The door opened with surprising ease. On the other side, a landscape completely different from the frozen plain materialized before their eyes.

  A snow-covered forest stretched as far as the eye could see. Snow fell gently in flakes as large as coins, silent and hypnotic. Everything was covered by a layer of immaculate white that gleamed under a soft light from above.

  "Holy shit," Giordano murmured, taking a step forward into the fresh snow that crunched under his feet. "This is incredible. It feels real."

  Brando joined him, feeling the snow yield under his weight. The air was fresh but not biting, and the silence had an almost sacred quality, interrupted only by the muffled sound of their footsteps.

  "It might be beautiful," Brando said, peering between the trees, "but remember what Folgore said. Everything here can kill us. Don't let your guard down."

  Rusty advanced cautiously, sniffing the air with curiosity. His third eye glowed faintly as he explored the environment, his paws leaving perfectly defined prints in the fresh snow.

  They set off into the woods following what seemed like a natural path between the trees. The silence was almost supernatural, as if the entire forest was waiting. No birds sang and no animals moved among the bushes.

  As they advanced, Brando noticed that the light was changing subtly. It was growing dimmer, more bluish, as if the invisible sun was setting.

  "Look," Giordano said suddenly, pointing to a spot between the trees.

  In the distance, among the massive trunks, a warm and inviting light could be glimpsed. It seemed to come from a small wooden structure, a hut or shelter of some kind.

  "Could be a trap," Brando murmured hesitantly.

  "Could also be a checkpoint," Giordano countered. "The Custodian mentioned overcoming trials."

  Rusty, however, seemed to be of a completely different opinion. The puppy had stopped, with the fur on his back completely raised. His third eye now glowed intensely, and a low, metallic growl vibrated in his throat.

  "Rusty senses something," Brando whispered, immediately putting himself on guard. "Get ready."

  They didn't have time to move before the ground under their feet shook violently. The perfect snow rippled like water, rising in small mounds that moved as if something was digging beneath the surface.

  Suddenly, the snow exploded in dozens of different spots around them. From the ground emerged humanoid creatures just over a meter tall, with grayish-blue skin covered in bone plates and bright red eyes. Small, agile, and ferocious creatures whose bodies seemed made of putrid flesh. Their gaping mouths showed rows of teeth as sharp as glass shards, and they carried bloody axes, knives, and daggers.

  【Oh, look at that! Seems you've triggered some low-level Frost Goblins! These little pests have a particular fondness for ripping out participants' innards. Isn't that adorable?】

  The Frost Goblins approached snarling, gripping their crude weapons. They moved with disturbing coordination, as if they shared a collective mind.

  A blue holographic display suddenly appeared in Brando and Giordano's field of vision, manifesting as floating text.

  【QUEST ACTIVATED: Survival in the Frozen Forest】

  【Objective: Defeat Frost Goblins (Level 3)】

  【Difficulty: Medium-Low】

  【Reward: 15 Evolution Points per goblin】

  Brando didn't have time to process this information. The goblins attacked all at once with a blood-curdling scream that echoed through the snowy forest.

  "Let's split them up!" Giordano shouted, leaping sideways to avoid a goblin's axe that embedded itself in the ground with a dull noise.

  Brando concentrated, trying to summon Sync Ice. He felt that ability would be perfect for coordinating with Rusty during battle. Nothing happened. Confused, he searched deeper into his Cold Veins, but where he had previously felt the connection to Sync Ice, there was now a void.

  "Shit," he cursed, barely dodging a goblin that lunged at him. "I can't access Sync Ice!"

  【Obviously, genius! You fused it with Golden Ice, remember? You created Symphony Ice, but you don't have a high enough level to use it yet!】

  The Custodian's voice rang out sarcastically in the air. Brando cursed again as two goblins circled him, brandishing bloody knives.

  Meanwhile, Giordano had materialized a long sword of violet ice. With force, he decapitated the first goblin that attacked him. The gash in its head began spurting dark blood in streams as it collapsed lifeless to the ground.

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  "Do something, Brando!" Giordano yelled as he faced three other goblins simultaneously—the element of surprise was gone. "Use Rust Ice!"

  Brando materialized a sphere of Rust Ice in his right hand. He hurled it at a goblin that was lunging at him. The sphere hit the monster square in the chest and simply bounced off, with no effect.

  "I thought it would work!" Brando exclaimed, confused.

  Brando had to dive to the side when a goblin launched itself at him. Rolling in the snow, he created a normal ice spear and drove it into the creature's side. The goblin howled in pain before bleeding to death.

  【+15 Evolution Points】

  "Brando!" Giordano yelled as he skewered another goblin. "The weapons! Destroy their weapons!"

  Brando understood immediately. The goblins' weapons were metallic! Concentrating, he created another sphere of Rust Ice, larger this time, and hurled it at the axe a goblin was brandishing.

  The sphere hit the metal and the effect was instantaneous: the axe corroded rapidly, turning to dust in the creature's hands. The goblin stared confused at its empty hands, giving Brando time to materialize an ice spear and pierce the monster.

