Extra's Path: The Eternal Frost Monarch

"Hehe... You really do look adorable when you’re asleep."

His gaze softened. "I kind of want to kiss you again."

He quickly shook his head. "No. What is this? Some strange chemical reaction inside the human body? People feel attracted to someone and then call it a crush... or love?"

He frowned thoughtfully.

"I’m definitely attracted to her. But don’t misunderstand that as love, Noah. Maybe not yet."

He fell silent. After another long moment, he smiled faintly. "Still. I really care about her. I hope one day... I’ll be able to fall asleep while hugging her. And cuddling with her."

A lazy yawn escaped him. His eyelids slowly grew heavier. Within minutes he quietly drifted off to sleep.

Silence returned to the room.

Akari slowly opened her eyes. Her blue gaze immediately landed on Noah’s sleeping face. He was much closer than before.

"This man..."

Her cheeks instantly turned bright red. She hadn’t been asleep at all. She had merely kept her eyes closed. And this shameless young man had spent the entire time saying such embarrassing things right beside her.

"This man..."

She clenched her fists beneath the blanket. "Tomorrow. I’m going to train him much harder. Hmph!"

She firmly closed her eyes again. Yet one sentence stubbornly echoed inside her mind.

"I hope one day... I’ll be able to fall asleep while hugging her. And cuddling with her."

"Argh..."

She buried her burning face on her both palm. Rolling from one side to the other several times.

"How am I supposed to sleep after hearing something like that...?"

For the first time in many years. Akari found herself completely unable to fall asleep.

---

The next morning, Akari woke up early.

After freshening up, she quietly sat in the living room, enjoying the peaceful silence of the morning.

Not long afterward Noah came to room.

"Akari!!"

His cheerful voice came from behind. He walked over and sat down directly in front of her, making her flinch slightly.

"Y-Yes?What is it?" She tried her best to maintain her usual composed expression.

Without saying another word, Noah lowered his head deeply.

"I’m really sorry for kissing you."

Akari’s eyelids twitched.

’Why would he say it so openly...? He could have simply apologized, and I would have understood... Now he had bluntly spoken the entire incident aloud.’

Seeing the guilt and nervousness written across his face, she let out a helpless sigh. She had never truly been angry with him.

"It’s alright. I’m not angry. So you don’t have to keep apologizing."

A small smile appeared on her lips. "I’m just glad you understand that it wasn’t appropriate."

Noah slowly looked up. Relief filled his blue eyes.

"Akari...Thank you. You’re far too kind to me."

She smiled gently.

"Come now. Don’t keep feeling guilty over it."

Noah nodded repeatedly.

"Thank you again."

A grin suddenly appeared on his face.

"So... does that mean I can kiss you again sometime in the future? Since you didn’t seem to hate it."

Silence.

A vein visibly throbbed on Akari’s forehead. Yet she somehow maintained her smile.

"...Noah."

He looked at her expectantly.

"Yes?"

She slowly stood up. "Let’s begin today’s training. I’ve prepared something new for you. A new training?"

Noah immediately stood as well. Before he could ask anything else.

Akari walked over, grabbed him effortlessly, and hoisted him over her right shoulder like a sack of rice.

"W-Wait! Master!What are you doing?!"

Whenever training was involved, Noah naturally addressed her as "Master."

Now he hung upside down over her shoulder, completely helpless.

She raised her left hand and slap on his ass sharply.

Smack!

"Ahh! Master! That hurt!"

His face instantly turned bright red from embarrassment.

’Dammit! I was just joking,how can she just spank me for it.’ He thought shamefully.

Akari gave him another firm smack.

"Don’t talk. I forgave you. And yet you still had the nerve to ask if you could kiss me again. How shameless can you possibly be?"

"W-Wait, Master! I was only joking to lighten the mood!"

He tried to give her reason for it.

"Hmph." But she was not in mood to listen. Blue lightning crackled around her body. The next instant.

Crack!

She vanished.

No she was simply moving so fast that Noah couldn’t perceive her. She shot through the forest like a streak of blue lightning.

Meanwhile Noah’s world spun violently.

"I... think...I’m going to throw up..."

---

Several minutes later.

"Cough!"

"Cough!"

Noah leaned against a nearby tree for support.

His face had gone pale. The entire world continued spinning around him.

He shook his head repeatedly, trying to regain his senses.

Only after several moments did the dizziness finally lessen.

He slowly turned toward Akari. She stood nearby with her usual calm expression.

As though carrying someone at terrifying speed had been completely normal.

Noah swallowed nervously.

"So... Master... What’s this new training?"

Akari raised one eyebrow before smiling faintly.

"This place is far away from our house."

Noah blinked.

’Our house?’

