It’s a day for surprises, it seems.

For a long time, I couldn’t move. Frozen in place and with my attention turned inwards, I replayed the Adjudicator’s words over and over in my mind.

The pack’s gesture—no, it was more than that—the pack’s faith in me left me speechless. And if I was interpreting the Game messages right, the implications were far-reaching.

A wolf nuzzled my hand. Looking down, I saw it was one of the pups. The alpha—beta now, I supposed—stood behind him, his blue eyes serious.

I met Snow’s gaze. What did it mean that the wolves had made me the alpha, I wanted to ask. Did the pack want me to stay?

No. Snow followed the denial with a series of images.

With difficulty, I worked my way through them, then nodded slowly. The pack didn’t need me to stay. But they wanted me to know that I had a home here. That I would always be welcome amongst them.

That I, too, was an arctic wolf.

“I see,” I said gravely and inclined my head to Snow. “Thank you.” The pack dispersed from around me, and I made my way back to the central igloo.

It was time to prepare for my departure.

~~~

The next morning, I was ready to leave.

I left the better part of my belongings with the pack for safekeeping. Among the few things I took were the tundra map, my winter gear, and a backpack with enough meat to complete the journey back to the portal.

I’d chosen the spot for the wolves’ den with care. It was no accident that the den was only a few days’ hike from the hidden portal. Some day—not too far in the future, hopefully—I planned on returning to the tundra, both to revisit the pack and to explore the nether-infested sector. And when that happened, the den would serve as my base of exploration as well.

My farewells were short, perfunctory almost.

All the wolves came to see me off, but to them, this was not goodbye, only a brief separation, and if everything went as I hoped, I planned to ensure that remained the case.

The trip back to the portal was lonely and contrasted starkly with the many weeks that had passed before. After only one day, I began to miss the pack. Still, it was an easy hike, and with the snow cones to guide me, finding my way was almost laughably simple.

A day before I reached my destination, I pulled up my player profile.

Player Profile (Partial): Michael

Level: 125. Rank: 12. Current Health: 100%.

True Marks (hidden): pack-alpha.

Attributes

Strength: 13. Constitution: 19. Dexterity: 26 (33)*. Perception: 25. Mind: 69. Magic: 8 (10)*. Faith: 0.

* denotes attributes affected by items.

New Traits

wolfwalker (hidden): improved senses in all conditions.

budding explorer: all key points in newly discovered sectors logged.

arctic wolf: +5 Constitution, +2 Mind, +3 Strength.

Skills

Dodging: 106. Sneaking: 101. Shortswords: 112. Two weapon fighting: 104. Light armor: 107. Thieving: 78.

Chi: 103. Meditation: 131. Telekinesis: 107. Telepathy: 104.

Insight: 121. Deception: 106.

Equipment

ebonheart (+30% damage).

shortsword,+1 (+15% damage, +10 shortswords), blunt!

slim dagger.

amulet of fire (+10 fire resistance).

amulet of earth (+10% earth resistance).

backpack with frozen meat.

winter bone-hide armor (+10% damage reduction, -70% Dexterity and Magic, +5 stealth in snow).

snow-cone map of the tundra.

I was coming up on my two hundred and fiftieth day in the sector, and you would think most of my skills would be close to tier four already. But sadly, after reaching level one hundred, my skill progression had slowed dramatically.

I was all but certain it was because the foes I’d been facing simply weren’t skilled enough. If I wanted to keep advancing, I would have to find better enemies to fight.

It would not be in this sector, though.

I had a plan for getting through to the next level, and it didn’t involve me fighting the yetis, nor the savant, at least not in the normal sense of the word.

~~~

Early the next day, I reached the region with the exit portal.

The barrier had turned invisible once more, which I’d expected, given that the dungeon reset every day. I found it without too much trouble, though, prompting the same response from the Game.

Do you wish to retract the barrier formed of ice? Taking down the barrier will release the blizzard trapped within its heart and thaw the inhabitants inside.

Replying in the negative, I readied myself.

You have cast reaction buff, increasing your Dexterity by +4 ranks for 20 minutes.

You have cast lighten load, reducing your total armor penalties to 0% for 20 minutes. Net effect: +7 Dexterity and +2 Magic.

Opening my eyes, I laid a hand on the ice dome. It was a trap for the unwary, of course. As much of one as the tundra itself had been.

After the months I’d spent in the sector, I was certain the tundra’s entire purpose on this level was to dissuade players from retreating, to push them into facing the challenge that awaited in the dome head-on. After all, who wanted to risk being lost on the cold, inhospitable plain?

I grinned wryly. Of course, there were those—like me—who ran willy-nilly to that fate, but I doubted many, if any, had survived the experience. I considered the ice dome again.

Two paths lay before me.

One: spring the trap. Open the dome, play hide and seek with one hundred yetis and a savant, kill the boss, and then escape. Crucially, I would have only one day to do all that.

Difficult, but not impossible.

Risky, though, as the yetis were an unknown quantity.

Or two: bypass the first trap entirely. Don’t open the dome, steal the amulet, and flee. It wouldn’t be that easy, of course, and I was sure a second trap awaited those who attempted it. But I fancied that I’d grown familiar enough with this level to know the nature of the second trap.

Time for a calculated risk.

Drawing ebonheart, I exhaled a slow, careful breath. I’d come this far, and I couldn’t fail now. Unfurling my mindsight, I located the savant adept.

Then shadow blinked to him.

You have teleported 8 yards.

