Chapter 186


    Heat and light provided, one monster at a time.


    As the wound on the monster healed and he retreated in a circle, Mattughed, seeing the small light rune he created glowing with a weak light.


    It flickered, but that told him everything he needed to know.


    His formation had worked. His copper runes, hand-wrought and scraped together over months, functioned as they should despite no chance to test them. Runes could be made out of physical items instead of being carved into the spirit of an item but without mana of his own to test them he had to hope his runes were urate enough to channel mana.


    His preparations <em>were</em> sufficient, and everything <em>worked.</em>


    Now, he just needed to whittle down the ice elemental and drain it of all the mana he could.


    It was a shame that he couldnt use the elemental as a battery, but that was ounted for.


    Thrusting his spear forward once more, the steel bit into its glowing body and more mana came out. Over and over, Matt thrust and dodged.


    It was a dance of life and death.


    If he got injured, he was dead. Either his wounds would be infected, or he wouldn''t be able to power his garden. If he failed to kill the ice elemental, and was killed in turn, he would be dead anyway, and it wouldn''t matter. If his runes werent working properly inside his house, he was also dead.


    Everything rested on this single moment, and Matt felt alive.


    His body was tired and weak from the rations he had been forcing it to endure, but despite that, his heart pumped with vigor and his muscles thrummed with energy.


    When the ice elemental fell for the final time, Matt thrust his spear through it in triumph.


    He paused, hoping for the rush of essence to enter his body and start him on the path of cultivation, but nothing happened.


    Nothing at all.


    Luna had said that he wouldnt get any cultivation no matter what, but he could still <em>dream</em>.


    Cursing Minka and its stupid tests and rules, he went inside and checked on his garden. The runes were emitting a slow glow as the mana in the copper cables were finally used up, but he had proven his n viable.


    He could survive this winter.


    ***


    Susanne trudged forward. Each step was excruciating, but she endured it all.


    She missed her sword, but she had grown attached to the spear.


    This far south, the ice wolves were weaker, but she wasnt able to eat them, which severely limited how long she couldst.


    The final few rabbits she had wouldn''tst her much longer, but she refused to give up despite her body failing her, even if her will was strong.


    She had just wanted to see what monster spring would bring, but now that was a forlorn hope.


    ***


    Lizughed through cracked lips as the hurricane bore down on her, sending a wave of water down on her house.


    The winter and its ice nts had been survivable with her hunkering down and avoiding their patrols, but the spring had broken her.


    Well, it had broken her shelter, which was more important.


    The Spring rains on their own would have been survivable, but the spring monsters were giant trees that acted like ravenous wolves, and hadnt stopped sniffing her out.


    That problem waspounded by the fact that the stronger winds had destroyed her retaining wall, and now her small surviving garden was flooded. With its destruction came the end of thest of her food.


    Still, she seeded in her mission, and that was all that mattered.


    Now it was just aboutsting as long as possible.


    ***


    Matt smiled as the snow finally began to abate.


    With his setup perfected as best he could, he wondered just how long he couldst.