Reborn As The Immortal Ice Tyrant

The Black Mountain

Ethan stood still. The strange message remained floating before his eyes.

The last heir is waiting. Will you answer the call?

The words sent a chill down his spine.

In his previous life, he had spent ten years inside Age of Divinity. He had heard stories about hidden quests, secret classes, and forgotten kingdoms.

But he had never seen anything like this never in his life.

The black mountain in the distance seemed alive.

Dark clouds circled around its peak.The giant bell continued to sounded across the sky.

Dong... Dong... Dong...

The sound was heavy and ancient. It felt less like a bell and more like a warning.

Around Ethan, other players had started appearing in the Beginner Plains.

Many of them looked confused. Some pointed toward the mountain.

"What's that?, was that part of the game?"

"I don't remember seeing that in the trailer."

"Maybe it's a special event." Excitement filled their voices.

But Ethan's expression remained serious.

He knew one thing. The game never gave rewards without danger.

The bigger the reward, the greater the risk. And this quest felt extremely dangerous.

Yet his instincts told him he couldn't ignore it.

Not if he wanted to become strong enough to survive the future.

Not if he wanted to change his fate. Ethan took a deep breath.

Then he made his decision.

"I'm going." The moment the words left his mouth, the message disappeared.

A new line suddenly appeared.

(Quest Accepted. Travel to Black Mountain.)(Time Remaining: 24 Hours.)

Ethan frowned. Twenty-four hours. That wasn't much time.

Without wasting another second, he started running.

The grass swayed under his feet, the morning sun shone brightly overhead.

At first, everything looked peaceful, almost  beautiful.

But Ethan knew appearances could be deceiving.

This world was cruel. Far crueler than most players could imagine.

Suddenly, movement caught his attention.

A group of wild wolves emerged from the bushes.

Their red eyes locked onto him.

Growl. Growl. Three wolves.

Level 3. For most beginners, they would be dangerous.

But Ethan wasn't worried, not  because he was strong. He wasn't. Not yet.But because he knew their attack patterns.

The wolves charged. Fast, very  fast. Ethan stepped sideways.

The first wolf missed. He grabbed a nearby branch and swung it.

Bang! The branch struck the wolf's head.A damage number appeared.

The wolf cried out.At the same time, Ethan felt something warm flow through his body.

His eyes widened, his talent had activated.

His maximum health increased.

Only a tiny amount. But it increased.A smile appeared on his face.

This talent was truly terrifying. The longer he fought, the stronger he would become.

The wolves attacked again. Ethan dodged.

Hit Dodge, Hit. Five minutes later, all three wolves lay dead.

He was breathing heavily, while his clothes were dirty.

Several scratches covered his arms. But his eyes were bright.

His health had increased again, Little by little.

Step by step. The path toward becoming strong had begun.

Suddenly, another voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Hey!" Ethan turned around. Three players approached him.

A large warrior stood in front. A female mage walked beside him.

The third player was a thin assassin.All of them looked older than Ethan.

The warrior smiled, You fought pretty well."

Ethan remained silent. Years of experience had taught him to be careful around strangers.

The warrior continued.

"We're heading toward Black Mountain too." Ethan's eyes narrowed.

"You know about it?" The mage nodded.

"A quest appeared for us." Ethan wasn't surprised.

If this was a world event, it probably involved more than one player.

The warrior stretched out his hand.

"My name is Ryan." The mage smiled.

"Clara." The assassin gave a short nod.

"Lucas. Ethan." The introductions ended quickly.

For a moment, nobody spoke. Then Ryan laughed.

"Want to travel together? Ethan considered it.

Normally, he preferred working alone. But right now, he was weak.

Very weak. A temporary team wasn't a bad idea.

"Fine." Ryan smiled. Great." The group continued moving.

As they walked, they chatted casually. Unlike many players, Ryan wasn't arrogant.

Clara was cheerful and kind. Lucas rarely spoke.

But he seemed reliable, ever since entering the game, Ethan felt something strange.

Comfort. It reminded him of the early days from his previous life.

Back before everything became a struggle and betrayal and death became normal.

A small smile appeared on his face. Maybe this life could be different.

Maybe. Hours passed.The black mountain slowly grew larger.

The closer they got, the darker the sky became.

Then they saw it. A ruined village. Broken houses stood everywhere.

