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〈Lineage W〉 unveiled the fourth new class, the second signature class, the Mana Striker, and the new dungeon, Ice Crystal Cave. The Ice Crystal Cave, where the Ice Queen was imprisoned long ago, is a place filled with freezing cold. Let's explore the story of the "Ice Queen," the one behind the creation of the Ice Crystal Cave, and the "Mana Striker," an enhanced human born from forbidden research at the Ivory Tower to oppose her.

In ancient times during the era of the Elmoreden Empire, many people rose up to subdue the unending rampage of the Fire Dragon Valakas. However, opposing Valakas was no easy task, and many lives were lost in the process. This conflict even took the life of Dakone, the Lord of Oren. Upon hearing this news while studying the arcane at Oren's Ivory Tower, Dakone's daughter, Ironis, was consumed by fury toward Valakas. After her father's funeral, Ironis set out to fell Valakas. Recognized as a skilled mage even at the Ivory Tower, everyone believed that her abilities would greatly contribute to subduing Valakas. However, Ironis lost her judgment when she faced Valakas. Her overuse of ice magic resulted in not just her own body, but the entirety of Oren being covered in snow and ice. From that moment on, Ironis was no longer known as Dakone's daughter, or as a mage of the Ivory Tower, but rather as the Ice Queen.

The mages of the Ivory Tower sealed the Ice Queen away in a cavern before she could cause any more damage. However, they could not completely contain the intense cold emanating from her. From then on, the mages of the Ivory Tower began researching ways to seal away the Ice Queen for good.

The era of Depardieu, many years after the incident. As members of the Ivory Tower and lovers, Brad and Svin were dispatched to the Ice Crystal Cave to conduct research and lived there. They were searching for a way to safely eradicate the Ice Queen, knowing that if her seal were to be broken, it would cause immense damage throughout Aden. One day, Svin, acknowledging that even the Ice Queen was once a human, wanted to remind Ironis of her past by giving her a warm magical heart as a substitute for her frozen heart.

"Brad, if she were to have a warm heart, she wouldn't suffer like this... What do you think?"

After much research, Svin and Brad were able to create the magical heart, which they then presented to the Ice Queen. The mages of the Ivory Tower crafted a warm heart using fairy tears and Svin's magic and presented it to the Ice Queen. Then, a change occurred. The cold subsided, and the Ice Queen began to take an interest in Svin and Brad, who were continuing their research near the cavern. Although diminished, the Ice Queen still possessed cold capable of harming humans. So, she chose to observe the two from a distance.

Upon seeing this, Brad prepared a gift for the Ice Queen. They were earrings made from materials collected from the cave. He always carried them with him, intending to give them to the Ice Queen as a gift when the day for them to meet face to face came, whenever that might be. However, one day, he lost the earrings while stumbling through the cave.

The Ice Queen who was watching Brad from afar, picked up the earrings. As she touched it, she felt her heart warming. It was a new emotion. Not one of vengeance or hesitation. A few days later, the Ice Queen instructed her attendants to use the power of flames to further diminish her cold before she visited Brad. On that day, by pure chance, the Ice Queen witnessed Brad proposing to Svin. Unable to contain new unfamiliar emotions swelling up from within, the Ice Queen unleashed an explosive burst of cold. Svin, who tried to stop her, was trapped by her cold. The cavern once again filled with harsh cold, and even the magical heart froze over.

Sensing the severity of the situation as the cold crept all the way to the entrance of the Ice Crystal Cave, Brad, intending to leave, searched for Svin, but she was nowhere to be found. He asked every warrior he encountered exploring the Ice Crystal Cave to inform him were they to find Svin. One day, a warrior handed Brad an item that was suspected to belong to Svin. It was a piece of ice frozen in the shape of a tear.

"Brad, I suspect Svin's tears might have frozen over in this extreme cold."

Brad looked at the ice intently, then sighed with a disappointed expression.

"No... I don't think this tear belongs to Svin. This is... the Ice Queen's tear."

Meanwhile, Svin was gradually freezing over within the Ice Queen's walls. Just before she completely froze over, Svin gathered her strength and spoke to the Ice Queen.

"You're not a bad person. You can become a person with a warm heart again..."

Upon hearing those words, tears welled up once again in the Ice Queen's eyes, filled with unfamiliar emotions.

Svin has a younger twin named Marvin. Also a researcher of magic at the Ivory Tower, Marvin had a somewhat eccentric personality unlike the gentle Svin. Perhaps it was because of his small stature, he would dream of becoming a knight and conducted research into forbidden magic that could enhance his body. Marvin tried to secretly use small animals and infuse them with magic to enhance them, but failed repeatedly. During this time, he heard news of Svin's disappearance from Brad. Marvin hastily ventured into the cave, looking for his sister, and disappeared.

In their various attempts to deal with the Ice Queen, the mages of the Ivory Tower came upon Marvin's research notes. They immediately realized the flaws in his approach. Small and fragile animals simply could not withstand the magical infusion. Therefore, they decided to experiment by infusing magic into stronger beings. They lured in fighters from arenas, promising great power, and used them for experimentation. They injected tremendous amounts of magic into the fighters' bodies, but those who could not endure it imploded as the magic surged through their bodies. Hundreds of fighters died in these covert experiments. Eventually, one person succeeded in accepting the enhancements. Naturally gifted with superior physical abilities and trained to withstand severe cold, he displayed exceptional combat skills when combined with magic. The mages rejoiced and named his unique technique "Mana Strikes." However, having long lost his sense of self due to the torturous experiments, he became a mere tool to be manipulated by the mages' commands.

Empowered with Mana Strikes, the enhanced fighter stood as the vanguard of the party tasked to fell the Ice Queen. Despite the intensifying cold and the blizzard that seem to pierce the flesh, they reached the Ice Queen's lair. As the Ice Queen attacked, many adventurers fell, followed by the knights from each region, until only the mages of the Ivory Tower and the enhanced human remained. However, when the Ice Queen tore off the enhanced human's arm, even the mages of the Ivory Tower could no longer resist her. In a desperate attempt to survive, they began channeling all their mana into the enhanced human. They knew that if too much mana were to be infused into the enhanced human, he would go berserk, providing them with an opportunity to escape.

However, even after being infused with the combined mana of the mages, he did not go berserk. Instead, a new arm, nourished by the mana, grew in place of the severed one. Though it would not have been surprising if he had imploded, the enhanced human who had already lost his sanity spiraled into a state of near-madness. The mages of the Ivory Tower, who were waiting for the mana to overload him, were ultimately unable to escape and were annihilated. The Ice Queen's power continued to intensify, engulfing the last remaining person, the enhanced human. He fought against the Ice Queen's attacks alone, but gradually, the Ice Queen's magic began freezing him over.

Thus, the party disappeared, just like all the other parties before them. And eventually, they were forgotten to time.

150 years later, Valakas awakened from the Fire Dragon's Nest, and the resulting shockwave began to melt the once impenetrable ice of the Ice Queen. It was then that the enhanced human, who was supposed to have fallen in Oren's ice cave, awakened. Vivid memories of being dragged to the Ivory Tower, being subjected to torturous experiments, losing his sanity, and being deployed for the subjugation of the Ice Queen all came flooding back. Now fully conscious, seething rage against the Ivory Tower filled him. His arm served as proof of his past suffering. His arm, infused with mana, vividly reminded him of the pain he had endured.

And now, he had finally regained his freedom. Having grown accustomed to pain, he was able to endure anything. However, he could not endure losing himself. To keep on surviving, and to take revenge on the Ivory Tower, he must rise up once again.