the library behind as I processed tons of information about the world I was in. After spending a few hours reading, I felt like I deserved a break. I found the same inn I stayed in the night before and enjoyed the different types of meals before going up the wooden steps to a room upstairs
I enjoyed the ancient looking aesthetics as I fell on the bed and relaxed my body. Many thoughts came and went as I looked up to the ceiling and tried to fall asleep. This would be denied of me however, as I heard light knocks from the door right after.
I became alert as there shouldn't really be anyone that would need to do this right now, and hoped it was somebody working for the inn. It couldn't be any of the mercenaries I worked with today either. I went forward with caution and opened the door, to be faced with the figure of a woman all dressed in black bowing down
"My deepest apologies Sir. I was tasked with delivering a message from my Lady, would you be so kind as to let me in for a few seconds?"
The person in front of me was fully covered top to bottom in a black material, and let out a rank S level of power. I thought about her words and wondered just what had occurred to cause somebody's attention to turn to me. I had been very careful, to the level of only using a rank A skill and showing power equivalent to a normal rank S
Maybe I was overthinking things and this would not be a major deal. I looked around the dark hallway of the in as I nodded to the woman and closed the door. The moment we were enclosed in the room, dark magical power emanated from the woman as a thin barrier went to cover the entirety of the room
"My Lady demands complete secrecy, so I thank you for entertaining me."
I calmly looked at the thin barrier that seemed to prevent any sounds coming out from the room and looked towards this person and said
"Alright, be straightforward and tell me what you're talking about."
"You can call me Night. My Lady wanted to meet you for a discussion whenever you were available, preferably sooner rather than later. Her status is a bit...complicated, and she is committed to doing everything in secrecy"
The woman calling herself Night pulled out a golden plaque that had 'Snowy Peak' written on it, stretching it out towards me.
"Please visit Snowy Peak's famous White Courtyard whenever you can, we promise not to waste too much of your time."
As soon as I received the plaque and looked piercingly at the woman in front of me, her figure began blending into the night. She gave another quick bow towards me before she completely disappeared, and the thin barrier around the room also faded away
I looked at the golden plaque in my hands as my mind began to churn. There were a few things to note from this meeting. First, this person that I had somehow gained the interest of is very powerful, so powerful that someone as experienced as that dark clothed woman followed her commands
Everytime the woman called Night spoke, she referred to that 'Lady' with the highest respect. This made me question if it was someone in an extremely high position, or someone with a rank higher than S, or both. The fact they they lived on one of the kingdom's four floating peaks meant she could be a noble or someone with immense wealth
The second thing to note was the goodwill they were sending my way. That very important person wanted a meeting, but she sent someone to relay her wishes and allowed me to choose when I would go to this meeting or whether I would even go at all.
This was the most perplexing of things, why was this person offering me such respect too? She obviously has enough power to compel a powerful rank S, so what made me stand out in her eyes that I received such treatmeant?
I continued to mull over the entire interaction, even using [Recorder] to go back and watch the scene that just played out multiple times to see if I missed anything. I couldn't glean anything else from it, just the fact that even though I had garnered the attention of someone powerful, with the way they were acting it shouldn't be malicious in any way.
I still had to be careful though, so I would advance my plans a bit and take a risk tomorrow. I would increase my power by farming the Skypeak Nest before I do anything else. The night that should have been a relaxing one became restless as my rapidly moving thoughts pushed the sleep I wanted further and further away
---
Early in the morning, I went out of the inn and into the bustling streets of the fascinating kingdom as I made my way towards the huge fortress wall that led outside. A thinner layer of snow covered the ground today, with clear blue skies hanging overhead
The large metal gates of one of the entrances of the walled fortress was halfway opened as carriages and people moved in and out, with mercenary parties being seen moving about here and there
Besides the Nests that beasts congregated in, there were dungeons that were naturally formed and maintained from this world's essence that many adventures and parties ventured in. These dungeons differed in ranks, with the highest ones near this kingdom being EPIC rank
A lot of this knowledge came from the time I spent in the library. These dungeons spread out all over the world were different from the dangerous ones I had been normally used to, and they seemed like this world's way to raise the strength of its inhabitants.
The System in my world had gone a completely different direction and created a system of power that more easily extracted essence and made its inhibitants rapidly grow in strength from dungeons created by invading forces. After these dungeons were taken care of in the future, I wouldn't be surprised if I find properly created dungeons meant only to raise the strength of hunters
A dungeon break would not occur with these types of dungeons as they were most likely properly maintained with this world's core, with more essence being placed into them to replenish the origins of the beings in it. From the information I read, the higher ranking the dungeon was, the more massive it would be. Some adventure parties found themselves spending a few days inside to completely clear an EPIC ranked dungeon
These dungeons would be another way for me to speedily increase my power, but I would start with the Nests where many beasts congregated first. There were many Leaders for me to take down and gain skills, and I should be safe as long I do not go too far in. These extremely massive dungeons would be my next step after I collect more information
I passed by the busy doors of the large fortress and made my way around the throngs of mostly humans and a few demihumans, activating all of my concealing skills before I used [Flight] once I strayed far enough
I flew through the skies, heading towards the huge land mass that beasts congregated in. This time I would be going all out and targeting as many rank S beasts as I could. The goal was to get at least a few defensive rank S skills that would bring me more confidence if I ever came across a deadly situation of facing something of higher rank.
Chapter 77 - Skypeak Nest
The white lands passed beneath me as I flew at high speeds towards the Skypeak Nest. It remained magnificently in the air, and I flew around it to land on the opposite direction that the extermination task force cleared out last time
The beasts in that area had al
ready begun propagating again, but I went around to an area where I could see even more beasts congregated. I could feel the auras of a few rank S leaders as I neared, and I started by casting [Summon Virulent Abomination]
The lovable but disgusting beast made its appearance again, this time in another world. It roared out while it sensed the thicker essence surrounding us, seemingly filled with energy and ready to begin. I smiled at this figure as we smashed down onto the periphery of the nest, alerting the nearby rank A and lower beasts
I gave the summon the command to focus on the left side while I focused on the right. I wanted to see my destructiveness with all of the rank S skills I held currently. The summon moved as soon as it received the command, its figure plunging into the group of rushing beasts as I focused on the ones coming for me and casted [Rage of the Thunder Monarch]
BOOM!
The area of 15 meters ahead of me was filled with thick electrical snakes and purple lightning that struck and decimated anything it touched. The loud impact brought to attention even more beasts as droves came out of the insanely tall trees covered in snow
Haha, let's go!
I felt the excitement of using immensely powerful skills to take down beasts again as two transparent mountains appeared in front of me and spat out molten lava and flames. The quick destruction prompting an S rank Leader to finally rush towards me
It evaded the extreme heat of the [Volcanic Eruption] I casted and went around, coming at me from behind. The moment the beast neared, I used the rank A+ skill [Arctic Zone] for the first time
The entire area of 10 meters that the beast was in quickly froze over, stopping it in its tracks as its white fur trembled. It was heavily slowed down while the affected area continued to be destabilized by the chaotic cold elements.
It wasn't heavily injured as it's attribute was also cold, but it gave me confirmation that rank A+ skills were not too far off of rank S in power. While the rank S beast was slowed down, heavy purple lightning rained down at its location
Infinite Mana In The Apocalypse c1-705 Page 34
