CHAPTER 22: THE ICE PRINCESS

"You pieces of trash. Couldn't you guys be obedient for just one day? All you had to do was stay locked up for one more day, and you would have been off our hands. Tsk, now I have to send one or two unlucky ones to the afterlife to put the rest of you in your place," the bandit leader said, his face displaying a cruel and malevolent smile.

'Damn,' Brian thought, sweating buckets—like, a ton of them. It was never in his plan for the bandit leader to still be at the hideout. 'We're all doomed,' he thought, and well, everyone else did too.

"Alright, don't worry. I don't plan on killing everyone here. You're actually more valuable to me alive. So let's do this—tell me who orchestrated the escape, and I'll spare the rest of you. How does that sound?" The bandit leader asked the crowd mischievously.

Brian felt the world spinning. He had no hope that camaraderie would prevent those he saved from ratting him out. And, of course, he was not disappointed—all the surviving escapees pointed at him, along with his adventurer team.

"Oh, so it was you guys. Well, I thought ending the pathetic lives of two of your teammates was enough of a wake-up call. Guess it wasn't. You'll have to pay for your audacious ac—"

The bandit leader was cut off by the sound of footsteps. Turning toward the noise, he saw a beautiful woman with long silver hair, a perfect face, and a slim body with moderate curves and endowments, painting a flawless picture. In her hands was a silvery rapier. She was dressed in well-fitted knight armor, making her body size easy to guess.

"And who the hell are you?" the bandit leader asked, annoyed by the uninvited guest.

Gaining no response, he grew even more furious. "Bïtch wants to die so badly," he muttered, preparing for battle—though not before taking the mysterious pill. He rushed toward her, confident in his victory.

"Ice Zone," a soothing female voice said calmly.

Immediately, everyone felt a shiver down their spine as the entire hideout was covered in ice and snow.

[Ice Zone: Creates a zone covering a 1 km radius in ice and snow, causing a freezing debuff and weakening debuff to all those perceived as enemies by the caster.]

"No way… Don't tell me—you're… you're Elizabeth, the Ice Princess!" the bandit leader shouted, fear apparent in his voice.

The bandits immediately understood why their leader cowered in fear. Their bodies grew numb and sluggish, the freezing debuff making them shiver and slow in movement.

The escapees, including Brian and his teammates, were filled with shock and admiration. The woman wasted no time, muttering two more spells.

"Freeze. Ice Break."

The bandit leader and his underlings turned into frozen sculptures. Moments later, the sculptures shattered into pieces.

Freeze and Break was a linked spell she often used against weaker enemies.

After the demise of the bandit leader and his underlings, the escapees rushed toward the lady, eager to curry favor and secure her protection. Brian, however, remained behind, vigilant and on high alert. His teammates, who had come to rely on him, stayed back as well, following his lead.

The lady ignored the sycophants trying to pressure her into taking responsibility for their safety and walked straight to Brian. "So, you're the Sword God—the young man Commander Joshua praised for his remarkable talent," she said, her voice still captivating.

"You know Commander Joshua?" Brian asked, surprised and curious.

"Of course. He's my teacher and superior. I was given a task to track down individuals in this area who had dealings with some unknown merchants exchanging humans for illegal pills. Commander Joshua asked me to check on you while I was at it. It seems he was right about your talent—already Level 12, I see," she said approvingly.

Brian's teammates were beyond shocked, as were the other escapees. To think Brian had connections with such a powerful figure. Those who had ratted him out began withdrawing, fearing he might be petty enough to seek revenge.

***

In a hidden sanctuary prepared to keep himself and his sister away from public eyes, Nemesis was accepting a guest—Will George.

"So, how did you enjoy my work?" Will George asked, a smirk on his face.

"Hmm, I never expected you to be that direct, to be honest, but it was the best choice. Because I'll definitely be making more requests of you," Nemesis said coldly.

