After several more hours, they finally reached their destination—only to be struck by what they saw.
The area looked distorted, as if someone had painted a landscape and then smeared the colors in chaotic swirls. Everything appeared confused and disconnected, as though reality itself had been warped.
The silence was broken by Lina's firm voice:
"Let's move."
Snapping out of their daze, the team followed her.
But the moment they stepped into that chaotic space… they vanished.
And so did the distortion.
...
Nevalis slowly opened his eyes, a sharp chill biting at his skin.
This is strange… The kingdom is sunny all year round. What's going on?
He froze in place, eyes wide with shock.
Before him stretched a boundless, icy plain, covered in towering frost trees whose roots were made of transparent crystal and whose leaves gleamed like glass.
"The Frost Forest…?" he muttered, stunned.
He turned to the rest of the team—every face was frozen in the same shock.
"How…?"
That question echoed silently in every mind. The freezing air, the white plain, those towering white trees… none of this existed in the kingdom. Just moments ago, they were in the kingdom's west. Now… they were in the far north of the continent?
The continent's climate was known for being temperate and sunny—except for the north, where an eternal white frost reigned.
None of them had ever ventured to the northern continent, but its descriptions were clear in old records.
The reason behind its endless frost remained unknown. Some claimed an ancient mage was behind it…
But what kind of power—or rank—would one need to freeze over a quarter of the entire continent?
"T-this… is the Frost Forest of the North?"
Celeste's voice trembled in disbelief.
"What the hell is happening here?!"
Felix snapped, shivering visibly. The irritation on his face was clear—unsurprising, as a fire mage standing in what felt like the complete opposite of his element.
Lina looked around cautiously.
"This feels… like what I experienced using a transport gate in one of the main cities."
"I felt it too," Celeste added, anxiety creeping across her features.
As one of the top three teams in the Mercenary Guild, they had used transport gates multiple times before.
But this?
This was something else entirely.
Nevalis narrowed his eyes and murmured seriously:
"A spatial distortion."
The group exchanged confused looks before Felix asked hesitantly:
"A what…?"
He had lit a small flame between his fingers to ward off the cold, staring at Nevalis for answers.
Nevalis began walking slowly as he explained:
"Spatial distortion… It's a term found in ancient texts. It covers various phenomena—space turbulence, space fissures, space pulses…"
"But what matters to us now is something called 'spatial folding' or 'spatial bending'."
"Simply put, it's the act of linking two points by folding the space between them."
Confusion still lingered on their faces.
Nevalis raised two fingers from each hand, holding them apart:
"Let's say I want this finger on my right hand to touch the one on my left. What should I do?"
Felix raised an eyebrow, smirking:
"Just… move your hands together, obviously."
Nevalis chuckled.
"Exactly. But in spatial folding, you don't move the hands—the space itself is folded until the two points touch. The distance is essentially erased."
"Ah… so that's how spatial gates work," Celeste murmured, nodding slowly as understanding dawned.
Felix frowned, asking:
"If they understand how it works, why are there only three transport gates in the entire kingdom?"
Nevalis replied calmly, though his tone held the weight of old wisdom:
"Understanding how something works doesn't mean you have the power to use it."
"Just like knowing musical notes doesn't make you a great musician… or reading a complex recipe doesn't make you a master chef."
He paused, then continued:
"They understand the concept, but they lack the essence—the key lies in spatial inscriptions… or more precisely: in the magic of space itself."
Gasps echoed.
"Space magic?" Celeste whispered, as if invoking a myth.
Space magic was nothing more than a legend in ancient books—just a fantasy.
The idea that someone might actually wield it?
Felix let out a laugh, eyebrows raised:
"Seriously, this is insane. How do you know all this stuff? You're forcing me to respect you!"
"Haha, I just like reading." Nevalis smiled.
...
"So, do we split up now or what?" Graev asked, eyes fixed on the icy forest ahead.
Nevalis thought for a moment, then answered:
"We'll scout the area together first. If needed, we'll split. According to the records, the Frost Forest holds no direct threats… other than the frost itself. As long as we don't go too deep, we should be fine."
Celeste added:
"Yeah, I read about that. Anyone below the fourth rank would freeze to death if they pass into the second quarter of the forest. No one's ever reached the end. Going deep is dangerous."
"Even the Archbishop of the North himself said so," Nevalis added.
"He's at the peak of the fifth rank—the Summit of the North—and even he didn't dare go beyond the middle of the forest."
"The frost… and the forest itself… remain an unsolved mystery."
....
"Let's move," said Lina.
They began walking.
It was truly difficult to make progress through the snow, especially with Felix constantly complaining about the cold.
They kept walking for about half an hour, during which Nevalis felt something strange… a sense of unease… a fear he couldn't explain.
Then…
A sharp shiver ran through his body.
It wasn't because of the cold…
But something deeper. Like a primal warning carved into his very soul.
....
A terrifying shiver ran through his body.
It felt as though his very being was warning him to run.
Felix noticed Nevalis's state.
"What's wrong, Neval—"
But before he could finish his sentence...
Night fell upon the forest.
And then came the eyes.
It was as if the night itself had opened its eyes.
Glowing gazes emerged from within the darkness.
"What is that…?"
Felix muttered.
"Prepare for battle!"
Lina shouted.
From between the trees, the first one emerged.
A tall creature with cracked, black skin—
as if darkness itself had dried up and shattered over its bones.
It had no eyes… only a wide, gaping mouth.
Nevalis recognized the beast.
It was a Rank Four monster.
But that wasn't the problem.
The real question was:
What was a Niharif Mountain beast doing here?
The Frost Forest was never supposed to have monsters.
No…
Even if there were some,
a Niharif beast shouldn't be anywhere near here.
That's one place… and this is another entirely.
Behind the first beast, more eyes appeared.
Then another creature followed… and another… until the scene turned into a multiplying nightmare.
Hordes of beasts.
That was the only way to describe it.
Hundreds of monsters—
Some had wings, others had multiple arms.
Some were tall, some short…
But the worst part wasn't their forms.
It was their ranks.
So far, Nevalis had spotted three Rank Four beasts among them.
And the real problem?
They were still coming.