As they appear near the shalmali tree, Wyn and his team find themselves standing on the Frozen Ocean.

  “Pst. Let me give you a piece of advice. Don’t make Charlotte mad. She’s known to cut off men’s penises,” Eugene whispers.

  Eugene stands at about one hundred and seventy five centimeters tall, with a slightly muscular build, much less imposing than David’s but still noticeable. His dark hair is neatly trimmed, and a roman nose sits above a light beard that complements his tan skin. He’s dressed simply, wearing a plain white tank top that shows off his frame, paired with blue jeans. Classic black and white sneakers complete his laid-back appearance.

  “What about women?” Wyn asks.

  “She’s only nice to women.”

  Charlotte glares at the group, her eyes narrowing as they burn with rage. “Are you fucks talking about me when I’m right here?” she snaps.

  “Jeez. How insecure can you be?” Wyn says.

  Her expression darkens, evil intent radiating from her. Fearing for little Wyn’s safety, Yu panics and dashes behind James, yanking his shorts down in a desperate attempt to divert Charlotte’s attention. James, instead of covering himself, stands tall with a smirk, seemingly proud as Charlotte stares, momentarily at a loss for words.

  “Back off, girl! This is mine!” Mira declares, shaking it to stake her claim.

  Charlotte opens her mouth to respond, but she’s clearly flustered, her words coming out in a jumbled mess. “You!…Monster…nice…I…but…SHUT UP!” she finally manages to blurt, before quickly turning and marching forward to lead the group across the Frozen Ocean.

  The second floor, known for being a training ground for the elites and demons alike, is divided into several regions, each dedicated to a specific elemental theme. The Frozen Ocean, where they now tread, is inhabited by ice and snow creatures. Beneath the icy surface lies the Underwater, teeming with water-based creatures.

  “How do we get down?” Yu asks.

  “You can break the ice, but that would take a very powerful attack. Or you could just look for an opening,” Eugene answers.

  “What’s the deal with the water anyway?” Why even have it when hardly anyone but water souls can move around in there, let alone breathe?” Wyn asks.

  “It’s for us to adapt to different terrains,” Eugene explains.

  “Can I make oxygen bubbles for everyone?” Yu asks.

  “Did you watch too many cartoons? That’s pure bullshit. The real way is to have a water soul kiss you. Then you dive without the feeling of suffocation.”

  “Are you serious? That sounds just as ridiculous as the bubble idea, eh!” James chimes in.

  “Kiss Lisa, Yu,” Mira suddenly demands, ready to test the theory.

  “NO, Sis! I’m a good girl. I can’t just kiss a boy like that!” Lisa protests.

  “It is all bullshit,” Eugene reveals with a playful smile. “Jokes aside, you should all get acclimated to all kinds of terrains and weather. You never know what’s up there,” he continues.

  As far as the eye can see, the landscape stretches out flat, with jagged ice shards jutting from the surface here and there. Despite the harsh environment, the creatures they pass seem to be non-hostile, merely observing the group from a distance.

  Venturing deeper, the snowfall thickens, gradually revealing a section of the ocean covered in soft layers of snow. Snowy hills dot the area, some large enough to act as resting spots for the various creatures that have settled atop them.

  “How far do we have to go?” Wyn asks.

  “Nearly the end of the Frozen Ocean,” Eugene answers.

  “Is there no way to get there faster?” Mira asks.

  “Not with this many people. You can rent an A3M from the band, though.”

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  “This is gonna take forever,” James remarks.

  “A couple of days, if uninterrupted.”

  Wyn’s entire team, except for James, begins to whine as they trudge through the growing cold. Annoyed, Charlotte tells them to move to the back of the group. With a collective groan, they shuffle to the rear.

  As they continue, the gentle snowfall quickly escalates into a blizzard, shrouding the group’s surroundings in white. Visibility plummets, though they can still make out each other's forms in the swirling snow.

  Suddenly, Charlotte stiffens. “Eugene! Cover the back! I hear something!” she shouts over the howling wind.

  “Yes, ma’am!” Yu responds instinctively.

  “Got it!” Jean, another soul, adds, eager to help.

  “She meant me, not you two,” Eugene sighs, shaking his head. He moves behind Wyn’s team, taking up his position at the rear, his sharp eyes scanning the storm for any sign of danger.

