It's been about two minutes since the battle started, and the endless horde was starting to wear me down. Luckily they weren't the strongest of enemies, around Level 2 or 3 on average, with a few tougher ones around Level 5.

But even if they were weak, there was no end to them. No matter how many I killed, the number remained the same. There were always at least 15 in the area. And there were only two of me, my dear Shadow putting in work. He may have had zero Intelligence, but he understood basic commands, like protect heater, or, kill asshole with bow.

That evened the odds a bit, as did the new Abilities I managed to acquire. The first one was Deflect and the second was Parry. Deflect allowed me to swipe arrows out of the air at the cost of 10 Stamina per deflection, with the added bonus of possibly Critically deflecting, which would either send the arrow into someone else, or if that wasn't possible, reimburse me the Stamina cost.

Parry was similar, only it allowed me to redirect physical attacks away from me, regardless of how powerful. Afterwards, I could immediately launch a counterattack with them pretty much helpless. If I managed to Critically Parry, I could immediately use an Ability free of charge, such as Power Slash.

Too bad the Crit rate for both was only 5%, but with just how damn many there were, that happened more than you'd think. I heard someone step behind me, and turned to look, seeing an ogre raising his club above his head, ready to smash it down on my skull.

Swinging Zannkimaru, I used Parry, making his club go shooting upwards and then swung my blade downward, cutting into his chest. His roar of pain was silenced by my sword cutting through his face horizontally, the top half sliding off and hitting the ground with a wet splat.

But I didn't have time to revel in my victory, as another one was running towards me, swinging his club in my direction. Not only that, but I could see a white ogre aiming his bow at me in the distance.

I blocked the club before grabbing him by the vest and yanking him in front of the arrow, using him as a shield. He roared in pain, but I placed my blade against his throat and slid it across, slicing it open and painting the snow red.

Fifty seconds left. I continued to fight, feeling like I was in a musou game, hacking and slashing like there was no tomorrow. Remember when I said that being able to use Power Slash over and over again was broken?

Yeah, not so much when there was wave after wave of them. Luckily they at least died each time I did it, but still, it was draining on my Stamina. Add in the Parry and Deflect Abilities, and I was feeling the pressure. And to think, I had to do this three more times.

At the thirty second mark Shadow finally fell, having taken an arrow to the back. Poor guy, you will be missed. Even though he was dumb as a bag of bricks, he served his purpose well.

But now their whole attention was on me, and I didn't like that, not one little bit. I thought of summoning him again, but with the knowledge that I still had three more to go, I held off. I can last a measly 30 seconds.

Easy.

The heater was doing pretty well, its Hp only having dropped about ten percent or so. Mostly caused by arrows from those damn white ogres. Shadow had managed to kill a couple, but like the green ones, they just respawned soon after with fresh quivers. Seeing that, I felt it was best to just leave them be. Once they ran out of arrows, they weren't much of a threat.

Time continued to tick away slowly, as I continued the dance of dodging and attacking. But eventually, I managed to wind down the timer, until it hit zero. A loud buzz rang out, and the remaining ogres ran off, leaving me there, panting, bloody, and cold.

"Yeah… You better run…" I muttered, before falling backwards. I stared up at the starry night sky, wondering how a moon could be so big. Was the real one like that as well, and I just never noticed? Or was it an illusion created solely for this world?

Hey, you alright? That was pretty intense.

"Not gonna lie, that was tougher than I thought. But I made it through. Not looking forward to the other three though…" I muttered, watching as small flakes of snow gently fell towards the ground, only to melt before they could land. It was a far cry from the blizzard raging all around me.

Actually, hang on… What happened to the blizzard? And is it just me, or does it feel warmer all of a sudden. According to South Park, feelings of warmth while freezing was a sign of hypothermia.

Not sure how much I trust that information, but it did make me a bit nervous. However, while it was warmer, it was still cold.

Rising up to a sitting position, I looked all around me. The snow that was on the ground was melting, leaving nothing but mud in their wake. I could still see the blizzard, only it was swirling all around me, like I was in the eye of a storm.

