A Lone Meeting

Early morning.

"Mission complete." Huo Yuhao took off his helmet and let out a long breath.

On the Screen, the once-arrogant Barioth lay sprawled on its back in a trap, its body twitching from paralysis. Beside it lay the remnants of two recently detonated Mega Barrel Bomb Gs.

"Not bad." Lu Yuan glanced at the results screen and nodded in satisfaction. "You know how to use traps and items now. You can be considered a qualified Master-Rank hunter."

Lu Yuan pulled out a silver briefcase that had long been prepared beneath the counter. "This is your reward! Since you're heading to the Far North, you can't go without this gear."

Huo Yuhao opened the case.

Inside was a snow-white hooded coat crafted from some unknown high-grade hide and lightweight metal.

A thick ring of white fur lined the collar, while Soul Tool cores emitting a faint blue glow were embedded in the chest and knee guards. Its wild yet streamlined design looked remarkably like the Barioth β Set from Monster Hunter.

"This is the Master-Rank Cold-Weather Hunter Set." Lu Yuan introduced it. "A level-six defensive Soul Tool made by Teacher Fan Yu. It has a built-in Thermal Loop System and Aura Concealment Array. Once you put it on, as long as no Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast gets right in your face, you'll be invisible in the Far North."

Besides that, the case's hidden compartment contained rows of strange items: red liquid in glass bottles (Hot Drink), spheres flashing with intense light (Flash Pods), and several tightly sealed black cloth bags that gave off an eerie smell.

"This is..." Huo Yuhao picked up one of the black bags and sniffed it, nearly vomiting. "Ugh! What is this?!"

"Dung Pods." Lu Yuan revealed a meaningful smile. "Commonly known as shit bombs, they're refined from the excrement of high-level Soul Beasts. Disgusting, sure, but at certain times... they're more useful than a Titled Douluo."

Huo Yuhao looked at the case full of items, a glint flashing through his eyes.

He closed the case, stored it in his storage Soul Tool, and gave Lu Yuan a deep bow.

"Thank you, Boss! I'll come back safely."

The outskirts of the Far North.

The freezing wind howled and heavy snow swirled through the air. The temperature here had already fallen to minus forty degrees Celsius, cold enough to freeze dripping water instantly.

Huo Yuhao wore the stylish hunter set, its hood concealing most of his face and leaving only a pair of calm Spirit Eyes exposed.

Unlike other Soul Masters, he did not activate a Soul Power barrier to endure the blizzard. That would consume too much Soul Power. Instead, like a snow leopard, he used the rises and dips in the terrain to slide swiftly along the leeward slopes.

"Gulp." Huo Yuhao pulled out a bottle of red Hot Drink and tipped it back.

A warm current instantly spread from his stomach through all four limbs and the rest of his body, driving away the invading chill.

In the Spiritual Sea, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was dumbfounded.

"Yuhao, that proficiency of yours... Anyone who didn't know better would think you were a native raised in the Far North. You look like you've come home."

Huo Yuhao smiled faintly. "Brother Sky Dream, if I didn't drink Hot Drink in Iceborne, my stamina would drop. Here, wasting even the slightest bit of energy could lead to death."

Just then, Huo Yuhao suddenly stopped.

He immediately crouched down and buried himself in the snow while pulling that black cloth bag from his waist.

"Thump... thump... thump..." The ground began to tremble.

A massive shadow slowly emerged through the snowstorm.

It was a giant over ten meters tall, its entire body covered in thick white fur. Its arms hung past its knees, and its muscles bulged like granite.

It was one of the races belonging to the Far North's Three Great Kings—the Titan Snow Demons. Though this one was still immature, judging by its size, it had at least ten thousand years of cultivation.

"Holy shit! A ten-thousand-year Titan Snow Demon?!" Brother Sky Dream screamed in the Spiritual Sea. "Yuhao, run! This thing has limitless strength. You can't even break its defense at your current level! One hit from it and you'll be turned into meat paste!"

Huo Yuhao did not move. His gaze remained calm, as if he were merely watching one pass by on a Screen.

"Don't panic." Huo Yuhao lowered his voice. "The wind is from the southeast. I'm downwind, so it can't smell me. And its route... is blocking the only path forward."

"Taking a detour would be too far." Huo Yuhao narrowed his eyes and weighed the black Dung Pod in his hand.

In Monster Hunter, when two monsters appeared in the same area, or when hunters did not want to fight a particular monster, they would throw a Dung Pod. Once the monster smelled that intensely hated odor, it would be forced to leave the current area.

"Let's give it a try." Huo Yuhao took a deep breath and calculated the distance and trajectory.

"Go!"

The black cloth bag arced through the air and struck a rock directly in front of the Titan Snow Demon.

A horrifying stench, mixed from extract of Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast excrement and potent irritating herbs, instantly erupted into the frigid air.

"Roar?!" The Titan Snow Demon, which had been strolling leisurely, suddenly twitched its nose.

The ten-thousand-year Soul Beast let out an earthshaking retch. An incredibly humanlike expression of disgust and terror actually appeared on its enormous face.

For Soul Beasts with sharp senses of smell, this biological weapon was practically a mental attack!

"Roar, roar, roar!" The Titan Snow Demon did not even continue down the path. Covering its nose, it spun around and bolted in another direction, charging away with a thunderous rumble at twice the speed it had arrived.

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm remained silent in the Spiritual Sea for a long while.

"This... that worked? A ten-thousand-year Soul Beast... got scared off by a bag of shit?"

Huo Yuhao rose from the snowdrift, brushed the snow from his body, and said calmly, "That's ecological suppression. Even a ten-thousand-year Soul Beast has physiological weaknesses. Let's go, Brother Sky Dream. The road is clear."

The core region of the Far North.

As he ventured deeper, the temperature had fallen to a terrifying minus seventy degrees Celsius. Even the wind had stopped.

Huo Yuhao stood upon a glittering ice field.

There was no snow here, only Profound Ice that had not melted for ten thousand years. Brilliant auroras filled the sky above, while beneath his feet lay ice layers of unfathomable depth.

"We're here." Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's voice turned grave, even carrying a faint tremble. "This is the core of the Far North, and the territory of that Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion—the Ice Empress."

Huo Yuhao stopped and took out a bottle of Demondrug from his storage Soul Tool, then drank it in one gulp.

He did not know whether he could win, but he needed to apply his buffs first.

"Yuhao, are you ready?" Brother Sky Dream asked. "Next, I'm going to undo the seal and release my aura to lure her out."

"That pressure... will be far more terrifying than any monster you've encountered in a game! If you can't endure it, we're both finished."

Huo Yuhao closed his eyes and took a deep breath of frigid air.

Countless scenes flashed through his mind—facing Tyrant head-on in Resident Evil, and challenging Elder Dragons alone in Iceborne.

"Come on, Brother Sky Dream! I want to see too... just how strong this legendary Ice Empress really is."

Buzz—!!!

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm no longer restrained himself. His vast spiritual power accumulated over a million years transformed into a golden pillar of light that shot into the sky! In an instant, the heavens of the entire Far North turned golden!

A jade-green streak of light, carrying terrifying killing intent capable of freezing souls, crashed toward them like a meteor!

The Ice Empress had arrived!