A single-player post-apocalyptic game, but with an all-female teammate mod.

boom!

The axe blade embedded itself firmly in the back of the snake's neck, which was as thick as a bucket.

The terrifying force not only tore through the thick skin, but also almost cleaved it in two.

The resilient permafrost was shaken into a deep crater, and rubble flew everywhere.

However, the earthworm's vitality is astonishingly tenacious.

Yes, without strong vitality, one cannot survive in such an extremely cold apocalyptic world.

Even after suffering such a severe blow, it still retained its vitality, its remaining tentacles flailing wildly, slapping the ground and splashing up a cloud of snow mist.

"Master, weakness detected."

Icarus's wings unfurled slightly, and golden light appeared in his emerald pupils.

She didn't rush to make a move, but instead provided precise tactical support to Aono.

"15 degrees to the left, 1.2 meters deep."

"receive."

Aono drew his battle axe, bringing with him a stench.

He aimed at the spot marked by Icarus and slashed down again.

puff!

The axe tip precisely drilled into that pulsating nodule.

73. Full Map View & Yeti

This time, the snake-worm's struggle came to an abrupt halt. Its thick, long body convulsed violently twice before collapsing completely onto the snow.

Melted ice water mixed with blood quickly solidified into a smooth ice surface at low temperatures.

[Experience points +210]

Gold Coins +363

[Ice Crystal Shards +11]

[Beast Fangs +9]

Seeing the system notification, Qingye shook off the residue on the axe blade and exhaled a long puff of white air.

"I've gained a lot more experience, but compared to the experience needed to level up, it's still..."

Aono shook his head, no longer paying attention to matters of experience.

As expected, I wasn't particularly disappointed.

"Ice Crystal Shards should be a lower-grade material for upgrading Ice Crystal Stones, while Beast Fangs are a lower-grade material for Frost Fangs."

Looking at the enormous monster corpse on the ground, he stroked his chin. "Logically speaking, this corpse might, perhaps, possibly be used as emergency food..."

After thinking it over, Aono finally gave up on the idea.

He couldn't accept it, let alone the women inside the ark.

Moreover, there is no shortage of food at the moment, and the drop rate of gold coins and materials has also increased significantly.

In particular, the amount of gold coins dropped by the new monsters far exceeded previous expectations.

"Let's go and clear out the area around the Ark first, otherwise we'll probably get ambushed every time we come out."

Aono pulled the collar of his down jacket tighter and looked around at the raging snowstorm.

The sooner the monsters are cleared out, the sooner he can get back to his own business.

As for tasks like exploring maps and collecting supplies, they should be assigned accordingly.

Whether it's honing combat skills or developing Lightning Release Chakra Mode, it requires a significant investment of time and effort.

Half an hour later, after successfully killing the fifth snake worm, Qingye stopped.

We've already circled the energy shield once, but all we've found are these few snakes and worms.

Logically speaking, there should be a considerable number of low-level monsters like snakes and worms.

He flicked the ice shards off the axe blade and glanced at the corpse of the first worm, which was about to be covered by snow on the ground.

"Tsk, no wonder there are so many more gold coins and materials than before, it turns out it's because there are fewer monsters."

Not only are there fewer monsters, but there are also even fewer resources for survival.

After walking around, apart from the snake and worm corpses, nothing that could be considered a resource was found.

Within a hundred meters of the ark, there was nothing but snow, ice, and rocks; not even a single piece of dead wood to start a fire or a single blade of grass to eat.

"Survival resources are almost exhausted..."

Aono understood why these snakes and worms had launched their attack.

Besides their low intelligence and inability to understand the difference between the strong and the weak, the main reason they attack all living things is that their hunger for food in this extremely barren land drives them to attack.

Having reached a conclusion, Aono, along with Kage and Icarus, continued exploring the outer perimeter.

There are definitely more monsters than just snakes and worms in this world; hopefully, there will be a few more of the other monsters...

In the vast white world, directions were extremely difficult to discern, and footprints would be completely covered by snow in less than a minute.

After advancing about 500 meters, Aono and his two companions encountered two more snake-worms.

Further out, the number of monsters increased slightly, which relieved Aono.

Gold coins and materials will never be enough. In the extremely cold post-apocalyptic world where resources are scarce, these monsters are the most precious resources.

Even Aono had the idea of ​​collecting snake and worm corpses again.

After collecting all the dropped coins and materials and marking the corpses of the two snake-worms, Aono and his companions continued forward.

The further out you go, the stronger the wind and snow seem to get.

