I immediately tensed and flung my sight around the room we were in for something, anything I could kill.

Far off and away from the exit I spotted some shape that was moving.

Looking over my shoulder briefly, I told her, “Go to the exit.”, and sprinted.

I jumped from one glacier to the next kicking up little bits of broken ice in the process.

The speck was slowly zooming into focus.

Good it’s not just more ice

I was about thirteen glaciers away still.

29 seconds left,… about.

I did my best to pick up my speed by using any of the protruding irregularities in the ice I could grab and push myself off of. I don’t know how well I could stop myself at this point even if I wanted.

Well, maybe I could if I stabbed my sword in the ice.

I was two glaciers away, and I didn’t know how much time I had left.

As I leapt across the water again I could see that a wave was breaking havoc on the floating ice the monster was sitting on. It was barely hanging on as it rocked from side to side.

Almost…

Taking one final leap I slid on my stomach and got there just in time. Reaching out with my sword I managed to whack its head as it sunk into the icy water. This, unfortunately, coated my sword in ice.

Right.

I hit my sword against the ice I was standing on a few times until the ice cracked and slid off.

‘Kay.

Somewhere behind me, I could hear a snort making my mouth fall flat in irritation.

Wait a second.

Turning around I could see that she was, in fact, not at the exit like I told her. So, I shouted over my shoulder, “What are you doing?”

“Following! I could’ve found something before you maybe.”

“You didn’t. Head back.”

“What’ll you do?”

“Catch a few rabbits.”

“But they’re getting so close!”

Ignoring her I ran towards the incoming hord. The front was more sparse since it only had the faster monsters. And, of course, those were the better monsters.

I wonder if those are the original monsters. I’d imagine that the copies of the monsters they make with the sacrifices would be weaker than the original ones.

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Letting out a breath, I sped up.

Reaching the edge of the hoard I felt something impact my back. Tensing my jaw in surprise I reached back and held it by its legs. Bending down I dipped its paws in the freezing water so it was bound

and slid it onto my belt.

I’ll probably want two. We won’t have the time for more than that.

Another one lept up to eye level. I quickly grabbed it by the neck and smashed it against some ice, before letting it join the other one on my belt.

Right, the next room is the boss. I’ll ask the System about that.

As I was sprinting back I could see that Drifa had headed back to the exit this time. But that meant she wasn’t in shouting distance.

There’s got to be some way for me to go faster. If I don’t outpace the rabbits then we won’t get a break.

I leapt from another iceberg.

I suppose they are slippery. Maybe that isn’t an issue though.

As I landed again I tried to use the momentum to slide forward a bit.

I’m not sure that this is faster.

My foot hit a piece of unlevel ice causing me to tumble.

Crap.

Quickly making it into a roll instead of falling flat on my face, I rightened myself.

C’mon, it’s not the time for experimenting, Ismund. Ugh.

I tried to make my steps a little slower so I could slide a bit between each stride.

Well, I guess I did more experimenting. Sliding doesn’t help.

I jumped to another iceberg.

Maybe the opposite ‘ll help.

I moved my feet quicker not letting them linger for a second more than they had to. I started to quickly pick up speed. I don’t think I could stop if I wanted to at this point. At least without falling into the water somehow.

Then I’d better not mess up. Stay in control.

I blocked out everything else and just narrowed my focus to each step. I wanted to look back, so bad. But that’d waste time, and I could slip.

I’ll check once I reach the exit.

At this point, I was about seven icebergs away from the exit and I think my hair probably would’ve been pushed behind me if it weren’t for it being frozen.

I’m glad I can’t get a brain freeze, heh.

I smirked a little before refocusing. My feet caught the edge of the iceberg and I leapt again, not a second to spare.

I can probably talk to the System now.

* * *

DRIFA

Ismund was closer but not quite here. He’d graduated from looking like a colourful blob in my vision so that I could see his arms and legs pumping back and forth like pistons.

He looks kinda funny. But he’s outpaced the rabbits by a bit. You gotta give ‘em that.

“I have questions. Tell me what the System says.”

I smiled.

I can do something he can’t!

“Shoot!”

“Is the next room the boss chamber?”

I relayed the question…

> [This seems to be highly plausible due to the high energy concentration.]

… And the answer back.

Wait, at some point, I could probably figure this out myself!

> [Affirmative.]

You’re no fun.

> [The System is not to be used for comical intentions, it was originally created to-]

Shaddup.

“How big is the room?”

> [Large.]

Ismund grunted in agitation. Probably because it wasn’t very specific.

“How many enemies are there?”

> [Many, including the boss itself.]

“How difficult is the boss?”

> [The difficulty fluxuates from user to user.]

What about for users Ismund and Drifa?

> [It is recommended this dungeon is defeated with a party of five. This is mostly to speed the process of defeating the dungeon, however.]

“That’s not a very good answer.”

Could you be more specific?

> [It is recommended this dungeon is defeated with a party of five. This is mostly to speed the process of defeating the dungeon, however.]

“It won’t.”

Ismund seemed to huff out a breath of agitation before shouting questions back at me. He was about four icebergs away now. So there was less yelling. But, it was certainly there.

“What’s the terrain?”

> [It is theorised that it’s cold.]

“Of course it is Einstien. Are there any special conditions that can be met?”

I pushed my eyebrows together, “What’s that?”

Ismund took one last leap before landing where I was and looking over his shoulder with squinting eyes staring at the waves.

After a few moments of silence, he turned back towards me.

“Sometimes there’s a sort of unofficial trap in a boss room. Or at least it functions the same just potentially without the harmful side effects. If X happens then Y will happen.”

“Oh. Thanks!”

I relayed the question to the System.

> [It is possible. It is not unconfirmed.]

“I guess we’ll have to watch for it then. I have a feeling that it’ll be similar to what we have in the hallways.”

My eyes widened.

“I just realized something! This’ll be the last time I’ll have to run down one of these stupid hallways! Yes!”

I looked up to see what Ismund thought. He wasn’t frowning.

I’ll count that as a win.

“Unless we have to go in this dungeon again later.”

I slowly turned to face him fully.

“That’s a possibility? I… don’t… like the sound of that. I’m tired of this dungeon.”

Ismund didn’t respond right away, he was staring at the water again.

“We have about thirty minutes I think.”

> [Negative. The time numb trait is effecting Ismund. It is more likely to take approximately nineteen minutes and fifty seconds.]

I snorted.

I didn’t know he had that.

I told him the time the System gave me, leaving the other bit out.

He sat down, took one of the semi-frozen rabbits off of his belt, nicked it, and handed it to me.

“You have first shift. Ten minutes”

Lying down on our stable piece of ice that was connected to the door, he put his head on his arm and summoned his cloak so he had a blanket. It was about as comfortable as you’d get here. But, it didn’t look great, to say the least.