How to survive in the Romance Fantasy Game Chapter 690: Frozen Trials 4

"Is this the right path?"

Snow whispered to herself, her words scarcely rising above the whisper of the gale.

The flakes of snow nearby obeyed her command, swirling ahead as though they sensed the destination.

It clustered and parted in front, leading her to a sturdy shape far off.

A tower.

Lofty. Pale. Steadfast amid the boundless chill.

It emerged from the drifts as if rooted there eternally, encased in heavy sheets of frost and flakes.

Briefly, memories of the enchanted spires in the royal city surfaced—those majestic ivory peaks that stabbed at the heavens.

Even the distant lands she had explored lacked anything comparable.

Yet this structure seemed... distinct.

More frigid.

Observant.

"Did I complete the initial challenge?" she pondered softly.

She looked over her shoulder at the path she had carved.

The barren expanse extended forever, hushed and vacant.

No force. No sound. No opposition.

Her response—her command—had gained approval.

Thus, this must signal the next ordeal.

She exhaled gradually, sensing her mana awaken under her flesh. It prickled, vigilant.

"Disperse..."

With her order, the snow encircling her fanned out in every direction.

The rime on the tower quivered and gradually lifted, as though recognizing her arrival.

The thick coatings of frost cascaded down.

And underneath—

A pale stairway emerged.

One step at a time, she ascended.

Every footfall resounded gently in the icy quiet.

At the summit waited a enormous pale entrance.

Flawless.

Nearly excessively ideal.

As she drew near, the entrance's face started to shine with a pale blue radiance.

The identical glow that had engulfed her in the opening trial.

The entrance swung open by itself.

Beyond lay a dazzling brightness.

The glow burned fiercely.

Yet Snow pressed on without pause.

She advanced.

For an instant, she shut her eyes, experiencing that familiar mana-drenched feeling assail her awareness.

It brought no agony.

Merely overpowering.

As if immersed within an incantation.

Then—

Quiet.

She lifted her lids.

This occasion, the infinite icy barrenness had vanished.

No wailing gusts. No desolate skyline.

Rather—

"A hall?"

She found herself within a vast majestic chamber.

Expansive. Airy. Soaring.

All crafted from ice—yet not the crude, wild sort from earlier.

This gleamed smooth.

Polished to perfection.

Pale blue crystal that mirrored the light akin to mirrors.

Columns reached skyward, sculpted from solidified rime.

The vaulted roof loomed overhead, twinkling softly like embedded constellations.

It evoked a sense of recognition.

Not from prior visits.

But from an innate connection, as if it were hers by right.

...

Frost Queen.

Despite the game's vast lore that Riley possessed, details on her remained scarce.

She ranked outside the primary global adversaries.

No extensive tales, concealed missions, or cryptic notes tucked into artifacts.

In truth, she scarcely appeared beyond Snow's narrative arc.

She qualified as a storyline foe.

The sort that manifests solely when a particular figure hits a key milestone.

The variety designed to propel that figure onward.

To shatter them.

Or to grant an abrupt, contrived surge in strength for narrative convenience.

No deep origins.

No elaborate past.

No solid rationale.

Merely a designation.

Frost Queen.

Riley grasped her nature.

He understood her powers.

Her command over elements reigned supreme in her territory.

Ice formations.

Domination of snow.

Healing via surrounding chill.

He knew her vulnerabilities as well—fire-infused sanctity, core mana interference, emotional turmoil causing attack variations.

But that applied to the game.

This realm transcended gameplay.

Rules didn't transfer seamlessly to the real world.

Characters held more than prewritten lines.

And adversaries embodied more than depleting vitality meters.

'She brings to mind the White Queen...'

The idea flickered through his thoughts while trailing Anica, the Frost Dragon.

The enormous beast glided with subdued command along the chilled passage, her tail grazing the frosty ground softly.

Her every stride resounded subtly as she guided him to the royal chamber.

The White Queen.

A concealed finale adversary.

Wretched and misinterpreted.

'Given that the game essentially weaves the blended recollections of my former lives into a single tale... does that imply she was perpetually this way across most timelines?'

Few gamers ever unearthed her complete backstory.

The game offered scant glimpses.

One needed to assemble fragments from disjointed lines, scenic hints, one elusive scene.

She held no malice.

Simply... trapped.

The Frost Queen evoked a parallel vibe.

Not in might. Not in structure.

But in aura.

Something unfinished marked her being.

As if her purpose extended beyond mere conquest.

As if she served not as a mere barrier.

Riley's eyes sharpened a touch as the colossal iced portals at the passage's end appeared.

After all...

She counted among the rare storyline foes who surrendered her existence voluntarily.

Not from defeat.

Not from coercion.

But for another reason.

"Hmm... you're surprisingly subdued, human. I figured you'd bombard me with inquiries..."

