Jimmy scrolled past the equipment and potions, his eyes scanning the displayed categories. Before browsing further, his gaze flicked to the top-right corner of the interface.
<blockquote>Time Until Destruction of Earth: 318 Days, 7 Hours</blockquote>
“47 days,” Jimmy thought, his gaze lingering on the number. It felt surreal—47 days since the Integration had turned his life upside down.
Next, he checked his Essence balance. The number floated neatly beside the menu’s header.
<blockquote>Essence Available: 2200</blockquote>
That tracked. Clearing The <mark>Shroudspire</mark>, <mark>Gloomshade</mark> Warrens, and the Frostfang Alpha had been lucrative, not to mention the mini-land objectives. It felt strange having that much stockpiled, but it wasn’t like he’d had time to browse before.
“Alright,” he muttered, scanning the shop. “Let’s get to work.”
Jimmy navigated to the Potions and Consumables tab first. He added a Vital <mark>Draught</mark> (50 Essence) to his cart, replacing the one he’d used after the Harrier fight. Scrolling further, he spotted Cold Resistance Potions (25 Essence each) and bought two. The System listed their effect as temporary but potent, providing an added layer of protection against <mark>Vinterra’s</mark> biting frost.
Satisfied, he switched to the Clothing and Armor tab. A few seconds of browsing brought up exactly what he needed:
<ul>
<li>Swordsman’s <mark>Bodywarmer</mark> (150 Essence): A snug, reinforced vest designed to be worn over a hoodie or light armor. Its design was simple—black with subtle silver trim—but it radiated warmth and durability.</li>
<li>Thermal-Tier Pants (100 Essence): Insulated, flexible pants built for extreme environments, with reinforced panels for added durability.</li>
</ul>
Jimmy confirmed the purchases, and the items materialized in front of him in a soft burst of light. He wasted no time pulling on the new gear. The Swordsman’s <mark>Bodywarmer</mark> fit snugly over his hoodie, adding a noticeable layer of insulation. He tested the flexibility, swinging his arms and twisting his torso—no restrictions. The Thermal-Tier Pants replaced his worn, patched-up ones, the warmth spreading almost instantly as he adjusted the straps.
Lastly, Jimmy pocketed the potions and vial of Vital <mark>Draught</mark>, securing them in his belt pouch. The cold still pressed against him, but it was muted now, manageable. He gave his <mark>coatless</mark> reflection in the interface one last glance before closing the menu.
“Much better,” he thought, pulling his hood back up as he started walking again.
The wind still howled, the snow still crunched, but the icy claws had lost their edge. Now, it was just him, the wilderness, and the faint, distant promise of survival. He glanced at the horizon, the faint red glow of <mark>Vinterra’s</mark> auroras streaking the endless twilight sky. The land stretched wide and empty, a frozen expanse of snow and jagged ice. For once, there were no sounds—no roars, no howls, just the crunch of snow beneath his boots as he started forward again.
Then it hit him: a sound so loud it seemed to ripple through the ground. A roar, deep and guttural, followed by the crash of something massive breaking.
Jimmy froze, his head snapping toward the source. It wasn’t far—a few hundred yards, maybe less. Another sound followed: a woman’s scream, sharp and frantic, cutting through the eerie quiet. His grip tightened on the katana at his side. For a second, he hesitated, instincts clashing with caution. <mark>Vinterra</mark> wasn’t a land to dive into blindly. But the next sound—a bellowing roar and a thud like an earthquake—made the decision for him.
Jimmy took off running, the snow kicking up behind him as he closed the distance. Cresting a hill, the scene below came into focus:
The Ice Goliath, towering and monstrous, loomed in the clearing, its massive spiked mace swinging in slow arcs of devastation. Three figures moved around it: a massive man with an <mark>axe</mark>, holding the beast’s attention; a woman firing arrows from a distance; and a girl—young and unarmed—who seemed out of place in the chaos.
The next swing of the Goliath’s mace connected. The man with the <mark>axe</mark> flew backward, crashing into a tree with a sickening crunch. He didn’t get up.
Jimmy’s heart pounded as the Goliath turned, its glowing eyes locked on the girl. She stumbled, frozen in terror as the beast charged.
There was no more thinking. Jimmy moved.
The roar echoed like a storm, the Goliath’s mace carving through the frozen ground. Snow and shards of ice shot into the air as the beast thundered forward, its glowing eyes locked on the girl.
Jimmy saw it all as he ran: the girl’s wide-eyed terror, her legs trembling as she froze in place. The woman—her mother—screaming, dropping her bow as instinct overtook skill. She was already moving toward the girl, but she wouldn’t make it in time.
The man, the one with the <mark>axe</mark>, wasn’t moving at all. Jimmy’s eyes darted to him as he raced downhill. The way his body slumped against the tree, the unnatural angle of his leg—it wasn’t just pain. It was helplessness.
