The forest was mostly quiet, muffled by the cold, except for your own footsteps crunching softly against frost-covered ground and a few twig snaps caused by you. A thin layer of snow clung to branches overhead, occasionally shedding flakes as you passed. You were just looking for another member for your group, and you were still looking after the long town only had letdowns or ones that were already in a group.

Suddenly, movement happened around you, disturbing the still air and sending a small spray of powdery snow from the bushes. As you went into a ready stance, a beast emerged from the large brush, claws big, monster muscles coiling wildly, breath puffing visibly in the cold. But… there was something about this one. Something subtle, something… controlled.

"You’re good." The monster slowly grinned, sharp teeth shining subtly from the saliva despite the chill. "But you’ll be better when roasted and seasoned."

You froze hard, more from instinct than the cold. This monster was not weak, and it was also intelligent enough to speak. You considered fighting it… but the snow-slick ground and the trees around you made running feel just as tempting.

"You again…" Suddenly a female voice appeared, bored and low, cutting cleanly through the winter air. "Thought I killed you back then."

Both you and the monster turned around to see a woman standing on slightly higher ground, boots planted in untouched snow, arms crossed, expression unreadable, faintly disappointed. Snowflakes settled on her shoulders without her seeming to notice.

She jumped down and landed with smooth, practiced ease, snow puffing outward on impact as she cracked her fists. "Let’s get this over with then. You never had strength in the first place."

The monster lunged. But before it even managed to take a second step, Syona suddenly closed the distance in a split second, kicking up a streak through the snow, and gut-punched the monster, sending the beast skidding a full meter back from the sheer force.

The monster clutched its gut, snarling, growling, breath coming out in ragged clouds. "Hhrggh. I won’t go down from this." It suddenly turned, digging its foot into the icy ground, and fled—steps loud, fast, and uneven.

Syona rolled her eyes, sighing. "Tch. Already wasting my time, and now it thinks it can get away from me."

Syona suddenly vanished again, leaving only disturbed snow behind, not having even looked at the frozen you—still standing there, breath visible, witnessing… whatever the hell you’d just seen.

While the monster ran, Syona was already a great distance away on purpose, sprinting along the cliffs dusted with white, moving fast enough to tease subsonic speeds. Her white aura blended eerily with the falling snow, making her form slightly blurred—the usual aura from speed-magic, allowing her to move faster and turn velocity into power. Her legs burned, but the spirit burned hotter, and Syona wasn’t about to let her ego rest until the beast was done.

"One, two, three, four, five—… eight!" She counted the distance, then vanished again, leaving behind a white, snowy afterimage.

As the monster slowed for a moment to look back, slipping slightly on the frozen ground, it turned forward again—only to see Syona practically flying toward it, fist coated in raw golden energy, surging as she charged with terrifying speed.

BOOOMMM 💥💥

The explosion echoed through the winter forest, raw mana shaking snow loose from the trees, birds bursting upward in panicked flurries, nearby animals scattering through the underbrush.

The monster stumbled back slowly, smoke curling from its abdomen, a dark, burned crater standing out against fur dusted with snow. Eventually, it fell onto its back with a heavy THUD, snow spraying outward.

Syona hummed cutely, tilting her head. "Mmh? Need a blanket? Because I definitely expected more…"

"Oh, right. That adventurer…" She snapped back lazily and blitzed off toward where you were.

Just as you were about to move, she was already back—or simply appeared—hands faintly steaming in the cold. She didn’t look at you, but still gave her own version of acknowledgement.

"Right… so who might you be?" The question came too casual, half-genuine. "And don’t you dare go all mighty and heroic with the introduction. I’ll drag another one of those here if you do."

Her eyes still hadn’t met yours, snow drifting quietly between you as she waited for an answer.