  Suddenly a group of what appear to be polar bears on spinning wheel blades surround them. The bears’ bodies are hollow from the butt to mid-stomach, allowing massive spinning wheel blades to rotate freely beneath them without causing any harm. With the blades serving as their means of movement, they glide across the frozen surface, slicing any other creatures in their path. Each bear, with legs merged together in the blade hole, controls the blade with precise balance, tilting and shifting their weight to steer.

  Eugene quickly calls upon thunder strikes from above, sending bolts crashing down on the three bears behind the group, disintegrating them instantly. As one of the remaining bears spins its blade toward Wyn, he seizes the opportunity, enveloping it in a swirling cyclone. With a determined flick of his wrist, he attempts to curve the very same cyclone to smash the other bears. Unfortunately, the first bear is launched into the distance, spinning helplessly away.

  However, Wyn's skill doesn’t go to waste; he successfully bends the cyclone back, directing its force to blow another bear far away, sending it tumbling through the air before it crashes into a snowy hill with a thud. The blade of the spinning wheel is lodged deep into the hill, while the bear lies lifeless, its back broken.

  “Please, guys. Let me kill them, eh. I’ll share their essence evenly!” James pleads.

  Knowing the bears aren’t much of a challenge, the team lets James dispatch a couple of bears on his own while keeping watch. The moment James pierces the rapier into the leg of one bear, causing it to lose control and crash into another, slicing it cleanly, the weapon glows. In an instant, another rapier materializes in his hand. Both rapiers sport frost-blue blades, slightly longer and thicker than the previous one. At the bottom, James discovers that he can join the handles into one, forming a double-sided rapier. The merged handle can even be extended, allowing for a powerful two-handed wield.

  “Finally!” James cries.

  “Cool cool, but not as cool as mine,” Yu remarks.

  “I’ll deep fry sushi the first thing when we get back!” James threatens.

  “You’re such a monster!” Yu exclaims.

  The Skill Tree members are no slouches either; they quickly take out the remaining bears with ease. Just as Wyn’s team is about to share the essence, Charlotte makes an appearance, her expression radiating anger.

  “We share essence equally, always,” she states firmly.

  “You should’ve told us before we tagged along,” Wyn complains, though he complies with her directive.

  “Charlotte, we should take a turn,” Eugene suggests, glancing at the map.

  “Ah! So, this is how we find ultra champions! But what’s with the blinking and non-blinking?” Wyn asks as he notices the red exclamation points.

  On this floor, similar to the champions on the first floor, any creature yielding over fifty thousand essence is marked by constant points, while those over one hundred thousand are marked by blinking ones.

  Eugene nods. “Yes, the mega and ultra champions. The city event finds an ultra on this floor and brings it to the city. And in case you didn’t know, only the elites with under one hundred thousand essence can participate in the event.”

  Continuing their long journey, the group encounters several creatures that pose no match for them. Resting once in a while and avoiding any red marks on the map, their advancement halts when they reach an unfrozen part of the ocean. As much as Yu yearns to dive underwater, Charlotte and the other wind souls create powerful gusts to propel the group across to the frozen section.

  In a surprising turn of events, a creature springs from the water and snaps its jaws at a soul's feet. Reacting quickly, Charlotte gusts the creature upward, and Eugene follows with a zap, dispatching it instantly. Afterward, they check on the affected soul, who appears fine, with no serious wounds despite the sharp teeth of the creature.

  “Woah! So she’s so strong!” Yu exclaims.

  “I bet it’s the same for you guys. With that much essence, you should be fine against any creatures with less than ten thousand essence,” Eugene adds.

  “How strong is she? And how strong are you?” Wyn inquires.

  “Not sure about her, but for us, we’re all above eighty thousand.” Wyn’s team’s jaws drop at the revelation of David’s team's strength. “The leaders of the other two factions are probably sitting somewhere around five hundred thousand, I would think,” Eugene continues.

  “Then why haven’t they challenged Heaven yet?” Wyn wonders aloud.

  “It’s not just the deities; it’s also the souls and creatures there too. Plus, we’re human souls – our weak spot is too obvious,” Eugene explains.

  “Focus, Eugene! We were a bit late,” Charlotte says.

  Further down, the group spots ice shards encasing large bird creatures, seemingly frozen in place in a clear weather condition. However, what worries them most are the ice serpent creatures slithering across the open field, swallowing the shards whole. While the rest prepare for battle, Charlotte’s gaze is fixated on a giant yak-like creature fighting off several serpents.