Jade stood quietly in the snow-covered clearing, the cold wind brushing gently against his face. The body of the snow wolf lay motionless on the ground, its massive white form stained with dark blood where Jade's vines had pierced through its flesh.
For a moment, the forest was completely silent.
Only the faint sound of the wind and the distant cracking of frozen branches could be heard.
Jade slowly exhaled.
His body still felt warm from the energy he had just absorbed. The power of the ice gene flowed quietly within him, giving him a strange sense of strength and stability.
Little Gold chirped softly while sitting on his shoulder, and Little Black lazily rested on his other shoulder, its small tail gently moving from side to side.
Jade looked down at the corpse of the snow wolf.
"That was harder than I expected…"
He muttered quietly.
But before he could think further, he heard something moving behind the bushes nearby.
The branches rustled.
Footsteps approached slowly.
Jade immediately turned toward the sound, his eyes narrowing slightly.
His body instinctively tensed, ready to react if another creature appeared.
Then—
A figure slowly stepped out of the bushes.
It was Henry.
The boy looked pale and exhausted, but his eyes were wide with disbelief.
He stared at the corpse of the snow wolf.
Then he looked at Jade.
Henry had watched the entire battle from the bushes.
And even now he still couldn't fully believe what he had seen.
A moment later, Henry walked closer.
His gaze moved between Jade, the dead snow wolf, and the vines that were slowly retreating back into Jade's body.
Henry shook his head slightly.
"I can't believe it…"
Jade raised an eyebrow.
"Believe what?"
Henry sighed and looked directly at him.
"That you actually killed it."
Jade shrugged casually.
"It wasn't easy."
Henry paused for a moment before speaking again.
"Thanks for saving my life."
Jade looked at him calmly.
"There's no need to thank me."
Henry blinked in confusion.
"You already paid me."
Jade said simply.
Henry stared at him for a few seconds.
Then he suddenly chuckled.
"You really don't recognize me, do you?"
Jade frowned slightly and looked at him carefully.
He scanned Henry from head to toe, trying to remember if he had ever seen this person before.
But no matter how much he thought about it—
Henry's face felt completely unfamiliar.
Finally, Jade shook his head.
"…No."
Henry sighed.
"I figured."
He crossed his arms and spoke calmly.
"I'm the son of a Transcendent."
Jade's eyes widened slightly when he heard that.
A Transcendent.
That was a title given only to individuals who had reached an incredibly powerful rank.
They were figures that stood far above ordinary Awakened fighters.
For a moment, Jade was slightly surprised.
But the surprise quickly faded.
His expression returned to normal.
After all, people changed as they grew older.
Even if they had met when they were children, it was possible that Jade simply didn't remember him anymore.
Jade shrugged lightly.
"Alright."
Then he looked around the frozen forest.
The cold wind was still blowing, and the trial area felt more dangerous the longer he stayed in the open.
"So…"
Jade said calmly.
"Is there any shelter nearby in this trial?"
Henry nodded immediately.
"Yeah."
"But it's not exactly a shelter."
Jade raised an eyebrow.
"What do you mean?"
Henry pointed deeper into the forest.
"There's a place built from the bones of a giant creature."
"Some people say it was the skeleton of a dinosaur or some ancient monster."
"Most participants stay there while they hunt."
Jade looked interested.
"A bone shelter…"
Henry then suddenly noticed something.
His eyes moved to Jade's shoulders.
He stared carefully.
"…Wait."
"What are those things on your shoulders?"
Jade looked down.
Little Gold was sitting on his right shoulder while Little Black rested comfortably on the left.
"Oh."
"You mean these?"
Jade gently picked up the small cub.
"This is Little Black."
Then he pointed at the bird.
"And this is Little Gold."
Henry stared at him.
"…You gave them names?"
Jade looked confused.
"Is there something wrong with that?"
Henry opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something.
But after a moment, he simply shook his head.
"…Never mind."
He then turned and began walking toward the forest path.
"Let's go to the shelter."
Jade followed him.
The two of them walked through the snowy forest quietly.
The path was uneven and covered with thick layers of frost. Occasionally, broken branches or claw marks could be seen on nearby trees, showing that many creatures roamed this area.
After walking for nearly half an hour, the forest slowly began to change.
The trees grew thinner, and the ground became covered with strange white bones.
Some of them were as large as tree trunks.
Finally—
They arrived.
Jade stopped walking.
In front of him stood a massive skeletal structure.
It looked like the remains of a gigantic creature.
Its enormous ribs curved upward like the frame of a massive building.
The skull rested at the far end, forming something that looked almost like an entrance.
The entire structure looked like a strange bone shelter.
Jade stared at it quietly.
"…So this is the shelter."
Henry nodded.
"Most people just call it the Bone Shelter."
Jade walked closer.
As he stepped inside, he noticed something interesting.
Many small shelters had been built inside the skeleton.
Some were made using large bones stacked together.
Others were constructed using branches, leaves, and pieces of dried wood.
It looked like many participants had once lived here.
But most of the shelters were now empty.
Some of them had collapsed.
Others were clearly abandoned.
Jade also noticed something else.
Old tools.
Broken weapons.
Pieces of dried meat.
And empty storage containers.
Henry spoke quietly.
"A lot of people died while hunting creatures outside."
"That's why so many shelters are empty now."
Jade nodded slowly.
The trial was clearly much more dangerous than he had expected.
He walked deeper into the shelter area.
Little Gold fluttered its wings slightly and chirped happily, clearly enjoying the warmer atmosphere inside the bone structure.
Little Black stretched lazily on Jade's shoulder.
Jade looked around carefully.
There were still a few decent spaces available.
Finally, he stopped at an empty corner of the shelter.
"This place will work."
Henry shrugged.
"Do whatever you want."
Jade nodded and began working immediately.
He started collecting bones from the surrounding area.
Large ribs.
Long leg bones.
Flat bone plates.
Using vines, Jade dragged them into position and slowly began building his own shelter.
First, he created a frame using the largest bones.
Then he filled the gaps using smaller bones and branches.
Leaves were used to cover openings and block the cold wind.
Little Gold occasionally flew around, watching curiously.
Little Black simply slept most of the time.
Henry watched Jade work for a while.
"You're building your own shelter?"
Jade nodded.
"It's safer."
Henry shrugged.
"Fair enough."
Over the next several days, Jade continued improving the shelter.
He reinforced the walls using thicker bones.
He created a small entrance that could easily be blocked during emergencies.
He even built a small storage area for food.
Sometimes he left the shelter to hunt small creatures in the forest.
Each time he returned, he brought meat or useful materials.
Day by day, the shelter slowly improved.
Finally—
After one full week of work—
Jade stepped back and looked at his finished shelter.
It was sturdy.
Simple.
But effective.
Little Gold chirped happily while flying in circles above it.
Little Black lazily climbed onto Jade's shoulder again.
Jade sighed softly.
"Well…"
"I guess this is home for now."
He sat down inside the shelter, leaning against the bone wall.
The cold wind howled faintly outside the giant skeleton.
Little Gold settled quietly on his shoulder.
Little Black curled up comfortably.
Jade looked at the two small creatures.
"…Now it's just the three of us."
And inside this dangerous trial…
They would have to survive together.