Chapter 253 - Movements of Frost

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[First Frost: Shattering Forms]

Active Magic Skill Lvl 1

The first of four movements. First Frost: Shattering Forms allows the user to Enchant a weapon to leave a Mark where it lands. The Marks last for 5 minutes, until destroyed or shattered by the user.

Shattering the Mark detonates on the target, dealing penetrating Ice Damage. The user must be within 5 meters from the target.

- The effects of the spell last for 30 seconds or ten hits, whichever comes first.

- Casting Time: 30 seconds. Cost: 5 Mana. Cooldown: 150 seconds.

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[Third Frost: Cloudless Froststorm]

Active Magic Skill Lvl 1

The third of four movements. Third Frost: Cloudless Froststorm creates a domain around the user that slows any target within and simultaneously buffs the user's Ice Affinity by 20.

- The domain created by the spell lasts for 30 minutes.

- Casting Time: 5 minutes. Cost: 30 Mana. Cooldown: 3 hours.

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The four Movements of Frost spells Jack received during one of his mission had proved its worth time and time again. He used them moderately, and each one had a specific purpose. Even though Jack never used these spells outside of combat, Jack was more than confident in his abilities.

However, the spells had their drawbacks that came along with their power. Jack had long trained to get used to the long channeling time that he had even turned to Margareth for help.

The blonde Librarian elf taught Jack, albeit reluctantly, of a way to use Enchant magic in a short period of time. It essentially cut down on the casting time that the Movements of Frost spells had. Jack made full use of the Enlightened Enchanting to further his combat capabilities.

But, with that said, there were still the glaring issues with his Mana. Because, while Enlightened Enchanting shortened his casting time, it made the spells less effective in damage and more costly in Mana. Jack had to be careful not to use too much all at once.

Now, though, it was not one of those times.

Jack continued to walk at an amicable pace while the group of creatures watched the lone human approach them. They hesitated, unsure as to what Jack was. But, with that ominous glare directed at them, they knew Jack was the enemy.

The creatures then charged at Jack, realizing the transparency of Jack's actions. They didn't form any plan of attack and rushed towards Jack with no hesitation.

As they barreled towards him, Jack didn't flinch or look up. The darkened expression on his face spelled doom for his opponents. So much so that he didn't even bother to look them in the eye. His opponents soon closed the distance. And, once they reached 20 yards of where Jack was, they slowed to a crawl.

They had walked right into Jack's domain with no indication whatsoever. The creatures had only realized what was happening too little too late. Their joints froze up, and snow covered parts of their bodies. They could still move but not by much.

On the other hand, Jack was unhindered. Nothing about him changed, aside from the fact that he smiled. The overly ominous glare in his eyes, paired with a devilish smile, made for a cold reception.

Even if the creatures didn't like what they were seeing, Jack didn't care for what his audience thought. No part of him shared any sympathy to those he would soon slaughter. As the already slow creatures got even slower, Jack raised his blade in a calm sense of vengeance.

"Enlightened Enchanting," Jack muttered as he eyed the group of creatures standing in his way, "Second Frost: Shriveled Icicles."

Just like that, three magic arrays appeared in front of Jack. They floated in the air, with the flat side of the array facing the creatures before him. And, not two seconds later, each one shot an icicle with a 10-inch diameter. The icicles made their way through the group, rampaging and ensuing chaos among the creatures. They soon reached beyond Jack's domain, effectively stopping at the backline.

Jack's spell managed to strike fear among the creatures. So much so that some of them even backed away. But nobody ran. They stood their ground, even if Jack shook their confidence.

So be it, though, because Jack couldn't be bothered to hunt down every single one. Grouping together made Jack's job easier. And, as he drew his blade and increased his pace, the expression on Jack's face changed to a more intimidating, colder look.

Reaching the first of the creatures, Jack slashed about, mercilessly slaughtering his opponent in one hit. With their slowed reactions, they could barely react to how Jack attacked.

With each slash of his sword, Jack aimed his attacks at the creature's weak points. Every swing, every move was nothing more than a decisive blow against his opponents. The body count increased as each second passed. Jack didn't so much as catch a breath in his rampage.

Nevertheless, Jack didn't stop until his domain exhausted its duration. The enemy creatures soon returned to their normal status, even though there wasn't much of them left.

However, Jack didn't take the change lightly and decided to fight even more violently. There was no mercy in his actions, no hesitation between each strike. Suffice it to say that the blood had covered most of his clothes and face.

As the group of creatures dwindled, the remaining few threw their clubs on the ground and begged Jack for mercy. They were terrified, expressions explaining as such, and Jack seemed nothing more than some unstoppable monster.

However, Jack wasn't so kind.

A single swing onto an already-kneeling creature, Jack beheaded the poor thing. The creature's head lopped off his torso as its comrades watched in sheer horror.

And Jack didn't even look up.

The creatures struggled to get away. Some didn't even bother to move as they collapsed, frozen in fear. Their entire population had met its maker. The creatures fully realized that, even without a word spoken to each other. Whether they chose to run or stay, they wouldn't make it out alive.

Jack knew that these things were dead the moment he saw them. They just needed some help getting there.

Crack!

Ending the last of his enemies, Jack managed to clear out the monsters of the frozen tundra. He had even gained some experience points and was on the cusp of leveling up. But none of that mattered now as he kneeled towards the corpses by the fire.

Jack stared at the disfigured, charred faces of the elves in front of him. He remained silent and unblinking. The thoughts in his head were scattered, unsure as to what he should be thinking right now. As he faced the corpses, all of which had unfamiliar faces, Jack's heart sunk.

'Was this right?' he thought to himself as his eyes stared deeply into the corpses' faces. Those very faces ingrained themselves in Jack's memory, all charred and disfigured, 'I was too late.'

This whole experience Jack was feeling at this moment hit him hard.

Even though this wasn't the first time he had experienced grief, Jack was still speechless. Regardless of the fact that he had barely known these people. Or the fact that he killed an entire village's worth of creatures in cold blood. Jack didn't even care if he had failed his mission.

None of those things mattered now. Even though Jack knew that people died, lives easily extinguished, nothing prepared him for the sheer disgust of desecrating corpses.

Throughout his life's journey, Jack experienced a plethora of things. There were moments that had led him close to his death. Others terrified him of losing someone else important to him. But, none of them ever prepared him to see people being eaten.

He thought he was immune to things that would have otherwise mortified other people. He was a soldier through and through, after all. Jack had his mind prepared for whatever he might encounter. From his allies' deaths to psychological warfare, Jack knew how to deal with his feelings.

But, this. This was entirely different.

Jack's aloof nature was brought upon by the fear and hesitation of allowing someone to get close to him. He acted uncaringly and didn't take anything seriously because he knew just how easy it was to get lost in that. Deep down, though, Jack was cold-hearted.

When the time comes for him to play his part, Jack wouldn't hesitate. Even if it was to kill someone close to him, there would be no doubt in his final strike. Jack was that kind of person. A cold, ruthless killer, even if he didn't show it.

Now, though, that wasn't the case. As Jack stared at the corpses in front of him, feelings of anger and regret came to mind. Sparing a few moments of silence, Jack closed his eyes as he offered his prayers and respect.

Jack then slammed the [Frozen Teardrop of Mist] into the ground, embedding its blade onto the snow. As he stood up, Jack turned to the outward edges of the camp.