Snow Lion Cave [2]

The deeper we went, the quieter it got.

Even the wind, which had been howling outside like a starving wolf, fell completely silent—cut off by thick stone walls and winding tunnels. Only our footsteps echoed faintly off the damp, icy ground.

Alice kept close behind me, her sword half-drawn, eyes sharp and scanning every corner. She wasn't afraid, but she was tense. Every sense on high alert.

I paused at a fork in the path.

Left led into a wider corridor—more open space, more room for movement. That's where most would instinctively go.

But the right tunnel? Narrow. Almost hidden behind a fallen boulder and crusted with old frost.

I crouched, brushing my fingers over the rock.

Warm. Just barely—but enough to matter.

"There," I said, pointing to the narrow opening. "That's where the cub is."

Alice furrowed her brow. "How can you be sure?"

I smiled faintly, keeping my voice low. "Because it's warm, and the snow lions aren't stupid. They'd keep their young where it's safest."

She didn't respond, but I saw the slight shift in her stance—doubt flickering behind her confidence.

Still, she followed me as I slipped through the tight passage.

It opened up into a small hollow chamber, just like I remembered. A patch of moss grew on the back wall, fed by a trickle of melted snow from above. And in the center, curled up against a stone, was a small, sleeping form.

A snow lion cub.

Its fur was almost blindingly white, barely distinguishable from the snowy floor, but its slow, steady breathing gave it away.

At that moment, the little pup blinked its eyes open, staring up at me with silver irises that shimmered like mist.

In the corner of the chamber, my gaze caught on something else—glinting faintly beneath a pile of old bones and snow-stained cloth.

The artifact.

The very one I'd been hunting. A treasure fiercely guarded by the snow lions.

[Artifact Detected: Acquisition Locked]

[Objective: Clear the dungeon to claim this item]

Figures. Nothing's ever easy.

The pup squirmed in my arms and suddenly snapped at my hand—not with real force, just the instinctive nip of a predator in training. Its tiny teeth barely scratched my glove, but it still surprised me.

[Monster Detected: Snow Lion Cub]

[Status: Hostile | Threat Level: Low]

Red text. Even this little thing was classified as a monster.

Alice exhaled a quiet sigh.

"Seriously? We came all this way, and this is what we find?"

"It's more than it looks," I replied without missing a beat. "Didn't I tell you? We're not after just any lion. We're after what they value most."

A low, echoing growl interrupted us.

Alice's eyes widened—she had already spun around before I could say another word.

From the shadows behind us, massive figures emerged.

Snow Lions.

Their fur shimmered like crystal in the dim light, almost translucent—glistening with frost. Muscles rippled beneath the fur as they moved in perfect coordination, silent but deadly.

The pack had arrived.

I glanced at Alice. "Heh. This was the plan."

She didn't look amused.

"Using the cub as bait to lure out the entire pack? That's not strategy, that's twisted."

"I call it efficient," I said with a shrug.

Her gaze turned sharp, like I'd just suggested eating a baby. Fair enough. It wasn't exactly heroic.

The lions were already starting to surround us, closing in slowly—strategically. They weren't just mindless beasts. They were apex predators. Coordinated. Precise. Intelligent.

Then I saw him.

The largest of them all.

A deep scar cut across one of his eyes, his breathing heavy with restrained fury.

I knew that one.

He was the one who nearly killed me during my first time in this dungeon. He'd mauled one of my knights and would've finished me off if the Knight-Captain hadn't delivered a critical blow that forced him to retreat.

His eyes locked on me.

And I could tell—he remembered.

His lips curled, fangs gleaming, but… he didn't attack.

Because the cub was still in my arms.

He hesitated.

'Leader of the pack…' I realized.

The temptation to use the cub as leverage was there. The logical part of me whispered to do it—force them to back off.

But…

No.

Not only would it put us at a disadvantage in this tight space, but Alice would never forgive me.

This wasn't about logic. This was a trial.

And what she wanted wasn't a shortcut.

She wanted a fair fight.

"Think you can handle them?" Alice asked, eyes still on the pack.

I didn't even flinch. "You saw what happened before. My sword and magic weren't enough to beat one."

She clicked her tongue, standing with her back against mine. I could feel her magic building, the air around her turning colder.

"I just need to know," she said. "Can you hold them off?"

A grin tugged at my lips. "Oh, I can do better than that."

My stats were abysmal—Strength 2, Magic 2.

But I wasn't relying on that.

This wasn't about brawn or brute force.

This was about movement.

Timing.

Control.

[Skill Activated: Ghoststep (S-Rank)]

[Footwork of the Silent Reapers – Mastered by assassins who walked through warzones unseen.]

– Sharply reduces detection chance in motion

– Drastically enhances evasion during close combat

– Counterstrikes apply bonus damage scaled to Agility

The world around me slowed as my body slipped into rhythm.

I wasn't going to kill them.

I was going to dance through them.

Alice let out a short breath as the icy aura around her flared to life. "That's all I need. Just hold them back."

I nodded once.

Then, they charged.

And the real fight began.