The Ice Tomb’s Treasures

The reward room’s mechanism dictated that pulling a lever would randomly open three of the six stone coffins. The equipment dropped would then be distributed based on players’ roll scores.

However, there was no one else here, and the concept of ‘rolling dice’ didn’t even exist in this otherworld. This meant everything inside the three stone coffins belonged solely to her.

As Daphne pulled the lever, the floor vibrated faintly. With a tremendous grinding sound, the lids of the second coffin from the left and the first two from the right slowly slid open, and icy blue light spilled out from the newly formed gaps.

“Ah, it’s these three items. They’re barely acceptable,” she mused.

Just by their positions, Daphne recognized the three items instantly, having cleared this dungeon countless times before. Still, she needed to confirm them, just in case.

After all, this world wasn’t identical to COG in every aspect; many illogical elements from the game would be rectified in reality, potentially leading to discrepancies.

Inside the second stone coffin on the left lay a kite shield. Its surface was not crafted from wood or steel, but from solid frost. A livid, skeletal corpse formed the core, binding the eternally unmelting True Ice into shape.

An eerie, ghostly blue light wavered like mist from the hollow eye sockets of the remains.

“H-huh, it’s truly cold~” Daphne gasped, retreating swiftly after a single glance.

This shield, almost entirely composed of True Ice, was called the ‘Deathguard of Arsuga’. It was suitable for Shieldguards, a warrior specialization, or Battle Priests, a cleric specialization.

Enemies attacking the shield would be afflicted with a ‘Frost’ debuff, slowing their attack and movement speeds. Low-level fodder enemies would instantly freeze into ice sculptures, effectively dying.

As a legendary-grade item, its power extended far beyond this.

Evidently, Daphne’s delicate physique was utterly incapable of wielding such a shield. The bone-chilling cold was almost unbearable even from a mere proximity.

Furthermore, reality offered no ‘dimensional pocket’ like in games, where one could store anything observed and retrieve it from an inventory. Thus, despite its regrettable power, she had no choice but to reluctantly abandon the shield.

Next, she turned to the first stone coffin on the right.

“This one might be temporarily useful,” Daphne murmured, walking over to peer inside.

Curled within the coffin was a greyish-white cloak, adorned with the massive, icy fangs of a Snowfield Direwolf dangling from its collar. Frost crystallized amidst its fur, and even if brushed away, it would instantly reform and cover the surface.

Without hesitation, Daphne reached out, took the cloak, and draped it over herself, enveloping her shivering, pale form that trembled from the cold.

Contrary to its appearance, the cloak was remarkably warm when worn. The frost on the Snowfield Direwolf’s fur was actually a result of it absorbing encroaching cold air and converting it into frost-attribute magical energy.

[Arsuga’s Snow-Fluff Cloak]

[Armor – Cloak – Legendary]

[A fur cloak that constantly crystallizes frost. Perhaps the true soul of the direwolf resides within it. The proud alpha wolf, Melville, once led its direwolf pack to resist the invasion of the undead. However, Arsuga had set his sights on this desolate, cold, yet vast and boundless land, seeing it as the starting point for a great retaliatory vengeance. He was determined to claim it. Ultimately, Arsuga severed the alpha wolf’s head and resurrected it with necromancy, turning it into an undead mount as eternal punishment. From then on, Melville no longer needed its fur for warmth, nor its icy fangs for tearing.]

[Lord of Winter: The wearer feels no cold.]

[Soul of the Direwolf: Requires sufficient Blood Crystal Wind concentration. Consumes 40 MP from the wearer to summon a pack of undead Snowfield Direwolves. The pack’s size depends on the wearer’s overall level. Has a 48-hour cooldown after use.]

[Frost Fangs: Applies the ‘Frost’ status to a designated enemy for 3 minutes. No cost. Has a 24-hour cooldown after use.]

[Curse of the Ice Tomb King: Set bonus inactive – Current Ice Tomb equipment count: 1/3]

After a swift scan, Daphne confirmed its effects were largely consistent with those in COG. Still, the same issue persisted: she currently possessed no magic power, rendering the active skill ‘Soul of the Direwolf’ utterly unusable.

However, the ‘Frost’ status inflicted by ‘Frost Fangs’ boasted the longest duration in the entire game, making it remarkably effective in certain situations. Yet, for high-level players, all three of the cloak’s skills were rather underwhelming, primarily serving to complete the Ice Tomb set for its bonus effects.

She deemed it useful, however, for its exceptional ability to ward off the cold. After all, she couldn’t very well run around naked in this freezing, snowy wilderness, could she?

The main event, however, was the last item: the second stone coffin on the right. That single piece of equipment was the true reason Daphne considered the haul ‘barely acceptable’.

She stepped lightly to the coffin, ascended the low stone steps, and bent down to examine its contents.

The item reposing within the coffin was not massive; instead, it was exceedingly tiny, making the large stone sarcophagus seem rather empty.

“Since it’s still you, then it means I have a chance to seek an audience with the Ice Tomb King,” she mused aloud.

It was a ring crafted from a finger bone joint, with a dark purple gem embedded between the pale bone segments. Deep within the gem, countless vengeful spirits seemed to wail and writhe.

Daphne slipped the ominous ring onto her right index finger.

[Arsuga’s Death Sigil]

[Accessory – Ring – Legendary]

[Seek an audience with Arsuga, the Ice Tomb King!]

[Ice Tomb Sigil: Grants identity recognition within Klogotia, the Land of the Dead.]

[Undead Devotion: Grants the wearer a second temporary faith, effective only while equipped.]

[Skeletal Ornament: Consumes 20% of the wearer’s maximum magic power and 20% of their maximum health to summon a mini-skeleton that can block and absorb damage for the wearer. Lasts 10 minutes. No cooldown.]

[Curse of the Ice Tomb King: Set bonus inactive – Current Ice Tomb equipment count: 2/3]

This was an accessory that garnered significant discussion on forums. Not only did it have no level restrictions, but its active survival skill also had virtually no prerequisites.

It offered diverse gameplay experiences with two different faiths, and wearing the ring allowed players to infiltrate Klogotia, unlocking a plethora of non-combat fetch quests to quickly gain experience and level up.

It was, in essence, the perfect gift for veteran players to entice newcomers, far superior to simply thrusting a pile of gleaming, high-level equipment that was temporarily useless and incomprehensible to a novice.

However, for Daphne, her primary focus was actually on the accessory’s background description.

—’Seek an audience with Arsuga, the Ice Tomb King!’

Unlike the descriptions of other items, this ring’s background was just this single, succinct line. She recalled that equipment with such unique descriptions usually harbored plot-related easter eggs.

In the game, wearing this ring and standing before the Frost Longsword in the center of the boss arena, then typing ‘I request an audience, great Ice Tomb King Arsuga!’ into the public chat box, would trigger a floor-trembling animation.

And then, nothing more. The COG development team, brilliant and mighty, had been in a rush to move on to gacha games, leaving all dungeon equipment easter eggs in this final expansion pack as discarded content.

But this was not a game; this was the real world.