The wind screamed across Dragon's Peak.
Snow surged violently along the mountainside, reducing visibility to little more than drifting white and shadowed stone. Every breath felt colder than the last, freezing the lungs if inhaled too deeply.
Yet despite the blizzard—
Rio suddenly stopped walking.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
Then she raised one hand.
"Two frost wyverns," she said calmly.
"Coming toward us."
The sudden warning instantly sharpened the atmosphere.
Cynthia froze.
Kiraya's posture immediately shifted.
The casual mood from earlier vanished in an instant.
Cynthia quickly looked toward the sky.
But she saw nothing.
Only endless snowfall and pale fog.
"…Where?" Cynthia asked.
Kiraya unsheathed her sword halfway.
"Don't bother looking."
Cynthia blinked.
"What?"
Kiraya's eyes slowly scanned the surroundings.
"Frost wyverns have partial wing camouflage. Their scales reflect snowlight."
She lowered her stance slightly.
"They specifically hunt players who rely too much on vision."
The wind howled again.
Kiraya's voice remained calm.
"Experienced players use other senses."
Cynthia swallowed.
Then—
A sound.
Faint.
Almost impossible to hear beneath the storm.
A whistling noise.
Thin.
Sharp.
Moving somewhere high eastward above them.
Cynthia immediately turned toward the sound.
Kiraya didn't.
Instead—
She closed her eyes.
The whistling grew louder.
Closer.
Faster.
Cynthia's heartbeat quickened.
Still nothing appeared in the sky.
Then suddenly—
KIRAYA MOVED.
[Crusader Skill: Lionheart Guard]
Golden flames erupted around her shield.
The large crusader shield transformed instantly into a radiant barrier of burning light.
A split second later—
CRASH!!
A massive blast of ice collided against the barrier.
The impact exploded snow outward across the mountainside.
Cynthia stumbled back from the pressure wave.
The barrier froze over instantly, layers of thick ice spreading across its surface with violent cracking sounds.
Then—
The whistling became deafening.
Kiraya's eyes snapped open.
Right in front of her—
A frost wyvern emerged from invisibility.
Its pale blue scales blended perfectly with the storm, wings spread wide as frozen mist leaked from its jaws.
Fast.
Too fast for Cynthia to react.
But Kiraya already had.
She stepped sideways.
Dodged instantly.
And swung.
A streak of crimson flame cut across the snowstorm.
The wyvern's head separated from its body before Cynthia even fully saw the attack.
The corpse crashed into the ground—
Dead instantly.
But Kiraya's expression didn't relax.
Because another whistle echoed behind her.
Different direction.
Different angle.
Kiraya turned immediately.
Her sword moved again.
CLANG—BOOM!!
This time the blade struck downward like a hammer.
The second frost wyvern appeared only at the moment of impact—
Its skull smashed directly into the snow-covered stone beneath it.
The ground cracked violently.
The creature twitched once—
Then died.
Silence followed.
Only the storm remained.
Cynthia stared in shock.
"…Amazing…"
Kiraya flicked frost from her blade casually.
"Basic reaction training."
"Basic—?"
Cynthia looked completely unconvinced.
Those attacks had been nearly invisible.
The speed alone would have killed most players instantly.
Yet Kiraya handled both without panic.
Without wasted movement.
Without even taking damage.
Cynthia looked at her with admiration.
"She's incredible…"
Then Cynthia smiled slightly and turned toward Rio.
"Right, Ms. Rio—"
She stopped.
Rio wasn't there.
Cynthia froze.
"…Huh?"
Her eyes widened.
"Where did she go?!"
She spun around quickly, panic rising slightly.
But instead of concern—
Kiraya laughed.
Actually laughed.
The sound caught Cynthia completely off guard.
Kiraya raised her sword slightly and pointed ahead.
"…Over there."
Cynthia slowly turned.
And froze completely.
The snowfield ahead had been destroyed.
Scattered across the mountainside—
Were frost wyvern corpses.
Not one.
Not two.
More than twelve.
Blood painted the snow crimson.
One wyvern had been embedded into a tree hard enough to snap the trunk completely in half.
Another two were crushed against the side of the mountain wall, their bodies twisted unnaturally from the force.
One corpse had a clean slash through its torso.
Another looked like it had simply exploded from impact.
And standing quietly in the middle of all of it—
Was Rio.
Snow drifted softly around her.
A streak of blood rested across one side of her face.
Her silver hair moved gently in the freezing wind.
And in her hand—
The Imperial Saber glowed faintly beneath the storm.
Cynthia couldn't even process what she was seeing.
"…What…"
Rio looked down briefly at another corpse near her feet.
Then casually flicked blood off her blade.
"I think there were more hiding farther up the ridge," she said calmly.
