Chapter 166: The Snow King Bear
The White Storm Dungeon, the most dangerous of all B-Rank dungeons.
Throughout its interior, violent blizzards raged unpredictably, turning entire regions into whiteout storms where sight was useless and survival itself became uncertain. Lurking within those frozen wastes were venomous monsters capable of killing with a single bite, as well as creatures whose pale bodies blended perfectly with the endless snowfields.
It was a place where even veteran adventurers could vanish without leaving so much as a footprint.
Yet despite its danger, many still dared to venture into its depths.
Why?
Because the materials gathered along the way—poison sacs from rare monsters, thick white pelts that retained warmth even in extreme cold—fetched astonishing prices on the market.
For most adventurers, that was more than enough.
Which was precisely why almost no one continued all the way to the final boss.
At the deepest point of the dungeon waited the ruler of this frozen domain—
The Snow King Bear.
Few adventurers were foolish enough to challenge it. In truth, “few” was being generous. One could just as easily say none at all.
After all, it was rumored that slaying a single Snow King Bear could earn enough wealth to build an entire mansion.
Such rewards came with equally terrifying risks.
And yet…
Today, there were those reckless—or perhaps fearless—enough to provoke the king of the snow.
“GROOOOOOOOAAAAARRR!!!”
Inside a raging whiteout, a massive claw tore through the blizzard and came crashing toward Alice.
“Ghk—ahhh!!”
She raised her sword just in time.
For a brief instant, steel met claw.
But the sheer force behind the strike was overwhelming.
Alice’s body was launched backward, flying over ten meters before she tumbled violently across the snow.
(That wasn’t even serious…)
She forced herself up slightly, her arm trembling violently.
(The Snow King Bear probably hasn’t even shown a fraction of its true power yet… That was just a casual test…)
Her fingers tingled painfully.
(And yet it still blew me away that easily… How pathetic. My arm’s completely numb…)
Alice was often misunderstood.
Because the people around her were all monsters among adventurers, others tended to assume she was just as powerful.
But in reality—
Her personal strength was closer to C-Rank in human combat, and perhaps D-Rank against monsters.
Facing the gigantic white beast before her now…
Was clearly a challenge far beyond her level.
“I’ll hold it off for now!!”
A clear voice rang out.
Stingray stepped forward, placing herself directly between Alice and the beast.
Her posture was calm, steady—like a knight standing before a charging army.
“We’ll help too~!”
“Looks like it’s finally my turn.”
The two riders atop Axel joined the fray as well.
The Snow King Bear was not a foolish creature.
Even it could sense that this female knight was fundamentally different from the young girl it had just swatted aside.
Its instincts sharpened.
This opponent was dangerous.
Which meant—
Now the real fight would begin.
“GRAAAAAAAAH!!!”
The giant bear suddenly charged at Stingray.
But just before colliding with her, it slammed its paws into the ground and stopped abruptly, twisting its massive body and swinging a crushing arm.
This time, however—
Its claws were coated in jagged ice.
Nearby, Ryu quietly placed his hand on the hilt of Kurikara.
(That could be trouble…)
He narrowed his eyes.
(But… if it’s Stingray…)
“Funny coincidence,” Stingray declared with a confident smile.
“Because I can cloak myself in wind too!”
Her rapier flashed.
The moment the claws descended—
CLANG!
The icy strike was deflected by a blade of wind.
“!?!!”
The Snow King Bear froze in shock.
Its massive claws had been repelled by a thin rapier far smaller than its own weapons.
The blow didn’t just fail—it struck at the pride of the king.
And with that—
The true battle between Stingray and the Snow King Bear began.
Alice, finally managing to stand, stared in awe.
“S-So amazing…”
(She’s fighting evenly with the Snow King Bear…)
The creature was officially rated B-Rank, but that was a simplified evaluation.
Taking the environment into account—this freezing battlefield that empowered it—
Its real danger level was closer to A-Rank.
(And yet she’s trading blows with it…)
Alice’s eyes sharpened.
(And that fighting style…)
“Noticed something, Alice?”
Ryu suddenly appeared beside her and gently supported her unsteady arm.
