The icy winds outside the cave howled like starving beasts.
Snowstorms raged across Dragon's Peak while frost drifted through the mountain cliffs in violent spirals.
Inside the hidden cave beneath the mountain—
warmth finally existed again.
A small campfire crackled near the entrance while the bodies of slain frost elves and frost wyverns littered the snowy terrain outside.
Auram stood silently at the cave entrance.
Like a guardian statue.
Like a knight forged solely for war.
His golden aura had faded after using World Legacy Transcend, but the pressure surrounding him still remained terrifying enough that even the nearby frost wyverns hesitated to approach.
One foolish frost wyvern attempted to leap toward the cave entrance.
Auram casually lifted his blade without even turning around.
SHING
The wyvern split cleanly in half.
Its corpse slid across the snow.
Cynthia froze.
"…What the hell…"
Kiraya only laughed weakly despite the pain in her body.
"Yeah…"
"…that's pretty much the normal reaction."
Cynthia stared at Auram again.
Then back at Kiraya.
Then outside.
There were dozens of dead frost elves.
Massive craters.
Destroyed terrain.
Spikes of earth.
Broken ice.
And blood everywhere.
The blonde craftsman slowly muttered—
"…Your friend is insane."
Kiraya smiled.
"No."
"She's worse."
Cynthia looked at her.
Kiraya leaned against the cave wall while clutching her injured side.
"She attracts monsters."
Her eyes drifted toward Auram.
"And somehow…"
"…they all end up following her."
Auram remained silent.
Standing guard.
Watching the snowy battlefield outside.
Cynthia finally exhaled and continued bandaging Kiraya's injuries.
Her hands moved surprisingly skillfully.
Carefully.
Precisely.
Even Kiraya noticed.
"…You've done this before."
Cynthia nodded quietly.
"My crafting build gives medical bonuses too."
"I mainly focused on utility support."
Kiraya blinked.
"…That's actually useful."
Cynthia gave a small awkward smile.
"Most people in Oblivion Pledge called it a waste build."
Kiraya frowned.
"Then those people are idiots."
Cynthia looked surprised.
Kiraya pointed outside the cave.
"You know how many support players survive up here?"
"…Almost none."
"You keeping me alive right now already makes you valuable."
Cynthia stared quietly at her.
Then smiled faintly.
"…Thanks."
Suddenly—
A violent explosion echoed from somewhere far above the mountain.
The entire cave trembled.
Snow fell from the ceiling.
Cynthia immediately looked toward Auram.
"…That was Rio, wasn't it?"
Auram answered calmly.
"She is currently fighting the Frost Wyvern Queen alone."
Silence.
Then—
"IS SHE INSANE?!"
Cynthia nearly shouted it.
Kiraya burst out laughing despite clutching her ribs in pain.
"Ow—dammit…"
"…Yeah."
"That's Rio for you."
Kiraya slowly pushed herself upward.
Using the cave wall for support.
"We need to help her."
Cynthia immediately grabbed her arm.
"Are you serious?!"
"You can barely stand!"
Kiraya gritted her teeth and forced herself upright anyway.
"My pride would kill me if I stayed here while an ally fights alone."
Another explosion echoed outside.
The mountain shook again.
Cynthia stared at her in disbelief.
"…You Eternity Lions people are all crazy."
Kiraya smirked.
"That's why we survive."
She attempted to take another step—
—and immediately almost collapsed.
Cynthia caught her.
"You're not going anywhere like this."
Kiraya clicked her tongue in frustration.
"…Damn it."
Cynthia sighed heavily.
Then opened her inventory.
A glowing bottle appeared in her hand.
The liquid inside shimmered with golden particles.
Kiraya's eyes widened instantly.
"…Wait."
"…Why is that glowing?"
Cynthia casually tossed the potion toward her.
Kiraya barely caught it.
Then froze.
The moment her fingers touched the bottle—
a faint warmth spread through her hand.
Like sunlight.
Like healing magic far beyond beginner-level crafting.
Kiraya stared at the bottle label.
Her eyes widened even further.
"…A Large Recovery Potion?"
