How to survive in the Romance Fantasy Game Chapter 690: Frozen Trials 4
Previously on How to survive in the Romance Fantasy Game...
"Is this the right path?"
Snow whispered to herself, her tone just a touch above the whispering winds.
The flakes of snow nearby obeyed her intent, floating onward as if they understood the destination.
They clustered and parted in front, leading her to a sturdy form far off.
A tower.
Lofty. Pale. Steadfast amid the infinite chill.
It emerged from the drifts as though eternally rooted, encased in heavy sheets of frost and flakes.
Briefly, memories of the enchanted towers in the capital city surfaced — those majestic pale peaks that stabbed at the heavens.
Not even the lands abroad she had explored matched this one.
Yet this structure seemed... distinct.
Icier.
Observing.
"Did I complete the initial trial?" she pondered softly.
She looked over her shoulder at the path she had carved.
The barren expanse extended forever, hushed and vacant.
No force. No sound. No opposition.
Her response — her command — had gained approval.
Thus, this must mark the next challenge.
With a gradual exhale, she sensed her mana awaken under her flesh. It prickled, vigilant.
"Disperse..."
Following her order, the snow encircling her fanned out every which way.
The chill gripping the tower quivered and gradually lifted, as though recognizing her arrival.
Thick coatings of ice tumbled down.
And underneath—
A pale stairway emerged.
One step at a time, she ascended.
Every footfall resounded gently in the icy quiet.
At the summit waited a huge pale entrance.
Flawless.
Nearly flawless in its perfection.
As she drew near, the door's face started to shine with a pale blue radiance.
The identical glow that had engulfed her in the opening ordeal.
The entrance swung wide by itself.
What lay inside dazzled the eyes.
The brightness overwhelmed.
Yet Snow pressed on without pause.
She advanced.
For an instant, she shut her eyes, sensing that familiar mana-drenched feeling assault her awareness.
It brought no hurt.
Merely an all-consuming rush.
As if enveloped within a incantation.
Then—
Quiet.
Her eyes fluttered open.
Now, the boundless icy wilderness was gone.
No raging gusts. No barren skyline.
In its place—
"A hall?"
She found herself in a vast majestic chamber.
Expansive. Airy. Soaring.
All crafted from ice — yet not the crude, wild sort from earlier.
This gleamed smooth.
Crafted with care.
Pale blue crystal that mirrored the light akin to mirrors.
Columns reached skyward, etched from solidified chill.
The vaulted roof loomed overhead, twinkling softly like it held captive constellations.
A sense of recognition washed over her.
Not from prior visits.
But from an innate sense of ownership.
...
Frost Queen.
Despite the game's knowledge Riley possessed, details on her remained scarce.
She ranked outside the primary global threats.
No extensive tales, concealed missions, or buried lore in gear notes.
In truth, she scarcely appeared beyond Snow's arc.
She qualified as a storyline adversary.
The sort that emerges solely when a particular hero hits a key milestone.
Designed to propel that hero onward.
To shatter them.
Or to grant an abrupt, plot-driven surge in strength.
Lacking true origins.
No in-depth past.
No solid rationale.
Merely a name.
Frost Queen.
Riley grasped her nature.
He understood her powers.
Her command over elements reigned supreme in her territory.
Frozen formations.
Dominion over blizzards.
Renewal via surrounding cold.
He knew her vulnerabilities as well — fire-infused sacred power, core mana interference, mood swings causing attack alterations.
But those were game rules.
Reality no longer followed the script.
Systems didn't transfer perfectly to the real world.
Traits went beyond fixed lines.
And foes transcended mere hit points to deplete.
’She reminds me of the White Queen...’
That idea flickered through his thoughts as he trailed after Anica, the Frost Dragon.
The enormous beast glided with subtle dominance along the chilled passage, her tail grazing the frosty ground.
Her every stride reverberated lightly while she guided him to the royal chamber.
The White Queen.
A concealed ending adversary.
Heartbreaking and Misjudged.
’Since the game is basically the accumulated memories of my past selves condensed into one... does that mean in most realities she had always been like this?’
Few gamers ever unearthed her complete narrative.
The story revealed little.
Uncovering it required assembling fragments — fractured speech, scene hints, one elusive scene.
She held no malice.
Simply... trapped.
The Frost Queen evoked a parallel vibe.
Not in might. Not in form.
But in aura.
Her being carried an unfinished quality.
As if defeat wasn't her purpose.
As if her function exceeded mere blockage.
Riley's gaze sharpened a bit as the enormous iced portals at the corridor's end appeared.
After all...
She counted among the rare storyline foes who surrendered her existence voluntarily.
Not from defeat.
Not from coercion.
But for another reason.
"Hmm... you're awfully quiet, human. I had a feeling you’d be the type to ask more questions..."
