Chapter 17 — Into the Frostlands
The northern frontier of Ignis Prime was a land where even the wind sounded frozen.
Jagged plains of white stretched endlessly, broken only by the silhouettes of colossal ice ridges jutting into a pale sky. Each breath turned instantly to frost. Each step left a crisp imprint that vanished beneath drifting snow. The world here felt quiet—too quiet—as if sound itself avoided the cold.
Far ahead, partially hidden by rolling mist, stood the outskirts of Iceflake City, the largest northern sanctuary of the Ignis territories.
According to the recorded histories of Genesis Nexus, the Nexus cities were not human creations.
Long before humanity ever discovered this planet, another civilization had lived here—Cristarion, a race whose architecture still towered unbroken despite thousands of years of storms, beast tides, and cosmic decay.
No one alive knew what Cristarion looked like.
No one knew why they vanished.
But what remained of their existence shaped every corner of human survival.
Nexus cities were self-operating megastructures formed from unknown crystalline alloys. Their walls pulsed faintly with dormant energy, and deep beneath each city lay an ancient core—still functioning, still humming, still projecting the automatic beast-repelling barrier that protected humanity from annihilation.
Humans did not live in these cities because they controlled them.
They lived here because Cristarion had left the cities active long before mankind ever arrived—and humans had learned to survive under their protection.
Every Nexus city existed for three reasons:
Safe zones.
Trade posts.
Resting hubs between hunts.
Iceflake City was no different.
It was simply the northern one—the one buried in eternal frost.
And now, three figures approached it through the blizzard.
Vaibhav stepped first. His boots pressed deep into the snow as the gale pushed against him. Despite the temperature cutting like shards of ice, his aura kept a faint warmth within his body. The cold bothered him, but it did not slow him.
Beside him walked Alicia. Calm, composed, her breath forming slow patterns of white mist. Her movements were precise and refined, her presence steady like a pillar in the storm. The faint emerald shimmer around her was not a shield—but control. Perfect control of her body's temperature and energy.
Ahead of them, humming loudly to himself, was Shin.
Shin, whose coat flapped behind him like a triumphant banner even though the wind was trying its best to tear it off.
Shin, who walked with the confidence of a man who believed the snow should be grateful he was stepping on it.
Shin, whose overwhelming strength made the frostlands feel like a playground rather than a hostile wasteland.
He spun around mid-step, walking backwards with a grin.
"You two look like statues in a snowstorm," he announced. "Lighten up! This place is beautiful if you ignore the part where everything wants to kill you."
Alicia's expression didn't change. "Keep your eyes forward."
"I am looking forward," Shin said, pointing at them instead of the direction he was going.
Vaibhav almost smiled. Almost.
They continued.
The closer they came to Iceflake City, the more its ancient presence revealed itself. Massive frost-covered towers rose like frozen spears, their surfaces shining with faint crystalline veins that pulsed with a glow buried deep—like a heartbeat trapped in ice. The outer walls looked less like constructions and more like colossal organisms paused mid-growth.
This was Cristarion's work.
Silent.
Mysterious.
Undefeated by time.
But the trio did not enter the city.
Their path bent east, away from the barrier's edge, toward a hunting ground long avoided by other adventurers.
The frost deepened here.
The cold felt sharper.
The snow carried an underlying tremor—like something moving beneath it.
Shin slowed. His breath turned into a long stream of mist, and his grin faded into something sharper.
"This area…" he murmured, now facing forward. "Feels lively."
Vaibhav sensed it as well. The quiet was too unnaturally tight. The cold too thick. A faint vibration crept through the ground with each step.
Alicia paused, lowering her hand to brush the surface of the snow. Her aura flickered, sensing the world beneath.
There it was.
Movement.
Several signatures.
Ordinary class—but numerous.
Vaibhav tensed, adjusting the gloves on his hands.
Shin flashed a lazy grin again. "Warm-up time."
The snow exploded.
Blue-white bodies burst from beneath the frost—sleek, wolf-like creatures with crystalline fangs that exhaled freezing mist. Their claws glimmered with ice that could slice bone like paper.
Ice Fangs.
Eight of them.
Their silver eyes locked onto the trio.
Vaibhav positioned himself instinctively, Alicia's aura tightened, and Shin stepped forward with a crack of his knuckles.
"Well, well," he said, expression brightening. "Eight of you? Iceflake outskirts must be having a population boom."
One beast snarled, breath forming frost spikes that scattered in the wind.
Shin leaned forward slightly. "Alright then. First kill is mine."
The Ice Fangs lunged.
Shin didn't dodge.
