Frostfang Tundra was a desolate, hidden expanse cloaked in perpetual winter, far beyond the reach of most travelers. The land stretched endlessly, its jagged peaks of ice-crusted mountains looming in the distance like frozen spears piercing the heavens. But the cold here wasn't just the absence of warmth. It was ancient, laced with frost magic that seeped into the bones and made the air itself feel alive with an eerie stillness.

Snowflakes drifted in ceaseless flurries, covering the frozen ground in an endless white layer that muffled every step. Beneath the ice and snow lay forgotten ruins and vast frozen caverns, remnants of civilizations long lost to time, their secrets locked away by the unyielding frost. The rivers here did not flow freely; they pulsed beneath the ice, slow and thick, as if infused with magic.

[Field Effect Activated – Eternal Chill. Movement and attack speed reduced by 1%]

"We need to move quickly before the effect worsens," I said, pointing ahead.

No one argued. The biting cold was already making every step feel heavier, our movements sluggish. We pressed forward, forcing ourselves to ignore the creeping numbness.

It wasn't long before we spotted our target, Frostclaw Direwolves. Massive, wolf-like beasts with snow-white fur and glowing blue eyes. Their claws, razor-sharp and coated in frost, pulsed with latent ice magic. Five of them moved together in a tight pack, their synchronized steps eerily silent against the snow.

Muradin raised his shield just in time as a chilling howl split the air. The sheer force of it sent a wave of freezing air crashing against us, biting into our skin and making it even harder to move.

Then, without warning, they lunged.

[Gorgroth's Call cast]

With a guttural roar, my summoned behemoth materialized, a grotesquely oversized carnivorous plant. It lunged forward, intercepting some of the wolves to shield Muradin. Even with his durability, the Eternal Chill made it impossible for him to take on all five alone.

Grrunch! Slorp!

Gorgroth's jaws clamped down on one of the wolves, earning a pained yelp, but two others retaliated instantly, activating their Frostbite Claw and slashing deep into its thick hide. Frost spread along the wounds, slowing his movements further.

Muradin wasn't faring much better. Small spectral wolves, icy apparitions of their larger kin, circled him like ghostly predators before hurling themselves at him. Each impact sent an explosion of frost upon contact, forcing him to brace behind his shield.

I gritted my teeth and cast Galestride on Muradin, giving him just enough agility to sidestep the spectral wolves before they could crash into him. At the same time, I continuously channeled Rejuvenation, keeping his wounds from worsening.

"Darwyn, take out those ice wolves!" I called out.

"On it!" Darwyn swiftly nocked an arrow, the tip igniting in flames as he loosed it toward one of the spectral beasts. The fiery projectile met its mark, shattering the wolf into a mist of ice before it could reach Muradin.

Oryn wasn't idle either. She summoned a flask into her palm and hurled it at the pack. "Flameburst Flask, incoming!"

The vial shattered mid-air, releasing a sudden burst of fire that engulfed the Frostclaw Direwolves. The explosion sent them yelping, their once relentless assault faltering as flames licked at their frost-coated fur.

"Nice throw!" Darwyn called over the howling winds.

"We're not done yet!" I shouted, gripping my staff tighter. The battle was far from over, but we had turned the tide. Now, we just had to finish what we started.

***

[Eternal Chill Effect Increased – Movement and Attack Speed Reduced by 10%]

I glanced at my watch. About 30 minutes had passed since we arrived in this frozen wasteland. The Frostclaw Direwolf pack had been defeated in under half an hour, yet there were no Mana Stones to be found. Instead, lying on the icy ground were two small, semi-transparent gray orbs.

Not just one. Two.

I hesitated for a moment, exchanging a glance with Darwyn.

Monsters in Frostfang Tundra had a unique trait. They never dropped loot upon defeat. No materials, no gear. The only exception was Soul Fragments. And their drop rate here was significantly higher than normal, reaching an astonishing 25%.

Elena's face lit up with excitement as she eagerly collected the Soul Fragments. Moments later, her Phantom came rushing toward us from the distance, a pack of six direwolves hot on its trail.

"Get ready!" Darwyn shouted, already in position, bow drawn and eyes locked onto the incoming enemies.

With the Eternal Chill effect growing stronger, our time here was running out. But to continue hunting, we needed to push deeper into the tundra. That presented a serious dilemma. If we strayed too far from the portal, returning would be nearly impossible due to our increasingly sluggish movements. On the other hand, if we stayed near the portal, no new monsters would appear. A true paradox.

Fortunately, we had Elena. While we fought, her Phantom scouted ahead, luring monsters back to us. It was an efficient strategy, saving us both time and energy.

The battle erupted into chaos once more. This time, it took us slightly over 30 minutes to take them down. Our pace slowed by the intensifying Eternal Chill. But once again, we were rewarded. Two more Soul Fragments lay in the snow, shimmering faintly.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"Looks like Rainbow's Fluke is still working in this hidden zone," I murmured, glancing at Orin.

Muradin chuckled. "Looks like we might be able to leave this place sooner than expected.

Darwyn exhaled sharply, lowering his bow. "Let's finish this quickly before we freeze solid."

Elena nodded, stuffing the fragments into her pouch. "Agreed. Phantom should be back any moment now."

