MMORPG: Surviving a Death Game with a Glitched System

’Yeah... where do I even begin trying to understand that?’

Who was ’she’ referring to?

Could it have been Demitra? Vera? The Great Spirit of Fire? Someone else entirely? Something else?

Ash quickly came to one firm conclusion:

"It doesn’t matter."

At least not at the moment.

Instead, he focused on the much more practical aspect of his new blade: the passive ability attached to it.

[Fate’s Hand] - [Each strike brings a target closer to their destined fate]

Thankfully, Ash was able to instinctively sense how it worked.

’Consecutive strikes against the same target increase the damage of the next strike. The effect resets if I attack a different target...’

It wasn’t the best ability for one-versus-many battles, but in a one-versus-one, it was incredible.

Every scratch, every minor attack, would build the blade’s power further. Perhaps it could even close the gap between him and Cross... assuming the stacking effect didn’t have a limit.

Though it probably did.

’I wonder...’

Could he stack it in his glitched state?

’That would be absolutely broken.’

A cheap trick if it worked, but Ash had recently decided such tricks weren’t below his repertoire.

Armed to the teeth, Ash dismissed the tome he’d once been forced to stand on just to stay above ground. He no longer needed the crude platform.

’It’s finally time...’

Time to return to the molten side of the seal.

Ash would have loved to stick around and test out his new gear, but the sooner he returned, the better. If he waited too long, the situation could progress without him, possibly reaching a point where he could no longer influence it.

He’d figured out what he needed to do, yes...

But he still had no method for actually accomplishing it.

At least, he had no exact plan of operation. What he did have was a place to start.

Although that starting point was a bit ballsy.

’So...’

Ash turned to face the grand mountain overlooking the tundra. Then, he began marching toward it, his eyes settling on its reflection across the ground. Although a bit blurry, the image remained visible, superimposed over the haze as though the obstruction simply didn’t exist.

Just like it had before.

Activating the passage was one thing, but...

’How do I know when I’m near?’

All he knew was the direction.

’I guess all I can do is move forward.’

[Danger Sense] activated as he marched, forcing Ash to change his course or halt his advance a little at times to avoid confrontation.

’It really is useful.’

Ash was a bit worried he’d become subconsciously reliant on the helmet, but that was the only downside — aside from the -1 STR.

For about thirty minutes, Ash walked along the ice, the moon still high in the sky, morning a long way off.

’Huh?’

All of a sudden, [Danger Sense] began to go crazy, a wild wind brushing against his right side.

Spinning, Ash prepared for a fight, expecting a horde of monsters or a giant beast like the Seal Scrawler, only to find... nothing.

Ash’s eyes widened in potential realization.

Smiling, he turned right and braved the warning wind.

’I see!’

The farther he moved, the stronger the phantom wind became. What had started as a sharp gust soon became an oppressive torrent, battering against his side with enough force that every instinct in his body screamed for him to retreat.

Before it finally shifted and blew from an unexpected angle... below him, surging upward from beneath his feet.

Either there was a harrowing monster under the ice, or...

’The gate to "hell".’

Curious, Ash continued beyond the spot and felt the warning wind begin pressuring his back, showing he hadn’t been mistaken about it.

Ash returned to the spot where the pressure was both strongest and directly underneath him.

’Alright, what to do now...’

Ash tried to think back to what the wolf had done.

’I can only guess, but did it corporealize itself and send the tiny manifestations into the ground?’

Sadly, Ash, unable to do that, had to find another solution.

’[Focus].’

After casting the ability, he felt the cold wind envelop him. Only, it was kind of refreshing, no longer the tyrannical environment it had been when he’d been naked.

Looking down, Ash cast [Dragon Fear].

’Figures...’

Nothing happened.

Sadly, that was the only method he knew of directing his mana outwardly in any way shape or form.

The five seconds of [Focus] passed with no sign of success.

’Hmm...’

Ash knelt and took his helmet off. As the warning wind vanished, he threw his head into the ground.

It was pure black, as expected.

Pulling his head out of the ground, Ash put the wolf helmet back on.

’Do I really need to control mana to ascend?’

That would be a problem...

If mana manipulation was the key, then identifying the entrance had only solved half the issue. He could stand directly over the passage all night and still have no way to open it.

Ash stood and looked around. Behind him, a faint wind warned him of a presence.

Gazing in the direction, a hulking figure wandered into view. An Ice Golem.

Three things came to mind...

’I should get another ice cube before I go anyway.’

Without Vera, he didn’t have unlimited water.

More than that...

What if he could get a monster to activate the gate for him?

Maybe the passage responded to mana released naturally by creatures native to the tundra rather than deliberate mana control.

Or...

What if the gate required some kind of item instead? A drop capable of interacting with whatever mechanism controlled the transportation between spaces?

If the latter were correct, then an Ice Golem seemed like as reasonable a candidate as any.

Either way, killing it gave him something useful.

Water if he was wrong. The answer to his query if he was right, and water. Plus he’d get to test his new items and the [Fate’s Hand] interaction.

’Only one way to get answers...’

Ash turned away from the gate and began approaching the Ice Golem.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!