Chapter 13 - Nightmare Ended By Chance

Heart racing, Leo stood still, staring into the crater before him. The destruction was more than he had been able to fathom — trees uprooted, the earth ripped apart. Those hands shook, not out of panic to flee, but in deep weight of what he had just committed.

"This… this is my strength," he whispered, a grin of ecstasy spreading across his face. The revelation hit him as firmly as his fist had smashed into that Orc Lord — he was done with being an ordinary adventurer.

He gazed down at his hands, awed by their power. He tipped his head as a slight wind ruffled his hair, and when he looked up, the bright blue of the sky and the glaring light of the sun met his eyes.

It was such a surreal scene that briefly he wondered if he was dreaming.

He stepped backward, lost his footing, and fell to the ground. It was a pretty long drop, but his fortified stamina had spared him the grazing. As he fell on his back, he discovered he landed in a much bigger hole in the floor, courtesy of his punch.

Did that punch actually pack that much power?! he mused, gasping at the size of the crater.

Thud!

He was interrupted by the sound of a stick hitting the earth.

"Young man," a high, old-fashioned woman's voice called out. Leo blinked, what he saw before him was almost unfathomable. There was a woman towering over him, calm but fearsome.

A thin mist followed each of her breaths, and the air around her shimmered with cold.

Her staff, taller than her, ended in an elaborate crystal that captured and threw off the light, separating it into a hundred glittering points. The ground itself seemed to bow whenever she moved, where she dwelled, where she traversed, where she walked, where she belonged.

Leo shuddered, not from the cold though, but from the aura of power that surrounded her. He had heard of wizards with powers that rivaled the gods, but facing one now, the stories he recalled said too little.

"Ahh, still breathing, are you?" she said, using the tone of someone much older and wiser. "Now tell me, what trouble have you gotten yourself into?"

Leo, still in shock at what he was looking at, was speechless.

Then a message flashed in front of Leo's eyes,

[System Notification] You have encountered Winter Warlock.

[System Notification] System User details acquired.

[System Notification] Open details?

He hit the "Okay" button without thinking. The window expanded, displaying detailed information:

Name: Kurea

Level: 70

Job: Wizard

System: Winter Warlock

It then listed her status, skills, abilities, and benefits she got from her system. Leo recalled what Ranna had told him, that system users could see only the name of other users' systems, hence their title like the Dragon Lord.

Kurea saw that he was observing her closely, but she took it a different way.

She tipped her head slightly and her lips twisted into a small, knowing smile.

"Oh-ho! Quit staring, young man! A proper gentleman keeps his eyes to himself." she said, her speech light yet rippled with humor. There was something in her eyes — something ancient and cold, like the heart of a glacier — that made Leo shiver.

A hand over her chest, the blue of her elegant dress danced with ice-like folds. Her white pointed hat tipped just slightly as she walked, shading her long white hair that fell over her shoulders, She sparkled for a moment in reprimand and humor with her blue eyes.

Taken aback, Leo stuttered an apology, his cheeks turning red with humiliation. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't know it would — I didn't mean to —"

Kurea sighed and waved a hand dismissively. "Forget it, young man. This place is far too dangerous for someone like you. Best you leave before you meet your end."

Leo shot to his feet, a slight bow. "Thank you." He glanced back and then hurried away, his heart racing.

He sighed to himself, Well, I dodged a bullet again this time.

As he stepped outside, he felt a sharp, cold wind on his skin. He glanced down and saw, to his great shock, that his shirt had blown completely off. He had been so lost in it that he hadn't noticed till now. His cheeks burned in shame as he attempted to shield himself with his arms.

"Fuck me, why am I only just seeing this?" he scowled, the air biting cold against his face. The shirt was a gift from Amanda, and just the thought of losing it hurt worse than the cold.

It must have blown off when the Orc Lord hit me, he thought and sighed heavily.

As he hurried along, trying to avoid being seen, he couldn't help but take a moment to admire his body. It was the first time he saw himself since syncing with Amanda, and the change was stunning. Gone was that slightly pudgy tummy and the average build he had back on Earth.

Now his body was sculpted and muscular, with chiseled abs, and muscular shoulders.

Wow, look at me, he thought, surprised and a little in awe.

He flexed his arms a little, astonished at the added muscle and definition. "Not bad, Leo, not bad at all," he muttered under his breath, a self-satisfied smirk plastered on his face.

But the cold soon brought him back to his predicament. Okay, focus. I've got to get home without Amanda seeing me looking like this, he thought, picking up his hurried walk again, arms folded across his chest for warmth.

Leo maneuvered by a knot of soldiers and overheard bits of their conversation: no indications of other high-tier adventurers around the area and acknowledgment that the Goblin Dominion had fallen with the defeat of the Orc Lord.

Kurea looked over at Leo, released her staff, and crossed her arms. The staff ignited and turned into a magical owl, its feathers shimmering ice blue. Its eyes glimmered with a ghostly shine, and it seemed to radiate an aura of thousand-year-old wisdom.

"Coco, have you felt anything from watching him?" she asked.

As it scrutinized Leo, Coco tilted its head, its glowing eyes narrowing. The owl hesitated for a few moments as though sensing that something strange was happening. But then it abruptly fluffed its feathers up and turned its back. "He is an average citizen, not even a registered adventurer," it replied, its voice slightly irritated.

"And no calling the legendary owl 'Coco!'" the owl squawked reproachfully, but Kurea did not pay attention; she retained her gaze on Leo until he disappeared beyond the woods.