In the same instant, Jimmy’s gaze flicked to the creature. Level 40. Massive. Its movements were heavy but fast for its size, the mace swinging with brutal efficiency. The glowing crystals embedded in its shoulders and back pulsed faintly with every roar, like veins pumping power. This thing wasn’t just a monster—it was a boss.
“Damn it,” Jimmy muttered, his mind racing. Every detail snapped into place: the mother’s fear, the daughter’s paralysis, the Goliath’s single-minded focus. They were done if he didn’t act.
The Bound Core pulsed, a rhythm matching his heartbeat. He felt the warmth spread through his chest, down his legs, and into his feet. The energy wasn’t subtle—it was raw, like a storm building inside him.
He didn’t suppress it this time. He pushed it down, through his body, his focus narrowing to a single point: the Goliath’s weapon, mid-swing, on a perfect trajectory to crush the girl.
The world blurred as Jimmy launched forward. The distance collapsed in an instant, his katana drawn and ready as the Goliath’s mace came down. Jimmy’s blade caught the mace with a deafening crash. The impact drove him into the ground, the icy surface cracking and sending shards of frost flying outward. His feet sank into the shattered earth, but he held firm, his grip tightening on the katana as it trembled under the strain.
The Goliath growled, its glowing eyes narrowing as it leaned into the blow. Jimmy glanced up, locking eyes with the beast for a brief second before forcing the mace aside with a sharp twist of his blade. The weapon smashed into the snow, leaving a crater where the girl had stood moments earlier.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
Jimmy didn’t look at her. He didn’t have to. His focus shifted to the mother, her face pale and wide-eyed as she stared at him. He tilted his head toward the girl, a wordless command: “Move her.”
To her credit, she didn’t hesitate. The woman darted forward, grabbing the girl and pulling her back toward the treeline.
Elise’s breath fogged in the frozen air as she knelt beside Garrick. Lyra’s hands glowed faintly over his leg, but the bone was broken, and her daughter’s healing was only holding off the worst of the damage. Garrick gritted his teeth, his eyes fixed on the battle ahead.
The stranger—whoever he was—moved like a phantom. One moment, he stood in the path of the Goliath’s mace, the next, he was gone. The beast’s attack carved a crater into the snow, but the man reappeared at its side, his katana slicing into its leg with precision.
The Goliath turned faster than it had any right to, its mace swinging in a deadly arc. Elise gasped, clutching her bow tighter. “He can’t—”
The man didn’t dodge. He stepped into the blow, his katana meeting the mace with a deafening crash. The force cracked the ground beneath him, snow and shards of ice exploding outward, but he held firm. The Goliath growled, shoving its weight into the strike, and for a moment, it seemed like the man might falter.
Then, with a twist of his blade, he shoved the mace aside and lunged forward.
Elise blinked, her pulse pounding in her ears as he disappeared again, reappearing above the Goliath in an instant. His katana plunged into the crystals along its shoulder, sending a <mark>shockwave</mark> of frost energy rippling outward. The Goliath howled, its arm sagging as cracks spread through its icy form.
“Mom,” Lyra whispered, her voice shaking. “Who is he?”
Elise didn’t answer. Her bow trembled in her grip, her gaze fixed on the stranger. Every movement was deliberate, his speed inhuman. The Goliath roared, its attacks growing wilder, but he danced around them, striking with calculated precision.
“That’s not a System skill,” Garrick muttered, wincing through the pain.
Elise bit her lip. Garrick was right. The way the man moved, the way he fought—it was raw, untamed, nothing like the structured techniques the System granted.
The Goliath lunged, its mace crashing down again, but this time, the man was already moving, disappearing in a blur of speed and reappearing behind the creature. His katana struck again, each slash leaving glowing scars along its massive frame.
Elise’s chest tightened as she watched him, her mind racing. Was he human? Exalted? Or something else entirely?
The beast snarled, pulling back its weapon for another swing, but Jimmy was ahead of it. He saw the movement—the shift in its stance, the way its arm tensed—and knew where it would strike before it even began.
The mace came down in a devastating vertical arc, aimed to crush him into the frozen earth. Jimmy didn’t flinch. He stepped into the attack, twisting his body at the last second. The mace roared past, the wind from its swing brushing the edges of his hoodie as it smashed into the ground behind him.
Jimmy’s legs coiled, his Core surging with power as he launched himself into the air. The Bound Core pulsed, its fiery energy crackling along his katana as he rose above the Goliath.
For a moment, everything slowed.
The Goliath’s glowing eyes locked onto him, its maw opening in a final, furious roar. Jimmy gripped his katana with both hands, his body twisting mid-air as he brought the blade down in a single, devastating slash.
The strike cleaved through the Goliath’s head, splitting the icy crown in two. The beast’s roar turned into a guttural choke as cracks erupted across its crystalline form.
Jimmy landed in a crouch, the impact sending snow billowing outward. Behind him, the Goliath staggered, its massive frame trembling as the cracks spread faster and deeper.
