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*****
The Frost Giants are a race where survival to adulthood alone guarantees immense power. A mature Frost Giant is naturally formidable, often surpassing the average Asgardian in raw strength.
This inherent power stems from the brutal environment of Jotunheim. While the giants are naturally resistant to cold, they are not immortal; infants and even physically weaker adolescents frequently succumb to the sub-zero temperatures. Under the crushing weight of natural selection, they are forced to become strong, as the weak are simply reclaimed by the ice long before they reach maturity.
It was only upon arriving in Jotunheim that Feny truly experienced just how hospitable this realm was.
He had spent countless hours practicing his skills in the Himalayas, a place defined by its frozen peaks, so even without "Incursio" equipped, his tolerance for cold was remarkably high. Yet, the moment he stepped onto the soil of Jotunheim, a bone-chilling frost seeped into his marrow. This was despite a constitution that far exceeded that of a normal human; an ordinary person would likely have frozen to death within minutes of arrival.
Surveying the endless blizzard swirling around him, Feny felt a wave of bewilderment. He had asked Heimdall to send him somewhere "safe," but he hadn't expected to be dropped in the middle of a literal frozen wasteland. He was currently quite lost.
"I need to find where the giants actually live," Feny muttered, pulling out the "Compass" he hadn't used in a long time.
He focused his intent on finding the Frost Giants. In this frozen void where not even a ghost could be seen, his best bet was to find a local to get his bearings. However, Jotunheim was vast—significantly larger than Nidavellir—and even with the Compass guiding him, Feny flew for an entire day without spotting a single soul.
He did, however, encounter a few Frost Beasts along the way, which provided a meager harvest of experience points. These particular beasts weren't very large and their strength was mediocre at best. Although they were hardy and thick-skinned, their low intelligence made them easy prey. It took seven of them just to scrape together a single point of experience—barely enough to offset the cost of a day's practice.
In Jotunheim, the distinction between day and night was almost non-existent. The sky remained a perpetual, heavy grey, choked by constant snowfall. After flying for hours, Feny decided to stop and rest. At this point, he harbored serious suspicions that Heimdall had dumped him in such a remote location on purpose.
Perhaps the Gatekeeper, remembering how Thor and Loki's previous excursion to Jotunheim had sparked a war, wanted to avoid a repeat performance by placing Feny as far from the Frost Giant settlements as possible.
Inside a desolate mountain cave, Feny watched the blizzard rage outside. Even while wearing "Incursio," he couldn't help but shiver. Unfortunately, with no combustible materials in sight, even a simple campfire was out of the question. Feeling the plummeting temperature, Feny decided to clear his mind and practice his "Breathing Techniques."
Ever since "Incursio" evolved its Flame Mode through these techniques, Feny knew that the energy his breathing could absorb wasn't limited to a single element. In this world of eternal frost, he finally felt and began to absorb a second type of energy.
Feny dubbed this second energy "Water Energy." Given the climate, "Ice Energy" might have been more poetic, but the name mattered little compared to the results.
Having undergone one evolution already, the "Incursio" armor seemed to have adapted to the infusion of energy from the Breathing Techniques. Consequently, developing the second mode was far simpler than he had anticipated.
The standard silver-white surface of the armor began to shift, gradually taking on a faint, ethereal sky-blue hue as it drank in the water energy. Feny named this state "Water Mode" and curiously felt the changes ripples through the suit.
Unlike Flame Mode, Water Mode did not grant a boost to physical strength. Instead, a thin, translucent blue veil of water appeared over the surface of the armor.
Feny tested its durability by striking the veil with almost his full strength using his newly acquired "White Dragon's Breath." He managed to pierce the shroud only with extreme effort, yet the moment the breach occurred, the water barrier surged back together, mending itself instantly.
"So, it's a defensive enhancement?" Feny mused, staring at the protective layer.
Incursio's natural defense was already top-tier. Now, with an added layer of resilient, self-healing, and comprehensive protection, it would be nearly impossible for an enemy to break through his guard. Furthermore, he discovered a crucial feature: he could manipulate the barrier.
Watching the water shroud expand outward like a massive, pale blue balloon, Feny poked at it again. It felt strangely elastic, almost like a firm gel.
"I didn't realize it could provide area-of-effect defense!"
Testing the limits of his control, Feny found that the barrier could extend to a diameter of about three meters—roughly the same range as his "City of Devoured Time." While not massive, it wasn't insignificant either.
Further testing revealed that the water shroud wasn't just for defense. It could also function as a cage. However, because of the range limitation, he had to remain close to his target to keep them trapped within the watery prison.
"Is this basically the Water Prison Jutsu?" Feny thought, reminded of a technique from an old anime. The mechanics were strikingly similar, with one key advantage: unlike the anime version, Feny didn't have to remain stationary to maintain the effect, so long as the target stayed within his three-meter radius.
Much like Flame Mode, Water Mode was incredibly taxing. While he could normally wear Incursio for days without issue, using either of these enhanced modes would drain his stamina to the point of exhaustion in just a few hours.
After some additional tinkering, Feny found no other hidden features in Water Mode for the time being. Still, he was more than satisfied with the new abilities and grew even more curious about what "Incursio" might manifest if it absorbed other types of energy.
Feny had initially assumed Heimdall had merely sent him to a slightly remote location. But when it took three full days of searching with his "Compass"—which he began to fear was broken—to finally spot a Frost Giant, he realized Asgard truly wanted to keep him away from them.
Whether this was Heimdall's own initiative or an order from Odin, Feny couldn't say. Regardless, he had finally succeeded in finding them.
Aside from Loki—who didn't really count—this was Feny's first time seeing the race in the flesh. They possessed ice-blue skin and eyes the color of fresh blood. Despite being called "Giants," they weren't actually much taller than him; in fact, Feny felt they were smaller than the Dwarves.
As Feny found the Frost Giants, he also laid eyes upon their palace.
Compared to the royal residences he had seen so far, the palace of the Frost Giants was undoubtedly the most pathetic. It wasn't just because large sections of it were now nothing more than rubble; even looking at the architectural style of the remaining structures, it was clear that even in its prime, it had never been particularly magnificent.
(End of Chapter)