Chapter 32
Scarlet City was known for its pleasant climate—warm sunlight, gentle breezes, and the constant hum of life. But far on its edge, an unnatural phenomenon defied the norm. A storm of snow swirled quietly, cloaking a secluded region in white. Though not large, it was starkly noticeable—a cold, cursed scar on the city's scarlet heart.
Most never dared to approach it.
They whispered tales about a forgotten ruin, an ice-bound domain said to devour all who entered. And while stories could be dismissed, the bitter truth remained—this place was no ordinary land. The sheer cold was enough to freeze an unprotected non warrior solid in less than an hour.
Through the blizzard, a figure moved.
Clad in a thick, black overcoat that cloaked him from head to toe, only a pair of glowing red eyes peeked from beneath the hood. They spun with the infamous three-tomoe swirl— Sharingan. Steam-like puffs escaped his lips, instantly crystallizing in the air.
"Tch... I knew this mission was insane," Jayden muttered, his voice barely audible beneath the howling wind. He gritted his teeth, trudging forward with stiff limbs. "Ice chamber, he said. Easy job, he said... I haven't even found the damn thing and I'm minutes away from becoming an ice sculpture."
He had been walking for nearly three hours, navigating the endless blizzard. The snow numbed his feet, the frost gnawed at his bones. He wanted to turn back. But he didn't.
Then, through the curtain of white, it appeared—an enormous citadel of ice, towering and majestic. It looked like something carved from the soul of a glacier. Spires of frozen crystal stretched toward the heavens, its translucent walls glowing faintly under the dim winter light.
Jayden stopped in awe. "Well... that's definitely the place."
He didn't get long to admire it. Drawing closer, he stood before the colossal gate. Raising his gloved hand, he knocked.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Silence.
A chill ran down his spine—not from the cold, but instinct. This entire place screamed danger. "Yeah, no. I'm trusting my gut. Screw this quest," he said, already turning around. "I'll just return his spirit gathering pill and figure out a different way to get stronger."
He'd only taken two steps when a loud creak echoed behind him. He froze. Slowly, he turned his head.
The ice gate was opening… on its own.
No guards. No arrays. Nothing.
"What the hell..." Jayden muttered. "Did it... just open by itself?"
He didn't wait for answers. He spun around again, intent on getting the hell out of there—until the system notification hit.
[New Quest Received: Explore the Ice Chamber and Unravel its Mystery]
Reward: Silver Chest ×1, Special Roulette ×1
Bonus: +1000 SP upon completion
Jayden's eye twitched. The more generous the rewards, the deadlier the mission—he knew the pattern all too well.
He stared at the notification with visible disdain. "Oh, come on. Why does this stupid system keep giving me suicide missions?"
But the rewards... were too good. SP, chests, a chance to pull something powerful from the roulette? He sighed heavily and accepted. "Fine. But if I die, I'm haunting this damne system."
He stepped inside.
Instantly, the cold doubled. It felt like his soul was being encased in ice. "No wonder they call this place the Ice Chamber… I might freeze in five minutes at this rate."
Then came the growl.
A deep, thunderous sound shook the chamber. Before him, ice shimmered and gathered—forming a monstrous figure. Ten feet tall. Covered in jagged ice. Eyes glowing blue with primal rage.
An Ice Golem.
The golem's presence was overwhelming—it radiated the pressure of a 1st Stage Orange Plane warrior
"Yup... I'm in trouble," he said flatly.
He didn't wait. Forming hand seals with blistering speed, he released a devastating jutsu.
"Fire Style: Phoenix Lotus Devastation!"
A blaze of flame surged out, engulfing the golem.
But it didn't melt.
The creature stood amidst the flames, cracked but intact. Its eyes burned with fury. With a rumbling snarl, its massive arm morphed into a gigantic ice hammer. It swung.
Jayden barely rolled away in time, the impact shaking the ground and sending ice shards flying.
"Damn it, it's too fast for its size." Jayden muttered under his breath, eyes narrowing as the towering ice golem charged again with terrifying momentum. Snow and shards of ice exploded around its feet, kicked up by each thunderous step.
