After Orion woke up, he searched the storage rings of the people he had killed in the cave. He found a decent amount of valuable herbs and metals that might benefit him later. He collected the loot, ate a quick meal from his inventory, and then prepared to continue his journey. Orion exited the cave and resumed his ascent towards the towering mountain peak.
During his journey, Orion encountered many beasts and birds that inhabited these heights. A huge ice eagle with powerful claws and a sharp beak blocked his path, attempting to swoop down on him from above. But Orion was ready; he summoned Severus, who leaped onto the eagle's back, his shadowy claws tearing through its feathers and flesh, while Legolas fired precise arrows that struck the eagle's eyes, causing it to fall. He also faced a group of massive ice rams defending a narrow passage. Orion used the shadow ghosts to distract and hinder them, while he, Severus, and Legolas dealt with them one by one, utilizing their combined strength. In each fight, Orion observed his shadows' movements and learned how to coordinate their attacks better, making him a formidable force to be reckoned with.
After hours of arduous climbing, Orion finally reached the mountain peak. The summit was a wide crater, and at its end, Orion saw a spatial gate glowing with a faint light. He immediately realized that this was the gate leading to a secret world.
But Orion was not the only one who had found this secret world. Around the crater, there were hundreds of people from various races he had seen before, as well as other races he had never encountered. They stood nervously, each looking at the other warily, waiting for the moment the secret world would open. The atmosphere was charged with anticipation and suspicion.
An hour or so passed, then the spatial gate began to emit increasing ripples, a clear signal to the others that the secret world had opened. But despite this, none of them moved. The fear of being attacked while jumping into the gate controlled them.
But Orion was not afraid "now." Immediately, Orion jumped into the crater, heading towards the glowing gate. But some people, who seemed to have been waiting for the right opportunity, tried to prevent him from entering. Some drew their bows and fired arrows, while others used their various abilities, such as launching fireballs, waves of frost, or lightning-made spikes, etc.
Orion was not afraid. Immediately, his army of shadows emerged, led by Anarak, Severus, and Legolas. They rushed towards the people who were attacking Orion. The people who were waiting for the secret world to open were surprised by the sudden appearance of the shadows. The shadows began to slaughter the people who had tried to kill Orion left and right, their swords and shadowy claws easily cutting through flesh and armor. The shadows did not attack the people who had not attacked Orion, focusing only on the aggressors.
Within five minutes, about a hundred people had died. Severus, with his shadowy claws, cut down anyone in his path, while Legolas sniped targets from a distance with his precise arrows. As for Anarak, he moved among the enemies with incredible speed, his shadowy spears piercing them mercilessly. The shadow ghosts clung to the victims, hindering their movement and making them easy targets for their comrades.
After the massacre ended, Orion ordered his shadows to gather the corpses and throw them into the crater. Immediately, Orion stored the corpses in his shadow. Then he summoned his army of shadows as well and stored them, before Orion himself jumped into the spatial gate, while the other people who had survived the slaughter stared at him in silence and astonishment. Orion had proven that he was not just an explorer, but a force to be reckoned with, a force to be avoided.
When Orion crossed the spatial gate, he found himself in a world completely different from the icy mountain peak. There was no open sky or stormy winds. Instead, he was surrounded by an endless maze of interconnected ice caves. The walls, floors, and ceilings were covered in gleaming ice, reflecting the faint light emanating from some cracks and glowing crystals scattered here and there. The air was extremely cold, but Orion did not feel the cold thanks to his coat.
The caves were of different sizes and shapes. Some were wide and high, resembling huge icy halls, while others were narrow and low, barely wide enough for one person to pass. There were winding passages and ascending and descending slopes, making navigation difficult and confusing. It seemed as if the secret world was designed to test the will and ability of those who entered it.
Orion stopped for a moment, trying to comprehend his surroundings. There was no sign of the other people who had been at the mountain peak. Perhaps they had entered through different paths, or perhaps the gate transported each person to a different part of this icy maze.
Orion released some shadow ghosts to explore the various passages, but the connection between him and the ghosts was quickly severed, indicating that they had been killed.
Orion (to himself): This place doesn't seem simple. I need to be careful.
Orion began to move, following one of the passages that seemed wider. He walked cautiously, his eyes examining every corner and crack. He could sense the mana in this world, and it was much stronger than it had been on the surface of the planet. This indicated that a significant power or treasure lay somewhere within this maze.
During his exploration, Orion encountered some of the beasts that lived in these ice caves. In one of the narrow passages, a huge ice spider suddenly appeared, the size of a small horse, with sharp bristles covering its body and multiple eyes glowing coldly. The spider shot sticky ice threads, but Orion nimbly dodged them and ordered Severus to attack. Severus lunged at the spider, his shadowy claws quickly severing its legs, while Legolas fired arrows that pierced its outer armor. After a few seconds, the spider fell lifeless.