It was more than a little surreal, but then again, I was inside of a woman who was literally ten times my age but looked almost like I would need to go door to door if I fooled around with her.

Notice the word almost? Because I felt up that body and let me tell you, there's no amber alert going on here. What was I talking about again?

How surreal the world around you is.

"Right, thanks," I said out loud, even if I didn't need to. It just felt weird when she responded to something I thought. Talk about an invasion of privacy.

Hey, I'll have you know I'm not always rummaging around in there. But sometimes you think so darn loud that I can't help but hear every juicy detail.

"You say that, and yet, I'm not sure I believe you. Anyway, that's not important right now," I said, while pulling out an arrow that was lodged in the front of my thigh. I sighed in both pain and relief as I stuck the arrow into my inventory.

Looking out across the muddy courtyard I could see numerous bodies that needed looting. Not sure how many, but there had to be close to thirty. That was one heck of a battle.

"What is important is my next step. My Stamina is too low, and my Hp and Reiryoku aren't looking too hot either," I said, pulling up my Stats. But when I took a gander at them, I was surprised to see them climbing at a rapid pace.

"What the heck…" I mumbled, wondering what was going on. I was eventually able to see it under the Status Condition tab. Apparently I was under the Rapid Recovery Status, which did exactly what you might think. But when did that happen?

Maybe you should look behind you.

Taking her suggestion to heart, I turned around and saw the heater with bright red coils churning out heat. That explains why the snow was melting, and likely why the storm could no longer reach me. Honestly, I had kind of forgotten about the thing in the aftermath of the battle, but what did that have to do with my Status?

Wait… Could it be that the heat being generated was the cause?

Ding, ding, ding we have a winner!

I'll take it. With this, it should only take me about 10 minutes or so before my tanks are full. So while I wait, it's looting time!

Most of it was the same old same old, clubs, loincloths, and a nice chunk of change. But I did kill a few of the white ogres in the skirmish, or Shadow did at any rate, and they dropped some new equipment. The first one was a bow.

Rough Wooden Bow (Common)

A weathered old bow made of substandard wood. The condition it's in makes it more difficult to aim.

-Damage 15

-Accuracy -10%

-Durability 2/4

Upgradeable

Ok, so not the best, but it still gave me some ranged options beyond chucking rocks at people. Also if I can get it upgraded it might prove to be a decent weapon. Though, to be fair, it wasn't high on my list of priorities to improve.

The next thing I got was a piece of armor.

Bandit Vest ( Common)

A vest worn by ruffians and scoundrels; it provides some protection against the elements.

-Defense 1

-Minor Cold Resistance

-Minor Heat Resistance

-Durability 4/6

Upgradeable

Well, at least it wasn't soiled. And it was at least a small step up from the kimono I had on. That thing didn't provide any protection at all. Equipping it, I immediately felt some of the chill disappear, sighing in relief.

The Resistance System within the game was pretty easy to understand. Minor Resistance was 25%. Moderate was 50%. Major was 75%. After that was complete immunity.

Unfortunately, they didn't stack. For example, if I were to wear the Soiled Ogre's Loincloth, which also gave a Minor Resistance to heat and cold, along with the Bandit's Vest, it wouldn't increase my Resistance to a Moderate 50%, it would stay at a Minor 25%. It defaulted to whatever the higher was.

Kinda sucks, but I get it. Lots of games were like that for stupid reasons such as balance. But when they played those games, their lives weren't on the line! Still, it was better than nothing, and should at least help me to not freeze to death.

The last thing I got was a quiver. There were also the arrows, technically, but they just increased the damage of the bow by two and had a Durability of 1.

Worn Leather Quiver (Common)

A basic leather quiver that has seen better days. This one is meant to be worn over the shoulder. Holds 20 arrows.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

-Current ammunition: 12

-Durability 3/6

Upgradeable

It was better than nothing. I feel like I've been saying that a lot. But still, this could be a good option to have for Shadow. I could Equip the bow and arrows, summon him, then switch back to Zannkimaru, and I'd have a ranged ally. The only issue is when he ran out of ammo, but it was still a viable strategy. He could always run around and pick up more arrows as well, so… Food for thought.

