The Ice Shaper's arrow struck a small iceberg nearby. A moment later, a loud bang echoed through the icy expanse, followed by a burst of flying shards—one of the iceberg's massive slabs had fractured violently.
"Crack… knock…"
Fissures began crawling across the surface, accompanied by the ominous sound of splintering ice. The web of cracks spread rapidly, threatening to disintegrate the entire formation.
So powerful?
Rowe's eyes widened in disbelief as the iceberg continued to crumble under the force of the attack.
"Crack… knock…"
The fissures now blanketed the iceberg's entirety. It looked as though the entire mass would collapse at any moment.
Rowe staggered back, overwhelmed by a mix of shock and awe. He glanced down at the Ice Shaper's longbow in his grip.
Am I about to rise through the ranks with this weapon?
"Boom!"
His thoughts were cut short by a violent tremor that shook the frozen terrain. A deafening explosion rocked the air as the impacted side of the iceberg burst open, sending a torrent of ice shards raining down.
This is ridiculous!
Rowe leapt back instinctively, narrowly avoiding the cascade of debris.
"Roar—roar!"
Before the ice shards had fully landed, a thunderous roar shattered the silence, making Rowe's ears ring with its force.
He looked up and his face drained of color. "That's… that's an Extreme Ice Beast?!"
Bursting from within the fractured iceberg was a hulking creature of icy blue hue. Towering like a hill, it possessed a massive body lined with frost-crusted fur and two colossal tusks flanking its monstrous mouth.
Rowe had assumed the destructive effect had come solely from the bow's terrifying power, but reality slapped him in the face—it was dumb luck. He had unknowingly awakened a slumbering beast buried in ancient permafrost.
Life's a rollercoaster… he muttered bitterly in his mind.
The creature appeared dazed from its unexpected awakening, blinking slowly as ice fell from its shoulders. But Rowe wasn't taking any chances. This was Jotunheim's apex predator—a creature whose name alone could silence a battlefield.
Without hesitation, he uncorked a Swiftness Potion, gulped it down, and bolted, leaving nothing but a shimmer of light in his wake.
With the potion's boost, Rowe's speed surged. He zipped across the icy plains faster than a cheetah at full sprint, quickly widening the gap between himself and the rampaging beast.
"ROAR!!"
The Ice Beast's eyes locked onto him. It bellowed in fury and hurled its massive body forward in a tremendous leap.
"Boom!"
The impact of its landing sent cracks through the glacier floor. The leap had closed nearly a tenth of the distance between them in a single bound.
Panic surged through Rowe as he raced across the treacherous terrain. Thinking quickly, he spun around, pulled out his staff, and aimed it at a rocky outcrop nearby.
A Rock Golem surged forth, animated by his command. It dashed off in a direction perpendicular to Rowe's path, hurling stone projectiles to draw the Ice Beast's focus.
"ROAR!" The beast howled, pelted by the flying stones. Though uninjured, it was clearly annoyed. It pivoted mid-run and charged toward the Golem.
"Boom-boom-boom!"
In a matter of moments, it had leapt across the landscape and obliterated the Golem with a single, thunderous swipe.
Not wasting a moment, Rowe conjured another Golem from nearby stone. Then another. He kept alternating directions, each puppet drawing the beast's fury.
The strategy worked. Despite the creature's overwhelming strength, the repeated distractions kept it from closing in on him. Within minutes, the distance between them had grown considerably.
But fortune rarely lasted.
Five minutes passed. The effects of the Swiftness Potion wore off, and the Light energy within Rowe began to dwindle. The beast, however, remained unrelenting—just as savage, just as fast.
Rowe muttered a curse under his breath. Reluctantly, he pulled out a second vial of Swiftness Potion and downed it. The chase resumed—but this time, he didn't expend any energy on summoning more golems.
Another five minutes passed.
Now, ten minutes of full-speed exertion had pushed even his Asgardian physiology to its brink. He could feel the sharp pain in his legs, muscles screaming. If this continued, his body would give out before the beast ever caught him.
"Roar-roar!"
The Ice Beast was still on his tail, as if it had chosen Rowe as prey and would never relent.
He gritted his teeth and skidded to a stop. Turning swiftly, he used Holy Light to cast Faith Healing on his legs.
The aftereffects of taking two Swiftness Potions consecutively had already begun to manifest—his legs were inflamed and borderline injured. He focused the spell, easing the pain and regaining partial strength.
Breathing heavily, Rowe gripped his staff and stared at the monstrous predator.
What he didn't know was that, far away in Asgard, a gaze was watching him.
Inside the Rainbow Bridge Hall, the deity Uller observed Jotunheim through the all-seeing eyes of Heimdall.
"Huh? I just surveyed this region yesterday. Where did this mortal come from?" Uller muttered with curiosity.
He watched closely, intrigued by Rowe's actions, but chose not to activate the bridge. For now, he would let the situation play out.
"ROAR!"
The Ice Beast lunged again.
Rowe didn't retreat. Instead, he sprinted forward—moving past the Ice Beast's trajectory and ducking behind it just as it landed. With a fluid motion, he raised his staff and fired a Judgment Arrow imbued with Holy Light.
The projectile pierced straight into the creature's rear.
"ROAR—" It cried out in pain, its body flinching.
But a creature of its size and durability could not be brought down so easily. The arrow, though well-aimed, had done minimal damage.
Enraged, the beast whirled and leapt again.
Rowe mirrored his earlier tactic and sent another Judgment Arrow soaring.
"Ow—!"
This time, the arrow drew blood. A thin stream of dark crimson spattered the ice.
Now furious and wary, the creature stopped leaping. It began to charge instead, its body like a juggernaut hurtling forward with unstoppable momentum.
Rowe sheathed his staff and focused all his mental energy. As the Ice Beast neared, he ran in a wide arc around it, leapt forward—and landed directly on its front paw.
Scrambling like a mountaineer, he scaled the limb using every bit of upper body strength he had.
The beast swung its paw wildly. Rowe clung on, using his legs to lock in and his arms to stabilize, enduring the relentless thrashing.
His vision blurred from the violent motion, nausea bubbling in his gut. But he held on, teeth clenched.
Finally, the creature reared its forelimb above its head in a powerful swing.
That's my chance!
Rowe released his grip and leapt, landing on the creature's head. In one motion, he pulled out Verrigan's Fist, his warhammer, now glowing with radiant Holy Light.
He gripped it tightly, calling forth a powerful incantation. Waves of golden energy rippled across the hammer's surface.
Hammer of Justice!
He swung down with full force. The hammer, wreathed in flame and divine energy, connected squarely with the beast's skull.
"BOOM—"
The impact resonated like thunder. The creature recoiled, dazed, its eyes rolling. The blow had stunned it—but not mortally.
So tough!
Gritting his teeth, Rowe swapped back to his staff. The Ice Beast, still reeling, didn't see the next Judgment Arrow coming.
This time, it struck true—right into the beast's eye.
"YEEEAAAHHH!!"
A grotesque squelch followed as the eye burst, ichor spilling out. The Ice Beast writhed in agony, roaring so loudly the glaciers trembled.
And Rowe stood tall atop its head, bracing for the final assault.