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He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.
( Proverbs 13 : 20 )
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Ze looked around the lava pit. He observed the lava pit, which was around 25 meters in diameter. The lava didn't emit much heat, even though it was molten rock, probably due to the mana-sucking rock. He formulated a plan to reach the rock.
He looked around, his bulb lit. He moved around, collecting snow and used it to form a boulder-sized snowball. He continued making more snowballs by collecting snow around the lava pit. He formed about 100 boulder-sized snowballs and felt proud of his thinking.
"The first part is completed," Ze said.
"Are you going to harden the lava using the snow?"
"Yep, I thought of causing an avalanche, but it's not possible."
"Okay,"
Ze flopped onto the hard ground as he had removed all the snow. He felt the wind changing and sensed a storm approaching. The sun had set, and the night sky brightened the cold land. The stars peaked through the clouds. The surroundings grew colder, and Ze waited for the storm to arrive.
He didn't have to wait long as the storm came his way, and snow showered from the sky like needles. The snowstorm fully blanketed the surroundings, making it hard to see. The snow filled the pit in seconds and started to cover the lava, cooling it, but it was not enough to harden the lava.
Ze started to move, walking amidst the wind and pushing the snowballs into the lava pit.
*sisiiiiii*
With a sizzling sound, the snow melted as it touched the soft lava, hardening it. Without leaving a gap, Ze rolled the snowballs towards the lava pit, and the snowball increased in size as it collected the snow in its path. Slowly, the lava started to cool and harden, forming a path of hardened lava.
Ze touched the hardened lava, which was hot but solid, confirming that it was hard enough to walk on. Ze strode forward. The lava smoked as it evaporated the snow, covering everything in fog. Ze, in his full body fur suit, felt like a boiling chicken. Amidst the heat, he moved forward and managed to reach the center.
What he came for was floating in the lava, half submerged. It didn't look extravagant; it just appeared to be hardened lava rock.
Ze reached for it; he could feel that he didn't have much time as the snowstorm was moving. He grabbed the hot rock, feeling his hand burning through the monster skin glove he was wearing. Ignoring the pain, he used both of his hands and pulled. He felt the head-sized rock weigh a ton.
As Ze applied more force, the hardened lava floor started to crack. But without caring about the cracked floor, Ze pulled even harder. The floor cracked, and the lava started to seep out, but Ze felt the rock loosen.
"The lava's coming," Zeru informed, panicked.
"I know," Ze replied through his gritted teeth.
"Hurry!"
"Ahhha!!"
With a cry, Ze finally lifted the rock, and the floor cracked. Ze sensed the danger and jumped back, landing on the uncracked floor. However, it too started to crack. He could feel the lava pit getting hotter; the storm had passed, and the lava was heating up.
Ze hugged the rock and hopped, like a rabbit, from a hardened ground to another. He avoided the spilling lava skillfully as he managed to reach the end of the lava pit. He jumped towards the solid earth, rolled a few times, and stood up, pumping his fist into the air. He then threw the rock to the ground.
"GOAL!"
The moment he shouted, the lava pit erupted.
"Sh*t!" both shouted.
Ze picked up the rock and started running at full speed without looking back. After managing to escape the range, Ze fell onto the soft snow.
"Ha... *Huff*... Ha aha *huff*. Got it," he chuckled.
"We managed to not die again," Zeru said.
"Yes, we did."
"....."
" Hehehe..."
"Do we have shitty luck or what, "
Zeru joked
"Definitely cursed,"
Ze agreed.
"But we got it," they metaphorically high fives. "Yep, we got it."
Both of them celebrate their small victory. They would have been burnt to death this time.
"Let's rest," Ze said.
...
Ze closed his eyes and drifted into a dream, finding comfort in the soft, cold snow. He entered a blurred world, knowing it was not reality. Looking around, he spotted a woman walking in the distance. He ran towards her and stopped her by grabbing her shoulder.
She turned to look at him, but her face remained a blur. She gazed at him and opened her mouth.
"I don't love you anymore," her enchanting voice entered his ears, causing him intense heartache. It felt like thousands of needles stabbing at him. He fell to the floor, clutching his chest, struggling to breathe.
Ze looked at the woman, sensing a sad smile on her face. He calmed his breathing and stood up, gently caressing her face.
"I will find you," he said.
As he uttered those words, everything around him cleared, and he found himself standing in a grassy field. The woman's face started to become clear. Her dark eyes shone like captivating jewels, her beautiful dark hair flowed down to her waist, and her soft pink lips appeared ready to burst upon touch. She was, in a word, a fairy.
"Don't wait for me," she mouthed.
The space around him cracked, and Ze looked into her clear black eyes.
"Can't do," he smiled.
The space shattered.
Ze opened his eyes to the night sky, which was adorned with stars and the captivating beauty of the aurora painting the cold land.
"I will find you, wait for me," he murmured.
*grrrrr*
A growl emanated from his stomach; he was hungry.
"Ha-ha," a chuckle escaped his lips.