Looking back, the footprints I had just made were almost completely covered by snow.

Looking around at the almost identical environment, Aono subconsciously stopped in his tracks.

At this distance, I can still discern directions thanks to my strong senses, but that may not be the case if I continue forward.

If you lose your way...

Putting aside the unpredictable dangers at night, the extreme temperatures and environments alone could be fatal.

Not to mention the possibility of natural disasters.

For example, a blizzard.

As Aono was concentrating on estimating the maximum distance he could sustain with his perception, he heard Icarus's steady voice in his ear.

"Master, there's no need to worry about the direction."

Icarus tilted his head slightly, a rapidly scrolling stream of data flashing in his emerald eyes. "The Uranus system can provide a real-time full-map view, with a current effective radius of five kilometers."

Aono's eyes, which had been slightly narrowed by the wind and snow, suddenly opened, a glint of light flashing in them.

Yes, the task of determining direction can be completely left to Icarus.

He is no longer fighting alone.

The full map vision range of the Uranus system will continuously increase as Icarus's strength increases.

The current area is a 5-kilometer radius centered on Icarus himself.

In other words, you don't need to worry about getting lost within five kilometers.

To continue exploring the outer perimeter, or even to complete the full map exploration, you only need to leave a marker every five kilometers.

Of course, this is on the premise that the marker cannot be destroyed or moved by monsters.

Aono doesn't have a good idea of ​​what to use yet.

However, today is only the first day, so there's no need to rush. A radius of five kilometers is enough to explore for several days.

"Okay, mark the location of the Ark, then we'll continue forward."

"Yes, Master."

Icarus raised his hand, projecting a miniature topographical map onto his palm.

Most of the area was a pale expanse representing the unknown, but there was a striking point of light near the center.

That's clearly where the Ark is located.

Aono took a deep breath of the air mixed with ice shards, and this time the white mist he exhaled carried a noticeable sense of relief.

Now, the biggest hidden danger has been resolved.

He had previously considered using the cumbersome method of marking to continue exploring, but that was too troublesome and risky.

For now, we just need to have Icarus select a sturdy landmark every four or five kilometers that won't be completely buried by snow.

For example, by using prominent boulders or manually modifying the terrain, you can gradually explore the entire map.

Even if the map is expanded again, the straight-line distance is at most a few tens of kilometers.

This was Aono's judgment based on his experience from the previous two levels.

The first level is 10 kilometers, the second level is about the same, and even if the third level is a bit longer, it won't be too outrageous.

Five kilometers is a large enough area for him to conduct a planned, step-by-step exploration without having to be timid.

Today is only the first day, so it probably doesn't even need to be marked.

After trekking for nearly another hour, the wind and snow grew increasingly fierce, like countless dull knives scraping against our faces.

A thin layer of frost had formed on the outside of my down jacket, and every step I took sank into the ankle-deep snow. The two-kilometer journey felt like a long-distance trek.

Along the way, we cleared out seven or eight more snakes and worms, and gained a lot of gold coins and materials.

Just as Aono was about to find a sheltered rock to rest, Ika, who was flying in the air to ensure visibility, returned to his side.

"Master, there are new monsters about 200 meters ahead."

"Go and have a look."

Abandoning their plan to stay, Aono led the two women forward.

After crossing a small snow slope, the view suddenly opened up.

Not far below the snow slope, behind the ice rocks, three enormous figures were lying on the ground, digging through the snow and gnawing on something.

Judging from the twisted, elongated remains, it was clearly the corpse of a snake-worm.

Yeti lv.23 (Normal)

Yeti lv.25 (Elite)

Yeti lv.22 (Normal)

One elite, two ordinary.

Looking at the tags provided by the system, Aono nodded slightly.

The Yeti is a classic example of an extremely cold monster, so its appearance here is quite reasonable.

There are three Yetis in total: one elite and two normal.

They look almost identical, both resembling white gorillas.

They are much larger than ordinary gorillas.

It was almost the size of a small armored vehicle, and even through the thick fur, you could still see the taut, wire-like muscle lines.

The level 25 elite yeti in the center, enjoying its food, was noticeably larger, nearly three meters tall at the shoulder, with dark yellow pupils that gleamed with a cunning and fierce light.

After observing for a moment, Aono decided to take the initiative.

"Three of them, one for each of us. Shadow, Ika, let's go."

"Ah."

"Yes, Master."

The Yeti's senses were surprisingly sharp; it detected the three of them as soon as they moved.

"Waaaaah—!"