As they walked deeper into the zone, a notification suddenly materialized before Moon's eyes.
[You've entered a zone where death is punished by 5 lives.]
Everyone receieved the same notification, and their reaction was apparent. Their expressions turned grim, and their movements became more cautious.
Derek noticed the change in atmosphere and quickly raised his hand. "It's okay, everyone. Don't panic. We're at the edge of this zone. The monsters here won't be as powerful as the ones deeper in. We'll just get one good kill, then head straight back. Simple."
His words carried weak reassurance, but the group nodded, accepting his command. They had little choice. They'd come this far already.
The risk had doubled from two lives to five. The rewards remained unclear.
"Everyone, tighten the formation," Derek ordered, his voice dropping to barely above a whisper. "Stay close and maintain your positions. We're looking for a single target, something isolated we can take down quickly without alerting other monsters in the area."
The group compressed, weapons ready, eyes scanning the forest. They moved like this for several minutes, careful to avoid alerting any beasts to their presence, hunting for prey while simultaneously trying not to become prey themselves.
Then something strange occurred.
A small circle of energy appeared in space, circular and spinning. It formed directly in their path. Light poured from within it, it was disorienting and impossible to look away from.
"What the—" Derek started.
The portal expanded with terrifying speed. Before anyone could react, before anyone could retreat or brace themselves, an overwhelming force seized them all. Moon felt his body yanked forward as if caught by an invisible hand.
His feet left the ground, and the world blurred as he was sucked into the mysterious force.
Screams erupted from the group, but they were cut short as they were pulled through.
Moon's vision went white, then dark, then flooded with colour he had no names for.
After a short while, the sensations stopped.
Thud!
Moon hit solid ground, stumbling forward before catching himself. The others materialised around him in similar states of disarray, some falling to their knees, others barely staying upright.
The eastern woodlands were gone.
They stood on a mountain, surrounded by ice and snow in every direction. The temperature hit Moon instantly, and the cold was so intense it threatened to burn his exposed skin. Wind howled across the barren landscape, carrying stinging particles of ice that felt like needles against his face.
The mountain stretched endlessly in all directions, peaks rising into a sky that showed neither the familiar two moons nor stars, just a swirling vortex of pale blue and white that seemed to pulse with its own frigid light. Snow piled in massive drifts, some taller than a person. The snow beneath their feet was treacherous and unforgiving.
Their breath came out in visible clouds, freezing almost instantly in the brutal air.
[You have entered a hidden realm.]
[Thirty lives will be lost per death.]
The words hung in Moon's vision like a death sentence.
Thirty lives per death.
Around him, faces drained of what little colour the cold hadn't already stolen. Elara's hand went to her mouth, her entire body already shaking from the temperature. John's earlier confidence evaporated entirely as he wrapped his arms around himself. Selene's lips were already turning blue, her gear offering almost no protection against the elements.
Even Derek's team, the experienced ones who'd been guiding them, looked shaken to their core. Marcus's shield wouldn't help against this cold. Iris's bow was already stiffening in her grip.
"Shit." Derek's voice came out hoarse, his breath creating clouds of frost. "We were pulled into a hidden realm..."
He swallowed hard, his entire body tensing against the cold that was already seeping through their clothes.
Moon understood immediately why the reaction was so severe. Hidden realms were legendary among awakeners. Places that existed outside normal space, pocket dimensions that offered incredible rewards to those who could clear them. Powerful artefacts, rare materials, massive amounts of lives and experience.
But the danger matched or exceeded the rewards. Hidden realms were designed for experienced awakeners, people at level ten, fifteen, twenty or higher. The monsters inside were proportionally stronger.
The death penalties proportionally harsher.
For new awakeners like them, barely scraping level four and five, their chances of returning alive were effectively zero.
Moon pulled up his status, his fingers already numb from the cold.
Seventy-five lives. With thirty lives lost per death, he could die twice before permanent erasure. Just twice.
Around him, the situation was even more dire.
Selene probably had around twenty lives. One death would leave her with nothing, unable to resurrect if she died. John and Elara were in similar positions.
Derek's group had more experience, maybe thirty lives accumulated over their week of hunting. But that meant one death would drain them completely. A second death would be the end if they were lucky to resurrect from the first one
Grinding his teeth, Derek said. "Everyone, stay calm, hidden realms…they have exit conditions. We only need to complete the objective, then leave. We just need to figure out what the condition is, okay?"
Although he appeared confident, Moon could feel fear in his tone.
"And if we can't complete it?" Marcus asked, his voice barely audible over the howling wind.
Derek didn't answer, but merely gave him a grim look.
If they couldn't complete the hidden realm's objective, they would die here. All of them. If not from monsters, then from exposure to this merciless cold.
Moon's eyes scanned their surroundings, looking for anything that could help them in this dire situation.
What his eyes landed on was endless snow, treacherous ice beneath their feet and a brutal wind that seemed determined to freeze them solid. The peaks rising in the distance, impossibly tall, their summits lost in the swirling white sky.
And in that distance, something moved. It was a dark dot against the white landscape, making its way through the snow.
Moon's legs moved instinctively, and he took a step back.
"Do you guys see that?" Moon muttered, looking at the figure that approached them.
Everyone turned to look at the area where the moon's eyes were stuck, and the results shocked them all.
"This…"