CHAPTER 120: CHAPTER 120: FLAMES AGAINST THE FROST

Meanwhile, Arden’s side met the trial head-on. The ground beneath them grew stiff with frost, every breath leaving a white mist. Arden’s senses tingled, his life sense catching the ripple of something unnatural ahead.

"They’re here," he said calmly. His voice carried more excitement than worry. "Frostmaw Stalkers."

Nyra rolled her shoulders, ice gathering faintly on her blade. "Same element as me. Guess it’s time to test myself."

Rael smirked, lightning snapping faintly between his fingers. "Don’t slow me down."

Zephyra’s low growl rose like thunder rumbling in her chest, her cerulean flames flickering faintly across her claws. Burn. Hunt. Her words weren’t much, but her intent was clear.

Arden grinned. "Let’s see how loud they howl."

The snow around them broke with sudden force. A pack of massive beasts erupted forward, white hides glowing faintly as their breath chilled the air. Their eyes were pale yellow, fixed and merciless, and the temperature dropped so fast the group’s breaths steamed heavier.

The first Stalker lunged with a guttural snarl— Shhhrrk! claws screeched against stone as it dashed, leaving a trail of frost behind.

Rael was faster. His palm slammed down, a web of lightning cracking across the ground. "Bolt Cage!" Blue arcs trapped the beast mid-step, its muscles seizing before Nyra swept in. Her staff glowed with frozen light as ice struck its leg, the beast howling as the limb stiffened and snapped.

Another Stalker tried to flank them, its fangs glimmering with condensed ice. Glacier Fang! It snapped toward Arden’s throat.

"Too slow," Arden muttered, his aura flaring.

Flames burst outward from his hand and compressed into a spear that shot straight through the beast’s open maw. Fwoosh—Bang! It staggered, choking on fire, before collapsing in a blaze of heat against the frost.

Zephyra pounced on the next, her body cloaked in lotus-shaped fire. Her claws struck its flank, and with a crackling roar she unleashed Crimson Bloom Strike.

The air erupted in a fiery blossom, petals scattering flame and wind that seared across three more beasts at once. Their hides split under the blast as her growl rolled like thunder.

"Beautiful," Arden said, not looking away. She answered with a huff, sparks flicking off her fangs.

The battle grew fierce. The Stalkers weren’t normal, they were frenzied, their movements reckless yet forceful.

One of them leapt with unnatural speed, claws like icy blades. It raked at Rael’s side but he twisted, his lightning surging across his arm as he countered with a crushing strike.

"Don’t let them breathe!" Arden barked. His voice cut sharp and steady, carrying a leader’s edge.

Nyra froze the ground beneath another pack, locking their paws before Zephyra tore through them with blazing strikes, petals of flame bursting across their pale hides. The scent of scorched fur mixed with freezing air, smoke curling above the snow.

Then came the howl. Awoooo! The Shiver Howl cut through their ears, rattling their focus.

For a moment the party’s movements slowed, like their bodies resisted them.

Arden’s eyes sharpened. His aura flared with a violent leak of fire, his fractured elemental vein surging uncontrolled. Heat burst from his frame, disrupting the freezing pressure. "Stay sharp! Don’t let the chill settle."

Zephyra snarled back at the howling beast, her flame rising brighter, clashing against the frost like two storms colliding.

She lunged and clamped down on its throat, fire bursting out of her jaws until the ice cracked and the beast fell limp.

The others pressed forward with relentless rhythm. Rael’s lightning carved through flesh, Nyra’s frozen attacks locked down limbs, and Arden’s conjured fire blades cut the pack apart.

Every blow was confident, every step deliberate. It wasn’t a desperate struggle, it was a display of superiority.

Within minutes, the ground was littered with steaming carcasses. Frost cracked under the weight of melted blood, and smoke curled across the field.

Rael exhaled, sparks still twitching around his arm. "Not bad for a warm-up."

Nyra wiped her staff clean against the snow, her lips twitching upward. "Their cold couldn’t even bite."

Arden crouched by one of the fallen beasts, his hand brushing faintly across its hide as his life sense searched deeper.

The fractured traces of their berserk state still clung faintly to their cores. His eyes narrowed.

"Something stirred them," he muttered. "They don’t frenzy like this on their own."

Zephyra padded closer, flame still burning softly over her form. Hunt more. Deeper.

Arden nodded. "Yeah. We’ll keep moving. Answers lie ahead."

The system’s interface flickered across his sight as they caught their breath.

Notifications rolled past one after another, life signatures, affinities, skills gained, fragments gathered. It was constant, endless.

He finally paused, sweat cooling against his temple as a new prompt unfolded across the interface. His eyes narrowed at the words, the fire in his core stirring.

The others noticed his silence.

"What is it?" Rael asked.

Arden didn’t answer yet. He only smirked faintly, eyes on the glowing text.

As the screen pulsed.

Arden’s gaze lingered on the glowing script.

[Life Signature Gained: Frostvein Pursuit.

Source: Frostmaw Stalker (B+ Rank, Ice Affinity)

Effect:

Infuses life energy with the predator’s icy resolve.

Improves movement precision and stamina when pursuing a chosen target.

Attacks leave residual frost marks that slow movement.

Predator’s Instinct: brief bursts of heightened perception when prey attempts to flee or hide.

Frostvein Pursuit Fragments= ×5..]

The words burned themselves into his thoughts before fading.

He considered the feel of it, the way the skill wanted to settle into his body.

It wasn’t raw destruction like fire, nor was it overwhelming like lightning. This was patient, steady, the kind of ability meant to stalk prey until there was nowhere left to run.

"Useful," he murmured under his breath. A hunter’s edge, both in combat and out of it. Precision mattered. Endurance mattered. And slowing prey meant dictating the fight from the start. It wasn’t flashy, but it would sharpen his blade where it counted.

He flexed his hand, letting his aura shift briefly as the cold trace slid along his fire, the two elements brushing against each other like rivals daring to coexist. He smirked faintly.

"Pack beasts," he thought. "They always leave the best gifts. I wonder what this will turn into if I push it far enough."

The sound of Rael cursing softly at frostbitten leather tugged him back. Nyra was already moving ahead, scouting, and Zephyra’s low growl rumbled as she scented deeper into the frost-marked path.

Arden closed the system window.

The thoughts of what this skill could become lingered in the back of his mind, sparking a quiet anticipation.

Then he rose, his expression calm again, and followed after his party into the cold.

A/N:

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