For some reason hearing those words made him smile inwardly.

She continued. "This forest contains numerous monsters. Most of them are around D+ Rank."

Noah nodded.

"Alright. So what do you want me to do? You’ll remain inside this forest for the next week."

His eyes widened.

"...What?"

"You heard me correctly. You’ll survive here for seven days. Fight monsters. Run if necessary. Find food. Build shelter. Do whatever it take to survive."

She looked directly into his eyes.

"And this time... I won’t help you. Even if your life is in danger."

Her voice remained calm. But Noah could clearly hear the lingering annoyance from this morning. She was telling those last words in annoyance.

"Now go."

Noah silently looked toward the dense forest.

Then back at her.

"Alright. I’ll do it."

He paused for a moment before smiling.

"But... Can I get a reward after I finish? It would be much more motivating."

Akari folded her arms.

"A reward? Hmm... I suppose that’s reasonable. I’ll think of something."

Noah immediately shook his head.

"How about this? You simply grant me one wish."

Akari frowned.

"...One wish? What exactly do you want?"

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"And for heaven’s sake...don’t even think about asking to give a kiss to me again."

Her cheeks flushed ever so slightly.

Noah couldn’t help laughing.

"Relax, Master. I won’t ask for something like that. It’s nothing outrageous. I promise."

She continued staring at him for several seconds.

Finally she sighed.

"Fine. As long as it isn’t something I dislike...I’ll grant it."

Noah’s smile widened.

"Thank you, Master. Then I’ll be going."

Akari gave a small nod.

"Good. Also even if you are trying to survive. Don’t forget to train. Especially Aura. That’s I have been teaching you. Of course it’s something that might take you a years to learn. But still keep practicing."

"Yes Master! I won’t neglect my training."

With last nod a blue lightning danced around her body once more.

Crack!

She disappeared into the distance. Leaving Noah alone before the vast forest.

He looked toward the endless trees ahead. A confident smirk slowly spread across his face.

"One week...Let’s survive."

With that, he tightened his grip on his sword and walked into the forest.

---

The dense forest welcomed Noah with complete silence.

The air was damp.

Noah moved cautiously through the undergrowth.

Unlike before, he wasn’t in a hurry. This week wasn’t about reaching a destination.

It was about surviving.

His blue eyes carefully scanned his surroundings while mana quietly circulated through his body.

Only ten minutes had passed.

Rustle...

Rustle...

A strange sound echoed from a bush several meters ahead.

Noah immediately stopped.

His right hand moved to the hilt of his sword. The forest became silent once again.

Hissssss—!!

A massive serpent burst out from the bushes.

It was over eight meters long.

Its body was covered in dark green scales patterned with black stripes that blended perfectly with the surrounding vegetation.

Its golden slit pupils locked onto Noah.

Two long venomous fangs protruded from its mouth as its forked tongue flickered repeatedly through the air.

The monster slowly raised the front half of its body.

It towered nearly three meters above the ground.

It looked around D- Rank monster.

The snake hissed once more before shooting toward Noah with astonishing speed.

Noah remained calm.

A smile appeared on his face. "Let’s see how much I’ve improved."

Mana surged through his core. His left hand stretched toward the incoming serpent.

Crack!

Crack!

Massive pillars of ice erupted from the ground around the serpent.

Before it could react, thick frozen bars rapidly connected together.

A giant cage of crystal-clear ice had formed around the monster. The serpent slammed against the frozen prison.

BOOM!

The entire cage trembled violently. Cracks spread across a few sections.

But it remained intact. The monster hissed furiously, repeatedly smashing its massive body against the walls. It’s body caught tightly with coldness. Some ice started spread over it’s scales.

Noah didn’t give it another chance. Mana flowed into his sword. A layer of frost coated the blade until it glowed with a pale blue light.

He stepped forward. His figure disappeared in a blur.

Swish!

One clean slash. The sword flashed past the serpent’s neck.

Slice!

The enormous head slowly separated from its body.

Dark blood sprayed across the frozen cage.

The severed head struck the ground with a heavy thud while the remaining body violently convulsed before collapsing.

Silence returned to the forest.

---

While Noah began his seven-day survival training, Akari remained far from his position.

She sat alone in a quiet clearing, surrounded by silence.

Her eyes were gently closed as the sapphire scales adorning her neck and cheek quivered ever so slightly, trembling as if responding to an unseen force flowing through her body.

A few moments later, she slowly opened her eyes.

A faint, genuine smile graced her lips.

"I’m close... once again I am so close to fully awakening and comtrolling my bloodline."

She lowered her gaze to her trembling hand before softly clenching it into a fist.

"Just a few more months... and I’ll be able to control it completely without losing myself to madness like before."

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