Anica's resonant voice filled the chilled passage as she angled her huge head to peek back at him.
Earlier, she had strolled alongside in her transformed human guise — serene, poised, nearly graceful.
Yet midway, she reverted to her natural shape for unknown reasons.
Her authentic form now dominated the space.
Vast wings tucked to her sides.
Icy-blue hide that sparkled like sculpted gems.
Her talons' impacts on the frozen surface caused subtle fissures that mended instantly.
She didn't compress the area.
She commanded it.
Riley held his tongue briefly.
In fact, queries did occupy his mind.
Plenty of them.
However, none were vital for his survival.
They stemmed from private wonderings.
Backstory.
Drives.
Elements that wouldn't shift his immediate actions.
"I prefer direct answers," he stated evenly.
Anica emitted a deep, entertained rumble.
"Hoho... quite direct for a young human. Were you always aware that dragons tend to enjoy mysteries and riddles?"
"..."
Riley offered no reply.
The dragon's frosty exhalation clouded the atmosphere as she laughed gently.
"Well, you don’t have to answer. Not all dragons are alike."
She halted, her tail swinging idly in her wake.
"But since our Queen seems to fancy a curiosity about you, I was hoping you’d show a bit more... interest."
Her enormous eye turned toward him once more.
"But I suppose it isn’t my place to pry."
A few more silent paces passed before she spoke again.
"Then instead of personal matters, how about something simpler? I’m sure you’re at least curious about how these halls were made..."
The grand columns encircling them were sculpted from pure ice.
The surfaces gleamed subtly, resembling iced swells frozen in place.
No cracks. No connections.
Pure harmony.
"I’m not interested," Riley answered bluntly.
Anica tsked.
"Tsk. What a bummer."
Riley's eyes narrowed faintly.
He couldn't pinpoint why this Frost Dragon chattered so much.
Though...
Dragons rarely proved mentally typical.
Frost Dragon Anica.
Similar to the Frost Queen, the game offered scant info on her.
She appeared as an intermediate foe in Snow's path.
Incredibly tough to slay.
Strong defenses.
Fierce zone dominance.
Gamers griped over her blizzard assaults and relentless force in the second stage.
That summed it up.
No elaborate origins.
Simply a mighty guardian blocking progress.
Likely among the final authentic dragons surviving.
And even presently, as she led, her sheer essence pressed down.
Dense mana seeped from her pale hide like chilling vapor.
It lacked hostility.
It held no aim.
It simply permeated.
The atmosphere grew denser near her.
Ordinary folk — even realm experts — would falter merely nearby.
Their gut feelings would urge submission or flight.
But against his betrothed...
Riley's stare remained steady.
Current dragons inevitably seemed lesser.
Even so.
Does it come naturally for dragons of her caliber to leak their Dragon Fear without intent?
[Skill: Dragon Fear (Unique)]
An innate aura ability exclusive to dragons.
It enabled subjugation of inferiors by level.
Not via raw might — but via primal urge.
A weight that slithered beneath the flesh, declaring you as quarry.
Or...
Is she merely uneasy in my presence?
Riley watched her in silence.
Though she played the role of a standard, fitting escort — talkative, even whimsical — a distinct wariness laced her motions.
The mana escaping her frame wasn't chaotic.
It felt strained.
Restrained.
He speculated if recollections of his harsh entry previously haunted her.
At last, they reached a gigantic pale paired entrance.
It surpassed Anica's draconic height. Sleek. Formed from immaculate ice that echoed soft azure hues.
Wordlessly, Anica's figure lit up.
Amid a quick flash of chill and power, her colossal draconic shape contracted and morphed.
She resumed her human appearance.
Statuesque. Graceful. Flowing white locks cascading along her spine. Fair complexion nearly luminous in the iced chamber.
Her arched horns persisted.
And her slender white tail flicked gently behind.
"Since we’re entering the Queen’s hall..."
she noted steadily, straightening her stance.
"You don’t mind acting a bit more formal, right?"
"Formal?"
"Don’t worry. It doesn’t differ much from human customs~"
With those words, her tail crept ahead.
And coiled about his midsection.
Riley glanced downward.
"What are you doing?"
"Just a certain sense of formality~" she answered breezily.
Her voice stayed light, yet her tail's hold remained solid.
Not binding.
Simply... securing.
Riley failed to see how this qualified as formal.
He hadn't delved into draconic traditions.
Nevertheless, he refrained from protest.
After all, Liyana shared that affectionate clinginess.
And.
He simply aimed to conclude this quickly.
Creak—
The enormous portals gradually parted.
Icy gusts rushed forth from within, keener than prior.
"Now then, shall we—"
Anica's phrase halted abruptly.
Her tail swiftly released and withdrew from his waist.
"Hm?"
Riley shifted to face her.
For the initial time since their journey began—
The Frost Dragon appeared truly fearful?