"I know. I lost the majority of my lives with that earlier death. Luckily, I was able to gain some during my toilet break when I discovered the bones. Otherwise, I would've been dead by now." Moon said the lie came smoothly despite his exhaustion. He needed to deflect, to give her a plausible explanation that didn't reveal the true extent of his advantage.
Before she could press further, he changed the topic.
"On the other hand, I didn't know you were able to use the fire element too. I thought you were a water mage." He said with a soft smile on his face, turning the scrutiny back toward her.
Selene's cheeks flushed slightly before she turned her head away. "Yeah, about that..."
"It's okay, you don't need to explain. I'm just glad that you were able to kill it. Thank you."
Selene shook her head immediately. "Mm-mm. Without your distraction on multiple occasions, I would've been dead. When that bear was about to claw my face off, you saved me. And then you... You grabbed onto it even while dying." Her voice wavered slightly. "You gave me the opening I needed. I should be thanking you."
Moon looked at her for a moment, seeing the genuine gratitude and guilt in her expression. She felt responsible for his death, even though it had been his choice.
"We're alive," he said simply. "That's what matters. We protected each other. That's how we survive in a place like this."
Selene nodded slowly, her eyes moving to the massive corpse of the arctic bear nearby. Steam still rose from its scorched fur where her fire attacks had landed.
"Elemental Mage," she said quietly, almost reluctantly. "That's my actual class."
Moon made his expression shift to appropriate surprise, as if this was new information. " That's... that's incredibly rare."
"I know." Selene pulled her knees up, wrapping her arms around them. "That's why I didn't tell anyone at first. The moment people know you have something valuable, they start looking at you differently. Either they want to use you, or they see you as a threat, or..." She trailed off.
"Or they target you," Moon finished.
"Yeah." She looked back at him. "But after what just happened,I figured... I figured you deserved to know the truth."
Moon appreciated the gesture, even if he'd already known her secret from the moment he'd copied her class. "Your secret's safe with me. We need to trust each other if we're going to survive this place."
Selene managed a small smile. "Agreed."
They sat in silence for a moment, both recovering, both processing what had just happened.
Finally, Moon pushed himself to his feet, his legs still shaky but functional. "We should harvest what we can from the bear. And the wolf creature, too. Then we need to keep moving. We're exposed out here."
Selene stood as well, nodding. "Right. And we need to figure out what the exit conditions for this hidden realm are. We can't just wander forever."
Moon looked out across the frozen landscape, the endless white stretching in every direction. Somewhere out there were answers. Somewhere was a way out.
They just had to survive long enough to find it.
[ Name: Moon ]
[ Race: Human ]
[ Class: Classless, Elemental Mage(Limited)]
[ Level: 5 ][ 66% ]
[ Lives: 110 ]
[Strength: 14] [Agility: 16] [Constitution:16] [Mana: 19]
[ Attribute Points: 5 ]
[ Skills: Elemental Attack, Four Element Affinity]
[ Talent: Grim Reaper ]
[ Class Skill: Class Slot {1/1}]
As they harvested everything they could from the two massive beasts, meat, leather, and even some of the wolf creature's icicles that might prove useful, Moon was checking his status.
Upon reaching level five, he'd been given an additional five attribute points to use, which was incredibly valuable given their situation.
Moon didn't hesitate. He placed three into the constitution and two into mana.
[Constitution: 16 → 19]
[Mana: 19 → 21]
He'd chosen to improve his constitution primarily because of the overwhelming weather conditions. Strengthening his body would help defend against the brutal cold that was a constant threat. Every point of constitution meant better endurance, better resistance to the elements, and better chances of surviving exposure.
Secondly, mana was his main combat attribute. He was certain that the only class he would use for the foreseeable future was Selene's Elemental Mage class. As a mage, mana was what mattered most—more spells, stronger attacks, longer sustain in extended fights.
The improvement was immediate and tangible. Moon could feel his body become slightly more resilient, the cold's bite lessening. His mana reserves expanded, giving him more room to work with.
With the harvesting done, both of them bloody and exhausted, they made a decision.
"We should head back," Moon said, looking at the sun's position in the swirling sky. "To the shelter we used last night."
Selene nodded in agreement. "Venturing deeper isn't smart after what we just went through. We need to rest, eat, and think about our next steps."
They gathered their harvested materials.
Strips of meat wrapped in leather, pelts draped over their shoulders, and they began the journey back to the small cave depression they'd sheltered in the night before.
The journey felt longer this time, their bodies heavy with exhaustion, their minds replaying the brutal fight. Moon's thoughts kept drifting back to the moment of his death, the claws tearing through him, the sensation of life draining away.
By the time they reached the familiar outcropping, the sun was beginning its descent again. They'd been out for most of the day.
They ducked into the small shelter, and Selene immediately began setting up another fire. This time, they had gathered wood from some trees they had found.
Moon positioned himself near the entrance again, keeping watch while she began to cook the meat they had gathered.
Once the food was cooking steadily, providing blessed warmth, they both sat close to it, letting the heat seep into their frozen bones.
"We can't keep doing this," Selene said quietly, breaking the silence. "Running from shelter to shelter, fighting beasts that nearly kill us. We need a real plan."