Ye Tian stared at the golden window floating before him, his mind racing. The icy wind cut into his skin like knives, but his heart pounded too loudly to notice.
ChatBot User... SSS-Rank... Command Console?
It felt surreal — like he'd fallen into some twisted sandbox survival game. Yet the biting cold and the pain in his joints proved it was horrifyingly real.
Beside him, the young woman finally pushed herself up, hugging her thin clothes close. Her pale fingers trembled as she swiped at the system interface floating in front of her.
[Assigning Class...]
She held her breath, eyes locked onto the text. Ye Tian squinted to read it.
[Congratulations! You have obtained the S-Rank Class: Ice Enchantress!]
Her eyes widened, a flash of relief mixed with disbelief lighting up her face.
"S-Rank..." she whispered, her voice soft yet surprisingly melodic even through her shivers. "I... I actually got an S-Rank..."
Ye Tian's eyebrow twitched. Ice Enchantress? Sounds powerful... She might be more useful than I thought.
She turned her gaze toward Ye Tian, her delicate face serious. "Hey, you! Did you awaken your class yet?"
Ye Tian paused. He glanced at his own golden interface, then quickly swiped it away.
"Not yet," he lied smoothly. "Mine glitched at first. Maybe it'll finish soon."
She frowned, scanning him up and down, clearly frustrated but too cold to argue.
"Well... at least you can help gather resources," she huffed, stumbling to her feet. Her knees buckled, and Ye Tian instinctively stepped forward to catch her. Her thin cloth clung to her skin, offering almost no warmth. Up close, he could see tiny goosebumps crawling across her slender shoulders.
She looked up at him, startled. For a second, the frost in her expression melted.
"Thanks..." she mumbled, cheeks pink from the cold rather than embarrassment.
Ye Tian cleared his throat and gently set her back down near the flickering campfire. "Stay put. Let me see what I can do."
A translucent interface hovered in front of him.
[Command Console Active]
[Current Command Points (CP): 100]
Ye Tian's eyes flicked across the list of available commands, ideas swirling rapidly.
I can't just reveal everything immediately. Better to ease her in — no telling if she'll panic or get suspicious.
He glanced at her again. She was trying to channel her power, small shards of frost gathering around her fingertips. A basic ice shield formed momentarily, then crumbled.
"Damn it... I can't maintain it," she cursed under her breath.
Ye Tian took a deep breath.
"First things first... we need shelter."
He moved his fingers, as if typing on an invisible keyboard.
> /build camp.level1
[Cost: 20 CP]
A low hum filled the air, and the snow before them began to shift and swirl. Wooden logs, thick and sturdy, seemed to rise out of the ground, interlocking piece by piece. Thin cloth strips reinforced the roof and walls, creating a small but tight structure.
The girl gasped, her eyes wide as she watched the miracle unfold.
In less than a minute, a Level 1 Camp stood proudly in front of them. Simple, but solid enough to block the wind and trap heat. Two sleeping spots, a small wooden table, and a tiny storage chest inside.
Ye Tian pretended to wipe sweat from his forehead. "Must be beginner's luck..."
The girl stared at him as if he'd sprouted horns. "Beginner's luck? Are you kidding me?! You... you must've awakened a class already! Don't lie!"
Ye Tian forced an awkward laugh. "Well... maybe a beginner's class?"
She narrowed her eyes, clearly unconvinced but too exhausted to argue further. Instead, she staggered toward the new shelter and collapsed inside, hugging herself with relief.
Ye Tian sighed, then typed another command.
> /build furnace.basic
[Cost: 15 CP]
A small furnace emerged beside the camp, its stone and metal frame radiating faint warmth as it sparked to life. Thin wisps of smoke curled into the cold sky.
Ye Tian dragged some nearby branches and twigs over, stuffing them into the furnace. In minutes, heat spread through the tiny camp area.
The girl crawled out and nearly cried when she felt the warmth. She clutched her frozen fingers to the furnace, her face lit up in sheer relief.
"Thank you... really," she whispered, her eyes shimmering. "I'm Liu Yulan. Ice Enchantress... though I can't use my abilities properly yet."
"Ye Tian," he replied. "We can figure out the rest later. Just stay warm for now."
