Snow kicked up in the forest as Yuanchen dodged laser beams after laser beams, some cutting close to home as they missed him by inches.
How did he end up in this position?
Yuanchen had been walking for two days, and the desert climate of Ducathet had faded, replaced by the snow-covered mountaintops of the northern region. Just when he entered the forest, a pack of trash beasts had attacked him, and that's how he ended up in the situation he was in.
Yuanchen turned around one of the larger trees and scaled to the highest branches as quickly as he could; he sat at the top branch and glared down at the wolf-like trash beasts circling around the base of the tree.
"Damn you, Silas, why didn't you warn me about these things?" he cussed under his breath as he tried to formulate a plan he could use to escape the situation he was in. Unlike the first trash beast he had soundly defeated, these ones had speed, power, agility, and endurance on their side—added to their naturally camouflaged snow-like trash and the ability to fire laser beams at him.
Different kind of trash beast indeed.
Yuanchen cussed again. He couldn't use the sword scripture that Shengyuan had been teaching him; he couldn't use the Palming Lotus — he looked at his right hand and clenched the steel hand tightly. He had two more blast attacks before he needed to recharge it.
As he was looking at his hand, something clicked in his mind.
The trash beasts were not firing at him.
Weird.
But that was the opportunity he needed as he charged up the Neuro-Qi flowing in his artificial hand and jumped from the tree. His fingers unfolded, and the center of the arm released a massive blast that tore through the front of the trash beasts, killing the first two and eradicating their cores.
Yuanchen tucked and rolled on the snow and quickly made it to his feet to dodge another attack.
He raised his right hand and used it as a shield to block the pouncing trash beast—wincing from the thrashing once it latched on. Yuanchen punched the beast in the eye and pulled out the components making up the eye.
With a handshake, he loosened the beast's grip and threw it away just as another laser beam struck where he stood, exploding and sending him flying out of the smoke.
Yuanchen skidded on the ground and gritted his teeth.
The trash beasts he had killed did nothing to dwindle their numbers; in fact, they seemed to have increased, because the first time he had counted six, and minus the two he killed, there should only be four left.
But somehow, the trash beasts were twelve in number.
"How I wish I could use my powers," he mused and got to his feet.
Humans are just sad. Jinx's voice flooded his mind, and the bipedal creature materialized beside him.
Yuanchen looked at the small creature, and a scowl married his face. "What do you want? Can't you see I am busy?"
Jinx made a sound similar to laughing, which annoyed Yuanchen even more. I am here to help you. If you die, Master Shengyuan dies too.
Jinx's eyes glowed, and the world flickered between white and the natural scenery—in that moment, the trees distorted per Jinx's discretion and shot from all sides, skewering the slower trash beasts and reducing the numbers from twelve to nine.
Jinx turned to Yuanchen. Well, that's all I can do with the limited amount.
Yuanchen's jaw dropped. "You serious?" His complaints fell on deaf ears as Jinx disappeared from his side.
The trash beasts growled and closed in on the distance. Yuanchen braced himself; he had one opportunity to make the last charge in his arm count—he couldn't afford to miss.
From the corners of his vision, a light twinkled in the sky and shot past him, leaving a burning sensation, then hit the three trash beasts in his path, destroying their cores in one shot.
Yuanchen looked into the distance and saw silhouettes coming closer; he heaved a sigh of relief, knowing he was safe.
The silhouettes continued shooting blasts at the trash beasts, lowering their numbers with each attack until there was nothing left.
"Hope you are good here," one of the silhouettes asked as Yuanchen got a good look at them.
They were both females, but one stood out.
The woman who spoke first had a mop of black hair with purple highlights, dark grey eyes, and a sharp facial structure. She wore a tank top despite the weather conditions and a bodysuit with the top folded around her waist.
Next to the woman was another—she, however, was different from the first.
She had shoulder-length red hair with bangs framing her face, glistening red eyes that sparkled under the snow's reflective affinity. The woman wore a bodysuit that was buttoned up to her neck, and she had a backpack strapped to her back.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Yuanchen said.
The mix-colored-haired woman grinned. "Good. I don't know what you were thinking, but you have guts to venture through this harsh terrain. It's a miracle that you did not encounter any blizzards—what brings you here?"
Yuanchen kept a skeptical eye on the two. "Someone told me if I head north, I will find a region called Snow-Peak. As for why I am here, well, that's to find the implants specialist."
The two women eyed each other after Yuanchen said that and looked back at him. "Come on then, Snow-Peak is right this way."
---
Amazing.
That was the only thought floating in Yuanchen's mind as he made it to Snow-Peak Region. The buildings were all made from snow, in a way; incorporated into the snow were glyphs that made structures hold together.
Mini floating sections connected the region's buildings together, stretching as far as the eye could see, and in the center was a humongous statue of a woman.
"Like what you see here?" the woman asked.
Yuanchen nodded—he would be lying if he said he did not find the region amazing. "Yeah, everything is so cool. By the way, I haven't gotten your names yet."
"I'm Serena," the multi-colored-haired woman introduced herself and pointed at the redhead, who had yet to say a single word. "This is Edith."
Out of common courtesy, Yuanchen introduced himself. "I am Yuanchen."
"Yuanchen, you said you were looking for someone that is well-versed in implants, didn't you?" Serena asked, looking back at Yuanchen from the corner of her eye.
Yuanchen nodded, confirming the question without wasting a breath to say yes.
Serena's grin widened—oh, she was going to enjoy this; and with a single finger point, she revealed what made Yuanchen pause.
"You are looking at her. I am Serena Navi, and I am also the chief of this region!"