"Haa…haa…finally…escaped."
The rough breathing of two women echoed through a small cave in which they rested. After a full hour of running, they were finally able to escape the blast radius of the giant geyser.
"What a strange realm!"
Alice was the first to speak, and she said exactly what was on everyone's minds.
"It truly is strange. The change in atmosphere was far too sudden, almost as if there are thousands or even more biomes present here." Alexandra added.
She looked outside the cave, but her vision was completely blocked by a blizzard, roaring winds and snow turning the air into abstract art.
The blizzard started exactly where the geyser's blast radius ended. The switch from heat to chill was so rapid that the bodies of the three women almost failed to adapt, leaving them with several internal injuries that they were forced to rest to heal.
"Strange realm, very big. Many risks, but many opportunities." Xinyue muttered.
The other two nodded in agreement. They knew this principle as well as anyone else, it was just a shame that after escaping the harrowing natural phenomena, they didn't get any rewards at all.
"There have only ever been 3 Void Corridor openings recorded in history, so there is nothing confirmed about this place. Whether it be the time, the exit method, or even the opportunities and risks, we are in the dark about them all."
"W-what?! We don't know how to leave this place?!" Alice immediately exclaimed in shock.
Alexandra cracked a small smile. "Relax. Even if the method to leave is unknown, we at least know that leaving is possible. The only question is whether that exit will be manual or automatic."
Whatever the case, it was impossible for there to be a "fixed exit" in this realm due to its size. Either all living beings remaining within after the time limit would be automatically ejected from the realm, or new gates would spawn to aid their exit.
The latter added far more risk, since anyone who couldn't find a gate would be trapped inside the realm, but neither was something the group could worry about at the moment.
Leaving the realm wasn't something they had any plans to do at the moment, so rather than mulling over it, it was better for them to gain their bearings within the realm and start searching for opportunities.
"Xinyue, does your elemental affinity have anything to do with ice or water?" Alexandra suddenly asked.
Xinyue shook her head in denial.
Alexandra rubbed her chin in thought. "It's the same for me and Alice. It's unlikely for us to find any proper benefits in this blizzard biome, so I suggest we first find a better location and then start searching."
"Great!"
"Okay."
Receiving their confirmation, Alexandra stood up from her position and stretched.
"Good! Are the two of you rested up?"
"Big sister, we've been ready for forever! Just say the word and we'll follow!" Alice responded excitedly.
Alexandra grinned. "Great, but be prepared. The ride from here on is going to be a little bumpy."
"What do you mean bum—kyaaaaa!"
Alexandra didn't wait for her sister to finish before picking her up like a sack of rice and throwing her over her shoulder.
"Xinyue, you want a ride too?" Alexandra asked teasingly.
Xinyue quirked her head. "Can walk."
Alexandra smiled wryly. 'It looks like I won't be able to communicate with her so easily.'
Shaking her head, she walked to the exit of the cave and stared out.
WHOOOOOOOOOSH!
The wind roared with such fervor that one would believe a Godbeast resided in this tundra. The flakes whipping through the air were merely snow, but each one was incredibly sharp and had enough momentum to easily bisect anyone below mid-stage 4th class.
And Alexandra…
Stepped into this chaos without hesitation.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
She charged mana into her legs and jumped, using the force of each leap to go further with the next one. If anyone saw her at the moment, they'd be hard-pressed to not compare her to a frog.
'Khh…this wind…!'
Xiu! Xiu! Xiu!
Alexandra covered her face with her arm. The further she went into this biome, the fiercer the winds got. She could feel the small lines of blood dripping down her face from the cuts formed by the empowered snowflakes.
"S…sister…"
Alice's weak voice came from behind. Alexandra turned to look at her sister, only to find the girl covered in multiple bloody wounds.
"H-how did this happen?!" Alexandra cried.
She had been holding Alice the entire time, and made sure to protect her under an umbrella of mana. How did all of these snowflakes manage to cut her?!
"Sister…keep going…" Alice said weakly.
Even she was unaware of what happened. The cuts all happened at the same time, instantaneously.
But Alice was an extreme peak 4th class master in her own right. Even if her combat capability wasn't the highest, in terms of vitality, she wasn't lacking at all.
Alexandra's eyes hardened as she realized her sister's intentions.
'I can't let her sacrifice herself for me. Also, I can't safely proceed forward without knowing how Alice got wounded…'
Alexandra spread her awareness to its limits and scanned the terrain in search of a cave to hide in.
Xiu! Xiu! Xiu!
The terrific snowflakes continued to attack her as she moved, piercing her mana shield and brushing past her body with ease, leaving small cuts littering her form.
By themselves, these cuts were nothing, but when accumulated…
"There!" Alexandra suddenly exclaimed.
She changed course and dove at the ground, aiming for a cave she'd sensed on the periphery of her perception.
Shing!
The sound of something swiftly moving through the air was prominent, but only in Alexandra's ears. The slash felt like a devil's whisper, and following it could only be…
The devil's touch.
Alexandra's body jerked.
Blood sprayed into the air.
Just as had happened to Alice a few moments prior, Alexandra's body was suddenly assaulted by thousands of small cuts, cuts that compounded on her previous injuries and caused far more fatal wounds to form.
"Sister…?"
"Sister!"
Alice's panicked cries were the last thing that graced Alexandra's fading consciousness before it completely succumbed to darkness.
The pair of sisters plummeted to the ground.
The winds whipped around them, tearing their clothes and slowly encroaching on their bodies, evidently with the aim of tearing them apart before they could touch ground.
But the winds weren't granted such an opportunity.
Voom!
A divine blue light shield suddenly encompassed the two women. As the winds struck this shield, it was soon made clear that they didn't have the slightest ability to penetrate it.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The furious winds became fiercer, almost exclusively attacking the divine blue shield and ignoring all else in the surroundings.
But the winds weren't nearly strong enough to accomplish their goal.
Clash!
Skreeeeee!
The wind screamed like it was sentient, but in the end, it was unable to do anything. The blue light shield descended to the ground and floated gracefully into the nearby cave that Alexandra spotted earlier.
Once it entered the cave…
Pop!
The shield popped like a bubble and dispersed, leaving the two sisters on the cave floor, unconscious.
However, all of their wounds were gone.
They'd been healed to the point where one would believe they'd never been in a single battle before in their lifetimes.
And as time passed with no signs of the caster's appearance, Alexandra's eyes finally fluttered open.
"Mm…"