Without hesitation, Jayden weaved another string of hand seals.
"Wind Style:Gale Lance"
A violent spear of compressed wind surged from his palm, cutting through the swirling snow and slamming into the golem's chest. The creature staggered—barely. It slid back only a few feet, its massive bulk resisting the gust with ease.
"What kind of monster is this...?" Jayden growled, sweat freezing on his brow. He dove into another set of hand signs, this time channeling crackling power through his arms.
"Lightning style: Raijin burst"
A spiraling torrent of lightning, modeled after the techniques of Hidden Cloud shinobi, exploded forth, wrapping around the golem in blinding arcs of electric energy.
When the smoke cleared, Jayden's heart sank. The golem still stood—cracked in some places, yes, but very much alive. Its crystalline eyes flared a deep blue.
"Die already." Jayden roared in frustration.
With a surge of power, he activated the Third Gate , chakra flooding his muscles, veins bulging from the sudden increase in pressure. His feet cracked the ground beneath him as he launched forward, his fist crashing into the golem's midsection like a cannonball. The sheer force sent it spiraling backward, smashing into the thick ice wall with a deafening boom.
With the Third Gate still active, he shot forward again, this time weaving through a flurry of hand signs mid-dash.
"Fire Style: Fireballs Barrage!"
Blazing flame balls spiraled around him, crashing into the golem from multiple angles.
"Earth Style: Tremor Palm!"
He struck the ground, sending a shockwave through the ice and unbalancing the creature.
"Wind Style: Vortex Cutter!"
A horizontal cyclone erupted, tearing through the air and slamming into the golem's side.
Jayden's movements blurred—raw speed and elemental mastery combining. He created a clone mid-combat and both attacked in
"Lightning style: Thunder Fang"
Jagged arcs of lightning bit into the golem's joints.
Still, it rose. Regenerating. Towering.
Jayden gritted his teeth, drawing deeper on the Third Gate's power. Veins throbbed across his arms as he poured fire and fury into his fists.
He didn't stop.
He couldn't stop.
A double sized hammer blow smashed him into the icy ground.
Poof!
A cloud of smoke erupted—just a shadow clone.
The golem stepped back, confident, its weapon shifting back to normal—until it froze. Literally.
A shadow stretched beneath it, linking it to a crouched Jayden with fingers poised in the familiar gesture.
"Shadow Possession Jutsu... complete."
"Too predictable." Jayden thought.
Four other Jaydens—his clones—rushed from all sides. Each bore a Giant Rasengan, spiraling spheres of raw destruction in their palms.
Boom!!
The combined impact shattered the icy floor beneath them. The golem crumbled into fragments, its icy remains falling like rain.
[Opponent Defeated: +4000 EXP, +700 SP]
Jayden exhaled slowly, his breath fogging. "That was insane. That thing had defense like a fortress..."
He hadn't lost much HP, but the battle left him quite exhausted. He was about to start searching for the Ice Lotus—his real objective—when the ground trembled again.
He turned.
Nine more golems—each identical to the one he just fought—were rising from the surrounding ice.
Jayden's blood ran colder than the storm around him.
"…Yeah. I'm screwed."
He gulped.
---
In a secluded section of the Scarlet Faction, bodies littered the ground—some bloodied and torn, others burnt beyond recognition. One thing was certain: they were all dead.
"This is way too easy," muttered a man with a spiky red mohawk, clad in black armor etched with glowing red lines. A crimson "S" blazed across his chest. He looked over the corpses, his expression bored. "I thought the Scarlet Faction was supposed to be strong. These weaklings? Pathetic."
"Don't get cocky, Bon," his partner replied coolly. He wielded two curved blue scythes, which gleamed with faint spiritual energy. "This is barely six percent of their forces. And we're under strict orders—avoid fighting the Grand Elders at all costs."
Bon scoffed, folding his arms. "What's so special about their Grand Elders? Sounds like their strength is overhyped."