Looking at my Stats, I was almost back to full. And I was pretty close to a Level up as well, nice. After this next round of protection detail, I'd be at Level 9, and once the Blue fucker was good and dead, I'd make it all the way to level 10. Things are looking up for old Ushio.

Please do not start talking in the third person. That's a sign of megalomania you know.

"So I should wait until after I've conquered the world? I can do that," I said snarkily.

That's not what I meant and you know it!

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be good. Anyway, I think it's about time to move on," I said, getting serious. I still had three more of these damn things to activate, and I didn't trust that something terrible wouldn't happen if I took my sweet time. For all I know, the ogres would get stronger the longer the storm raged.

Hopefully it wouldn't be so bad with my new vest blunting some of the cold, but by this point the temperature was likely well below zero, so while it might buy me some time, I couldn't afford to dawdle.

I exited the safety zone and immediately felt the biting sting of the frigid air. It was without a doubt below zero. And with the wind factor of the storm, well… let's just say it was time to run. Activating Sprint, I ran as fast as I could toward the second heater, the one closest to the entrance.

Of course it wasn't that easy, as I was almost immediately assaulted by more of the white ogres, and wouldn't you know it, they were more accurate than last time. But still, with how fast I was moving, I didn't make an easy target, and with my new ability to deflect arrows, I managed to make it across the icy landscape without injury. My Stamina was lower than I would have liked, but that was neither here nor there.

Reaching the heater, I flipped it on without preamble. It shuddered just like the last one before it started up. The timer returned, and I summoned Shadow, turning to face the oncoming horde.

3 minutes later

I panted as the buzz signifying the end of the battle rang out. The ogres ran off again, much to my relief, and I sat down on the cold ground as the warmth from the heater began to take away the chill.

Two down, two to go. You know, that one felt longer than the last one, even if it wasn't, and the enemies were a bit stronger as well. Even so, I managed to eke out a win. My Stamina was drained, my Hp was round 75%, and I had to resummon Shadow, but I did it.

After waiting until I was all patched up by the heater, I collected my spoils of war and prepared to make a mad dash to the first heater before continuing on to the rest. Judging by the location of these two, I had a pretty good idea where the last one was. As long as the game didn't try to trick me, I should find it no problem.

"I didn't just raise a flag, did I?"

Probably.

"Well, shit…"

*Line Break*

The third heater was much the same as the first two, only the enemies were definitely getting stronger, especially the white ogres. I finally bothered to Scan the things during this protection detail, and I was more than a bit surprised by what I found.

Turns out they were called Snowman Ogres, and they were actually made by the Blue Ogre himself. I thought that part about him liking to make snowmen was just flavor text, but it turned out to be a bit too literal for my tastes.

The worst part about them was the fact that the colder it got, the stronger they got as well, which was all kinds of not good for me. The normal enemies average level increased by about 1 at every heater, but the Snowmen Ogres increased by about three, meaning they were about as strong as the Shadow Ogre Boss, at least in terms of Stats, by the third heater.

Luckily, they weren't ninjas with sneaky ninja powers, but that didn't mean they were easy to deal with. The only real upside was that there weren't very many of them. If I had to defend the heaters from a horde of them, I would have been screwed.

That being said, it was a close call, with the Hp of the heater dropping to around 20% this time. But even so, I couldn't just give up right at the finish line. I had to activate the fourth one, and finish this as soon as possible.

Because I am sick of the damn cold.

So after collecting my loot and recovering, I made my way to where I suspected the final heater was, dodging assholes the whole way. But when I reached the suspected area, I saw, to my relief, a familiar looking, giant space heater just waiting to ruin their snow day.

I ran up to it, eager to put an end to this, but when I went to flip the switch, I noticed something rather distressing.

It was gone.

There was no switch with which to activate the machine. And looking at the mechanism it was attached to, there was no way for me to activate it without it.

