Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

Rain showed his serious expression as he studied the ice dragons… before they could decide their move, Rain decided his. In the next moment, he covered the handle of the sword with crystal and soon let the blade fall, but soon, the weapon began to spin thanks to his control over it.

In a swift and strategic move, Rain manipulated the ominous sword, causing it to spin viciously within the icy trap. The ice dragons fixated their gaze on the spinning blade, seemingly trying to ascertain its purpose.

As the dragons focused their attention on the blade, Rain stealthily approached, moving with insane speed. In a bold and unexpected maneuver, he closed the distance between himself and one of the ice dragons undetected.

With a swift and heavy strike, Rain delivered a powerful punch directly to the dragon's face. The unexpected force of the blow caught the creature off guard, causing it to stagger backward in surprise. In its disoriented state, the dragon collided with several of its companions, causing a chaotic collision that sent them tumbling and crashing against one another.

When the beasts recovered, they immediately opened their mouths and fired a blast of ice toward Rain, but he was no longer there… at the same time, the head of one of them was severed when the ominous sword suddenly fell from above and beheaded the creature.

In the next moment, the ice dragon that Rain had attacked suddenly exploded, its body rupturing with an intense force. The explosive impact sent shockwaves reverberating throughout the cage, rattling the ice walls and causing the temperature to fall drastically.

Upon the dragon's explosion, its blood splattered across the walls of the prison. The frigid air instantly froze the blood, crystallizing it into an intricate pattern that spread rapidly, shaping into icy barriersacross the walls. The blood's icy expansion quickly covered the surfaces, enhancing the already freezing environment.

The rest of the ice dragon's body dissolved rapidly, disappearing almost instantly in a cloud of first mist. The dissolution occurred so swiftly that only fragments of its remains lingered momentarily before vanishing entirely, leaving no trace behind.

The unexpected explosion and subsequent disintegration of the ice dragon had a profound impact on the environment, causing the temperature to plummet even further and the icy walls to become adorned with frozen patterns created from the dragon's blood.

The skill Draconic Anatomy received 500.000 experience points.

The Diligence path leveled up.

…

"What… the… hell…" Rain said while trembling all over. "This isn't… good…"

While it was convenient for Rain, he didn't feel the effects of the sword like before… since he wasn't holding it so that it couldn't be helped. That would be fine if it weren't for the cold… Regardless, Rain didn't expect that he would kill the monster in a single strike. Was that because of Draconic Anatomy? Because of the sword? boht?

He couldn't say… Regardless, if that thing happens nine other times, Rain will become an ice sculpture as well…

Still, instead of taking advantage of Rain's obvious hesitation, the dragons didn't move either and just kept splitting their focus between Rain and the ominous sword. Although they died easily and exploded like they weren't truly living beings, they still feared death… perhaps Rain could use that in his favor.

Despite the biting cold that took over his body, a peculiar smirk appearedacross Rain's face, contorting his expression into a distorted semblance of amusement. His smile appeared unnaturally mad, akin to the deranged grin of someone on the brink of losing their sanity, a distorted result brought on by his physical struggle against the extreme cold.

Struggling to maintain his composure and fend off the relentless chill, Rain's mind raced in a whirlwind of thoughts. He realized that in this difficult moment, he needed to obtain more power and most importantly, ensure his own survival by not turning into an ice statue.

That realization spurred him to a decision born of necessity – to harness the ominous sword's potential to absorb the incredible power of the ice dragons.

Despite the numbing cold seeping into his bones, Rain's determination remained unwavering. He summoned the sword back into his hands and held it high, his gesture meant to intimidate the remaining ice dragons. With a resolute gaze and a determined stance, Rain raised the ominous sword high, a silent warning to the remaining beasts that he was prepared to do whatever it took to win…

In the next moment, all of the ice dragons opened their mouths and then used their concentrated blast of cold toward Rain. He threw the sword to his front and made it spin as well to block the attacks, and he prepared to escape… However, much to his surprise, the weapon not only stopped the attacks but also absorbed all of the energy on the blasts.

Rain's grin widened, and the dragons opened their eyes widely in shock.

In the end, Rain approached the sword and didn't hesitate in grabbing it… He protected the external side of his hand with a crystal glove against the gold while the palm of his hands touched the sword again, and at the same time, Rain felt a ton of mana being sent to him. However, he also felt his mana being forwarded to the sword.

"What the hell…" Rain thought.

Usually, Rain wouldn't feel worried… he was blocking the attack of several ice dragons and receiving much more mana in exchange. Still, even so, that was something suspicious… even more so considering the suspicious nature of the woman in ther darkness.

"... Rain, she is unlocking the same paths that you have by assimilating your mana," Larisa said. "The process apparently isn't harmful, but…"

"She is plotting something, huh?" Rain furrowed his eyebrows as the ice dragons stopped their attacks when they realized what was going on.

"It must be some sort of counter effect of her powers… she couldn't assimilate all the power of the dragons without paying something in exchange," Nigel said.