Aren stood at the mouth of the skull-shaped ice cave ❄️💀.
The tiny blue horse circled nervously, its glowing mane flickering as it pointed inward 🐎✨.
A polite guide.
To something deadly.
Behind him—
Ben shivered violently 🥶.
"B-Brother… it's freezing…"
King nudged something near his boot.
CRACK.
It shattered.
King narrowed his eyes.
"…That's not wood."
Pause.
"…That's bone."
Ben stopped shivering.
"Oh."
Inside—
Frost crawled along the walls like veins.Ice crystals pulsed faintly.A deep growl echoed from somewhere below.
The cave was alive.
And it didn't welcome guests.
Aren stepped in first 😮💨
"According to the records," he said calmly,
"Stage One is always a fight."
Ben sighed.
"Of course it is."
🦁 The Ice King
They entered the central chamber.
There—
It slept.
The Ice Lion 🧊🦁
A mountain of frozen muscle.
Its mane: jagged crystal.Its claws: translucent blades.Cold radiated from it in waves.
Ben swallowed.
"…That thing looks strong."
King grinned.
"Good. Let's—"
"No."
Both turned.
"You break its legs," Aren said calmly.
"Do not kill it."
Pause.
"I want it alive."
Ben blinked.
"…Alive?"
King tilted his head.
"…Fine."
Then smirked.
"Leader."
That word stayed in the air.
They moved.
⚔️ Breaking the King
The Ice Lion's eyes snapped open 🔥❄️
ROOOAAARR!!
The cave trembled.
Ice cracked.
Air shattered.
Ben ducked a claw swipe.King rolled through another.
They struck—
Punch.Kick.Elbow.
Not the body.
Not the head.
The joints.
CRACK 💥
Ice exploded.
Again.
Again.
Until—
SNAP 💥
One leg broke.
The lion collapsed.
Roaring.
Frost spiraling violently.
Ben staggered back.
King exhaled hard.
"…Done?" Aren asked.
King nodded.
"Yeah… done…"
🧨 Aren's Method
Aren stepped forward.
Opened his container cube.
Pulled out—
A massive metal barrel.
Ben blinked.
"…That's new."
"You'll see."
Aren shoved it into the lion's mouth.
CLANG 💥
Jaws jammed open.
Then—
A shield unfolded 🛡️
Placed in front of Ben and King.
King frowned.
"…Now what?"
Behind them—
The blue horse tapped its hoof.
Tap.
Ten.
Tap.
Nine.
Ben's face drained.
"…Aren?"
"Stay still."
Seven.Six.Five.
The lion thrashed.
Four.Three.Two—
Zero.
💥 The Answer
BOOOOOOOOM 💥💥💥
The mountain shook.
Ice shattered.
The cave exploded outward.
Across the Academy—
Students screamed 😱Teachers jumpedCommentators lost control
The cave collapsed.
When the dust cleared—
Half the mountain was gone.
The Ice Lion lay outside.
Unconscious.
Ben stared.
"Aren…"
"…what did you do?"
Aren dusted off his coat.
"Simple."
"You don't defeat an Ice Lion inside its cave."
Silence.
"If it dies inside…"
"…it resurrects."
King's eyes widened.
"…So the cave is—"
"The anchor."
Aren nodded.
"No cave."
Pause.
"No resurrection."
Ben blinked.
"…So we just had to pull it out?"
Aren looked at him.
"Yes."
Pause.
"But that would be boring."
🏁 Stage One — Cleared
The Academy erupted.
"HE BLEW UP THE CAVE?!""IS THAT EVEN ALLOWED?!""THIS IS INSANE—!!"
Teachers panicked.
Judges argued.
Students stood frozen 😳
Aren checked his cube.
"…Acceptable."
Stage One: Cleared.Record Time.Perfect Execution.
The Ice Lion—
Defeated outside its domain—
Counted as conquered.
As Team Father walked away—
Through smoke and frost—
Everyone watched.
Students.
Nobles.
Teachers.
Even distant creatures.
And all of them thought the same thing:
That is not a human. 🌑🔥