Three peaceful days passed after the battle that had shaken Blackfang Forest.
Winter still ruled the Frostfang Continent with unwavering authority, yet the skies had remained unusually clear during those days.
Every morning, golden sunlight spilled across the endless snowfields, painting the frozen landscape with a breathtaking brilliance.
Countless snowflakes resting upon towering pine trees sparkled beneath the sun like scattered diamonds, while distant glaciers reflected dazzling rays of light that illuminated the mountains stretching endlessly toward the horizon.
Deep beneath one of those ancient glaciers, the Crystal Cave had slowly returned to its peaceful rhythm.
The wounds carried by the warriors were healing steadily under the careful treatment of the pack’s healers.
Mothers continued raising their cubs with endless patience, while scouts departed before sunrise every morning and returned only after carefully patrolling every corner of Blackfang Forest.
Hunters once again ventured into the snowy wilderness searching for prey, and guardians never once abandoned their watch over the nursery.
Life had returned to normal.
At least...
On the surface.
Ash slowly opened his eyes as warm sunlight reflected through countless blue crystals decorating the cave walls.
Unlike the previous mornings, his vision had become remarkably sharper.
Every crystal appeared vividly before him, glowing with a mesmerizing azure radiance that transformed the frozen cavern into something resembling a palace sculpted entirely from ice.
Gentle steam continued rising from the underground hot spring hidden deeper inside the cave, warming the air just enough to keep the newborn cubs comfortable despite the freezing world beyond the entrance.
The pleasant scent of fresh pine drifted inward alongside the crisp fragrance of untouched snow, while traces of fresh meat and medicinal herbs lingered throughout the nursery where several injured warriors still rested.
Ash quietly stretched his tiny body.
His muscles no longer felt weak.
His legs felt steadier.
Even his breathing had become stronger than before.
Three days of constant feeding and uninterrupted rest had changed him considerably.
Although still very much a newborn cub, he no longer resembled the helpless creature that had struggled even to stand after opening his eyes for the first time.
He slowly rose onto all four paws.
Unlike before, his body naturally maintained its balance.
Ash cautiously took one step.
Then another.
Another followed.
His tiny paws moved confidently across the smooth icy floor without slipping.
Before long, he found himself walking comfortably around the nursery.
A small feeling of accomplishment filled his heart.
"I’ve finally gotten used to this body."
He lowered his head, watching his own snow-white paws carefully touch the ground.
At first, moving on four legs had felt unbelievably awkward.
His human instincts constantly urged him to stand upright.
Yet every attempt had ended with him rolling across the floor like an oversized snowball.
Now...
Walking had gradually become natural.
His body seemed to remember movements his mind had never learned.
Perhaps...
Some instincts truly existed beyond memory.
Nearby, his energetic younger brother suddenly pounced toward him with surprising enthusiasm.
The tiny cub stumbled halfway through his leap before crashing directly into Ash’s side.
Instead of crying, the little fellow happily wagged his tail before trying again.
Ash couldn’t help laughing inwardly.
"You never give up, do you?"
The energetic cub barked happily before running in another completely random direction, only to collide with their curious sibling, who had been busily sniffing one of the glowing blue crystals.
The curious cub blinked twice before tilting his head in confusion.
Moments later...
Both brothers forgot the collision had ever happened and began chasing each other around their mother.
Not far away, the only sister among the litter remained comfortably asleep against their mother’s thick tail.
She lazily opened one eye after hearing the commotion.
After deciding it wasn’t important...
She promptly fell asleep again.
Ash smiled.
Every one of them possessed a completely different personality.
Despite sharing the same parents...
None behaved alike.
Watching them somehow reminded him of children from his previous world.
Different dreams.
Different habits.
Different ways of seeing life.
His mother watched all four cubs with gentle affection.
Whenever one wandered too far, she calmly nudged it back.
Whenever another stumbled, she patiently licked its fur clean before allowing it to continue exploring.