The beast froze, its glowing eyes dimming, and for a moment, the world held its breath. Then, with a thunderous crash, the Goliath collapsed, shattering into a pile of ice and snow that glittered in the pale light of <mark>Vinterra’s</mark> endless dusk.
Jimmy straightened slowly, his katana dripping with frost as the energy of his Bound Core faded, leaving only the faint hum of victory in its wake. His breath fogged in the air, steady and calm despite the storm of destruction around him.
Then, the familiar pulse of blue light shimmered in his vision.
<blockquote>System Notification:</blockquote>
<blockquote>Essence Earned: 200.</blockquote>
<blockquote>Items Obtained:</blockquote>
<ul>
<li>Frost Core Shard: A crystallized fragment of pure frost energy, still pulsing faintly with residual power. Ideal for weapon enhancements or forging frost-resistant equipment.</li>
<li>Goliath’s Mace Fragment: A jagged piece of the Goliath’s weapon, radiating cold. Heavy, dense, and rumored to enhance strength-based weaponry in skilled hands.</li>
</ul>
Jimmy glanced at the glowing notification, then at the loot scattered among the icy rubble. The items gleamed faintly, frost trailing from their edges as they shimmered into his inventory.
The next notification hit him like a spark, sending a pulse through his chest.
<blockquote>System Notification:</blockquote>
<blockquote>Level Up! You have reached Level 23.</blockquote>
<blockquote>Status: Jimmy Holloway</blockquote>
<blockquote>Level: 23</blockquote>
<blockquote>Title: Pioneer of the Blade (+15% Dexterity)</blockquote>
<blockquote>Class: Blade Disciple</blockquote>
<blockquote>Core: [E] Core (Earth, Tier 9 Enhanced)</blockquote>
<blockquote>Core Progression: 45% (toward Tier 10)</blockquote>
<blockquote>Essence: 2,050</blockquote>
<blockquote>Core Stats:</blockquote>
<blockquote>Strength: 112</blockquote>
<blockquote>Dexterity: 131</blockquote>
<blockquote>Intelligence: 18</blockquote>
<blockquote>Vitality: 47</blockquote>
<blockquote>Skills:</blockquote>
<blockquote>Vehemence (Active): A powerful, strength-based strike with a <mark>cooldown</mark>.</blockquote>
<blockquote>Empowered Aura (Passive): Each strike carries additional force, boosting physical attack damage.</blockquote>
<blockquote>Basic Attack <mark>Lv</mark> 6 (Passive): Mastery of basic combat techniques, increasing damage output and efficiency.</blockquote>
<blockquote>Dash (Active): A burst of speed over a short distance, ideal for closing gaps or evading attacks.</blockquote>
<blockquote>Skill Notification: New Skill Unlocked</blockquote>
<blockquote>Dash (Active):</blockquote>
<blockquote>Description: A rapid burst of speed that propels the user forward over short distances. Ideal for high-stakes combat scenarios to evade attacks or execute precision strikes.</blockquote>
Jimmy glanced at the Thorn family, huddled beneath the shadow of a frost-covered tree. Garrick leaned heavily against the trunk, his face pale but set with grim determination. Lyra’s glowing hands worked tirelessly over his broken leg, her brow furrowed in concentration. Elise sat beside them, her bow resting on her lap, her fingers tightening around its grip. Her wary eyes flicked between the stranger and the shattered remains of the Goliath.
The man—this Exalted, because what else could he be?—moved with a purpose that set her on edge. He didn’t rush, didn’t falter, but every motion felt deliberate, like he was carving through the tension one step at a time. Elise watched as he reached into a bag that shimmered faintly before producing a cloth.
His katana caught the light as he cleaned it, slow and methodical, wiping the frost and blood away with the kind of care she recognized in seasoned hunters. It wasn’t just habit; it was ritual. His shoulders stayed loose, his gaze scanning the clearing even as he focused on the blade, like he was already calculating his next move, his next target.
Elise swallowed hard, her grip tightening on the bow. This wasn’t someone who stumbled into survival or fought because they had to. This was someone made for it. The way he carried himself, the way he fought—it was different.
The System granted Exalted their strength, their Core, their skills, but this man had something more. Something honed. He didn’t just fight well; he fought like he lived for it. Like <mark>Vinterra</mark> was less a trial and more… a calling.
She glanced at Garrick, who met her eyes briefly before nodding toward the stranger. They’d both seen enough to know what they were looking at. This wasn’t just an Exalted. This was someone who thrived in the chaos, someone born for it.
With the blade wiped clean, the man sheathed it with a quiet click, the sound breaking the frozen silence like a final note to the battle. He walked toward them, his steps steady, unhurried, his sharp eyes scanning the horizon as if danger might materialize at any moment.
Elise sat straighter, her heart pounding as the realization settled over her. She wasn’t sure if they’d just met a savior—or something far more dangerous.