Novel Full Chapter 692: Frozen Trials 5
Chapter 692: Frozen Trials 5
This place… a grand hall?
The moment Snow was transported here, she felt it.
Second trial.
There was no need for a voice to announce it.
No glowing letters in the air.
The shift in atmosphere alone told her everything. The dungeon had moved her forward.
Trials inside dungeons always changed with each level.
The setting, the pressure, the rules — they twisted just enough to throw challengers off balance.
But beneath all of them, there was always something similar.
A core theme. A lesson hidden under the chaos.
The first trial had been a frozen wasteland.
A never-ending snowstorm.
Biting wind. White skies that erased direction and time. It made her believe the goal was survival.
Endure the cold. Find shelter.
Escape the storm.
But that wasn’t the answer.
The answer had been her.
Her authority.
Her dominance over frost itself.
The wasteland wasn’t her enemy. It was hers to command.
Now this…
This grand, luxurious hall was nothing like the first trial.
Warm golden chandeliers hung from a high ceiling carved with elegant patterns.
Icy Marble floors stretched wide beneath her boots, polished so clean they reflected her faint silhouette.
Large staircases curved upward on both sides, meeting at a second-floor balcony that overlooked the entire room.
It looked expensive. Regal. Almost royal.
Too perfect.
’I don’t know how many more trials there are…’
That thought lingered quietly in her mind.
Each level could be unpredictable. If she kept thinking normally, she might miss the real answer again.
This dungeon clearly didn’t reward straightforward thinking.
She had to think differently.
Unorthodox.
Her eyes moved slowly across the room.
A luxurious grand hall…
Large stairs leading to a viewing balcony…
Every detail was perfectly symmetrical.
Two staircases.
Two rows of pillars.
Two long windows — though no light came through them.
Even the chandeliers were spaced with unnatural precision.
It felt less like a mansion… and more like a display.
A constructed stage.
“Am I stuck inside a grand mansion?”
It was a reasonable guess.
If there were doors.
But there weren’t.
No doors along the walls.
No corridors branching outward.
The stairs only led up — and even from below she could see that the balcony didn’t connect to anything else.
The entire place was enclosed.
Sealed.
Like a beautifully decorated cage.
Snow took a slow step forward.
The sound of her boot echoed lightly against the marble, traveling farther than it should have in a room this size.
Too quiet.
Too empty.
The first trial tested her authority over the frost and cold.
If this place was similar in nature… then what was it testing?
Her gaze narrowed slightly.
Luxury. Symmetry. Presentation.
Not survival.
Not endurance.
Something else.
Her fingers twitched faintly as cold mist curled around her skin.
Much like the first trial, there were no monsters.
No hidden presence watching her from the shadows.
She couldn’t sense anything alive in this place.
That alone was reassuring.
If there were enemies here, they weren’t the kind that relied on brute force.
Snow continued walking across the hall, her steps steady, eyes sharp.
The silence followed her like a second shadow.
Eventually, she stopped.
In front of her stood an oval-shaped piece of icy furniture.
At first glance, it was hard to tell what anything in this place truly was.
Everything was made of ice — walls, pillars, railings, even decorative carvings.
The details were softened by frost, edges slightly blurred. Furniture blended into the structure itself.
But this one…
This shape was familiar.
It was the first thing she saw almost every morning.
Other than Riley.
Other than the girls.
“A mirror?”
The surface was laced in frost, clouded in white. It only reflected her faintly — a blurred silhouette of pale hair and soft blue.
She stepped closer.
Her fingers reached out and brushed against the surface.
The frost around it lightly subsided at her touch.
ZSHHH!!!
A sharp sound echoed as something reacted beneath the surface.
Mana.
Faint, but there.
Snow’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“Unfreeze.”
The frost coating the mirror began to slowly melt away — not into water, but into mist.
The ice thinned layer by layer, responding to her authority.
For a brief moment, she considered giving the same command to the entire hall.
But that would be foolish.
The structure itself was made of ice. If she forced it to melt, she’d only bring the ceiling down on herself.
So, she focused on the mirror alone.
Frosty mist drifted into the air, dissolving.
And then—
Her reflection became clear.
White hair cascading past her shoulders.
Perfect blue eyes.
Smooth, flawless skin.
Even in this strange trial, even dressed in a simple white jacket and plain outfit, she looked composed. Majestic. Untouched by the pressure of the dungeon.
Cold beauty wrapped in quiet confidence.
As always.
Then she noticed it.
Bluish-white mana began to gather around the edges of the mirror, forming thin glowing lines along the frame.
Curious, Snow placed her palm flat against the glass.
The surface rippled.
Like disturbed water.
The reflection distorted — stretching, bending — and then something pushed through from the other side.
It slid into her hand.
She blinked once.
“A letter?”
A neatly sealed envelope rested in her palm.
She looked at the mirror again.
It was normal.
Just her reflection staring back at her.
The bluish mana around the frame flickered weakly before slowly fading into nothing.
Silence returned.
Snow lowered her gaze to the envelope in her hand.
Why a letter?
The first trial had tested her control over frost.
It was direct, harsh, and clear in its theme.
But this?