"Overhyped or not, wiping out everyone isn't our goal. Focus—we need to find the trai—"
"Who are you people?!" a furious voice cut through the air.
A man emerged from a hallway, adorned in fine silk robes, eyes burning with fury. His aura pulsed with the power of the Violet Plane. He looked at the intruders with disdain.
Bon glanced at him and waved lazily. "Mid-Violet stage? Not even worth the effort. Go home before you embarrass yourself."
The man's face twisted with rage. "You dare mock me?! Just because you slaughtered a few Orange Plane weaklings, you think you're some kind of gods?" He ripped his robes off, revealing a muscular frame. Six arms sprouted from his sides, his skin darkening with reinforced energy. His fingers sharpened into black claws that glinted under the fading light.
As he crouched low into a leap, the very stone beneath his feet cracked from pressure.
Still, neither Bon nor his partner flinched.
"Tch, if he wants to die so soon, I'll grant his wish," Bon said, raising a glowing red orb in his palm—dense, unstable, deadly.
But before he could strike, a hand stopped him.
"What is it, Scythe? I've got him lined up."
"I know," Scythe replied calmly. "But that explosion ball will draw too much attention. Let me handle this."
The elder, furious that he was being ignored, launched himself into the air. His claws glowed, poised to rip them apart in one swipe—
"Wait....My hands... I can't feel my hands," he thought, a cold sweat forming on his brow.
He looked down—and his blood ran cold.
His arms were gone. All six had been severed cleanly at the shoulders, blood spraying mid-air.
"I didn't even see them move..." he realized with horror.
Survival instincts kicked in. He twisted midair and tried to retreat—but again, something was wrong.
"No...no...no... I can't feel my legs too."
Trembling, he looked down.
Gone. Cleanly severed. Blood painted the air like rain.
Terror overtook him.
In mere seconds, the battle had ended before it even began. Bon appeared at his front, grabbing the now-helpless elder by the throat. Turning toward Scythe, Bon grinned playfully.
"You've sliced him up pretty good. Mind if I finish him off?"
Scythe shrugged indifferently. "He's all yours."
"P-please..." the elder whimpered, his voice hoarse from fear. "Don't kill me... I'll give you anything. Money, treasure, artifacts... Please!"
Bon's expression didn't change. He simply tightened his grip.
"Ever wonder what it feels like to burn... from the inside out?"
The elder shook his head desperately. "No! I don't want to find out—!"
Bon's palm began to glow red-hot. The man's screams echoed into the air—short but harrowing—as his insides were cooked alive.
By the time Bon let him go, the elder's body was nothing but a charred, grotesque husk—unrecognizable from the man he once was.
"Done playing?" Scythe asked.
"Yeah, just wiping my hands," Bon replied casually.
"Then let's move. We still have to find the traitor."
Together, they walked deeper into the heart of the Scarlet Faction, leaving behind nothing but ashes and death.
Back inside the ice chamber, loud bangs echoed as massive footsteps pounded across the frozen floor. Jayden darted around columns of ice, sweat soaking his brow. The relentless chase had lasted for hours. The ice golems—towering, emotionless beasts—showed no signs of slowing.
"There's no way I can take them head-on…" Jayden muttered, gritting his teeth.
With a quick flash of hand seals, he summoned three shadow clones. They scattered, each vanishing down a different icy corridor. As expected, the golems split as well, pursuing the clones in separate directions. It was the only reason Jayden was still alive. There were more than twenty golems, but through repeated use of clones, he managed to divide their numbers and buy himself time. Still, every use of the technique drained his chakra reserves fast. He had already spent a good chunk of SP just to keep going.
"If I get stingy with my chakra now, I'm dead," he thought grimly.
Suddenly, three golems caught up. Before he could react, they smashed into him—shattering him to pieces.
Poof!
A cloud of smoke.
A clone.
The real Jayden appeared from behind a pillar, his hands mid-seal. "Now!" he growled, thrusting his palm forward.
Rasenshuriken!
