CHAPTER 120: FROST

Wade threw up Basic Ward out of pure reflex.

The opaque barrier shimmered into existence, but it was still forming when the boar hit.

The impact was loud.

There was a deafening crack as the shield shattered like glass, and Wade was thrown backwards. He hit the dirt, the wind torn from his lungs.

Before he could even push himself up, the beast was on him again, its tusks lowered.

He could see his reflection in its dark eyes, small, human, and cornered amid the chaos of battle.

The boar roared, tusks spearing towards Wade...

Brody slammed into the boar with a roar of his own, his spear driving deep into its flank before it could gore Wade.

The force of his strike made the creature shriek, hooves tearing furrows in the earth as it tried to shake free.

"Get back on your feet, Wade!" Brody shouted, bracing his spear as the beast bucked against him.

Around them, more adventurers surged in, shields flashing and blades swinging, sending skills through the air.

One slammed into the side of an approaching wolf, cleaving it in two, and another conjured a burst of flame that scattered a pack of goblins closing in.

Wade groaned, forcing his trembling arms to cooperate. His limbs still tingled from the lightning’s aftershock, his skin prickling as if fire still lived under it.

He rolled onto one knee, gasping, every muscle quivering from residual electricity.

A rush of cold water splashed over him.

He blinked, coughing as the shock of it forced air back into his lungs.

One of the nearby mages grinned grimly, lowering a palm still shimmering blue. "That potion junk was attracting them. You’re clean now. Move!"

"Thanks," Wade rasped, voice hoarse. His limbs felt his again. He stretched his hands, and Toothpick zoomed into it.

His stone skin still clung stubbornly to his body, so he dismissed it, the hardened gray receding into flesh once more.

As much as he’d like the protection, his mana was a finite resource. He’d rather conserve now and use it later than to need it later and not have it.

"Alright," he muttered, rotating his stiff shoulder as he took in the field of battle. "Let’s make this count."

He sprinted forward, falling into line beside the other adventurers.

They fought together, becoming a messy but effective phalanx.

Wade smashed through a charging wolf with Toothpick, the hammer end cracking its skull before the axe side bit through its neck.

Brody’s spear flashed nearby, cutting through the smoke like silver lightning as he fought off another boar.

For a moment, the chaos felt almost manageable, until a new roar cut through it.

The temperature dropped suddenly, the steam in the air freezing into frost.

"Drake!" someone shouted. "Frost type!"

The frost drake crashed into view, scales glittering like glassy ice. It spread its wings, releasing a shriek that made the air vibrate.

A jet of frigid breath erupted from its mouth, sweeping across the ground and freezing everything it touched.

Wade teleported out of the way.

"Brody!" he shouted.

Brody’s spear glowed red as he ran to meet him. Two other adventurers, a woman wielding twin curved blades and a man with a tower shield, joined them, falling instinctively into formation.

"Frontline pressure!" Brody yelled. "We’ll draw it off the casters!"

The drake roared, swinging its tail. The shield-bearer caught the blow, the impact sending him skidding backward but still standing.

Wade teleported behind the drake, appearing just long enough to strike before disappearing again.

His axe bit into its side, sparks flying as it hit the hardened scales.

The creature twisted with shocking speed, snapping at him. He teleported again, reappearing several meters away.

"Keep it moving!" Wade shouted. "Don’t let it pin you!"

Brody darted in low, stabbing deep under one of its leg joints. The creature shrieked, blood spattering the ground.

The twin-blade fighter followed up, slashing across its throat as the shield-bearer smashed its snout with a heavy shield bash.

The drake howled in fury, beating its wings to throw them back.

Sharp ice shards began raining from its scales. Wade blocked one with Basic Ward, the impact cracking the barrier but saving his face.

Then, the drake’s body began to shimmer.

Its scales shifted, hardening into a coat of solid frost that gleamed under the sunlight, becoming a living armor of ice.

Brody cursed. "It’s shielding itself!"

Wade raised Toothpick, gathering mana until his arms trembled from the strain.

Fireburst!

The explosion erupted point-blank as he slammed the weapon against the drake’s side.

The shockwave rolled through the field, melting the frost across its hide and searing the skin beneath. The creature screeched, thrashing violently, its tail sweeping across the ground.

Brody jumped in again, driving his spear deep into the wounded area, followed an instant later by the twin swords of the woman.

The shield-bearer charged, smashing into its head with a roar. Disoriented, the drake stumbled back.

Wade wasn’t one to be left out. He roared, Toothpick descended on its skull.

The combined assault drove the drake to its knees. It thrashed one last time, jaws snapping blindly, before Wade leapt and brought Toothpick down on its skull with a final, fiery strike.

The blow split through its bone, and the creature collapsed into the dirt with a heavy thud.

For a moment, all anyone could do was breathe. Wade panted, wiping his brow with a trembling hand.

"Another one down," Brody said, grinning despite the exhaustion. "And we’re still alive. That’s—"

He didn’t finish.

A bird’s talons crashed into the ground where Brody stood, sending a shockwave through the air.

For a moment, Wade thought Brody had dodged. Then he saw it. The twisted glint of armor in the sky buzzard’s claws, and the red mist that followed.

Brody’s body was split in two. His upper torso hit the dirt several feet away, eyes still wide, mouth half open in what might have been his last laugh.

Blood sprayed across Wade’s face, hot and sticky.

He froze, heart hammering in shock.

"No..."