"Still... what an interesting place for a random cabin to be at," Feng Mian remarked as we walked.

"I'm guessing it was placed here on purpose by the IMF," I said.

"Eh? But they didn't tell us anything about this in the rules..."

"So? They had no reason to. They explained the very basics of the rules - that's it. They talked about the map pieces because we needed to gather them to complete the trial. However, these winter garments aren't 'necessary', per se. They are just here to make things easier, hence why the IMF didn't bother explaining it - on purpose."

"Geez... that's dark," Yu An Yan muttered.

"You're going to have to get used to this," Xiang Peng said with a shrug. "Lots of organizations appear to be good and just on the outside, but really are ruthless and savage on the inside."

"Hm... I suppose that's true..." Feng Mian murmured.

"That said, I understand that it's hard to believe the IMF would support such harsh competition between people without any form of surveillance," I added. "However, the reality is, lives will be lost in this preliminary contest. I am 99% sure about that. So, if we don't want to be on the receiving end of that motion, we should try to win as soon as possible."

"In that case, we should split up individually to look for map pieces," Yu An Yan said. "That way, we can minimize time spent."

"Yeah, but... it's also less safe," Lan Xiao Su argued. "How about pairs of two? We will have five teams. That way, even if one person ends up in trouble somehow, their partner can still help them out."

"I agree with Xiao Su," I added. Naturally, that meant Mei Gui was also in agreement.

"Okay~then I'll be with Big Brother Xuan Kai~" Qing Yue said, clutching onto my arm happily.

However, Mei Gui immediately grabbed my other arm, and forcefully pulled me out of Qing Yue's clutches, much to her dismay.

"Master, I shall accompany you."

"Hey! I can support Big Brother Xuan Kai better with my Blessing Magic!" Qing Yue argued, pouting.

"I can use any element, and my spells are also amplified. What more do you have to say?" Mei Gui shot back, sending Qing Yue a glare.

I sighed. "Mei Gui, you and I are the two strongest members of our group, not counting Obsidia's dragon form. Because of this, we shoul-"

"Hey now, I can't just take that lying down," Xiang Peng said, butting her way into the conversation. "I am an Ancestral Mage, able to cast Legendary Magic. How can you be so sure that you and Mei Gui are the two strongest members?"

"Nyaa~ that's wight! I'm an Advanced Mwage too, y'nyow!" Amane added.

"You two are both nowhere near Master's level," Mei Gui immediately replied. It wasn't even in a condescending tone - she spoke as if she was merely stating a fact.

"Wha... alright, little girl... you're really getting on my nerves," Xiang Peng gritted her teeth in fake anger. She wasn't really mad, but she put up a good act.

"Grr..." Amane growled.

"Look, Xiang Peng... you've seen what Mei Gui and I are capable of. You taught me the Level Three spells, and you saw how powerful my magic was compared to your own. My Level Three magic is on par if not stronger than your Legendary Magic. As for Mei Gui... she's the same as me in terms of our magic amplification skills, but in addition to that, she has her Apoxyia form. Do you really think you can win against us?"

"W-Well, perhaps," she shrugged innocently, but it was clear I had called her bluff.

"What about you, Amane?"

"N-Nyaa...well, m-maybe?"

After seeing Xiang Peng's reaction, she really had no choice but to give in. If an Ancestral Mage was hesitating, then she, as an Advanced Mage, shouldn't be talking.

"Anyway... like I was saying... Mei Gui, you and I should split up," I said, finally returning to the topic at hand. "That way, we can have more balanced teams. Qing Yue, you're with me."

"Yay! I knew Big Brother Xuan Kai liked me best, hehe~"

She hugged me tighter, sticking her tongue out at Mei Gui with a triumphant expression.

"... Understood, Master."

Mei Gui was clearly dejected, but she didn't let it show.

"What about the rest of us?" Feng Mian asked.

"Hm... let's see..."