Her attention remained equally divided among every child.
Not once did she show favoritism.
Not once did she neglect anyone.
Ash quietly looked at her.
"She’s... an amazing mother."
He had once believed animals raised their young purely through instinct.
The past few days had completely shattered that misconception.
His mother worried.
Protected.
Comforted.
Disciplined.
Loved.
There was nothing mechanical about her care.
It was genuine.
The peaceful atmosphere continued until several guardian wolves approached the nursery.
They exchanged quiet growls with the mothers before patiently waiting.
Ash noticed something unusual.
His mother looked toward him.
Then toward the cave entrance.
Her tail wagged gently.
Moments later, she softly nudged all four cubs forward.
Ash immediately understood.
"We’re going outside..."
Excitement instantly replaced every other emotion.
Since arriving in this world, everything he had seen existed within the Crystal Cave.
Now...
For the very first time...
He would witness Blackfang Forest with his own eyes.
The mothers slowly led their cubs toward the cave entrance while several guardian wolves formed a protective circle around them.
None of the adults appeared careless.
Some remained ahead.
Others guarded the rear.
Several continuously scanned the surrounding forest.
Even this simple outing followed careful precautions.
Ash quietly admired their discipline.
Eventually...
He crossed the cave entrance.
The moment his tiny paws touched the untouched snow outside...
He froze.
His blue eyes widened.
Words completely abandoned him.
An endless white world unfolded before his gaze.
Snow-covered mountains rose majestically beyond the clouds, their frozen peaks glittering beneath brilliant sunlight like ancient monuments crafted by the heavens themselves.
Endless pine forests stretched across the valleys below, every branch carrying layers of pristine snow that sparkled with breathtaking beauty whenever the gentle wind brushed against them.
A magnificent frozen waterfall descended from one towering cliff in the distance.
Although the water itself had become solid ice long ago, sunlight transformed its transparent surface into an enormous crystal sculpture radiating countless rainbow-colored reflections across the surrounding snowfields.
Everywhere he looked...
Beauty surrounded him.
Gentle snowflakes drifted lazily through the clear blue sky before quietly settling upon the untouched earth.
The air smelled unbelievably fresh.
Clean.
Pure.
Alive.
Ash slowly inhaled.
His sensitive nose immediately distinguished countless scents hidden beneath the winter breeze.
Fresh pine.
Cold stone.
Flowing water buried beneath ice.
Rabbit.
Fox.
Mountain goat.
And...
Wolf.
Hundreds of different scents painted an invisible picture of the surrounding world.
He had never experienced anything remotely similar as a human.
His new senses allowed him to perceive an entirely different reality.
"This..."
"...is incredible."
He slowly walked forward, leaving tiny pawprints behind him.
The soft snow crunched pleasantly beneath his feet.
For several moments...
He simply admired the breathtaking landscape.
Then...
His gaze fell upon something else.
Several dark crimson stains remained visible upon the snow not far from the cave entrance.
Nearby...
Deep claw marks scarred the frozen earth.
Broken trees still leaned awkwardly where enormous bodies had crashed against them only days earlier.
The battle...
Had left its mark.
Ash quietly stared at the bloodstains.
The beautiful landscape suddenly felt completely different.
He finally understood something.
Nature wasn’t gentle.
Its beauty existed alongside cruelty.
Every breathtaking sunrise...
Could become someone’s final morning.
Every peaceful forest...
Could transform into a battlefield within moments.
The Frostfang Continent was magnificent.
But it was equally merciless.
Ash slowly lifted his gaze toward the distant mountains standing silently beneath the endless sky.
Somewhere beyond those frozen peaks...
Unknown dangers patiently waited.
And someday...
He would have to face them.
The peaceful outing continued beneath the clear winter sky as the cubs slowly wandered across the open snowfield surrounding the Crystal Cave.
Their tiny paws sank into the soft layer of fresh snow with every step, leaving behind uneven trails that quickly became part of the endless white landscape.
