The rumbling cave behind me burst into dust. I quickly extended my hand toward Beelzebub, who was dodging chunks of falling rubble. His tiny body leapt for my fingers, and I caught him, pulling him into my palm, wrapping him safely against my chest.

Without further ado, I rushed forward, every breath pushing against the collapsing cave. I barely made it out alive.

[Congratulations! You have successfully cleared the quest: {Kill the Guardian of the Mountain}]

[Reward received: Ten combat levels; Enhanced frost control and power capacity]

The moment the system message flashed, power exploded through my veins. I could feel my muscles tightening, bones strengthening, and my pulse sharpening. My wings flared behind me, stronger and steadier than before.

I pushed ahead, not caring if I collided with a wall. The path ahead shimmered with a faint blue glow. My only concern now was Elira. I hoped my battle didn't trigger her path to collapse, or worse… that she hadn't faced something even deadlier than what I did.

[Exploration: 61%]

At last, I stepped into the embrace of the ice walls, where the chill felt familiar. Dust from the collapse behind me rushed in. I glanced back, breathing hard. The tunnel was completely blocked. There was no turning back, even if I wanted to.

"Shit… if there's no exit ahead, I'll be trapped here forever," I muttered under my breath, feeling the weight of the situation finally settle. It was all fun and games until claustrophobia decided to sneak into the back of your mind. I wasn't scared of tight spaces, but being trapped like this made my skin crawl.

Beelzebub pressed his tiny paw against my cheek, as if trying to calm me down.

"Let's move. We've probably got another fight, maybe more, waiting for us ahead. The system will definitely kill me today, one way or another, and even the rewards it gives won't soothe my anger..." I said, petting Beelzebub softly. Then I took a step forward, absorbing the frost around me. Slowly this time. I wasn't interested in waking up something worse than before.

The path ahead sloped just enough that I was sliding more than walking. My feet felt less like bare skin and more like actual shoes. Wait... shoes? Could I really do this like in those fairytales where the princess wears a slipper of ice? I swallowed at the thought and tried moving the frost around me with a single idea in mind. My control was sluggish, but it worked. A crystal shoe formed around my foot and caught a glimmer of the icy walls around me.

"Hey! Not bad… and it fits like a glove. This might actually be a pretty useful ability!" I said, feeling oddly proud of myself.

Unfortunately, I forgot one very important thing: just how slippery it was here.

"Whoooa!" I yelped as my feet gave out completely. I shot forward, speed building with every breath. The ice shoes had turned into skates, propelling me faster than I ever moved on my own. It was fun. Terrifying, but fun. And I was covering ground quickly.

But now came the real question. What if the tunnel suddenly turned? Or worse, ended? The system was acting wild already.

[Exploration: 70%... 80%... 90%]

I was going way too fast now. Even Beelzebub was barely hanging on, his tiny paws gripping my hair, wings flapping desperately just to stay with me.

"Stop!" I shouted. I must have been going at least sixty kilometers an hour, maybe more. Just how deep was this tunnel? Tears prickled in my eyes as I tried using my ice powers to slow myself, but every attempt just made me go faster.

[Exploration: 95%]

Panic settled in my throat. I needed to do something, and fast.

Wait. I am such an idiot. I'm a freaking vampire.

I almost slapped myself in the forehead.

"Hold tight, Beelzebub!" I shouted, and then I snapped my wings open. The air pressure hit me instantly, slamming me to a full stop. Too fast. Way too fast.

"Weeee!" came the tiny, terrified squeak as the hamster was launched forward on his own, sent flying like a tennis ball from a machine. His eyes were wide, stunned and betrayed, and then he was gone in the icy blur.

"Beelzebub!" I called after him, horror twisting in my gut. But I couldn't help it—the situation was both horrifying and hilarious.

The abrupt stop left my wings feeling like they had been nearly torn off. Pain flared all the way to my shoulder blades, and I winced. I was too reckless sometimes, and I always seemed to forget I was no longer in a human body. I could have just slowed down gently, shifting my weight, not building too much momentum. It was a miracle I had even stayed upright. I guess my late-night ice skating obsessions paid off, after all.

Still, worry pressed hard on my chest. I had to find him. I forced my wings to move again, even though they throbbed like someone had pulled the joints apart. The tunnel carried me deeper into the strange cave system, and I finally noticed something new.

The walls had turned green.

Not bright or mossy, but a sickening glow, as if green fire was pulsing through the veins of the ice. It wasn't ice anymore, not really. It was alive. Breathing. Counting time with every throb of light that rippled down its surface.

"Beelzebub, where are you?!" My voice echoed weakly, swallowed by the emerald glow.

Before I could panic further, the system flared to life in front of me, dazzling bright.

[Exploration: 100%]

I halted. Ahead of me was a narrow passage. Too narrow for a person, but just enough for a hamster. There was nothing but a little hole.

"Beelzebub?"

"Whee!" came his muffled squeak from the darkness. I almost laughed, imagining that his flight path had been perfectly angled into the hole. Or perhaps—ridiculous as it sounded—it was Beelzebub who had punched his way through. The image alone nearly made me snort.

I crouched and placed my hand against the frozen surface. Then I did the one thing I knew would work. I began absorbing the ice.

This time it dissolved almost instantly, but something was different. I could feel it. The energy tasted strange. Not like frost or cold, but like something mixed into it. Something wild, dangerous. Was it the same green substance pulsing through the walls? Was it toxic? Maybe. But I didn't have a choice. I had to move forward.

The second the tunnel opened, I stepped inside.

And something instantly snapped onto me.

My feet froze in place. My breath caught. Ahead of me, suspended midair, wrapped in swirling green energy, was Beelzebub. The same glow coiled its way up my arms, gripping me, making escape impossible.

[Warning! New hell-grade difficulty quest received: {Survive the Tempering}]

My heart sank. I gulped, blinking away the growing dread.

My life in this world was truly looking unfortunate.

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