Siegfried knew that engaging the Snow Queen head-on would give him a definite advantage. However, he was currently facing difficulties getting close enough to land an attack. The Snow Queen skillfully blocked his path at every turn, preventing him from getting within ten meters.

"When will I ever get close at this rate? I guess I'll have to shed some armor,"

Siegfried sighed, beginning to remove pieces of his high-quality steel armor and store them in his bag to increase his mobility. At the same time, he had to dodge the ice shards the Snow Queen threw at him.

"Alright, I won't just stand here and take hits,"

Siegfried muttered as he sprinted towards the Snow Queen again. This time, his increased speed allowed him to dodge her attacks more deftly. Finally, he got close enough to engage her in melee combat.

The Snow Queen screamed furiously, attacking him with her long, sharp claws that resembled ice spikes—both hard and razor-sharp. Siegfried struck back swiftly and forcefully with his sword. Soon, the Snow Queen's claws broke off completely, and her body was covered in wounds, bleeding profusely. Siegfried did not relent; he knew he had to defeat the Snow Queen before he ran out of strength.

"It's time to settle this,"

Siegfried said, preparing to use his profession's ultimate skill. He was also battered from the Snow Queen's attacks.

"Eternal Winter!"

The Snow Queen invoked her skill first. Siegfried jumped back involuntarily, watching as a fierce snowstorm enveloped the Snow Queen, making her form almost invisible within the swirling white tempest.

Boommm!!

The Snow Queen pointed a delicate finger at Siegfried, and all the snowflakes swirling around her shot towards him with terrifying speed. Anything touched by the Eternal Winter skill was instantly consumed by ice, turning into ice crystals in the blink of an eye.

Though Siegfried narrowly dodged the attack, he had to quickly smash the ice crystals forming on his body. The Eternal Winter skill not only enveloped the target in glittering snowflakes but also rapidly turned the affected areas into ice, threatening to spread throughout the body. Siegfried was certain that if he were hit directly, he would not survive.

Due to the high power of the Eternal Winter skill, the Snow Queen had to remain motionless for several seconds after using it, giving Siegfried the perfect opportunity to counterattack.

"Thanks for giving me such an honor. I'll return the favor. Hundred Shadow Swords!"

Siegfried activated a high-level sword skill he had learned from a swordman NPC he encountered by chance during his early days after changing his profession on Europa Island.

As soon as he activated the skill, the sword in the young man's hand split into a hundred shadow blades. Each one had the same attack power as the real one. The shadow blades shot towards the Snow Queen swiftly, leaving her no room to dodge or defend herself due to the lingering effects of using the Eternal Winter skill.

The hundred shadow blades pierced the Snow Queen and the icy ground around her. Bright red blood soaked the pristine white snow, forming a blood pool in an instant. There was no scream from the Snow Queen until the system notified that she had died.

Siegfried let out a long sigh and collapsed onto the snow from exhaustion. Chang Long walked over and sat down next to him, looking equally worn out. She handed Siegfried an object that looked like a staff, about 1.20 meters long, with white wings spread at the handle. Below, it resembled a scabbard with two intertwined snakes almost reaching its wings.

"This is!"

Siegfried exclaimed in astonishment. He propped himself up to sit and took the object eagerly.

"Beautiful, isn't it!"

Chang Long asked with a smile, though she looked quite tired.

"Yes, but it should be yours, Chang Long. You're the one who pulled it out of the ice,"

Siegfried said after examining the object to his satisfaction and handed the Caduceus back to Chang Long.

"I already have the Sovereign Sword. I can't wield another weapon. You take it. You deserve it,"

Chang Long said, pushing the Caduceus back to Siegfried.

"You're giving it to me... really!?"

Siegfried asked, barely able to contain his excitement. He looked at the Caduceus with shining eyes, realizing that he now held the weapon of one of the Seven Pirate Kings.

"Of course, it's yours!"

Chang Long responded firmly. She then lay down on the snow beside him and fell asleep almost instantly. The exhaustion from letting Hisa-chan possess her and breaking the ice crystal to retrieve the Caduceus was overwhelming, leaving her body in intense pain.

The young man gazed at the sleeping girl beside him with gentle eyes. He reached out to softly wipe the ice residue from her face. Her small, pale face seemed to be in discomfort even in sleep.

