Heart of Ice

Kirana and her companions returned to the village in the evening.

They all worked together to carry the heavy rhinoceros monster's body.

Their arrival surprised the villagers since the monster they brought back was quite different from the usual prey.

Some of the children even whispered to each other, asking if the rhinoceros meat tasted good.

Kirana and the others put the rhinoceros body in front of the shop. Kirana went inside, only to find Sella attending to a middle-aged woman.

"Father, Kiran is back! Ah, Sella, where is Father?"

"Milord is working in the alchemy room. Wait a moment, Young Miss. I'll call him for you."

Kirana thought for a moment and nodded. It would be better for her to go back and start skinning the rhinoceros. After being skinned, the materials would be divided among the five of them.

Before Kirana could leave, the female customer who had purchased some food ingredients approached her, introducing herself as Yelina.

She offered Kirana to visit her restaurant and promised to provide free food as a token of gratitude to the heroes who saved her life.

Kirana replied with a smile, saying that she would visit the next day.

Both of them walked out together, and Kirana returned to where the monster was, starting the skinning process. Yelina headed to her house to prepare the dinner dishes to sell.

Not long after, Cien arrived, approaching the front yard and was surprised to see the monster his daughter had brought.

"Quite big..."

Using his phone, Cien quickly took a picture of the monster.

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[Status]

Quake Rhino Raptor

Rank 6 Upper Class

Skills: Earth Magic (Expert), Giganta (Expert), Charge (Master), Physical Amplification (Master), Harden (Master), Horn Shoot (Proficient).

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"Wow, you brought something new this time," said Cien as he approached.

Kirana beamed with a wide smile upon hearing the praise. The five hunters continued to be busy with the skinning process.

Cien looked for a moment, imagining the taste of rhinoceros meat. He had never tried it, not here nor in his past life. Unfortunately, his curiosity was met with a disgusted face from his daughter.

Kirana had no intention of eating rhinoceros meat. She was merely thinking that the monster might have valuable materials.

Leaving Kirana and the others to continue with the skinning, Cien returned inside the house. He went upstairs to prepare the dinner.

As the sun set, Kirana, who had finished dividing the materials, went upstairs and immediately helped herself to the food on the table. She mentioned that the others below wanted to sell their materials.

Sella didn't know the appropriate price for the new materials, so Cien had to go back downstairs to handle it.

There was a plethora of materials, and some were of great value, such as a Monster Core and rhino horns.

Cien himself was unsure of the price of each material, so he negotiated with the sellers before making a purchase.

Once done with the transactions, Cien returned to the dining table.

There, he overheard his daughter expressing a desire for a weapon of his own making—a request that would undoubtedly bring her great joy if fulfilled by Cien.

However, there was a slight problem. Kirana wanted a rapier, the same type of weapon she used.

Cien, on the other hand, was more skilled in swords (long swords), spears, axes, bows, staffs, knives, and halberds.

Cien explained that he would need time to learn and create the rapier. Kirana accepted his words with delight.

The real challenge now was finding the right materials to use.

Cien certainly wanted the best for his daughter, at least on par with or even surpassing Crimsonagin. Moreover, he wanted the weapon to be compatible with Kirana.

To figure it out, he needed to know her status.

"Kirana, come here for a moment," Cien said, pulling out his phone.

He had already informed her about the device, explaining that it was an artifact he had found that provided him with data on various matters.

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[Status]

Name: Kirana Millard

Gender: Female

Garrison Ethyria, Kingdom of Westya

Rank 8 Middle Class

Skills: Water Magic (Master), Ice Magic (Expert), Mana Manipulation (Master), Physical Amplification (Competent), Speed Amplification (Expert), Magic Amplification (Competent), Parallel Thinking (Competent), Basic Westya Martial Arts (Master), Rostgard Sword Art (Expert), Ethyria Sword Art (Master), Celestial Ice Sword Art (Novice), Master Illusionist (Novice), Quick Thinking (Novice).

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"..."

Cien was stunned. Could this data really be about his daughter?

He couldn't believe what he saw on the screen. Not only was Kirana's strength already at Rank 8, but she had also attained a high level of mastery in many skills.

'The title 'genius' for Kirana was not just empty words, huh.'

Cien didn't know what to think after seeing her status. With such power, Kirana could become a significant figure in the impending chaos.

As a parent, Cien couldn't feel happy about it. He was afraid that his daughter would perish in the terrible war that was sure to come.

