Whoosh...
A few gusts swept across the frozen lake.
Past the three figures standing motionless on the shore.
"So cold..."
Chen Guang wrapped both arms around himself.
Didn't help.
His teeth clicked together so hard his jaw started to ache.
Across from him, white mist drifted from Sun Feng's lips with every breath.
"This cold isn't normal..."
She rubbed her numb fingers together.
"It seeps straight into your bones."
Chen Guang glanced at her cracked, peeling lips.
Then at her trembling hand.
Is it the snow... or is it that thing?
Another shiver crawled down his spine.
Even so, he couldn't tear his eyes away from the enormous serpent before them.
Damn it... it's so cold. I can't even think...
He bit down hard on his lip until the salty taste of blood spread through his mouth.
Hiss.
The serpent's body quivered slightly.
The patterns covering its scales twisted and rippled, as if dancing.
The wind died.
The lake returned to perfect stillness.
"Finally..."
Mei Mei murmured.
"Mom..."
She raised both hands, embracing something invisible in the air.
The corners of her lips curled into a smile.
Tears streamed from her vacant eyes.
Her unsteady feet carried her forward, one slow step at a time.
HISSSS.
The serpent's hissing grew louder.
The water's surface began to stir.
"This feeling... it's like something is... calling me..."
Chen Guang turned toward Sun Feng, only to see her drawing a razor-sharp dagger.
His vision blurred.
The serpent's twisting body was all he could see now.
Heavy.
He tried to turn his head.
It wouldn't move.
He wanted to scream.
Nothing came out.
"Brother..."
A gentle voice echoed inside his mind.
"Ling..."
A girl with black hair appeared before him.
Her face remained hidden.
Without realizing it, tears rolled down his cheeks.
His feet carried him forward on their own.
"Wait... for me..."
"WAKE UP!!!"
Someone yanked him backward by the collar.
He slammed onto the ice, his body refusing to move.
He lay there, staring at the sky without really seeing it.
Thump.
One finger twitched.
Thump.
His heartbeat quickened.
Blood rushed back into his limbs.
"HAAAAAAAH!!!"
He shot upright, his back drenched in sweat despite the freezing air.
He looked down at his shaking hands, each breath scraping through his throat.
"W-What... what was I just doing?!"
His heartbeat still hammered against his ribs.
"You awake now?"
A voice snapped him back.
Chen Guang looked up.
Sun Feng stood before him, clutching her left shoulder.
"Y-You're hurt?"
"I did it to myself."
With that, Sun Feng dropped to one knee.
"Get the bandages and the antiseptic from my bag."
She jerked her head toward it.
Chen Guang hurriedly pulled out a roll of bandages and a bottle filled with a clear liquid.
"Pour it here."
Sun Feng shrugged off her jacket, revealing a deep gash running down her left arm.
The metallic scent quickly filled the air.
Chen Guang unscrewed the cap.
The sharp, familiar sting of antiseptic hit him as he poured it over the wound.
"Grrrhhh...!"
Tiny bubbles fizzed across the wound before slowly dying away.
"That's enough. I can handle the rest."
"Go check on her."
Chen Guang turned toward Mei Mei, who lay motionless on the ice.
"She—"
"She's fine. I hit her a little too hard. She'll wake up soon."
He got to his feet and walked over.
Still breathing.
Only then did he let out the breath he'd been holding.
He checked Mei Mei once more before turning back to Sun Feng.
"What the hell just happened?"
"You were about to walk toward it."
She lowered her head and picked up the dagger.
"No... we were."
"Why would we suddenly walk toward it? Wait..."
His eyes snapped back to the serpent.
Its massive body was still writhing.
The patterns along its scales shimmered with an eerie glow.
The hissing never stopped.
"It can... hypnotize people?"
He immediately tore his gaze away.
"You could say that."
"Then how were you able to—"
He stopped mid-sentence.
Sun Feng was wiping blood from the dagger.
She drew the knife... for that?
His gaze settled on her wounded shoulder.
She exhaled slowly, her fingers relaxing one by one.
She chose her left shoulder...
A gust drifted out from the forest.
Leaves floated into the air above the trees.
They spiraled gently.
Then settled softly onto the lake's surface.
"Wait... look!"
Chen Guang shouted, pointing toward the lake.
The leaf—
Was slowly sinking beneath the surface.
"How... can a leaf sink into water?"
Chen Guang muttered.
"If you'd kept walking... you'd have ended up just like it."
Sun Feng slowly rolled her left shoulder.
"Its ability is incredible, even from that far away..."
"I think that's how it feeds."
"What do you mean?"
Sun Feng tipped her chin toward the lake.
Chen Guang cautiously edged closer.
The lake remained perfectly still, like an enormous mirror reflecting the gloomy sky.
Beneath the surface—
Something that looked like an eye stared back at him.
He clamped a hand over his mouth.
"Urgh! Blegh!"
Bitter bile surged up his throat.
Sizzle...
