As all the Floaters swarmed at me, fighting the entire group was too much to handle, even for my cheat-like damage. I igheir awful stend focused solely on my defense. Floater on the left stroked at my left side, and other twed from behind to surround me.

  The shield was supposed to protect me as I pushed to the left, but that left open my other side.

  [Block successful. Mitigated amount of damage: 3, other damage halved. Suffered amount: 3][Block successful. Mitigated amount of damage: 3, other damage halved. Suffered amount: 2]A sharp, searing pain shot through my shield hand, leaving it nearly useless despite the gallons of wine I’d downed. One desperate dash brought me to a safer position, but in my haste, I stumbled over a downed floater, nding in an utterly unheroic heap.

  “Fire se!” Istvan’s anding voice sliced through the noise of battle—the anguished cries of monsters blending with the howling storm. His fmes surged to life, a fierce, purifying bze that reduced everything in its path to ash. For a fleeting moment, I was struck by a memory: the siege of Sky City. Istvan, then as now, had been the leader of our small group—one of the most formidable mage anders in the Imperial Army and a loyal servant to the Duke.

  The ominous crag of the shield eng the ship tore me from my ption. batants exged nervous gnces as the enemy’s releentacles battered against it. Each blow resohrough the air, a chilling reminder of how precarious our situation was. My pulse quied as I scrambled to my feet and climbed onto the deck.

  The Duke’s retainers stood in their cssiation: warriors and padins in front, mages and priests at the rear, rogues guarding the fnks, and the Duke anding the ter. His scarred, youthful face was turoward the fray, but seeing him now, t over me, made my breath catch. I used to think of him as a small man.

  Istvan, however, was unged—his ageless presence was just as imposing as ever. His bck robes blended with the stormy night, save for the faint glint of his sharp eyes and the gleaming staff in his hand. His gaze nded on me like a hammer, stern and unyielding. “Hero! Fall in lio the back!” he barked, his voice cutting through the chaos.

  Oh, yes. The standard Imperial formation. Fwed as ever, with male close batants in front and female casters in the rear. Lucy used to rant about it endlessly, perched in her favorite window. How is she now? I wohe thought momentarily stealing my focus. I o reach out to her.

  “Hero! Move!” Istvan’s voice dragged me back to the present.

  “I ’t, ander Istvan, sir!” I protested, pnting my feet. “I o fight on the front lines ahem damage my shield. My skill—”

  Before I could finish, Istvan grabbed the edge of my robe with a surprising grip and yanked me to his side. “You will follow my orders, or you will not fight at all,” he growled, his tone cold and unpromising. “Insubordination during a crisis is intolerable, even for you.”

  “Sir, please! I’ll be more effective at the front—”

  Istvan’s grip tightened, and his strength—ued for a mage—held me firm. “No! You will stay bad heal the soldiers. Your rades are risking their lives to keep you alive.” He cast a swift sound rune, his voice suddenly booming across the deck. “Attention, all! Prepare for battle. I’m l the shield for the floaters!”

  The crag of the shield reached a cresdo as Istvan raised his staff. Glowing runes formed in the surrounding air, their intricate designs traced with such precision it looked effortless—like he was strolling through a park drinking his favorite whisky, rather than fag dowh.

  My frustration burned as I watched him manipute the shield with a mastery I could only admire. The barrier grew translut, allowing the floaters to pass through while still holding the writhiacles at bay.

  “Soldiers, hear me!” Istvan anded. “Hold the liil we finish the [Spear of Destiny]!”

  Wait. What?! This early? My heart raced as he rummaged through his iory, finally pulling out a pin, unassuming spear. He pced it on the deck, motioning for the es to t. One by ohey drew runes before them, their mana flowing into the spear as it seemed to devour their energy hungrily.

  “The Elite Floaters!” a warrior shouted, intercepting an attack. A horde er, uglier Floaters wielding crude bronze ons surged forward.

  Disobeying orders, I blocked a strike from one of the elites, keeping my [Ice Blood] skill active. But the force of the impact was overwhelming, sendiaggering backward until I collided with a Padin.

  [Elite Floater Lv.7]Type: 3-rare Elite | HP: 145/145[Block successful. Mitigated amount of damage: 3, other damage halved. Suffered amount: 5]“Hero! Last warning!” Istvan’s voied across the deck, sharp as a bartender’s during a bar fight. Even with his focus on the ting mages and the spell work, his keen eyes had caught my reckless charge. Terrific. I begrudgingly stepped back, shing out with my whip betweewo warriors. A sharp, supersonic crack echoed, and the [Elite Floater] lost its right arm in a glorious burst of icy shards.

  Around me, my new rades grinned despite the chaos. Their movements became more fident as they instinctively shifted to guard the area near me, being from the icy aura of my [Ice Dahe icy air shimmered faintly around us, slowing our enemies and giving even the less agile warriors a ce to dodge the ining blows.

  The relentless sted overhead, raiing down and mixing with blood on the deck. Cries of battle mingled with the howling wind, and every csh of ons reverberated through the ship. I watched the warriors take advantage of the Ice Dance’s slowing effect, their strikes more precise as the Floaters struggled to maneuver in the icy haze.

