The elf and the dwarf walked around the camp for around an hour, during that time Ethan was introduced to a lot of people. They were mine foremans, smiths, farmers, tanners, tool makers, soldiers and so on he had to meet. It was an impressive group and to his surprise he even met a group of women. They were not as big or tall as the men but still looked ready to fight at a moment's notice. They had, obviously, no beard but in return their hair looked sturdy and thick, most of them had it in braids decorated with rings and polished stone pearls. Like the men they had this drive in them that pushed them forward. Ethan was sure they could break him in half if he dared to disrespect them.

  After they finished their round of the camp they returned to Andrew’s tent but instead of going inside they met with a group of soldiers all of them equipped with real weapons instead of their training equipment. But before Ethan could ask if this was a betrayal Andrew lifted a hand. “We wanted to ask for your help, my patrol reported that you have the skill to create soldiers made from ice, would you supply some for training? While we train hard it’s different to fight humans, elves and the like than fighting another dwarf.”

  He raised his arm, touching Ethan’s shoulder with his calloused hand. “Because we have to fight upwards and not at the same height so because I can’t have my men train with you I thought your creations would be a good substitute for fighting taller foes in battle.”

  Ethan breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, a smile on his face. “I can help with that but don’t expect too much, my limit for now should be around five…” He didn’t want to share too many things with Andrew, while he was helpful he still didn’t know very much about the dwarf so revealing everything might be bad, for now playing the cards close to his chest was the safer option.

  Using his new staff he casted his [Frostforged Legion(Expert)] skill and created five identical soldiers, instead of spears they all held a sword with the usual shield, Ethan ordered them silently to take up positions, each of them was spaced out evenly and when Andrew gave him a nod he ordered each of them to attack the dwarf standing in front of them. The first few minutes nothing happened, each side fighting defensively, Ethan ordered them to fight like this to give the dwarves time to familiarise themselves with the enemy, it also would look incredibly bad to kill one of the dwarves by accident.

  Andrew nodded, his arms crossed in front of his large chest. “Thank you, most of them already know how to fight against humans but the elves demanded a bloody price for our victory so the younger ones that haven’t fought last time now need to fill those gaps.” He sighed as one of them was cut with a frozen sword, the wound looking infected like frostbite was taking a hold instantly.

  “You would have liked my comrades, they fought bravely and without their sacrifice I don’t think the mining charges would have arrived in time for the final moment, they held the enemy back marvelously.” He huffed and shook his head, walking to the dwarves' fight, shouting at the dwarf that got injured to get up on his feet to try again. Ethan watched them train and thought back to his own tutorial.

  For him there were no fond memories of his fellow attendees, just death. But he had fond memories of the inhabitants, unconsciously he grabbed the tooth of Kra’kulgar, the man who believed in him, who he promised to become a good leader in the future. The elves that helped him out so much, offering him assistance in the last fight. Memories of Lorena came to the front and for a second his knees felt weak, while he didn’t know if Lorena really existed he hoped she was out there somewhere in the wider multiverse.

  Ethan watched the training for a while longer until Andrew returned to him, his face twisted into an annoyed scowl. “So many benefits with dual focus classes and they still can’t fight properly, this will take time…but…nevermind let’s get you settled in okay?” He guided Ethan away from the duels and to a small tent not that far away from Andrew’s own, inside was a simple bed, a woven basket in the corner and some food and water stood on a small table.

  “It’s not much but it’s yours for the duration of your stay. I will send someone over to fetch you if something comes up.” Andrew smiled and patted Ethan on the lower back before leaving him alone. He sat down on the bed which was just a wooden frame with a mattress made from hay and scrap pieces of fabric. He laid down after a while and stared at the ceiling of the tent, his mind spinning without forming a conscious thought, he laid there until sleep finally claimed him.

