Ruler of the Snowfield

The previous lord of Bostain territory, who had subjugated the magic realm even as all his sons died one by one, was no fool. On the contrary, the lords of Bostain throughout history had been sharper than the current one, which was why they understood the dangers of the magic realm all too well.

The thick mana emanating from the magic realm accelerated the evolution of monsters. Among the goblins that Suhyun had exterminated, those living in the icy lake had webbed feet and hands, while those on the cliffs had degenerated toes except for the big and index, resembling mountain goat hooves. This evolutionary acceleration tended toward more peaceful adaptations when populations near the magic realm were low, but as numbers grew and competition intensified, far more powerful individuals began to emerge.

Ordinary goblins struggled to survive, giving rise to ones that hid in heavy, monster-free icy lakes, on clifftops, or in hard-to-reach icy basins. Even trolls, which normally scattered individually, banded into small packs for survival competition because a lone troll couldn't make it. One might expect monsters strong enough to push goblins and trolls this far to appear, but they hadn't—for a simple reason.

They had been devoured by an overwhelming predator.

A bear the size of a small hill lifted its massive eyelids. Since the last magic realm subjugation, when a sword had pierced near its heart, it slept more than usual, only waking to devour any lifeform with potent mana. The amount of prey it consumed alongside those powerful beings gradually increased. Rather than just fattening up through cycles of gorging and sleeping, the polar bear had grown relentlessly, its size now rivaling a small mountain.

Instinct told it that just a little more—just a bit more food—and it would fully escape the sword's lingering effect on its heart. The polar bear growled in elation.

And at last, its final prey appeared.

Having tracked the mana scent flawlessly, devouring spirit herbs and minor spirit beasts to build its strength, the arctic fox's corpse—frozen to its snout—now relayed that keen sense of smell to the bear.

The bear stirred at the intensely dense mana odor, shaking off the snow piled on its body to reveal its true form. Ice crystals armored its castle-like frame, and within the blue ice floated corpses of various animals and monsters. From the massive bear that had slain the previous lord's heirs with brute force, its heart still pierced; to bear-kin wrapped in thick ice armor that deflected most attacks; a giant serpent wielding frost venom that slowly froze foes; an elk's horn that flash-froze any approaching animal with its rigid chill— the polar bear, adorned with frozen body parts from devoured monsters, rose to claim new prey.

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"Oh, damn."

The moment the polar bear rose, Suhyun—who was in the midst of severing a troll's limbs and packaging them—sensed its enormous mana.

Gauging the beast's size and power from its mana signature, Suhyun glanced at his companions. In this mana-saturated cold environment, Lucy's flame magic was neutered, powerless before the overwhelming chill, while Morian's shadows vanished under the snow-reflected light that erased all shade.

Unfortunately, without the terrain favoring them, Suhyun decided to send the group back. He pulled out the wings of a snow owl he'd caught incidentally while hunting, tied them to Lucy and Morian's waists, and chanted.

"The snow-covered forest is silent, and the owl with feathers like snow flies through that hush without a sound."

Before Lucy and Morian could ask about the sudden stealth spell muffling their presence and noise, Suhyun ordered them straight back to Nautilus.

"A big monster just stirred. Head back now."

Lucy and Morian nodded at Suhyun's firm command, but Eira objected.

"As a knight of House Bostain, which rules this region, I have a duty to ascertain what is happening, sir."

"It'll be dangerous."

"Even if danger and hardship await, how can I call myself noble if I turn from my duty, sir?"

Confident she could at least protect herself, Eira sweated coldly as they drew nearer the massive monster. The intensifying chill mana felt less like cold air and more like plunging into liquid nitrogen. Like dragging a freshwater fish from shallow waters to the abyss, the dense, alien cold crushed her. Her already pale skin blanched further, but as she barely endured, Suhyun's voice rang out.

"I see it."

Eira's eyes widened in shock at the colossal polar bear matching Suhyun's words. Its frame dwarfed any "large monster" label, blue ice crystals protruding from its body encasing familiar corpses—including one she recognized.

"Grandfather!"

Eira screamed at the sight of her grandfather's bisected corpse inside a massive ice crystal on the bear's right wrist.

"Oh, damn."

Suhyun drew up his mana as the polar bear reacted to Eira's cry.

"GRRAAAAAH!"

The bear's breath, laced with mana potent enough to freeze the air, blanketed everything in frost—even accelerating behind Suhyun.

"The one on its right wrist—your grandfather?"

"Yes, sir! We found only his lower half in the forest and thought the upper was eaten, but I never imagined he'd be preserved there, sir."

"But you didn't notice a bear that big?"

