Reinhard blinked at the words before a smile appeared. While he couldn't understand the meaning or the implications of what "everything" might entail.
He could understand that this was the final floor he needed to pass until he could pass the trial. There were no more other floors he would need to climb or a need to push through the snow anymore.
The thought filled him with relief but also anxiety rushed as he wondered what he would face on this floor. Every floor seems to increase the challenge and monsters he would encounter, going from simple trolls to giants.
He clenched his hands before sticking them into his pockets to heat them up and began looking around.
Reinhard looked to the right to see a path cutting through the snow between some smaller roots and rocks. He furrowed his brows and hoped there would be better spots to hide his presence in case he sees a monster.
He then began heading forward and noticing the path was smaller than the previous ones. He glanced to the side to see rocks and roots coming out of the ground, some of them were covered in ice or snow.
As he walked, he shivered more from the constant breeze that seemed to follow him no matter which direction he turned. He wondered if he should have rested in the giant cavern for a bit to warm up before heading forward. But then shakes his head, as the risk was too much and no guarantee how long it would take.
It was then that he blinked in surprise and paused.
Reinhard saw a white sword partially buried in the snow with the hilt sticking out. The weapon was beautiful with the metal being pure white, something he has never seen or heard about before.
He slowly walked towards it while glancing left and right, as he battled with whether to take it or not. The sword seemed oddly convenient but at the same time, not taking it might make this floor vastly harder.
For example, if he had to fight a Frost Giant? Then no root or stone will be making a dent on them anytime soon. He suppressed his suspicion as he reached out and gently grasped onto the sword's hilt. He shivers from the cold against his palm even though his hand is wrapped with cloth.
The moment his fingers closed around the sword, the ground began trembling. The snow around burst out in an explosion with branches and rocks scattering around the area.
Before Reinhard could draw the sword out, a fur-covered arm erupted from the ground right next to him. The arm was covered in coarse white and blue fur that glittered with frost crystals while smoke trails off it.
The arm moved before smashing into his right side with terrifying force. Reinhard felt pain explode through his ribs and shoulder as he was sent flying through the air, his grip on the sword lost as he flew in the air.
Then he landed on the ground before rolling and bouncing across the snow. Each impact sent waves of agony through his body while snow constantly entered his mouth.
Even ice flakes were entering his nose and scrapping against his uniform. Fortunately, he stopped rolling before pushing through the pain as he pushed himself up onto his hands and knees.
When he looked up, he saw a massive monster rising up from the snow. The monster had a huge belly covered in the same white and blue fur as the arm that had struck him. It had two impossibly long thin arms that reached into the snow and claws at the end. But what surprised Reinhard was the single massive pale blue eye on the monster head and razor sharp teeth.
Reinhard blinked in shock before muttering, "Is that a damn One-Eye Yeti? Damn it."
The One-Eye Yeti opened its mouth and released a roar that shook the area as snow continued to fall from its body. Reinhard scrunched his face up from the noise that sent pain through his head and made him cover his ear.
Then the Yeti rushed towards him, its massive form moving with surprising speed despite its bulk. Its long arms swung at its sides as it charged, and he saw how its pupil constantly moved around.
The long arm rushed through the air, sweeping towards Reinhard's left side. He dove to the side, evading the attack and feeling the wind from the arms as they passed inches from his head.
He rolled through the snow before quickly getting up as he saw the Yeti eye following him and its left arm hacking out. The left arm rushed out like a whip, sweeping through the air and arriving near his right shoulder. He quickly raised his guard just as the arm smashed into him and sent him spinning through the snow.
The impact sent him sprawling, but he forced himself up and began moving through the snow. But this forced him to constantly defend and react to the One-Eye Yeti whip strikes. Every time he found a safe distance, the long limbs would cut through and force him to dive away.
As this continued, Reinhard found himself gradually growing angrier. The pain all over his body, the Yeti giving him time to run away before striking and its obvious enjoyment was infuriating. The creature's mouth would curve up every time he evaded as it cornered him again and again.
Reinhard grit his teeth before grabbing several stones and hurling them towards the One-Eye Yet massive eye. The stones rushed through the air but were swatted away by the monster who began grinning. But he didn't care as it brought him some seconds to think and plan. He took a quick glance around, seeing potential things he can use to help him and get him close to the monster eye.
Only by blinding it does he have a chance to kill it.
As another stone was batted away effortlessly, a plan began to form. He had noticed that the white sword was still lying where he had dropped it when the Yeti first attacked. If he could somehow get back to the weapon then he can really injure and push to kill the monster. But getting there would require lots of pain and risks.
Well not like I have much choice. Let's do this.
Reinhard sidestep to the left as the arm hacked down and crashed down from above. He was thankful the speed of the attack was something he can still react to or else he would be smashed all around.
The Yeti mouth curled up more as its arms lashed out at him from multiple angles. The arms cut through the air, hacking, slashing, and sweeping out, forcing him to dodge and weave in an increasingly frantic pattern.
He was getting tired, his movements becoming slower and less precise with each passing moment. But he continued this as he saw the Yeti shifting its location as it followed him.
Then Reinhard saw the Yeti was far from the sword which was on his left. But not wanting it to notice this, he took a gamble and didn't evade the Yeti next attack. The massive swept through the snow before crashing into his body and making him grit his teeth as he was sent flying again in the air.
As he rolled and tumbled through the frozen landscape, he kept his eyes focused on his target. Just as he began to slow down, he saw the hilt of the white sword and landed close to it.
Reinhard pushed himself out of the snow with his head staring down while grasping the weapon with his right hand. His right-hand trembles from the cold of the sword while providing a sense of relief.
But then long arms wrapped around his entire body, pinning his arms to his sides and lifting him from the ground. The monster grip tightened around him, making Reinhard tremble and feel his ribs creaking from the pressure.
The Yeti pulled him close to its massive face, its single eye studying him with obvious satisfaction.