A grand hall.
A mirror.
A letter.
What exactly was this dungeon asking of her?
For a moment, she felt irritation rise in her chest. Not fear. Not anxiety.
Just annoyance.
Trying to fully understand something you have no control over would only drain you.
She learned that long ago.
Overthinking every unknown variable would only cloud her judgment.
So she let out a soft sigh.
Calm.
She slowly peeled the thin layer of frost sealing the envelope.
The ice came off like wax, cracking gently under her fingers. Inside was a neatly folded letter.
She opened it.
“Oh one blessed with beauty,
thy beauty shall be tested.
Thy heart shall be trialed.
Prove thyself true to your soul—
fail, and they shall be mine~”
Snow read it aloud, her voice steady in the empty hall.
She stared at the words again.
Testing my beauty… and my heart?
Her brows knit slightly.
What kind of trial was this supposed to be?
“So… do you accept?”
“—!”
The voice came from in front of her.
Familiar.
Too familiar.
Snow’s head snapped up.
Her eyes widened.
The mirror.
Her reflection was no longer mirroring her.
It was smiling.
She wasn’t.
The figure inside the glass stood exactly like her. Same white hair. Same blue eyes. Same posture.
But the expression—
It curved differently.
It was playful.
Amused.
“Who are you…?” Snow asked quietly.
The reflection tilted its head slightly, copying her movements — but a second too late. Deliberate.
“Hm~ finding out would spoil the fun,” it replied. “And it is your task to satisfy your own curiosities, not mine~”
The voice was nearly identical to hers.
Same tone. Same softness.
But there was a faint lilt to it. A teasing edge Snow never used. A warmth that didn’t belong to her cold nature.
It was like listening to herself… through a distorted lens.
The reflection leaned closer to the glass from the other side.
“You read the letter,” it continued, smiling wider. “Your beauty will be tested. Your heart will be trialed.”
Its blue eyes gleamed.
“Fail… and they shall be mine.”
Snow’s grip on the letter tightened slightly.
“They?” she asked calmly.
The reflection’s smile deepened.
“Oh my… so you do care.”
For a brief second, the surface of the mirror rippled again, distorting the figure inside.
The air around Snow grew faintly heavier.
“Your precious ones….”
it whispered.
“You~”
The reflection chuckled softly.
It wasn’t loud.
Just enough to echo inside Snow’s head.
Even though Snow’s face remained calm — cold, unreadable — the thing inside the mirror clearly saw more than it should.
it smiled, resting its chin lightly against the surface of the glass.
“Now will you accept the test, oh beautiful one~? Prove to me that you can overcome this trial.”
“……”
Snow’s thoughts blurred for a moment.
There were too many questions.
What exactly was the test?
What rules did it follow?
What counted as failure?
What did it mean by taking “them”?
But in the end, none of those questions mattered.
This was a dungeon trial.
Understanding everything beforehand was never part of the challenge.
She exhaled slowly.
“I accept.”
“Fufu~ Good.”
The reflection’s smile widened.
Snap.
The sound of fingers snapping echoed unnaturally loud.
And the world changed.
The icy hall cracked like fragile glass. Frost peeled away from the walls, colors bleeding into existence.
The cold marble floor shifted beneath her feet, warmth spreading through it.
Light.
Voices.
Noise.
The silence shattered.
Before Snow could fully process it—
“You let go of the princess, you wretched creep!”
Slap!
Pain exploded across her cheek.
Her vision tilted as her body lost balance and hit the ground hard.
Cling!
Cling!
The sharp sound of swords being unsheathed surrounded her.
Cold steel pressed against her throat.
Snow blinked, confused.
Knights.
Armored knights stood around her in a circle, blades drawn, eyes filled with hostility.
Their expressions were disgusted. Angry.
As if she had committed something unforgivable.
Her heart skipped.
Then she looked ahead—
And her breath caught.
Standing in front of her…
Was herself.
White hair.
Blue eyes.
Same height. Same face.
But dressed in royal attire.
Elegant.
Refined.
A flowing gown of white and silver.
A small jeweled crown rested upon her head.
She looked down at Snow — the Snow kneeling on the ground — with a soft expression.
Pity.
“What?” Snow muttered under her breath.
“This wretched witch doesn’t even realize her actions. Seize her at once—” one of the knights barked.
“Wait.”
The voice cut through sharply.
“But Your Highness—”
“It’s fine, Sir Kenneth,”
the other Snow said gently.
“I am fine. She only wished to interact with me.”
The knight captain looked unconvinced.
His jaw tightened.
But under the princess’s calm gaze, he reluctantly lowered his sword slightly.
“…As you command.”
The blades remained close.
Still threatening.
Then—
The princess stepped forward.
Snow watched in stunned silence as the other her extended a hand toward her.
“Are you okay, miss?”
the princess asked softly.
“I hope my guards haven’t caused permanent harm to your face.”
Her voice.
It was Snow’s voice.
But warmer.
Kinder.
Human.
Snow felt her fingers tremble slightly.
She looked up.
In those blue eyes — eyes identical to hers — she saw her own reflection.
But the face staring back at her wasn’t one she recognized.