Anica's resonant tone reverberated along the chilled passage as she angled her huge head to peer back at him.

For context, she had strolled at his side before in her transformed human guise—serene, poised, nearly graceful.

Yet midway along the route, she had reverted to her authentic shape.

Now her genuine form dominated the corridor.

Enormous wings tucked to her sides.

Frosty azure scales that gleamed like etched gems.

Her claw steps on the icy surface etched subtle fissures that mended moments later.

She didn't compress the area.

She commanded it.

Riley held his tongue briefly.

In truth, queries did occupy his mind.

Plenty of them.

But none vital for his endurance.

They delved into private fascinations.

Backstory.

Intentions.

Elements that wouldn't alter his immediate actions.

"I favor straightforward responses," he stated evenly.

Anica emitted a deep, entertained rumble.

"Hoho... remarkably forthright for a youthful human. Did you know dragons often relish enigmas and puzzles?"

"..."

Riley offered no reply.

The dragon's frosty exhalation clouded the atmosphere as she laughed gently.

"No need to respond. Not every dragon shares the same traits."

She halted, her tail swinging idly in her wake.

"Yet since our Queen displays an intrigue toward you, I hoped you'd exhibit a tad more... engagement."

Her vast eye turned back to him once more.

"Though I suppose meddling isn't my role."

They proceeded a few paces wordlessly before she spoke again.

"Then perhaps skip the private topics—something basic instead? Surely you're intrigued by the creation of these chambers..."

The grand columns encircling them were hewn from pristine ice.

The surfaces gleamed subtly, resembling iced swells frozen in place.

No cracks. No connections.

Simply impeccable form.

"That doesn't interest me," Riley answered bluntly.

Anica tsked.

"Tsk. Such a letdown."

Riley's gaze tightened faintly.

He couldn't pinpoint why this Frost Dragon chattered so much.

Though...

Dragons rarely proved entirely sane.

Frost Dragon Anica.

Similar to the Frost Queen, the game offered little on her.

She appeared as an intermediate foe in Snow's path.

Immensely tough to fell.

Elevated defenses.

Savage territorial dominance.

Gamers griped over her blizzard assaults and unrelenting strain in the second stage.

But nothing beyond.

No rich history.

Just a formidable guardian blocking progress.

She likely stood as one of the remaining authentic dragons in existence.

And even then, striding before him, her sheer essence pressed down heavily.

Dense mana seeped from her pale scales like chilling vapor.

It lacked hostility.

It held no intent.

It simply permeated.

The atmosphere grew denser in her vicinity.

Most mortals—even peak realm achievers—would falter merely nearby.

Their survival drives would urge submission or flight.

But against his betrothed...

Riley's stare remained steady.

Contemporary dragons inevitably dimmed beside her.

Even so.

Does such caliber of dragon instinctively unleash Dragon Fear without thought?

[Skill: Dragon Fear (Unique)]

A innate aura ability exclusive to dragons.

It enabled subjugation of inferiors by hierarchy.

Not via raw power—but via primal urge.

A weight that slithered beneath the flesh, declaring you as quarry.

Or...

Is she merely uneasy in my presence?

Riley watched her in silence.

Though she behaved as a standard, dutiful escort—loquacious, even whimsical—a distinct wariness laced her motions.

The mana emanating from her wasn't chaotic.

It felt strained.

Restrained.

He speculated if his aggressive tactics from before still haunted her recollections.

At last, they reached a enormous pale paired entrance.

It surpassed Anica's draconic height. Sleek. Fashioned from immaculate ice that echoed subtle azure hues.

Silently, Anica's frame started to shimmer.

In a swift swirl of rime and mana, her colossal draconic shape contracted and morphed.

She resumed her human guise.

Statuesque. Graceful. Cascading white locks down her spine. Fair complexion nearly luminous in the iced space.

Her spiraled horns endured.

And her slender pale tail flicked gently behind.

"As we enter the Queen's chamber..."

she noted steadily, straightening her stance.

"You wouldn't object to a touch more decorum, would you?"

"Decorum?"

"Relax. It aligns closely with mortal traditions~"

With those words, her tail eased ahead.

And encircled his midsection.

Riley glanced downward.

"What is this?"

"Merely a ritual touch of propriety~" she answered breezily.

Her voice stayed light, yet her tail's hold remained solid.

Not confining.

Simply... securing.

Riley failed to see how this qualified as decorum.

Draconic rites weren't his field of study.

Regardless, he refrained from protest.

After all, Liyana shared that affectionate streak.

And.

He simply sought to conclude this swiftly.

Creak—

The enormous portals gradually parted.

A sharper chill rushed forth from within.

"Now then, shall we—"

Anica's phrase halted abruptly.

Her tail swiftly released and withdrew from his waist.

"Hm?"

Riley pivoted to regard her.

For the initial moment since their journey began—

The Frost Dragon appeared truly startled?