The cold breeze gently brushed against their thickening fur, yet instead of discomfort, Ash felt an unfamiliar sense of freedom.
Every breath carried countless scents, every sound revealed another piece of the world, and every direction held something new waiting to be discovered.
His siblings, however, seemed completely uninterested in studying their surroundings.
The energetic brother leaped at drifting snowflakes as though they were living creatures, only to land face-first into a snowbank every single time.
The curious cub happily chased after a tiny white hare’s footprints before becoming distracted by a fluttering bird overhead.
Their sleepy sister found a patch of sunlight near a smooth rock and promptly curled into a tiny ball, deciding that sleeping beneath the warm rays was far more enjoyable than exploring.
Watching them, Ash couldn’t help smiling.
"They’re acting exactly how cubs should."
Meanwhile...
"I’m acting like an old man trapped inside a cub’s body."
He laughed inwardly before continuing his slow exploration.
Unlike the others, Ash found himself constantly observing.
His eyes wandered from the distant mountains to the pine forests below, carefully memorizing everything he saw.
Every tree possessed a slightly different shape.
Every cliff offered different paths.
Even the direction of the wind changed depending on the terrain.
Without realizing it...
His human habit of observing his surroundings had followed him into this new life.
Not far away, several guardian wolves quietly watched over the cubs.
Among them was a young snow-white female wolf whose fur shimmered beautifully beneath the sunlight.
She was noticeably smaller than the experienced hunters but considerably larger than the cubs, her body lean and graceful, filled with youthful energy.
Judging by her appearance, she had likely reached only a year of age.
Unlike the veteran guardians who remained stern and vigilant, she occasionally nudged wandering cubs back toward the group with surprising gentleness.
Whenever one of them stumbled...
She patiently helped it stand again.
Whenever two cubs became too rough during play...
She calmly separated them before licking their heads.
Ash quietly observed her.
"So she’s one of the younger guardians..."
Although still inexperienced compared to the older warriors, she carried herself with genuine responsibility.
As the energetic cub suddenly attempted to climb onto a small snow-covered boulder before tumbling backward, the young female quickly caught him with her shoulder before he could roll down the slope.
The little fellow responded by happily biting her ear.
Instead of becoming annoyed...
She simply wagged her tail.
Ash couldn’t help finding the scene amusing.
The young guardian eventually noticed him watching everything instead of playing.
Her blue eyes briefly met his.
Unlike the other cubs, Ash neither panicked nor hid.
He simply blinked curiously.
The young wolf tilted her head ever so slightly before approaching him.
She gently lowered her nose, sniffed his forehead, and softly nudged his shoulder as though inviting him to join the others.
Ash instinctively took several small steps after her.
The young guardian seemed satisfied before returning to watch over the entire group.
She thought nothing more of it.
Only...
That this particular cub seemed unusually calm.
As the cubs continued exploring beneath the watchful eyes of their guardians, Ash wandered toward a cluster of dark rocks protruding from the snow.
Something immediately caught his attention.
Unlike the surrounding ground buried beneath thick ice, a small patch of earth remained exposed.
Thin wisps of warm steam quietly escaped through tiny cracks in the stone.
"A geothermal vent..."
Ash thought with surprise.
Warmth from deep beneath the continent prevented snow from accumulating there.
Kneeling closer, he noticed several strange green plants growing between the rocks.
They were small.
Their leaves were narrow.
Tiny blue veins spread across each leaf like delicate frost.
Ash frowned thoughtfully.
"I’ve seen this before..."
Then...
His memory returned.
Several days earlier, after the battle against the Ice Bear, the healer wolves had crushed similar-looking leaves before applying them onto deep wounds.
Could it be...
The same medicinal herb?
The other cubs ignored the plants completely.
To them...
They were merely another unfamiliar object.
Ash carefully approached before gently biting one of the leaves between his tiny teeth.
He made certain not to damage it.
Then...