In a wide ice hall, Orion encountered a group of long ice worms, which were burrowing through the ice and suddenly appearing to attack their prey. These worms were fast and slippery, and their teeth were as sharp as blades. Orion used the shadow ghosts as human shields, while he, Severus, and Legolas attacked from behind, targeting the worms' weak heads. The fight was chaotic, but in the end, they managed to kill all the worms.
On one occasion, Orion found a cluster of glowing herbs of different colors, growing among some ice crystals. He carefully collected them, recognizing their potential value. He also found some gemstones that looked very valuable, hidden in cracks in the ice.
During his exploration, Orion encountered some of the other people who had entered the secret world. Some were from the races he had seen at the mountain peak, and others were from different races. Everyone behaved cautiously when they saw him, avoiding confrontation. Orion paid none of them any attention, focusing on exploring the maze and collecting resources. He had killed the people who had tried to kill him at the mountain peak with emotionless eyes, but he was not bloodthirsty. As long as others posed no threat, he would not waste his time in unnecessary combat.
Orion continued his journey through the ice maze, determined to discover its secrets and obtain the power that lay in its depths. He knew that the path would be full of challenges, but he was ready to face them.
After long hours of continuous walking through the maze of ice caves, Orion finally reached a remarkably wide room, which looked like a natural ice throne room. At the end of the room, on a raised platform made of glittering ice, sat a huge creature with pale blue skin and glowing blue eyes. He wore ornate ice armor and held a massive ice axe. There was no doubt that he was a king, an ice orc king, radiating immense power, which Orion immediately ranked at the middle level of the Flame rank.
Beside the throne stood two other ice orcs, smaller than the king but still huge and terrifying, each carrying a long ice spear. They were at the beginner level of the Flame rank.
Orion immediately realized that this battle would not be easy. He was facing three powerful Flame rank beasts in an environment that gave them a natural advantage. Without hesitation, he summoned his entire army of shadows. Then he focused a large amount of shadow energy to enhance Severus, Legolas, and Anarak, significantly increasing their speed, strength, and shadow abilities.
Orion quickly divided their tasks. Severus, Legolas, and Anarak would face the ice orcs, while he would face the king alone. As for the shadow ghosts, they would play a crucial role in distracting and hindering the orcs during their fight.
Orion focused shadow energy to cover his body, granting him enhanced strength and speed. Then he summoned a katana made of pure shadow energy, incredibly sharp and radiating a faint darkness.
The battle began.
Severus lunged at one of the ice orcs at high speed, his shadowy claws gleaming with deadly cold. The orc tried to parry the attack with his ice spear, but Severus was faster, slipping under the spear and delivering a series of rapid strikes to the orc's body, his claws easily tearing through the ice and green flesh while shadow poison flowed into the orc's blood, weakening him. The orc roared and tried to strike Severus with his axe, but the Shadow Executioner deftly evaded the blows, exploiting his agility and ability to move in the shadows.
At the same time, Legolas nimbly leaped onto one of the massive ice pillars supporting the ceiling of the hall. From his elevated position, he began showering the ice orcs with a barrage of shadowy arrows. His arrows pierced their ice armor at weak points, causing them searing pain. Legolas moved quickly between the pillars, making it difficult for the orcs to target him.
As for Anarak, he moved like a ghost among the orcs, exploiting his speed and ability to disappear into the shadows. He launched swift attacks on the orcs' legs, trying to immobilize them, then vanished before they could retaliate. His shadowy spears pierced their joints, causing them severe pain and disrupting their movement.
Meanwhile, Orion was facing the ice orc king. The king was a huge and powerful beast, and his attacks were devastating. He swung his massive ice axe, creating shockwaves of cold air with each strike. Ice formed on the ground where his axe landed, making movement more difficult.
Orion barely dodged the king's blows, exploiting his enhanced speed. His shadow katana was sharp enough to cut through the king's ice armor, but the king moved quickly, and it was difficult to land a direct hit.
The shadow ghosts hovered around the ice orcs, distracting them and hindering their movement. They wrapped around their legs, pulled at their weapons, and made annoying noises to keep them distracted. Although the ghosts were relatively weak, their large numbers were a significant nuisance to the orcs.
Orion focused on finding weaknesses in the king's defense. He noticed that the king relied heavily on his brute strength, and his ice armor seemed thicker on the upper part of his body. He decided to target the less protected areas.
