Volatile Frost

"Lucas? Where are we?" Lucy's voice broke the silence as she surveyed her unfamiliar surroundings.

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[Time Limit: 6 hours!]

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They had been in a brick home on a side street just moments ago. However, after a mysterious voice echoed in their heads, their surroundings shifted in an instant. They now found themselves in an unknown location.

"I'm not entirely sure, Lucy. But it seems we're on a time limit while being here," Lucas responded, his gaze fixed on the landscape before them. They stood at a fork in the path, with one direction leading to a fiery expanse complete with a distant volcano, while the other path stretched into a snowy landscape, culminating in a white, snow-covered mountain.

"Lucy, I believe that the system expects us to choose one of these paths before the time limit expires," Lucas continued, his words tinged with uncertainty. Behind them lay an infinite sea that seemed too foreboding to explore.

Lucas took Lucy's hand in his, offering support to his apprehensive companion. "Since we lack any information about this dungeon, our best course of action is to attempt to clear it. The system might reward us for completing the task."

"Did you still want to examine your items?" Lucas tried to lighten the mood, though the gravity of the situation remained.

"Lucas, please don't say things like that!" Lucy responded, rolling her eyes. She retrieved the earring and appraisal magnifier from her pocket, ready to assess the earring's attributes.

As Lucy held the magnifier over the earring, a string of words materialized before her eyes.

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Name: Frozen Earring

Rank: Rare

Ability:

[Freeze]: Freeze a target for 30 seconds. (3 uses/day)

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Lucy's expression faltered slightly. Her earring's ability seemed less impressive compared to Lucas's ring.

While Lucy pondered her earrings, Lucas shared his own experience. "My ring was granted for killing one level 3 and ten level 2 zombies within five days."

This revelation drew Lucy's attention away from her own envy. "Level 3? When did you manage to defeat one?"

Lucas chuckled. "Remember the time I asked for your help? That was when."

"Ah, that's why you had such a tough time with it," Lucy mused, handing the magnifier to Lucas to examine his ring.

Lucas retrieved his ring, and the magnifier revealed its abilities.

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Name: Fire Ring

Rank: Heroic

Ability:

[Fire Blaze]: Summon a Fire Blaze to Burn a Target for 30 seconds. (2 uses/day)

[Fire Shield]: Summon a Fire Shield to Protect the Wearer for 30 seconds. (2 uses/day)

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Lucy couldn't help but jest, "Lucas, your luck seems to be quite exceptional."

Lucy let out a bitter remark as she swapped her left earring for the frozen one.

"Maybe all my luck is concentrated here," Lucas quipped in a playful tone as he slid the ring onto his finger.

Lucy turned her attention to their next decision. "Which path do you think we should take?"

"Definitely the snowy path. I'm not eager to scorch my feet or clothes," Lucas replied, gently taking Lucy's hand and leading her toward the snowy trail.

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[Error, Player Cannot Choose This Path!]

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Suddenly, a system notification disrupted their progress, its words echoing in Lucas's mind as they formed before him.

"Lucy, did the system give you any message?" Lucas inquired.

"No, what do you mean?" Lucy responded, clearly puzzled.

"It seems we have to split up. I can't proceed on the snowy path," Lucas explained, his revelation jolting Lucy.

"Why?"

"I suspect it's related to the items we possess. With your frozen earring, you can take the snowy path, while my fire ring restricts me to the path of fire," Lucas reasoned. He stepped onto the fiery route.

Lucy offered a solution. "Why don't we trade items?"

Lucas shook his head. "We only have one item of each element, and the snowy path seems safer. I have a higher level than you, so I might have a better chance of surviving on the fire path. At least, that's what I hope."

As he trod the path ablaze, Lucas activated his fire shield to protect himself from the intense heat. His surroundings were engulfed in flames, yet the path and rocks remained unaffected.

Walking on, he found no immediate danger. "It's strange. Why is there no peril at all?"

The landscape consisted of rocks, magma, and the distant silhouette of a volcano. He wondered if his objective lay there.

'I wonder how Lucy's managing,' Lucas thought, fatigue starting to creep in after nearly three hours of walking. He let his legs give way, resting on the path. It felt solid, almost like he was reclining on stones.

An idea suddenly struck him, prompting him to retrieve his cellphone and open the gallery. As he gazed at the image, a thought formed.

"Is this the same type of stone used for the floor tiles in the class change building?"

As he sensed something about to break through, Lucas called out, "Hurricane leap!"

A whirlwind encircled him, and with a single mighty leap, his form ascended to the heavens. Although the path constrained his lateral movement, nothing indicated that he couldn't ascend into the sky.

Floating aloft, Lucas had a fleeting two seconds to survey his surroundings. While his vision's range was limited, he gleaned that a black wall loomed to the fire path's left and the snow path's distant right.

As the countdown approached three seconds, Lucas initiated another shout, "Hurricane spiral!" targeting himself.

A whooshing sound accompanied his rapid flight as he utilized the gathering wind, hurtling toward the volcano, of all places. The spell's waning moments coincided with his thirty-second deadline.

In swift succession, he enacted another skill, "Hurricane leap!" propelling himself upwards while the remaining five seconds of the previous skill lingered. The enumeration began in his mind, "Twenty-eight... Twenty-nine..."

With a final cry, Lucas executed "Hurricane leap!" soaring above the volcano's crest just as the Hurricane spiral's force terminated.

His newfound mobility ceased abruptly, and he began to descend. However, his fall resembled a delicate piece of paper dancing on the breeze, not a plummeting object.

'Thank heavens for hurricane leap!' Lucas mused while glancing backward at the volcano. He pondered how he might have arrived if he lacked his pseudo-flying ability—perhaps through arduous climbing.

Worried about Lucy, he mused about her safety as he shifted his gaze forward, revealing a resplendent fire shrine. How did he identify it as a fire shrine? Flames engulfed it, save for a diminutive humanoid statue atop the shrine's fire-kissed structure. Beyond the shrine stretched an unending sea.

Regretfully, his hurricane leap was spent; otherwise, he might have explored the distant expanse beyond this aquatic infinity.

"Huh!" Lucas exclaimed, spotting Lucy sauntering across the water from the far side of the boundless sea. His surprise rippled beneath his practiced facade. How did Lucy arrive so swiftly? It had taken Lucas only a matter of minutes, thanks to his wind manipulation and the persisting fire shield. Yet, how had Lucy accomplished the same journey?

Observing her approach, Lucas masked his astonishment. He shifted his focus to the shrine ahead. Could this be the reward?

He reached for the sole item on the shrine, a diminutive humanoid figurine. As he raised it, a voice resonated within his mind.

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[Detecting a Fire Item!]

[Opening God of Fire and Heat Class!]

[Receiving Soki Scroll!]

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"God?" Lucas pondered aloud, flabbergasted by the monumental revelation.