"Aside from these."
Cynthia's mouth opened slightly.
"These…?"
Kiraya walked beside her slowly.
Then whispered quietly enough that only Cynthia could hear:
"I told you."
Her smirk widened slightly.
"She's a monster."
Cynthia stared at Rio in stunned silence.
At the girl casually standing among over a dozen dead wyverns.
At the impossible difference between appearance and reality.
At the overwhelming pressure hidden beneath Rio's quiet personality.
And for the first time—
Cynthia truly understood why Kiraya spoke about her so carefully.
"…Is this…" Cynthia whispered faintly.
"…The leader of Crowned Era?"
The deeper they climbed into Dragon's Peak—
the harsher the mountain became.
The wind no longer merely howled.
It screamed.
Snow whipped violently across the narrow cliffside paths, limiting visibility to only a few meters ahead. Sharp frost clung to the rocks beneath their boots, making every step dangerous if taken carelessly.
Yet despite the brutal conditions—
the three girls continued forward.
Another frost wyvern dove from above.
Kiraya reacted first.
"Left!"
Rio moved immediately.
The wyvern burst through the blizzard with jaws open—
only for a crimson slash to cut across the air.
SHHHK!
Its wing separated instantly.
The creature spiraled downward screaming before crashing into the snowy slope below.
Cynthia stared again.
Even after witnessing Rio earlier—
she still couldn't fully process it.
Rio fought differently from every player Cynthia had ever seen.
No wasted movement.
No flashy overcommitment.
No panic.
Every strike felt calculated.
Like Rio already knew where enemies would appear before they attacked.
Another whistle echoed from the fog.
This time Cynthia reacted faster.
"Behind us!"
Kiraya smiled slightly.
"Good."
A frost wyvern lunged from the storm—
and Kiraya intercepted it head-on.
Flames erupted around her blade.
[Crusader Skill: Lion Fang Cleave]
BOOM!
The flaming slash exploded against the creature's neck, sending its body tumbling across the ice.
The smell of burnt scales filled the air.
Rio glanced at Cynthia afterward.
"You're adapting quickly."
Cynthia awkwardly scratched her cheek.
"I-I'm mostly trying not to die."
Kiraya laughed loudly at that.
"That's already better than half the players in the Town of Beginnings."
The three continued onward.
More wyverns attacked throughout the climb.
Some from above.
Some hidden beneath snowbanks.
Some using camouflage among icy cliffs.
But none managed to stop them.
Because between Kiraya's instincts—
Rio's terrifying awareness—
and Cynthia's growing support utility—
their pace through the mountain became surprisingly smooth.
Until eventually—
Rio stopped walking again.
"…Hm?"
Kiraya looked ahead.
There, partially hidden behind layers of frozen stone and snowfall—
was a cave entrance.
Cold blue light faintly glowed from within.
Cynthia blinked.
"There's a cave up here?"
Rio quietly stared at it.
"I know."
Kiraya raised an eyebrow.
"You know?"
Rio immediately corrected herself.
"I mean… I had a feeling there'd be something here."
Kiraya narrowed her eyes slightly.
But before she could ask further—
Rio already started walking toward the cave.
The inside of the cavern was beautiful.
And eerie.
Frost covered nearly every surface.
The walls shimmered with glowing blue crystal veins embedded deep into the stone, illuminating the darkness with soft icy light.
Their footsteps echoed quietly.
The air inside felt unnaturally cold.
Not normal winter cold—
but the kind that crawled beneath armor and sank directly into the bones.
Cynthia rubbed her arms slightly.
"…This place feels dangerous."
Kiraya nodded.
"Way too quiet."
Rio walked ahead silently.
The further they went—
the wider the cavern became.
Until eventually—
they reached a massive frozen gate.
It towered nearly twenty feet high.
Ancient dragon engravings covered its surface.
And the moment the three approached—
a system notification appeared.
[Hidden Dungeon Discovered]
[Hidden Dungeon: Glacius The Frost Dragon]
Cynthia froze.
Kiraya's eyes widened.
"A hidden dungeon?!"
"So close to Dragon's Peak?!"
Cynthia immediately stepped closer to the gate in shock.
"Wait—this could become one of the biggest discoveries in Floor One!"
Kiraya looked equally stunned.
Even she hadn't heard rumors about this place before.
But Rio—
remained calm.
Because she already knew.
In her previous life—
this dungeon had become one of the most contested frost raids during the early expansion era.
Guilds fought entire wars over access to it.
And inside rested some of the strongest frost-related crafting materials available in World One.
Suddenly—
another system notification appeared.
[Dungeon Entry Restricted]
[Required Level: 15]
[Current Party Level Insufficient]
The three went silent.
Then Kiraya sighed heavily.
"…Yeah."