The spinning mass of energy roared through the chamber, colliding with the golems in an explosion of wind and chakra. The resulting blast left a crater of ice and scattered golem fragments.
> +12,000 EXP
+2,200 SP Gained
You have leveled up!
All stats increased by +3
Jayden stood still, breathing heavily, but his expression didn't show excitement—not even relief.
Because he heard them.
The heavy stomps.
They were coming.
The clones had been destroyed. All remaining golems were converging on his location.
His blood ran cold. "If I don't move now, I'm really going to die."
He turned and sprinted with everything he had, chakra flaring in his legs to increase his speed. Behind him, the thunderous steps of the golems closed in. The ground trembled with each monstrous stride. Jayden didn't dare look back.
Then, up ahead—a massive blue gate.
"That's it!" Without hesitation, he slammed it open and threw himself inside.
An instant later, a golem's arm—morphed into a jagged ice blade—swung just inches from his face. But it stopped at the threshold. Jayden stumbled backward, panting hard. The golems stood at the doorway… and didn't enter.
"They're not coming in?" Jayden blinked. The door was wide open. Strange but he didn't have time to care.
He gritted his teeth and used the last of his strength to push the heavy door shut. Then he collapsed to the floor, lungs burning. Minutes passed before his breathing steadied. But even then, his heart pounded like war drums in his chest.
Then he noticed something strange. Unlike the rest of the ice chamber, which was freezing, this room was… warm. Unnaturally warm.
He rose slowly, eyes scanning the space. It looked more like a sanctuary than a battlefield. Ivy trees— slightly frozen but thriving—wrapped around pillars. Beautiful flowers bloomed in the corners. Sculptures stood scattered across the room like silent guardians. But what drew his gaze most was the center:
A glowing red stone, suspended above a mid-sized array carved into the floor.
A system message appeared before his eyes:
> Fire Dragon Stone detected.
Upon absorption, Fire-style techniques will be enhanced by up to 30%.
Jayden's brows twitched. "Thirty percent boost to my fire techniques… this thing is a treasure."
His rational mind urged caution. The stone clearly powered this array—whatever its purpose was. Removing it might trigger something dangerous.
"How bad can things really get?, I'm going to die in two weeks time anyway if I don't get stronger." Jayden muttered with a dry chuckle, reaching out for the Fire Dragon Stone.
The moment his fingers wrapped around it and pulled it from the glowing array, the red light flickered once—then died completely.
He waited.
Nothing happened.
The once-warm air gradually chilled, matching the icy temperatures of the rest of the chamber. Jayden let out a breath of relief thinking he had confirmed what he was holding and allowed himself a small nod. So it was just a heating mechanism… he thought.
But then the ground trembled beneath him.
A deep, low rumble surged through the chamber, knocking Jayden off his feet and slamming him to the icy floor. The warmth that remained in the air vanished in an instant. The cold returned—but this time, it was worse. Much worse. It seeped into his bones like death's breath.
Jayden's eyes flicked upward.
Suspended high above, encased in a slowly cracking sphere of enchanted ice, was a figure. A massive sphere—its surface glowing faintly, now webbed with fractures.
Crack.
Another fracture.
The temperature dropped with every break.
Crack. Crack. SNAP.
Then the sphere shattered completely, shards of crystalline ice floating down like frozen petals.
Floating within the chaos was a girl—no older than Jayden. Her snow-white hair drifted as if underwater, and her light armor shimmered like moonlight on frost. Her eyes, however, were the most terrifying thing—pure white, devoid of anything human.
She slowly descended, her feet barely touching the ground.
Her gaze locked onto Jayden.
Jayden's heart sank like a stone in deep water.
Jayden's heart didn't sink because of her appearance—no, it wasn't fear of her unknown power that chilled his blood. It was what appeared before his eyes, glowing in ominous red letters:
[New Quest Received]
Quest: Survive.
To be continued.
Support to get faster chapter release. Show your support through power stones, review , comment and even gift.
You can add it to your collection to get updates when the next chapter is out.
Stay tuned for the next chapter.