The first claw raked across his shoulder—shattering on impact. The beast blinked in confusion as its own limb cracked like brittle frost. Shin tilted his head, completely unfazed, and sighed.
"You guys hit softer than snowflakes."
His fist blurred.
The Ice Fang's skull imploded, the body collapsing before the others even reacted.
> [Beast Spirit Acquired: None]
A faint streak of green light drifted from the corpse, pulled instantly toward Vaibhav. He inhaled sharply as it sank into his chest—warm, vivid, intoxicating.
[+3 Ordinary Power Points Gained] — Vaibhav (life force absorbed)
He barely had time to process it before the second Ice Fang lunged at Shin's blind spot. Shin didn't even turn. He simply raised his elbow.
Crack.
The beast's jaw snapped apart. Shin grabbed its head and crushed it in one hand.
> [Beast Spirit Acquired: None]
Vaibhav staggered half a step—not from the cold, but from the surge of warmth coursing into him.
[+4 Ordinary Power Points Gained] — Vaibhav (life force absorbed)
That feeling again.
That strange… satisfaction.
Why did it feel good?
Before he could question it, Alicia leapt in. Her blade flashed in a clean arc, slicing an Ice Fang's ribs open. The beast collapsed instantly.
> [Beast Spirit Acquired: None]
> [+5 Ordinary Power Points Gained] — Vaibhav (life force absorbed)
Three more Ice Fangs darted toward Vaibhav from the flanks. Their crystalline fangs glowed as cold air condensed around them.
Vaibhav stepped forward.
His fist collided with the first beast's chest, shattering bone and ice alike.
> [Beast Spirit Acquired: None]
[+3 Ordinary Power Points Gained]
He pivoted—and drove his knee upward into the second beast's jaw. It flew back, landing limply in the snow.
> [Beast Spirit Acquired: None]
[+3 Ordinary Power Points Gained]
The third managed to graze his arm—
—but Vaibhav grabbed its face and slammed it into the ground, the frost cracking beneath the impact.
> [Beast Spirit Acquired: None]
[+1 Ordinary Power Points Gained]
Alicia moved beside him, calm and precise, as she cut down another Ice Fang with a swift thrust.
> [Beast Spirit Acquired: None]
> [+4 Ordinary Power Points Gained] — Vaibhav (life force absorbed)
Shin appeared behind the eighth, grabbing it mid-leap and twisting its neck with casual ease.
> [Beast Spirit Acquired: Ice Fang]
> [+2 Ordinary Power Points Gained] — Vaibhav (life force absorbed)
Eight beasts fell.
The snow turned still.
Vaibhav stood breathing heavily—not from exhaustion, but from the feeling spreading through him. A rising heat, a pulse of hunger, an instinct written into his blood.
He looked down at his hands.
"I… felt it again. That rush. That craving. It's like I'm enjoying this. Too much."
Shin wiped blood from his knuckles and chuckled lightly. "Makes perfect sense."
Vaibhav frowned. "How?"
Shin pointed at his chest. "Your bloodline. Black-Eyed Monster explained it."
A faint memory flickered again.
White lights. Cold metal. Lin Xuan adjusting his glasses.
"Vaibhav… our bloodline is not normal. It is ancient. It is predatory. We are the only being who can absorb the life force of any living creature. Beast… or human. This is instinct—not intent. You must master it before it masters you."
The flashback faded.
Shin continued, "Your body isn't reacting to the fight. It's reacting to the life force. That's your nature."
Vaibhav looked down, silent.
Alicia's voice brought him back. "We're not done. Four signatures remaining."
Indeed—four larger shadows moved across the frost, approaching from the hills.
Exalted-class Ice Fangs.
Their bodies were bigger, fur darker, fangs glowing cold blue with compressed frost energy.
Vaibhav cracked his knuckles.
Alicia readied her blade.
Shin grinned. "Round two."
The beasts charged.
Shin took the lead again, leaping directly into the first Exalted Fang's path. It swiped with a claw far sharper than the Ordinary ones—but Shin let it land.
The claw shattered like glass.
"Oh yeah," Shin murmured. "This is more like it."
He punched once.
The beast's ribs caved inward.
> [Beast Spirit Acquired: None]
> [+4 Exalted Power Points Gained] — Vaibhav (life force absorbed)
A second Exalted Fang lunged at Alicia. She widened her stance, palm glowing with emerald light. A barrier flickered briefly—redirecting the beast midair. She stepped in and drove her dagger into its heart.
> [Beast Spirit Acquired: Ice Fang Alpha]
> [+2 Exalted Power Points Gained] — Vaibhav (life force absorbed)
Vaibhav took the third.
