[Snowy Region]
A familiar whiteness surrounded Lin—though this time, it felt less artificial as fresh air finally entered his nostrils. He looked down, noting that he was still wearing his restrictive office clothing, with two daggers sheathed at his sides. Unexpectedly, a long white coat hung over his clothes, shielding him from the harsh winds.
This is a bit disorienting.
He thought, lifting his leg to reveal his foot, which had been buried in knee-deep snow. Fierce winds blew past his face, but with the [touchless] restriction, there was no sting from the cold or sharpness in the wind—just a neutral sensation, or rather, no sensation at all.
It was completely different from simply resisting pain; there was no pain at all. His surroundings, dotted with a few trees, were blanketed in snow as far as the eye could see. A few large boulders broke up the otherwise empty landscape, and above him, dark clouds stretched in all directions as snow slowly drifted to the ground.
An incoming storm? he wondered, a brief moment of dread flashing through his mind before he shook the thought away.
Echo.
A transparent blue screen appeared before him, the same one they’d received for the area map. It seemed to be linked with Echo, making it much easier to gauge distances in the area.
Echo Sight.
He observed as a few strings of Soulex left his body, darting off in a particular direction as if pulled by a magnet.
The regions were large, making it difficult to track individuals without the use of Echo, but since Echo didn’t appear to consume much Soulex, he managed to cover most of the region in a single scan.
A few seconds later, several figures appeared on the map, each a few miles away. Instead of moving immediately, he remained still, checking the timer above him and counting the seconds in his head.
He glanced back at the map, noting the movement of one of the targets heading directly toward another target.
That one, huh.
He thought to himself, immediately choosing a direction and moving forward, each stride heavy as he trudged through the deep snow. He continued, keeping an eye on the map, where one of the dots was drawing closer and closer to the first one. Then, suddenly, one of the dots vanished.
Since he was using Echo Sight, he caught sight of the Soulex string rapidly retracting back to him a few seconds later.
Reaching to his side, he drew a dagger and held it in a reverse grip, hiding it under his coat as he moved forward, his eyes still monitoring the map. He watched as the remaining dot began curving in its path, minute by minute angling directly toward him—as if selecting new prey.
He quickly steeled himself, mentally preparing for the confrontation while marveling at its insane speed. He did a few calculations in his head. At its current pace, it would close the gap between them in about 12 minutes. While that might seem slow, he estimated it would take him at least 18 minutes to cover the same distance—and that was a low estimate, as he hadn’t factored in the disadvantage of the snowy terrain.
25 minutes, give or take, he thought to himself, continuing to walk forward with cautious steps, slowly adjusting to the snow’s uneven ground. He noted how deeply his feet sank in some areas and barely at all in others. Scanning his surroundings, he observed the trees, rocks, and patches of sand amidst the snow, even noting the size of each tree and boulder—hoping to identify some kind of pattern in the snow’s coverage.
“Raoor~!”
A piercing roar snapped him from his thoughts.
“!?”
He immediately froze, looking up to see a figure hurtling toward him in the distance. It moved with its body low, almost crouched, horns thrust forward as it charged through the snow as if running on solid ground. A massive club trailed through the snow behind it, scattering powder in its wake—the sheer size of the weapon finally clicking in his mind.
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A low vibration pulsed through the ground, snow dusting off a nearby tree as the beast’s form grew larger and larger with each powerful step.
It’s huge.
A cold sweat trickled down his forehead as he locked eyes with the beast. Its cow-like red eyes glared with wild intensity, teeth bared as white saliva dripped from its mouth. Just a few steps away from Lin, it suddenly came to an abrupt stop, raising its club and resting it on its shoulder.
The creature cautiously turned its head to the side, as if noticing something in the snow, causing Lin’s expression to sour as he quickly spoke up,
“What’s wrong? You’re not going to attack?” he taunted, provoking the beast to turn its head back toward him, its expression still angry. Its intelligent eyes darted around Lin’s body, as though wary of whatever he had hidden under his coat.
This... This is very bad.
