Although Zeka had no idea what the key was for, his instincts told him that it was sohow related to the quest to find the 'Ice Core.'
He stared at the key, puzzled, unsure of how to use it.
Seeing a bit of dust on it, he brushed it off with his hand.
Suddenly, the key bit his finger, slicing it just enough for a drop of blood to stain its surface.
"Ack!" Zeka yelped, seeing a cut on his index finger and cursing under his breath.
But right then, the key imdiately absorbed the drop of blood, emitting a faint glow.
That glow transford into a beam of light, piercing through the bookshelf and pointing into the distance.
Startled, Zeka waved the key around in his hand. No matter how he turned it, the beam of light still pointed in a single direction.
"Could it be… that's where the 'Ice Core' is?" Zeka muttered.
Then, he suddenly grinned greedily: "Hahaha… Noan, you just stay here forever. Violette and I will go on ahead."
Zeka quickly shoved the key into his pocket. However, the light beam continued to shine through the fabric, revealing its direction.
He clenched his teeth and muttered, "What the hell is this? How do I turn off this damn light?"
Zeka was genuinely frustrated. If he couldn't turn off the light, how was he supposed to hide the key?
But as if fate were on his side, the mont the key fully absorbed the blood, the light vanished.
Zeka smiled and muttered, "So that's how it works. The key needs blood to activate. The more blood it has, the longer it works."
"Hahahaha… looks like I've found the item that'll help complete this Challenge quest."
He quickly pocketed the key again, then walked out of the room.
"Ah! Did you find anything useful?" At that mont, Noan also stepped out of another room.
He looked at Zeka and frowned as he asked.
Zeka was surprised by Noan's question but quickly regained his composure and replied, "No… I was just thinking of searching sowhere else. What about you?"
Noan glanced at Zeka, sighed, and said, "Didn't find anything suspicious. Maybe what we're looking for is still nearby. Let's check the floor above."
"Ah! You go upstairs, I'll search around the house first," Zeka said.
Noan nodded and headed up the stairs without a hint of suspicion.
Zeka let out a relieved sigh, then imdiately rushed toward the front door.
It led to the living room, where Violette was sitting by the window, curled up and shivering from the cold.
"Violette," Zeka called out joyfully the mont he saw her.
Violette turned to him and asked, "Zeka? Where's Noan?"
"Don't ask," Zeka said quickly. "I've found a clue to complete the mission. Let's go, now."
"Wait! Aren't you going to tell Noan about this?" Violette frowned.
"Forget about him," Zeka replied with a grin. "He's just using us anyway."
"But… what about the equal contract?" Violette asked, still confused.
"Hahaha…" Zeka suddenly burst out laughing. "That contract only says I can't betray him—it doesn't say I have to share any clues I find."
"That ans what I'm doing doesn't violate the equal contract at all."
Violette still seed worried about sothing, a hint of hesitation in her eyes.
Seeing that expression, Zeka grew angry. He clenched his teeth and said, "Violette, Noan isn't trustworthy. He's just using us as tools."
"Let's go—before he realizes anything, we can finish the mission ourselves."
"But…" Violette faltered, as if she wanted to say sothing more.
Zeka quickly added, "Violette, a reward split three ways is definitely less than a reward split between two."
Hearing that, Violette instantly made up her mind.
She wasn't so holy saint—she was just a greedy person.
And so, the mont she heard Zeka ntion the reward, her decision was clear.
As stated from the beginning, Violette didn't care who helped her—as long as she could complete the mission, that was enough.
She hesitated for a mont, then chose to follow Zeka. But she still seed worried about sothing and quickly said, "But… it's all snow out there. We don't even know where to go—do you…"
"Don't worry. I know exactly where we need to go," Zeka said confidently. "It's nearby—not too far. If we can endure a bit of cold, we'll finish this mission."
For so reason, Violette believed him. Whether it was fate or simply the overwhelming aura of a 'Fate Holder,' even her thoughts seed to shift.
She nodded, then followed Zeka out of the house.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
As soon as they stepped outside, icy winds whipped against them, making their bodies tremble.
The terrifying cold made them start to shiver violently.
Fortunately, the survivors in the cave had given them so warm clothing before they ca here—otherwise, they would've frozen to death in temperatures as low as minus 40 degrees Celsius.
Even with warm clothing, they still shivered under the terrifying cold.
Violette began to worry and quickly asked, "Zeka, are… are you sure this decision is right? I think we should…"
"No!" Zeka shouted, cutting her off. "Violette, you have to trust . I'm certain this is the right decision."
"Let's go. We just need to endure a little more."
Zeka seed to have lost his usual composure—he looked like a madman, recklessly dragging Violette along the snowy path.
From the balcony above, Noan watched this scene and could only scoff in contempt.
"Master, why don't you let use a charm spell on Zeka and Valen?" Vylyss appeared behind Noan at that mont.
She wrapped her arms around him from behind, her voice sweet and sultry.
"Zeka is a very special case. You wouldn't be able to charm him," Noan replied with a smile.
Yes, if Zeka were easily chard, everything would have been much simpler.
Back in the city, Jankos wasn't too affected by beings with overwhelming power due to the city's magical do.
But here in this mysterious world, using a charm spell on Zeka might trigger a butterfly effect—one that could summon a terrifying existence. That would be far too dangerous.
That's why Noan avoided using charm magic on Zeka.
He continued, "Besides, Valen is also strange. It feels like there's so terrifying entity behind him. We shouldn't take reckless risks."
"I understand, Master," Vylyss said as she extended her long tongue and licked the back of Noan's neck. "Master, I want to…"
Noan chuckled and shook his head, then wrapped his arms around Vylyss and led her back inside the house. And then…
…
"You said you saw a monster here?" Valen asked with a frown.
"Ah! Yes, that's right," Baron quickly replied. "I saw a massive shadow appear. I didn't even get a clear look before I was thrown backward."
"When I went back to check again, the monster was nowhere to be found. I'm afraid it may have entered our cave, so I reported it to you imdiately."
Hearing this, Valen frowned and looked ahead.
That was one of the passageways leading into their shelter. There were four entrances in total—this one was the northern path.
The earlier explosion, though not very strong, had caused the ceiling of the cave to collapse, blocking the way with rocks and dirt.
Valen narrowed his eyes. Sothing felt off.
He looked at Baron and asked, "Did you get a clear look at the monster?"
"No!" Baron scoffed. "If I had seen it clearly, I wouldn't be giving such a vague description."
Valen gave a slight nod. After all, clearing a blocked path was easy for a Lord who possessed the power of a Stone Golem like him.
But still… He turned around and noticed that everyone had gathered—except for the three newcors.
A realization struck him, and he suddenly shouted, "Sothing's wrong! Where are those three?!"
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