The next morning greeted them with a winter sky the color of beaten steel. Frost clung to the edges of the mountain trail, brittle under their boots, snapping softly with every step. Their breaths misted into the cold air as Kana’s group pushed higher, toward the rumored entrance of the low-mid level dungeon somewhere on the ridge.

  Snow flurries drifted lazily at first—then thickened, carried by a cutting wind. The mountain felt alive, watching, whispering around them not as thick as the mountain back in the north or even in the capital.

  “Wait!” Suri stopped abruptly, one gloved hand rising. Her eyes unfocused—the way they did whenever she was Listening. “Kana… someone from the castle is looking for you. They visited the orphanage, they must have thought we were staying there.”

  “My father left a week ago and went back to our hometown.” Leo said,”He probably didn’t tell anyone about this…”

  Kana felt her stomach knot. “Why?” she muttered before forcing a shaky smile. “Is this about the bandits? I mean… I did help the townspeople—”

  Since the survivors didn’t really know her identity.. Is it that guard? I should have just entered illegally.

  “You flattened an entire hideout,” Suri added. “And you lit their base on fire. It must have looked… dramatic.”

  “It was supposed to be self-defense!” Kana hissed at the ground. “Mostly.”

  Kier paused mid-step, fingers scratching the back of his head as realization sank in. He turned, expression tightening. “Hold on… I remember hearing something. Sun’s group—his entire territory was annihilated. No survivors.”

  He stared at Kana as if seeing her for the first time. “Don’t tell me you—”

  Kana lifted both palms quickly. “I Didn’t! Mean! To! They captured me first! I just… defended myself. I admit. I was a bit aggressive...”

  “I decided!” Boris chimed in,”I’ll apply next year for a warden. I’ll wait for you in prison. That way, you’re not going to be so lonely.”

  “You can contact me if that happens.. I know people from the western kingdom who can forge a fake identity.” Kier said in a serious tone.

  “Sir Kier.” Suri turned her head,”We’re just kidding… you know that. Right?”

  Kier didn’t respond. Snow swirled past them briefly for a moment of silence.

  Leo adjusted the straps of his pack, sighing. “It’s not about the bandits. The government doesn't really mind the deaths of criminals. Especially those with a high bounty on their head.”

  Kana blinked. “Then what?”

  “I heard it from my father.” Leo exhaled, white mist billowing. “You’re a candidate.”

  “A candidate for what?” Kana asked, bracing herself.

  Leo met her eyes. “Royal Knight.”

  The cold suddenly felt much sharper.

  Suri groaned loud enough to startle a bird from a nearby tree. “Seriously? Kana is too young. Those Royal Knights always look like someone stole their lunch and their sleep. Their job must be more stressful than my night patrol duty.”

  Leo tilted his head,”I’m not sure.. If that’s a good comparison.”

  Kana rubbed her temples. “Absolutely not. I don’t need that kind of stress. Why would I do anything that the king asks? Or worse—deal with nobles.”

  “You two are unbelievable.” Boris stomped on a patch of ice, cracking it. “They should offer it to me instead! I actually need a job next year.”

  Leo continued, ignoring him, “Father said the castle scouts have been tracking unusual people. They’re confirming talents across the kingdom. Kana and probably Suri soon—your names came up. A royal summons isn’t something you can just ignore. They will try to recruit you like the previous gold badge holders.”

  The wind hissed between frost-covered pines, as though the mountain itself was whispering warnings.

  “We can deal with that later,” she said finally, trying to steady her breath. “Right now, we simply raid the dungeon on our list.”

  Suri nodded, though her expression was troubled.

  They resumed their climb, the snow thickening, the sky darkening—every step bringing them closer to the dungeon’s entrance…

  ….

  The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

  Snow had begun to fall again by the time they reached the midpoint of the mountain. The wind howled between jagged stone ridges, carrying flecks of frost that bit at exposed skin. The world narrowed to cold breath, clanking gear, and the carved stone archway half-buried in ice—the entrance to the dungeon.

  Kier bent over, hands on his knees, wheezing dramatically. “I think… climbing a mountain… is too much for my body.”

  “You should drink less alcohol,” Kana said in a perfectly serious tone, “and drink milk.”

  Kier let out a strangled laugh. “Milk wouldn’t save me from this.”

  The moment they stepped past the threshold, the temperature shifted. The air inside was warm, unnaturally so, like stepping into the mouth of a slumbering beast. The stone walls glowed faintly, pulsing with reddish veins that ran deep into the dungeon’s belly.

  And then they heard it—the grinding.

  Not once, but a dozen times.

  The first golem tore itself out of the wall, red stones scraping against each other like bones grinding together. Then another. And another. Uneven, jagged, towering—each one nearly the size of a small house, their cores glowing dimly in their chests.

  “Let me try the new skill,” Suri whispered, far too excited. She raised her hand. “[Lightning Bolt]”

  The air cracked. A burst of lightning leapt from her fingertips, bright enough to illuminate the entire cavern for a heartbeat. It slammed into the closest golem—

  —and fizzled harmlessly against its stone surface.

  The golem’s head slowly turned toward them, its molten-red eyes igniting.

