Chapter 709: Inheritance 3

Gallan, chieftain of the Frost Giants, was a cautious being.

And that was exactly why he stood at the top.

His strength alone was overwhelming—power and abilities that rivaled even an adult dragon, a level few could ever hope to reach.

But strength wasn’t what made him a leader.

It was this.

The way he thought.

The way he moved.

Always measured. Always aware.

“…So this is what freedom feels like…”

His voice came out low as he stepped through the dungeon’s massive portal.

For a moment—

He stopped.

The cold wind brushed against him, different from the stagnant chill within the dungeon. It moved. It shifted. It felt… alive.

He had stepped outside before.

Under the Frost Queen’s orders.

Sent out like a weapon.

Like a tool.

But this—

This was different.

This time, he walked out on his own will.

No command.

No leash.

No invisible force pulling him back.

“….”

His eyes lowered slightly.

There was nothing.

No pressure.

No weight pressing against his existence.

No chain wrapped around his being.

“It seems the human items are working, Chief…”

One of his subordinates spoke from behind.

Gallan gave a small nod.

“…Yeah.”

They could all feel it.

The difference.

The connection that once tied them to the dungeon—

Gone.

Severed.

The items they had taken from the human villages—more specifically, from their churches and temples—were doing exactly what he had hoped.

Strange things.

Fragile-looking.

But filled with something that didn’t belong to this frozen land.

Power that disrupted the dungeon’s authority.

“…”

Gallan flexed his fingers slightly.

Still nothing.

No pull.

No resistance.

Not even the Frost Queen—Could force them back now.

A faint breath left his lips.

“…Good.”

But even so—

His gaze sharpened.

He didn’t relax.

Because if she came—

If she decided to act—

Then this wouldn’t end easily.

“…Looks like those fanatics weren’t lying after all…”

Gallan muttered under his breath.

Before all of this—before he even began forming a real plan to escape—he hadn’t trusted them.

Those people.

The ones who suddenly appeared in the dungeon months ago.

Humans.

But not quite.

Fanatics.

They spoke of strange things. Of “divinity,” of “salvation,” of breaking the natural order itself. Their words were twisted, their presence unsettling—like something worse than demons pretending to wear human skin.

Back then—

Gallan had almost crushed them where they stood.

And yet…

“They said human-made divine items could unbind those tied to unnatural forces… if the right conditions were met…”

His eyes narrowed slightly.

It sounded like nonsense at the time.

A desperate lie.

But they had offered a trade—

Bring them divine items.

And in return, they would give him something capable of severing the dungeon’s hold.

“…Tch.”

He hadn’t believed it.

Not fully.

But he had tried anyway.

And now—

[Divine Item: Blessed Drops of the Goddess]

[Effect: Can purify all status ailments]

Gallan looked at the small vial in his hand.

Empty.

Each one could only be used once.

And they hadn’t had many.

But somehow—

It had been enough.

Enough to spread across his kin.

“…Heh.”

A low breath escaped him.

Whether it was luck… or something else…

It worked.

Slowly, Gallan turned his head.

His gaze fell back on the dungeon’s entrance.

That massive, towering portal.

Silent now.

Watching it—

For a brief moment—

His expression hardened.

“…Just in case.”

A deep rumble spread through the ground.

Cold surged outward.

His magic activated without hesitation.

CRACK—!

Ice began to form.

Not just a layer—

A wall.

A massive, thick structure of frost and solid ice rose from the ground, sealing over the portal entirely. It spread outward, freezing the surrounding space as it expanded, locking everything in place.

[High Rank Ice Magic — Ice Shell]

Anything it touched—

Froze.

Completely sealed off.

The air itself seemed to stiffen.

Gallan lowered his hand slowly.

“…That should hold.”

But even as he said it—

He didn’t relax.

Because he knew.

The reason this escape had gone so smoothly—

Wasn’t because they were stronger.

Wasn’t because they were faster.

It was because—

The Frost Queen had allowed it.

She chose not to act.

And that…

Was the only reason they were standing here now.

“….”

But that didn’t mean everyone inside the dungeon felt the same way.

Her silence didn’t equal mercy.

And her subordinates—

The other monsters—

They weren’t bound by that same indifference.

Gallan’s grip tightened.

“…Move.”

His voice dropped, sharper now.

“We don’t stop.”

Because next time—

They might not be so lucky.

The magic Gallan cast was strong.

More than enough to freeze over a battlefield. More than enough to stop anything short of a true monster

But—

He wasn’t foolish enough to overestimate it.

“…It won’t hold her.”

If the Frost Queen chose to act, that wall wouldn’t last a second. A single gesture from her would be enough to tear it apart like it was never there.

Still—

It wasn’t meant for her.

It was meant for everything else.

With the exception of the Frost Queen…

…and the Frost Dragon.

Against them—

It meant nothing.

“Where are we heading next, Chief?”

One of the giants stepped forward, awaiting his command.

Gallan didn’t hesitate.

“We move south.”

His voice was steady.

“We wipe out the last human settlement nearby… then we turn north.”

A pause.

His eyes hardened.

“…And begin taking the north for ourselves.”

For a second—

Silence.

Then—

A roar.

The other giants erupted, their voices filled with excitement, their blood surging at the thought.

Freedom.

Conquest.

A future that was finally their own.

Gallan didn’t join them.

His gaze drifted forward.

Toward the south.

Toward that place.

…That human.

The white-haired one.

The swordsman.

He remembered him.

Felt him.

Even from a distance back then, there was something off about him.

Something dangerous.

But—

“…He’s still human.”

Gallan’s jaw tightened slightly.

He was a high race.

