Jade stood on the cold forest floor, facing the last remaining snow wolf.
The creature towered over him, its massive white body covered in thick fur that shimmered faintly beneath the pale forest light. Frost formed around its paws each time it stepped forward, and the air around it grew colder with every breath it took.
The battlefield was silent now.
Nine snow wolves lay dead.
Several participants had died as well.
And Henry had disappeared into the bushes, leaving Jade alone with the final monster.
But Jade didn't look frightened.
Instead, he stood calmly.
Then—
Vines burst from his chest.
They tore through the fabric of his clothes just like before, twisting through the air like living snakes.
But surprisingly…
They were not aiming at the snow wolf.
Instead, the vines shot toward the bodies of the dead wolves scattered across the battlefield.
More specifically—
They were aiming for the shards inside the corpses.
The snow wolf immediately noticed what Jade was doing.
Its icy eyes burned with fury.
It opened its massive jaws and released a loud, furious howl.
Then—
Ice arrows filled the sky.
Dozens of sharp, snow-shaped arrows formed instantly in front of the wolf and shot toward Jade with terrifying speed.
The attack looked like a storm of frozen blades slicing through the air.
Jade reacted immediately.
More vines burst from his chest.
They twisted and swung through the air like whips, striking several of the incoming arrows.
Crack!
Crack!
Crack!
Some of the ice arrows shattered apart when they struck the vines.
But Jade's defense was far from perfect.
Several arrows slipped past the vines.
They struck his body.
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
The frozen arrows pierced his skin.
However—
There was resistance.
Jade's skin was no longer as fragile as before.
After consuming the shards earlier, his body had grown slightly stronger.
When the arrows struck him, they didn't pierce cleanly through.
Instead, they struggled briefly before breaking through his skin.
Even so, the wounds were shallow.
Jade pulled the arrows out quickly.
Blood trickled down his arm.
But something strange happened.
The wounds began healing slowly.
Not instantly.
But noticeably.
Jade felt the change in his body.
He could endure much more pain than before.
Still, he knew he couldn't rely on his body alone.
His vines were not strong enough to block every attack.
So he began dodging.
Another barrage of ice arrows shot toward him.
Jade stepped left.
Another arrow came from the side.
He leaned backward slightly.
Two arrows crossed toward his chest.
He twisted his body and stepped aside.
His movements looked strangely smooth.
Almost unnatural.
The snow wolf became furious.
Its attacks grew faster and faster.
But Jade kept dodging.
From the bushes nearby, Henry—who was secretly watching—was stunned.
His mouth hung open.
From Henry's perspective…
It almost looked like Jade was telling the snow wolf where to attack.
Each time the wolf released an arrow, Jade moved exactly where the arrow wasn't.
It was as if he could read the wolf's intentions before the attack even happened.
Henry whispered in disbelief.
"How…?"
Jade, however, felt incredibly excited.
He loved this feeling.
The rush.
The danger.
The perfect timing.
The snow wolf's eyes revealed two emotions now.
Anger.
And fear.
Because what Jade was doing wasn't luck.
He was using a technique.
A mental combat method his father had taught him long ago.
The technique was called Mind Deceiver.
His father had trained him inside the holographic combat field many times.
The principle was simple.
Instead of reacting to attacks…
You influenced your opponent's mind.
Subtle body movements.
Tiny changes in posture.
Eye direction.
Weight shifts.
These small signals caused the enemy to believe they saw an opening.
And when the enemy attacked that opening…
You already knew where the attack would come from.
It was like guiding their attack without them realizing it.
That was why Henry felt like Jade was telling the wolf where to strike.
Because in a way—
He was.
While Jade continued dodging, his vines had already completed their task.
They pierced into the bodies of the dead snow wolves.
Searching.
Digging.
Then—
They retrieved the shards.
Several glowing fragments were pulled from the corpses and dragged toward Jade.
Jade wanted to attack the remaining snow wolf.
But suddenly—
He felt something strange.
A deep chill spread through the air.
The snow wolf had stopped firing arrows.
Instead, it stood still.
Its body released a powerful cold aura.
The temperature around them began dropping rapidly.
Frost spread across the ground.
The air turned icy.
Jade's breath became visible.
His body started shaking.
He could feel the cold creeping into his bones.
His fingers stiffened.
Even his hair began changing.
Several strands turned pale white as frost clung to them.
Jade realized something immediately.
"If this continues…"
"I'll freeze."
Then he remembered something his father once told him.
Never underestimate your enemy.
Jade had been too focused on retrieving the shards.
Now the wolf was using its true strength.
Jade knew he couldn't win like this.
So he made a decision.
Run.
He turned and began sprinting through the forest.
But the cold aura made moving difficult.
His muscles felt heavy.
His steps slowed.
Behind him—
The snow wolf began chasing.
Its massive body moved quickly despite its size.
And while running, it continued launching ice arrows.
One arrow flew past Jade's ear.
Another struck the tree beside him.
Crack!
The frozen projectile exploded into shards of ice.
Jade knew he couldn't outrun it on the ground.
So he gave a mental command.
"Attach!"
A vine shot upward toward a tree branch.
The vine tightened instantly.
Then—
Jade was pulled upward.
His body rose quickly as the vine dragged him up the trunk.
Within seconds he reached a high branch and climbed onto it.
Below him—
The snow wolf arrived.
It snarled angrily and slammed its body against the tree.
Boom!
The tree shook violently.
Leaves and frost fell from the branches.
The wolf slammed into the trunk again.
Boom!
Boom!
It was trying to knock Jade down.
But the wolf didn't realize something important.
While it focused on the tree Jade had climbed…
Jade had already moved.
Another vine had quietly extended to a different tree nearby.
The vine tightened.
Jade swung across the air silently.
Then landed on another branch several meters away.
From there, he watched the snow wolf continue attacking the empty tree.
The monster had no idea he had already escaped.
Jade exhaled slowly.
His body still trembled from the cold.
But his mind remained calm.
The hunt between him and the snow wolf…
Was far from over.