Every step deeper into the winter plain took them further away from the trees but closer to their goal.
Despite this, the openness of the plain provided them with a clear, uninterrupted view of their surroundings, with the stark, monochrome landscape stretching out in all directions.
Their steps left a trail of powdery snow in their wake, a telltale sign of their journey through the frigid wilderness. Despite the bitter cold and the endless expanse of snow, their spirits remained high.
The group stopped in the middle of the snow-covered plains beneath the endless expanse of a winter-blue sky. Garrett straightened up, his body tense, his hand on the hilt of his sword.
Silence enveloped them like a heavy cloak, the stillness of the white desert amplifying the slightest sounds.
Even Erik, with his quiet demeanor and calm exterior, felt a chill that had nothing to do with the cold. He shifted uneasily, his gaze scanning the vast emptiness.
It wasn't just the lack of life but the stark, complete silence that pressed down on him. His hands instinctively closed around a twig in his pocket, ready to call on his plant-master abilities if necessary.
Ava turned to face the group, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, seemingly oblivious to the sudden tension.
"What's wrong?" she asked, her gaze flitting between Erik and Garrett, who had visibly tensed.
Erik, who had been unusually quiet, his eyes narrowing in concentration, finally spoke up. "Something is wrong here," he said, barely above a whisper.
He returned his gaze to Ava, his expression solemn. "Why?" Ava inquired, her eyes wide with confusion.
She was not as in tune with nature as he and Garrett. After all, her power allowed her to make mana arrows, and while that made her indispensable in a fight, it didn't necessarily make her adept at sensing danger before it was on them.
Erik remained silent, his gaze fixed on the endless expanse of the snowy plain before them, his face a mask of contemplation.
It was as if he were listening to the silence, trying to decipher some hidden message. Meanwhile, Garrett had moved away from the group, his eyes scanning the ground for something.
His demeanor had changed; he was no longer alert and tense and on edge. His hands rested on his weapon, ready for an unavoidable attack.
His eyes widened as he noticed footprints in the snow. They weren't their own; the pattern was too erratic and scrambled. His blood turned to ice in his veins as he realized what was happening.
"We're not alone," he said solemnly, looking back at the group. With the gravity of their situation, his eyes were dark.
Their exposure in the snow-covered plain had made them easy to track, which they were now paying for. The air between them was as dense as the snow beneath their feet.
There were no words exchanged. Everyone was on guard, their senses heightened by the sudden dip into an eerie silence.
Marcus's eyes darted from side to side, his body as rigid as the ice crystals adorning the outcrop they'd passed. His usually warm gaze had turned icy, mirroring the frosty landscape around them.
Alexia's heart pounded against her ribcage like a war drum, each beat echoing the silent ticking of time in this frozen moment. Ava and Marcus were both tense, their posture rigid and their faces etched with worried lines.
This was unfamiliar territory for them, so different from the familiar forest paths they were used to. Every breath they took was frosty, swirling in the cold air like tiny specters before dissipating.
The absence of the usual winter sounds—the distant hoot of a snow owl, the rustling of frozen leaves in the breeze, or even the crunch of their boots against the packed snow—made the silence even more oppressive.
Without warning, a bolt of pure energy seared through the air, blazing and brilliant against the backdrop of the snow-covered plains.
Everyone instinctively hit the ground as it whistled past them and collided with a nearby tree, splitting it cleanly in two.
[HOSTILES DETECTED.]
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<New Quest: Survive the Ambush.>
-Rewards for completion: 3000 experience points, 500 DNA points, 6 strength, 6 dexterity, and 6 intelligence stat points for surviving the encounter.
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"Everyone get down!" Erik yelled as they scattered. The peaceful white landscape had been abruptly transformed into a battlefield. A man emerged from the attack's direction.
He had short brown hair and blue eyes that sparkled with cold precision. His hands held a metal cross-bolt and some residuals of mana that matched the bolt that had shattered the tree.
This guy had the ability to make mana bolts. He then shot through his cross-bolt.
A woman with auburn hair pulled into a tight ponytail appeared next, a scar on her cheek a testament to her previous battles.
She wore heavy armor and wielded a large shield and a Warhammer. Her brain crystal power was not apparent, but Erik assumed he was related to the fact that she could easily swing a giant Warhammer. Despite the heavy load, she moved with unwavering energy. Was it related to strength? Erik needed to see what she did to understand.
The two were not the only ones present on the battlefield. Among them was a blonde figure who moved quickly, almost blurringly fast, out of the corner of their vision. The man armed with a pair of daggers dashed toward the group. He was fast; since he wielded daggers, it was apparent speed was his specialty. But his brain crystal power was unknown.
The last one to join the fight was another woman with shoulder-length brown hair and a focused gaze.
Even from a distance, she exuded a powerful presence. Her brown hair whipped around her as she took in the scene with a keen eye. She carried a longsword at her side, but even in her case, her brain crystal power was unknown.
<Fuck... finding out their powers will not be easy,> the young man thought. Thanks to their weapons, he had a general idea of their fighting abilities, but if their brain crystal powers were nasty, he didn't know they would survive the encounter.
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