"Your successor is very kind. Even though she can't use it, she could have sold it for a high price. Chang Long... does she know that she's making me... fall even more in love with her?"

Siegfried said to Davy-chan and Hisa-chan, who were smiling at his earlier actions.

"Why don't you tell her yourself?"

Davy-chan asked.

"I'll find a chance to tell her, hehe,"

Siegfried replied shyly, averting his gaze from Chang Long's face to focus on the Caduceus to hide his racing heart.

A loud noise from outside the cave hall startled Chang Long and Siegfried, making them think a beast was trying to break in. Instead, it was their friends breaking through the stone wall blocking the entrance to the cavern. Once inside, everyone began to explore the cavern thoroughly.

"What's this, Siegfried? A drop from the Snow Queen?!"

Draco took the Caduceus, examining it curiously. The shape seemed oddly familiar.

"I've never heard of the Snow Queen dropping this,"

Aden said, stroking his chin as he also examined the Caduceus.

"Wait a minute, it looks like a medical symbol!"

Kimhant exclaimed.

"Uh... it's not a drop. It was hidden here,"

Siegfried explained, taking the Caduceus back. The items dropped by the Snow Queen had already been absorbed by him, leaving the cavern empty except for a pool of blood.

"Hey, Chang, did you check out that room yet?"

Valentine asked Chang Long after examining the Caduceus to her satisfaction.

"Huh! Uh... not yet, we just got a bit of rest before you guys arrived,"

Chang Long replied groggily.

"Then let's go take a look. There might be treasures!"

Wet Trash Can suggested. Everyone headed into the room behind the ice door the Snow Queen had emerged from.

"Whoa! Guys, don't touch anything yet. Let me take some pictures first,"

Kimhant exclaimed as they entered, awestruck by the opulence of the ice furniture.

After Kimhant finished photographing the room, everyone meticulously examined the contents. On the vanity table, there were high-quality cosmetics. Valentine and Peach Blossom quickly divided them between themselves. Next to it was a chest full of crystal jewelry.

"Everything's for women!"

Oliang complained in frustration, seeing only treasures that would make any woman's eyes light up.

"What's Chang Long holding?"

Wet Trash Can noticed Chang Long examining a cloudy blue orb and approached her curiously.

"This is the Eye of Ice!"

Draco, who had also come over to look, exclaimed.

"Yes... but why are there so many?!"

Chang Long wondered aloud, seeing ten Eyes of Ice in a crystal tray before her.

"I don't know, but they're useless. They don't sell for much. Anyone who gets them from beasts just leaves them. They're just clutter,"

Draco said dismissively, deeming the Eye of Ice useless.

"Uh-huh!"

Chang Long simply nodded and proceeded to put the entire tray and all the Eyes of Ice into her bag. Draco was left speechless, not expecting her to collect something most players considered junk.

"Did you find anything else?"

Peach Blossom asked after exploring the Snow Queen's room for a while.

"I don't think there's anything else... But are you really taking all of that?"

Siegfried looked at his sister in exasperation, seeing her carrying a carpet, curtains, and beautifully embroidered pillows like someone obsessed with hoarding.

"Don't criticize me, Siegfried. Hurry up and help me carry these out!"

Peach Blossom glared at her brother. Siegfried sighed, not daring to complain further.

"Hahahaha!"

The three young men could not help but laugh at Siegfried's resigned expression. Even though he often scolded Peach Blossom, he always indulged her in the end.

"What are you laughing at? You guys come and help too!"

Peach Blossom ordered, causing the three young men to stop laughing immediately and follow her commands without any objection, just like Siegfried.

After struggling to reach the cave entrance, navigating through numerous ice chunks of various sizes on their way, they were constantly blocked by Yuki-onnas along the way, forcing them to fight and flee repeatedly. Once outside, they breathed in the fresh air and found a suitable spot to sit in a circle and discuss their next adventure plans, as if they had not just been running out of the cave in panic moments before.

"There are two more cities left on this island, both of which are quite large. One is Longshan, and the other is Persia,"

Aden introduced the two major cities on the island of Aseana.

"Which city is closer? We should go there first,"

Chang Long asked.

"That would be Longshan, the land of martial artists dreams!"

Oliang said loudly, striking a pose with a clenched fist.

