Twenty minutes later, Akira and Ayaka arrived at an abandoned industrial district near the docks. The area was sealed off with "Condemned" signs and old, rusty chain-link fencing. It was the perfect setting for supernatural activities.

"There," Ayaka said, pointing between two massive shipping containers covered in graffiti and rust.

Akira noticed it right away, a glowing, spinning circle of blue-white energy, around two metres wide. It pulsed with a bright light that was uncomfortable to look at, like staring directly at a fluorescent bulb.

"This is a Grade Beta Gate," Ayaka stated. "Smaller than the Mantis Gate, but highly volatile. We need to step in before it wanders off to another location."

"It can really move?" Akira asked, remembering their conversation about Wandering Gates.

"This one can. I'm almost certain it's the same signature from last night. It's been jumping around the city, testing locations." She dropped her schoolbag and started unbuttoning her uniform shirt. "We go in now, before it disappears again."

Akira turned away instinctively, but Ayaka laughed. "Don't be shy now, Akira-kun. It's nothing you haven't seen before."

She stripped quickly, removing her school uniform piece by piece until she stood in just her black lace bra and matching panties. Her pale skin seemed to glow faintly, and Akira couldn't help but watch as she pulled out the tactical bodysuit from her bag.

"Enjoying the show?" she asked with a smirk, catching his stare.

"Just... preparing mentally," he lied.

"Sure you are." She stepped into the bodysuit, pulling it up over her legs and torso in one smooth motion. The material hugged her curves like a second skin. She zipped it up, then strapped on various pouches and equipment. "Ready?"

Akira gripped his dagger tighter. "As I'll ever be."

"Remember, Beta Gates are more structured than Delta. Expect puzzles, traps, and environmental hazards in addition to combat. Stay close, follow my lead, and don't touch anything without asking first."

"Got it."

They approached the shimmering portal together. Up close, Akira could feel the cold radiating from it, like standing in front of an open freezer.

"On three," Ayaka said. "One... two... three."

They stepped through simultaneously.

The transition was rough this time. Instead of the smooth dive like they experienced with the Mantis Gate, this gave a twisting sensation that made Akira's stomach flip. For a moment, he couldn't breathe, see, or feel anything but the cold around him.

Then they were through.

Akira slowly looked around.

They were standing in a deserted town at night, but something felt off. Everything was covered in thick frost, with icicles hanging from the roofs like frozen daggers.

A cold wind whistled through the still, snow-covered buildings that seemed to have been abandoned for decades.

The street lamps flickered with a soft blue light, creating strange shadows on the icy ground. Above, the sky was filled with swirling dark clouds and aurora-like lights.

[WELCOME TO THE BETA GATE: "THE FROSTED INN"]

[ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARD: EXTREME COLD (-1 ENDURANCE PER 10 MINUTES)]

[GUARDIAN: ICE SUCCUBUS (GRADE BETA)]

[OBJECTIVE: DEFEAT GUARDIAN TO CLOSE GATE]

"Stay alert," Ayaka whispered, her breath visible in the frigid air. "Frost environments breed Imps, and they usually come in swarms."

As if her words summoned them, movement came from the shadows. Small creatures, about a foot tall, rushed out from behind the frozen debris. They had bluish-grey skin covered in frost, sharp claws, and glowing white eyes.

"Here they come!" Akira shouted.

The Frost Imps attacked in a coordinated wave, at least a dozen of them.

Ayaka moved first, her hands shining with a bright red energy. She swung her arm in a wide motion, unleashing a burst that struck three Imps and sent them flying back. They crashed into a frozen wall and broke apart on impact.

Akira engaged the ones coming from the right, using his enhanced Dexterity to dodge their clumsy lunges.

His Precision Strike skill activated instinctively, highlighting weak points—their exposed throats and the joints where their limbs connected.

He stabbed forward, catching one Imp through its neck. It dissolved into blue mist with a shriek. Another lunged at him from the side, but he turned, bringing the dagger down through its skull.

[FROST IMP DEFEATED X2]

[+10 PP]

[ESSENCE SHARD ACQUIRED: 1/10]

"They're weak individually!" Ayaka called out, crushing another Imp's head with her boot. "But watch for their cold aura! It'll slow you down!"

Akira felt it immediately: a numbing sensation spreading through his legs where an Imp had touched him. The cold wasn't just physical; it sapped his energy and made his movements sluggish.

"Shake it off!" Ayaka commanded. "Keep moving, or you'll freeze!"

He forced himself forward, channelling his Essence to fight the cold. Another Imp died on his blade, then another. The mist from their deaths swirled around him, and he felt the familiar rush of absorbed power.

[FROST IMP DEFEATED X5]

[+25 PP]

[ESSENCE SHARDS ACQUIRED: 3/10]

[PP: 565 → 600]

The last few Imps retreated, disappearing into the frozen buildings with frightened squeaks.

"Good work," Ayaka said, breathing slightly harder than normal. "You're improving. Your reaction time is much better than in the Mantis fight."

"Thanks. What now?"

She pointed down the frost-covered main street toward a large building at the end… an old-fashioned inn with Japanese architecture, its sign reading 'Ice Inn' in frozen characters.

"The Guardian should be in there. Let's move."

They moved slowly, hearing their boots crunch on the hard, frozen ground.

After a few minutes, they were right in front of the inn, massive double doors made of ice. The doors were carved with detailed snowflake and winter scene designs.

Akira reached for the handle, but it didn't budge. The doors were completely frozen shut, or locked, or both.

"Locked," he muttered, trying again with more force. Nothing.

Ayaka examined the door more closely, running her fingers along the carved patterns. "Look here."

Embedded in the centre of the door was a metal plate with glowing text that pulsed with cold blue light:

[WALK THE PATH OF ICE]

[PUZZLE UNSOLVED: 0/12 MECHANISMS ACTIVATED]

"A puzzle," Ayaka said with a frown. "The Guardian chamber is sealed until we solve it. Typical Beta Gate design; they force you to explore before allowing confrontation."

"Twelve mechanisms?" Akira looked back at the frozen town. "That means we need to search the buildings."

"Exactly. Spread out, but stay within sight. Shout if you find anything or if more Imps appear."

They split up, moving through the abandoned structures. Akira checked a frozen shop first, finding nothing but ice-covered merchandise and empty shelves. Then a small house, empty except for frozen furniture.

He was crossing the street toward what looked like a small shrine when his foot pressed down on something that clicked.

The sound was distinct, mechanical, and completely out of place in the frozen silence.

As he walked across the street towards what seemed to be a small shrine, his foot stepped on something that made a clicking sound. The sound was clear and completely unusual in the frozen silence.

"Ayaka!" Akira called out, looking down. "I think I stepped on something!"

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