The ground was stained black, not a single living creature could be seen.

The entire place felt dead. Ryan frowned.

"I don't like this." Neither did Ethan.

Something felt wrong. Suddenly—A scream sounded loud through the village.

Everyone froze, the sound was filled with terror.

Then another scream followed. Clara's face turned pale.

"What was that?" Ethan immediately moved.

"Come on." The group rushed forward.

Soon they reached the center of the village. And what they saw made them stop.

A battle was taking place. Several players were fighting.

No. Being slaughtered, a tall man stood among them.

His armor was black. His sword dripped with blood.

Around him, bodies covered the ground.

Players. Dozens of them they were completely dead.  Ethan's heart nearly stopped.

He recognized that face. Impossible.Absolutely impossible.

The man shouldn't be here, not now, not at the beginning of the game.

Ryan swallowed hard. Who is that?"

Ethan's voice became hoarse. Darius."

The name left his mouth like a curse.One of the strongest players from his previous life.

A future king among players.

Someone who would eventually stand near the top of the world.

But how? How was he already this strong?

The answer became clear moments later. A golden symbol floated above Darius's head.

A hidden class. Ethan's face darkened.

So Darius had already found it. Much earlier than history remembered.

This changed everything, the fight ended quickly.

Another player fell. Blood splashed across the ground.

The surviving players ran in panic. Darius simply watched them leave.

Then his gaze shifted, towards  Ethan, Ryan, Clara and Lucas.

The air instantly became colder. Darius smiled a cruel smile.

"More visitors." Every instinct inside Ethan screamed danger.

Run. Run now. But before anyone could move—

Boom! Darius appeared in front of them, he was too fast.

Ryan's eyes widened.

"What—" Slash! Blood sprayed through the air.

Ryan collapsed. A deep wound crossed his chest.

Clara screamed.

"Ryan!" Lucas charged forward. His daggers flashed.

But Darius casually blocked them. Then kicked him away.

Lucas crashed into a wall. The wall shattered.

Ethan's heart pounded.

This wasn't a fight, it was  a death match.

They were completely outmatched. Darius looked at Ethan.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"You." Ethan froze. For some reason, Darius seemed interested in him.

"Interesting." Darius stepped closer.

Ethan wanted to move and run.But his body wouldn't listen.

The pressure was overwhelming. Darius raised his sword. And suddenly— Pain exploded inside Ethan's chest.

His eyes widened. The world seemed to slow down.

He looked down and suddenly the sword had pierced his heart. Blood dripped from the blade.

His blood.Ethan couldn't breathe. The pain was unbearable.

The game no longer felt separate from reality, he could feel the wound and the emotions around it, and now the wound felt real.

Clara screamed his name.

"Ethan!" Her voice sounded distant. Like she was standing far away.

Darius pulled the sword back. Blood poured from Ethan's chest.

His legs became weak. The world spun around him.

Why? Why did this feel familiar? Then the memories returned.

How the monster's claw pierce through his heart and killed him, in his first death.

The same helplessness and despair, was history repeating itself?

No. No! Ethan clenched his fists.His nails dug into his palms.

He had been given a second chance, he refused to die here.

Suddenly, a strange warmth spread through his body.

His talent. The health he had gained from fighting wolves.

It wasn't much.But it was enough. Enough to keep him alive for a few more seconds.

Darius noticed. And surprise it appeared on his face.

"You survived?" His voice sounded genuinely shocked.

Ethan forced himself to stand. Blood continued flowing from his chest and his vision blurred.

Clara was crying bitterly Lucas struggled to stand, while Ryan lay motionless.

Ethan looked at them. Then at Darius.

Darius laughed.

"Interesting." He raised his sword again.

"This time, stay dead." The blade descended.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion.

Clara screamed. Lucas still mange to charged.

The bell rang again. Dong... Dong...

Dong... And suddenly— A black light burst from the mountain.

The entire world shook violently.

Even Darius stopped moving, everyone  stared toward the mountain.

A crack had appeared in the sky.What is happening?"

Nobody answered. The black light shot toward Ethan, straight toward him.

His eyes widened and instantly the light entered his body.

Pain exploded throughout every part of himHis vision turned dark.

The last thing he saw was Clara reaching for him.

"Ethan!" Then everything disappeared, and his body collapsed.