Freljord

Eastern Outer Seas of Freljord.

"We can only go this far. Half the fuel is gone. If we don't turn back now, we won't be able to reach our chosen docking point," Raven reported to Sarah in the Captain's Cabin, his tone heavy.

"That's enough. We'll cover the remaining hundred nautical miles with the small boat," Mr. Ato said indifferently, though he had indeed misjudged the current situation.

Noxus's expansion speed far exceeded his imagination. Several settlements that originally belonged to Freljord had already become Noxian territories, forcing them to travel a great distance north.

Furthermore, without Yordles on board, the wind direction hadn't been as favorable, with periods of completely adverse winds during the journey.

Seeing that over half the fuel was used, using the small boat prepared on the Leviathan to complete the remaining journey was a last resort.

Sarah understood this was the only way. From a personal perspective, she wanted to escort Mr. Ato to shore.

But she couldn't. She was the captain of the Leviathan and the Siren, with dozens of loyal crewmates following her. She couldn't risk their lives.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Ato, we can't escort you to the very end."

"Why apologize? I should be thanking you. Coming all the way from Bilgewater to the far north, I don't even have money for the fare... even Ryze gave you a lot of gold."

"Please don't say that. You protected all of us during Soul Harvest Night and gave us such a large warship. Escorting you for a short distance, we actually still owe you a lot."

Sarah is quite understanding...

Stepping out of the Captain's Cabin, the biting cold wind hit him instantly. Sarah instinctively tightened the thick cotton coat she was wearing.

Mr. Ato was only wearing a black hooded robe. He had already asked Aatrox and confirmed that the temperature would not affect him.

"This time, I can't say we'll meet again soon." Mr. Ato slowly walked to the railing on the deck. Below, on the sea surface, a small boat floated quietly – it was the Leviathan's lifeboat.

"Yes, back at the Blaze Wave Tavern, you said we'd meet again soon. I didn't expect 'soon' to mean the very next day," Sarah sighed.

Recalling the nearly two months of experiences since arriving in Runeterra, a smile appeared on Mr. Ato's lips.

Although he didn't know the reason for his transmigration, he loved this world of swords and magic.

What more could he regret when he could meet familiar and real game characters?

Mr. Ato glanced at Sarah one last time and said in the calmest tone possible, "Farewell."

Then, without waiting for Sarah to speak, he leaped forward. The next moment, he landed steadily on the small wooden boat, using the energy fluctuations from his magic sword to propel the boat forward.

"Goodbye, Mr. Ato!" Sarah gripped the handrail, watching the figure carrying a giant sword recede into the distance.

Mr. Ato didn't look back, only raised his right hand in a wave before continuing to control the boat, making no other movements.

Until the figure disappeared from sight, Sarah closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and commanded loudly, "Return!"

Freljord, as far as the eye could see, was covered in white.

A Giant Tusker Boar charged wildly through the snow.

Even a hundred-year-old tree, requiring two people to encircle, couldn't withstand its mountain-like physique and tusks harder than steel.

Having gone two days without finding food, its already foul temper had completely erupted.

Today, it would dig three feet deep if necessary to find a plump prey to fill its belly!

Suddenly, he spotted a slightly gaunt figure appearing ahead.

A human?

Hmm, though not as meaty as an Arctic Spirit Deer, it would be enough to gnaw on!

In the Giant Tusker Boar's eyes, humans were lambs to the slaughter.

There had been human warriors wielding greatswords who attempted to stop him, to protect their kin.

In just one encounter, he had sent one flying dozens of meters into the air, his tusks piercing the warrior's body. The warrior and his kin had all become meals in the Giant Tusker Boar's belly.

The Giant Tusker Boar had thick limbs, yet its speed was not slow at all. Its charge sounded like thunder, and it could already picture the slender human being impaled by its tusks.

However, its forward momentum came to an abrupt halt! Due to inertia, its hindquarters were thrown high into the air before crashing down heavily, kicking up a large amount of snow.

The Giant Tusker Boar was confused by what had just happened.

Its tusks were pressed against a broad greatsword, unable to advance even a millimeter further.

Red light flickered across the surface of the greatsword. The human behind it held the sword in one hand, while the other lifted the hood from his head, revealing a face distinctly different from the locals.

"I absolutely must go to the abyss to check on the World Rune! It won't hurt to just take a look!"

"I promised Ryze I wouldn't touch that rune. Going to the abyss means causing a disturbance, and it's too close to the Void! What if the situation gets chaotic and the rune gets lost?"

The two completely ignored the menacing Giant Tusker Boar, instead arguing about whether to go to the abyss!

According to Ato's memories, the World Rune, Red Domination, was hidden in a cave within the abyss beneath Freljord's ice. This was also the rune Ato had used to trade with Ryze.

Ryze had originally obtained two World Runes from his master: Green Resolve and Blue Sorcery.

And in the anti-magic stone forest beneath Demacia lay Yellow Precision, obtained by a former Demacian emperor.

If he obtained "Red Domination," then with only "Cyan Inspiration" left, he would have all five runes.

Seeing his attack easily blocked, the Giant Tusker Boar roared. It refused to believe a human could be stronger than it, so it retreated a few steps and charged again.

BOOM!

The tusks pierced the ground, forming a huge pit, but no frail human was seen there.

"Where are you looking?"

The voice came from the sky. The Giant Tusker Boar strained its body, preparing to pull out its tusks. A figure descended from the sky, and with a "crack," the two-to-three-meter-long tusk on its right side snapped off.

This was not the end. After Ato severed one tusk, he attacked again.

At this moment, the Giant Tusker Boar threw its head back and let out a miserable cry due to the intense pain. Ato seized the opportunity, his figure flashing like a white colt passing a crack, darting to the other side. The tusk on the left also left the boar's body forever.

"Oink!" The toothless boar collapsed on the ground, its limbs twitching uncontrollably. The giant tusks were connected to its nerves, and the pain of losing them drove it to the brink of collapse, rendering it immobile.

"Time for some meat!" Ato located the heart and plunged the Demonic Sword of the Dark entirely into it, ending its life.

"Filthy carcass..." Aatrox muttered softly.

In the end, he decided to follow Ato's suggestion and not check the state of the World Rune in the abyssal cave. What if it was truly lost? Wouldn't that infinitely extend the arrival of his death?