Cynthia nodded.
"Custom-made."
Kiraya looked completely stunned.
"…You can craft these already?!"
Cynthia scratched her cheek awkwardly.
"…Sort of."
"I failed the first sixteen attempts."
Kiraya almost choked.
"FIRST SIXTEEN?!"
Cynthia looked embarrassed.
"…Alchemy explosions happen."
Auram silently glanced toward her.
Then toward the scorched marks on the yellow crafting box nearby.
Kiraya noticed.
"…You blew yourself up making potions too?"
Cynthia coughed awkwardly.
"…Maybe."
Kiraya stared at her for several seconds.
Then suddenly laughed.
A real laugh.
"…You and Rio are alike"
Cynthia blinked.
"What?"
Kiraya pointed toward the potion.
"You're both terrifying in completely different ways."
Kiraya uncorked the bottle.
The moment she drank it—
golden light spread across her body.
Her wounds rapidly began closing.
Bruises faded.
The pain lessened instantly.
Kiraya's eyes widened.
"…This is insane."
Cynthia smiled proudly for the first time.
"It took me four days to make that."
Kiraya flexed her arm slowly.
"…I'm officially terrified of crafters now."
Outside—
another distant roar echoed across Dragon's Peak.
This time louder.
Angrier.
The Frost Wyvern Queen.
Auram finally turned around.
His glowing eyes fixed toward the snowy cliffs outside.
"…She is pushing the Queen."
Kiraya's expression sharpened immediately.
"Then we move now."
Cynthia hesitated.
"…Are we really doing this?"
Kiraya smirked while grabbing the remains of her broken sword.
"We're helping Rio."
"That means there's only one answer."
Auram stepped forward.
The golden glow around his blade flickered softly.
"…Follow behind me."
Snowstorm winds surged violently outside the cave entrance.
Dead frost elves covered the ground.
Blood stained the snow crimson.
And somewhere above Dragon's Peak—
Rio continued fighting a monster alone.
Kiraya tightened her grip on her broken weapon.
Cynthia swallowed nervously.
Auram walked forward first.
And together—
they stepped back into the frozen battlefield.
The freezing wind howled endlessly across the cliffs of Dragon's Peak.
Snowstorms raged above them.
The entire mountainside trembled every few seconds as distant explosions echoed from the battlefield far above.
Ice shattered.
Trees collapsed.
And somewhere beyond the blizzard—
the Frost Wyvern Queen roared.
Kiraya grit her teeth as she moved beside the jagged rock wall.
Her armor was cracked in multiple places.
Blood stained the edges of her sleeves.
Even after drinking the glowing potion Cynthia had given her earlier, the pain throughout her body still lingered.
Beside her—
Cynthia nervously adjusted her glasses while clutching the large grappling launcher against her chest.
Auram silently walked behind them.
Calm.
Unmoving.
Like a knight carved from ancient stone.
Then suddenly—
CRAAAAASH
A massive tree slammed down directly in front of them.
Snow exploded upward.
Cynthia screamed.
"AH—?!"
Kiraya reacted instantly.
Her broken blade flashed.
SLASH
The tree split cleanly in half before it could crush them.
Auram casually lifted one arm.
The second half of the tree shattered into splinters before even touching the ground.
Cynthia stared in horror.
"…What is even happening up there?!"
Another explosion echoed overhead.
The mountain shook violently.
Snow began falling from above in massive waves.
Kiraya narrowed her eyes.
"We need to hurry."
"If Rio is fighting the queen alone…"
Her expression darkened.
"…then every second matters."
Cynthia looked upward through the blizzard.
The cliff above them was impossibly high.
Even with the grappling launcher—
there was no way the hook could reach that far.
Then suddenly—
Cynthia blinked.
"…Wait."
Kiraya glanced at her.
"What?"
A nervous smile appeared on Cynthia's face.
"…Maybe there is."
She slowly raised the grappling launcher.
Kiraya frowned.
"That won't work."
"The hook can't reach the upper cliff."
Cynthia shook her head.
"Not normally."
Then—
she took a deep breath.
