How to survive in the Romance Fantasy Game Chapter 691: Frozen Trials 4.5
Previously on How to survive in the Romance Fantasy Game...
Does the Frost Queen frighten her that much?
Riley cast a look toward Anica.
The dragon who had playfully mocked him all along the journey now appeared rigid.
Her posture stood erect, her gaze cast downward a bit, and the teasing lilt from earlier had vanished entirely.
Given the affection in her tone whenever she spoke of her Queen, Riley had figured their bond was... tighter.
Far less formal.
Yet this?
This resembled devotion.
"...P-Please go in ahead..."
Anica’s words came out softer now.
"What’s the matter?" Riley inquired steadily.
"N-Nothing," she answered swiftly. "Yes, nothing whatsoever. It’s merely... the standard protocol for anyone approaching the Frozen Throne."
Her tail twitched once at her back, revealing her anxiety.
"...I understand."
Riley chose not to press the issue.
He felt intrigued.
Yet not sufficiently to probe into the intricacies of dragon societal ranks.
Without delay, he advanced.
As soon as he passed the entrance, the atmosphere shifted.
The inner chamber stretched vast.
Not merely spacious.
Imposing.
Icy columns ascended to a roof so lofty it faded into hazy white vapors.
Every column was broad enough that Anica’s complete dragon shape would seem tiny next to it.
The ground consisted of sleek white frost, buffed to a reflective gloss.
The surfaces bore elaborate icy etchings — flurries of snow, timeless symbols, twisting chill motifs that appeared nearly animated beneath the dim azure glow permeating the space.
It went beyond mere attractiveness.
It was grand.
’So those are her generals...’
Riley directed his attention ahead.
Along the sides of the corridor, armored forms in thick frost plating stood in rows.
Their heads dipped a touch, their auras restrained yet impossible to ignore.
He had detected them before — right at the dungeon’s gateway.
However, encountering them this near altered the impression.
Their magical energy proved thicker than his first guess.
Each remained knelt in absolute stillness, resembling frozen sculptures.
Riley’s gaze sharpened a fraction.
In favorable conditions...
They likely possessed the strength to pose genuine threats to Snow.
Should they strike individually, she might manage.
Should they assault as a group — just as in the game — the challenge would intensify greatly.
’Maybe even Seo would struggle against their combined force...’
Particularly in such a setting.
The sole factor easing the last beast surge for Snow and Riley stemmed from their elemental harmony.
Compatibility.
As a divine entity, Riley inherently towered over the majority of elemental beings.
His essence alone interfered with lesser spells.
And Snow... this realm belonged to her domain.
Frost yielded to her command.
The bulk of the ice-spawned beasts lacked any leverage against them.
No elemental superiority.
No territorial benefit.
They clashed with foes who either resisted or dominated within the identical domain.
With each step Riley took onward, the echo of his boots resounded gently over the iced surface.
The corridor held such quiet that the slightest clink of gear from the bowed figures resonated deeply.
He came to a halt right after them.
The Queen’s commanders.
From this proximity, their auras sharpened into focus.
A Frost Giant.
Enormous despite his kneeling pose.
His hide was rugged, light blue rock encased in rime.
Sinews resembling hewn stones.
Even head bowed, he exuded untamed might.
Beside him—
A colossal frost beast.
At initial sight, it resembled an amphibian.
Yet no... more saurian.
A reptilian entity, crouched yet reaching nearly half the Giant’s stature.
Its spine bristled with sharp ice protrusions, and wispy vapor seeped from its jaws with every breath.
Next—
A cloaked elderly form.
Slender. A bit stooped. Staff propped on the ground.
Probably a Frost Shaman Orc.
Differing from the rest, his aura lacked weight.
It cut keen.
Mana harnessed with precision, densely packed. The type ready to burst forth in an instant if stirred.
And including Anica—
Positioned a short distance back from him now—
That totaled four.
Four followers.
Every one capable of endangering a nation independently.
None spared him a glance.
Riley’s eyes tightened subtly.
He felt confident that regardless of their devotion to their Queen, some intrigue ought to surface.
A pair of humans had breached their territory.
A pair of humans had decimated horde upon horde of frost-spawned monsters.
That feat alone warranted enmity.
Especially from the Frost Giant.
His kind already waned in the outer realms.
Approaching extinction in certain areas.
And still—
No rage.
No strain.
No murderous vibe.
Merely quiet.
"Have you completed your evaluation?"
A tranquil, peaceful tone reverberated across the chamber.
It lacked volume.
Still, it saturated the whole area without effort.
"Does the splendor of my followers captivate you?"
Riley gradually raised his sight.
".... So you’re the Frost Queen..."
