Sam thought for a moment and he didn't take long to decide.

He just tapped his foot on the bottom a few times before it opened and he fell straight down. He didn't have to think much. He doesn't know what is the on either side of this place. Si, he might as well just go ahead with anything.

Since he discovered the bottom one first he disappeared.

"It has only been an hour and forty five minutes. He cleared the first round.

"

The Loki Academy elder spoke with a tone that clearly suggested that he is impressed.

"What is so great about it? Brute forcing through it like some kind of barbaric brute.

" Mangus is still going on with it. The other elders just shrugged at this point.

Sam's approach is indeed a bit brutish, but it is also the most direct and least troublesome approach. However, there is one thing that needs to be considered. Sam didn't know what it was going to be after destroying the outer layer.

In fact, he shouldn't even know that only the outer layer would be destroyed.

There is a good chance that the whole tunnel could have collapsed. It is not such a far-fetched outcome. But he still went ahead and blasted it. They don't know if they should call it bravery or stupidity.

Did he believe that nothing will happen to him? Or did he think that he could have faced whatever that came out of it?

...

*SWOOSH*

Sam felt the wind blast his face as he fell down freely. Only after three minutes did his speed slow down without him doing anything. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he felt a faint chill on his face.

Cold wind blasted all around him.

He landed on a rock in the middle of a vast expanse of snowlands. Sam shook his head at the sudden change. When he fell down, he didn't see a single glimpse or a sign of these snow land. He thought he was just entering another room.

Only after he touched the floor did the scenery change like this.

Sam looked around as he resisted the cold wind. It is not cold enough to make him shiver or anything, but the wind is way too chaotic. It as almost like a storm and the snow is flying along with the wind, ramming his face with an occasional pellet of snow.

It was annoying more than anything.

Sam checked his senses, but there is nothing wrong with them. He could use all of his abilities like usual. No restrictions, nothing.

As Sam looked around, all of a sudden, he felt something. His intuition got on high alert, making him feel threatened by something. He turn around.

*SWOOSH*

A huge club that seemed to have been made of hard stone came straight to his face.

Sam hurriedly extended his hand to block the club, while trying to moving back. However, he realized his feet are stuck for some reason.

The hand which was extended met the club. But...

*SWOOSH*

The hand passed through the club as if it is not real. As if it is a mere mirage. Sam felt relieved for a fraction of a second, but...

*BAM*

When the club appeared in front of his face and made contact, it became realm. It felt exactly like how an actual stone club feels when it hits the face. There is no doubt about it.

Sam flew in the air like an arrow. He whistled through those white winds and landed in a pile of snow far away from that spot. He slowly sat up in a daze.

'What the **?'

That was his thought. The stone club... he clearly felt it on his face. But when he tried to block it, he clearly felt it at that time too. He couldn't touch it. There was no sensation.

The worst part it, why didn't he sense whatever that came to hit him?

Sam stood up and saw in the direction that he just came from. A large humanoid figure that seemed to have been carved out of ice stood there. Just because it looked like ice doesn't mean it was transparent. It was like an opaque icy blue colored ice sculpture.

That is the apt description for that creature.

The only odd thing that made it look less like the sculpture is the white beard and the hair. Along with that heaving muscled chest of course.

The creature is at least eight feet tall and it held the stone club that just gave Sam the cleanest hit he had taken in days.

"Frost Giant?

"

Sam muttered in surprise. He knew of these creatures. He has interacted with Giants before. By interacting he meant killing them left and right, and he has interacted with Frost Giants before, however the one in front of him is of a different species.

This frost giant is one of the descendants of the Divine beings of Norse. These are also called frost giants, because they have inherent ice elemental energy and they are... well giant.

They don't have shape shifting or some other abilities.

Their actual name is of course Jotnar. Which is also the name they usually go by. These Jotnar are very resilient species, particularly when they are in their own element.

Sam shook off the unease he is feeling and lunged forward.

The Jotnar might be fearsome, but it is on the same level as Sam. And on the same level Sam is not afraid of anything.

*SWOOSH*

He whistled through the air and got ready to land a punch of the giant.

However...

He passed through. The giant as if it is not real, he just passed through it. When his body completely crossed through the giant, the creature turned around and quickly caught Sam by

his leg.

It held Sam upside down like he is some kind of game it caught in the wilderness.

*BOOM*

Sam threw fire balls at him from that upside down position. The flames flew threw the giant.

No effect whatsoever.

At that moment, Sam could have sworn that he saw a smirk on the Giant's face.

*BAM*

It threw Sam into the air and slammed the club at him. As if it was playing baseball with him. Sam flew in the same direction as is flames with a dazed expression. He almost landed at the

same spot as his flames.

He sat up in the snow and looked at the scene in front.

He looked on the ground. On the snow he was sitting on. The exact spot where the golden

flames fell and frowned.

"It didn't melt.

"

Even if he was stuck in the coldest of the places that the nature could offer, even if was frozen

with the oldest of the frost essence, there is one thing Sam is certain of. The Golden flames

leave a mark.

Even if it is the densest of the ice, there would at least be a momentary change in the

temperature of the ice.

However, this measly snow didn't even melt. It was just there. He could feel it, its cold. But when it tried to touch it, he felt like he was touching nothing. He hand didn't pass through, but it felt like it was hovering the void.

But as he sat on it, he could feel the coldness of snow on his behind. This is weird.

As the Jotnar made him way to him, Sam sighed. He understood the situation right away.

All of this is an illusion and it is one of the best kind. Because, he knew he is stuck in an illusion, but he doesn't know the way to go out. And even the illusory things like the snow, the rocks and that giant over there... all of them can affect him, but Sam cannot do anything to

them.

The only way to deal with it is, understand the illusion formation and break it.

However, the present of the invincible Jotnar, that can neither be attacked, nor be blocked is

going to be a big big trouble for him.

Sam stood up and he suddenly heard a click.

He frowned and looked around, then he realized that the big big trouble he thought of has just

doubled in quantity.

*SWOOSH* *BAM*

Another Jotnar holding another stone club appeared behind him and delivered that blow

straight to his face.

Sam looked a the sky which looked like the actual sky in daze.

Which insane guy came up with such a test? Whoever he is, he had Sam's respect.

Sam controlled himself mid-air and landed smoothly. He stretched his body a bit and healed

his injuries. He then looked around. Gave the place one clean and keen once over.

Then he started using his skills.

First energy vision.

He could use it. He could see things. However, for some reason, he could only see the illusion

as reality even though the energy vision. All around is the frost energy. He could see ice

elemental energy emanating from the giant as it charged at him.

However, he knew that is not exactly real, so this is troubling. Energy vision, might not be as

useful as he initially thought.