Chapter 9

The cold bit deeper than any blade.

Snow crunched beneath Justin's boots as he stepped across the icy ridge, the wind howling like the dead. His breath misted out in short puffs, each one a silent reminder: You're alive. For now.

Behind him, Matilda trudged through knee-deep snow, wrapped in a tattered cloak looted from a fallen Crimson Fang. Bruno limped slightly, one arm hugged to his ribs, rifle slung low, barrel wrapped in cloth to stop it from freezing shut.

They hadn't spoken since stepping through the gate.

There was nothing to say.

Not after that bloodbath.

[System Notification – Welcome to Floor 3: The Cold Bridge]

Environment: Arctic

Status Effects Active: Coldbite I (Stamina drains 2x faster)

New Rule: Fire required to recover HP

Special Threat Detected: Icebound Wyrm, Grade A Boss – Roving Pattern

Hint: The Wyrm hunts sounds… and heat.

 You are now being tracked.

Justin read the alerts with a slow breath, forcing down the tension in his chest.

Tracked. Of course.

He glanced at the white ridgelines around them. Shadows shifted in the wind. Snow twisted unnaturally, like something was breathing beneath it.

Matilda wrapped her arms around herself, shivering violently.

"If I don't freeze to death, I might just go insane," she muttered.

Bruno pointed toward a jagged spire in the distance. "Looks like a shelter. That ruined tower."

Justin nodded. "Let's move."

And they did—fast. As fast as snow and cold would allow.

Inside the ruined tower, they found partial shelter.

No roof, but stone walls blocked the worst of the wind. They used broken shield plates and bent spears to build a makeshift fire pit. Justin lit it with a flint spark from his satchel.

The flames struggled at first… then caught.

Warmth.

Small. Fragile.

But it kept them human.

They sat close together, shoulders almost touching.

Bruno unwrapped his side wound. The flesh was purple and angry.

"Poison?" Matilda asked.

"No," Justin said after checking the wound. "Just frostbite setting in. He needs heat."

Matilda peeled off her gloves and pressed her hands against Bruno's side, biting back a hiss as her skin met the freezing flesh. He didn't flinch, just stared into the fire.

"We need a plan," he said. "Those two factions won't stop."

"They'll regroup," Matilda added. "Crimson Fangs will come back harder. The Syndicate won't forgive you for running."

"I didn't run," Justin muttered.

He meant it.

He chose not to become their weapon.

The fire crackled low. The silence returned.

Until a voice cut through it.

Not from any of them.

From the darkness just beyond the tower.

"Smart of you to light a fire in a boss-hunting zone. It's like ringing a dinner bell."

Justin stood immediately, daggers drawn.

Matilda jumped to her feet, chain-dagger uncoiled.

Bruno raised his rifle with his good arm.

From the snowstorm, a figure emerged.

Hooded. Cloaked in dark gray. No visible weapons. No nameplate.

Justin narrowed his eyes. "Who are you?"

The figure stepped into the firelight.

A woman, perhaps in her twenties, with short black hair, gray eyes, and a scar running down her left cheek like a lightning bolt. She wore a patchwork cloak of different guild emblems—Fangs, Syndicate, rogue teams—all stitched together like a warning.

"I'm nobody," she said. "Which makes me dangerous."

Justin didn't lower his blades. "That's not an answer."

"No, but it's the truth." She stepped closer. "You don't know me, but I've been watching you. All three of you."

Matilda narrowed her eyes. "Creepy."

"I prefer 'cautious.' You're being hunted. Both sides want you dead."

Bruno sighed. "Yeah, we figured that out after the fifth attempted beheading."

The woman smiled faintly. "I came to offer you a third option."

Now Justin's expression changed.

He stepped forward, blades still in hand. "What kind of option?"

She reached into her cloak slowly and pulled out a small piece of paper.

She dropped it into the fire.

As it burned, system text appeared in the air above the flames:

[Secret Quest Activated – "The Broken Bridge Pact"]

A mysterious rebel faction known only as The Severed Chain seeks to destroy the system from within.

Objectives:

– Infiltrate and sabotage both major guilds.

– Uncover the secrets behind the Shadow Syndicate's system immunity.

– Survive.

Rewards:

– Unique Weapon: [Chainbreaker]

– Hidden Class Evolution Path Unlocked

– Truth Fragment (1/10)

Warning: Choosing this path will mark you as an enemy of all existing factions.

Continue?

Justin stared at the notification.

And for the first time since entering Ascension Protocol, he hesitated.

This wasn't just about leveling up anymore.

It was about picking a fight with everything.

Matilda looked at him. "This is suicide."

Bruno added, "You sure you want to burn both bridges behind you?"

Justin thought of the coin he'd given Matilda. The one she still held.

He thought of the warning in the snow: You Run Fast, Assassin. But Not Forever.

And he thought of what Hakuda once said:

"Power comes not from being liked—but from being inevitable."

He turned to the woman.

"What's your name?"

She smirked. "Call me Wren."

Justin nodded slowly.

"Then we'll make a pact, Wren. But if you screw us—"

"You can kill me," she said. "Fair deal."

He extended his hand.

She took it.

[You Have Accepted: Secret Quest – The Broken Bridge Pact]

New Quest Log Available

System Tracking Disabled

Faction Alignment: Null

That night, Wren shared stories. Of broken players. Of rigged floor bosses. Of Syndicate immunity that came from something buried in the system's core—something even GMs couldn't control anymore.

"They're hiding something," she whispered. "The real reason only one player can escape. It's not about money."

"Then what is it about?" Matilda asked.

Wren stared into the fire.

"It's about feeding something."

The snow fell harder outside the ruined tower.

But inside… the real storm was just beginning.

(To Be Continued....)