SWNOVELXO Chapter 10: 10
Mark carefully explored along the edge of the ice valley. The snow creaked under his feet, and his boots sank into the soft snow from time to time. The biting cold wind blew across his cheeks, making him involuntarily wrap his cold-proof clothes tightly. As far as the eye could see, there was a white world of ice and snow, as if he was the only one left in the world.
He stopped from time to time and rubbed his frozen cheeks with his gloved hands. The white breath he exhaled quickly condensed into ice crystals in the air and then dissipated in the wind and snow. The icebergs in the distance flashed cold light in the sun, like sleeping giants, guarding this mysterious frozen land.
"We must find a way out as soon as possible..." Mark whispered to himself, his voice swallowed by the howling wind and snow. He had been drifting on this ice field for too long, and his food and water were almost exhausted. He must find a place to take shelter as soon as possible, or find a way to leave here.
After walking for a long time, Mark suddenly stopped. His eyes fell on an ice wall, on which were carved some strange patterns, which were very similar to the patterns on the ice sculptures he had seen in the ice cave. His heart moved, and an inexplicable premonition came to his mind.
He slowly approached the ice wall and carefully observed the patterns. The lines of the pattern were simple and smooth, but full of mystery, as if hiding some ancient secrets. He stretched out his gloved hand and gently touched the patterns.
Just as his fingers touched the pattern, the ice wall suddenly made a low roar, and then slowly cracked, revealing a passage leading underground.
Mark's heart beat suddenly, and he felt a chill rising from the soles of his feet. He hesitated for a moment, but finally decided to enter the passage. He knew that this might be his only hope.
He made a simple torch, lit it, and walked into the passage carefully. The passage was dark, and only the light of the torch illuminated the road ahead. Some ancient murals appeared on the ice walls on both sides of the passage.
The content of the murals shocked Mark. The mural depicts a scene of humans living together with a giant creature, which is very similar to the skeleton he saw in the ice cave, and is the legendary Ice Abyss Beast. The mural also depicts a crystal that emits light, and the shape of the crystal is very similar to the pattern he saw on the ice sculpture.
"Is this... the energy source?" Mark thought to himself. The crystal depicted in the mural is likely to be the energy source mentioned by the guardian. He quickened his pace and continued to go deeper along the passage.
The passage was very long, and Mark walked for a long time until he saw a glimmer of light at the end of the passage. He was delighted and quickened his pace and walked towards the light.
When he reached the end of the passage, a huge underground space appeared in front of him. In the center of the space, an ancient city was covered with ice and snow, which looked particularly mysterious under the light of torches.
Mark's heart was full of shock. He didn't expect that such a city was hidden under this frozen hell. He stepped carefully into the ruins of the city, and the snow made a creaking sound under his feet.
Most of the buildings in the city have collapsed, leaving only some ruins. Mark walked through the ruins, looking for the energy source depicted in the mural.
After walking for a while, he found an altar covered with ice and snow. He cleared the snow on the altar, revealing an altar covered in ice. In the center of the altar was a glimmering crystal, the shape of which was exactly the same as the energy source depicted in the mural.
"That's it!" Mark was ecstatic. He reached out to touch the crystal, and a powerful energy instantly poured into his body. He felt that his body was full of power, as if he could control everything.
At the same time, there was a violent vibration from the ground, and the ruins of the city began to collapse. Mark realized that the situation was not good and he had to leave here as soon as possible.
He turned and ran in the direction he came from. The buildings in the ruins kept collapsing, and ice, snow and rubble fell from the top of his head. Mark shuttled through the ruins, avoiding the falling rubble.
With a loud "boom", the entrance to the passage was blocked by the falling boulders. A sense of despair surged in Mark's heart, and he was trapped here.
He looked around, looking for other exits. Suddenly, he saw a narrow gap next to the altar. He entered the gap without hesitation. The gap was so narrow that he could only crawl forward.
At the end of the gap was a small ice cave, and at the other end of the ice cave was an exit. Mark climbed out of the ice cave and found himself on the other side of the ice valley.
He looked back at the collapsed city ruins, and his heart was full of emotion. He found the energy source, but was trapped here. He must find a way to leave here as soon as possible, otherwise he will be trapped in this frozen hell forever.
He began to explore along the edge of the ice valley, hoping to find a way out. He walked for a long time until he saw a figure appear in the distance. The figure was wearing thick cold-proof clothes and was walking towards him.
A glimmer of hope surged in Mark's heart, and he ran towards the figure.
"Help! Help!" Mark shouted loudly.
The figure heard his shouts, quickened his pace, and ran towards him.
When the figure approached, Mark saw his face clearly. It was a middle-aged man with traces of wind and frost on his face.
"Who are you?" Mark asked.
"My name is Carl, and I'm here to save you," the man replied.
Mark's heart was filled with gratitude, he was finally saved.
He followed the man out of the ice valley and walked into the distance.