The beast lunged.
He met it halfway—slamming his fist into its jaw. Frost burst into the air. The creature staggered, stunned.
Vaibhav crossed his arms, channeled his aura, and struck—once, twice. The second punch crushed its throat.
> [Beast Spirit Acquired: None]
[+4 Exalted Power Points Gained]
The final Exalted Fang attacked from behind.
Shin blurred, appearing at its side. "Nope."
He stomped the ice.
The shockwave lifted the beast. Alicia's blade flashed—clean, controlled—and the head rolled into the snow.
> [Beast Spirit Acquired: Ice Fang Alpha]
> [+3 Exalted Power Points Gained] — Vaibhav (life force absorbed)
Silence returned.
Twelve beasts lay dead—their bodies steaming faintly in the cold.
Alicia wiped her blade. "Let's extract shards."
Vaibhav nodded. "Get the shards."
She crouched beside the first corpse—cutting open its chest with steady, surgical precision. A faint blue shard pulsed weakly inside. She lifted it, wiped away the frost, and pressed it into her palm.
The shard dissolved like mist.
> [+2 Ordinary Power Points Gained] — Alicia (Shard 1)
Shin crouched beside another. He pried open the ribcage, revealing a small glimmering shard. He sighed.
"Already maxed my Ordinary to Mythic points. Here."
He handed it to Alicia.
She absorbed it without hesitation.
> [+1 Ordinary Power Points Gained] — Alicia (Shard 2)
They continued moving.
Shard after shard.
One from Alicia's second kill—deep blue, glowing stronger.
> [+4 Ordinary Power Points Gained] — Alicia (Shard 3)
Another from a beast Shin had downed.
> [+3 Ordinary Power Points Gained] — Alicia (Shard 4)
More followed.
> [+4 Ordinary Power Points Gained] — Alicia (Shard 5)
[+6 Ordinary Power Points Gained] — Alicia (Shard 6)
[+6 Ordinary Power Points Gained] — Alicia (Shard 7)
[+3 Ordinary Power Points Gained] — Alicia (Shard 8)
Finally, they reached the Exalted cores.
Alicia opened the first Exalted beast's chest. Its shard burned brighter, lines of deep cerulean glowing within.
She absorbed it.
> [+5 Exalted Power Points Gained] — Alicia (Shard 9)
Shin extracted another and handed it to her.
> [+1 Exalted Power Points Gained] — Alicia (Shard 10)
The last two cores glowed deep-blue—Exalted-grade purity. Alicia absorbed them quietly.
> [+3 Exalted Power Points Gained] — Alicia (Shard 11)
[+2 Exalted Power Points Gained] — Alicia (Shard 12)
The frostlands went still again.
Only the quiet hum of energy lingered in Alicia's body as the shards settled within Alicia.
At last, Vaibhav exhaled, the heat of battle fading from his chest.
And then—
They Checked their growth in their power screen—
A transparent blue screen appeared before their own eyes, shimmering lightly in the frozen wind.
Status Update
[Status Screen: Vaibhav]
Name: Vaibhav
Age: 17
Height: 178 cm
Weight: 66 kg
Lifespan: 250 years
Ordinary: 25/100
Mutated Ordinary: 0/100
Exalted: 13/100
Mutated Exalted: 0/100
Mythic: 0/100
Mutated Mythic: 0/100
Transcendent: 0/100
Mutated Transcendent: 0/100
[Status Screen – Alicia]
Name: Alicia
Age: 17
Lifespan: 500 Years
Height: 172 cm
Weight: 56 kg
Ordinary: 29/100
Mutated Ordinary: 0/100
Exalted: 11/100
Mutated Exalted: 0/100
Mythic: 0/100
Mutated Mythic: 0/100
Transcendent: 0/100
Mutated Transcendent: 0/100
[Status Screen: Shin]
Name: Shinosuke Nohara
Age: 17
Height: 178 cm
Weight: 67 kg
Lifespan: 250 years
Ordinary: 100/100
Mutated Ordinary: 24/100
Exalted: 100/100
Mutated Exalted: 20/100
Mythic: 100/100
Mutated Mythic: 15/100
Transcendent: 13/100
Mutated Transcendent: 0/100
As the screens faded, the wind shifted.
Alicia looked to the horizon. "Something is wrong."
Shin frowned. "Yeah… Ice Fangs don't gather in groups. Not usually."
Vaibhav narrowed his eyes at the distant hills—where faint, shifting shadows moved across the snow.
"That wasn't a hunt," he said quietly.
"That was a warning."