The snowstorm howled outside the cavern, but the tension inside was thick enough to cut with a blade.
Through the swirling white veil of the blizzard, twelve armored figures materialized, fanning out in a flawless semi-circle to block the cave entrance. Their silver-and-blue steel armor bore the crest of the House of Vermis—a coiled viper strangling a sword.
At the center of the formation stood Julian Vermis. He had drawn his rapier, its slender blade humming with a pale green, wind-attribute aura that easily sliced through the falling snowflakes.
```
==================================
TARGET ANALYSIS (SCANNER)
==================================
Name: Julian Vermis
Level: 18
Class: Gale Knight
Health: 1,450 / 1,450
Mana: 320 / 320
Threat Assessment: High (Unpatched)
==================================
```
"Well, well," Julian sneered, his voice carrying over the wind. He stopped ten paces from the cave, his eyes locking onto Leo. "I expected to find a frozen corpse, but instead I find my worthless bastard brother standing next to the high-value elven fugitive we've been tracking. Did you crawl out of your hole just to act as her shield, Leo?"
Leo didn't answer right away. He was too busy looking at the twelve guards flanking his half-brother.
```
[Target: House Guard (LVL 12)] x12
[HP: 850/850]
[Status: Buffer_Shield Active (Physical Defense +50)]
```
"Twelve Level 12 guards and one Level 18 mini-boss," Leo muttered under his breath, his fingers twitching in the air as he brought up his command console. "If this were a standard boss fight, I'd be severely underleveled. Good thing I don't play fair."
"Leo," Aria whispered behind him, her fingers wrapping tightly around the grip of her bow. Violet sparks danced along the wood. "I can take three of the guards on the left with my restored magic, but Julian's wind-shield is too fast. My arrows won't penetrate it at my current output."
"Don't waste your mana on the trash mobs," Leo said, his newly upgraded 29 Intelligence processing the battlefield at lightning speed. "I've got a batch script for them. Just keep your sights locked on Julian."
Julian’s patience wore thin. He raised his rapier, pointing it directly at Leo’s chest. "Guards, execute the bastard. Secure the elf alive. The Holy Sun Sect will pay handsomely for her."
"Forward!" the lead guard bellowed.
The twelve ironclad guards surged forward, their heavy boots crunching heavily in the deep snow as they charged the cave entrance.
"Activating environmental patch," Leo whispered, his finger slamming down on a newly compiled macro.
```
[Running Local Script: Zero_Friction_Zone.sh...]
-> Target Area: Vector3 Radius (15.0m) in front of Cave
-> Variable Modification: Ground_Material.Friction_Coefficient = 0.00
-> Execution: SUCCESSFUL
```
The moment the guards' boots hit the designated boundary line fifteen meters from the cave, the physical laws of the world glitched.
The snow beneath their feet instantly lost 100% of its friction. It didn't melt; it simply became more slippery than absolute zero ice.
Because the guards were in mid-charge, their forward momentum collided catastrophically with the sudden absence of traction. The lead guard's legs swept completely out from under him, sending his heavy, eighty-pound armored frame flying forward in a wild, horizontal spin. The guards directly behind him couldn't stop, sliding uncontrollably like runaway curling stones.
"What is—wha—!"
Within a single second, the cohesive charging unit devolved into a chaotic, flailing heap of steel. They collided with one another, limbs tangling, sliding violently left and right across the perfectly frictionless ground with no way to halt their momentum.
```
[System Event: High-Speed Collision Impact]
-> Guard 1 suffers 80 physical damage from Guard 2's shield.
-> Guard 3 is 'Confused' (Unable to orient vector).
```
Julian stared in absolute horror as his elite, ironclad vanguard turned into a comical pile of sliding, screaming metal. "What are you doing, you fools?! Stand up and cut them down!"
"They can't, Julian," Leo smiled, stepping forward onto the edge of the cave, completely unaffected by the friction glitch because his own boots were system-flagged to bypass local surface properties. "Their movement vectors are stuck in a kinetic loop. Now, Aria—firewall's down. Take the shot."