White smoke rose as the foul-smelling vomit touched the ice.
Chen Guang grimaced, breathing hard.
Sun Feng walked over and gently patted his back.
"Those were... people?"
Chen Guang wiped his mouth, still panting.
"Maybe..."
Sun Feng never took her eyes off the lake.
Down below—
Countless twisted human faces.
Empty eye sockets stared back at her.
"Those expressions..."
Shaking her head, Sun Feng walked over and sat down.
Chen Guang, shivering from head to toe, lowered himself beside her.
"You're... not cold?"
"Of course I am."
"But at least it keeps my mind clear."
I seriously doubt that...
He glanced toward the giant serpent.
His teeth were still chattering uncontrollably.
"A troll behind us."
"A snake in front of us."
"We're trapped either way."
"A snake?"
"More like a giant serpent."
Sun Feng swept her gaze across the area.
"This place is enormous."
"I have no idea where we are."
Her sigh vanished into the freezing air.
"Your Majesty."
The voice echoed inside his head.
"I completely forgot about you guys."
"Can you find somewhere safe nearby?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. We'll begin searching immediately."
Moments later, hundreds of reddish-brown ants crawled out of the frozen ground and scattered in every direction.
Chen Guang glanced at the giant serpent.
Its head remained raised.
Its massive body stood perfectly still.
"Good thing it isn't coming over he—"
Before he could finish, Sun Feng clamped a hand over his mouth.
"Don't."
"...?"
"I'm starting to think you're cursed."
She narrowed her eyes at him as if she wanted to strangle him on the spot.
"Where... am I...?"
A hoarse, fragile voice spoke up.
"You're awake?"
Sun Feng walked over to Mei Mei.
"Then get ready. We have to leave this place."
She stood up.
A gust of wind swept past, sending her hair fluttering.
"Your Majesty, we've found somewhere that seems safe."
The ants' voices echoed through Chen Guang's mind once more.
"Seems?"
Only the wind answered.
"Good enough."
[ACTIVATED: MONARCH PHEROMONE]
A flickering golden trail appeared beneath his feet.
It seemed to point in a specific direction.
Chen Guang rose onto his tiptoes, squinting into the distance.
"I think... that way should be safe."
He pointed in the direction of the golden trail.
"That direction?"
"I can make out something in the distance. No snow. No ice."
"Looks safe enough."
Sun Feng stood on her toes beside him.
How can she see that far? I can't make out anything.
Chen Guang forced a crooked smile.
"Alright."
"Then I'll leave the lead to you."
Sun Feng slipped her jacket back on and hoisted her backpack over one shoulder.
"I'll... do my best."
He scratched the back of his head.
The memory of the forest made his heart pound.
First they led us into the forest...
Then they led us here...
He stared at his hand, opening and closing it.
Can those ants really...
Shaking the thought away, he looked up.
"This way. Let's—"
"You think you'll be leaving that easily?"
The voice suddenly echoed inside his mind, cutting him off.
That thing again?!
Sweat prickled across his forehead despite the freezing air.
HISSSSSSS!!!
A piercing screech erupted from the middle of the lake.
All three of them turned at once.
The giant serpent, motionless only moments ago, began trembling violently.
Thick white mist engulfed its massive body.
Then—
Three crimson lights flared within the fog.
"Wait..."
"Doesn't it only have two eyes?"
"Quit staring! RUN!"
Sun Feng shouted, shoving both Chen Guang and Mei Mei forward.
The dense mist lifted the serpent's colossal body off the lake.
A powerful gust swept over the ice.
Their feet slipped.
All three crashed hard.
The mist surrounding the giant serpent slowly dispersed.
"It's..."
"Flying?"
The three of them stood frozen.
High above them—
The colossal white serpent hovered in the sky.
A pair of enormous snow-white wings, almost like those of a bat, beat steadily behind it.
The patterns running across its body now glowed like molten lava.
Embedded in the center of its forehead was a crimson gem the size of a human hand, blazing brilliantly.
Its shriek echoed across the heavens.
The lake churned violently.
Towering waves surged across its surface.
WHUMP. WHUMP.
The beating of its wings swallowed every other sound.
"GRRRRRRHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!"
The giant serpent threw its jaws wide open and roared.
The entire world trembled.
The clouds overhead were blown away.
Sunlight poured down once more, gleaming across the molten patterns covering its body.
It slowly lowered its head.
Dense white mist poured from its mouth.
"So..."
"It was just playing with us this whole time."
Chen Guang clenched his teeth.
Without realizing it, he dug his hand into the ice hard enough to leave a long crack beneath his palm.
"What... is that light?"
Mei Mei's voice trembled.
Chen Guang instinctively looked up.
The giant serpent tilted its head back.
Its jaws opened to their widest, revealing rows of razor-sharp fangs.
Tiny specks of light gathered before its mouth.
"Don't tell me it's about to..."
The gathering lights grew larger and larger.
Until they merged into a colossal sphere of light.
