Chapter 125: Snowstorm

Clearly, he planned to steal those things.

Ugo felt a headache.

He shot a vine into the water to grab and take Rio back. But the pup slipped stubbornly, twisting his small body and darting deeper toward the glowing shield like a stubborn fish himself.

Feeling helpless, Ugo jumped into the water. As soon as he jumped, the fish also shot at him with its mouth wide open.

It bypassed Rio completely and attacked Ugo instead.

Levi on the shore let out a howl and instantly turned into a blurred wolf figure.

He grabbed Ugo’s back with his teeth and landed on the other side in two leaps, escaping the fish’s big mouth by a fraction.

Water splashed as the fish slammed into the water. Its jaws snapped shut on empty air with a clack.

Ugo was bewildered, but still he flailed and turned sharply. "Rio! Take Rio back!"

"Are you dumb? Can’t you see that fish’s target is only you, not him?" Levi grumbled.

He had already turned back to his human form, water dripping from his dark olive robe. His monocle was somehow still perfectly in place.

Ugo suddenly froze in place.

That’s not right!

How could Levi shapeshift so easily? He was only twenty years old.

Still hadn’t gained enough experience. He had never heard of such a young man who could shapeshift so easily and so cleanly.

"You..."

"I am an Eclipse spirit healer," Levi simply said, wiping water from his chin. "Eclipse-grade spirits can always shapeshift as long as they are awakened. Don’t look so shocked. It’s normal for us."

Ugo didn’t pay much attention to him anymore. It always felt bitter talking to this guy.

He was worried about Rio.

And then he noticed, indeed, the fish was only guarding the treasure but not hunting Rio. The massive ice-scaled beast circled the shield slowly, cold blue eyes locked on Ugo whenever he moved even a little closer.

He felt a dilemma.

Before he could decide what to do, the temperature around them suddenly dropped.

The drifting snow turned violent.

In just a few breaths, a full snowstorm swallowed the entire glacier.

The clear blue pool, the ice peaks, even the path they came from, all disappeared behind wind and white snow.

The world turned into a howling white void.

A cold, emotionless voice sounded from the storm.

"Outsiders who disturb the Snow Valley... accept the trial of the Mount Glacier."

A tall figure appeared for a breath among the flying snow.

His white robes, pale face, and long silver hair that blended with the storm billowed with the wind.

Then the figure dissolved into the snowstorm as if he had never been there.

The wind slowly became rabid and merciless.

Ugo shot another vine and took the chance when the pup was not keeping an eye on him to drag him closer.

He pulled Rio into his arms and shot more vines outward, trying to form a barrier.

The vines froze almost the moment they appeared and shattered into pieces with sharp cracking sounds.

"Damn it. It’s freezing." Ugo’s teeth clattered when he talked. His fingers were already going numb.

They slammed onto a small cliff as the storm threw them a few meters away.

The force cracked an ice slope, and they fell right on their heads. Pain shot through Ugo’s shoulder. Rio let out a small yelp.

Levi’s monocle flashed with silver light.

Suddenly, a thin glass barrier expanded and wrapped around the three of them.

The initial force of the ice was blocked, but the debris still hurt them.

Small ice shards scraped against the barrier and made sharp ticking sounds. For a fraction of a second, even Rio shivered and pressed tighter against Ugo’s chest, his little body trembling.

Levi suddenly grabbed Ugo’s arm and pulled him forward.

"Don’t stay in one place. Keep moving. The storm will bury us if we stop."

They ran blindly through the white hell.

Several times Ugo’s foot slipped toward hidden ice cracks. Each time, Levi yanked him back with surprising strength, almost lifting him off the ground.

Rio stayed quiet in Ugo’s arms, only letting out small whimpers when the wind howled louder.

After a long time, Ugo’s legs started going numb from the cold.

Every step felt heavier than the last.

His breath came out in white clouds, and breathing in became a war.

Meanwhile, as if disturbed by this endless snow, Rio lifted his head high and shook his fur violently.

He let out a long and sharp howl all of a sudden.

"AWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!"

For an instant, Levi and Ugo both halted in place. Their ears turned deaf, and they felt like even the air also stopped moving.

A drop of blood slowly trickled out from Levi’s ear.

But surprisingly, the storm indeed paused.

All that tantrum froze in place as if it had never happened. Snowflakes hung in the air for a second before gently falling again.

"..."

"..."

Ugo and Levi both felt they were unnecessary here and were being fooled.

In a rage, Ugo just let the pup go and move freely.

He had never been this ashamed in front of a stranger before.

He even let a man drag him around and protect him like a girl. He was really a bit angry at himself and at his limited fighting ability. He swore he would work on his skill later on.

And here, the place itself was playing with him like he was an extra.

Rio, on the other hand, shook his fur a few times. The snow that covered him fell to the ground. And he let out another big angry howl.

"AWOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!"

This time Levi was smart.

He hurriedly pressed Ugo’s ears with both hands so as not to hear the hellish sound.

"..."

Ugo stood there speechless.

"Damn, the fuck are you closing my ears for? It’s not your ears." Ugo shouted irritably at Levi, whose nose was bleeding with ear this time.

"???"

Levi looked at the drop of blood on the snowy ground and felt he must have lost his mind.

"Never mind me." He pulled out his hands and wiped his nose with the back of his sleeve, looking annoyed.

"Sigh!"

A soft sigh echoed through the air.

"The little wolf carries the ice essence. The Ice Sculpture Spirit Lotus is his. Take it and leave. Do not return until you are stronger."

Ugo, Levi, and Rio all simultaneously looked for the source of the voice.

"I am here."

The tall figure in white robes appeared again, this time standing calmly on a raised ice platform not far from them.

His long silver hair floated slightly even though the wind had stopped. His face was pale and expressionless, like it was carved from ice itself.

In his hand floated a pure white lotus made of ice crystal.

Soft, cold light pulsed from its petals.

Ugo knew just by one look it was the same thing under the pool water.

Rio’s ears perked up at once.

He walked forward without any fear and gently bit the stem of the lotus.

The moment it entered his mouth, white light wrapped around his small body.

His bones started to shift while his fur lengthened.