As soon as I see that it is not a small island like the others I land and drop shapeshift. This being the most interesting thing I have found so far, I plan to explore it on foot. That way I won't miss anything interesting and besides, flying in the rain is not fun.

As far as I can see there are no steam vents on this island, in fact the ground is cold. It is even colder than the rain, cold enough that if the rain wasn't constant the ground would be covered in ice. Out of curiosity I backtrack and check the temperature of the sea water.

Even the sea water is warmer than the ground of the island, that shouldn't be possible. The water should be colder than the ground, or at most they should be the same temperature. Which means there is something weird about this island and I aim to find it.

So I turn back and start making my way deeper into the island to see what I can find. Of all the things I am expecting to find, ruins of a building are not on the list. Who would build something on an island at the bottom of a volcano?

In fact, how did they even build something down here, I've seen no signs of any other way down here. I quickly move closer to the building and take a better look, most of the building is gone. However, what's left of the building's walls make me even more puzzled.

The stone the building is made of doesn't match either the stone of the island or the surrounding volcano. Meaning this stone was brought here from somewhere else, which would be really, really difficult. The only way I can think of would be to use a bag like my pouch to haul the stone.

Even if that is how they did it, the question still remains, why go through all that effort? Although this place is very hard to reach, it would be a good place for someone to hide. I really can't think of any other reason to go through all the effort to build something here.

The walls show no signs of damage other than erosion from the endless rain. The building wasn't very large, but from the level of erosion I could say it is at least a thousand years old. Or maybe older, there is a faint trace of mana inside the stones meaning it was probably enchanted.

It isn't a very large building, not even big enough to have been a house. So I decide to look around and see if there were more buildings, which it turns out there are. As I approach the ruins of the other buildings I notice that both the air and the ground are getting colder.

There is a layer of ice covering what is left of the building and the rain has turned into sleet. Luckily, my cold resist isn't too bad so it doesn't bother me too much. This cold is almost definitely unnatural, the temperature shouldn't change this much in a short distance.

However, there is no cold mana in the air, which I would expect if it was magic causing the cold. Maybe the source is underground, that would explain why the ground is colder than anything else. With that thought in mind I start searching the ruins for a basement or something similar.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

At first I try sending my mana into the ground to look for open spaces, but my mana can't enter the ground. In fact, it can't penetrate the ice, something about the ice causes my mana to bounce off of it. That proves that there is something strange going on and strange means interesting.

Unfortunately, since I can't use mana to do it, I have to search for a way down normally. I really wish I had the secret spotting monocle with me, but unfortunately it is in my pouch. So all I can do is wander around poking at the ground with my claws and hope to get lucky.

After about a half an hour of searching in vain I stop to think things through. Trying to search with a layer of ice over everything is just not working. So I try to think of how I can use magic to search without being able to push mana through the ice.

Then I realize that the ice itself is the only problem I need to worry about. If the ice isn't in the way then I should be able to search with mana without a problem. So I stand up, gather my strength, and then I punch the ice as hard as I can.

In the end, all I get for my effort is a sore hand, the ice completely resisted my attack. That in and of itself is fairly amazing, the ice is only a few inches thick. No way should it have been able to withstand a punch with my level of strength.

In fact, as strong as I am, that punch should have shattered the ice and the rock beneath it. Yet, I cannot sense any mana in the ice, meaning there must be something else going on. Out of curiosity, I use mana to create a fireball and throw it at the ice.

After the explosion I check the ice, but there is no change, no signs of melting or anything. As I stand there trying to think of what else I can try my ears pick up the sound of movement. When I turn towards the sound I am surprised to see a figure moving towards me.

When it gets close enough for me to make it out I am even more surprised when I realize it is a zombie. A single zombie is no big deal, but when I reach for a weapon I realize once again I don't have my pouch. Blitz is gone, and the fire sword I got from the orc is in the pouch, meaning I don't have a weapon.

My claws should be fine for killing a zombie, but I am reluctant to because the cleaning stone is also in the pouch. I really need to test the belt again and see if I have grown enough for it to fit me. This not having any of my stuff with me is getting really annoying.

Then as the zombie continues coming closer I finally remember the ring, it is still on my finger. So I shake my hand and suddenly I am holding a dagger, but I can't grip it properly. My paw is not shaped like a hand, I am missing a very critical digit, a thumb.

With the zombie getting closer I quickly shapeshift back into what I used to look like as a beastman. This form is so familiar to me that it feels perfectly natural, even more than my current body. I grip the dagger, take a few steps forward, and stab the dagger straight into the zombie's head.

My attack was perfect and definitely hit the zombies brain, but to my surprise it doesn't fall down. In fact, it tries to bite my arm, which I quickly move out of the way. As soon as I have dodged the bite I strike again, and again, and again before it finally falls.

1 Ancient Zombie defeated! 50,000 Exp gained!

'Ancient zombie? What the hell is that? Whatever it is, it is good Exp!'

Now that the zombie is dead I am torn between going looking for more or continuing to search. Ancient undead and mysterious ice, this island is definitely interesting! Since there are no more zombies currently within sight I decide to play with the ice first.