“Y-Yes,” she replied quickly. “Stingray isn’t keeping her mantle active constantly. She only activates it at the exact moment her rapier collides with the claws.”
“Correct,” Ryu said. “Do you understand the advantage?”
Alice thought carefully.
“Because she’s taking risks… she can fight much longer?”
“Exactly.”
It reminded Ryu of a conversation from earlier.
Back when Stingray had first learned to use Mantling.
“Ryu-sama,” she had said then, troubled.
“I’ve finally learned to cloak myself in wind. My burst power has increased dramatically… but my stamina is lacking. It feels like it will only serve as a finishing move. I’m still nowhere near the level of the A-Rank adventurer you mentioned before…”
Ryu had answered bluntly.
“Honestly, your mana pool is only a little above average. That A-Rank adventurer had at least three times as much mana as you.”
Stingray had lowered her gaze slightly.
Then Ryu had smiled.
“So how about this? What if you only activate it during the exact moments of attack and defense?”
“…Only at those moments?”
And thus—
Her current fighting style was born.
“ROOOOOOAR!!!”
“HAAAAAAAH!!!”
The clash intensified.
Steel, wind, and claws collided in a furious storm.
(So this is… the world of A-Rank battles…!)
Stingray realized she was smiling.
Without even noticing it, the corners of her lips had risen.
“If you’re only watching her, your back is completely open, Bear-san!”
Lena launched a powerful advanced fire spell.
Flames roared across the battlefield—
But they only managed to slightly scorch the creature’s thick fur.
(Snow and ice are weak to fire… but it’s clearly compensated for that weakness.)
The Snow King Bear didn’t even react.
It trusted completely in its magical defenses.
“Then try this instead!”
Alice raised her hand and fired a mid-tier lightning spell—Lightning Arrow.
“GRAH!?”
This time—
The lightning pierced the fur.
Electricity surged directly through the creature’s body.
Ryu grinned happily.
(Excellent lightning magic.)
(I’ll praise her properly later.)
Magic could certainly be studied through books and lectures.
But in Ryu’s opinion—
Magic was meant to be used in battle.
That was when it truly shined.
The Snow King Bear, irritated now, turned its massive body.
Its target was clear.
First eliminate the annoying spellcasters.
But just as it moved—
“Too bad!!”
Esther tossed several small potion bottles.
They struck the bear’s face directly.
“G-GROOO…!”
Suddenly, the bear staggered.
Its vision blurred.
Its sense of smell was overwhelmed.
Its movements slowed drastically.
Judging from its pained expression, it had even taken some internal damage.
“Esther-san… what exactly did you throw?” Lena asked cautiously.
Esther shrugged.
“No idea. I threw every poison I had that seemed effective against bears, so I cannot say which one worked.”
“…Seriously?”
Normally, monsters of upper B-Rank possessed strong resistance to poisons.
But this time…
The skill of the alchemist had apparently overwhelmed that resistance.
Ryu muttered quietly to Ryoma.
“…Hey. Isn’t that kind of unfair?”
“Indeed,” Ryoma replied calmly. “If even B-Rank monsters cannot resist it, there is little anyone can do.”
Ryu sighed.
“We may have accidentally unleashed something on the world that shouldn’t exist.”
Esther had been enthusiastically developing combat potions specifically for dungeon exploration.
And now it had become clear.
When the passion of a top-class alchemist was poured into poison—
The results were terrifying.
“Well then,” Ryoma said calmly.
“It seems time to finish this.”
He leapt high into the air above the bear’s head.
Then—
CRACK!
He delivered a brutal downward heel strike using his wooden geta sandals.
“G…Grr…”
“…Aren’t you a swordsman?” Ryu muttered.
“I would rather not hear that from you,” Ryoma replied dryly.
Everyone silently nodded in agreement.
From there—
The outcome was inevitable.
Stingray gathered wind around herself.
In a flash, she thrust her rapier twice into the backs of the Snow King Bear’s knees.
The giant beast collapsed.
Its enormous body dropping heavily to the snow.
“Well then, Alice.”
“It is your turn.”
The two dragons at her back gave her a gentle push forward.
