Extra's Magic

I took a step forward, towards the purple sphere, and felt a strange pull that seemed to be attracting my body towards the pulsating portal. It was otherworldly, but I brushed it off, as it didn't cause any damage.

"Relax..."

I felt my heartbeat quicken in anticipation and slight nervousness as I entered the portal. Complete darkness enshrouded me for a second before I appeared in the middle of snowy mountains, with nothing but snow surrounding me.

Looking around, I noticed a single mountain peak with a big facility built onto it. I instantly knew it was the boss room containment.

Shifting my eyes from the peak, I started walking towards one of the smallest mountains, with some spruce growing on its slope.

I didn't need to map out where the portal was located because I knew this dungeon like the back of my hand. There were also multiple exit portals, so I wasn't afraid of getting stuck inside the dungeon.

"Huff…"

The dungeon's temperature was so low that, as I exhaled, a visible mist escaped from my mouth. Although I was wearing a thick coat, I still couldn't shake off the chill that seemed to seep into my bones.

As I traversed the snow-covered terrain, the only audible sound was the gusting wind and my boots, crunching onto the snow.

Growl...

Suddenly, a low growl jolted me from my thoughts, causing me to turn around and unsheathe my Katana in one swift motion.

Before me stood a creature resembling a white wolf, its eyes glinting with hunger. But it was no ordinary wolf - a single black horn protruded from its forehead, making it larger and more menacing.

However, I kept my cool and channeled Mana through my body, assessing my situation. Winter Wolves were known to hunt in packs, but this one appeared to be alone.

"Was it abandoned by its pack?" I pondered.

Since the Winter Wolves were G-Rank monsters, they usually roamed in large groups so they could fend off stronger creatures. A lone Winter Wolf was like a fish out of water in this treacherous, icy dungeon.

I channeled Mana into my blade and slowly approached the wolf, as it continued to stare me down with its hungry eyes.

Approaching cautiously, I stopped a few dozen feet away from the creature. Suddenly, it launched itself at me, baring its sharp teeth and aiming to sink them into my flesh.

Luckily, I dodged the wolf's attack with a swift roll to the side, then quickly countered with a powerful slash of my Katana. The blade tore through the wolf's snow-white fur, leaving a deep wound and causing blood to seep from its flank.

The wolf winced in pain as my Katana sliced through its flesh and before it could recover, I swiftly swung my weapon, slicing the monster's throat and killing it instantly.

"Well, that was anticlimactic..."

I muttered to myself, looking at the wolf's scrawny body. I wiped my blade clean in the snow and put on the gloves I had specifically bought for searching bodies.

Without wasting any time, I quickly retrieved the core from the wolf's chest and stored it in my Spatial Ring. I also made sure to take the horn, which could be sold outside the dungeon. Although not as durable as other materials, it was still valuable for making weapons.

After looting the wolf's body, I carefully inspected my clothes to ensure that they were not stained with blood. The last thing I needed was to attract other predators with a keen sense of smell.

I had come to the dungeon to familiarize myself with the environment, as the midterm exams would also be held in an ice affinity dungeon. I needed to get used to the climate and prepare for the exams so that I could pass without any hiccups.

"..."

I threw a final glance at the wolf's carcass before quickly walking away. I knew that other carnivores had probably already caught the scent of blood and were on their way to investigate. I had to leave the area fast.

Fortunately, the constant snowfall had effectively concealed my tracks and it was relatively difficult for predators to pick up the scent of a human amidst the vast mountain range. After half an hour of running, I finally relaxed, knowing that I had put enough distance between myself and the fighting site.

As I drew closer to the spruce trees in the distance, I couldn't help but smirk at the claw marks etched into the logs. My visit to this dungeon was not solely for gaining experience. I had come here with a specific purpose in mind, and that was to hunt one of the creatures that could be of use to me.

The deep scratches on the bark of the trees were made by a Yeti, a fearsome beast that resembled a giant white gorilla. It was an F-Rank monster, but it had intelligence that surpassed any other creature in this frozen dungeon.

The Yeti's core was a valuable prize for Ice Magic Art users. It had an Ice Affinity, meaning it could enhance the power and control of Ice Mana. Most cores were without an affinity, like the ones I had swallowed earlier today, but some monsters adapted to their environments and developed elemental affinities.

Ice cores were worth at least 5,000 Arcons in the market. But they were not the most sought-after ones. Light and Dark cores were extremely rare and expensive and even then there were rumors of even more exotic affinities that humanity had yet to discover.

One of such affinities was the Shadow affinity. Although no monster had yet been discovered to wield this affinity, I knew that it was only a matter of time before such dungeons came into existence. If I was correct, then a Shadow Dungeon was already present in Leclentia, but it would not be discovered for a few more months.

Dungeons tend to spread their affinity around the surrounding area, and the Shadow Dungeon was no exception. It covered the vicinity in shadows, and was only found due to the monsters that had escaped through the Dungeon Break.

"I need to get stronger..."

I was planning to enter the Shadow dungeon before anyone else. It was only an E-Rank dungeon, so I could handle it if I trained hard enough. I wanted to claim the Shadow cores for myself and prevent any casualties from the monsters.