The howl fractured the silence of the mountains.
It did not echo like the cry of beasts.
It rang like a war signal.
Thirty massive forms burst forward at once.
Snow exploded beneath claw and fang. Silver bodies blurred against the white terrain, red eyes burning like embers scattered across a frozen battlefield. Mana flared wildly around them—not refined incantations, but raw, instinctive surges that distorted air and ground alike.
The mountain pass narrowed.
Wind screamed through jagged rock formations, carrying frost like shards of glass.
Reina stepped half a pace ahead of Kel, blade angled low, silver steel reflecting the crimson glow of approaching eyes.
But Kel did not move forward.
He stepped once.
And lowered his gaze.
"Sairen."
The response was immediate.
Not words.
Not sound.
But the vast stillness of a lake at midnight.
He raised his hand slightly.
And the world—
Changed.
The Domain of Still Water manifested.
Not gradually.
Not softly.
It descended.
Like a silent eclipse swallowing the mountains.
Light drained from the surroundings.
Color dimmed into muted shadow.
The snow lost its brilliance, turning into a darkened expanse like ash-covered ground. The sky above deepened into an abyssal void. Only three things remained sharply visible within that unnatural darkness—
Kel.
Reina.
And the Crimson Wolves.
The wind ceased.
Sound dulled.
Even the frantic heartbeat of the charging pack seemed muffled beneath unseen pressure.
The wolves faltered mid-stride.
Not physically halted—
But slowed.
As if the air had thickened into invisible water.
Kel's coat drifted behind him in a motion that defied the now-still wind. His eyes no longer reflected moonlight or sun.
They reflected depth.
Cold.
Unfathomable depth.
Within the domain, he was not merely a combatant.
He was the sovereign.
"Authority."
His voice did not echo.
It resonated.
The space responded.
The movements of the Crimson Wolves bent beneath his will.
Their lunges became heavy.
Their coordinated arcs fractured into staggered missteps.
One wolf leaped—
Its body slowed midair, muscles straining against invisible resistance.
Another attempted to flank from the right—
Its paws sank deeper into snow that felt suddenly viscous.
Reina inhaled sharply, feeling the weight of the domain pressing gently against even her own movements—yet it did not hinder her.
The domain recognized allies.
Kel's fingers curled slightly.
He felt it clearly.
Mana draining.
Rapidly.
The authority of slowing thirty high-level magical beasts simultaneously was no trivial act.
But he did not hesitate.
In one fluid motion, he summoned his bow.
Black.
Reinforced.
Elegant.
It appeared in his hand like an extension of his own will.
An arrow manifested between his fingers—formed of condensed aura and sharpened with precise control.
He drew the string.
The world seemed to hold its breath.
Release.
The arrow vanished.
No whistle.
No visible trail.
The lead wolf jerked violently.
The arrow pierced directly through its left eye and exited cleanly through the back of its skull.
Before the body hit the ground—
Second arrow.
Third.
Fourth.
Kel did not aim broadly.
He targeted weak points.
Eyes.
Throats.
Joint gaps beneath the forelimbs.
Each release was seamless—draw, loose, manifest again.
Within the slowed perception of the domain, every twitch of muscle was visible to him before it occurred.
A wolf attempted to release a burst of wild mana.
Kel shifted his focus.
The domain compressed around it momentarily—
The mana destabilized.
Arrow through the throat.
Another wolf leaped from elevated rock.
Reina moved.
Her blade flashed in a crescent arc, silver slicing cleanly through its forelimb before it could descend. Blood splattered across the darkened snow, nearly black within the domain's muted light.
But the slaughter belonged to Kel.
His expression did not change.
His breathing remained controlled.
Yet veins at his temple began to show faint strain.
Mana expenditure climbed rapidly.
His dual cores rotated at intense speed within him, feeding the domain's authority.
Five wolves fell.
Seven.
Ten.
The pack's perfect formation shattered.
The leader—larger than the rest, its fur slightly darker at the spine—roared in defiance.
It forced its body forward against the domain's pressure, red eyes locking onto Kel with primal fury.
Intelligent.
It understood.
Kill the sovereign.
Break the stillness.
