The wind was strong, cold, and obscured my vision. Guided by the arrow in the magic stone, I set out to find the last team member. Unlike Liria, Elia was three times farther away, had mediocre speed, and my vision was becoming increasingly blurry, overwhelmed by the discomforts I was experiencing.
...uff, I must, endure_ continue...continue without giving up, I don't know why I did it, a better grade?, to be recognized? There was no explanation for this unnecessary impulse.
...even though it's me, the body belongs to Noah, just like his heart. I was increasingly understanding this particularity, and while it serves on various occasions, there are some situations I wouldn't want to arise, so I will have to control these feelings.
The journey was horrible, with the ability to crumble at any moment, I didn't, I didn't let fatigue get the better of me. Only 20 meters away was Elia, her position on the Magic Stone Panel hadn't changed since I began my search, but the warning messages were becoming more frequent.
Giant scratches could be heard, tearing through the enormous ice wall, there was a polar bear, three times larger than the bears seen on television, its claws were sky-blue and shining with a fierce aura.
...what kind of monster is that?_ looking at the enormous white bear, I realized that where it was tearing, there was a small entrance that seemed to have been artificially created and was big enough for a person to enter.
...she must be in that place_ I looked at Elia's location, and indeed she was there, her heart rate was intense, surely from the struggle not to lose.
While I was hiding among the trees, I saw a sword stuck in the snow, between the bear and me, beside it there was a huge bloodstain, surely from the sword's user.
...well...HEY!!_ with all my might, I raised my voice, catching the attention of the enormous bear.
GRRAARR!_ a rough and prolonged growl cut through the air, as if the sound had erupted from the depths of his throat.
Sinking its claws into the snow-covered ground, it propelled itself towards where I was, [I moved] from my spot to the sword, the bear's impact on the trees was thunderous, causing several trees in the area to fall.
BANG, CRACK!_ the sound of the trees falling echoed through the area, lifting the snow around.
...Ugh_with the little strength I had, I leaned on the embedded sword, regaining my composure. The enormous white bear turned in my direction and quickly moved its front paw, and sharp-edged pieces of ice flew from its claws.
Slap! I brought my palms together in front of me, [I pulsed] just as the pieces of ice arrived, the small shockwave I created resonated among them and they exploded.
As expected, this also affected me due to how bad I was, destabilizing me and making me vulnerable, I fell to my knees each time losing consciousness.
...phew, ahhh_ my eyes were closing. The bear lunged at me...!!!_[pulse] reacting in time, I managed to dodge the massive attack and ended up next to the artificial entrance, so I slipped away.
Inside it wasn't very big, we could only fit two people, there was Elia, unconscious, with a bloodstain on her head and a scratch on her right arm, her bow was broken in half and unusable
!¡GRRAARR!!...¡PUM!_ the giant bear roared with fury just before crashing into the ice wall, the scratches it made earlier weakened the ice and with the impact, it knocked down part of the wall, bringing it much closer to us.
...Get away! His claws were only a few centimeters away from reaching us. Seeing that he couldn't, the giant bear directed his head towards the hole, getting closer, and sighed heavily.
He began to generate a kind of energy in his mouth, with a spherical shape, while contracting and extracting the magic around him. It had a sky-blue color and a deafening sound, and the louder the sound became, he was sure he would expel it.
..."I have to do something!" I aimed the sword I had at the bear, I didn't have space to maneuver the sword, so I chose the only option I had, and before it unleashed its fierce breath, [I struck].
In an instant, the silence ceased, followed by a great explosion. The shockwave shook the snow and the air, the ice wall collapsed, the explosion of the charged sphere released a brutal energy, the snow lifted before the echo of the blast that resonated in the place.
Track_looking at the ground, pieces of carved wood could be seen while sparking, the artifacts I brought had broken, a total of three were destroyed.
__
(Liria) Are you sure we can at least defeat one group? _ Liria walked steadily without reacting to the cold, unlike me…
…"How come you don't feel cold?" _ I wasn't used to such intense cold, which made me susceptible to illnesses, in addition to my body slightly trembling.
(Daren) Of course! You should already know that we are the best of the best in our courses, hehe_ Daren always had a friendly expression, an expression that hid seriousness when he took action.
