The air was still bitterly cold, and despite the hunters’ efforts to counter that magic, people still had chunks of ice clinging to parts of their bodies.

  The portal’s entrance, covered by a thick layer of ice, had been a tough nut to crack, but after a joint effort—using fire abilities, magical tools, and specialized techniques—they finally managed to open a space large enough to enter after several hours.

  Ardena, who had been watching the whole process from the sidelines, sat atop a metal crate with her arms crossed.

  Her sharp gaze scanned the area carefully, making sure that no hunter did anything unnecessary.

  Ardena hadn’t taken her eyes off anyone for a second, and although her expression was calm, the impatience was evident in the way she drummed her fingers against her arm.

  'Damn, these hunters just keep showing up…' she thought angrily.

  Finally, one of the hunters from her guild approached her.

  The hunter was a medium-built man, wearing a thick jacket to protect himself from the lingering cold. He tilted his head slightly in a sign of respect before speaking.

  "Leader, we did it. The portal entrance is clear."

  Ardena looked up and nodded before smoothly standing up.

  "Good. I'm going in."

  The hunter who had informed her frowned, clearly worried.

  "Are you sure? The reconnaissance team hasn’t arrived yet."

  Ardena tilted her neck slightly, as if the idea of waiting was absurd.

  "I'm not waiting," she declared firmly. "We managed to kick out the government agents, but they’ll be back soon. If we take too long, entering the portal without complications will be impossible."

  The man hesitated for a moment, but before he could say anything more, Ardena had already turned her gaze away and looked off in another direction.

  A few meters away, amid a small group of female hunters, was Ravel. The fire-wielding man was laughing carelessly, exchanging jokes with a couple of women who seemed to enjoy his company.

  Ardena narrowed her eyes at the sight of him acting so relaxed—as if time weren’t a critical factor in the mission.

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  With an exasperated huff, she put her hands on her hips and raised her voice.

  "Ravel!"

  The man didn’t even turn around, too busy smiling while one of the hunters patted his shoulder.

  "Ravel!" Ardena insisted, this time with more force.

  The fire hunter finally turned his head, noticing his leader’s sharp look. He clicked his tongue irritably and raised a hand in a calming gesture.

  "Yes, yes, I heard you. What’s up?"

  "Get ready. We’re going to enter the portal."

  Ravel stared at her, blinking a couple of times as if he hadn’t quite understood her words.

  Then he let out a small, mocking laugh.

  "Wait, wait—are you serious?"

  "Do I look like I’m joking?" Ardena replied, raising an eyebrow.

  Ravel sighed theatrically and ran a hand through his disheveled hair.

  "Tch. Have you lost your mind? The recon team hasn’t arrived yet—we could be walking straight into a trap."

  Ardena frowned in clear annoyance.

  "This isn’t a suggestion, it’s an order."

  Ravel raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, though his sly smile indicated he wasn’t entirely surprised by her decision.

  "Oh, there you go again, being such a bossy woman. What a novelty."

  "I’m the leader—it's my job to be bossy."

  The hunter burst into laughter but didn’t argue further.

  "Well, at least tell me there’ll be a nice bonus for this month."

  Ardena crossed her arms and gave him an appraising look.

  "If you show good results, I won’t have any problem approving it."

  "That’s all I needed to hear."

  While Ravel stretched lazily, several hunters from other guilds approached, having overheard the conversation.

  One of them, a tall man in light armor with short hair, raised a hand to get her attention.

  "Excuse me, but... are you two really going in alone?"

  Another hunter, a woman clad in a dark cloak, stepped forward as well.

  "That sounds way too risky. You should at least have a support team."

  Ardena watched the offering hunters closely. They weren’t from her guild, and although their intentions might be genuine, she knew she couldn’t allow other organizations to get too involved in what she was planning.

  "We appreciate your concern," she said in a professional tone, "but it isn’t necessary."

  "It isn’t necessary?" the armored hunter asked incredulously. "With all due respect, if this portal was frozen over like that, it means the inside isn’t normal."

  'Oh, apparently they don’t know that it was that hunter who did this…' Ardena thought upon hearing those words.

  Certainly, since it had been quite some time since that hunter entered the portal—leaving behind all this mess—not everyone was in the loop, as they had arrived later.

  "Precisely for that reason, we’ll only do a quick recon," Ardena replied. "We’ll assess the situation and return so the rest of the hunters can explore without unnecessary risks."

  The other hunters exchanged looks.

  "Even so, it seems like a bad idea to go in without reinforcements…"

  "It’s my decision," Ardena asserted firmly. "I’m not going to repeat myself."

  The atmosphere tensed for a few seconds until the other hunters finally sighed in resignation.

  "Alright, but if you don’t come back soon, we’ll go in to look for you."

  Ardena nodded without showing any expression.

  "That won’t be necessary."

  With that, she and Ravel approached the portal, which already displayed its characteristic distortion of reality.

  Ardena gazed at the vortex before them and took a deep breath.

  'No matter what happens, I have to come face-to-face with the hunter who did this.'

  Without further hesitation, Ardena stepped through the portal alongside Ravel, venturing into the unknown.