  When Ethan woke up again he felt refreshed and was ready to start his second day in the new world, his mind was still occupied with the tutorial but he knew that his path could only move forward at this point. He had one year to gather a fighting force and prepare for the inevitable. But before he could stand up he saw a notification hovering at the edge of his vision. He dreaded what it would entail but was also curious at the same time.*Update* System enforced item transaction in progress…

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  Due to an arrangement made between Ouroboros, the Eternal Serpent and [Redacted] two items will be provided for you, these items are yours and yours alone and can be used in any way you see fit. This transaction is final and can not be reverted by any means. The items are the following:

  [Hourglass of Frostblight - Special]

  [The Hourglass of Frostblight is a magical object that emits a strong frostbite effect. It causes a severe cold that can spread from one target to others nearby. The frostbite inflicted by the hourglass slows down movement and reduces the vitality of affected targets. The object is composed of icy crystal and froststeel, with sands made of frozen snowflakes. When activated, it creates an area of intense cold that hampers enemies’ speed and can cause paralysis or freezing if exposure continues. It is used primarily to control movement and weaken opponents through cold-based effects. !Warning! This is a one time use item, capable of strengthening an existing skill, enhancing it beyond the usual rank upgrades.]

  [Flask of the Frost Wraith - Special]

  [The Flask of the Frost Wraith is a container that holds a liquid substance made up of former frozen elementals that found their death in battle. When used, it releases spirits that take the form of silent, invisible frost wraiths. These elementals can move through winter terrain without making sound or being seen but are clearly visible in all other environments if not concealed. They deal non-physical damage through cold attacks, ignoring most armor and some enchantments. The flask is made of dark glass with frost patterns etched into its surface. The summoned cold-based spirits are useful for reconnaissance or attack purposes. !Warning! This is a one time use item, capable of rewarding a new ability if the skill set of the person is compatible.]

  Ethan breathed out loudly, not even realizing he was holding it while reading the descriptions in front of him. These were very powerful items and would offer him an instant power up if he used them. While the second one, the flask of the frost wraith sounded straightforward and would give him another summon option the first one made him think. It sounded like poison, the name frostblight and the promised effect made it obvious but it was still a form of frostbite at the same time. The fact that it drained vitality and slowed enemies down and could spread to others made it very powerful indeed. The question was which skill would he improve with it?

  He waited until both items appeared just like all system transports without much fanfare. It was silent and a bit boring, the items just dropping from thin air in a black leather bag. He opened it and took the hourglass out. It looked beautiful and he could feel the aura of frost it radiated. During his inspection a prompt appeared.

  See compatible skill option? Y/N

  Ethan of course picked yes and a small list of skills appeared for him.

  [Aura - Dominion of watchful Winter(Special)]

  [Eternal Chains of Domination(Master)]

  [Frozen Prison of the Progenitor(Advanced)]

  [Chilling Nexus(Special)]

  [Frostforged Legion(Expert)]

  Three of his main class and two of his subclass skills could be upgraded by the hourglass, the question was which was the right one? He already could stop his enemies with his aura bit, giving it a vitality draining effect that could be very powerful as a form of damage over time.

  His chains were his main way of fighting himself, they already went through several iterations and were now the perfect tool for crowd control and very versatile already, giving them a spreading frostbite with increased control would make them even scarier, but was it necessary?

  The chilling nexus was next but Ethan didn’t even think about it. While it was a special ability it was untested and the benefit it would provide was a mystery in many ways, while he could gamble that wasn’t his way. Tried and tested abilities would be a better pick every time.

  At last his legion, this one made Ethan stop for a second as he thought about it. He wanted his soldiers to be strong, stronger than his enemies if possible but that was just a dream, but he could raise the odds with an upgrade like this. The thing was having his soldiers spread frostbite was powerful and who said he was limited to melee fighters? Having archers that could spread frostbite in an enemy's backline sounded terrifying and effective. Ethan looked at the tooth of Kra’kulgar and made his decision, he would become a good leader as he promised.