Chapter 1131, A New Skill

Translator: Silavin

 

[Check in and claim the Assistance Package.]

 

Su Bai had only just opened his eyes when he called out to the System in his mind. Today happened to mark exactly one month.

 

Every month brought the chance of drawing a better Assistance Package, which meant a Mid Grade Assistance Package.

 

<Ding! Opening the first day’s Assistance Package…>
<Ding! Congratulations to the Host for obtaining the Ultimate Grade Assistance: Ice and Snow.>

 

Su Bai had still been a little drowsy and not especially hopeful. But the moment he heard that Assistance Package Gade, his eyes snapped wide open.

 

It was because he had been drawing well for a stretch. So, he had started anticipating this round would turn out to be nothing particularly useful.

 

That was just how the System tended to go. Su Bai had long grown used to it. When he drew too many good things in a row, the next one would be rubbish.

 

Of course, the reverse happened too. Draw too much rubbish, and eventually something good would come along.

 

This time, clearly, the Assistance Package he drew out had him feeling extremely pleased. It was like a light suddenly appearing in front of him.

 

[System, what does this Skill do?] Su Bai asked.

 

<Ding! The Ice and Snow Skill allows the Host to freely generate and manipulate ice and snow. As the Level increases, this Skill will grow progressively stronger.>

 

The cold mechanical voice rang out in Su Bai’s mind and left him with a slight shiver.

 

[Great! This Skill is really something. And it can be applied in so many different ways.] Su Bai jumped to his feet with excitement.

 

No other reason than that the number of uses for this Skill was simply too many to count.

 

Before the snow season arrived, storing food had always been a troublesome affair.

 

The Flame Dragon Tribe either dried the food into dried meat, or kept it down in the cellar.

 

Ever since the Flame Dragon Tribe had farmland, food output had started to climb.

 

All manner of vegetables, with the Growth Acceleration Skill to help things along, grew at a remarkable pace and could be harvested batch after batch.

 

There were plenty of vegetables that could feed the cattle, sheep, and horses as well. Some of those animals could be eaten, others could produce young, and together they yielded all kinds of dairy products.

 

All in all, the variety of food had grown enormously. The difficulty of storing it all had grown alongside.

 

But now, with this, it would be possible to build an ice cellar outside of the snow season and store food inside it without it spoiling.

 

Simply put, it was a refrigerator for the Primitive Era. And not only that. Ice could also be used in food preparation itself.

 

In summer, or during dry spells, it could be used to make shaved ice and slushed ice. Strictly speaking, those were beverages, but they would be a genuinely novel experience for this Primitive Era.

 

Beyond all that, it would be enormously useful in treating illness. For instance, in treating someone collapsed with high fever, or someone with burns to the skin.

 

“I’ll make a proper ice cellar soon enough. I wonder just how long the ice it produces will hold for.”

 

That thought had barely crossed his mind before he moved straight to trying it. He had the Skill now, so he might as well test it.

 

He opened his right hand and casted the Skill in his mind. A faint blue snowflake drifted up from his palm.

 

The snowflake turned slowly, and in the blink of an eye a piece of ice had formed from it.

 

In truth the whole sequence happened very quickly. It was practically over before it began.

 

“I’ll see how long this piece takes to melt.” Su Bai said this and immediately formed a second piece of ice. “And this one I’ll use to test how hard it is.”

 

He stood up, weighed the ice in his hand for a moment, then hurled it at the ground with force.

 

*Crack.*

 

A sharp, clean sound rang out. The piece of ice shattered into several pieces. Thoroughly shattered.

 

Clearly it was not as hard as he had imagined. He had half expected it to be as solid as stone.

 

[System, does the ice get harder as the Skill Levels Up?] Su Bai immediately asked.

 

The guess had come to him suddenly. He had remembered what the System said, that the Ice and Snow Skill could be Levelled Up.

 

If it could be levelled up, then the quality of the ice ought to improve as well. The hardness included.

 

<To answer the Host, your guess is correct. The higher the Level, the harder the ice will become. At its peak, it could be as tough as steel.> The System’s cold voice came again.

 

[And the rate the ice melts will slow down as well, yes?] Su Bai glanced at the piece of ice he had set on the table.

 

He could see that the outer layer had already begun to melt. A small pool of water had gathered on the table surface beneath it.

 

Clearly this piece of ice was melting at quite a fast rate. From the moment he had produced the second piece to now was barely a minute.

 

<That is correct. Both the hardness and the melting rate of the ice are tied to the Skill’s Level.> The System clarified once more.

 

[Understood. Is there any limit to how many times per day the Ice and Snow Skill can be used?] Su Bai continued.

 

<There is no limit on uses per day. It may be used as many times as desired. However, it will consume a large amount of Shaman Power. Please use it with care.> The System issued a cautionary note, the first time it had ever done so.

 

It had never done this before. Which made it easy to imagine just how demanding this Skill was on one’s resources.

 

[I see. A Skill this good consuming a great deal of Shaman Power is perfectly understandable.] Su Bai nodded thoughtfully.

 

He was not particularly concerned about that. Ever since the Ferocious Beast Crystal had been added to the mix, his Shaman Power had been growing steadily day by day.

 

“Ice and Snow, activate.” Su Bai casted the Skill once more.

 

The same faint blue snowflake appeared in his palm. Then, slowly, it shifted shape until it had taken the form of a dagger.

 

That was Su Bai testing whether he could change the shape the ice formed into.

 

It turned out he could. That discovery would greatly expand the practical uses of this Skill.

 

No other reason than that in a fight, the ice and snow in his hand could be shaped into any form he needed.

 

He had suddenly thought of the anime scenes. Many characters with ice abilities operated in exactly this way.

 

Controlling ice, shaping it into weapons or into animals to strike with. A method like that would greatly amplify the power of this Ice and Snow Skill.

 

“This really is like a tiger that has grown wings…” Su Bai laughed, unable to contain his excitement.