"If that's settled, I think we'd better go," Nell said, looking at the snowstorm. "The later we leave, the less time we'll have to walk, and the longer it'll take."
"We can only walk under the sun…" Lena murmured to herself. "The night will be too cold."
"The tournament was just a show of strength. In the end, it'll just be the three of us," Nyla agreed with Nell's decision.
Lena glanced at Azriel and his group from a distance.
"We could join his group… the crossing would be easier…" she whispered softly, making the other two turn to look at her.
"Did you say something, Lena?" Nelliel frowned in doubt.
"No… just thinking about some nonsense." She shook her head and then looked toward the city gate.
She focused on the challenge ahead of her.
"Ready to go?" Nell asked, just as focused.
"Of course."
"Yes."
"Then let's go…" Nelliel took the first step, and the other two followed closely behind.
The calm wind and warm sun above them were peaceful and soothing.
However, they had chosen to push forward into the glacial cold.
They stopped one step before the storm. One more step and they would leave the city's magical barrier and enter a high-intensity mana zone.
"On three. Don't be afraid of the cold!" Nelliel said, taking a deep breath.
"One!"
"Two!"
"Three!"
The icy wind roared against them.
They took the final step, the strong gusts pushing them sideways and nearly knocking them down. The freezing air stung their faces, threatening to turn them to ice.
Lena stepped firmly onto the ground beneath her, teeth clenched, and tried to look around. But visibility was minimal, she could barely see five steps ahead.
"Is it too late to turn back?!" Nyla shouted, her voice muffled by the howling wind.
"Stay calm! The area around the city is the worst part!" Lena shouted back, trying to overpower the storm. "The blizzard will ease up soon."
Nyla gritted her teeth and pushed on, her fingers growing colder and stiffer with every step.
Little by little, they pressed forward through the storm of ice and snow. Each step demanded their full strength, while their minds screamed at them to go back.
The snow beneath their feet slowly gave way, carving a path forward as they steadily gained ground.
Soon, the storm no longer roared as fiercely, visibility slowly improved, and the cold seemed to ease just a little.
At last, Lena took a deep breath at the top of a hill. Before her stretched a frozen lake, surrounded by a forest of tall, snow-covered trees.
The sun shone warmly above the lake, while to the east and west, two mountains formed a valley.
"This is the southern lake. We need to head to the northern one," She said, exhaling, her warm breath fogging the air.
Then she slid down the hill, heading for the lake's edge.
She smiled at the snow beneath her. Even though she had lived beside this mana zone, it was the first time she had ever touched snow.
Reaching the bottom, she quickly opened her backpack and pulled out the map, checking their route once more.
"We have three paths from here," Lena told her companions. "Go along the smaller western mountain, the larger eastern mountain, or follow the valley straight to the northern lake."
"And which one has our great navigator chosen?" Nelliel asked, leaning closer to examine the map carefully.
"The glass-weaver spiders dwell in the larger eastern mountain. It's a long route, but considered the safest. Although…"
"Don't keep us in suspense. What's the problem?" Nell said.
"Extensive cave networks can hide unpredictable dangers, especially camouflaged creatures or collapses."
"And the other two paths?" Nyla asked, looking at the view ahead.
"Most creatures live in the valley, but it's also the shortest and most direct route. The smaller mountain has similar challenges to the larger one, although it is quicker to traverse, also has some dangerous beasts."
Nyla nodded.
"Our quest points east, so let's go east," She sighed. "And good thing it points east."
"Or maybe not…" Nelliel caught their attention. "The environment itself is a challenge."
"How long would the crossing take?" Nelliel asked Lena.
"About three weeks to a month," She nodded, then continued.
"Our supplies won't last that long. We'll need to hunt beasts, and those will be in the valley, if I understood correctly."
Lena swallowed hard.
"Yes, they're in the valley, far from where we'll be." Nelliel turned to face the mountain again.
"Going through the larger mountain also means a lack of basic resources over time… we'll need to ration everything from the start."
"Or hunt something there…" Nyla sighed again. "I don't feel confident hunting, but if we were near the lake, at least we could fish."
"You can eat spiders…" Lena suddenly said, shocking and disgusting the other two. Even so, they stayed quiet.
The group fell into silence as they considered their options.
"What do spiders taste like?" Nyla asked. Lena just shook her head, unsure.
"I've heard they taste like chicken," Nelliel replied. "When in doubt, most 'wild' meat tastes like chicken."
They exchanged silent glances once more.
"It's really a tough decision… but we can postpone it for now," Lena said, gazing at the mountain.
"There's nothing out there that doesn't taste like 'chicken'… but that doesn't mean there's nothing edible. It'll just require some sacrifices when the time comes."
They swallowed hard, acknowledging the challenges ahead.
Food would inevitably become a problem.
…
Nearby, a small pink fox sat calmly watching the girls talk and argue among themselves.
Lyna couldn't help but sigh at the girls' naivety.
"The eastern mountain is by far the hardest to cross... The air will get thin, your muscles will weaken, and the cold will only get worse. The only difference is that you can rest without fear of being eaten."
"But I think that was his concern, too. Just not wanting them to be eaten."
"After all, there are no choices without dangers."