The thought ran through Lin’s mind, and the image he had of the beast quickly fell apart. Rather than a wild creature recklessly hunting them down, it seemed to possess a sharp instinct—viewing them not just as prey, but as dangerous prey.
It still works in our favor, Lin thought, steeling himself as he took a step closer to the beast. His heart began to pound faster as a rush of euphoria flooded his mind, adrenaline surging through his veins. His eyes dilated, causing the cautious beast to take a step forward. At the action, Lin’s lips curled into a strange smile, teetering on the edge between fear and excitement.
He immediately pulled out his second dagger, gripping it tightly in one hand while keeping his other hand hidden under his coat. A moment later, he dashed forward, his legs kicking up snow as he closed in on the beast.
Another step later, he ducked just as a gust of wind whipped above his head, stirring up a cloud of snow while his coat fluttered wildly. The shockwave pushed him slightly backward, but he quickly regained his balance.
This much power from a simple swing?
He kicked back, trying to put some distance between himself and the minotaur, which immediately gave chase, taking a massive step forward and swinging down at him.
But instead of retreating, Lin did the unexpected. He dashed toward the minotaur, closing the gap in an instant as he lowered his body, sliding forward just as the club began to slow, mere inches from his head.
He ducked and rolled between its legs, narrowly dodging the swing as the club crashed into the ground, sending snow flying while the ground trembled from the impact. Not pausing, the minotaur quickly turned, catching sight of Lin as he tried to stand. It immediately leapt upward, surprisingly agile despite its massive weight, its hooves aimed straight at Lin’s face.
Lin threw himself to the side, tumbling across the snow as the minotaur landed a step away. It instantly advanced and swung at him again. However, Lin repeated the same maneuver, darting toward the swing’s direction and rolling under its legs. This time, he followed up swiftly by throwing himself to the left after rolling, moving counter to the direction the beast had turned last time.
Form.
The minotaur spun, finding only empty space as the snow crunched to its side. It pivoted quickly, turning and preparing to strike again—but there was nothing there. Turning back once more, it finally spotted Lin standing a short distance away.
Seeing this, Lin smiled faintly and lifted his dagger, now stained with blood. The minotaur looked down cautiously, scanning its body for any visible injury. Seeing none, it momentarily panicked, glancing behind itself as though expecting the wound to be on its back.
Suddenly, a faint whooshing sound filled the air, followed by a drop of blood splashing onto the white snow.
“You should watch your chest,” Lin muttered with a smile.
The minotaur looked down, its face twisting in rage as it noticed blood trickling from a small puncture wound on its chest. It tightened its grip on the club, stepping forward as Lin observed the Soulex around it. The energy rose rapidly to an impressive scale, enveloping its entire body in a thick, white aura that extended nearly a meter outward.
Simultaneously, some of the aura began to flow into the club, creating an ominous atmosphere as the snow clinging to it melted, along with the snow on the ground nearby.
It’s getting serious, Lin thought, finally revealing his left hand from under his coat, exposing the fresh knife wound across his palm—a self-inflicted injury.
Ignoring the dried blood on his hand, Lin quickly cast [Form], summoning a small glass bottle. Without hesitation, he flung it at the minotaur. The beast instantly raised its club, smashing the bottle midair.
The bottle shattered, releasing a liquid that immediately burst into flames. But in the touchless region, the beast felt nothing, allowing the small flames to flicker 'harmlessly' on its body. With a crouch, it suddenly charged at Lin again.
This time, its speed was unreal. It closed the distance in a single second, the flames on its body extinguished as it swung its club in the next instant.
The weapon came within inches of Lin’s face before the dull sound of wood striking wood echoed, momentarily startling the minotaur. It looked down in confusion, seeing its club meeting an invisible resistance, as if striking air itself.
This brief pause allowed Lin to leap back, and in the next moment, the top half of a tree tumbled down. The effects of [Veil] dissipated as the minotaur caught sight of the 'tree' it had just attacked.
The beast’s confusion didn’t last long, however.
In an instant, it was upon Lin again, swinging its club with terrifying speed, undeterred and even more furious.
Form.