The sun had already set and in its place two moons now hung in the sky.
The Frost Forest seemed to come back to life with the arrival of the night.
Four days had passed since my first encounter with the Snow Foxes.
"Shit!! What the hell...!!!" I was running with all my strength.
My breath was ragged and my head was clouded from the exertion.
Blood seeped from every pore of my body.
My once snow-white fur was now torn and had lost its pale color.
But the blood-stained clothes were nothing.
My arms were now useless from the severe wounds.
Tears of blood streamed from my eyes.
My vision was blurred due to the excessive use of Frozen Eyes.
The sound of my footsteps broke the eerie silence of the forest.
Behind me two eyes of a predator stared at me.
Its body was enormous and covered in large black scales.
It moved in an ambiguous way and seemed to be enjoying itself as it continued to follow me.
- [Flashback] 20 minutes ago
I was walking after killing a few Snow Rabbits.
They were F- grade monsters, weak but useful for food.
I had spent these last few days hunting and exploring the forest.
Today I moved deeper into the forest because I thought it was a good idea.
I just wanted to see if there was any F-grade monster I could use to train my magic.
Only a few minutes later did I realize how stupid my idea was.
As I walked I began to hear various whispers.
I immediately went on alert and stopped my pace.
My hands trembled from the tension.
I moved behind a tree to peek at the cause of these whispers and my heart stopped for a few seconds.
A great snake at least 15 meters long was lying on the ground, coiled up and sleeping.
Apparently the whispers I heard were nothing more than its breath.
My gaze focused on it and then on the interface above its sleeping head.
[Obsidian Serpent] (Grade A)
My legs almost gave out but I forced myself to stay upright.
"If I stay here I am dead" I thought and
I began to walk slowly in the opposite direction from the monster.
Just when I thought I could breathe a sigh of relief the snake's eyes opened.
Its purple eyes seemed to glow in the darkness of the night.
When its gaze landed on my figure an immense pressure fell upon me.
My body trembled uncontrollably due to the monster's power.
[Frost Aura]
I tried to run with all my might but my body was overwhelmed by several obsidian scales as sharp as a knife.
My arms, my back, and my legs had been pierced by the sharp scales.
Pain pervaded me but I kept running.
Unfortunately that did not seem to be the last attack.
In front of the snake a large black spear formed.
[Frozen Eyes]
My instinct screamed at the sight of the spear and I pushed the Frozen Eyes ability to its absolute limit.
My vision blurred rapidly and tears slowly fell from my eyes.
I had no time to think about the pain.
I had to run.
My eyes were fixed only on the spear.
The perception of that weapon left me overwhelmed.
And then at a certain point the spear was thrust toward my heart.
A vein burst in my left eye.
The right one was already closed.
I tried to concentrate as much as possible on the movement of the spear.
Time almost seemed to stop.
The world full of colors turned black and white.
I tilted my body slightly to the side and with a stroke of luck I managed to avoid the spear.
The monster stopped.
A sneer escaped its mouth as it seemed to enjoy my suffering.
The serpent looked at me for a few seconds and then after closing its eyes it stretched out on the ground.
It had fallen back asleep.
My footsteps however did not stop.
Finally I arrived at the cave.
The adrenaline vanished and in its place I felt an immense exhaustion.
I lay down on the cold rock.
I managed somehow to light the fire with the little wood I had left.
I should have eaten but I no longer had the strength in my body to do anything.
My vision was blurred.
I would not say I was blind but I could not see the reality around me clearly because everything seemed out of focus.
I forced myself to remain conscious for a few more seconds.
I summoned a vial containing a light green liquid, a Grade B health potion.
It was the only potion I had left in my ring, and I had intended to use it only in case of absolute necessity.
I downed it in one breath.
Contrary to what I had expected, there was no taste at all, it felt just like drinking water.
My fatigue eased, if only a little.
I stayed there watching the light of the fire and my eyelids closed from exhaustion.
The next morning, my body was still sore. However, most of my wounds had closed without leaving any scars.
________________________________________
STATUS
Name: Rain Di Glaciel
Age: 16
Race: Human
Talent: SS
Level: D- [new]
________________________________________
Strength: F+
Agility: D-[up]
Constitution: F+ [up]
Mana: D+
________________________________________
Active Skills: Ice Magic lv. 7, Water Magic Lv. 1, Frost Aura lv. 1, Frozen Eyes lv. 1.
Body Condition: Tired, injured.
[Shop] [Quests] [Inventory]
________________________________________
In only one week my skills have levelled up and I reached Grade D-.
This is almost impossible for other Exas.
The reason I became strong so fast was definitely the Tear of Regret.
Today was the last day.
I rested for half of the day.
The Grade B potion worked very well. Because my rank was low, it probably helped me more than usual.
My body was still dirty and covered in my own blood.
I slowly walked away from the cave until I found a small frozen lake.
A thin layer of ice covered the water. I took off my clothes and walked onto the ice.
It broke under my feet, and I fell into the freezing water, but I did not feel the cold, Instead, I felt a little bit of warmth.
Ice Domain had completely changed my body.
My body was now cold and immune to the frost.
After I washed in the lake, I put on my old, torn clothes. I started walking toward the exit of the forest.
I could not see any monsters.
The Frost Forest used to be scary, but now it looked beautiful.
Snow fell gently from the sky.
The light shone through the trees as I walked away.
- POV Lester
Today was the last day of isolation for Rain Di Glaciel, the third son of Edward Di Glaciel.
Most people in the Empire would tremble at that last name.
However, the boy with that name did not seem to have the strength of the Glaciel family.
His talent was Grade B.
To normal people, Grade B might seem good or even rare, but for the Glaciel, it was nothing, just trash.
His body was weak.
Every day, he went out with friends and came back late at night without ever practicing.
When he was a child, he tried to train, but he made no progress.
It was strange, but nobody cared about him because his talent was too low for his family.
The Glaciel were very important people.
Everyone had at least Grade A talent.
His twin sister, Layla Di Glaciel, was a genius in everything.
She was the opposite of her brother.
Rain was already hated for his low talent, but an accident two weeks ago changed everything.
I remember his face when he begged his father, saying it wasn't his fault, but the Patriarch did not even look at him.
The evidence and the witnesses were clear, he was guilty.
For a crime like that, the punishment could be losing a limb, but thanks to the Matriarch, Ruby Sillion, the young Master avoided that. Instead, he was sent to the Forest of Frost.
It was a dangerous place full of mysteries.
People said the first Glaciel created it.
It was a certain death sentence.
Or at least, that is what I thought until now.
I heard the sound of footsteps.
I turned around and my eyes narrowed.
A man with long sky-blue hair and torn clothes walked slowly toward the car.
I could see his muscles through the holes in his clothes.
As he came closer, the air became very cold.
I felt a strong, scary feeling from him.
Even though I was a Grade B+ Exas, I felt a heavy weight on my body.
Then, his sky-blue eyes looked into mine.
In that moment, I felt a deep, natural fear inside my heart.
Fear.
"Hello, Lester." A cold voice said from the red lips of the figure. "It has been a long time."
Rain Di Glaciel did not die in that forest. Instead, he changed.
Standing before me was no longer a man, but a monster that had finally woken up.