Their journey across the snow plains continued. With the help of magic, the four of them moved incredibly fast, quickly leaving everyone else far behind.
This high-speed travel lasted an entire day. It wasn't until the setting sun dyed the snow plains a golden red that they finally stopped because Maela’s mana was beginning to flag.
“Huff... huff... Starlight, what kind of monster are you!? I thought I had plenty of mana, so why do you still look like nothing happened?”
Maela panted as she deactivated the crystal sled and looked at Starlight as if he were a freak. Even if maintaining the sled required more mana from her, there shouldn't have been such a massive gap.
Starlight scratched his head somewhat sheepishly. “It’s probably related to my constitution~”
He brushed the topic aside lightly and turned his gaze toward the distance. “Where are we? It feels like we’ve left the main group far behind.”
“Let me see...”
Stark struggled out of his power armor and crawled out from the snowbank. The weight of the armor made it impossible for him to stand on the soft snow, so he had to abandon his defense while resting.
He pulled a map from his pocket and, after a careful comparison, pointed to a small, frozen hill in the distance. “Look. If I’m not mistaken, that hill is one of our roadmarkers. Tsk... This is honestly exaggerated. We’ve covered a distance in a single day that would normally take two. Is this really okay?”
“What’s wrong with it? Isn't it better to reach our destination sooner and get it over with? Little Star, where are we camping today?” Po Kong patted Stark’s shoulder dismissively, nearly knocking him back into the snowbank.
After a brief investigation, the small hill designated as a roadmarker became the ideal spot for rest. The four quickly found a sheltered corner at the foot of the hill and built a temporary shelter.
Watching Starlight raise earth walls to seal out the surrounding cold, Stark finally breathed a sigh of relief.
As Starlight prepared dinner, Stark took the opportunity to explain the requirements of the mission.
In truth, completing this Coming-of-Age Ceremony wasn't difficult. The Iron-Heart family, who was responsible for this year’s ritual, had placed a thousand pieces of ore with a specific frequency near the Frost Giants' territory months ago.
Participating teams only needed to find a single piece to complete the task. Of course, those who found more would be held in higher regard by the community.
“Tracking the frequency of ores is a mandatory course for us dwarves. So, my uncle and the others arranged it this way: find them while avoiding combat with the Frost Giants as much as possible.”
As Stark spoke, he produced a diagram showing the shape and characteristics of the ore.
“Oh~ that doesn't sound too hard. By the way, who is this uncle you mentioned?” Starlight asked curiously while adding spices to the stew pot.
Maela cut in before Stark could answer. “He’s the Patriarch of the Iron-Heart family, Ragnar Iron-Heart! Don’t let this nerd’s appearance fool you; he’s actually a noble young master~”
“Oh~? This is the first I’ve heard of it. Stark, why didn't you mention this before?” Po Kong’s eyes widened exaggeratedly.
Stark smacked his lips, looking somewhat awkward. “Constantly borrowing my uncle’s name isn't exactly honorable. Besides, with the way I am, it’s hard to live up to the Iron-Heart brand...”
He looked at his thin arms, his tone full of helplessness.
“You’re already doing great, don’t belittle yourself.” Starlight warmly served a bowl of porridge and handed it to him. “Being a good dwarf doesn't mean you have to swing a hammer and forge. Look at Noah’s problem—no one else could figure it out, right?”
“But that might have just been luck...”
Maela interrupted him with annoyance. “What do you mean luck? Being able to do what others can’t means you have talent! When are you going to fix that terrible habit of stage fright?”
“I’m trying...”
Just as Stark was about to argue back, a piercing alarm suddenly blared from the power armor parked nearby.
“What’s the situation?” The group, who had been chatting idly, immediately jumped up, ready to act at a moment’s notice.
“There’s a problem with the sensor I placed outside. It must have detected something,” Stark said softly as he hurried to the power armor and silenced the alarm.
“Could it be a false alarm? Like a small animal accidentally tripping it?”
“I can’t rule that out, but my settings should be correct. To be safe, should we go out and check...” Stark was muttering as he adjusted the armor’s panel, only to be interrupted by Maela’s gasp.
“Wait, look!” Maela pointed at the soup bowl in front of them.
Everyone’s gaze focused on the bowl of mushroom soup—the calm surface was rippling with eerie concentric circles that were growing more intense by the second.
Gradually, they realized a faint tremor was also rising from the ground.
“This isn't a false alarm...” Starlight slowly stood up, mana already beginning to condense in his palms. “Something massive is approaching.”
“Let’s go, Little Star. Let’s check it out.” Po Kong exchanged a look with Starlight, who retrieved the Sacred Wood Phantom from his storage space and handed it over. Po Kong then led the way out of the shelter.
By the time Starlight and the others emerged from the stone house, Po Kong had already climbed halfway up the steep rock face. The Sacred Wood Phantom traced a golden trail of light in the darkness like a guiding beacon.
The veil of night had completely enveloped the ice plains. Clouds obscured the moon and stars, making visibility exceptionally low.
When the three of them followed the flickering golden light of the Sacred Wood Phantom to the summit, Po Kong was kneeling at the edge of the cliff. He had thrust the staff into the ice beside him, its pale golden light illuminating his solemn face.
“Look over there. Something is moving.” Po Kong lowered his voice and pointed toward the distant forest.
Starlight squinted and could just barely make out some colossal shadows several kilometers away in the darkness, slowly moving northward.
“Indeed... It’s a pity Xia Duo isn't here. We can’t see exactly what they are on our own.” After a long silence, Starlight finally replied, “Let’s just watch from here and stay out of trouble.”
Fortunately, the source of the noise showed no intention of approaching them. It took half an hour for the rumbling footsteps to finally fade from their ears.
After such an interlude, the four of them no longer dared to rest casually. Instead, they agreed on a rotation to keep watch through the night.
Soon, the night passed.
As soon as the sun rose, the four set out once again on their journey north. However, this time they did not follow their intended route but detoured toward the direction of the disturbance from the previous night.
In the forest several kilometers away, the sight they beheld caused everyone to gasp. The thick layer of snow had been crudely shoved aside by some massive force, forming a "trail" over ten meters wide.
The trail was filled with numerous footprints, each one shockingly large—roughly the size of a bathtub. The tracks meandered northward, their destination unknown.
“These... these are Frost Giants! These are definitely their tracks!” Stark recognized them the moment he saw the footprints.
Po Kong’s figure blurred as he nimbly leaped onto a tall cedar tree. Once he stabilized himself among the branches, he scanned the surroundings from his vantage point. “Judging by the marks around here, there were at least a hundred of them. Why would that many Frost Giants be out here in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?”
“They’re also heading north... Could they be on the same path as us?” Starlight stood in one of the footprints, carefully examining the direction in which they disappeared. “Is there something attracting them?”
“That shouldn't be right. Doesn't the literature say Frost Giants live in small, scattered settlements? After all, a single piece of land couldn't possibly support so many behemoths,” Maela said, flipping through an ancient book with a confused expression.
The group fell into a brief silence.
Regardless, this unexpected discovery was cause for alarm—these Frost Giants were likely to become a variable on their journey north.
Rate on N.U.