  【+15 Evolution Points】

  "It works!" Brando shouted, feeling himself fill with adrenaline.

  He began focusing on the weapons, launching a barrage of Rust Ice against daggers, axes, and knives. Every time he hit, the metal corroded on contact, disintegrating into powdery rust.

  Giordano, meanwhile, was holding off four at once. There were definitely too many.

  "Behind you!" Brando warned, but too late.

  A particularly cunning goblin had managed to get behind Giordano and had struck him with a dagger, one it kept hidden behind its leather pants. The blade embedded itself in Giordano's shoulder, who screamed in pain and fell to one knee. Blood gushed out, staining the snow bright red.

  Brando wasn't doing well either. Despite managing to disarm many goblins, two of them had gotten close enough to scratch him deeply on the arm and side. The pain was intense, incredibly realistic. If this was a simulation, it was damn convincing.

  "Rusty!" Brando called, looking for his companion.

  But the puppy was no longer visible. He had disappeared.

  "Where the fuck did he go?!" Giordano shouted, managing to free himself from the goblin that had wounded him with a powerful kick.

  Brando felt panic rising. They were surrounded and injured. He managed to take down another goblin with an ice spear, but for every monster that fell, it seemed two more took its place.

  【+15 Evolution Points】

  "We can't make it!" Giordano yelled, exhausted. His ice was getting weaker—it was no longer as simple as before.

  And then a deafening roar tore through the air. It wasn't Rusty's usual sound, but something deeper, more primordial. Something that made the earth itself tremble.

  From the depths of the forest emerged a figure that Brando struggled to recognize. It was Rusty, but no longer the puppy they knew. His body had transformed. He had grown to the size of an adult lion. The third eye blazed like a beacon in the night, emanating a reddish light that left trails in the air. But the most impressive thing was his paws: each ended in claws of black metal, long and sharp as obsidian blades. The most noticeable thing, moreover, was that around Rusty's neck gleamed a metal collar adorned with blue stones.

  Rusty launched himself at the goblins with terrifying ferocity. His black claws cut through their bodies as if they were made of paper. The third eye emitted laser beams that sliced the monsters on the spot, allowing Rusty to tear them apart with clinical precision. The Custodian's voice was heard shortly after.

  【Oh, look who found the Cold Enhancer "Assault Form"! A temporary transformation that boosts the physical capabilities of Pseudo-Glacials. Deliciously brutal!】

  It was a dance of death, methodical and efficient. The goblins seemed terrified—some even tried to flee, but Rusty was too fast. In seconds, the battlefield was littered with dismembered bodies.

  Three holographic screens appeared simultaneously in front of each of them:

  【QUEST ACCOMPLISHED】

  【BRANDO CASADEI】

  【Goblins killed: 3】

  【Evolution Points: +45】

  【Total: 45】

  【GIORDANO VOLPE】

  【Goblins killed: 3】

  【Evolution Points: +45】

  【Total: 45】

  【RUSTY】

  【Goblins killed: 10】

  【Evolution Points: +150】

  【Cold Enhancer Bonus: +30 (20%)】

  【Total: 180】

  Brando observed the floating messages with confusion. "What does this mean? Will I reach [Violet Three] to be able to use Symphony Ice?"

  【Did you really think it would be that easy? Evolution Points accumulate during Immersion, but they only transform into real level increases when you exit here... if you manage to get out alive, of course!】

  "So I'll stay stuck at [Violet Two] for the entire simulation?" Brando asked, disappointed.

  【Exactly! Isn't it wonderfully frustrating? Your Cold Veins need time to stabilize in the real world. Here you're just accumulating... let's call it "potential." Like a pressure cooker that charges up but only explodes at the end!】

  The whale spiraled around them with evident amusement.

  【But don't despair! That's where Cold Enhancers come in, like the one your adorable mutant monster just found. They're temporary boosts that will allow you to face increasingly difficult challenges without having to wait for a real level advancement. Ingenious, no?】

  Rusty, having completed his carnage, approached them trotting, as if he hadn't just massacred a dozen monsters. Gradually, Rusty returned to his normal size. Only the third eye still maintained intense brightness.

  【Quest completed! And spectacularly, I'd say. Take a bow, excellent performance!】

  The Custodian applauded with her small fins.

  【The Cold Enhancer "Assault Form" is now unlocked for your adorable mutant monster. You can activate it on command in emergency situations, though it has quite a long cooldown time. And with the right combination of other Cold Enhancers, you might even hope to survive!】

  "We need to find a safe place," Brando said, helping his friend get up and ignoring how fucking annoying that whale was. "To treat these wounds."

  The snow around them was stained red. The blood was real, the pain was real. This wasn't a simple simulation: it was an alternative reality where sensations were those of the real world. Maybe even worse. Rusty approached Brando, rubbing his muzzle against his hand. Through their connection, Brando could feel the puppy's excitement, the wild pleasure of the hunt still pulsing in his veins.

  【You've passed the first trial. Quite impressive for violets like you. But this was only the beginning. The forest hides secrets much more dangerous than Frost Goblins.】

  Now, all that remained was to enter the cabin to treat their wounds.