Immediately, icy winds battered me, whipping snow into my eyes and trying to push me off-balance.

You have entered a blizzard!

Warning: the temperature in this region is unconducive to life. Staying will cause your body to freeze over, locking you in stasis until released.

I was prepared for the weather.

You could even say I’d spent two hundred and fifty days preparing for it. And when a second message followed hard on the heels of the first, it revealed that my preparations hadn’t been in vain.

Your body has begun to chill.

You have partially resisted the freezing effects of the blizzard! Chill rate reduced by +19 Constitution and equipped cold protection gear. Time remaining until you are completely immobilized: 2 minutes, 30 seconds.

My winter armor and the layers of winter fat I’d slathered all over me stymied the weather’s icy touch. It didn’t stop it from penetrating altogether, of course. But the chill had been slowed enough for me to do what needed doing—I hoped.

Narrowing my eyes to slits, I studied the savant. My supposition was correct.

He was frozen solid.

From head to toe, the creature was encased in a cone of ice. Given the Game’s messages, I presumed the icy coffin was holding the savant in stasis. I pressed my face against the surface, trying to see beneath.

But no matter how hard I looked, I couldn’t make out the details of the creature within, nor the location of the amulet. I was certain I was looking at the sector boss, though. Fairly certain, anyway.

Tapping the hilt of ebonheart against the savant’s frozen coffin, I tested the hardness of the ice. I didn’t so much as scratch it. I tapped harder. A chip flew free.

Good. The ice could be broken then.

Time remaining until you are completely immobilized: 2 minutes, 20 seconds.

Flipping the black blade over, I took it in a two-handed grip and thrust it straight forward—and directly towards where I thought the savant’s neck might be.

A thin crack appeared in the ice.

Drawing the sword back to my chest, I shoved it outwards again, causing another crack to form. Then, I hit the frozen corpse thrice more, always targeting the same precise spot.

Eventually, a large spider work of cracks extended outwards from the impact point.

Time remaining until you are completely immobilized: 2 minutes, 10 seconds.

Judging I’d weakened the frozen coffin sufficiently, I raised ebonheart above my head and hacked downwards. I kept at it, hitting the ice over and over with great overhanded chops.

Time remaining until you are completely immobilized: 2 minutes. Movement speed reduced to 80%.

A chunk of ice fell free.

I was making better progress than I expected. Unfortunately, the seeping cold was also having an effect, and already my movements had begun to slow.

I have to speed this up. It was time to play my trump cards.

You have cast whirlwind and piercing strike.

In an instant, stamina flooded my arms, doubling their speed and empowering my attacks. My sword flashed forward again.

Once. Twice. Three.

In a frenzy of motion, I battered at the ice, my blade moving blisteringly fast despite the hampering cold.

Three seconds later, my blows slowed down to normal speed. I didn’t stop, though. I kept going until, finally, I’d carved a fist-sized hole in the coffin.

Time remaining until you are completely immobilized: 1 minute, 30 seconds. Movement speed reduced to 60%.

Peering through the gap, I spotted the savant’s right shoulder and, running down it, a thin chain. I grinned, albeit crookedly—the right side of my face was freezing over faster than the left.

Better work faster.

I resumed chopping, speeding up my attacks with whirlwind as soon as the ability was ready. More ice broke off, exposing more of the boss’s chest.

Shortly, the amulet itself was revealed.

That’s enough, I decided.

Time remaining until you are completely immobilized: 1 minute. Movement speed reduced to 40%.

Yanking back ebonheart, I thrust it forward again—moving in slow motion now—and into the savant.

It was like cutting into ice, if only slightly softer ice.

You have killed a frozen savant adept. The third sector boss has been slain! Sector bosses remaining: 2 of 5.

No experience accompanied the kill. Huh. Was that because the savant had been in stasis? No matter, all I need is the amulet.

Reaching into the hole, I yanked it free.

You have acquired an amulet of ice, the third piece of the guardian amulet of elements. In its present form, the amulet grants the bearer +10% resistance to water magic.

Ex..ce..ll..ent, I thought.

Even my thoughts were slowing down. Exhaling a frosty breath, I pivoted around and orientated on the portal. It was over thirty yards away. Too far to walk as I was.

Luckily, I didn’t intend to.

Time remaining until you are completely immobilized: 30 seconds. Movement speed reduced to 20%.

Drawing on my psi, I shadow blinked.

You have teleported into the shadow of a yeti berserker.

Immediately, I spun psi again and hopped to the next frozen creature.

You have teleported into the shadow of a yeti grunt.

Time remaining until you are completely immobilized: 20 seconds.

Two more jumps to go. Al…most th…ere.

You have teleported into the shadow of a yeti grunt.

You have teleported into the shadow of a yeti chieftain.

Time remaining until you are completely immobilized: 10 seconds.

Thankfully, the portal was within touching distance of the pair of yeti chieftains standing beside it. They were its last line of defense, I supposed.

My gaze fixed on the gateway. Wherever it led to, I hoped it was warmer. Stretching out my hands, I deliberately overbalanced.

Falling was faster, after all.

I pitched forward, gaining momentum with each passing heartbeat. I was almost entirely frozen over now, and even if I wanted to, altering my trajectory was beyond me.

But I hadn’t messed up. My timing proved impeccable, and I hit the glowing light dead center.

Transfer through portal commencing…

…

…

You are no longer chilled. Movement speed restored.

Passage completed!

Leaving sector 107 of the Endless Dungeon.