He slowly carried it back toward the Crystal Cave.
Several healer wolves immediately noticed the approaching cub.
At first, they paid little attention.
Then one elder healer suddenly froze.
The old wolf carefully sniffed the leaf Ash had dropped before his paws.
A surprised growl escaped him.
Another healer approached.
Then another.
Soon, three elderly wolves quietly examined the herb while exchanging low growls.
Ash couldn’t understand every sound.
Yet certain meanings naturally reached him.
Medicinal.
Rare.
Interesting.
One elder slowly turned toward Ash.
His ancient eyes studied the tiny cub for several long moments.
How had such a young cub recognized the herb?
No answer came.
Finally, the elder gently picked up the plant before nodding faintly.
Ash received a brief lick upon the forehead before the healers returned to preparing medicine.
Nothing more was said.
Yet...
The elder occasionally glanced toward him afterward.
Not with suspicion.
With curiosity.
Ash quietly returned to his siblings.
"I need to be more careful..."
"I can’t reveal too much."
His greatest advantage wasn’t strength.
It was knowledge.
If he acted too differently...
Others might begin asking questions he couldn’t answer.
As the afternoon sun slowly descended, Ash rested near the cave entrance while pretending to watch his siblings play.
In reality...
His ears remained focused on the nearby conversation between several elders and the Alpha.
The silver-furred elder from before stood beside the Alpha, both gazing toward the northern mountains.
Their growls rose and fell steadily.
Ash concentrated.
He still couldn’t understand complete sentences.
But...
Certain emotions naturally reached him.
Territory.
Bear.
North.
Danger.
More.
His heart skipped slightly.
Fragments gradually connected inside his mind.
The Ice Bear they had killed...
Had belonged to another territory.
Its disappearance would not remain unnoticed forever.
Ash slowly followed the Alpha’s gaze.
Beyond the distant mountains...
Something was waiting.
The Alpha remained silent for a long time.
His eyes never left the northern horizon.
It was the gaze of someone preparing for an inevitable storm.
Far beyond those frozen peaks...
A massive Ice Bear slowly walked across a snow-covered valley.
Its body dwarfed ordinary bears.
Old battle scars covered its thick white fur.
Several other enormous Ice Bears followed closely behind.
The giant lowered its head toward the snow.
It inhaled deeply.
The scent...
Stopped abruptly.
One of their warriors had disappeared.
The bear slowly lifted its crimson eyes toward Blackfang Forest.
A deep roar echoed across the mountains.
The surrounding Ice Bears answered immediately.
Without another sound...
The group began moving south.
Their heavy footsteps disappeared beneath the falling snow.
Back at the Crystal Cave, evening quietly settled over Blackfang Forest.
The cubs finished nursing before curling together beneath their mother’s warm body.
Outside, the first stars appeared above the Frostfang Mountains, shining brilliantly against the crystal-clear night sky.
Ash gazed upward through the cave entrance.
He remembered standing beneath city lights on Earth.
Back then...
He had simply been an ordinary man.
Not a fighter.
Not a hero.
Just someone who enjoyed learning about the world around him.
Perhaps...
That part of him hadn’t changed at all.
He wasn’t destined to become strong because he sought battle.
He wanted to become strong because he wanted to protect this new life.
To protect the family sleeping beside him.
To survive whatever was approaching from beyond those mountains.
As sleep slowly claimed his consciousness, a familiar transparent screen silently appeared before his eyes.
Bloodline Ancestor System
Activation Countdown
3 Days 17 Hours 12 Minutes
The countdown quietly continued.
No rewards appeared.
No missions.
No explanations.
Only the steady passage of time.
Ash slowly closed his eyes.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Whatever awaits me..."
"I’ll be ready."
Beyond the northern mountains, the Ice Bears marched through the endless snow.
Within the Crystal Cave, a young wolf named Ash drifted peacefully into sleep.
Neither side knew it yet...
But destiny had already begun drawing them toward one another.
To be continued...