Her appearance matched his memory precisely.
A divine allure.
Cascading white locks tumbling over her shoulders akin to new-fallen snow.
Eyes faint and nearly transparent — resembling iced ponds beneath wintry rays.
Her complexion appeared impeccable, even as chiseled frost.
A innate elegance enveloped her.
Not the gaudy sort.
Not ostentatious.
Simply aura.
As if an ideal effigy shaped by forces transcending mortal craft.
She appeared mortal.
But she wasn’t.
Not remotely.
In typical scenarios, that offhand remark from Riley would have sufficed to smash him into the frosted ground.
Addressing her so casually, sans bow. Sans etiquette. Sans awe.
The commanders would have sprung into action at once.
Were it not for a single factor.
Her previous command.
He remained untouched.
"I observe that my Anica has escorted you well," the Frost Queen proceeded evenly.
Her eyes drifted a touch.
"Yet I wonder... did you instill dread in her, by chance?"
Riley tilted his head faintly, glancing at Anica.
The Frost Dragon snapped to attention right away.
"No. Her present condition has nothing to do with me."
"T-That’s correct, my Queen!" Anica hastened to affirm, her tone rigidly formal. "The human bears no relation to my behavior..."
She came across overly protective.
The Frost Queen’s gaze sharpened just a hint.
Not from fury.
From scrutiny.
".... I understand."
The chamber fell quiet once more.
Then her attention fixed back on Riley.
"Regardless, I’m certain my summons piques your interest, young human." Her tone stayed even. "But prior to continuing... might I request the privilege of your name?"
That inquiry sparked a faint change in the atmosphere.
The commanders’ ears flicked.
The Frost Giant’s frame stiffened barely noticeably.
Why did their Queen converse in this manner?
So gentle.
So... courteous.
Toward a human?
"Riley Hell," he responded promptly.
The Frost Queen examined him a moment beyond the usual.
"I see," she murmured gently. "What a lovely name."
A subtle wave of astonishment passed among the bowed commanders.
Lovely?
Amid the understated strain and wonders.
The pair at the hall’s heart, though, disregarded all surroundings.
The vast space seemed to shrink to encompass only them.
...
"Good girl~"
The tone failed to resound in the chamber.
No other caught it.
But Anica did.
And as it grazed her thoughts, her core seized like gripped in talons.
Her frame quivered.
Her veins roared.
Her skeleton roared.
No—
Her very spirit roared.
Refuse it not.
Provoke it not.
The entity clinging to her core defied resistance.
It eluded full grasp.
Merely hearing that sound blurred her sight.
"You have beautiful eyes... it would be a shame if you lost them, right?"
The murmur was gentle.
Chilling.
Nearly whimsical.
Yet underneath lurked something immense and timeless.
"Y-Yes... i-it would truly be a shame..."
"Hmm that ice doll put up quite the interesting barrier... so I can’t really see properly inside... so be a good observer and watch my darling carefully~"
Her form shifted in the physical realm, scarcely uttering sounds.
But her consciousness—
Her consciousness wandered elsewhere.
She no longer occupied the Frozen Throne Room.
She found herself in a realm submerged in crimson.
An infinite ocean of gore extended underfoot.
Dense. Heated.
Decaying.
Each stride dipped into the pulpy expanse.
The odor overwhelmed, iron-tanged and choking.
Overhead—
The firmament roiled in turmoil.
Crimson vapors writhed savagely. Dark bolts rent the skies, fracturing reality repeatedly.
And beneath the deep scarlet waves—
A pair of enormous orbs gradually unveiled.
Instinctual.
Eternal.
So immense that her utmost dragon shape would scatter like motes before them.
As those orbs locked onto her—
Every draconic urge ignited.
Yield.
Comply.
Endure.
As a dragon, acknowledging the entity ahead was instinctive.
The Primordial Dragon of Chaos.
Not kin.
Not lineage.
The source.
W-Why is the Chaos Dragon connected to that human...?
The notion arose—
And she smothered it at once.
Deeper knowledge invited peril.
Inquiry proved hazardous.
"Don’t worry," the tone soothed softly. "Nothing bad will happen if you continue being the obedient little girl you are now~"
The blood ocean undulated faintly.
"If my darling notices... or if that ice doll notices..."
The colossal orbs slitted.
"I’ll swallow you whole. Alright?"
"A-Alright..."
"Though," the tone appended idly, "after this you’ll have to willingly give me your tail, okay~?"
The firmament split anew.
"After all... you tried to mark something that was mine."
"..."
"...."
A hesitation.
"It’s only natural payment for your punishment, right?"
Anica’s form shook more fiercely.
Her tail in reality went rigid without thought.
She managed only a nod.
In silence.