I Ascend to the Divine Throne through Arcane Means

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...

[Due to environmental factors, you are in a [Frostbite] Status]

[You suffer 101 points of cold damage!]

[Your resistance to cold has slightly increased!]

[Your specialty [Low-level Cold Resistance] has been upgraded to [Intermediate Cold Resistance]!]

[Specialty [Intermediate Cold Resistance]: Significantly increases your resistance to cold. When you receive cold damage, each instance of damage will be reduced by one hundred points, and your resistance to negative statuses like freezing and hypothermia is improved.]

....

[Due to environmental factors, you are in a [Frostbite] Status]

[You suffer 1 point of cold damage!]

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"Huff~"

Looking at the information scrolling on the system panel, Lis let out a long breath, a touch of color returning to his face.

He finally got the specialty!
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It was worth enduring the cold for so many days.

As his body continuously resisted the cold, Lis's resistance to it was correspondingly increasing.

The effect of [Intermediate Cold Resistance] was already enough for Lis to have a certain level of resistance to ice-based skills in combat.

Reducing damage was secondary, the primary benefit was the resistance to the negative effects of ice-based skills.

Just like death spirit skills, the most troublesome aspect of ice-based skills is not the damage they inflict, but the various negative effects.

Even a slight slowing due to cold in combat, where battles are decided in an instant, could have a significant impact.

However, this was already his limit.

Acquiring [Advanced Cold Resistance] was not something he could simply achieve by enduring the cold.

It was only possible to obtain such high-level specialties through richly rewarding quests.

This was also the reason why Lis no longer gained cold resistance after taking cold damage.

Lis did not hesitate any longer and took out a thicker piece of clothing from the storage ring to put on.

Although his cold resistance had increased, his body was not completely unaffected by the cold; there was still a chill to contend with.

Now that he had acquired [Intermediate Cold Resistance], Lis did not need to continue torturing himself.

After donning a thicker garment, Lis moved his somewhat stiff hands and feet.

Fresh blood circulated warmth from his torso to his limbs, and Lis felt as if his body had come back to life.

He looked up at the eastern horizon,

Above the forests scattered across the plains, undulating hills could vaguely be seen.

Even without a carriage or a sleigh, Lis's pace on foot was not slow.

He was nearly through the central plains of the Dillon Kingdom and into the eastern Corea Hills.

It was from the east that magic beasts and extraordinary creatures gradually became the protagonists of that land.

Some humans lived in the Corea Hills as well, but generally, their situation was very difficult, facing the threats of magic beasts and extraordinary creatures.

In that area, snow wolves and ice storm bears were not uncommon, and even frost giants and white dragons made their presence known.

Without the protection of powerful professionals, it was difficult for humans to withstand those dangers.

The Dillon Kingdom once tried to conquer the Corea Hills, but gave up the land due to the great losses inflicted by the magic beasts.

Before Duke Ward, who is the current Dillon King, opened the trade routes, the Dillon Kingdom had essentially ignored this area.

This is the current predicament of the Dillon Kingdom; although the territory it occupies is vast, not much of it is suitable for human habitation.

Lis shook his head, he wasn't a citizen of the Dillon Kingdom, so there was no need for him to worry about it.

After Duke Ward ascended to the throne of the Dillon Kingdom, he chose to open the trade routes through the Corea Hills, extending all the way to the coastal city of Ward.

Ward City was a city built from scratch by Duke Ward, one that had been flourishing increasingly over recent years.

His Majesty the King of Stran also had his reasons for initially restricting the trade route to other merchants: it was to keep all the benefits of this trade route within his own family.

But things are different now; he is the King of the Dillon Kingdom.

The entire kingdom is essentially his private property.

What he wants to do, what he needs to do now, is to rejuvenate the whole Dillon Kingdom quickly, to recover from the shadow of the Demon's Gate at Ice Peak City.

King of Stran's decision to open the eastern trade routes indeed excited many people.

Even in these frigid times, there were still people who took sleds eastward.

Apart from exploring the trade route, Lis couldn't think of any other reason that would make those people choose to head east in such cold weather.

Lis gathered his thoughts and immersed himself back into arcane research, his figure gradually disappearing in the snowy wind.

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In the Corea Hills, among the forests.

After entering the hills, vast expanses of forest sea composed of cold pine and fir trees connected the low hills.

Giant goose feather-like snowflakes kept falling, piling up thick layers of snow upon the pine trees.

In the world where only the 'swish' of snowfall could be heard, the silence of nature was even more profound.

"Roar!!!"

Suddenly, a furious roar ripped through the hills, as if the sound itself turned into a special vibration, spreading out in all directions and causing snow on the pine trees to fall in different patterns.

A white silhouette burst out from the forest, slamming into the hillside with great force.

The snow scattered like an explosion, and the whole hill trembled slightly under the ferocious impact.