The scent of cooked fish slowly filled the frozen cavern.
Warmth from the fire danced softly against the icy blue walls while snowstorms raged faintly outside the cave entrance.
For the first time since climbing Dragon's Peak—
the atmosphere finally felt calm.
Kiraya sat cross-legged beside the fire, casually eating pieces of blue salmon while leaning her shield against a nearby rock.
Cynthia happily adjusted the portable cooking set she had created, clearly proud of how smoothly it worked.
Rio sat quietly near the edge of the firelight.
Rainbow silver trout rested on her plate while her Imperial Saber remained beside her within arm's reach as always.
The fish itself tasted incredible.
Tender.
Rich.
Almost buttery.
Special fish in Evermount weren't merely cosmetic food items.
Higher rarity fish slightly boosted stamina recovery and cold resistance temporarily.
Rio took another bite quietly.
Then Kiraya suddenly laughed.
"Oh right."
"You should've seen Fayzan during our first guild week."
Rio glanced toward her.
Kiraya shook her head in disbelief.
"That idiot kept dumping his paperwork on Ayame."
Cynthia giggled immediately.
"No way."
Kiraya nodded aggressively.
"I'm serious."
"He literally vanished for three days during a resource audit."
Rio blinked.
"What was he doing?"
Kiraya deadpanned.
"Sleeping."
Cynthia burst out laughing.
Kiraya continued.
"And when Ayame finally found him?"
"She beat him with a broom in front of the entire guild."
Even Rio quietly smiled at that image.
Kiraya smirked proudly.
"Honestly one of the best moments in Eleo history."
Cynthia wiped tears from her eyes while laughing.
"That sounds impossible…"
Kiraya pointed her fork dramatically.
"Oh no, it gets worse."
"Elias somehow locked himself out of his own guild office once."
Rio raised an eyebrow.
"How?"
Kiraya stared blankly at the fire.
"We still don't know."
"He somehow closed the door…"
"…from outside."
Silence.
Then all three girls laughed.
Even Rio couldn't stop herself that time.
Kiraya continued eating while shaking her head.
"Our guild leader spent twenty minutes trying to break into his own office."
Cynthia nearly fell over laughing.
"That's actually amazing."
Kiraya smirked.
"What about you?"
"You mentioned your crafting experiments earlier."
Cynthia immediately covered her face in embarrassment.
"…Please don't remind me."
Kiraya grinned wider.
"Oh now you have to tell us."
Cynthia sighed dramatically.
"…Fine."
She pointed toward herself proudly.
"I once tried creating an automatic potion mixer."
Rio blinked.
"That sounds useful."
"It would've been."
Cynthia looked away.
"…If it didn't explode."
Kiraya burst out laughing again.
Cynthia quickly defended herself.
"It wasn't my fault!"
"The mana pressure formula was unstable!"
Rio quietly asked—
"How big was the explosion?"
Cynthia froze.
"…The entire second floor of Oblivion Pledge's guild hall."
Kiraya slammed her hand on the ground laughing.
"YOU BLEW UP THE GUILD HALL?!"
Cynthia pointed defensively.
"It was only partial structural damage!"
Kiraya laughed even harder.
Rio slowly shook her head.
"…You're terrifying."
Cynthia puffed her cheeks.
"At least I fixed it afterward…"
The conversation continued naturally after that.
Stories.
Failures.
Embarrassing moments.
Guild drama.
For once—
Rio simply listened.
No battle.
No strategy.
No pressure.
Just warmth beside a fire.
And strangely—
she didn't dislike it.
Then—
something changed.
Rio's expression vanished instantly.
The warmth in her eyes disappeared.
Her body tensed.
A faint shift in the air.
Mana movement.
Snow displacement.
Danger.
Rio's hand immediately moved.
CLANG!
Her Imperial Saber flashed from the ground—
and a blast of frost energy exploded against her blade.
The impact shook the cavern.
Kiraya instantly stood.
Cynthia nearly dropped her plate.
"What—?!"
Rio was already moving.
"We're being attacked."
Another whistle echoed outside.
Then—
SHHHHK!
Three frost arrows pierced through the cave entrance at blinding speed.
Rio dashed forward instantly.
The arrows shattered against the stone where she had been sitting moments earlier.
Kiraya grabbed her shield.
"Cynthia behind me!"
The blonde crafter immediately retreated behind Kiraya as more frost arrows flew into the cavern.
Rio rushed toward the entrance.
Another arrow came from the left.
CLANG!
She deflected it mid-run.
A second from above.
She twisted sideways.
A third aimed for her head—
SHING!
The arrow split in half.
Rio burst out from the cave entrance—
straight into a snowstorm.