He sat up and brushed off the snow that covered his body. Checking his hand, he noticed a few burn marks, but not much harm. He got up and walked towards the mountains.
Ze moved around the mountains, searching for food. After hours of searching, he came across a horned bear which was also in search of food.
...
"The food source in the mountains has greatly diminished in the past years," Ze murmured to himself.
He observed the horned bear, a formidable creature with a horn on its head and a tough hide. It was a combination of a rhino and a bear, capable of powerful attacks with its horn and claws. Assessing the situation, Ze realized that a direct confrontation would put him at a disadvantage. Determined to defeat the horned bear, he formulated a plan and took action.
Blending with the darkness of the night, Ze lured the horned bear into a valley. He distanced himself from the bear, ensuring he was at a safe distance. Observing the bear, which relied on its sense of smell to track prey, Ze called out to it.
"Hey, you armoured b*stard!" he shouted.
The bear turned towards the sound and noticed Ze, who didn't resemble a human with his body covered in monster fur, except for his eyes, giving him a more monkey-like appearance. The bear, focused on finding food, didn't expect prey to come to it. Being one of the strong monsters in the area, it didn't have many natural predators.
"You stupid crossbreed, come at me," Ze taunted the bear.
The horned bear, not understanding the words but sensing the provocation, felt its anger rise.
"What, are you scared, you stupid horned b*stard?" Ze continued.
*Roar*
The bear roared in response, preparing to charge, even though it didn't comprehend the taunting. It charged towards Ze like a spear, aiming to tear the monkey-like creature apart. The earth shook as the horned bear closed the distance between them in seconds, arriving before Ze.
Ze smiled as the charging bear approached, black lightning dancing around his body. At the last moment, he sidestepped and grabbed the bear's horn, attempting to halt its charge. However, the bear's momentum dragged him along.
Ze held on to the bear's horn, steadying himself as he hung on like a kite. The lightning surrounding his body concentrated on his fist, which he placed against the bear's head, ready to deliver a powerful punch.
"Black bolt," he murmured.
*Boom*
With a thunderous clap, Ze unleashed a one-inch punch to the bear's head. The lightning surged through the horned bear's head, frying its brain in the process. The bear died instantly, its body slumping to the ground. It slid across the floor due to its momentum before coming to a stop. Ze jumped down from the bear's body.
He spat to the side and wiped the blood from his mouth, then looked at the lifeless horned bear. Gripping its horn, he began to drag it back.
"I still can't handle the output," Ze muttered to himself, acknowledging that he still struggled to control his power.
...
Hula is a boy who lived in a village near the northern mountains. He was born with an instinct like that of an animal; he could sense if things would be dangerous or not. He relied on his instincts to survive in these harsh lands.
Today, he sneaked out of the village to hunt in the mountains, but he lost his way and wandered deep into the mountains. He escaped from a monster using his instincts. Then, he saw white smoke coming in the distance. He thought it could be a signal from a hunter and rushed towards it, but he found a lava pit, boiling.
He didn't know how to get back home, so he sat at a distance from the lava pit to keep himself warm. He was worried that he would die of starvation or get eaten by a monster. Hula started to doodle in the snow.
Hula's eyes widened as he noticed a shadow cast on him. His instinct flared up as it sensed danger. His hairs stood on end, and cold sweat trickled down his forehead. He slowly turned back to look and saw a horned bear looking at him with its food, a furred monkey, in its mouth. Hula slowly backed away.
"It's a human," a voice said.
Hula noticed that the voice came from the horned bear.
"P-please, don't eat me," Hula said in fear.
"I don't eat humans, they don't taste good," the voice said again.
Hula froze. He then saw the monkey move, and the horned bear dropped to the ground. The monkey extended its hand towards him. Hula quivered in fear and closed his eyes.
"Calm down, I am not going to eat you," the voice came from the furred monkey.
The monkey slowly moved to not scare Hula and used its other hand to remove the fur from its face. Hula's eyes widened as he saw the human face underneath. He was relieved he had met another human instead of a monster.
"Calm down, do I look that scary for you to cry?" Ze said.
'Maybe,' Zeru said.
"You are not helping," Ze murmured.
While Ze was bickering with himself, Hula managed to calm down. He looked at the panicking Ze.
"Sorry, I thought I was going to die," Hula said, tears were slowly flowing from his eyes..
Ze looked at Hula silently.
He waited for Hula to stop crying and calm down.
"You managed to calm down, right?" he asked carefully.
"Yes," Hula answered.
"Okay, let me introduce myself. I am Zeru," Ze introduced himself.
'Hey, that's me,' Zeru shouted.
"I am Hula," Hula replied.
"Okay, Hula, why are you alone in the mountains?"
"I... I got lost and wandered deep."
"Okay, okay. Do you know the direction to your village?"
'He said he got lost,' Zeru facepalmed.
"No, but my village was near a mountain."
Ze controlled his urge to facepalm himself. In every direction he could turn around him was a mountain.
"Can you give me more details?" Ze asked.
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