Chapter 256 - Cold to the Touch

Gasp!

Jack collapsed on the snow, gasping for air. Slowly feeling the cold weather, Jack couldn't help but think to himself what had just happened.

The series of events that had occurred were confusing, more so to Jack than anyone else. He couldn't understand how things turned out this way. And, at this point, Jack couldn't put a candle to the truth. He just lied there in the snow, desperately trying to catch his breath.

A few moments later, though, Jack managed to calm down. He was still confused but a lot better now that he had recovered slightly. That said, he wasn't entirely in the right state of mind just yet. There were too many unexplained things, after all, starting with the giant that kept staring at him.

As he lied there, Jack looked to the starless night sky. With most of the snow clouds now gone, Jack caught a better glimpse of the darkness above him.

'Huh.'

Jack let out a grunt as he noticed there wasn't any snow falling on top of him anymore. The weather was better, in a sense that the cold atmosphere of this dimension changed by some degree.

As he sat up, Jack looked around the immediate vicinity to see if something else were different. While most of the tundra remained the same, the ground behind him collapsed. Jack expected it, though, considering he had just gotten out of a cave-in.

Not only that, but the temperature increased as well. While the change in the atmosphere wasn't anything significant, Jack noted that it was much warmer than before. While it was still far from being bearable, Jack found it much more comfortable.

Even with all those changes to the environment, none could compare to the transformation of his sword.

So, Jack pulled out the [Frozen Teardrop of Mist] from his Inventory and immediately dropped it on the ground below. The blade itself was significantly heavier than before, so much so that Jack could only hold it up by the handle.

Nevertheless, Jack studied the changes to his weapon. While he wasn't as observant to change as Rynold was, he could still point out a thing or two.

The blade emanated a low blue glow. While it wasn't as bright as how it was back in the cave, Jack could still feel something unfathomable coming from it. While he couldn't put the feeling into words, something about this felt ominous yet wonderful at the same time.

As time passed, Jack noticed that the blue glow slowly dimmed. It was a gradual change. However, the sword only grew heavier as the blue light died down. While Jack was still sitting down, he couldn't let the sword rest against his leg anymore. He placed the weapon gently to the side, watching over the changes that occurred.

But, with something as simple as that, something had to disturb it.

Out of nowhere, holes started popping up from the ground around him. At first, Jack thought that he saw things, that the fatigue had finally gotten to him. But, after the first hole came the second, then the third, then the fourth. Jack knew that he didn't imagine it the fifth time.

'Shit.'

At a moment's notice, Jack pushed himself off the ground while simultaneously holding on to the handle of his sword. But he couldn't get very far. The sword was far too heavy even for the likes of Jack, who put a lot of points into his Strength Attribute. Even when using both hands, the sword itself wouldn't budge.

But, in times of crisis, Jack would bother with the intricacies of all that. He didn't have the luxury to do so as the threat soon reached Jack.

'Come on. Come on!'

Nearly begging, Jack desperately tried to lift the [Frozen Treadrop of Mist]. He put in everything he had to try and bring the sword up to waist level but ultimately failed. In a matter of moments, the sword's dimly lit blue light slowly disappeared, increasing the weight of the blade substantially.

"Gah! Damn it."

After a couple more tugs, Jack gave up. He decided to fight against the worm-like creature barehanded. And, as risky as it sounds, he did not look forward to it.

Jack looked attentively at the ground around him, careful not to fall into any potholes that might appear. He was careful not to jump away just yet, choosing to stay near his sword. While the holes that continuously popped up made their way to surround him, Jack was still afloat.

Whatever the creature's plans were, Jack wasn't going to have a good time fighting. He remained alert, though, and watched where the next hole would pop up.

Unfortunately, Jack didn't pay enough attention to what was happening around him.

Without any warning whatsoever, the [Frozen Teardrop of Mist] flew into the air once more. It then zipped right across the air and embedded itself onto Jack's back, blade first. The sword burst through Jack, stopping just enough for Jack to see it from the front. He looked down in reflex as his bodily functions started to shut down, and blood oozed from his chest.

Instead of collapsing to the ground, though, Jack remained standing. He was bleeding, but not so profusely that he would die right away. No, Jack just stood there as he passed out, with the blade sitting just below his heart.

As Jack's vision blurred and his thoughts remained obscured, a distant voice called out to him. He didn't recognize it, not from afar. But, as each second that passed, the voice grew louder and louder, calling and welcoming him into its arms.

Death, perhaps? There was no way of telling. While Jack could still hear things, albeit distortedly, he couldn't grasp anything apart from what he heard.

In other words, Jack was at death's door by no fault of his own. While Jack had his fair share of near-death experiences, none came close to this one. And, the worst part in all this was, he wasn't able to lift a finger in how he died. He just did. And there was nothing he could do.

As his consciousness continued to dwindle down into nothingness, Jack felt cold. Unbelievably cold.

There was no mistaking it now — that he was moments away from leaving this mortal plane. The voice tickled his ears and even tempted Jack to give in to his death. He was on the verge of it, the very cusp of crossing over to the nether realm. Despite that, though, there was something clinging to him here.

Gasp!

Jack felt as though a hand went through where the stab was, causing him to wake up. He gasped for air, realizing what had happened, and woke up from his drowsiness. But he wasn't fully awake just yet. As he opened his eyes, taking in what was around him, Jack saw a sizable humanoid creature with a body made entirely out of flowing water.

There was no telling who this person was. But, whoever it was, it had saved him.

"I...," Jack called out but trailed off as he didn't know what to say.

"Shush, human," the creature called for Jack to be quiet, its tone variating in volume. "You are within my realm, in the sword you so possess. While I am using the last of my strength to fend off this curse on your Mana Core, what, pray tell, reason do you have for me to save you?"

"What?"

While Jack could fully hear what the creature was saying, he wasn't so sure if he understood. Its voice was tuning in and out of existence. While some had an amicable volume, other parts of the conversation were unnaturally quiet. Thus, it caused some misunderstanding.

"Humans. Always so dense," the creature remarked, annoyed, "We do not have much time here, human. While I would enjoy remarking on your crude understanding of the arcane, we do not have such luxury. So, tell me. Why should I deny this curse from consuming you?"

At the back of Jack's mind, he wanted to ask a plethora of questions. But, due to the urgency of the situation, he chose to hold back and instead answered the one presented to him.

Well, if only it were that easy.

Jack hesitated, not sure as to what answer he should give. There was no straight answer that would've made the creature before him say yes. And, while saying something half-baked and unintended would be better than nothing, the creature could easily see through that.

What the hell was Jack supposed to say, then? That he wanted to bring justice? That he wanted to be stronger?

None of those expressed Jack's true intent. While they sounded like good reasons, they weren't what Jack wanted. He didn't want to become the strongest in the New World, nor did he want to be the law above the rest. No, he had one answer and one answer alone.

"Well? We don't have all day."

"Answers," Jack said with a steeled heart, "I want answers."