Its radiance swallowed even the sunlight.
The sky turned into a blinding sea of white.
The serpent's entire body shuddered.
Then—
A beam erupted with terrifying speed.
It swept across the forest, erasing everything in its path.
The towering trees that had stood proudly only moments before were now nothing but shattered stumps, their roots ripped violently from the earth.
BOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A deafening explosion shook the heavens.
Moments later, a colossal mushroom cloud rose from the heart of the forest.
"Missed. You idiot."
The furious voice echoed inside Chen Guang's mind.
Every bit of strength seemed to leave him.
He couldn't stop shaking.
His lips twitched as the light faded from his eyes.
"N-No... somebody... please..."
Mei Mei screamed.
She clutched her head with both hands before collapsing to her knees.
Every muscle in her body spasmed.
"It... missed us?"
"On purpose...?"
Sun Feng's pupils contracted.
Her arms fell limply to her sides.
"There's... no way..."
"No one could stop an attack like that..."
Chen Guang slowly looked up.
[TARGET: AMPHIPTERE]
[POWER VALUE: 5]
[ENERGY VALUE: 3500]
The system screen appeared before him.
Hovering silently in the air.
"At this point..."
"What does any of this even matter...?"
His trembling hand reached toward it.
His fingers passed straight through.
He collapsed forward.
Ling... maybe...
Tiny lights gathered before the serpent's mouth.
I can't...
The sphere of light appeared again.
I'm sorry...
Tears slipped down his face unnoticed.
His eyes stayed locked on the blinding sphere.
At last...
His eyelids slowly closed.
The last bit of tension drained away.
DON'T!
A voice thundered through his mind.
YOU CAN'T GIVE UP!
Ling...
His hand curled into a fist.
You're my big brother... aren't you?
That's right... Ling...
"GRRRAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!"
Chen Guang's eyes snapped open.
He let out a deafening roar.
Then charged straight toward Sun Feng and Mei Mei.
Within Sun Feng's lifeless eyes—
The image of a young man screaming appeared.
Growing larger.
Closer.
Until...
"DON'T GIVE UP!!!!"
He seized both of their wrists.
His teeth clenched so hard they creaked.
Dragging them across the ice at full speed.
The beam slammed into the spot where he had been standing moments earlier.
Like a blade, it carved straight through the earth.
BOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A world-shaking explosion erupted behind them.
The shockwave hammered against Chen Guang's body.
He shoved the two girls forward with all his strength.
Every muscle in his body tightened beneath the overwhelming pressure.
Veins bulged across his skin.
"I HAVE TO HOLD IT!"
He roared.
A faint metallic-gold sheen spread across his body.
Sizzle.
White steam rose from his skin.
The flesh on his face stretched so tightly it seemed his eyeballs might burst from their sockets.
The pale golden exoskeleton began to crack apart.
"So this..."
"...is as far as my exoskeleton can go?!"
Blood burst from his mouth.
The whites of his eyes slowly swallowed his pupils.
His consciousness began to fade.
Then—
The crushing pressure disappeared.
He collapsed to one knee, both hands braced against the ground as he gasped for air.
"Fall back."
"I can't hold this much longer."
He looked behind him.
Sun Feng stood there with both hands thrust forward.
[TARGET: Sun Feng]
[POWER: 10]
[ENERGY: 255]
She... saved me...
Forcing every last ounce of strength from his exhausted body, Chen Guang sprinted forward.
"You too!"
"Move!"
"No need to tell me."
The shockwave never reached Sun Feng.
But—
An invisible force continued pushing her backward.
Grinding her teeth together, she lowered her arms and dashed after Chen Guang.
The instant both Chen Guang and Sun Feng stopped resisting, the suppressed shockwave exploded outward, surging in every direction.
The three of them were thrown violently through the air before crashing face-first onto the ground.
"Everyone alright?"
Chen Guang struggled back to his feet.
His mouth was full of dirt and grit.
"My wounds reopened."
"But I'll live."
Sun Feng answered.
Mei Mei remained in her arms.
Aside from a few scrapes, she looked unharmed.
She's really worthy of Rank A...
Chen Guang forced himself upright on trembling legs.
His back burned with pain.
Even so, he couldn't help admiring her.
"Stay alert."
"It could attack aga—"
Sun Feng stopped mid-sentence.
Everything around them suddenly went dark.
Chunks of mud and rock fell from above.
One landed less than an inch from Chen Guang.
"Dirt?!"
He looked up.
His scalp instantly went numb.
A chill shot down his spine, making his body jerk involuntarily.
Above them—
A pair of enormous curved fangs loomed overhead.
Clumps of dirt and shattered stone rained from them.
"No way..."
His heart seemed to stop beating.
His lips moved, but no sound came out.
Behind him—
The thunderous beating of wings was still there.
Growing louder.
And louder.
He turned toward Sun Feng.
Her face had gone deathly pale.
Chen Guang's mind went completely blank.
What... do we do now...?