Rise of the System Slayer

After an hour of battling against the five Frostbears, only three members of Dong Seok's party remained—him, Conan, and Felix. Their team was completely defeated, their bodies covered in wounds and coughing up blood while lying unconscious on the ground.

Those three were different because they came from a superior breed and had undergone advanced training. A battle like this was nothing new for them; their stamina was on another level when they fought together.

Since the Cataclysm began, the three of them had fought monsters side by side, putting their lives on the line. From that point, they began relentless training until they built an impenetrable defense.

Since then, they had managed to raid at least five dungeons every week, while the remaining hunters with them were just beginners—some had only just started their journey to becoming real hunters. Most of them had joined Dong Seok's team because of his influence.

Dong Seok convinced them that staying behind and letting things unfold would bring them easy money. Desperate for cash, they couldn't resist the temptation despite knowing the risks. The fear of losing everything faded as they focused solely on the promise of wealth within reach.

"Boss, what should we do? Our hunters have been wiped out, and we only managed to kill one of them. But the payback is huge," Conan said, breathing heavily behind Dong Seok.

"I don't know either!" Dong Seok shouted, frustrated. They hadn't expected to be thrown into a hidden dungeon. This was their first time experiencing a hidden dungeon.

While they were talking, Felix's hands shook, sweat forming on his forehead as he started to lose hope. They had fought this far only because of Dong Seok.

"Dong Seok, w-what should we do? We'll be killed by that monster if we do nothing," Felix repeated, his voice trembling in fear.

Dong Seok grew annoyed. "Tsk, what are these two useless fools doing, just relying on me?" he thought, clicking his tongue in anger.

Before they could react, the Frostbears attacked again. Felix was hit in the chest, while Conan was struck in the face. Dong Seok took a direct punch from one of the Frostbears, causing his armor to shatter into pieces. He spat blood from the impact.

"D-Damn it...!" Dong Seok murmured.

"They're strong," Dong Seok muttered, stepping back as he slowly distanced himself from the fight. And a dark plan formed in his mind.

He smirked, knowing this was his only hope to survive.

"Sorry, guys, but I'll be back when I see the hunters' backup," Dong Seok thought while fleeing between his two legs from the battle.

While Conan and Felix were still engaged in battle with the Frostbears, Dong Seok secretly walked away, leaving them behind.

Not too far away, Conan noticed him fleeing on his own. Both he and Felix were furious. Their eyes widened—they hadn't expected that their childhood friend, Dong Seok, would betray them.

"Damn it! That Dong Seok even betrayed us!" Conan exclaimed, his face showing frustration towards Dong Seok, while Felix completely lost hope. His dream of forming the strongest guild with them was shattered into pieces.

The Frostbear charged at them instantly, its claws slashing their bodies in an 'X' shape. They collapsed to the ground, their faces contorting in pain as they slowly lost their sight to the chaos of the battle.

"Damn that bastard—he even betrayed his own team," Magnus muttered through clenched teeth.

After analyzing the battle for a while, Ares locked onto the Frostbears' movements. He noticed a

flaw. Their weakness was in their movement. His eyes widened, and he grinned.

"So that's their weakness."

Before the Frostbears could swing their claws to take off their heads, Conan and Felix were already lying on the ground, unconscious. Ares jumped toward them.

"It's time," Ares murmured, immediately using his phantom to step out and slash one of the Frostbears' heads.

Slash!

[You have killed a Frostbear]

[1/5]

Magnus's eyes widened when he saw one of the Frostbears go down. When he looked to his side, he realized he was standing alone near the iceberg. A moment later, he noticed Ares was locked in battle against the Frostbears.

"Brother, be careful!" Magnus shouted and immediately stood up on the icy ground.

Ares immediately summoned his shadows. "Come out," he commanded. One by one, his shadows emerged, and a powerful aura spread in all directions.

Magnus felt it again. "Those are some strong soldiers he summoned earlier," he grinned, clenching his fist in excitement, his eyes sparkling.

Before his shadows charged at the Frostbears, Ares spun his dagger, wiping off the blood on it.

"Damn it... That monster almost had me. If I hadn't pierced its neck deeper, it would've still been alive," Ares muttered, gripping his dagger tightly.

He shifted his gaze to his surroundings and saw Dong Seok's unconscious party lying on the ground. Their bodies were covered in deep claw wounds, slashed in X-shaped patterns. Luckily, that bastard Dong Seok had only suffered minor injuries—a wound on his stomach and a light punch from a Frostbear.

As his shadows faced off against the remaining Frostbears, Fiddlesticks immediately taunted them, stunning them from their standing for a few seconds. Without hesitation, Ares's summoned soldiers swung their swords.

Slash! Slash! Slash!

The Frostbears' bodies were torn apart, their remains scattering across the ground. His summons killed them mercilessly as they howled in pain. Only one Frostbear remained, but it was quickly decapitated with a clean sweeping slash.

A notification appeared in front of him.

[You have killed all the Frostbears.]

[5/5]

[You have received your reward.]

Ares exhaled, his tension easing into relief.

"Whoa... Let's see what this reward holds," Ares said, his grin widening as his heart raced with anticipation. With a burst of excitement, he opened the rewards on his system.

After that, the reward opened, and he received another notification.

[You have received status points]

[You have obtained a Frostbear Claw]

Description -> A massive, jagged claw from the defeated Frostbear, its icy surface still crackling with the power of winter. When wielded, it radiates a chilling aura that freezes the air itself.

Effect: The Frostbear Claw grants the user the ability to deal ice damage with each strike, slowing enemies by 25% for 3 seconds. It also has a 10% chance to freeze enemies on hit for 1 second.