Orion executed a swift maneuver, dodging the king's axe strike, then lunged at him with lightning speed. He focused shadow energy into his katana and delivered a powerful blow to the ice orc king's leg. The katana pierced through the ice and flesh, causing the king to roar in pain and stagger back for a moment.
Orion seized the opportunity and lunged forward again. The king tried to strike him with his axe, but Orion slipped under the blow and delivered a series of rapid strikes to the king's torso, targeting the gaps between the pieces of ice armor. Each strike caused a deep gash in the king's body, causing frozen blue blood to flow.
The ice orc king roared in fury and unleashed a deafening cry that shook the hall. The ice crystals in the ceiling and walls began to glow, and the king began to absorb the surrounding ice energy. Orion felt a significant drop in temperature and realized that the king was preparing for a powerful attack.
Orion stopped attacking and retreated, ready to defend. The king raised his ice axe, which was now radiating intense ice energy. Then he brought it down forcefully on the ground, unleashing a devastating ice wave that swept across the entire hall.
Orion jumped upwards, dodging the ice wave that covered the ground in sharp ice. Then he used shadow energy to anchor himself to one of the ice pillars, just like Legolas.
From his elevated position, Orion saw that Severus, Legolas, and Anarak were struggling to deal with the ice orcs empowered by the ice energy. The orcs' attacks were faster and stronger, and their defenses had become more solid. Many of the shadow ghosts began to dissipate under their powerful blows.
Orion realized that he needed to end this fight quickly. He focused all his shadow energy and formed a massive sword of shadows in his hand, much larger than his katana. Then he leaped from the pillar, charging towards the ice orc king at lightning speed.
The king tried to intercept him with his axe, but Orion was faster. He used the massive shadow sword to cut the king's axe in half, then delivered a powerful blow to the king's chest. The shadow sword pierced through the king's armor and flesh, reaching his frozen heart.
The ice orc king let out a final roar of pain and rage, then collapsed to the ground, his massive body turning into a solid ice statue before shattering into small pieces.
With the king defeated, Severus, Legolas, and Anarak turned their attention to the remaining ice orcs. Having lost their leader's power, the orcs became weaker and more vulnerable. Severus, Legolas, and Anarak quickly dispatched them, ending the battle.
Orion sighed, feeling exhausted but satisfied. It had been a difficult fight, but they had managed to win. He looked around at the destroyed ice hall, then at the frozen corpses of the orcs. He knew that this secret world was full of challenges, but he was determined to face them all.
After the ice orc king and his guards were defeated, a hidden door suddenly opened behind the massive ice throne. Orion felt a strange pulse within him; his instinct and the whispers of the shadows were screaming that valuable treasures lay behind this door. Without hesitation, Orion stored everything in the throne room in his infinite inventory, even the ice throne itself was not spared from his greed. He also summoned his shadows and stored them, knowing they would need rest after this arduous battle.
The battle against the orc king and his guards had depleted nearly half of his shadow energy reserves, in addition to hundreds of shadow ghosts, but Orion was not worried. He was confident in replenishing both, as the one thing this bloody planet was not lacking was beasts and other races, so he was sure he would replenish his shadow energy and shadow ghost reserves sooner or later.
Orion advanced cautiously towards the open door and entered what appeared to be a treasure room. The room was illuminated by glowing crystals, revealing an astonishing array of treasures. He saw piles of rare herbs glowing in vibrant colors, gemstones that shimmered with captivating brilliance, and precious metals he had never seen before. There were also some skillfully crafted weapons made of ice and metal, looking powerful and durable.
But the thing that particularly caught Orion's attention was in the middle of the room. There was a book made of frozen blue leather, emanating a cold aura. As Orion approached, he understood through the whispers of the shadows that this was a skill book related to ice abilities. This type of book was extremely rare, as it allowed a person to write their own skills in the book or a storage crystal, then another person with the same ability could learn those skills from the book. Not many people preferred to write down their skills, as they considered them secrets they were unwilling to share.
Orion was not concerned with the rarity of the book, as he could not use it anyway, but was considering its potential use in the future, perhaps to teach his shadow skills to someone someday, or to learn ice skills if he encountered someone who possessed them and could trade the book for something useful or sell it at an auction, where skill books fetched extremely high prices. He quickly stored the book with the rest of the treasures.
After storing everything in the treasure room, two portals appeared before him. One glowed with a snowy white color, while the other shimmered with a warm golden hue. Orion felt a strong instinct pulling him towards the golden portal, and the whispers of the shadows confirmed that this was the right path. Without hesitation, Orion entered the golden portal, completely ignoring the white portal. He trusted his instincts, and they had proven to him time and time again that they did not err.