Ren and Lyra stepped beyond the village gates, boots crunching lightly over the frost-kissed ground. Their breaths formed pale clouds in the cold morning air as they began the trek toward the distant, jagged silhouette of the Stoneback Mountain Range—the place where sightings of an Earth Golem had been reported.
Lyra adjusted her cloak against the wind.Ren tightened the strap of his pack.
"Four days left," Lyra murmured, eyes scanning the horizon.
"Then let's not waste a second," Ren replied.
The dirt path soon shifted into rougher terrain, patches of snow lining the roots of evergreens. Birds chirped quietly, sensing the storm had passed—but the forest still held the icy bite of lingering winter.
As they walked, Ren's sharpened senses picked up the presence of fruit shrubs along the trail—winterberries, frost-apples, and a few hardy mountain pears.
Lyra plucked a frost-apple. "We should take some. The kids will love these."
Ren nodded, but he kept his collection minimal.
"We can't carry too much weight if we're climbing the mountains. Only a few."
Lyra filled a small side pouch with careful selection—no more than what would fit in her hand.
Ren did the same.The fragrant winterberries would make a good treat for the siblings, and the pears could be used later for small meals.
But each time they found more, Ren stopped himself.Survival and mobility mattered more than abundance today.
"Let's leave the rest," he said. "We can gather more on the way back."
Lyra glanced at him. "You really take everything seriously."
"When seven kids rely on you, you learn to."
Her cheeks warmed faintly at the honesty in his tone, but she looked away before he noticed.
The path grew steeper as they advanced. The once-dense forest thinned, replaced by rocky slopes and narrow ridges. The wind here was sharper, blowing cold enough to cut through layers.
Ren placed his foot carefully with each step; the mountain terrain was treacherous even without monsters lurking.
He stopped at a ledge, scanning the terrain ahead.
A few squirrel-type beasts scurried across the rocks.Snowmelt dripped from the cliffs.The air grew heavier with mana the deeper they entered.
"The reports said the golem was sighted around the upper ridge," Lyra said, following Ren's gaze.
"Which means it might move down or up depending on the mana flow."
They kept walking.
Every now and then, Ren knelt to pick up signs:
A heavy footprint pressed deep into the dirt—broad, uneven, unmistakably stone-made.
Broken patches of rock, scattered as if punched apart.
Rising mana signatures beneath the soil.
"It's definitely been here," Ren said, brushing dirt from his fingers.
Lyra tested the air with her Keen Sense."…And it's not too far. But I don't smell it directly."
"That means it's either deeper in the range…" Ren muttered, "…or hiding."
Golems were patient. They could sleep for decades if undisturbed.
Ren and Lyra pressed forward, entering a deeper slope that led toward a shadowed gorge.
The terrain turned harsher. They climbed over boulders, ducked beneath sharp-angled rocks, and crossed small streams formed by melting snow.
Lyra slipped once on black ice—
—but Ren caught her wrist instantly.
"You good?"
"Y-Yes…" She composed herself quickly, cheeks pink. "Thanks."
Ren nodded and released her hand, unaware of the way she stared at his back afterward.
Hours passed, the sky slowly brightening above the mountains.
They didn't find the Earth Golem yet.
But the signs were obvious:
Cracked stones.
Faint tremors underfoot.
A lingering mana resonance.
They were getting closer.
But with every step forward…
…the mountain wind seemed to whisper that something far larger still slept within these slopes.
Ren tightened his grip on his sword's hilt.
"Let's keep going," he said.
Lyra nodded.
And together, they continued climbing—toward the heart of the Stoneback Mountains, where the Earth Golem awaited.
The mountain path narrowed into a razor-thin ledge of frost-covered stone.Ren stepped first, testing each foothold.Lyra followed behind him, bow strapped to her back, fingers brushing the cliff wall for balance.
The wind howled through the gorge, sharp enough to sting exposed skin.
"We need to go slow," Ren said without looking back. "The ice here is thicker than—"
His sentence cut short.
Lyra's foot slipped.
"Ren!"
She reached out too late.Ren turned sharply—just in time to see her silhouette tilt off the ledge.
He lunged, grabbing her hand——but the sudden pull threw his own footing off.
Both of them slipped.
The world spun.The cold wind rushed past their ears like a scream.
"Hold on!" Ren yelled, but there was nothing to hold onto.
They fell.
Lyra braced for impact—but Ren acted instantly.
Mana surged through him.
Wind gathered around his palms, spiraling violently before exploding downward.
"Wind Cushion…!"
The gust slowed their descent, turning what would've been a bone-shattering fall into a forceful drop.They tumbled onto a snow-covered slope, sliding several meters before finally stopping against a mound of ice.
Lyra gasped, clutching her ankle.
Ren shook off the dizziness and immediately moved to her.
"Lyra—are you hurt?"
She winced, teeth gritted."…My ankle… I–It hurts…!"
Ren examined it, careful but swift.When he pressed slightly along the bone, Lyra inhaled sharply in pain.
"Sprain," he judged. "Maybe worse… You can't walk on this."
Before he could say more—
A cold wind blew from somewhere behind them.
Not the natural chill of the mountains…but something heavier.Older.Mana-thick.
Ren turned his head.
The snow mound Lyra had landed near… wasn't just snow.
A faintly glowing ice sheet had cracked from their impact, revealing a gap—a dark opening beneath it.
A cave.
A hidden cave.
Ren's heart throbbed once.
"Lyra… stay close."
He helped her sit up, but before he could lift her, the cold wind intensified.
A low rumble echoed inside the cave.
Ren felt the vibration travel through the ground, up his legs, and into his bones.
Lyra's breath hitched."…Ren… something… is inside."
He stepped in front of her, hand on his sword hilt.
A pair of amber lights flickered in the darkness.
Not lights—Eyes.
The rumble deepened and grew uneven, accompanied by the grinding of stone against stone.
From the cave's darkness…
A massive silhouette emerged.
A towering shape of hardened earth, mineral plates shifting like armor, frost clinging to its surface.The air grew so cold that Ren's breath froze mid-exhale.
[Detected: Earth Golem — Rank D (Top-Tier Variant)]
Ren's heart sank.
This wasn't just any Earth Golem—This was a peak D-rank specimen, the strongest variant.
And they had fallen right into its den.
[BROTHER SYSTEM WARNING!!!
Ren! RUN! DO NOT FIGHT THIS THING!
ITS MANA CORE IS UNSTABLE!]
Run…?
Ren tried to step back—
—and froze.
Literally.
His boots were encased in a thin layer of frost spreading from the cave floor.Lyra, behind him, clutched her ankle, unable to stand.Her calf was already coated in white crystals.
"Ren…" Lyra whispered, her voice trembling in fear."I–I can't move…!"
The golem took one thundering step forward.
THOOM.
The ground shook, dislodging snow from the cave mouth.Its stone eyes glowed a deeper amber, locking onto Ren with predatory intent.
Ren clenched his sword, pulse racing.His mind screamed for action, for a plan—
But there was no time.No escape.Not with Lyra injured and their legs frozen.
The Earth Golem raised its massive arm…
…and the entire cavern trembled under its presence.
Ren's breath caught.Lyra's fingers dug into his cloak.
The golem took a second step, closer.Then a third.
Each movement felt like the mountain itself was walking toward them.
Ren braced himself, powerless to move.
The glowing amber eyes locked onto the pair—