Fucking red flags, I just knew I jinxed myself somehow. But where in the heck could it be?

Behind you!

Turning around swiftly, I saw one of the Snowmen Ogres standing there with the switch I needed strapped to his back. He gave me a mocking smirk before taunting me by smacking his own ass and running away.

"Oh no you don't! Get back here!" I shouted, racing after him. Of course when I turned the corner, I realized it was an obvious ambush, with several of his snowy brethren waiting for me with bows raised.

The cheeky bugger even had the gall to give me a salute before running off again. I growled as the arrows came flying at me, but I used Shadow Strike to dodge and get behind them.

Using the move with Power Slash, I managed to injure the first one, but their Levels were about 15 now, so I couldn't just take them out with one hit anymore. Thankfully, they all seemed to be specked for ranged combat, so even if it took a few more swings then I would have liked, they went down pretty easily without being able to defend themselves much.

But there were still 4 more, and I didn't have the time to deal with them. I couldn't let the one carrying the switch to get too far away. So I created a Shadow Double to distract them while I chased after him. With any luck, he'd be able to take at least one of them out before he kicked the bucket, but I wasn't all that confident.

Thankfully for me he hadn't gotten too far away, but damn was he fast! Even using Sprint I was finding it hard to catch up. Maybe if the roads weren't all icy and there wasn't a literal snowstorm I could have, but it was clear I was at a severe disadvantage. Not to mention all the assholes who were still firing arrows at me wherever I went. That didn't help any.

I tried hurling some rocks at him, but it was way too hard to aim while sprinting after him in a blizzard. So it was pretty clear that that wasn't going to work, not without a lot of luck. So I needed to think of a different way to corner him.

Getting an idea, I leapt onto the roofs, hoping I'd be able to get in front of him and cut him off. But with all the Snowman Ogres up here blocking my way and making things difficult, I don't think that was going to work either.

So I figured I had two real options. One is to see where he's leading me, which was probably another ambush, and hope he didn't run away after. Or two, I wait until Shadow Strike is finished with its cool down and wait until the moonlight casts his shadows in front of him so I can cut him off that way.

You know, it's actually kind of amazing that I can even see their shadows considering it's night and there's a blizzard. Thank you video game logic for not imposing reality on me, because I should not be able to do that.

Deflecting an arrow and then bashing an ogre out of my way, I continued to follow him, choosing to go with option two. Even if I did have to wait until he reached wherever he was going, assuming he was going anywhere, there was no reason not to try to cut him off beforehand. I just hope I don't have to wait until his Stamina runs out, because I have a feeling he will last longer than me.

Checking the cooldown for Shadow Strike, it looked like it was almost done. And wouldn't you know it, he was running away from the moon at the moment, meaning his shadow was in front of him. This was my chance!

As soon as the cooldown ended, I used the move, appearing right in front of him. I had just a single moment to enjoy his surprised face before my sword flashed out, aiming for his legs. There was no guarantee that I would be able to kill him with a single strike, even if it was aimed at his neck. So just in case, I wanted to try and cripple him first.

The blade cut deep into his flesh, just below the knees. I didn't manage to serve them or anything, but going by the crack I heard, I don't think he's going anywhere. The hit also sent him tumbling to the ground, and it did not look like a pleasant fall.

Checking his Status, I confirmed that he was indeed afflicted by the Crippled Status, making my job much easier. I walked toward him, ignoring the dark crimson snow in my path, casually deflecting any arrow that tried to pierce me. He tried to get back to his feet, but the pain appeared to be too much for him to bear. His Hp was also quite low as well, around 30% give or take, so it wouldn't be hard for me to finish him off.

Surprisingly, I managed to get a Critical Deflect, sending the arrow right into his calf. He roared in pain before collapsing back to the floor. If he wasn't getting up before, he sure as hell wasn't now. Smirking, I raised my blade while standing next to him. He gave me a defiant glare before my sword came down and removed his head from his body.