A blue glow suddenly formed around her body.
Kiraya's eyes widened slightly.
Mana surged into the air.
And then—
a glowing blue quill made entirely from magical energy appeared in Cynthia's hand.
Kiraya blinked.
"…A Unique Skill?"
Cynthia smiled awkwardly.
"…Yeah."
She slowly lifted the quill.
Then—
she began writing glowing scriptures directly into the air itself.
Ancient symbols appeared one after another.
Floating.
Rotating.
Radiating magical light.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five.
The glowing scriptures hovered around the grappling launcher.
Kiraya stared in disbelief.
"…What is this?"
Cynthia smiled proudly.
[Unique Skill: Armament Transfiguration]
"My skill lets me enchant equipment."
"Buffs."
"Transformations."
"Temporary upgrades."
"It depends entirely on my intelligence stat and understanding of the enchantment."
Kiraya's eyes widened further.
"…That's ridiculous."
Cynthia nervously laughed.
"I-I focused almost everything into crafting…"
"But it's not really useful in combat…"
Kiraya immediately shook her head.
"Are you kidding?"
"This skill is insane."
Cynthia blinked.
"…Really?"
Kiraya pointed at the glowing launcher.
"You just transformed a basic tool into a specialized climbing weapon in the middle of a snowstorm."
"That's not normal."
Cynthia stared blankly.
Then smiled a little.
"…Thanks."
The scriptures suddenly shot forward.
One by one—
they entered the grappling launcher.
The weapon began glowing brightly.
Its size expanded.
The metallic frame reshaped itself.
The barrel widened.
Blue magical circuits spread across its surface.
The cable itself thickened into glowing reinforced wire.
Kiraya's jaw slowly dropped.
"…You upgraded the entire thing…"
Cynthia proudly nodded.
"Range amplification."
"Trajectory stabilization."
"Mana acceleration."
"Structural reinforcement."
"I also added anti-freezing runes."
Kiraya stared at her.
"…You're terrifying."
Cynthia puffed her chest proudly.
"…I get that a lot."
Auram quietly looked at the transformed launcher.
Then spoke calmly.
"Efficient."
Cynthia instantly froze.
"…T-Thank you…"
Getting praised by Auram somehow felt scarier than getting yelled at.
Kiraya grabbed onto Cynthia's shoulder.
"Alright."
"Do it."
Cynthia nodded.
She aimed the launcher upward through the blizzard.
The wind violently pushed against them.
Snow struck their faces.
Visibility was almost zero.
But Cynthia focused carefully.
Then—
she fired.
BOOOOOOM
The grappling hook exploded upward like a missile.
The reinforced wire screamed through the storm.
Higher.
Higher.
Higher.
Until finally—
CLANG
The hook embedded itself somewhere high above the mountain cliffs.
The cable tightened instantly.
Kiraya's eyes widened.
"It worked?!"
Cynthia pumped her fist proudly.
"YES!"
Then suddenly—
the launcher activated.
The cable violently reeled inward.
"WAIT—"
Kiraya barely finished speaking before both of them were launched upward.
FWOOOOOSH
The two girls shot into the sky at terrifying speed.
Cynthia screamed immediately.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH—?!"
Kiraya held onto her tightly.
"DON'T LET GO!"
The snowstorm blurred around them.
The mountain rapidly descended beneath their feet.
More explosions echoed above.
Then—
another roar shook the skies.
The Frost Wyvern Queen.
Cynthia's face turned pale.
"…Rio is fighting THAT alone?!"
Kiraya looked upward silently.
"…Yeah."
And for the first time since meeting Rio—
even Kiraya looked genuinely worried.
Below them—
Auram calmly watched the two ascend.
The blizzard blew against his silver armor.
His glowing eyes slowly turned upward toward the battlefield.
Then—
without warning—
he bent his knees slightly.
And jumped.
The ground beneath him exploded instantly.
BOOOOOOOOM
A crater formed where he once stood.
Auram launched into the storm like a silver comet.
Far above—
the mountain trembled once more.
And the true battle atop Dragon's Peak continued.