And immediately—
steel collided.
CLANG!
A curved frost blade slammed against her Imperial Saber.
Rio blocked effortlessly.
In front of her stood a tall humanoid creature clad in icy blue armor made from frozen bark and crystal.
Its skin was pale white.
Its ears pointed.
Its glowing cyan eyes locked directly onto Rio.
Frost Elf.
Then another appeared behind her.
And another.
And another.
Rio moved instantly.
SHING!
Her saber clashed against one elf while ducking beneath another strike.
An arrow flew toward her blind spot—
CLANG!
She deflected it backward without even turning.
The frost elves surrounded her completely.
Yet Rio's movements remained calm.
Controlled.
Almost graceful.
She stepped around their attacks effortlessly while steel continuously collided around her.
Kiraya and Cynthia finally emerged from the cave—
only to freeze at the sight.
Rio was fighting five frost elves simultaneously.
And winning.
One elf slashed downward.
Rio pivoted sideways.
Another stabbed from behind.
She parried backward without looking.
Three arrows descended at once.
Rio spun.
Her saber blurred through the air—
TING! TING! TING!
All three arrows shattered.
Cynthia stared in disbelief.
"…She's reading all of them…"
Kiraya narrowed her eyes.
"No."
"She sensed them before they even attacked."
More movement emerged from the blizzard.
Additional frost elves appeared across the snowy cliffs.
Archers.
Sword users.
Mages.
They had been ambushed.
Suddenly—
four frost elves dropped directly behind Kiraya and Cynthia.
Kiraya instantly raised her shield.
"Get behind me!"
BOOM!
Frost magic exploded against Lionheart Guard.
Ice rapidly spread across her barrier.
Cynthia stumbled backward nervously.
"T-There's too many—!"
Kiraya gritted her teeth.
"Stay calm!"
Another frost elf lunged toward them—
only for Kiraya's sword to ignite.
[Crusader Skill: Lion Fang Cleave]
BOOOOM!
Flames exploded outward.
The frost elf was blasted backward across the snow.
But more immediately replaced it.
Cynthia's breathing quickened.
They were surrounded.
The snowstorm itself almost felt alive now.
Then—
a frost arrow slipped through Kiraya's defense.
Straight toward Cynthia.
Her eyes widened.
Too fast.
She couldn't react—
SHING!
The arrow split in half midair.
Rio appeared between them instantly.
Her blue eyes scanned the battlefield coldly.
"…Interesting."
Kiraya blinked.
"You know these things?"
Rio slowly turned toward the blizzard.
"Yes."
Another whistle echoed through the mountain.
Then dozens of glowing cyan eyes opened within the storm.
Rio tightened her grip on her Imperial Saber.
And quietly muttered—
"…So the Frost Elves have already started hunting players this early."
The snowstorm intensified.
Blizzard winds screamed through Dragon's Peak while steel and frost clashed violently across the mountainside.
Rio moved through the battlefield like a crimson streak.
CLANG!
Her Imperial Saber collided against a frost elf's blade before she twisted sideways—
SHING!
—and cut through its chest in one clean motion.
The frost elf shattered into particles of pale blue light.
But another immediately appeared from behind.
Kiraya charged forward before it could strike.
[Crusader Skill: Lion Fang Cleave]
BOOOOM!
Flames erupted from her sword.
The frost elf was blasted backward through the snow before crashing against a frozen rock wall.
Its HP dropped instantly to zero.
Kiraya exhaled sharply.
"One down."
Then—
THUNK!
"Agh—!"
A frost arrow pierced straight into Kiraya's upper shoulder from behind.
She staggered forward slightly.
Cynthia gasped.
"Kiraya!"
Kiraya immediately turned.
Above the cave entrance—
three frost elf archers stood hidden along the icy cliffs.
And even higher above the mountain—
more silhouettes emerged within the blizzard.
Snipers.
They had positioned themselves all around the mountain.
"Tch…"
Kiraya grabbed the arrow violently and ripped it out from her shoulder.
Blood splattered onto the snow.
The frost elf swordsman in front of her smiled and rushed forward immediately.
Too late.
Kiraya's eyes narrowed coldly.
Without hesitation—
she threw the bloody arrow.
SHINK!
The arrow pierced directly through the frost elf's throat.
Its eyes widened before its body collapsed into blue particles.
Kiraya smirked.
"…You picked the wrong target."
Nearby—
Rio was still fighting the majority of the frost elves alone.
Five.
No—
seven now.
Arrows rained endlessly toward her position while sword users continuously pressured her from every direction.
Yet Rio's movements never broke.
Her saber continuously deflected steel while her body shifted fluidly through the snowstorm.
CLANG!