  Four tense minutes passed, the fight wearing on. My breath caught as a warrior in front of me stumbled, his footing lost on the slick, bloodied deck. In three strides, I lunged forward, shield raised just as the Floater struck. Its cws raked ay shield with a screeg sound. Success! The cold spread further as [Ice Blood] activated, its energy seeping into my veins.

  “That is the st straw!” Istvan’s enraged shout came a sed before his bck staff collided with my head. Pain fred as he yanked me from the fray, draggioward the ting mages at the ter of the formation.

  “You will not join the fight! You are a civilian aiding in a crisis, nothing more. Your recklessness hinders our efforts, and I will not tolerate insubordination. Stay here and don’t move—or face execution.”

  I slumped to the ground beside him, gring at his back as he returo direg the spell. Fine. My body ached, and the storm’s biting wind stung my face. As I sat there, frustration boiling in my chest, one giant, reckless idea crept into my mind. A stupid, impossible idea.

  There was just och—Istvan would probably kill me for it.

  Whatever.

  The ter for [Ice Blood] expired, and with it, my exceptional damage faded away; I could only bme him. Istvan ignored my angry gres, his focus unwavering as he ted the ruhe spear began to ge color, shifting into a pure, radiant gold. Hundreds of runes, engraved by the mages’ magic, spiraled around it, f an intricate ttice of glowing symbols. I had held this on only on my previous life, and the memory of its immense power intoxicated me.

  That was the purpose.

  The mages stood in a tight circle around the spear, their faces illuminated by the eerie glow. As they etched more runes onto its surface, a violent surge of maed, sending ripples of energy pulsing through the air. The very atmosphere crackled, heavy with raw power. Nearby, the elite mohe experience bags—were so close I could see the mali their eyes. But I didn’t want to anger Istvan; not yet, at least.

  The battle raged olessly. The ship rocked beh us as the tentacles tiheir assault on the shield, each impact eg like a barrel rolling. Amidst the chaos, I retrieved ten cauldrons from my pack, setting them up to brew another potion on the unsteady deck. It wasn’t easy—each sway of the ship threateo topple my equipment—but what else could I do? Just stand there and watch?

  After a while, the spear’s hum intensified, a pierg sound that drilled into my ears. It grew louder and louder until it was almost unbearable. Istvan spoke then, his voice low but anding, cutting through the din.

  “Spear of Destiny.”

  As he uttered the words, the spear erupted into life, pulsating with a golden light so inte parted the storm clouds above. The heavens answered; a beam of golden light struck the spear like a bolt of lightning, igniting it with celestial fire. The air vibrated with energy, and for a moment, time itself seemed to hold its breath.

  My time had e. Without hesitation, I drank the potion in a single gulp, feeling its effects surge through me. As soon as the heavenly light dissipated, I lunged forward and snatched the spear.

  [You have used the Agility Potion][Agility increased by 50][Spear of Destiny]Quality: 7-legendaryATK:400-500Effect:Turns the wielder into a disciple of chosen God.This spear was supercharged with extreme amounts of mana and st only for ten minutes. Make every sed t.“No! You ’t—” Istvan’s desperate plea was drowned out as the golden light from the spear enveloped me entirely, cutting off the rest of the world. For a moment, I was no longer on the ship. Instead, I stood in the familiar Ice Realm, the pce where I had first received my Hero powers. The echo of God’s ughter filled the frozen air, a deep and resonant sound that sent chills through my core. Energy coursed through me, overwhelming and intoxig, like chugging aire bottle of whiskey in one go.

  I gnced around the vast frozen pin; the stillness broken only by the ch of snowy-ice beh my boots as I held the spear. Yet this time, something was different. I wasn’t just here—I was everywhere. My feet moved through both the icy expanse of the God’s realm and the turbulent deck of the ship simultaneously. The mortal and divine realms had fused, existing as one.

  I blinked, and the raging storm of the ship returhe howling wind, the shing rain, the cries of battle. Another blink, and I was ba the serene Ice Realm.

  “Is this a heroient? May I use the talent, oh mighty God?” I asked, my voice steady despite the disorienting duality of the realms.

  The voice of the God chuckled, rid amused. “You wish to wield my power to kill this poor creature? Such a purpose is unworthy of a hero. The spear’s magic will suffice. I grant you a fra of the power you seek.”

  With those parting words, the e to the God’s realm vanished, leaving me on the ship, fully grounded.

  [Transformation plete. The power of God of Ice Blood was activated.][Attention! Heroic abilities found, transf to the appropriate level, resetting...]The strength c through me exploded. My grip on the spear trembled as a torrent of mana surged within it. The sensation was familiar—just like in my previous life—but this time; I repared. My experieh mana trol kept the violent energy in check, preventing even a wisp from esg. The golden light surrounding me softened, f a shimmering aura as I smirked and checked my stats.

  Name:Pri:59/60HP:200/200XP:1092/2450STR:45AGI:95INT:275Drawing the runes for [Ice Dance] was almost effortless now. The spear seemed to guide my hand; the mana flowing through me as if the power itself willed it.

  What had once been an exhausting task now felt as easy as breathing. The golden light shifted, transf into a translut, blue-tinged bubble that expanded outward, freezing everything in its path. The sea solidified into ice, creatures were coated in frost, and their movements slowed to a sluggish crawl.

  From behihe Duke’s voice cut through the frozen sileinged with amusement. “We will discuss this ter. For now, kill that monstrosity.”