How to survive in the Romance Fantasy Game

Chapter 595: A Cold Heart 2

With Snow’s command, everyone began gathering their mana.

They still didn’t fully understand what was happening—why the elves would target them, or how the academy’s systems had been cut off—but right now, none of that mattered.

The short silence between attacks was the only chance they had.

Even through the fear and confusion, they forced themselves to move, to focus.

The air around them began to hum faintly as threads of mana flickered to life, glowing faintly in the dark forest.

“Cough…! Cough…!”

Snow’s weak voice broke through the quiet.

Black blood spilled from her lips, staining her pale skin as her body trembled in Janica’s arms.

“You don’t have to push yourself, Princess!” Janica said sharply, worry lacing her voice. “I—I’ll gather enough mana for the both of us. You should rest and focus on recovering.”

Snow shook her head, her eyes dull but unwavering. “No… that would be pointless. I can’t even feel the mana veins in my arms right now, so trying to heal myself is useless. What matters now is getting help. We have to send that signal, no matter what.”

Janica wanted to argue, to tell her she was being reckless, but the look in Snow’s eyes stopped her. That same steady determination—the kind that made people follow her without question—was still there, even through all the pain.

“Fine,” Janica muttered, exhaling slowly as she began to draw on her own energy. “But you better not collapse on me after this.”

A faint green glow surrounded her, swirling like mist as the ground beneath her feet cracked slightly from the pressure.

Even though she wanted to pour everything into the signal, she knew she couldn’t.

If another wave of attacks came before they finished, she’d be the only one capable of defending the others.

Her senses sharpened as she channeled her aura to its limit, her awareness expanding to the rustling trees and faint movements in the distance.

Every sound could mean another ambush. Every shadow could be death waiting to strike again.

“Everyone—stay alert,” Janica said, her tone steady but cold. “If they start firing again, I’ll cover the front. Don’t stop gathering mana until the Princess gives the signal.”

Around them, the faint glow of mana continued to brighten.

Despite the fear and exhaustion, they moved in sync—each one trusting Snow’s voice, trusting that this desperate plan might just save them.

“T-This is my limit, Princess!”

“I-I can’t hold out any longer!”

“I feel sick…”

“W-What should we do now? Do we just throw it toward you?”

At their flurry of questions, Snow gave a small nod.

She was already holding her wand out in front of her, its white surface glowing faintly.

A dense sphere of light formed at the tip, swirling faster and faster as mana gathered into it.

The pressure alone made the air vibrate.

It looked unstable, almost as if it could burst at any second.

Even in her weakened state, Snow’s mana presence was overwhelming.

The others could feel it—the raw energy of someone born to command magic.

For a brief moment, they forgot her pale face, her trembling hands, and the dark blood that still stained her lips.

She was still the Princess, she was their leader the strongest in their group.

“Please be careful, Princess!” one of the students shouted before releasing his gathered mana.

The glowing sphere shot through the air toward her.

The others hesitated only for a second before following his lead.

“Here you go, Princess!”

“C-Council President, it’s all yours!”

Dozens of bursts of light flew across the clearing, each one striking the area around Snow.

Instead of scattering, the energy bent and flowed toward her wand, pulled in by her magic.

Snow clenched her jaw, forcing herself to stay steady as the torrent of foreign mana mixed into her own.

Her body screamed in pain from the overload, but she refused to stop.

Under normal circumstances, a convergence like this would cause an explosion powerful enough to wipe out everything within a hundred meters. But Snow wasn’t just any mage.

If there was one thing she excelled at—it was control.

Years of mastering her own unstable ice mana had honed her precision to an art.

“Almost… there…” she whispered, her voice trembling as the air around her began to freeze.

Frost spread from beneath her feet, forming white veins across the ground as she finished the synchronization.

The condensed sphere pulsed once—then stabilized.

A glowing construct now floated before her—a massive orb of concentrated mana, surrounded by multiple rotating rings, each humming with layered magical patterns.

SHIIIIIIHHHH!

The sound tore through the silence, sharp and heavy like the crack of lightning.

It looked almost identical to the inner mana circle found within a mage’s heart—except this one was burning outside, wild and alive.

The students stared in awe, fear, and disbelief.