Suhyun questioned how they'd missed it—unless it'd never descended to human lands—but soon understood. Its weight cratered bare earth, yet left no trace on snow; refracted cold air cloaked it perfectly.

"Does that even make sense?"

The polar bear pursued Suhyun's swift flight silently, each step displacing air palpably due to its mass, yet soundless and traceless. Eira paled at the impossible hunter's prowess.

As she panicked on what to do, Suhyun's casual voice drifted from behind.

"Shall we give it a taste first?"

Suhyun calmly gripped a mana-formed spear and hurled it as if routine. The chill mana first slowed it, then an ice shield pierced—but it still grazed the bear's hide. Freezing on contact, it failed to penetrate, but the bear roared in fury at the touch.

"GRRAAH!"

The roar's shockwave rippled outward, snow surging like waves—proclaiming the polar bear this land's ruler.

"Defense is no joke."

A ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠throw that would've felled most large monsters bare-handed; Suhyun eyed Eira, overwhelmed by the mana and roar. Spotting good cover, he told her,

"Hide over there."

Suhyun leaped from his board, accelerating away via infused mana. Eira clearly saw him punch the bear's face mid-air. Tiny compared to the beast, yet it snapped the head back—stunning her.

Mages aren't supposed to punch, sir?

His board slotted into a snow-dimpled depression; Eira crept to observe discreetly. A mere magic duel wouldn't have risked interference, but that punch ignited her knightly soul over reason.

Meanwhile, the bear licked its chops at Suhyun, drawing power from its frozen corpses.

Three abilities from former snowfield ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠overlords activated simultaneously: the snow weasel's trapping blizzard; the ice hawk's swift snowwind flight; the ice-feathered snow owl's shredding talons. Overlapping blizzard arts amplified destructively.

Snowflakes clung, greedily stealing Suhyun's heat to slow him; ice feathers slashed within; the bear moved swifter inside. Perfect for snaring agile prey—the bear grinned, expecting a quick kill.

"Grinning?"

Suhyun's voice cut clearly through the roar-muffled gale.

The bear wielded stolen abilities diversely, but Suhyun had more. Incoming flakes? Melt with fire, block with barriers, or ignore via resistance. Penetrating feathers? Deflect winds or shatter. Storm-boosted bear? Ride lightning or wind paths faster.

But seeing that smirk, Suhyun opted to smash it head-on.

A black vortex tore the white blizzard; the fist smashed bear face and shoulder. GRRROOOOAR! It devoured the constant chill guard, ice shield, and subdermal scales in one blow. Baffled as its defenses shattered, the bear froze in confusion—Suhyun closed in.

Panicking, it layered every ability: steel-hard snowman eyes; snow hare ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ice spikes; serpent air-hardening shell; countless more from devoured foes.

"Flashy."

The bear stole and amplified diverse powers without innovating—like old Suhyun.

"Even a thousand tricks can't beat one absolute."

Echoing past words, Suhyun struck.

Black heavenly demon energy cloaked Suhyun's splayed fingers, clawing the magic-veiled shoulder—the right arm tore free. Unfathomable process, undeniable result. Eira and the bear alike couldn't comprehend; spells intact, yet the limb ripped like by a giant's talons.

"GRRAAAAH!"

Sensing doom, the bear breathed at Suhyun stowing the arm—even as he pocketed it.

From the frost wyvern—a snowfield king, distant dragon-kin—its trusted ultimate weapon: mana-condensed dragon-like breath to freeze and pierce all magic.

"Pathetic."

Reinterpreting Shaolin's 72 Arts via heavenly demon style, unlike the greedy claw's offense, this ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was defensive: dragon's grasp on the ungraspable, soft mastering hard. Left hand flexed—not shredding like greedy claw, but pure control without greed.

Hidden Eira marveled at the pinnacle of claw arts, honed from academy beastkin exchanges: ultimate offense and defense. The dragon claw seized the breath.

The bear couldn't fathom Suhyun clutching the wyvern breath; nor could spectator Eira.

"Returning it."

Controlling the seized breath, Suhyun shaped it into a spear.

Same spell, different mana—vastly superior. Bear-sized, mana density crushed the original. The bear turned to flee, but too late—the spear flew.

Three skills synergized, transcending mere throw. Already swift, now doubled-plus in speed and unerring—the bear had no dodge. Penetrating, it pierced belly to floor, pinning it. Screeching, the bear twisted—only to see a duplicate wyvern-breath spear from Throw.

"Farewell, lowly beast. Ruler of the snowfields no more."

The overwhelming spear impaled its throat, embedding in the snow-mountain—only then did the polar bear collapse into the snow.