"Overtime?"
The deep, hoarse voice echoed from the stone staircase. Revista descended with heavy steps. The man hadn't had the chance to bathe; he was still shirtless, flaunting muscles littered with scars. However, his red eyes now glared sharply at Stephanie.
"Unfortunately, yes," Stephanie answered calmly. She glanced at the pale Titus and Rufus. "You two, find any weapons you can. Iron pipes, sharp wood, or rocks. Protect my maid."
"M-My Lady, those are Frost Wolves!" Rufus whined, his knees trembling. "Tier 5! Regular soldiers need five men to take down just one. We're all going to die!"
Awooooo!
Howls echoed through the blizzard outside. The sound was very close. Too close.
The next second, five white shadows darted in through the gaping castle windows and the shattered main doors. The giant wolves, the size of calves, landed in the hall with their claws scraping against the marble floor. Their fur was as white as snow, with ice fangs dripping with saliva.
The monsters' ferocious eyes immediately locked onto the strongest scent of blood: the crushed arm of the thug boss, who was still lying unconscious.
The largest wolf—the Alpha—pounced forward.
"Don't just stand there, asset," Stephanie called out flatly.
BAM!
The hall floor trembled violently.
It wasn't the wolf that landed, but Revista. The silver-haired man moved faster than lightning, intercepting the Alpha's path. His bare hands clamped around the giant wolf's upper and lower jaw in a single motion.
CRACK!
The sickening sound of breaking bones echoed. Revista shattered the Alpha's jaw using pure grip strength alone, then slammed the hundreds of kilograms heavy body into a stone pillar until it was crushed.
Blackish-blue blood splattered onto the floor.
The other four wolves halted. Their animal instincts screamed danger, but starvation made them desperate. They attacked Revista from four directions at once.
Stephanie stood her ground, her eyes narrowing, not showing a single speck of fear. Instead, her brain began to calculate rapidly.
One intact Frost Wolf pelt is worth fifty silver coins in the capital. The magic core? Two gold coins, Stephanie thought. This isn't a monster attack. This is a free raw material delivery.
"Revista!" Stephanie shouted, cutting through the growls in the hall. "Don't crush their heads! Their pelts are highly valuable. Kill them without damaging the fur!"
Revista, who was just about to rip the second wolf's stomach open, clicked his tongue in annoyance. Strangely, however, his body obeyed.
Instead of using his rough claws, Revista dodged the wolf's bite, sidestepped, and landed a single, lethal strike right at the blind spot behind the wolf's ear.
Thud. The monster died instantly from internal brain trauma. Its fur remained perfectly intact.
In less than a minute, the hall was littered with wolf corpses. Three dead, one Alpha dying, and the last wolf retreated in terror, its tail tucked between its hind legs.
Revista's breathing was heavy. Lethal, scorching heat radiated from his body. His red eyes now glowed brightly, losing their rational focus. The Abyssal Curse in his blood reacted to the thrill of the kill, provoking his feral instincts to slaughter anything that moved.
He turned toward Titus and Rufus. The two thugs wet themselves on the spot.
Revista growled, taking a step forward.
"Enough."
A small, cold hand pressed against Revista's muscular, blood-stained arm.
Revista flinched. The murderous aura around him evaporated the moment Stephanie's skin touched his. His clenched jaw slowly relaxed.
"Targets acquired. Good job, all of you," Stephanie said softly, yet her tone locked Revista's sanity, keeping him anchored to reality.
The man's red eyes regained focus, staring at Stephanie's face, which was incredibly close to his. Revista's hot breath hit Stephanie's forehead, but she didn't step back at all.
[Ding! Emergency Quest Completed! Rating: Perfect.]
[Reward: +500 WP, Basic Space Heater Blueprint.]
[Loot Items detected: 4 Frozen Magic Cores, 4 Intact Pelts.]
Stephanie smirked looking at the blue screen. Fantastic initial capital.
She removed her hand from Revista's arm and turned to the fifth wolf, which was still alive and trembling in the corner of the room.
"Titus, tie up that surviving wolf. We're going to keep it," Stephanie ordered casually.
Titus gaped. "K-keep a monster, My Lady?!"
"It can pull our cargo carts later. Logistics efficiency," Stephanie answered without a care.
However, before Stephanie could give further orders, a blast of ice-cold wind slammed into the hall. The remaining embers in the wall torches died instantly.
The air turned into a freezing fog.
[Critical Warning!]
[The 'Winter Tide' Blizzard has arrived early. Room temperature plummeted to -25°C.]
[Estimated time of death from hypothermia: 10 Minutes.]
Vespera let out a soft shriek before fainting from the extreme temperature. Titus and Rufus curled up, their lips turning blue instantly.
Stephanie's body began to tremble violently. The cold pierced straight into her bones, causing her vision to darken.
Suddenly, a muscular, scorching-hot arm grabbed her waist roughly.
Stephanie gasped as her body collided with Revista's broad, burning chest. The intense heat from the man's Abyssal Curse immediately enveloped Stephanie like an incredibly comfortable thermal blanket.
Revista hugged her tightly, his jaw resting on the top of Stephanie's head. His deep voice trembled, half-growling.
"Don't you dare die," Revista whispered possessively. "You promised to feed me."
[Nymphaearoot the Author]: The Winter Tide waits for no one! Our CEO finally got her free heater, but how will they survive the night? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!