Payback

Whoosh... Whoosh...

Cold gusts of wind whipped through the forest, causing the branches to sway and the snowflakes to twirl in the air.

A thick layer of snow blanketed the ground, transforming the once familiar landscape into a winter wonderland. Well not like there was something wonderful about the treacherous conditions that winter brings.

Achoo...

Sitting in his shelter, Kai sneezed violently.

"I hate winter..."

Begrudgingly looking toward the exit of the cave covered by a cloth. He could see the relentless snowfall outside, making him frown.

He knew that he would have to leave the cave to wash up, which made him even more irritated. In the past months, Kyle or Alexandra also hadn't come even once hence Kai didn't have any winter clothing.

The thickest clothing he possessed was a thin hoodie.

Fortunately, he knew a trick to keep warm in such conditions.

Swish...

Willing the Mana surrounding him with minimum effort, Kai began to increase the temperature around himself or rather his skin. He created a thin, barely perceivable layer of warmth that wrapped around his body, shielding him from the biting cold.

It was not a skill or a trick he had learned in his past life but rather a discovery he had made while experimenting with his Mana Ring.

If a mage is able to manipulate Mana surrounding them with enough precision, they can create a barrier that regulates body temperature. It was a perfect ability for surviving the harsh winter conditions.

Although it was very mana-consuming, it was worth it.

Crunch...

Stepping out of the cave, Kai felt a satisfying crunch beneath his boots as he walked on the freshly fallen snow. His feet burrowed at least a few inches into the fluffy white layer.

"..."

With a calm look, Kai glanced up at the front, trying to make out anything in the distance, however, his vision was severely impaired, the amount of snowfall was obstructing his view completely.

'It's very easy to get ambushed...'

Spreading his Mana around the surrounding area, Kai heightened his senses and began to walk.

He didn't know where he was headed, but he guessed that he was going in the direction of the lake, where two months ago, he was attacked by some kind of an Aquatic Earl Rank monster.

That encounter was etched in his memory or rather what happened after the event, when he woke up near a pile of another creature, mangled beyond recognition

Whatever caused that didn't kill Kai which made him quite disturbed and confused.

For the last two months he had this strange feeling at the back of his mind, whatever caused the attack that night was still lurking in the shadows, watching him closely. However, whenever he got that feeling, nothing was around him.

At one point Kai even began to think he became schizophrenic from the lack of human interaction. However, he quickly threw it out of his head as he knew his mind is more than able to resist mental illnesses.

He just trained through the strange feeling and focused on strengthening his abilities instead of dwelling on paranoia.

Crunch... Crunch...

And now, he could say that he was no longer haunted by that strange event. He did, indeed, want to uncover the truth behind that mangled corpse of the monster, but there was no way to do that was there?

Kai was so lost in his thoughts he didn't even notice as he approached the lake.

The snow-covered lake stretched out before him, its icy surface shimmering under the dim winter sunlight.

It was completely frozen.

"Wow."

Looking at the vast, yet desolate landscape before him, Kai couldn't help but admire the beauty of nature. It didn't take too long though.

Instinctively, he raised his foot, wanting to place it onto the frozen surface of the lake, however, he stopped at the last second.

"..."

Retreating a couple steps back, he crouched and picked up a solid rock that weighed around 20 pounds. Without a lot of effort, he tossed it gingerly on the frozen lake.

Thud... Thud...

The rock flew in a small arc and crashed onto the lake's frozen surface.

For a moment, nothing happened and yet Kai felt something massive approaching, moving toward the rock he had just thrown onto the ice.

Crash...

The sound of ice breaking echoed across the frozen lake. Kai's eyes widened as a massive creature burst forth from the icy depths. Its scales glistened with a pale blue hue, and its enormous maws opened wide, devouring the rock as if it were a mere pea.

The creature's body was colossal, its size almost incomprehensible. Its form was a blend of aquatic elegance and predatory menace. Glowing blue eyes, sharp teeth, and long, serpentine fins adorned its sleek, streamlined body. For a moment, the winter landscape was dominated by the presence of this otherworldly being.

As the creature crashed back into the frozen water, creating a splashing wave of ice shards, its eyes locked onto Kai's. The gaze was intense, intelligent, and unsettling. Kai, however, met the creature's eyes with a smirk.

"Nice to see you again bastard..."

Mana began to swirl around him. He was not the same person he was two months ago. He wasn't going to be ambushed by surprise like the last time and dragged into the depths of the lake.

He had one goal in his mind when coming here today.

Wash up in the blood of a creature that nearly killed him.