*****

In the end, the mini-teams we determined were distributed as follows:

Qing Yue + Me

Feng Mian + Lan Xiao Su

Yu An Yan + Yu An Xue

Xiang Peng + Obsidia

Amane + Mei Gui

The reason for these groups wasn't just power balance. I had to consider their synergy and teamwork as well - for example, Feng Mian and Lan Xiao Su had walked together during the Ross Estate reconnaissance mission, and the Yu sisters are... well, sisters.

It was decided that my team along with Xiang Peng's team would go up to the mountains we had descended from to search for map pieces. Amane offered her coat to Obsidia and Yu An Xue gave her mittens to Xiang Peng. Mei Gui also gave her boots to Obsidia. This was because the environment on the mountain was a lot harsher than it was down here - we would be needing the winter garments more than the girls searching down here did. At first, Obsidia and Xiang Peng had wanted to refuse the equipment, but I convinced them to just accept it. When we returned, we would give everything back.

As for the other mini-teams, they were assigned to the forest we were currently in. It was quite big, but there wasn't a time limit like there was on top of the mountains. I didn't want anyone going too far, so I had all three remaining teams work together to search the enormous forest. They had as long as they needed to do so.

The same couldn't be said for us, the mountain squad, however. We couldn't stay up in that blizzard forever - after a while, we would inevitably start to weaken due to the cold, even with all the winter attire we had on. Therefore, the goal was to quickly get in, pick the place clean, and get out.

With all this decided, we moved out.

*****

- On the Mountain -

"Geez... this really sucks," Xiang Peng muttered as we walked across the highest point in the whole battleground.

"Be careful. It's slippery," I warned.

"Yes, yes... I'm a soldier, okay? I've done training in these types of environments before," Xiang Peng said, sighing.

"Then why are you still complaining so much?" Obsidia questioned, which earned her a glare from Xiang Peng.

"Look, you're a dragon. You practically have a fire burning inside of you, This coldness doesn't bother you at all, does it? You wouldn't get it..."

"Perhaps in my dragon form. But right now, my physical qualities are the exact same as that of any 14-year-old human girl."

"G-Grr... are all 14-year-old girls supposed to have such big... things?" Qing Yue growled, looking down self-consciously at her own chest.

"Nope. You're perfectly fine as you are," Xiang Peng said. "Everyone has different growth spurts. You're probably just a late bloomer, Qing Yue."

"Can we stay on topic?" I asked exasperatedly. "Let's hurry. Keep your eyes peeled, everyone."

The other three nodded, and we picked up our pace. Then, amidst the snowstorm, I saw something in the distance.

"Hold on. Is that... a cave?" I pointed towards the single patch of blackness on the snow-covered mountains.

Obsidia frowned. "That's odd. If this is really an alternate space created using Space Magic, then..."

"... Yeah, they wouldn't just place a cave there for show," Xiang Peng concluded. "Let's go. There's definitely something worth finding in there."

We flew towards the cave, with me carrying Qing Yue and Xiang Peng carrying Obsidia. The raging blizzard made it hard to steer, but we managed to make it safely without dropping anyone to their deaths. Upon arriving at the cave, we immediately headed further in, where the storm couldn't reach.

Level One Light Magic - Illumination.

Because it was dark, I decided to create an orb of light to help us see better. So far, it seemed to just be a normal cave. Perhaps colder than most, but a cave nonetheless. As we walked further in, however, we soon found ourselves at a dead end. In front of the dead-end, however, was a rock pedestal. And placed directly on top of the pedestal was what we were looking for:

A white container.

Qing Yue immediately moved to grab it, but I held her back. She glanced at me in confusion, and I explained.

"If you touch that thing right now, it could trigger a trap. The three of you, go to the entrance and wait there. I'll do the rest."

"But-"

"No 'buts'. Just go."

Although reluctant, they still did as told. Once they were all safely at the entrance of the cave, ready to fly out any minute, I made my move.

The moment I placed my finger on the white container and took it off the pedestal, however, the whole cave began to rumble. And it was at that moment that I knew:

Yep... just as expected. There was a trap after all.

"Well, shit."