Lin Fan stood amidst the stabilized warmth of his shelter, the residual tremor from the Leviathan's attack now nothing more than a faint memory. He was tired, but the adrenaline of impending advancement was a powerful stimulant. His focus was solely on the object of his creation: the Cryo-Resistant Armor (Tier 2, Host).
The armor was a masterpiece of salvaged and synthesized materials. The dark grey composite was inlaid with the jagged, slightly shimmering Crystalline Hide harvested from the Cryo-Stalker. It wasn't bulky; it was sleek, forming a flexible, full-body shell that included a complete, sealed helmet with a multi-spectrum visor.
The New Skin
Lin Fan carefully donned the suit. The moment the internal seals engaged, a subtle, constant warmth enveloped him. The armor's internal heating element, powered by the core, was immensely efficient.
[Cryo-Armor Status: Online.][Environmental Resistance: Extreme Cold (Tested -120°C). Ballistic Resistance: Tier 2.]
He could feel the power coursing through the suit's integrated systems. It was no longer just gear; it was an extension of his will, designed specifically to operate in the deadly, unforgiving environment he now faced.
He selected his weapons for the Core acquisition mission. The AR-15 was slung across his back, ready to chew through heavily armored targets. The Mossberg shotgun was holstered. This time, the fear of the environment was gone, replaced by the grim determination of a predator.
"Aegis-1, switch to high-alert thermal scan. If any Tier 2 signature approaches, initiate manual tracking and await my command," Lin Fan ordered into the helmet mic. The turret above gave a mechanical CHIRP of acknowledgement.
[Target: Tier 3 Glacier Core. Distance: 350 meters. Status: High Energy Signature.]
Lin Fan cycled the airlock and pulled open the vault door.
The Treacherous Hunt
Stepping out into the -70°C air felt fundamentally different. The cold simply ceased to be a factor. The armor absorbed the shock, maintaining a comfortable internal temperature while the external crystalline hide immediately accumulated a thin, functional layer of frost, providing natural camouflage against the white and grey wasteland.
He began his trek toward the impact site, guided by the blue energy beacon overlaid on his visor. The street, which had been merely icy before, was now a treacherous landscape of fractured concrete and deep, sharp fissures. The Leviathan's violent attack had ripped open the ground, creating small, smoking ravines where the earth's residual warmth met the air's instant freeze.
He moved with speed and confidence, the armor's integrated grips providing perfect traction on the slick ice.
Halfway to the site, the Sensory Array registered movement—small, erratic thermal signatures approaching from a collapsed parking structure.
[Threat: Mutagenic Scavengers (Tier 1 Composite) - 5 units.]
These were not Cryo-Stalkers; these were likely mutated dogs or smaller predators, drawn by the residual energy signature of the wounded Leviathan. They were fast, desperate, and armed with frozen claws and teeth.
Five creatures burst from the shadows, their eyes gleaming. They saw Lin Fan—a massive, solitary thermal beacon—and attacked instantly.
The first scavenger leaped, aiming for the neck. Lin Fan didn't flinch. The creature's claws raked harmlessly across the crystalline plating of his shoulder. The armor absorbed the impact without a tremor.
Lin Fan responded with a brutal efficiency born of his new power. He didn't waste a bullet. He drew the Mossberg shotgun and fired a single tungsten slug into the chest of the second, largest scavenger, obliterating its center mass.
BANG!
The remaining four animals hesitated, confused by the lack of damage and the immediate death of their leader. Lin Fan used the moment of hesitation. He raised the AR-15 and fired a sustained burst, sweeping across the remaining creatures. The high-velocity rounds pierced the Tier 1 hide easily.
The fight was over in less than ten seconds. It wasn't a struggle; it was an execution. The armor had performed flawlessly, transforming Lin Fan from a fortified target into a mobile tank.
He didn't bother to scavenge the corpses. They were beneath his notice. He had a Tier 3 Core to acquire.
The Glacier Core
Lin Fan reached the impact zone. The scene was staggering. A massive, oval crater had been gouged into the street, surrounded by frozen, fragmented earth. The Leviathan had pushed its entire body against the foundation before Lin Fan's pillars had forced it to retreat.
At the very center of the crater, amidst shards of ice and frozen black blood, rested the prize.
The Tier 3 Glacier Mutagenic Core was immense—the size of a man's head, pulsating with a dark, blue light. It wasn't just cold; it seemed to be actively absorbing light and heat from the surrounding environment. An invisible field of pure cold radiated from it, covering the entire crater in a heavy layer of rime.
Lin Fan approached cautiously. The energy emanating from the Core was palpable, even through the armor. It felt like compressed, raw potential.
[Tier 3 Glacier Mutagenic Core Detected. Highly unstable energy signature.]
He extended his armored hand. Despite the magnitude of the item, he didn't risk external transport.
"System. Acquire Tier 3 Glacier Mutagenic Core."
With a mental command, the massive blue core vanished instantly from the crater, leaving only a shimmering void where it had rested. The immense pressure of the energy disappeared.
Lin Fan felt a profound, almost dizzying shock as the Core settled into the dimensional space. The sheer energy felt like a low, powerful hum running through his consciousness.
The Elemental Ascent
Lin Fan didn't linger. The battle had drawn blood, and the Tier 3 residue was a dangerous beacon. He executed a swift retreat, leaving the crater and the dead scavengers behind.
Back inside his sealed shelter, Lin Fan stripped off the armored suit, his body radiating comfortable warmth. He placed the armor on its charging rack and walked straight to the System Matrix.
"System. Initiate integration of Tier 3 Glacier Mutagenic Core."
[WARNING: Tier 3 Core integration will initiate a major system restructuring. Prepare for brief power fluctuation and sensory overload. Proceed?]
"Proceed," Lin Fan confirmed, his voice firm.
The shelter lights went out completely. The emergency battery kicked in, bathing the room in a sickly red glow. The main Matrix panel exploded in a cascade of flashing codes and geometric patterns.
BZZZZZZZZZZT. The sound was unlike anything he had heard before—a high-frequency scream of technology pushing its limits.
[Tier 3 Core Integration Complete.][Shelter Matrix Level: 3.0 Achieved.]
The red lights vanished, replaced by the calming blue of the fully restored main power. The air in the room felt crisp, colder, and strangely invigorating.
[New Function Unlocked: Elemental Manipulation (Cryogenic).]
Lin Fan stared at the screen. The System had granted him a personal ability, tied directly to the nature of the Glacier Core.
Elemental Manipulation (Cryogenic - Tier 3): Host can now manipulate surrounding latent thermal energy, projecting intense cold, freezing water, and generating small, controlled structures of ice and crystalline matter.
Lin Fan felt an icy, powerful surge of energy pool in his core. He raised his hand, focusing on the condensation in the air. A small, perfectly formed ice dagger materialized instantly above his palm, suspended against gravity. It shimmered with the dark blue energy of the Leviathan.
He wasn't just surviving the world; he was now a master of its catastrophic cold.
[Tier 3 Creation Catalogue Expanded: Unlocked Advanced Energy Synthesis and Cryo-Weaponry Schematics.]
Lin Fan had transformed. He was encased in Tier 2 armor, powered by infinite energy, and armed with the power of the freeze itself. He was no longer just the Ice Fortress; he was the Ice Lord. The world was now his to command.
(Author's Note: The Tier 3 Core is integrated! Lin Fan is now the Ice Lord, capable of elemental manipulation! The final pieces are in place for the regional power play. What destructive new weapon will he create with his expanded catalogue? Don't miss Chapter 11! Show your support with a Power Stone and tell me what element of the freeze he should master next!)