CHAPTER 35: 35: ALICE FROST

A young lady with long, snow-white hair that cascaded down her back like a silken waterfall stood in the center of a clearing, surrounded on all sides by tense, wary students. Her pale complexion gleamed under the soft light filtering through the trees, and her glacial blue eyes remained unreadable, cold, and serene.

One would expect someone in her position—encircled and vastly outnumbered—to show fear, or at least concern. But the reality was the complete opposite. The nervous shifting of feet, the shallow breaths, the trembling hands gripping weapons—none of these belonged to her. It was the students who surrounded her who looked ready to crumble.

And they couldn’t be blamed. The lady before them wasn’t just anyone. She was Alice Frost, the famed princess of the Frost Clan—a prodigy born once in a thousand years. She wielded the SS-rank Ice Age talent, just like her elder brother Liam. It marked a historical first for the Frost Clan: two siblings with the same mythical-level talent, born in the same generation. The presence she exuded was enough to make most think twice before breathing too loudly around her.

"Ice Rain," Alice murmured, her voice calm and devoid of emotion.

A sharp chill swept the area.

Before anyone could move, icy spikes plummeted from the sky with surgical precision, impaling the students around her one by one. Their defenses were meaningless—her power bypassed them effortlessly. Gasps and cries of panic filled the air as one after another, the students were forcefully disqualified.

"She’s not even breathing hard..." one student croaked weakly, collapsing to his knees in shame as his vision blurred from the sting of humiliation. The sheer gap between him and another student crushed his spirit. In Blue Star, talent, luck, and the circumstances of birth dictated more than just success—they decided your entire future.

Ting!

Her smart watch vibrated, flashing with her updated score. She had been awarded half the total points of all the students she just defeated in one move.

"Still the same ruthless monster I remember," came a voice from the shadows, emerging between the trees like a ghost slipping through the veil.

Alice turned her head slowly, her gaze falling on the new presence without emotion.

It was Draken Blaze, the red-haired prodigy of the Blaze Clan, bearing the formidable S-rank Flame Overlord talent. His aura was fierce and volatile like an untamed firestorm, but his face wore a teasing smirk.

"I see you’re still as unsociable as ever," Draken said, raising both hands as he walked into view, signaling he had no hostile intent. "Relax, Snow Queen. I don’t plan on fighting you. What kind of idiot would try eliminating a clan prodigy this early on? I’m reckless, not suicidal."

Alice didn’t respond. She simply watched him, her posture slowly relaxing, the frost in the air thinning.

Draken sighed as he stopped a fair distance away, careful not to trigger her instincts. "You must’ve checked the rankings too, right? That Aaron guy... still at the top. Makes me wonder what kind of hidden talent he’s packing."

He tilted his head, cracking his neck before giving her a pointed look. "If you cross paths with him, do me a favor—leave him to me. He’s my prey."

Alice gave him a single, silent nod, then turned and walked away without a word.

Draken chuckled, watching her retreating figure. "Such a shame... That beauty paired with that ice-block personality. A complete waste," he muttered, eyes tracking her as if admiring a rare artifact he could never possess.

---

Top Ten Rankings:

1. Aaron Highborn - 2892 points

2. Alice Frost - 2061

3. Grey Shadow - 2032

4. Leah Steel - 2025

5. Draken Blaze - 2022

6. Reynold Earthmover - 2019

7. Anderson Judge - 2010

8. Isabelle Heart - 2007

9. Nicole Grey - 1998

10. Hayley Crossfire - 1986

---

Alice glanced at the glowing display on her watch, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly on the name: Aaron Highborn.

Memories surfaced. Liam, her older brother—once banished and shamed by the Frost Clan—had been taken in by Catherine Highborn. Under their tutelage, he had risen from the ashes of rejection into a force strong enough to rival even her.

The Highborns had earned her respect. And now, a bearer of that name stood atop the rankings, leading by an overwhelming margin. Curiosity stirred within Alice—genuine curiosity. For the first time in her life, she was eager to meet someone outside of her clan.

---

Elsewhere, Aaron Highborn stood tall, gripping a sleek blade formed entirely from his own blood. Hardened and honed to a lethal edge, the weapon pulsed faintly in his hand, connected to his aura like a limb.

He dashed forward, the wind whipping past his ears as he moved. A direowlf, one of the faster E-rank monsters, attempted to leap away, sensing danger. But Aaron had already read the beast’s intention—his heightened senses caught the subtle twitch of muscle beneath fur.

He adjusted mid-stride and lunged, driving the blood blade through the wolf’s temple. The beast’s momentum died with a sharp yelp.

"Impressive," came a voice dripping with arrogance.

From the bushes, a student emerged, eyes gleaming with ambition. He wore a cruel smile, the kind that only surfaced when someone believed they had found their easy ticket to victory.

"I’ve been watching you," the student said, cracking his knuckles. "I figured I’d let you do the hard work. But now, it’s time to cash in."

Aaron sighed, the corners of his mouth twitching in irritation. "You finally crawled out. I was wondering how long you’d keep playing dead."

The student bristled. "Boast all you want. I’ve seen better bluffs. You couldn’t have sensed me. My D-rank concealment talent is flawless."

Aaron tilted his head lazily, his voice flat. "A lion doesn’t care if a hyena follows it. But if the hyena bites, it gets crushed."

The student vanished, activating his concealment technique. His body shimmered and disappeared from Aaron’s view—or so he believed.

Aaron didn’t even turn. A spike extended from his blood-forged blade, breaking off and zipping backward as if fired by will alone.

Ting!

The student stumbled, blinking in confusion. His watch had just vibrated. He was disqualified.

"What?!" he gasped. "This has to be a bug—!"

Before he could finish, a surge of light enveloped him, and he was forcibly expelled from the valley.

He never even got to touch his target.

Aaron stood there quietly, not even sparing the expelled student a glance. He exhaled slowly, muttering, "One down."