The lead referee was at a loss for a moment as he stared blankly at the two birds calmly resting on Cynrik’s shoulders. But being the professional he was, he nodded a couple of times and held his hand up to gather the competitors’ attention.

“The Second event is Search, Retrieve, Destroy, or SRD for short. In this event, your full team of seven will be thrown into a harsh environment and tasked with locating the enemy base. Upon finding the enemy location, you must infiltrate and recover the special item they are protecting.”

“This item will be shown to you by your systems upon entering the map. You aim to sneak in, steal the item, and destroy all the enemies nearby. The team who completes all three tasks will Receive 5 points and win the event.”

“In the event that both teams complete all the objectives, the team with the fastest time will secure victory. Remember, any restoration items, such as Potions, Pills, or Herbs, are banned during the Competition, and last but not least, if you have a Beast companion or pet, you must have them in the capsule to use them. When ready, please enter your VR Capsules, and the countdown will begin.”

The referees split up like before, with one positioning himself beside the Romeoville team and the other by VSFA, and waited for them to begin.

Derrek, the leader of Romeoville, cast a sidelong, worried glance at VSFA before turning and speaking in a hushed tone to his team. SRD was the event they were best at, and if they wanted to mount a comeback after losing the Swarm event, this was their chance.

However, to do so, they would need to break the record they set last year, a tall-order task.

Unlike Romeoville’s Captain, Cynrik didn’t exchange words with his team and only nodded at them to open their capsules. In trained unison, all seven members of MyrkLys, Kurza included, stepped up, flipped the latch, and opened their capsules before laying down calmly and closing the hatch.

Gabby and the others are nervous… Brance stated upon sealing himself back in what he previously called a “screaming metal deathtrap.”

Yeah, I saw; although everyone but Kurza is good at hiding it, their micro posturing needs work. Tending to Sie and Vii, so they were comfortable, Cynrik muttered and fed his ravens a cracker treat.

It’s okay, Darling, not everyone is an emotionless robot like you on the outside. Rolling her eyes, Selene chimed in, earning a stifled laugh out of Brance and a disapproving grunt from Cynrik.

I hope you have a good plan, Cyn, because those guys will be uber-fast on the uptake. I’ve watched the tape from their Record Break, and they lock onto the target in the first minute.

Tsk, always the worrywart Brancie. I’ve got this in the bag. We may not break the record, but we will at least give Romeoville a run for their money. Three pets and a Benny are sufficient to pull off my idea, but you may not like it too much. Kuekuekue.

Cynrik’s creepy laugh at the end of his statement gave Brance a foreboding feeling as he sighed and closed his eyes, waiting for his consciousness to be transported to the harsh arctic tundra.

Thirty seconds later, he was assaulted on all sides by the worst cold he had ever felt, sending a chill all the way down to his bones and causing his teeth to chatter loudly.

DING, DING DING

Ignoring the notifications, Brance opened his eyes and noticed all of MyrkLys were beside him. Everyone had wrapped their arms around their bodies and could be seen shivering with chattering teeth. The only exception was Cynrik and Benny, who were already using their Fire Affinities to warm their bodies.

Luckily, he didn’t have to suffer for long because Cynrik began barking orders. The first thing he had everyone do was swap out of the golden uniforms and into their Battle gear, which only took a few seconds. Then he dished out everyone’s roles one by one, addressing each member of MyrkLys in order of importance for the mission.

“Milo, Sie, Vie, full-sized now,” Waiting for half a beat for the two birds to grow, Cynrik coated his ravens in a thin protective layer of Fire Mana, equipped their gear with Mana strands, and tossed them into the air.

“Benny, your goal is to keep us all warm from now until the end of the event. It won’t be easy, but I have faith in you.” Flicking out his wrists, Cynrik released his grapple shots up toward Sie and Vii, which they easily caught in their talons.

Benny nodded and started increasing the temperature from below zero to a comfortable number. He did this by manifesting a thin dome around the group, warming everyone up.

Looking from Benny to Gabby, who was in the process of gearing up Milo, Cynrik turned and faced Brance.

“You have the hardest task; we are making a sled, so create a platform large enough to fit everyone comfortably and use your shields as the rails.”

“UGHH, my poor CS Tears….” Brance complained aloud, but he didn’t hesitate to remove them from his back and toss them out equidistance from each other and set about building the platform.

“Selene, I want you and Melody to keep the area in front of our mounts clear of snow.”

“Roger,” The girls saluted Cynrik and began discussing how they would fulfill his command.

“Kurza, help out Sel and Melody by keeping their MP charged; as a Bishop, I know you have an MP replenish skill, so use it sparingly. Also, keep tabs on everyone’s HP; you’re our pocket healer, so pull your weight.”

Kurza nodded and double-checked that everyone was full on HP; having been in the cold for a few seconds, MyrkLys had already lost some health points, but he topped them off.

“Gabby and Milo come here,” Waving over the pair, Cynrik watched as Milo gingerly pawed at the snow since he had never seen it before.

“Also, tether yourself to Milo and me with a psychic link so that we can freely communicate; I will tell you where we need to go, all you need to do is keep Milo running straight.

Lastly, Cynrik turned to Milo and patted his big armored shoulder.

“Alright big guy, I hope you are ready to run with all your might. Hang on tightly to the cable Gabby gives you. Although Sie and Vii also have my lines, their job is steering us in the right direction; you only need to keep an eye on them and run full speed. Got it? If you do a good job, I’ve got a bunch of treats for you when we get back to the condo.” Patting Milo one more time, Cynrik stepped away and waved down Sie and Vii to fill them in on their task.

Blinking a couple of times, Milo nodded and huffed loudly, indicating he understood Cynrik’s orders. Having such an important task, Milo knew better than to play around right now, and even though it was his first time in the cold, he was excited to show off.

It took MyrkLys less than 45 seconds to gear up and get their plan in order, and once ready, everyone boarded the makeshift sled. At the same time, Cynrik and Brance activated Mana Sight and stared ahead into the white abyss of a blizzard ten kilometers away.

Sheesh, that storm is going to be a bitch to get through; Brancie keep an eye out for strong Mana signatures; my focus will be split between searching and keeping Vii and Sie warm as we move.

Hopping up onto the sled, Cynrik looked to the north, where he spotted a vast mountain range. Then, holding his arms up and tightening the slack on his cable, Cynrik pulsed a soft wave of warm Fire Mana through it, alerting Sie and Vii that it was time to move.

“Let’s do this **, MYRKLYS, MOVE OUT!”