Of course, Snow knew their enemies were probably watching them right now.

That’s why, before she even began gathering mana, she’d quietly layered several concealment spells around their position.

[Low Grade Concealment Magic]

[Presence Drop]

The enchantments weren’t perfect, but they’d do.

Even if their enemies sensed the surge of energy, they wouldn’t know what it was for.

To them, it would just look like a buildup for an attack—or a desperate defensive spell.

Snow exhaled slowly, a faint smile touching her pale lips.

“Let’s hope this works,” she whispered.

Then she raised her wand toward the sky—

FOOOSHHH!!!

A blinding white light erupted from the wand’s tip as the mana sphere shot upward, leaving behind streaks of glowing trails like falling stars in reverse.

The forest lit up for a brief, beautiful moment, the shadows dancing in white flame.

If all went as planned, the signal would reach high enough to detonate safely, sending out a massive burst of magical light that no one—especially the academy—could ignore.

By the time their enemies realized what it was, it would already be too late.

Or at least… that’s what Snow hoped.

Then—

FLASH!

BZZZT!

FZZZTTT!

A black bolt ripped through the air faster than any of them could react. It was thin—sharp like an arrow—but pulsing with concentrated dark energy.

BOOOOM!

It struck the glowing sphere dead-on, and in an instant, the mana bomb vanished.

No explosion. No flare. No trace of the light that had filled the sky just seconds ago.

Just silence.

The entire forest went dead still.

Snow froze, her body trembling as the shock hit her. Everyone’s eyes widened, horror spreading across their faces as the faint white trails faded into nothing.

Their last hope—gone in a single hit.

Then came the sound that made their blood run cold.

Clap… clap…

Slow, mocking applause echoed from somewhere behind the trees.

“Well now,” a voice said, smooth and dripping with amusement, “that was quite the clever idea. Really impressive for… well-fleshed humans.”

The group spun toward the sound—

and there, stepping out from between the twisted roots, stood an elf.

His green hair shimmered faintly under the dim light, and his narrow, dark red eyes—slit like a cat’s—glowed with cruel delight.

His grin stretched unnaturally wide, the corners of his mouth curling almost to his ears.

Janica instinctively stepped in front of Snow, her mana flaring again.

“An elf…” she muttered, eyes narrowing.

The elf tilted his head slightly, his smirk never fading. “Oh, come now. You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

The elf’s gaze drifted lazily over the group, his grin never faltering.

“Hmm~ seeing such terrified faces is truly exhilarating,” he said, almost humming the words. “But unfortunately, this little charade has run its course. It’s starting to get… boring.”

He sighed dramatically, tilting his head as if disappointed.

“Honestly, I expected more from the so-called ’gifted children’ of this era. You all carry impressive mana signatures, sure—but talent? Hah. Seems that word’s lost its meaning over the centuries.”

His crimson eyes glowed faintly, sharp and amused. “Have the standards really fallen this low since the first hero sealed the gates? Tsk, tsk… pathetic.”

He chuckled softly, brushing a strand of green hair from his face. “Ah, forgive my rambling. I tend to get ahead of myself when I’m enjoying the moment.”

Every word oozed arrogance.

Every step he took forward made the air grow heavier.

Snow could barely breathe; the pressure alone was suffocating.

There was something wrong about him—something twisted and unnatural.

It wasn’t just his presence; it was the energy leaking off him, thick and foul like tar.

It made the skin on everyone’s arms crawl.

Their instincts screamed at them to run.

“Who are you!?” Janica’s voice cut through the silence, her tone sharp, trembling but defiant.

Her sword gleamed faintly under the dim light as her aura burst forth.

The green wind that surrounded her began to crackle, sharp and alive, like a storm on the verge of breaking loose.

The elf stopped walking and looked at her with mild amusement, his expression unreadable.

“Who am I?” He chuckled—a low, unsettling sound that sent chills down their spines.

“Whether you know who I am or not doesn’t really matter, does it?” He raised a finger, pointing lazily at her. “If I told you my name, it would only haunt you until the moment you die. So, for your own sake…”

His grin widened unnaturally.

“Let’s just say—it would be better if you didn’t know me at all. Kukuku~”

The laughter that followed wasn’t loud, but it was enough to make the air itself feel colder.