"Hey, give me a break. That's not fair, you know. I actually lost 5% of my gaming company shares to pull that off," Will George complained, faking a teary face.

"It's definitely not worth a trillion dollars, right? I'm sure I gave you a trillion," Nemesis replied, silencing Will George's complaints.

"Alright, you win."

"Actually, what's your plan going forward? You haven't been active in the game for days now," Will George asked again.

"Gold Goblin, mind your business," Nemesis said before standing up from the couch and heading toward his bedroom, leaving Will George alone to fend for himself.

"Tsk, still cold. I was hoping to talk to the cherry version of him today, not this frosty one. Anyway, I've got a lot to prepare, so I'd better get going," Will George muttered to himself before standing up and making his way out.

******

"Hello, I heard you guys are the best at conducting discreet investigations."

"Indeed, sir. We offer the best service, ensuring a perfect investigation is carried out without alerting the party being investigated."

"Good. I want you to look into the mysterious death of the Austins. I've made the necessary payment, including the one for confidentiality. Do not disappoint me—you won't like the consequences."

"Alright, sir...?"

"Ghost. Call me Ghost," Nemesis said after pausing for a second.

"Alright, Sir Ghost. It will be done soon—just await the results."

Ending the call, Nemesis sighed. It was time to start seeking vengeance. As for the game, well, his level was already significantly higher than most. Besides, he figured Brian, the Sword God, was only beginning to glimpse the main storyline. He had to wait for Brian to do the dirty work in the AOM quest while he reaped the rewards of his labor. In this life, he realized just how enjoyable that feeling was.

***

Dragging his battered body, Cain walked slowly, clutching the gaming helmet in his hand. Despite the excruciating pain, he moved forward happily toward his rundown house, eager for the warm welcome of his girlfriend, Maria.

Cain and Maria had been orphans living on the streets since they were ten, relying on each other to survive. Eventually, love blossomed between them, and they became inseparable. But recently, Maria had fallen ill, and Cain had no idea what was wrong with her. Worse, he didn't have the money to get her treated.

So, the previous day, he had taken a huge risk—he stole money from a notorious gang, just enough to hire a doctor to examine her condition. To his relief, the doctor assured him it wasn't anything serious and that Maria would recover soon with proper treatment. Overjoyed, and with some spare cash from the theft, Cain had bought two gaming helmets for Apocalypse—one for Maria and one for himself. It had always been their dream to own one.

As he approached his home, Cain frowned, noticing that the door was open and unlocked. He hesitated for a moment but quickly dismissed his concerns, assuming the doctor had been careless. Shaking his head, he prepared to give the doctor an earful as he stepped inside.

But the scene before him was far from what he had imagined. It was horrifying.

Inside his home stood the gang he had stolen from—alongside the doctor.

Cain's breath caught in his throat. His vision blurred as dizziness took over, his mind struggling to process the sight.

"D-Doctor... what's the meaning of this?" Cain asked between heavy breaths.

"Nothing much," the doctor replied, a cruel smile on his face. "They offered me a nice deal to help them get back at you, and I couldn't exactly turn them down, you know?"

"What happened to caring for your patients' well-being being your top priority?!" Cain shouted.

"Oh, please spare me that nonsense," the doctor scoffed. "This is the slums. I have to do what I need to survive. If my medical license hadn't been revoked for one little mistake, I wouldn't even be here helping trash like you." His voice dripped with disdain.

"M-Maria... what did you do to her?" Cain stammered, his fear overwhelming him.

"Oh, the girl you love?" One of the gang members chuckled. "Well, she was pretty, and they were... hungry wolves. It couldn't be helped."

Cain's heart pounded violently in his chest. He didn't wait to hear more—he bolted toward the room where Maria was supposed to be, praying that what he feared most wasn't true.

(A/N: my bad posting this late, today was well, stressful, coupled with falling Ill, could barely complete it today. Hopefully it doesn't happen again, thanks for understanding)