"I 't breathe... help…"

  "Oh, I 't take this, it's too cold..."

  "Hold on! trol your breathing!"

  "Please, someone release a heat buff, please..."

  The moment Ats and his team nded oarget isnd, the air hit them like a wall of ice. The enviro was brutally cold, and within seds, several troops began tle—their breaths ing out in thick clouds, bodies trembling untrolbly as the freezing temperature cwed at them.

  Ats's lungs burned with every breath, his chest tightening as though his lungs were freezing from the i. His movements grew sluggish, his limbs stiff from the biting cold.

  He g his system dispy, quickly cheg the temperature.

  -42°C (-43.6°F).

  This wasn’t just extreme cold—it was deadly. The kind of chill that could freeze a person solid in minutes if they weren’t careful.

  Ats grit his teeth, f himself to remain calm. Even he could feel his breath growing heavier, as though the air itself was turning to i his chest. Around him, more soldiers began to panic, their bodies reag to the unfiving cold.

  "trol your breathing! Gather together! Those with fire-based elements, start using them!" Edrik’s voice rang out over the group.

  Baldric's hair and beard ignited in fmes, casting a warm, e glow in the frigid, icy air.

  With a booming voice, he turo the troops. "Gather arouay close to the heat!"

  The soldiers moved quickly, huddling closer to Baldric, seeking refuge from the deathly cold.

  They pulled out thick coats from their packs, yering them over their bat outfits to fight off the chill. Others fastened masks around their faces to reduce the freezing air they inhaled, proteg their lungs from frost damage.

  Ats adjusted his own gear, pulling his hood lower and mask tighter, his eyes sing the group.

  This enviro was far more dangerous than they had anticipated.

  This was a frozeh trap.

  As soon as the team activated their buffs and gathered around Baldric’s heat, the panic among some of the troops began to subside. Their breathiuro a steadier rhythm, and they no lasped for air in terror.

  However, despite the slight relief, the biting cold remained relentless. It g their bodies, sinking deep into their bones. Even standing still felt like a battle against the urge to give up, as if the cold itself was whispering for them to surrender.

  This was exactly why Dynamiviro isnds were both highly sought after and avoided at all costs. The ever-giher could shift from oreme to another without warning, turning even seasoned warriors into victims of the elements.

  Edrik approached Ats, studying his dition closely. "Better?"

  "Yes," Ats replied. "I ha."

  But even as he spoke, he ched his teeth to keep them from chattering. The air was sid that if they stopped speaking for even a moment, it felt like their saliva would freeze in their mouths.

  Edrik gave a brief nod, his breath misting heavily in the freezing air.

  "Then we keep moving. Stopping here isn't an option."

  [New Feature Unlocked!]

  [You and everyone on your team ow unicate using Mind-Link Proje — a feature that allows instant unication directly through thoughts, dispyed as visual text overys in your field of vision.]

  Ats blinked as a faint notification windoeared in the er of his vision. The feature activated seamlessly, and a semi-transparent chat-like box appeared at the edge of his view, showing the names of his team members.

  [Edrik]: “You seeing this?”

  [Baldric]: “Hah! Now this is handy.”

  [Garen]: “Finally. o shout over this cursed wind.”

  [Jack]: “It’s like reading thoughts. Be careful what you think, people!”

  Ats tested it by sending a quick thought message.

  [Ats]: “Everyoatus check. How’s your dition?”

  [Kurogasa]: “My Kusarigama is frozen, but I deal with it.”

  [Grimor]: “Same here. It’s cold as hell, but we’re managing.”

  [Edrik]: “The Mind-Link will help keep us coordinated. No excuses for misunication now.”

  This ability was actually a feature grao all Lords at rank-2. Ats would eventually gain access to it once he advao rank-2. However, sihis floating isnd was cssified as a rank-2 isnd, it seemed that even rank-1 Lords were temporarily grahe same feature while expl it.

  Moments ter, Kurogasa stepped to the front, his bde already in hand. His expression was calm.

  "My Lord, we have guests," he said.

  Ats turo him. "How many?"

  "About twenty, most of them higher level than us," Kurogasa replied without hesitation. "They’ll pass through this area in a short while."

  Ats narrowed his eyes, sidering the situation. Then, with a firm tone, he gave the and.

  [Ats]: "Everyone, move away. Let’s see whuests are."

  The troops moved quickly, their footsteps g through the deep snow as they made their way toward a rocky outcrop that overlooked the area.

  Beh the yers of snow, they could feel the hard stone surface beh, and they soon realized that their footprints vanished almost instantly, swallowed by the falling snow as if they had never been there.

  Ats reached into his iory and pulled out the Veilstone Cloak.

  The cloak shimmered in his hands before unfurling into the air, expanding outward and being translut. The fabric seemed to blend into the enviro before draping itself over the entire group, cealing them from sight.

  [Kurogasa]: "Stay still. They’ll be here soon."

  They waited in tense silence, watg from their hidden position as the group Kurogasa had mentioned approached the area.

  Finally, through the swirling blizzard, a massive shape began to emerge—a powerful gust of snow blown aside by something moving steadily through the storm.

  As the figure grew clearer, it became evident that it was a bear-like monster, covered in thick, frost-covered fur. Sitting atop the creature was a man heavy armor. His cloak of fur billowed in the wind, clearly designed for this unfiving cold.

  Behind him followed more monstrous mounts—a massive dog-like beast, something resembling a giant lizard, and other creatures Ats couldn’t immediately identify. Each of them was ridden by warriors dressed in thick armor with fur-lined cloaks, fully prepared for the frigid enviro.

  The man on the giant bear led the group. His position at the front and his posed, fident posture made it obvious—he was the Lord.

  Ats narrowed his eyes. Judging by their gear, posure, and the power of their mounts, it was clear that this was no ordinary group. If their levels were truly above Ats and his team, as Kurogasa had reported, then there was only one logical clusion.

  They were a Rank-2 Lord and his troops.

  "Lord Feral, this is s! Why did we get stuck with such a lousy task?" one of the riders shouted, his voice carrying through the howling wind and reag Ats's ears.

  Ats goward Edrik, raising an eyebrow.

  [Ats]: "Why aren’t they using the chat feature?"

  Edrik smirked slightly.

  [Edrik]: "Once you get used to it, it feels tedious. When they’re together, people prefer to speak directly."

  The versation tinued among the enemy group.

  "I know. It’s b," the o the front—the Lord—responded.

  "But we o do this if we want support in the Dominion Skirmish for simir isnds," he added.

  "Still, this fug cold is too much!" one of the riders grumbled. "Even I, who's used to the cold, ’t take this."

  "So, what’s our task? Just kill anyone who’s not part of an alliance?"

  "Yes," Feral firmed without hesitation. "If we find any group that’s likely unaffiliated with an alliance, wipe them out."

  He ughed, shaking his head. "Holy, it’ll be fun. I’m sure plenty of inexperienced Lords have e to this isnd chasing their grand dreams."

  Suddenly, the massive bear beh him stopped abruptly a out a deep, guttural roar, causing the entire group to halt.

  Feral raised his right hand, signaling the others to stay still.

  [Ats]: "Have they spotted us?"