---
Meanwhile, across other regions...
[Region 9174G00]
A man desperately hacked at a frozen tree with a rock, blood oozing from his frostbitten fingers. Nearby, a group huddled in a half-collapsed twig tent, eyes hollow with despair.
"Is there no wood left? We'll die tonight!" someone screamed.
[Region 1083F72]
A group fought over a meager pile of sticks, each blow echoing like thunder in the frozen silence. One girl cried as another person snatched her tiny spark of fire away.
[Region 5432B99]
Several people had already frozen to death, their bodies curled in futile attempts at warmth. The survivors rummaged through thin snow, praying to find even a scrap of cloth or a dead animal.
---
Back to Ye Tian and Liu Yulan...
The difference between regions was like heaven and hell.
Inside the Level 1 Camp, Liu Yulan leaned against the wall, slowly regaining color in her cheeks. She looked at Ye Tian, a strange light in her eyes.
"You... You're not normal, are you?" she asked softly.
Ye Tian hesitated, then gave a wry smile. "I guess you could say that."
Her brows furrowed. "If you have power... can you at least not hide it? I can't even produce basic ice armor right now. If you really have a class, help me — help us — survive properly."
Ye Tian stared at her, silent. Slowly, he opened his interface and projected the golden console.
[Class: ChatBot User (SSS-Rank)]
[Special Ability: Command Console]
[CP Remaining: 65]
Liu Yulan's jaw dropped. Her lips parted and her eyes nearly popped out. "SSS-Rank... ChatBot User?! That... That's basically a god-level cheat! You can literally build, craft, and even summon items?!"
Ye Tian scratched his head awkwardly. "Well, it's not completely free. Every command costs CP, and I only start with 100. If I run out, I'm basically powerless."
Liu Yulan fell silent, staring at him as if seeing an immortal descend. Then, a laugh — weak and shaky — burst from her lips. "Hahaha... we're really saved, aren't we?"
Ye Tian's expression softened. "I'll try my best. But we still need to ration my CP wisely."
She nodded rapidly, her shoulders trembling — this time not from the cold, but from relief. "Thank you... really. If I can practice my ice abilities properly, I can start creating ice barriers and traps. We can work together."
Ye Tian's eyes gleamed with approval. "That's the plan."
---
Night fell quickly.
The Level 1 Camp blocked most of the wind, and with the furnace burning steadily, the inside felt almost cozy. They shared a simple meal — some roasted snow rabbit Ye Tian had hastily conjured with a temporary command.
Liu Yulan's frostbitten fingers had finally started to heal thanks to her regenerative passive ability.
Outside, the endless snowstorm howled, rattling the flimsy cloth sections of the roof. Occasionally, low growls echoed through the night — the cries of frost beasts roaming for prey.
Ye Tian leaned back, reviewing his console.
[CP Remaining: 40]
That went down fast...
He sighed inwardly. I have to figure out ways to earn more CP quickly. Otherwise, even if I'm "god-level," I'll run out of commands and die like everyone else.
Liu Yulan yawned, curling up on the wooden bed frame. "Tomorrow... we should build some defenses and try to find resources. I'll practice my ice manipulation too..."
"Agreed," Ye Tian replied, closing his interface.
Just as he was about to doze off, a loud system notification startled them both.
[Warning: Hostile entity detected nearby.]
[A Frostfang Beast has targeted your camp! Estimated attack time: 00:02:00]
Ye Tian's eyes shot open. Liu Yulan sat up, her face pale again.
"Frostfang Beast?! Already?!"
Ye Tian clenched his fists, his mind working at lightning speed.
I only have 40 CP left... if I use it all now, we might survive — but what if more beasts come after?
Liu Yulan gripped his sleeve. "I'll help. Even if my abilities are weak now, I can slow it down!"
Ye Tian stared at her, then at his remaining CP count, cold sweat dripping down his back.
Outside, a guttural roar tore through the snowy night. The ground trembled slightly as something massive approached, each step echoing like thunder.
Ye Tian took a deep breath, eyes locking with Liu Yulan's determined gaze.
"Alright," he said finally, voice steady. "Let's show this beast what happens when it underestimates us."