  “Ah,” Kana muttered to herself, “they must have high electric resistance.”

  A spark danced out of Suri’s palm. Kana watched it with a sharp pang of envy. Why couldn't she learn the spell book and do something like that?

  “This looks like a flash spell,” Suri groaned, “but it’s a very useless skill.”

  Kana forced a laugh. Suri must not have any idea about the properties of electricity. But why was she so familiar with it? She slapped her face to focus.

  “Leo, Boris—handle the big ones. I’ll support you with arrows.” Kana slipped an arrow from her quiver. Her blade was fine, but [Trueshot] hit harder than anything she could swing.

  Kier wandered off to the side and sat on a warm boulder, taking a long drink from his waterskin as if he were watching a play.

  Leo drew his sword, its edge shimmering faintly with mana. “Here we go!” He darted forward, taunting one of the golems, then dodging just as its massive arm smashed into the ground behind him, sending cracks spiderwebbing through the floor.

  Boris charged with a grin, grabbed one of the golem’s stone plates—and pinched it.

  The golem staggered back, genuinely confused.

  “That actually works?” Kana said, half impressed.

  Suri, snickering, shifted her illusion into a floating rock and flung it at another golem. The illusion bounced off harmlessly—but the creature reacted, lumbering toward the phantom stone.

  “Kana!” Leo shouted. “Core!”

  Already aiming. Kana’s fingers tightened on the bowstring.

  The arrow released with a soft hum—then streaked through the air with perfect, unnatural accuracy. It pierced the golem’s chest, shattering the glowing crystal inside.

  The monster froze.

  Cracks raced along its stone body—

  —and it collapsed into a raining cascade of red shards.

  Kana nocked another arrow.

  “Next one!” she called.

  The dungeon echoed with grinding stone, clashing metal, shouts—and the pounding beat of her own racing heart.

  They were just getting started.

  …..

  After defeating the final boss on the upper ridge, Kana’s group descended along a narrow, winding trail carved into the spine of the mountain. The air shifted as they moved—cold winds thinning into a dry heat that licked at their cheeks. By the time they entered the new dungeon, snow had vanished entirely, replaced by a cracked, sun-bleached terrain. The dungeon’s second entrance yawned before them, a jagged fissure in sandstone as though the mountain had been split open by a giant’s blade.

  Inside, the chill of winter vanished behind them; a desert swallowed the world ahead.

  Dry winds scraped across the dungeon floor, carrying grains of yellow sand. The sun overhead was artificial—an orb embedded in the cavern ceiling, glowing like a miniature star. Heat pressed down like a living weight.

  Kian ripped off his fur jacket with a desperate groan.

  “Finally—warmth. I thought my bones were freezing.”

  They changed quickly, swapping thick cold-weather gear for lighter tunics and armor, cloth wraps, leather boots fit for sand. Sweat evaporated the instant it touched their skin.

  Suri exhaled in delight. “This is the first time in weeks I’m not shivering.”

  Leo drew his blade. “Focus. Even desert monsters move fast.”

  Looks like he researched a lot about these dungeons. Kana was impressive unlike the two who seemed like surprises.

  A sudden rustle made them all tense.

  From behind a dune of broken sandstone, several lizardmen emerged—larger than the snow-cave variants. Their scales were the color of packed earth, blending almost seamlessly with their surroundings. They crouched low, slit-pupiled eyes reflecting the artificial sun.

  Scouts.

  Kana spotted them at the same moment they spotted her.

  “Suri,” Kana warned under her breath.

  “I see them.” Suri grinned, lifting her staff.

  Blue mana crackled around Suri’s fingertips—thin at first, like a static building on a winter blanket. Then it snapped.

  “Let me try this on them.” She inhaled sharply. “[Lightning Bolt].”

  A bolt of lightning streaked from her hand, tearing through the air with a thunderous crack. The nearest lizardman jerked violently as the electricity drilled through its chest. Its roar died mid-scream as it collapsed, steam rising from its scales.

  “Oh!” Suri grinned,”It works this time!”

  The remaining scouts hissed, confused—how had she seen them from so far away? Their camouflage was nearly perfect in this terrain.

  Another spark bloomed at Suri’s palm.

  Then another.

  And another.

  She flicked her wrist.

  Lightning chained outward—jumping from one target to the next. The second creature fell backward, limbs twitching. The third staggered, eyes rolling. A fourth attempted to run, sand spraying under its clawed feet.

  Suri snapped her fingers.

  A final bolt cracked like a whip, stretching farther than any of them expected—arcing through the dry air and striking the fleeing lizardman square in the spine.

  The creature froze mid-stride—mouth open, eyes wide—before collapsing face-first into the sand, its body disintegrating into dust.

  Silence.

  Only the low hum of Suri’s fading lightning remained.

  Leo blinked. “Your new skill… extends farther now.”

  Kana murmured, analyzing the pattern burned into the ground. “It should have been mine.”

  Suri brushed her hair back, a smug look on her face. “I like this skill already! And I can already feel the jealousy of someone.”

  The last traces of the lizardmen’s bodies drifted away in glowing motes, leaving nothing but scorch marks.