Cien had already heard about Kirana's identity as a Huntress in disguise.

With a status like this, he understood why Kirana was able to hold her ground against the fearsome Demon General A'wan in Blackwinter.

However, Cien wasn't sure if Kirana could continue to fight against other Demon Generals in the future.

He closed his eyes and pondered for a moment. He was certain that his daughter would venture into the battlefield. It had always been Kirana's nature to seek out dangerous places.

'I must create a weapon that will enable her to compete at the highest level.'

Cien strengthened his resolve. For that, the materials he currently possessed were not enough.

He needed a special main material that could enhance ice elemental power.

There was only one material that came to Cien's mind – the Eternal Ice.

It was one of the rarest materials found in Kastia, only appearing in the deepest lake within the Huntara Royal Palace.

Obtaining this material was not only rare but also extremely difficult because its distribution was controlled by the Royal Family.

The night passed, and the next day, Kirana woke up early in the morning.

She went to the backyard of the shop and practiced her swordplay while being cheered on by the Moon Rabbit in its cage.

As the sun rose higher, Kirana had her breakfast and told her father that she intended to introduce herself to the villagers.

After finishing her meal, she headed to the village, greeted the villagers, and helped them with some of their tasks.

Cien also left the shop. His destination was Shiwa's house next door.

"Eternal Ice? Hmm... I must say that acquiring that material right now is impossible, Mr. Millard," Shiwa responded to Cien's inquiry about the desired material.

Shiwa explained that the last stock of Eternal Ice available to the public had been sent by the Royal Family to be auctioned in Ashur.

However, the conflict in Blackwinter resulted in the material being snatched by the Abyss faction on its way to Ashur.

Therefore, at present, the only remaining Eternal Ice was in the hands of the Huntara Royal Family.

The next Eternal Ice available to the public might not appear for at least another five years.

"Five years... sigh, that's too long."

"Many parties are eager to obtain this material. Whether it's next year or five years from now, acquiring it is still considered impossible."

Shiwa added that even Cien's connection to Princess Sravati wouldn't be of any use.

The Third Princess didn't have the authority to control or bestow the Eternal Ice, as it was considered a royal treasure, to anyone else.

"Sigh..."

Cien let out a long breath. He had anticipated that the material would be difficult to obtain, but he didn't expect it to be this impossible.

"Do you want to craft a weapon from the Eternal Ice?" Shiwa asked, curious about Cien's intentions.

Cien nodded, explaining that he intended to create a weapon for his daughter. Shiwa pondered for a moment.

"There is another ice material that is on par with the Eternal Ice, but its location is incredibly dangerous."

Cien furrowed his brows, inquiring about this material.

"Heart of Ice. A rare ice crystal that is said to appear only once every hundred years."

Shiwa went on to tell that in the royal records, there were only two expeditions that confirmed the existence of this material.

The first expedition took place about three hundred years ago, and they obtained the Heart of Ice, which has now become the crown worn by the Huntara King, a crown that is already two centuries old.

The second expedition occurred two hundred years ago. However, this team failed to obtain the Heart of Ice, as the majority of expedition members were slaughtered by a monster.

It is said that the monster took the form of a large white wolf. Now, this monster has become a myth among the people of Huntara, and they named it Fenrir.

In the last few decades, many expeditions were carried out by the royal authorities to find the Heart of Ice. Unfortunately, all efforts were in vain, and they couldn't find it at all.

"It's almost like a myth. Perhaps the Heart of Ice no longer exists." Said Cien.

"Hmm, I'm not sure. But the researchers in the kingdom believe that the Heart of Ice is now located in the west region of Mount Lokoya, which enters the territory of Death Valley. That's why the expedition teams couldn't find it; they were reluctant to enter this cursed area," Shiwa said.

With this new information, Cien left Shiwa's house with a new option.

If the Heart of Ice is indeed located around western Mount Lokoya, as suggested by the Huntara researchers, he could search for it. As it is still inside the Death Valley.

However, doing so would require him to sacrifice the time needed to create the antidote potion.

"How long would it take?"

Cien asked himself but shook his head immediately. The question was of no use. Whether fast or slow, he only had two weeks before the Hela chain would pull him back to the shop.

"Two weeks. Considering the distance from Niles to this place... I still have enough time to finish everything," Cien thought with a faint smile. He was determined to go in search of the mythical material.

"Now, I just need to prepare the necessary weapons," he said as he returned to the shop, filled with determination.