I met the figure emerging from the ice, its form eerily similar to a human; there was no physical difference between us. But the eyes… its eyes were hollow, black voids that stared without emotion, as if whatever soul it once had had been sucked away by something ominous and ancient.

Whatever this thing was… it did not feel very friendly. I took a step back, instinctively pushing Beelzebub away with my hand, silently signaling him to leave. I had a bad feeling about this battle. It would be far, far harder than anything I had faced before.

The hamster flew off reluctantly, but I could still feel his eagerness to fight. This foe looked like something he would challenge without hesitation. But I couldn't risk it. My new abilities were too unstable and raw. I was barely beginning to understand how to move the ice. If I lost control… I could hurt him. And that was a risk I wasn't willing to take.

"Friend… or… foe?" The words slipped from the creature's blackened lips, ancient and eerie all at once. Its voice sounded hollow, as if someone were speaking from deep within a long, empty tunnel.

It extended a rotten, frost-bitten arm, one finger pointing directly at me. "I smell… the ancient blood…" The words rattled through the cold air, threading themselves straight into my spine. For a moment, I wondered if it was hunting me now, not for my flesh, but for what flowed within my veins. Was I becoming the hunted, after all this time believing I was the predator?

That thought stirred something inside me, a spark of competitive spirit, sharp and aggressive, rising like a lit flame beneath the frost.

"I will be your foe today, and end your suffering, whatever you are."

I stepped forward, extending my own hand. The frost I absorbed earlier danced through my veins now, tingling with life. It felt like a cold force waiting to serve, eager and hungry, whispering of obedience. It worshiped me in its own way, drawn to the power hidden deep inside me. I felt like a queen, and the cold itself had become my servant.

No matter what this creature was, no matter how ancient or strong, I knew I had no choice but to fight. I braced myself, resisting the lingering echo of its voice. I pushed the frost out through my hand, letting it flow from my palm like a river of frozen breath. Ice formed in midair, spinning out in a wide circle, spreading into a barrier at the command of my thought. Behind me, the halo spun faster, making a soft, ringing sound like a coin spinning on a string.

My fingers tingled oddly, and then the energy surged forward. It burst out of my hand, rushing toward the creature in a violent sweep. Its head snapped toward me, gaze shifting from ancient curiosity to pure defense. It moved, impossibly fast, slipping into the shadowed cracks of the broken walls. My frost halo was the only light left to cut through the cavern's darkness now that everything else had fallen.

But I felt it there. I felt its presence clearly, its bloodlust like sharp teeth against the back of my skull. It wanted my body. My blood. My life.

I shifted my hand to the left and released another shot. The ice traveled quickly, condensing into something dense and pointed, like a frozen missile.

It fired so fast that the force pushed my arm back, leaving a faint ache in my shoulder. The attack struck the wall. It detonated into millions of glittering pieces, shaking the cave from floor to ceiling. A pained shriek cut through the air. I saw something spill out from the darkness, thick and dark as ink, the creature's blood.

I stood there, staring, breath held. This thing was meant to guard the mountain? That was what the system claimed?

My attack hit the creature's right arm, instantly ripping it off, but that didn't slow it down. Even with only one arm, it rushed at me with frightening speed. It moved like it no longer feared death, like it had already given itself to the grave. That single arm came flying toward me, and for a moment my world froze. Something deep inside me hesitated, refusing to move.

Then a soft ball of fur slammed into me, knocking me sideways just in time. The creature's fist hit the wall where I had been standing a moment ago, making the entire cave shake. The ceiling cracked, and chunks of rock began to fall.

I shot Beelzebub a grateful look. If he had not shoved me just then, I'd have been pulp on the wall, like a bloody painting on a canvas. Well, at least it would have been epic. No… not the time for that thought.

I forced myself to focus. I had to end this fight quickly. One mistake was all it would take. The creature swung back toward me, unbothered by its injury, already preparing its next attack. I lifted both hands, calling every shard of ice in the cave and the frost within me to form a barrier. It was thin and almost transparent, but it obeyed.

When the creature's fist struck the barrier, it cracked with a satisfying sound. I felt a smile tug at my lips. I willed the ice to change, and the smooth surface sprouted spikes, turning my defense into a trap. The enraged fool threw itself into it and became a grotesque skewer.

It shrieked, the sound filling the entire cavern with a howl of fury and pain. I could not drag this out any longer. This guardian of the mountain had to die.

"You did well. If you were truly the guardian, you protected this place with everything you had. Now allow me to take over. I will conquer it, and make it mine. Rest in peace, old warrior."

I had learned in the hospital that some patients could not be saved, and all you could do was give them a peaceful ending. The creature's hollow eyes, like empty voids, slowly began to glow. Its expression softened. It tilted its head and its lips moved, forming words I could not hear, but I understood.

"Thank you..." was what it said.

I let the ice explode.

Black blood splattered across the cave in raw streaks, staining every surface. The blast was too strong. The ceiling began to crumble in earnest now, shaking loose stone and ice in an avalanche.

"Beelzebub, let's run!" I shouted, withdrawing my frost power and turning away from the body of the guardian without looking back. I sprinted toward the deeper tunnel ahead. I still had to explore another forty percent.

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