With our bodies growing heavier under the crushing cold, we pressed on, battling the relentless horde of Frostclaw Direwolves.

***

Two more hours had passed. Our bodies felt heavier, our movements sluggish as the relentless cold seeped into our bones. Fortunately, we had gathered everything we needed, far faster than expected, thanks to the passive from Cursed Mimic. Based on my rough calculations, the drop rate had skyrocketed to an astonishing 40%.

"Let's get out of here," I said through chattering teeth, my breath curling in the frigid air like ghostly tendrils. My fingers were numb around my weapon, my limbs sluggish, and I could see the same exhaustion mirrored in my teammates' faces.

No one hesitated. Without a word, we turned toward the portal, trudging through knee-deep snow, our bodies weighed down by fatigue. The sooner we left this frozen nightmare, the better.

But fate had other plans.

A tremor rippled beneath our feet. The wind howled louder, swirling the snow into a blinding storm. Then, from the white void ahead, two monstrous figures emerged.

Not wolves this time.

Icedrakes.

The creatures were colossal, serpentine dragons draped in jagged, ice-blue scales that shimmered under the faint light. Their wings, vast and translucent, stirred up violent gusts of wind with every movement, and their piercing eyes gleamed like frozen gemstones. But what sealed our fate was the frigid mist curling from their jaws, a deathly frost that could freeze anything it touched.

I exhaled sharply. Of course. Nothing ever goes according to plan.

"Formation! Now!"

We fell into position, weapons raised, instincts overriding exhaustion.

The fight was brutal from the start.

The first Icedrake lunged, unleashing a blast of Frostbreath, a howling storm of ice that surged across the battlefield. I barely managed to dive aside before the ground beneath me crystallized into jagged ice.

"Spread out!" Darwyn barked, loosing a flaming arrow. It streaked toward the beast, only to sizzle into useless embers against its frozen hide.

Then the second Icedrake took to the skies.

With a single powerful flap, it launched itself upward, its wings whipping the storm into a frenzy. A heartbeat later, it dove like a falling comet, its body wreathed in shimmering frost.

Glacial Plunge.

"SCATTER!" I roared, but Muradin, burdened by his armor, wasn't fast enough.

The serpentine dragon crashed into the ground, sending a shockwave of ice exploding outward. The sheer force launched Muradin off his feet, sending him flying into a frozen tree with a sickening crack. He collapsed into the snow, motionless.

"Muradin!" Elena shouted, eyes wide with panic.

For a breathless moment, he didn't move. Then, with a groan, he stirred, shaking off chunks of ice as he struggled to rise.

"Tsk... I'll take over!" I stepped in, planting myself between the team and the rampaging Icedrakes.

But the longer the battle dragged on, the worse things became.

Wounded and enraged, the Icedrakes suddenly stiffened. Their scales shimmered, growing even thicker, as a layer of translucent ice enveloped their bodies.

Permafrost Armor.

I cursed under my breath.

The beasts let out an ear-splitting shriek, and in an instant, their wounds sealed shut—the ice acting as a natural barrier, mending their injuries while making them nearly impervious to physical damage.

"Shit," Darwyn hissed, loosing another flaming arrow. It struck, but the fire barely left a scorch mark on the reinforced ice. "They're healing too fast!"

My stomach twisted. I knew exactly what this meant.

If we didn't kill them now, they'd regenerate completely.

And if that happened? We were screwed.

The Icedrakes weren't like the Frostclaw Direwolves. They weren't mindless beasts that could be easily distracted. If they recovered enough, they would hunt us down again.

We'd never escape. Not alive.

I clenched my jaw. We had one chance.

"We need to end this. NOW!" I yelled, swinging my borrowed hammer at the closest Icedrake. The attack barely chipped its frozen hide.

Think, damn it.

Then, out of nowhere, Elena stepped forward.

"Step aside," she said, rolling her shoulders.

The air around her darkened. A thick, sickly green mist rose from her body, twisting through the battlefield like a living entity. She activated Toxic Aura.

The poison seeped into the cracks of the Icedrakes' frozen armor. Their healing slowed, then stopped entirely.

One of them let out a pained snarl, shaking violently as the venom ate through its reinforced hide.

Elena smirked. "Who said this was useless?" She shot me a playful wink.

Relief crashed over me like a wave.

"Alright! Hit 'em hard!" I barked, and the others didn't need to be told twice.

With their healing nullified, we unleashed everything we had. Blow after blow, spell after spell, we chipped away at the beasts' defenses. For the first time since the battle started, victory felt within reach.

Then the world shook.

A thunderous roar tore through the battlefield. So loud and primal, that it felt like the very air itself was splitting apart.

The ground lurched violently, cracks of frost splitting through the ice beneath our feet. Then came a wave of freezing energy. A force so potent, so utterly suffocating, that it felt like being trapped inside a living blizzard.

I barely remained standing, my vision blurring from the sheer impact of it.

"What the fuck?!" Darwyn shouted, staggering back as the storm intensified.

Then I saw it.

A massive form loomed in the distance, silhouetted against the howling snowstorm. Its sheer presence radiated power. A frozen behemoth, far larger than the Icedrakes, its eyes burning with ancient, merciless hunger.

It was watching us.

And it was coming straight for us.

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