Daren glanced at me sideways, as I was sitting behind him next to Elia. Being next to her was somewhat complicated; she had no expression. Well, she's not that different from Liria, but at least Liria spoke, unlike Elia, who remained silent the entire way.
(Elia) Noah, I think he has problems.
… …"that"_ surprised me, the only time I heard his voice was when he introduced himself, so I didn't remember much, but… did he speak?
(Liria)…_Liria remained silent, slowly looked at me, pointed her wand at me, and cast some kind of magic. At first, I thought it was an allied attack because the shot took the form of a piece of wood on fire.
…!!! W-wait_ the cold diminished and I felt a warmth in my chest.
… thanks, Liria, who kept looking at me didn't say anything, turned around, and kept walking
(Daren) Why did you help him? _Daren asked Liria.
(Liria) Why did my sister say that? Once she finished speaking, the silence between those two appeared, it felt uncomfortable, and she knew it perfectly well.
…"I don't fit in this place"_ knowing that they looked at me as a nuisance didn't bother me too much, because I was already treated the same way in my previous life.
(Elia)…_Elia looked at me without turning her head and started looking for something in her backpack.
…huh?_ without saying anything, just moving her hand, she handed me a small bag. Inside there were mana stones, I watched her when I realized what she had given me, she just looked back at her path.
Why did he give me this? Did he already know what he was doing? …"thank you very much"
___
…"I never thanked her in the first place…"_I looked back at Elia, still unconscious, I carried her in my arms to take her, no matter how tired, hurt, or whatever, this will be my way of helping you.
While walking at a slow pace feeling a strange heat, I saw the bear lying dead, half of its body was shattered.
…"it's great that I improved my skills in making artifacts"_before the event began, not only was I trained by Professor Selene, but I also improved in the art of making magical artifacts.
But even so, the wood was not good enough to withstand more than one use, especially with such an attack.
I kept walking at my own pace to avoid collapsing and reaching the shelter, if you can call it that. Without a storm, without problems, I could walk freely, hold on until the end.
I arrived where Daren and Liria were.
…what are you doing?_when I entered, Liria was reciting some words while touching Daren's head.
(Liria) I'm healing him_ she was already recovered, her hands that seemed bruised had healed.
…"how incredible is the healing magic"_ if I had better control over magic, I could use a ton of abilities.
The pulse ability was an exception; I was lucky to get an elemental ability, which is why I had brutal strength when using it.
There was a possibility of acquiring an elemental skill while starting with the manipulation of magic, so several people prayed to obtain one. But the possibility was too low, with only one in a thousand succeeding.
(Elia)…can you lower me_Elia was looking at me, as always with a poker face, and I didn't know at what moment she woke up.
…if I lowered her carefully, in case she had an injury somewhere.
(Liria) When I finish healing Daren, I'll be with you…!! Liria, who was talking to Elia, was surprised for some strange reason; her eyes were wide open.
(Elia)!!!_realizing that her sister was perplexed, also directed her gaze to where she was.
…what's happening? I didn't know why he was reacting like that! Suddenly I felt a warmth in my abdomen…this is.
I broke down, I couldn't take it anymore, the fatigue, the fever, and now this, Liria ignored Daren and quickly came towards me, with a worried and somewhat annoyed expression
My consciousness was fading, I touched the part where I felt the heat and looked for just a moment, there were pieces of ice embedded in my flesh, the cold had prevented them from melting, blood was oozing.
Collapsed on the cold ice, while Liria was healing me, I felt not only warmth, cold, and a refreshing tone.
(Liria) If we lose because of you, I won't forgive you! Elia, who always had a gloomy and serious face, had an appearance never seen before.
That someone is who they are doesn't mean they don't feel anything; there are reasons for each person's actions. Expressions are easy to manipulate, but not what one truly feels.
Liria, deep down, was just an ordinary person, but with a tragic past, just like her sister.
…I see nothing…_a deep darkness, a profound loneliness, remembering my past was bitter, it was pathetic at the time, a moment I wouldn't want to remember.
The background of someone should not be investigated, it should emerge on its own, no matter how cold their heart may be.
Ability [ice bullet] has been achieved!