Gardener of Eden

Chapter 128: Chapter 128: Set Armor

A piercing shriek tore through the glacial cavern as the Glacial Sovereign’s azure core flashed a deep, violent crimson. Its health bar plunged beneath the ten percent threshold, triggering its final desperate mechanic: [Glacial Berserk].

The temperature inside the cavern dropped instantly into lethal sub-zero territory. The soft snowfall transformed into a howling, zero-visibility blizzard that whipped across the amphitheater like flying shards of glass. The environment turned violently against every soul in the basin—slick ice pathways cracked into jagged spikes, and ambient frost fog aggressively drained movement speed and spell casting times.

Simultaneously, the frozen ground buckled. Dozens of knee-high Mini Frost Elementals—jagged, spider-like constructs of razor-sharp ice—erupted from the permafrost, swarming the entire battlefield in a ravenous frenzy.

Panic instantly erupted among the rival squads. Having exhausted their primary cooldowns to chase the damage leaderboard earlier, they had no defense left for the sudden wave of adds and environmental hazard. Frostbite debuffs stacked rapidly across their lines, freezing their arms mid-cast while the swarming mini-elementals tore through their vanguard formations.

”Hold your ground!” Barney roared over the howling gales. Planting his boots firm, he slammed his tower shield deep into the black ice, unleashing a shimmering kinetic barrier that carved a six-meter dome of safe haven for Squad 07, deflecting the razor winds and blocking the initial wave of mini-elementals.

”They burned their mana on vanity,” Rowan said smoothly, stepping to the front of the barrier while adjusting the brim of his Enchanted Straw Hat. Thanks to their thermal undersuits, Squad 07 remained completely unaffected by the bitter chill.

Rowan struck the iron butt of his trusty hoe into the permafrost, channeling a dense wave of domain mana through the frozen floor. Thick, thorned vines wrapped in glowing emerald energy burst through the snow, creating an expanding ring of defensive roots around Barney’s shield. The surrounding mini-elementals were instantly crushed under the creeping vines, their cold energy absorbed and neutralized by Rowan’s soil-mana touch.

”Lane cleared,” Rowan called out, his sharp eyes locked onto the thrashing, enraged boss through the swirling whiteout. ”The boss’s core is fully exposed while it channeling the blizzard. Caelen, Lyra—take the kill.”

With a blinding surge of combined kinetic power and holy flame, Caelen and Lyra drove their blades deep into the boss’s exposed, pulsing core.

A deafening BOOM echoed through the glacial trench. The colossal Glacial Sovereign stiffened, its core shattering into a million shimmering fractures before the entire thirty-foot titan crumbled into a massive avalanche of powdery snow, completely dissipating into a sea of floating, iridescent blue mana particles.

A crisp, melodious chime rang out in the minds of every adventurer present.

System windows flared to life across the amphitheater:

[Squad 07]

[Damage Contribution Rank: 1]

[Reward: Frost King Armor Set (6/6)]

[Reward: Frost Elemental Mana Core (Level 18)]

Silence fell over the cavern, broken only by the frustrated groans and envious whispers of the surrounding squads who had burned through their mana pools for second and third-tier rewards.

”Rank One!” Lyra cheered, pumping her fist in the air as her radiant longsword dissipated. ”We wiped the floor with them!”

”Because we actually conserved our energy instead of throwing wild spells at heavy armor,” Caelen said, though a rare, satisfied smirk crossed his face as he sheathed Edge of the First Warden.

Barney lowered his massive tower shield with a heavy exhale, wiping frost from his brow. ”Not going to complain about the loot, though. A full Level 18 armor set is a massive score for Floor Seven.”

Rowan stepped forward through the settling snow, resting his trusty hoe comfortably over his shoulder as he adjusted the brim of his Enchanted Straw Hat. Opening his system inventory, he examined the glowing rewards floating inside.

The Frost King Armor Set glowed with a crystalline, deep-blue hue, radiating a passive aura that completely negated environmental frost penalties while boosting physical defense. Beside it, the Level 18 Frost Elemental Mana Core thrummed with pure, concentrated icy mana—a prime component that Rowan’s Gardener of Eden authority could easily repurpose or nourish for domain growth.

”The armor set goes straight to Barney,” Rowan declared smoothly, glancing at their tank. ”It’ll turn you into an unshakeable wall for whatever high-tier frost beasts lie ahead. As for the Level 18 core... I’ll process it later.”

Barney grinned, his eyes gleaming behind his visor. ”Now that’s what I call a solid payout.”

Rowan turned his sharp eyes toward the dark, winding passage leading out of the cavern basin. ”Rest up for two minutes. The boss clear unlocked the lower trench path—and we’ve got a floor to conquer.”

The murmurs across the snowy basin were already souring into heated arguments as rival leaders checked their system windows, shouting over sub-par rank percentages and wasted mana reserves. Glances—some envious, others openly hostile—began shifting toward Squad 07, the unknown team that had casually stepped in and snatched Rank 1 right out from under their noses.

Rowan didn’t wait around for the bitter tempers to turn into a full-blown confrontation. Tilting the brim of his Enchanted Straw Hat to obscure his profile, he gave a crisp, low gesture with his trusty hoe. ”We’re moving out. Now.”

Princess Lyra immediately pulled her insulated hood low over her face, concealing the distinct royal crest woven into her cloak collar and the golden gleam of her hair. While her combat instincts were fiery, she knew as well as anyone that a high-ranking royal caught in an isolated, free-for-all zone like the Glacial Trench was a double-edged sword. Combined with the legendary Frost King Armor Set now resting in their system inventory, their squad was a walking jackpot for desperate or dishonorable adventurer guilds.

Squad 07 fell into a tight, quiet movement pattern, slipping through the lingering cloud of mana particles and retreating down the newly opened subterranean corridor before the surrounding groups could organize a blockade.

”Two scouts from the secondary vanguard squad tried to trail us,” Mirei reported softly from the rear, her eyes never leaving the shadows behind them as she notched a wind arrow. ”I left a warning shot across their lead tracker’s boots. They backed off.”

”Good,” Caelen said, his hand resting comfortably on the pommel of Edge of the First Warden. ”Let them bicker over the remaining scrap drops. We came for progression, not petty territorial fights.”

Barney let out a quiet chuckle beneath his visor as they rounded a bend, safely leaving the amphitheater’s echoing shouts behind. ”Saves me from having to test this new armor on human targets. Though I wouldn’t mind seeing how their swords hold up against Level 18 plate.”

Rowan smirked, tapping his hoe rhythmically against the obsidian floor as the ambient cold of the deep trench welcomed them back. ”Keep your stamina steady, everyone. The field boss was just the gatekeeper.”