The leader charged.
Its muscles tore through resistance, snow erupting beneath its weight.
Kel narrowed his eyes.
He drew deeper upon the domain.
The world darkened further.
The leader's movement slowed to a crawl within his perception.
He could see each ripple of muscle beneath fur.
Each flicker of mana gathering around its claws.
He exhaled once.
And drew a final arrow.
This one denser.
Sharper.
Infused faintly with Sairen's blessing.
The arrow hummed faintly, vibrating against the bowstring like restrained lightning beneath water.
Release.
Time snapped forward.
The arrow pierced through the wolf's open jaws.
Shattered bone.
Traversed the skull.
And embedded deep into the snow beyond.
The leader's body stumbled forward three heavy steps—
Before collapsing face-first into the darkened ground.
Silence fell.
The domain trembled faintly.
The remaining wolves froze.
Their red eyes flickered toward the fallen alpha.
For a fraction of a second—
Instinct warred with intelligence.
Then—
Fear won.
The pressure of the domain did not lessen.
But the wolves' formation broke entirely.
They retreated.
One by one.
Then in chaotic bursts.
Silver bodies disappearing into mountain ridges and shadowed crevices.
Kel did not pursue.
He watched them leave.
Counted their retreat.
Ensured none circled back.
Only when the last mana signature exited the two-kilometer radius did he exhale.
The darkness lifted.
Light returned gradually to the mountains.
Snow regained its brightness.
Wind resumed its howl.
The domain dissolved.
Kel's knees bent slightly.
A faint tremor passed through his fingers.
Mana exhaustion struck like delayed recoil.
His breathing deepened.
Heavy.
Reina immediately stepped closer.
"Young Master."
He raised a hand slightly.
"I am fine."
But sweat traced faintly along his temple despite the cold.
Using Sairen's full domain authority—even partially—drained him severely. Slowing thirty magical beasts simultaneously required immense concentration and output.
He walked forward slowly.
Toward the fallen leader.
Its massive body lay sprawled against crimson-stained snow. Blood steamed faintly in the frigid air.
Kel placed one boot upon its skull.
Not arrogantly.
But firmly.
He exhaled and lowered himself to sit atop the beast's broad neck, using it like a crude throne.
From within his coat, he retrieved a small packet of preserved travel rations.
Dried fruit.
Nuts infused lightly with mana restoration herbs.
He ate calmly.
Deliberately.
Each chew steady.
Reina sheathed her blade, wiping blood clean first with practiced efficiency. Her white and silver attire bore faint splatters, but her posture remained composed.
She studied him.
"You consumed nearly half your mana reserves."
"Yes."
He swallowed another piece of dried fruit.
"But it was efficient."
The wind whipped snow across the battlefield, gradually covering bloodstains in thin white layers.
Reina stepped beside the corpse.
"These creatures are not common in such large numbers."
"No," Kel agreed.
"They were migrating."
Or perhaps driven.
He made a mental note.
The Northeast was more volatile than expected.
He finished the last of the ration and leaned back slightly, allowing stamina to recover gradually.
Then—
He glanced at the wolf beneath him.
"Reina."
"Yes?"
"How much would a Crimson Wolf of this size sell for?"
She considered carefully.
"For the fur alone—at least fifty gold."
She knelt, inspecting the claws.
"The claws and fangs are used in weapon crafting. Another twenty to thirty gold."
She paused.
"The heart core, if intact, could fetch far more. Especially from alchemists. Perhaps one hundred gold or more."
Kel nodded slowly.
"So this one alone… roughly two hundred?"
"Approximately."
A faint smirk touched his lips.
"Then this was worth the mana."
Reina allowed herself a small, rare smile.
Snow continued falling lightly around them.
The battlefield was already returning to silence.
Kel stood, stepping down from the wolf's body.
His exhaustion remained, but his gaze was steady.
The mountains loomed ahead.
Cold.
Unforgiving.
He adjusted his coat slightly and looked forward.
"Let us harvest what we can."
Reina nodded.
"Yes, Young Master."
The wind howled again through the frozen pass.
But this time—
It carried no crimson threat.
Only the echo of still water that had swallowed a hunting pack whole