A Frost Giant.

A being born stronger than most.

Even among monsters, they stood near the top.

And that human—

No matter how strong—

Was still bound by flesh.

By limits.

“…He’s not like that man.”

That guest.

The one beside the Frost Queen.

That one—

Was different.

Something beyond reason.

Something Gallan had no intention of facing.

But the Grand Duke?

“…I can kill him.”

He said it quietly.

More to himself than anyone else.

His instincts—

They were warning him.

Telling him this wouldn’t be easy.

That it would be dangerous.

But in the end—

He was facing a human.

And against a human—

He would win.

“…Move out.”

And the giants began their march.

….

…Yeah.

This was about what he expected.

But even then—

“…She really doesn’t care at all, huh…”

Riley let out a quiet breath as he thought back to the Frost Queen’s reaction.

Or rather—

Her lack of one.

She hadn’t even looked.

Not when the Frost Giants broke through.

Not when they slaughtered their way out.

Not even when they crossed the dungeon’s boundary.

And because of that—

She didn’t just lose Gallan.

She lost everything that followed him too.

Most of the monsters that chose to side with the giants escaped along with them.

One of her four generals—gone.

That Frost Goblin Shaman—gone.

A huge chunk of her forces—

Gone.

“…Strange.”

Riley frowned slightly.

This didn’t line up.

Even back in the game—

The Frost Queen was all about control.

Absolute control.

Especially inside her dungeon.

Nothing moved without her knowing.

Nothing happened without her allowing it.

And yet now—

She was letting things fall apart.

“…Too apathetic…”

It wasn’t carelessness.

It wasn’t weakness.

It was something else.

Something he couldn’t quite pin down.

His gaze lowered slightly.

“…At this rate…”

A small, quiet thought crossed his mind.

Even if I do something here…

“…She probably won’t stop me.”

That—

Was the strange part.

Right in front of him—

Floating quietly in the air—

Was the dungeon core.

A glowing white orb.

Simple.

Unprotected.

Almost… exposed.

Riley had expected it to be hidden deep within the dungeon. Sealed behind layers of traps, guarded by the strongest entities this place had to offer.

But instead—

It was here.

At the very center of the castle.

Inside a small garden.

A place completely out of place in this frozen world.

Green land.

A bed of living flowers.

Soft light.

And in the middle of it all—

That orb.

“…Hiding it in plain sight…”

Wrapped in high level magic meant to distort perception, to keep it unseen.

That was why he couldn’t see nor sense it the first time.

But to Riley—

That didn’t mean much.

His nature as a divine being made things like that… unreliable.

He could feel it.

See it.

The unnatural presence of it.

Especially with how his divinity reacted to things like this.

“…I can’t use much of my divinity… but this much should be fine right?”

He stared at it quietly.

Thinking.

Weighing his options.

“…Now then…”

His hand moved slightly, resting against his chin.

“What should I do…”

Behind him—

Anica froze.

She had been following him this whole time, staying quiet, watching.

But now—

Now that she saw where he was.

What he was looking at—

Her expression stiffened.

“…W-Wait…”

Her voice came out a bit shaky.

Her eyes locked onto the orb.

Then back to Riley.

And then—

To his hand.

Slowly rising.

“Riley…”

A small step forward.

“…You’re not seriously thinking about touching that, are you?”

….

As Gallan and his forces pushed forward, it didn’t take long before the next target came into view.

A village.

No—

A fortified settlement.

Count Roverick’s territory.

“…Looks like they were ready for us, Chief.”

One of the giants muttered.

Gallan didn’t reply right away.

He simply stared ahead.

In the distance, behind reinforced walls layered with magic, human forces had already gathered. Knights stood in formation, shields raised.

Mages lined the rear, mana already gathering in the air.

They weren’t scrambling.

They weren’t panicking.

They were waiting.

“…As expected,” Gallan murmured.

The moment they were spotted—

The humans had moved.

And with him here…

It would’ve been stranger if they didn’t.

“Do we attack, Chief?”

“…No.”

The answer came out calmly.

Flat.

“…?”

The giants around him paused.

Confusion spread quickly among them.

“What do you mean, Chief?” one of them stepped forward, frowning. “Their walls won’t hold. Their magic is weak. Even their warriors—look at them. We could crush them easily.”

He wasn’t wrong.

With their size alone, the Frost Giants towered over the walls. Their strength could shatter gates, their magic could freeze entire sections of the battlefield.

Taking this place by force—

Was possible.

Easy, even.

But—

Gallan’s eyes didn’t move from the settlement.

“We stay here.”

His tone left no room for argument.

“…Our distance is our advantage.”

The air grew still.

“There’s a human inside,” he continued slowly. “…one capable of harming all of us.”

That—

Shocked them.

Even the loudest among them went quiet.

A human?

Dangerous enough to threaten all of them?

“…Chief, that’s—”

“I’m not guessing.”

Gallan cut him off.

“I felt it.”

His grip tightened slightly.

That presence.

Even from here—

It lingered.

Heavy.

Sharp.

Like something waiting.

“…That’s why…”

A faint smile formed on his lips.

“We won’t rush in.”

Slowly, he raised his hand.

Mana gathered instantly.

The air froze.

Condensed.

A massive block of ice began to form above his palm—

Growing.

Expanding.

Until it reached the size of a large human house.

The ground beneath him cracked slightly from the pressure.

“…We make them move.”

His arm pulled back—

And then—

“—We force him out.”

BOOM—!

The giant mass of ice tore through the air, hurled toward the distant walls with overwhelming force.

The sky itself seemed to split as it flew.

Straight toward the humans waiting below.

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