"That makes more sense."
Cynthia looked disappointed.
"We can't enter…"
Rio nodded.
"Not yet."
Kiraya stretched slightly afterward.
"Guess we're coming back another time."
The three turned around—
but before they could leave—
Grrrrrrrrrrr.
The sound echoed embarrassingly through the cavern.
Cynthia instantly froze.
Her face turned bright red.
Kiraya stared at her for exactly one second—
before bursting into laughter.
"PFFT—!"
Cynthia immediately covered her face.
"S-Stop laughing!"
"It's noon already!"
Kiraya kept laughing harder.
"I know! I know!"
Rio quietly smiled watching the two.
The atmosphere softened instantly.
Even Cynthia eventually gave up trying to hide her embarrassment.
"…I skipped breakfast…"
Kiraya wiped tears from her eyes.
"Then let's eat before we continue climbing."
Rio nodded.
"Agreed."
The three settled near the side of the cavern.
Kiraya gathered loose wood and started building a small fire pit.
Meanwhile Rio opened her inventory.
Since Ryota was still fishing—
she opened the shared inventory tab connected to him.
And the moment it appeared—
Cynthia nearly choked.
"…What."
Kiraya blinked too.
The inventory was filled with fish.
Not ordinary fish.
Rare fish.
At least twenty different varieties.
Some glowed faintly.
Some carried elemental properties.
Others were considered luxury cooking ingredients.
Rio calmly scrolled through them.
"Choose what you want."
Kiraya immediately pointed.
"Blue salmon."
Cynthia nervously raised her hand.
"…Yellowgold perch?"
Rio nodded.
Then smiled slightly herself.
"I'll try the rainbow silver trout."
Cynthia stared at the inventory in disbelief.
"…How do you even have this many rare fish?"
Rio casually sent a message.
[Rio: Taking some fish for lunch.]
A reply came almost immediately.
[Ryota: Ok]
Short.
Simple.
Too simple.
Rio's smile faded slightly.
Normally—
Ryota would've replied with multiple messages.
Questions.
Comments.
Jokes.
But now—
only one word.
Kiraya noticed Rio's subtle expression change but said nothing.
Rio quietly closed the message window.
…I really hurt him.
The thought lingered in her chest.
Meanwhile Cynthia was still staring at the inventory.
"…You said these weren't yours?"
Rio nodded.
"They're Ryota's."
"That's a shared inventory."
Cynthia blinked.
"…Shared inventory?"
Kiraya grinned immediately.
"Oh, those are usually done between special people."
Cynthia tilted her head.
"Special?"
Kiraya smirked.
"Married players mostly."
Cynthia froze completely.
"…WAIT YOU'RE MARRIED?!"
Rio nearly dropped the fish.
"It's for inventory space!"
Cynthia looked even more confused somehow.
"…You got married… for storage?"
Rio paused.
When phrased like that—
it sounded insane.
Kiraya laughed loudly again.
Cynthia slowly looked back and forth between them.
"But wait…"
"What about privacy?"
"Your valuables?"
"Your rare items?"
Rio quietly placed the fish onto a metal tray.
Then answered without hesitation.
"I trust him."
The words came naturally.
Honestly.
"He's the only person I trust fully."
Kiraya's smile softened slightly hearing that.
Rio continued quietly.
"And I need to show him I care about him too."
Cynthia fell silent.
Only then did she notice something else.
Even while sitting casually beside them—
Rio still had her Imperial Saber resting within arm's reach.
Ready.
Prepared.
Alert.
Even here.
Even now.
Cynthia slowly realized something important.
Rio trusted Ryota completely.
But almost nobody else.
Kiraya eventually grabbed the tray.
"Alright then."
"Let's cook."
She moved toward the fire—
then paused.
"…Actually."
"These tools aren't exactly made for fish."
The terrain around them lacked proper cooking supports.
Even the fire setup was unstable.
Before Kiraya could complain further—
Cynthia suddenly smiled proudly.
"Oh!"
"I can help!"
She opened her inventory.
Then pulled out a strange yellow box.
Kiraya blinked.
"What's that?"
Cynthia placed it onto the ground.
CLICK.
The box unfolded instantly.
Metal supports extended outward.
Cooking racks emerged from inside.
Small enchanted burners activated beneath them.
Within seconds—
a fully portable cooking station appeared.
Kiraya's eyes widened.
"…No way."
Even Rio looked impressed.
Cynthia puffed her chest proudly.
"I made it myself."
"I spent forever leveling crafting skills and experimenting with recipes."
Her smile brightened.
"But I finally succeeded in creating portable cooking equipment."
Kiraya stared at the setup.
Then laughed softly.
"…I can see why Oblivion Pledge is Rank Two."
"With a craftsman like you around."