Frost Valley was perpetually covered in thick snow. Legend had it that two gods had fallen in the Silent Forest, ultimately creating this bizarre environment where blizzards and rainstorms alternated. It was said that their descendants still lived in this forest, though this claim was unverifiable—much like the rumors that shattered limbs and remains left behind by the war of the gods still lingered here. No one had ever actually found them.
“Frost wolves are the most common predators in Frost Valley. They are twice the size of normal wolves, with fur as white as snow and eyes that shimmer with an eerie blue light. Their howls can trigger small-scale avalanches.” Li Yue flipped through her book and the provided map in the cold wind. She hadn't encountered a single beast, so she couldn't hunt; she could only eat the emergency rations she had prepared earlier.
“Frost wolves primarily live in packs, usually led by a powerful Frost Wolf King. They are experts at stalking through the snow and utilize the environment to create traps when hunting.” Li Yue read the description in the book. “They can move silently across the snow...”
She looked around. This was the exact place described on the map. The description labeled it as extremely dangerous—the territory of frost wolves. One was supposed to take a detour or conceal their presence as much as possible. Yet Li Yue had walked right in with no pretense, and there was still no sound.
Only the howling wind swept past, carrying a piercing, wailing sound like a mourning cry. It was so noisy it made Li Yue a bit uncomfortable. It had been a long time since she emerged from the Rainstorm Swamp, and she had walked through this frozen wasteland for who knows how long without seeing a single living thing.
“Is this... reality? Or did I load a game save and hit a bug where the monsters won't spawn?” Li Yue muttered to herself. She released her instinctive perception. Since frost wolves moved silently even when sprinting, one could only detect them by sensing their life force.
The surroundings were silent—a dead stillness, as if all living beings had vanished.
I'm not permanently under the effect of the Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust spell, am I...? No... Li Yue sighed. Suddenly, something caught her attention. She raised her hand instantly, and her revolver fired rapidly. A silver bullet carved a silver line through the air. Accompanied by the boom of displaced air and a sharp crack, something shattered—it seemed to be a blue eye-like object.
“...My points didn't go up...” Li Yue puffed out her cheeks and sat in the snow, taking a bite of a biscuit, looking slightly dejected.
Inside the Ritual Hall, students with bite marks and scratches began to appear. They could hardly hide their sadness. Some, hit by the double blow of physical pain and psychological setback, began to tear up.
“Don't cry, classmate. Your bite wound isn't very serious. I'll clean the wound for you. Before using healing magic, I need to apply anti-inflammatory measures to prevent any lasting damage.” A senior student in a pure white robe was treating the wounds of the eliminated candidates.
“Were you attacked by frost wolves? You must be careful not to enter their territory next time. These pack-dwelling magic beasts are dangerous; you risk being swarmed if you intrude.”
“What? You're saying you were attacked in a safe zone marked on the map? How is that possible?” The white-robed senior showed a look of surprise. Similar complaints were rising from all around the medical staff.
In the garden hall, the expressionless Ishtar had finally finished tending to all her flowers. She sat bored in her chair, fiddling with a pot of white flowers. As long as no special events occurred, she only needed to be a witness—just like Clo, who had sat through the previous session until she fell asleep. Though, right now, no one knew where Clo had gone.
“Why were so many people eliminated because they were swarmed by frost wolves? Without the academy's protective magic, they would have surely been torn to shreds.”
“They probably tried to enter the frost wolves' habitat to farm academic credits.”
“No, the ones eliminated in large numbers this time were students resting in safe zones. The Frost Wolf King led its pack and was forced to migrate to that area.”
“They've lived in their original territory for decades. Why would they suddenly change areas? Did the ice dragon from the deep valley come out to hunt?”
“Impossible. This is only the outermost edge of Frost Valley. They haven't even reached the Frozen Lake.”
A commotion broke out among the people in the garden hall. Ishtar narrowed her green eyes, though her blood-red right eye remained open, looking at the projection of the valley with total indifference.
Back in Frost Valley, Li Yue, whose white hair was now dusted with snow, slowly stood up. She bit into a piece of chocolate that was as hard as a rock, the crisp crunch echoing inside her puffed-out cheeks.
“Mmm, my teeth and bite force are still as exaggerated as ever. Next, should I push deeper?” Li Yue swallowed the chocolate, weighing the difficulty of the remaining journey. She looked toward the deepest part, where she sensed a familiar aura—one that disgusted her yet also exerted a certain pull.
“God's remains? Mine? For real?” Li Yue smiled disdainfully, completely uninterested. The heart, the Death Abyss, the eyes of Death, the blood sword, and the Trunk were already enough. She didn't want to deal with any more of it.
She cut her own arm, and a faint scent of blood spread out. However, such an enticingly sweet scent failed to attract any magic beasts.
“Why aren't there any magic beasts at all? I've stepped into every possible trap zone, yet there's still not a single trace of them.” Compared to the distant God's remains, Li Yue cared more about the current exam. As for those remains, even if she tried to avoid them, she wouldn't be able to escape them in the end...
She walked aimlessly through the snow, her arms hanging loosely at her sides without any weapons, looking somewhat vacant. Suddenly, her body jolted as if something had stimulated her.
“The blood crystal I gave to Xiao Lin at the coffee shop... it was crushed... She's in danger.” She slowly looked up, her pupils gradually turning into blood-red vertical pupils. Under the stimulation of the distant God's remains and taboo magic, her suppression of herself loosened for a single moment...
In that mere instant, a scarlet blood shadow flashed across the snow. The creatures along the path fled in all directions, wailing in terror. By the time Li Yue regained her senses in the next instant, she was already standing in front of the injured Xiao Lin.
Her incredible speed created a powerful shockwave as she landed, sending several of the black-robed students surrounding Xiao Lin and Zijing flying.
“...I spaced out. I couldn't suppress the God's remains...” Li Yue covered her face, peeking through the gaps in her fingers at the living people before her. It made her feel a bit excited...
Stay calm... Stay calm... This is exactly the time to test you... Jormungandr.
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