Ren braced himself, boots digging into the frost-bitten dirt. Sweat rolled down his cheek. His breath came out shaky—then suddenly visible, white steam curling into the air.
The temperature had dropped in an instant.
The bandit boss walked toward him with slow, deliberate steps. Each footfall echoed like something heavy… something wrong.
A knight behind Vaspera stiffened.
"Lady Vaspera, I think we should intervene. he's not your average—"
"No."
"But Lady Vas—"
"No."
Vaspera didn't even glance at him. Her eyes were fixed on Ren, frost beginning to settle on her lashes.
The knight swallowed hard, fear tightening around his throat. He'll die at this rate…
Ren felt the cold rise like a wave.
Then—
CRACK.
Ice surged up the boss's left leg, coating it from boot to knee in jagged shards. He lifted the frozen limb… and tapped the ground lightly.
Just a tap.
FWIP FWIP FWIP FWIP—
A line of sharp ice blades erupted from the ground, racing toward Ren at blinding speed.
Too fast—!
Ren threw himself to the side. The blades tore past him, shredding the air where he'd been a heartbeat ago. He rolled and pushed up onto one knee, breath hitching.
That was too close…
He barely rose when—
WHOOSH—
An ice-forged sword flew toward his chest like a launched spear.
Ren raised both arms on instinct.
BBBBZZZZMMM—
Green mana burst from his skin, swirling around his forearms like flames. The ice sword dissolved on contact, melting into water that splashed harmlessly against the dirt.
A slow, amused clap echoed across the battlefield.
The boss smirked.
"Not bad. Not bad at all. You're really quite the figh—"
He didn't finish.
Because Ren had already vanished.
A rush of wind—
A blur of green—
And Ren was suddenly in his face.
The boss's eyes widened. What th—?!
Ren's fist blazed emerald. He drove it forward.
But the boss threw himself to the side, body twisting unnaturally fast for a man his size.
"Tch—!" Ren clicked his tongue as the punch missed.
During the dodge, the boss lifted both arms.
Ice gathered. Fast.
A spinning sphere of jagged crystal formed between his palms, growing sharper by second.
WHRRRRRRRR—
It slammed into Ren's stomach.
THUD—GHHK!
Ren's breath was ripped out of him. Blood sprayed from his mouth. His body was launched back like a ragdoll.
CRASH!
He slammed into a tree hard enough to crack the trunk. Bark splintered around him. Ren collapsed to one knee, coughing more blood onto the roots.
The boss hit the ground as well, rolling from the force of his own dodge. He pushed himself up, grimacing.
If that punch had landed, I'd be dead. I can't take this kid lightly.
Ren grabbed the tree trunk, forcing himself upright. Every inhale burned.
Damn it… that was my chance.
The cold thickened.
Even the leaves overhead began to freeze. Frost spread across the branch above Ren's head. A strange swirling mist rolled outward, turning the entire clearing into a pale blue haze.
The boss had vanished into it.
Outside the mist, the knights squinted, unable to see anything beyond a few meters.
One stepped forward.
"We have to do some—"
"No one moves." Vaspera's voice cut sharp as steel.
Is she crazy? She's just going to let him die?
The soldier behind her muttered in disbelief, "She's not even blinking…"
The mist deepened. The air thinned. Ren's breaths grew uneven as he searched through the ice fog.
His eyes darted, Left, Right, Behind—Nothing.
Then—
A sharp whistle from the left.
Ren snapped his head—
FWUP!
An ice stone tore through the mist like a bullet. Ren barely twisted away, feeling the cold graze past his cheek.
Before he could regain balance—
SHING—!
A blade of ice shot from the right.
Ren threw himself backward, but even then—
SLICE—
A line of blood opened across his chest.
He dropped to both knees, panting, sweat dripping from his chin and freezing before it hit the ground.
His fingers trembled.
Another attack was coming. He felt it. He wasn't ready.
So he did the only thing he could.
He closed his eyes.
And everything slipped away.
---
Ren stood blindfolded in the forest, a thick black ribbon covering his eyes. Hands out. Shoulders tense.
"Remember, Ren," vaspera said, voice calm but firm, "on a battlefield your enemy will use anything to win. Tricks, fog, darkness. Sometimes, you won't even be able to see them."
"That's why this training matters. Sight lies." She tapped his forehead. "Mana doesn't."
"Even when you cannot see your enemy… you can feel the pressure of their mana. Their life. Their intent. Let their killing intent point the way."
---
Ren opened his eyes.
And the world felt different.
Focus, Ren… focus on the mana.
The mist swirled around him—but now he felt a pulse through it. A faint vibration in the air. A direction.
Behind.
Ren spun—
SHHHHHK—SHHHHHK—SHHHHHK—
Multiple sharp ice crystals shot toward him like darts.
But Ren moved differently this time.
He stepped between two shards. Slid under a third. Twisted his torso so a cluster of five screamed past his ribs. One skimmed his shoulder but didn't pierce.
It was a tight, controlled dance.
Every movement small but purposefully precise.
Then he reached out—
SNAP!
He threw it.
WHIP—THUNK!
A choked cry echoed.
The crystal had pierced the boss's arm.
"AGH—!"
That short, sharp pain was enough to confirm his location.
Before he could look up—
before he could even curse—
Ren burst out of the mist like a green comet, his entire body glowing.
The boss's eyes went wide.
I can't dodge it. Not this time.
Ren's fist rocketed forward.
BAMMMMM—!!!
The impact crushed into the boss's face, flattening his features for a split-second, cheeks ballooning from the pressure. He reeled backward.
Ren grabbed him by the collar, and slammed his head into the frozen ground.
CRUNCH—!
Teeth cracked. Nose broke. The man's body twitched once… then went still.
The boss went limp.
The mist slowly thinned.
Outside it, soldiers and knights watched it in rigid silence. Nerves tight, while vaspera stood unfazed—as if she already knew how this clash would end.
Shapes became visible.
One standing.
One lying on the ground.
The knights' hearts jumped into their throats. "Oh no— did he—"
But as the last of the fog cleared—
Ren lifted a hand weakly and waved at them with a tired smile.
The entire squad exhaled in relief. Some even chuckled nervously.
Vaspera didn't smile often.
But right then…
A small, proud smile curved her lips.
---