(Conclusion of the Frost Realm Arc)
The trio slept beneath what used to be a shop—roofed in crumpled tin and signs that no longer pointed anywhere. Guruji sat cross-legged, veiled in cloth, face pale and unreadable. Grimbleshank snored upside down under a meat sack, with Minimus gnawing a bone beside him.
Everett's hand was bleeding again. His legs were sore from the fight with the elephant. His breath still carried frost.
Then came the notification—etched in cold light before his eyes.
---
[QUEST COMPLETE: SURVIVE FOR 24 HOURS]
🗡 Excess survival time across flowstream may lead to greater benefits or unexpected traps.
⚠ Proceed with caution. Time is not your ally.
---
Everett sat up, rubbing his eyes. "It's done," he whispered. "Guruji... Grimbleshank... we made it."
He looked to Guruji, who said without opening his eyes:
"One day is a curse… two is balance… three is fate. Four is ruin. Beyond that, the flow breaks. Balance is the truth. And truth, my child, is cold."
Then Everett turned to Grimbleshank. "The task is complete. But the system says staying longer might be a reward. Or a trap. What should we do?"
Grimbleshank rubbed his eyes and coughed out a laugh.
"Could be both," he said. "That's the thing about fate—it doesn't care what you expect."
He leaned forward, his expression sharpening.
"But I'll tell you what I know. Time doesn't flow the same here as it does back in your world."
He began to count on his short, knotted fingers.
"Day 1 here? That's just a day over there.
Day 2? Feels like a month when you go back.
Day 3? A year might've passed in your home.
Day 4? You'll return to find ten years gone.
After that? It's anyone's guess. A hundred years? A dead world? No one knows."
Everett's eyes widened. "So even if we survive longer, we might lose everything?"
Grimbleshank nodded. "It's a gamble. Your body returns… but time doesn't wait."
Everett asked, "Do you know what the reward is?"
"No," Grimbleshank said plainly. "I didn't return."
"Why not?"
"I was a greedy lad like you once. Stayed eight days. On the eighth day, I realized… too much time had passed. The flowstream between here and there had stretched so far that if I had gone back… I might've shattered it all. The system warned me. So I stayed. That's how I escaped the first trial."
Everett went quiet, then turned to Guruji.
"Can you divine how much time we should stay?"
Guruji opened one eye and said:
"One day is curse.
Two, balance.
Three, fate.
Four, decay.
From five onward—nothing but loss."
Everett nodded slowly.
"I'll stay for three," he said. "Guruji?"
Guruji smiled faintly.
"As fate has been for us, so let it remain."
Grimbleshank slapped his thigh. "Good choice! Stay for three days, and you'll work for me too. I won't be tired."
---
Day Two
They hunted again—this time, a many-legged beast with spikes for teeth and a scream that froze blood. They killed it together.
Minimus tore through the beast's tail. The six-headed dog pack reappeared, biting wildly. Everett's blade sang again, though slower now. Grimbleshank was tired, shorter by 5 cm, and his limbs felt like twigs.
The entire street was littered with carcasses—bones cracked, beast blood steaming in the frost. Eight to nine monsters lay dead outside the ruined shop.
Guruji never moved. The scripture-orbit around him had dimmed, but he still breathed. Still watched.
---
Day Three
The Second Sun returned—bright, slow, and cold. The city didn't stir.
Then came the final beast.
Tall. Starved. With a mirror-belly and antlers of broken glass. Its limbs were almost human, but its eyes were ancient.
Guruji finally spoke:
"Now the fate is most positive for us… whatever may come."
Everett held his knife tight.
Grimbleshank stood slowly. "Boy," he said, "I've watched many travelers. Fought beside monsters, even fools."
He smirked. "You're not the strongest. Or the kindest. But I'll be damned… I've had the best company with you."
He tossed a meat sack over his shoulder.
"Go. Return to your end. Let's meet again—if fate ever bothers to look back."
Guruji added softly:
"If it is written… we shall meet. Another sun. Another wound."
Everett stepped forward and accepted the system's return.
"Will anyone even remember my name?"
> ✅ Trial Complete: 3 Days Survived
⚠ Remaining longer may grant greater rewards—or consequences.
⏳ Estimated Time Passed in Origin World: ~30 Year
The frost dissolved like mist. Time twisted gently. And behind him, a mystic hummed a forgotten verse, and a dwarf laughed at something only he could understand.
There was no stew left. Only silence, and the memory of warmth.
---
[END OF FROST REALM ARC]