Alice sprinted across the snow.
Then she leapt.
And—
“HAAAAAAAH!!!”
Her blade flashed.
SLASH!!
The strike cut cleanly across the exposed neck of the Snow King Bear.
The massive creature shuddered—
Then collapsed backward with a thunderous THUD.
Crimson blood spread across the white snow.
The king of the blizzard had fallen.
“Alright.”
Ryu raised his fist.
“White Storm Dungeon — Cleared.”
Cheers erupted among the group.
Everyone celebrated the victory.
(Man… dungeons really are fun.)
Ryu grinned inwardly.
(If a B-Rank dungeon is this exciting… I can’t even imagine what A-Rank or S-Rank ones are like.)
Especially S-Rank dungeons.
Those places were so dangerous that even the Snow King Bear would feel like a mere minor enemy in comparison.
Even Ryu himself would likely have to take things seriously there.
And of course—
The challenges wouldn’t be limited to combat alone.
As he watched his companions basking in the afterglow of victory, Esther trotted over.
“Ryu.”
“Hm? What’s up?”
“That inn we stayed at earlier… if I recall correctly, they offer a service where the cook will prepare ingredients gathered in the dungeon.”
“…Yeah?”
“And monsters that live in extremely cold regions are said to have very little odor and excellent fat content…”
“….”
“……”
“…………”
Everyone swallowed at the same time.
Soon after—
They hurriedly dismantled the Snow King Bear and began heading back toward the dungeon entrance.
Their method of return was obvious.
“There’s no way… Homura is this big!?”
“U-Uu… scary… the sky is scary…”
They rode on the back of Homura, who had returned to her true dragon form, soaring above the snow clouds.
“Gyau.”
(I couldn’t really contribute in that battle… so leave the transportation to me!)
Only now did Alice realize something.
“…Wait. A fire-attribute dragon is S-Rank, isn’t it…?”
(The boss we just fought was B-Rank… which means she’s two entire ranks above it…)
(And Axel is apparently A-Rank too…)
(None of this makes any sense anymore…)
Her brain gave up trying to process it.
“I heard the Heroes have already cleared most of the notable A-Rank dungeons,” Esther remarked. “It seems they will soon enter an S-Rank dungeon.”
“Good,” Ryu said casually.
“Let them go first so we can shake them down for dungeon information.”
“Hahaha… you are quite wicked yourself.”
“But before that,” Lena reminded him.
“Tomorrow is the duel, Onii-sama.”
“Right,” Ryu replied lazily.
“I guess I’ll try a little.”
The future ahead seemed increasingly entertaining.
◇◇◇
Meanwhile—
Directly beneath where Ryu’s party flew through the sky…
Inside the Blizzard Zone…
The four Golden Snake recruits huddled together desperately, trying to preserve what little warmth they had left.
“S-So cold…”
“Even though we didn’t run into those poison snakes… at this rate we’ll all freeze to death…”
Ironically, Ryu’s party had already slaughtered large numbers of the snow snakes earlier.
Without realizing it, they had indirectly saved these recruits from being poisoned.
But that alone wasn’t enough to survive the brutal dungeon.
(This is bad… really bad…)
(If this continues…)
Then—
A voice echoed through the storm.
“I’ve been looking for you.”
“S-Seniors!!!”
The Golden Snake executives had arrived.
The recruits’ faces lit up instantly.
“You actually came to save us!”
However—
The moment the recruits stood up—
Thud.
Daggers pierced each of their chests.
“…W-Why…?”
One of them collapsed, blood spilling onto the snow.
A senior member replied coldly.
“Your reckless incompetence angered Orochi Python-sama.”
“That’s all.”
The executives calmly collected the recruits’ clan tags and equipment from their bodies before leaving.
The corpses would eventually be absorbed by the dungeon itself.
There was no need to dispose of them.
“…Killing such cute new recruits still hurts a little,” one subordinate muttered.
“Yeah,” the executive replied.
“But this is how our clan has survived and prospered all this time.”
His voice was quiet.
“There’s no turning back now.”
And with that—
They exited the dungeon and returned to the Golden Snake clan house to deliver their report.