The Land of Everwinter (1)

Their group then set off; once they left the barrier, the coldness immediately invaded their bodies. Fortunately, they were prepared for this, and everyone was wearing a coat made of special materials, making the cold nonexistent. 

Of course, the heat it emitted was not unlimited, and it needed mana to continue functioning.

At first, they only walked ahead without seeing anyone. It was as though they only arrived at some vacation spots to ski. 

"Guild Leader..." Half an hour later, the scout returned. As one of the C-rank espers, entering this gate was a risk, but his concealment abilities were among the best, ensuring his safety, at least to escape. 

Kamille raised his hand, indicating that everyone should stop. He then focused on the man, ready to listen. 

"What did you find out?" 

The man did not answer immediately as he tried to catch his breath. After recovering enough, he exclaimed with a bit of agitation, "Wolf... Wait, not normal wolves. And a lot of them." 

Wolves...

Kamille's brow wrinkled, as did the other members. Wolves were not that much of a threat, but if it was a huge wolf pack... Then that was the problem. 

Rise's eyes roamed; other than a white plain, there was nothing. They were in a huge open field, without trees or anything else that they might use as a defense. 

Suddenly, he licked his lips, feeling a surge of excitement running through his veins. His stance, which was rather lazy since they entered this gaze, gradually turned into a combat stance. 

What he noticed, Kamille also did. In this open field, if they were ambushed and got surrounded by the wolf pack, they could only fight without taking a breather. 

Kamille's eyes wandered as his mind raced quickly, trying to come up with an idea. In a few moments, he turned to his members and began to order them one by one. 

"Move closer, everyone," Kamille turned to Hayes, "can you feel the earth beneath?"

The snow was so thick that he had to confirm. 

Hayes bit his lips and hesitatingly answered, "I can... but my ability seems to be restricted. I'm sorry, Guild Leader." 

He had been so uncomfortable since earlier; it was like in this world of snow... Hayes would be useless, and he hated that feeling. For Espers, this was such a huge blow to their confidence. 

Rise listened at the side, and he also did not deliberately mock Hayes either. It was not only because he knew his priorities, but he also once felt that same hopelessness... even more intense than what Hayes was feeling. 

"It doesn't matter. As long as you can feel it still," Kamille shifted to a woman with short blue hair. "Kayla, when I say raise your shield to surround everyone, do so." He stared directly into her eyes, as if to ask if she could do it. 

Although not aware of the Guild Leader's plan, everyone trusted him, and Kayla was the same. 

"Understood, Guild Leader." She stood straight, preparing to use her ability once Kamille told her to. 

Kamille gave a nod, looking around. He then repeated, "No one will move out of their position until I say so. Rise," turning to Rise, "Can you do it?" 

He asked as though not trusting Rise could behave himself. Rise, who was admiring Kamille, was, again, not offended by being singled out. He relished that feeling, wanting Kamille to look at him and pay attention to him more and more. 

Rise did not answer with words but instead stepped back and stood just beside Hayes. Out of everyone here, he was the one who could guess what Kamille was about to do.

His act of giving space was even more of a surprise to Kamille, his gaze lingering on Rise. For some reason, Rise always gave off a sense of familiarity, as though he knew Kamille before this.

Although curious, the situation was more important for Kamille to dive deeper into it. 

"Hayes, don't let our footing collapse." With final instructions, the wind began to surround them, their hair dancing with the breeze, some even had to squint their eyes. Stomping his foot as he jumped, Kamille yelled, "Ready!" 

Everyone looked up. Kamille floated in the air, and the wind swirled under his feet. His coat billowed through the wind, making him look more majestic and cool. 

Rise's eyes lit up, staring at Kamille with such fascination. His heart also began to thump loudly, from both admiration and anticipation. 

They were no doubt in a precarious situation, but Rise seemed not to feel that kind of threat at all. It was only him, though, since most of the members became alert and huddled in one corner, not moving where they stood as instructed. Especially so for the Guides who had little to no combat ability. 

"Kayla ready!" With that, a blue barrier rose, enveloping the group except Kamille, who was still hovering in the air. 

Seeing that it was ready, Kamille focused, and the wind grew intense, surrounding the group. The snow also floated with the wind, creating the impression that a snowstorm was about to emerge. 

With the help of the wind, the snow appeared to be following a certain rhythm, piling up around. If one looked closely, one would immediately figure it out. 

A wall. With the members at the center, a wall of snow was being created under their gaze. 

Rise's mouth quirked up; his heart had long raced inside his chest. His eyes were only watching that figure, the reason for this miraculous phenomenon. 

Kamille's expression appeared ice-cold; his attention was wholly on his ability. He was in absolute control of the wind, but it was still hard if he wanted to minimize the damage at the center and control the wind at the same time.

This was the reason he needed the barrier and Hayes to firm up their footing under them; otherwise, instead of a wall, the members would be buried under the snow. 

In this open space without anything, the worst-case scenario of being passively surrounded by wolves was high. Not to mention, wolves were known for their cunning personalities; they would most likely try to target the Guides, the weaker members of the group. 

Kamille would not let that scenario happen, and since they did not have a defensive cover, that did not stop him from creating from scratch. 

After a few minutes, the wind gradually ceased, and Kamille slowly descended. The barrier also disappeared, with Kayla needing to sit and rest, the same was true for Hayes.

Two Guides were also ready and immediately calmed their wavelengths after using their abilities. They did not overdo it, but inside the gate, a battle was always possible to occur at any moment. Any combatant was needed to always be in good condition. 

Kamille only stood in front, his figure did not even have any signs of exhalation, making the members feel awed from the bottom of their hearts. 

That was their Guild Leader! 

Since it was already done, Rise again stood beside Kamille, just obeying the words, Don't leave his side. 

He smirked at Kamille, but this time with more bloodlust in them. His gaze looked up ahead, glimmering with excitement and fighting spirit.

"They're here..." he whispered, enough for Kamille to hear. 

Seeing him like this, Kamille was influenced for some reason, and a kind of anticipation also boiled over with him.

The real raid had just begun.