Rise Online: Return of the Legendary Player
Chapter 861: Confines of Niflheim

Except for the nights on Rise Online, Klaus Park's life on the Special Program campus followed pretty much the same routine every day.

Every day, Klaus woke up early and did his morning routine of exercise and meditation to clear his mind. After a hearty breakfast with his classmates, he headed to the classroom for another morning of classes. The classes were intense and demanded the utmost of his knowledge.

The teachers were renowned experts in their fields, and as Klaus wasn't a genius in every area, he had to pay attention so as not to fall too far behind.

That morning, during the break between two classes, while having a coffee and chatting with some classmates, Klaus received a message on his cell phone. It was a notice that the epic items he had placed on the World Market two days ago had all been successfully sold. Klaus smiled and returned to the conversation.

He usually had three compulsory doubles every day in a row, for a supplementary Artificial Intelligence class. This class was his favorite, because it involved not only theory, but also practice. Klaus and his classmates worked on projects to develop advanced algorithms, exploring the limits of technology and its application in different areas.

After his morning classes, Klaus devoted part of the afternoon to the practical activities of the program, i.e. the Archery Department. In the late afternoon, Klaus would set aside two hours to study on his own. He would revise the contents of the lessons and do additional exercises. This was something that most students did at night, but Klaus had his evenings very busy in the deep immersion pod.

On weekends, when the program's activities slowed down a bit, Klaus took the opportunity to relax and recharge his batteries.

The NIST Department program was demanding, but it also offered unique opportunities for learning and growth. Klaus knew he was in the right place to develop his full potential, even though it was tempting to just drop everything and go back to New York to live with Emma.

*

The Kaizen group's journey to the far reaches of Niflheim took even longer than they had imagined. The Shaccares were as good at pulling carts in the snow as horses could pull on a dirt road, but they didn't have infinite breath. So it took two days before they finally found the great lake that the entity had told Kaizen about.

In the midst of snow-capped mountains, this vast lake stretched like a mirror of ice as far as the eye could see. Most of it was densely frozen, reflecting the silvery sunlight dimmed by thick clouds that shone above the distant mountains.

The surrounding environment was as inhospitable as they imagined, with nothing alive for miles and miles beyond themselves and nothing changed for many years beyond the footprints left by the Shaccares in the deep snow.

Kaizen, Alina, Og'tharoz, Xisrith, Andrew and Jayaa looked out over the frozen lake, absorbing the majesty and desolation of what they would have to face.

The deep waters mentioned by the entity were hidden under a solid layer of ice that seemed to have been there for a long time, easily remaining pristine even in the sunlight.

The piercing wind swept across the surface of the lake, creating small swirls of snow that danced across the ice like ephemeral free spirits.

Kaizen broke the painful silence with his voice echoing softly through the emptiness of the place.

"This is the lake... Where Týr, the god in exile, is." He looked at Alina, whose yellow eyes shone with excitement.

"We're ready to face whatever is waiting for us. Make no doubt about it, Kaizen," Alina replied with determination, but then adjusted the hood of her cloak to protect herself from the icy wind. "Brrrr! Except for this infernal cold!"

Alina's reaction made everyone laugh, and then Kaizen said, "Don't worry, Alina, it's about to get worse. We'll need to get into this lake, but first we need to cross all this ice to get to where Týr is hiding," said Kaizen, his voice echoing softly through the emptiness of the place. He looked at Og'tharoz, the demon accompanying them. "Og'tharoz, can you help us with this?"

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The demon smiled mischievously and stepped forward. With his long hair, he crouched down until his right knee touched the ice. With one hand, he gently touched the frozen surface. The ice began to tremble and crack under his touch. Then something strange happened. A black aura enveloped Og'tharoz's hand, and the ice began to melt rapidly, as if it were being consumed by a black fire.

A hole opened up in front of them, finally revealing the deep, dark waters of the lake.

Kaizen stared in awe at Og'tharoz. "Impressive," he muttered, as the demon stood up again, his expression proud at having shown his skill.

Jayaa approached the edge of the ice, looked down at the dark water, turned away quickly and asked:

"Do we really need to go in there? We just can't, you know, lure it out here?"

Even Xisrith, who usually wasn't afraid of anything, wasn't sure if they should blindly enter a lake that had been frozen for so long.

Kaizen, the leader of the group, stared into the darkness of the dark waters, thinking about the words of the entity that had guided them there.

"Getting inside is our next step, there's no way we can lure a god out here," said Kaizen, his voice firm, although a hint of uncertainty lurked in his eyes. "We need to confirm if there's an entrance to Týr's tomb and first if it's safe for us all to go down together."

Og'tharoz watched the dark water with interest and without fear. "I can become intangible and go to the bottom."

"I can create a platform of light to make the descent easier." Andrew contributed.

Kaizen considered the suggestions "It would be useful. However, there may be traps and whatever else a god can do to ensure that his exile isn't disturbed by anyone. It will be safer if I go down."

Obviously, the group wasn't going to go against Kaizen's wishes. If he wanted to go first, he would.

It was then that, as Kaizen dived, his silhouette on the surface of the lake quickly disappeared into the ebony-black water.