"Why are you striking a pose, Oliang? Hehe,"

Valentine laughed, amused by Oliang's antics.

"But it looks like we'll have to spend the night in Kirisakura since it's already late,"

Wet Trash Can observed the darkening sky. Everyone nodded in agreement without needing to vote, knowing that traveling out of Kirisakura at night was not safe. Besides, they were all exhausted from the afternoon's battles and could barely move.

"But aren't we going to search for the Second Pirate King's tomb?"

Draco asked, puzzled.

"And where would we even start? We only have the weapon, which is a key. We still don't know where the tomb is,"

Siegfried replied, eager to search for the pirate king's tomb himself but frustrated by the lack of clues.

"That's true... But I remember we need to find an NPC acting suspiciously around the port to get a quest for the treasure map,"

Aden said, recalling the steps to obtain the pirate king's treasure map.

"I remember that too,"

Valentine agreed.

"But even then, we don't know if the map will lead to the tomb of the person we're looking for. If it's someone else's, won't we have to waste time looking for another weapon?"

Peach Blossom, unusually serious, pointed out.

"That's true, but it doesn't hurt to try. If we get a map to someone else's secret tomb, we can auction it off!"

Kimhant's eyes sparkled at the thought of the enormous amount of money they could make from auctioning a map to one of the Seven Pirate Kings' secret tombs.

At that moment, a large group of players approached the Snow Queen's cave without noticing Chang Long's group sitting nearby. However, Chang Long's group spotted them and recognized the man leading the group.

"That's Orion from the Doom Star Guild!"

Oliang whispered. He recognized Orion, who had become famous for using golden flames to slay the Avian Humanoid Beast King on the Starting Island.

"Why is that guy here, and why did he bring so many people?"

Draco could not help but ask.

"Could it be that the Doom Star Guild knows about your weapon, Sieg!"

Peach Blossom's eyes widened, thinking that they might be there for the Caduceus.

"Probably not. The Doom Star Guild is huge, everyone knows that. They might just be bringing their subordinates here for a trip. Look, most of their members are women,"

Oliang shook his head, pointing out the most likely scenario to everyone.

"I agree, they don't seem to know. From their behavior, they don't look hurried or stressed at all,"

Kimhant concurred.

"Forget about them. I think we should head back to the city. It's getting late,"

Chang Long said, standing up a bit unsteadily. Everyone followed suit and started walking back to Kirisakura before it got dark.

Beep beep beep beep.

"What's up, Steamed Grouper? What've you got?"

Orion asked as soon as he answered the call.

"The boss of the Queen's Cave has been taken down, and all the treasures are gone," Steamed Grouper In Lime Sauce reported.

"What? Who dared to cut in front of this Orion!!"

Orion shouted angrily, causing the girls with him to jump in fright.

"How would I know, boss? I got here with you!"

Steamed Grouper In Lime Sauce replied, sounding exasperated.

"Hmph! From what you can see, do you know how long ago they were here and what level they might be?"

Orion lowered his voice, asking Steamed Grouper In Lime Sauce to assess the situation based on the remnants.

"I think they left not long ago. Judging by the battle traces, they must be at least level 60. There can't be more than ten people based on the footprints!"

Steamed Grouper In Lime Sauce replied seriously.

"Who the heck are they! Whoever they are, I swear I'll find out who dared to raid this cave ahead of me!"

Orion muttered under his breath, not wanting to scare the girls again.

"So, what's the plan, boss? Should we head back!?"

Steamed Grouper In Lime Sauce asked.

"Of course! There's no point in staying here. I'll take the girls somewhere else for fun!"

Orion quickly changed his mood.

"But it's getting dark, boss!"

Steamed Grouper In Lime Sauce was stunned, mouth agape, thinking his boss was planning to hunt beasts at night with the girls.

"I know. Tonight, I'll buy out the restaurant and celebrate with the girls, hehe. Hurry up, or we won't wait for you!"

"(He changes moods so fast)... got it!"

Steamed Grouper In Lime Sauce replied before ending the call.

"Sigh! I'd rather see the boss in war mode than this flirty mode. Argh! New patch, hurry up and come out. This is so frustrating!"

Steamed Grouper In Lime Sauce ranted to himself for a bit before rushing off to join Orion.

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