20 Cold

Cyrus waited patiently for the other hunters to enter the gate before making his own move. As he stepped inside, a bone-chilling cold hit him with such force that he felt it seeping into his bones. The thick dark clouds overhead blocked out most of the sunlight, casting an eerie darkness over the landscape below. Snowflakes fell from the sky with such ferocity that they felt like tiny projectiles, striking him relentlessly. The snow was so blindingly white that it made it hard for him to see anything, while the powerful winds drowned out all other sounds.

The blizzard raged on with an unrelenting fury, covering the ground with a thick layer of snow that made it impossible for Cyrus to advance without careful movement. Even though other hunters had already entered the gate before him, the paths they had taken were now obscured by the fast-falling snow, making them undefined and treacherous.

Despite having only entered the gate a short while ago, Cyrus could feel the bitter cold quickly taking hold of his body. The weather had brought an unexpected variable that he had not anticipated, and he knew that he needed to be extra cautious as he ventured further into the unknown.

[The intense coldness in this environment is causing significant harm to your health. You will be losing 2% of your maximum health every second as a result of the extreme cold. ]

[You have lost 5 health points.]

[You have restored 1.25 health points]

'I'm so glad I obtained the book on life regeneration skills. Its effectiveness is already evident, and I can see it's working well.'

Despite what the public believes, the highest death tolls in gates were not caused by monsters or traps, but by the harsh environment. The 'Wintertide Peak' gate is a prime example of this. If a hunter were to enter its region without proper preparation, they would quickly realize their mistake. In just 50 seconds, an unprepared hunter could perish due to the challenging conditions of the environment. This is particularly true when movement is restricted due to the chilling cold, slow metabolism, or the difficult footing caused by piled snow.

Cyrus didn't waste any time and immediately activated his Overloaded Heat ability. The results were immediate and obvious as the snow around him began to melt, giving him a more stable and secure footing. As he looked up, he could see the snowflakes falling and disappearing into mist as soon as they touched the radius of his heat. The warmth he felt from his ability was a welcome change from the usual discomfort he experienced, and the reason behind it became clear when he saw the unexpected system notification.

[When negative-temperature and positive-temperature collide, heat will flow before the cold. This creates a shield against extreme cold while keeping the heat balanced. As long as this balance remains stable and harmonious, you won't be harmed by either source.]

"I'm pleasantly surprised! The combination of my abilities is working better than I anticipated. It seems my awakened ability is more versatile than I thought. I should take the time to study it more after I finish with all of this."

As Cyrus advanced, the snow around him melted due to his progress. The harsh environment had caused many hunters to die where they stood, buried by the falling snow. Using his ability to melt the snow, Cyrus was able to locate their bodies. However, he had to be careful not to get too close and accidentally cremate them, as he knew people might falsely accuse him of causing their deaths. Cyrus understood that some people would stop at nothing to win, even if it meant making false accusations against him.

As time went by, Cyrus hadn't encountered any other hunters or monsters. Instead, he found himself in a flat and desolate expanse of white sand that seemed to stretch on forever. He walked for what felt like hours, but the path behind him was soon buried by snow, making it impossible to turn back.

"This gate is definitely not E-Ranked. It's clear that the family who submitted this gate lied about its difficulty level in order to gain some advantage from the competition. But what could they possibly be after?"

While Cyrus was contemplating his next move, he spotted a small creature in the distance. It looked like a rabbit with a horn, but before he could get a closer look, it quickly leaped away and disappeared into the snow. This was the only lead he had in this remote area, so he sprinted after it. When he arrived at the spot where he had last seen the creature, he noticed something he hadn't seen before. His ability had caused the snow to melt, revealing a set of stairs leading to an underground path. The stairs were well crafted and seemed to have been made of obsidian ores.

"I couldn't find the path earlier, but now I realize it's because it was covered by snow. It's surprising that this leads to an underground area. Let's investigate further."