Sigma was fully aware that he lacked more than a little bit when it came to barehanded fighting. Still, he had an idea that might help him. First of all, he had several status points to use, and he decided to split them evenly into strength, dexterity, and speed. Those parameters will also help him with his bow, so it was fine. The only downside of that was the fact that he still had only one point in endurance… he couldn't help but imagine that soon enough, he would pay dearly for that.
Sigma - Lv 52 - 1750/2500 EXP
HP: 310/310
MP: 315/315
SP: 785/785
Strength: 51
Speed: 82
Magic: 46
Endurance: 01
Dexterity: 75
Resistance: 01 + 20
Status Points: 75
Skills: Exp/Mana Conversion Lv 11, Dash Lv 13, Power Shot Lv 09, Double Shot Lv 03, Stamina Manipulation Lv 07
Spells: Heal Lv 03, Appraisal Lv 03, Water Manipulation Lv 06
Passive: Craft Lv 03, Archery Lv 15, Cooking Lv 01, Stealth Lv 01, Swordsmanship Lv 02, Spearmanship Lv 09, Meditation Lv 14, Horsemanship Lv 11, Pain Resistance Lv 11, Wind Resistance Lv 01, Cold Resistance Lv 06,
Skill Points: 135
After that, Ed split the things that he bought among the group. Winter boots, cloak, and gloves for everyone.
Winter Gloves - Lv 0 (0/10)
Durability: 10/10
Effects: Cold Resistance Lv + 20
Once again, the items didn't have that many parameters. Sigma made a mental note to experiment more to find the cause of that. Still, then he made his gloves level up, and then he increased their durability, and then used the skill points to increase them even more, the Cold Resistance. At level forty, he couldn't even feel the cold anymore… that was good and bad because he won't have the chance to level up his own skill. So, he decided to equip it later. Once again, Sigma felt Eclair's eyes on him, but he just ignored her.
"I wish you good luck on your journey, and I hope that you won't make decisions that you will regret later like me," Lucius said, and then he returned to his dojo to meditate.
Those were some heavy words for someone like him, and it only showed that strength was meaningless unless you do what you truly want with it.
Sigma and the others just nodded since Lucius didn't seem like the type who believed in farewells, and then they went to follow their path. Along the way, Sigma tried to use Stamina Manipulation to learn a new skill, but for some reason, it wasn't working. Eventually, they reached the wall, and after climbing some stairs, they reached the top and saw a land covered in the snow ahead. There were some mountains, but they couldn't see their peak because of countless snow clouds that even now kept painting the region white.
Once Sabrina made them land on the other side, the group quickly made use of the magic stones to fuel the tools that they got, the water mirror and the magic fire lamp… they couldn't see any signs of the lakes around, and Ed was already trembling due to the cold.
"Are our stock of magic stones last since we are already using them?" Sigma asked.
"It will… be fine," Ed replied while trembling a little. "We got a lot… if people knew how many monsters we had killed… they would have asked for more when we traded… but they didn't."
"... What the monsters of this area?" Sigma asked while looking over his shoulder. "I think you also should stay more focused since your brother is acting like that."
"I guess so… " Sabrina said and then sighed. "The underwater monsters are the carnivorous fish, and they are on the size of humans so that they can take your limbs with a single bite. They are probably the only species of creatures that Lucius' daughter and her underlings didn't fight that much since the terrain is against them. The second group are the giant penguins, they are like four meters tall, and they have some sharp claws and beak. They also can use Middle-tier ice magic, and they are pretty tough as well. The final group are the frozen skeletons, they aren't that tough, but they can fly and also use Middle tier ice magic."
Sigma frowned since he also recognized another name of a monster… he could imagine the penguins for one reason or the other. Now, he just had to confirm that they looked the same as his imagination.
In any case, the group frowned since they didn't see any signs of anything around them. Still, they began to move. Ed took the lead while holding the water mirror and checking the path without frozen lakes. Sigma and Sabrina followed him and Eclair from behind.
"Don't stare at her too much," Sabrina said when she noticed that Eclair looked a bit uncomfortable.
"You two sure are a pain in the ass… do you want me to ride with my eyes closed or looking to the side? During the whole path?" Sigma asked.
Sabrina sighed….she knew that she was being a bit unreasonable. Still, she couldn't help it since her instincts were too always to protect Eclair. Unfortunately, they couldn't trade positions since Sigma and Sabrina had to keep one of their hands-free to attack… Sigma could always learn Fireball and make it level up, but he won't make his choices to make others feel that much comfortable.
In any case, Eclair eventually got used to their formation after a couple of hours, and then everyone got a bit tense since they arrived in an area filled with trees and massive piles of snow… it was the perfect place for them to be attacked…