You know, thinking about it, I probably could have tried to steal it from him as well. Too late for that now. He's dead and I have my prize. Reaching down, I placed the Heater Switch into my Inventory. With that done, all that was left was to get back to the heater, turn it on, and battle the horde.

But first, I think I'll make a little pit stop at heater #3, considering I'm so close to it. Once I regain my Health and everything, I'll head on over to the heater. I don't exactly like waiting, but that just took out a good chunk of my Stamina and Reiryoku, so I figured I should play it safe.

Making my way back to the safe zone, I sighed in content as the heat washed over me. Being in that frigid temperature for so long really takes it out of you. I waited for several minutes until I was fully recovered before moving on.

This was it, the final part of the Quest. Once this was done, it would be time to finish off the Blue Ogre once and for all. But judging how difficult the last one was, I thought it might be a good idea to use my Ability Upgrade Token.

I only have the one, so I've kinda been holding back on using it, but considering the stakes, it's probably best if I do so. And honestly, there was really only one Ability I can think of that would make a difference, and that was True Double.

Was it the best idea? I have no clue, but there was no time for hesitation. I used it, watching as it went from Rank 1 to 2. With that, my double, Shadow, would have half the Stats I do now, which just might push me over the edge. With that done, I started to make my way towards the final heater.

It didn't take me too long to reach it. Once I did, I grabbed the switch from my Inventory before fixing it into place. Once that was done I flipped it on and prepared for combat.

Only to be blue balled when the heater started up right away. Part of me was disappointed, but another part was relieved. I barely managed to beat the third one, so this was probably for the best.

But still! I used the Upgrade Token for nothing! I mean, it's not like it's a bad thing to have upgraded, but still! It made me feel like a jackass for doing it.

Ah, don't feel too bad. It was a perfectly reasonable thing to do given the circumstances.

"You say one thing, but your sarcasm says another," I said, ignoring the way she snickered at that.

On a serious note, are you ready to finish this?

That made me grin, "Baby you know it!"

I checked the Quest, and saw that it was complete. I could now enter the Blue Ogre's arena.

-Quest Complete-

To Beat the Cold

The Blue Ogre has unleashed his secret technique, creating a blizzard that will freeze anyone trapped inside of it. Find a way to stop the blizzard before you freeze to death.

Heaters Activated: 4/4

Reward

-250 Exp

-Stops the Snowstorm

Turns out, that's just what the doctor ordered to push me to level 9. With that, now my stats are looking like this:

Stats

Level: 9 (165/1,000)

Health: 1,144/1,144

Stamina: 646/646

Reiryoku: 792/792

Strength: 61 (107) {127}

Agility: 22 (68) {70}

Vitality: 38 (84)

Intelligence: 15

Wisdom: 25

Spirit: 46

Charisma: 8

Unused Points: 0

Looking good. It also looks like my Agility and Vitality also went up, probably due to all the running around I've been doing. Guess exercising under duress was more effective. Not sure it was worth it though…

"Looks like the blizzard finally stopped," I muttered, staring out at the rapidly clearing district. Without that damn snowstorm, navigating this place will be much easier. Checking the Map, which was working properly again, I noticed that there were dozens of red dots all around. If I had to guess, those were the remnants of the Snowman Ogres.

I had hoped they would disappear with the blizzard, but no such luck. Just like with the Red Ogre, I couldn't risk them swarming me when I fight their boss, so I would have to take them out, one by one.

But maybe that's a good thing. With the temperature rising, I doubt they'd be as big of a threat as they were before, which means they were basically free Exp. In other words…

"Let the hunt begin."

I went around and started killing them off, taking this chance to up my Stealth and Steal Skills. It took about 45 minutes, give or take, before they were all just a pile of snow. Turns out I was also right, they weren't nearly as strong as they were during the snowstorm, averaging about Level 5 instead of 15. After taking them all out, I was almost at Level 10, which I would reach after taking out the Blue Ogre.

Guess my calculations were pretty much spot on. Who knew I was such a math whizz?

But with that done, it was time for round two with the big, blue asshole.