The Third Game Begins, First Test: The Arctic

The cold hit like a freight train, harsh and unforgiving. Yuuto's breath came out in sharp, frosty puffs as he stumbled forward into the blinding whiteness. All around him, the barren, frozen wasteland stretched out infinitely, as if the world had been swallowed by the Arctic itself.

The moment the group had escaped the supermarket, a new notification flashed across the system:

"Game 3: The Arctic—Commencing. First Test: Survival."

Without warning, Yuuto and Gajin had been ripped away from the others, dropped into this icy hellscape with no time to prepare or say goodbye. The only thing they had was each other—and even that felt fragile in the face of this unforgiving environment.

Yuuto's teeth chattered as he tightened his jacket around him, though it barely helped against the biting cold. Beside him, Gajin walked with a steady, determined pace, his age and experience showing through even in this brutal situation.

"We need to find shelter," Gajin said, his voice calm despite the situation. His eyes scanned the horizon, looking for anything that could protect them from the deadly cold.

Yuuto nodded, though his mind was still racing. "How… how is this even possible? We were just in the city, and now we're in the Arctic?"

Gajin adjusted the scarf around his neck, his breath visible in the frigid air. "The system doesn't care about what's possible. It's testing us. We're pawns in its game."

Yuuto had been through enough already to know Gajin was right. The system could warp reality itself, bending the rules of nature just to see if they could survive.

But why here? Why the Arctic?

They pushed forward, the snow crunching beneath their boots. The wind howled around them like the cry of a wild beast, each gust cutting through their layers of clothing with icy precision. Visibility was poor, and everything looked the same—endless white, with no sign of life or refuge.

"How long do you think we have?" Yuuto asked, his breath labored from the cold. His fingers were already starting to feel numb.

"Not long if we don't find shelter," Gajin replied. "Hypothermia will set in fast."

Yuuto cursed under his breath. It wasn't just the monsters or other players they had to worry about now—it was the environment itself, ready to claim their lives if they made even one mistake.

As they trudged through the snow, Gajin suddenly stopped, squinting into the distance. "There."

Yuuto followed his gaze and spotted what Gajin had seen: a faint outline in the distance, barely visible through the swirling snowstorm. It looked like a small structure—an old, weathered cabin, half-buried under a blanket of snow.

"Let's go!" Yuuto urged, hope flaring in his chest as they picked up the pace, moving toward the cabin as quickly as their frozen limbs would allow.

By the time they reached it, both of them were nearly frozen solid, but the sight of the cabin gave them a renewed sense of determination. The wooden walls were covered in frost, and the door hung slightly ajar, creaking in the wind. It didn't look like much, but it was better than freezing to death out here.

Gajin was the first to push the door open, revealing a dimly lit interior. There wasn't much—just a single room with a broken-down fireplace, a few wooden chairs, and some scattered supplies. But it was shelter. And right now, that was all that mattered.

They quickly shut the door behind them, blocking out the howling wind. Inside, the air was still cold but not nearly as brutal as it had been outside.

"We need to get a fire going," Gajin said immediately, moving to the fireplace. "Check the supplies, see if there's anything useful."

Yuuto nodded, his hands trembling from the cold as he began rummaging through the cabinets and drawers. Most of it was old, frozen, and useless, but after some searching, he managed to find a box of matches and some dry wood.

"Here," Yuuto said, handing the wood to Gajin. "Will this work?"

Gajin nodded, his experienced hands working quickly to set up the fire. Within minutes, the small cabin was filled with the crackling of flames, and a faint warmth began to spread through the room.

Yuuto sank down onto one of the chairs, rubbing his hands together in front of the fire. "Do you think the others are okay?"

Gajin didn't answer immediately, his eyes focused on the flames. "I don't know," he finally said, his voice quiet. "This game—it's designed to break us. To separate us. But they're strong. They'll survive."

Yuuto wanted to believe that. He had to believe it. But the system had already taken so much from them—Naoki's death still weighed heavily on his heart, and Akari's sudden disappearance haunted his thoughts.

"I don't get it," Yuuto muttered, staring into the fire. "Why us? Why are we in this nightmare?"

Gajin leaned back in his chair, his weathered face illuminated by the flickering light. "Sometimes, there aren't any answers. Sometimes, all we can do is survive."

The fire crackled between them, casting shadows across the room. For a brief moment, the cold seemed to retreat, replaced by a fragile sense of peace.

But the peace didn't last long.

Suddenly, a loud noise echoed from outside—a deep, rumbling sound that shook the walls of the cabin. Yuuto shot to his feet, his heart pounding in his chest.

"What the hell was that?" Yuuto asked, fear creeping into his voice.

Gajin stood slowly, his eyes narrowing as he reached for a makeshift weapon—a rusted metal rod he'd found in the corner of the cabin. "We're not alone."

Another rumble, louder this time, accompanied by the sound of heavy footsteps crunching through the snow.

Yuuto grabbed his knife, his hands shaking as he moved toward the window. He peered outside, his breath fogging up the glass, and his heart nearly stopped.

In the distance, a massive creature lumbered toward the cabin, its form barely visible through the blizzard. It was unlike anything Yuuto had ever seen—towering, with thick, ice-covered skin and glowing blue eyes that pierced through the storm.

"What… what is that?" Yuuto breathed, backing away from the window.

Gajin tightened his grip on the metal rod. "A test."