SHING!
TING!
An arrow shattered.
A blade missed her face by inches.
Another frost elf lunged from behind—
Rio spun low and cut through its leg before driving her elbow into its jaw.
CRACK!
The elf flew backward.
But then—
Rio suddenly stopped.
Her eyes narrowed upward.
A massive shadow covered the snow beneath them.
Something enormous was flying above the battlefield.
The pressure in the air changed instantly.
Even the frost elves noticed.
Rio's voice rang out immediately.
"KIRAYA!"
"CYNTHIA!"
"TAKE COVER UNDER THE TREES NOW!"
Kiraya immediately sensed the urgency in Rio's voice.
No hesitation.
"MOVE!"
She grabbed Cynthia's wrist and both of them sprinted toward a nearby cluster of frozen trees.
At that exact moment—
a loud whistling sound descended from above the clouds.
The frost elves froze.
Several immediately looked upward nervously.
One of the archers shouted something in their own language.
Then they started firing arrows into the sky.
SHHHHK! SHHHHK! SHHHHK!
Dozens of frost arrows vanished into the blizzard.
For one second—
nothing happened.
Then suddenly—
SCREEEEEEEEEEECH!!!
An enormous roar exploded across the mountain.
The sky itself trembled.
Cynthia's eyes widened.
"…What was that?!"
The answer came immediately.
BOOOOOOM!!!
Two frost elves above the cave entrance suddenly disappeared from their positions.
A gigantic claw had grabbed them.
Their screams echoed briefly before they were slammed violently into the cliff wall.
Blood exploded across the snow.
Then—
multiple massive ice blasts descended from above like artillery fire.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Entire sections of the battlefield exploded into frozen craters.
Several frost elves were instantly trapped inside towering icebergs.
Others were blown apart completely.
The blizzard suddenly split apart—
and a gigantic figure descended from the heavens.
CRAAAAAASH!!!
The mountain shook violently as the creature landed.
Snow exploded outward in every direction.
A massive claw crushed a frost elf beneath it instantly.
Its long tail swung sideways—
BOOM!
Another frost elf was smashed directly into the mountain wall.
Bones cracked instantly.
Then the creature slowly raised its head.
Cynthia stared upward in absolute disbelief.
"…A frost… wyvern…"
No.
Not just any frost wyvern.
This one dwarfed the others they had encountered earlier.
Its scales glowed pale silver-blue beneath the storm.
Its wings were enormous enough to block the moonlight itself.
Frost smoke escaped its jaws with every breath.
And its eyes—
were filled with rage.
Rio immediately recognized it.
"…The Queen."
The Frost Wyvern Queen had arrived.
And she was furious.
Several frost wyvern corpses still remained scattered around the mountain from earlier battles.
Her offspring.
Killed.
The queen opened her jaws.
ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAR!!!
The roar shook the entire mountainside.
Then suddenly—
more shadows descended from the skies.
Additional frost wyverns burst through the storm clouds one after another.
The queen had called the pack.
Chaos erupted instantly.
The frost elves began firing desperately toward the wyverns.
The wyverns retaliated with freezing breath attacks.
Rio dodged between both sides while blades and frost explosions filled the battlefield.
The mountain became a complete warzone.
A frost wyvern crashed into two frost elves.
A frost elf mage froze one of the wyverns midair.
Another wyvern grabbed an elf with its jaws and tore it apart.
Meanwhile Rio was still fighting directly in the middle of everything.
Cynthia stared at the insanity around them.
"…This battlefield is insane…"
Kiraya raised her shield as another frost explosion struck nearby.
"Stay focused!"
A wounded frost wyvern suddenly spiraled downward above them.
An arrow had pierced directly through its eye.
The creature crashed uncontrollably toward the mountain.
Rio immediately noticed it.
"…MOVE!"
Too late.
BOOOOOOOOM!!!
The wyvern slammed directly into a massive frozen tree beside Kiraya and Cynthia.
The impact shattered the earth beneath them.
Cracks spread instantly across the snowy ground.
Kiraya's eyes widened.
"The ground—!"
CRAAAAACK!!!
The mountainside collapsed beneath their feet.
Cynthia screamed.
"Kyaaaah—!"
Both girls suddenly fell downward as the earth gave way beneath them.
Rio immediately dashed forward.
"KIRAYA!"
She reached out—
fingers barely inches away—
but the collapsing snow and debris separated them instantly.
Kiraya and Cynthia disappeared into the darkness below.
Rio froze for half a second.
Then her expression darkened completely.
Above her—
the Frost Wyvern Queen slowly turned her glowing eyes toward Rio.
And across the battlefield—
the remaining frost elves also began staring directly at her.