1 Fimbulwinter
{Of all the people recorded in this book, he is the fiercest but, ironically, also the kindest. Although, he was at first quite the cold shoulder type.}
{Using his heritage, he built himself up from scratch. Some might think it was easy since he had Fimbulwinter. But how could the common folks understand the struggle of someone who decided to go against the tide?}
{How could they understand someone who, after losing everything, decided to defy destiny, even though he knew his chances of success were close to none?}
{How could they understand his confusion, internal conflicts, and growth?}
{Easy? Pure bullshit. He might have started strong, but strength amounts not only to power. Strength is much more than just bashing, smashing, and killing people.}
{So that you may understand, let me tell you of a saga that has yet to be completed. Let me tell you of a saga about the White Frost, the Red Blaze, love, and sacrifice.}
{Let me tell you of a Saga untold.}
Extract from "Yggrasil Chronicles: The Silverwolf of Gleymaheim," By Roan The Merchant
____________________________________
[System Initializing. Establishing a link to the new host. Link established. Fimbulwinter's transfer is starting. In the meantime, please read the message left by the previous host.]
[Transfer Completion: 1%]
"My son, my little snowflake. I'm sorry for leaving you and your human father when you were just an infant."
[10%]
"I'm sorry that I've left you when you needed me the most. Believe me when I say that those days without you, every second that I have been away from you and your father, tore my heart apart."
[27%]
"But I had no choice. I am a Frost Giant, a Jötunn. Enemies of the Asgardian, the self-proclaimed gods. With his power of Wisdom, that prick Odin can predict the future composed of myriads of paths supposedly leading to the destruction of Asgard. A destruction apparently brought by us the Jötunns."
[43%]
"The Alfather predicted that by using Fimbulwinter, the Primordial Essence of Ice, we would bring war to their doorstep. He couldn't be more wrong. We only wanted to live in peace. But that one-eyed jerk didn't care. Because he feared the Ragnarök, which according to them is the End War."
[59%]
"In his madness, Odin ordered the execution of the Jötunns. Bit by bit, they all perished, and with their souls now imprisoned they cannot be reborn. Eventually, they came for you and your father. They wouldn't even let a half-giant live. So, I fought them with all my might. However… I lost."
[66%]
"Before you and I died, I used my remaining powers to transfer your soul—as well as Fimbulwinter—into another body, far from the nine realms, outside Odin's jurisdiction. That bastard thinks you dead and his Wisdom can only extend so far as his realms. Remember this, he is not all mighty."
[78%]
"I know you will struggle to believe me. So, I've unlocked your Heritage, that I had previously sealed to keep you hidden from Odin's prying eyes. I hope that with it, you will be able to believe and forgive me.
[85%]
"One last thing. We, the Jötunns, translate Ragnarök differently. It isn't the end of our people, but the beginning. A new era led by the one who wields Fimbulwinter. You are the last of our kind. A halfling maybe, but a Jötunn nonetheless. It is up to you to choose your future."
[92%]
"Will you bring Ragnarök to those pretentious, self-proclaimed gods and liberate our people from Niflheim? Or will you live in Gleymaheim in peace?"
[98%]
"I am leaving Fimbulwinter in your hands, so that you may defend yourself. But whatever you decide, know that I love you, Loki. I have and will always love you. All that matters to me is your happiness."
[99%]
"Your mom, Skadi."
[100%]
[Transfer Completed.]
[Loki Jökul has been identified as the new host. Host will wake up in 3, 2, 1…]
'Mother?' Loki thought, his mind still hazy from the transfer.
[Please, voice out your password.]
Then memories of his death flooded Loki's mind as he jolted awake inside a cocoon made of some strange spider webs.
Only his head had been left unwrapped, allowing him to see a dark cave lit by a pale moonlight that made its way inside through a fissure. As he recalled his last moments of when a certain god had fried his ass with lightning, his last words echoed throughout the cave.
"Shit!"
[Congratulations! You have chosen "Shit!"]
"What?" He asked, staring at a blue ethereal window in front of him.
[Please say "Shit!" to start Fimbulwinter.]
"The fuck!?" Loki said, trying to force his way out of the webs. But no matter how much strength was used, he couldn't free himself. "Shit! Is this thing made of Asgardian steel?"
Suddenly, a notification window opened in front of him.
[Unlocking Heritage. Beginning body transformation. It might sting a little.]
"Sh—AAAH!"
Loki roared with pain. Inside the cocoon, his body deformed and reformed. Obsolete muscle fibers, bones, genes, organs, and a few other things were rebuilt. His body grew taller and stronger.
In his bosom, mana crystalized bit by bit, forming a core with a snowflake inscribed on it. Once completed, it sent a wave of mana into his entire body to awaken his newborn mana circuits. The surplus of energy fled through his pores and accumulated inside the cocoon, progressively freezing the web, as well as Loki's clothes and armor.
At some point, the web became ice. It cracked open like a chrysalid to reveal Loki's new form.
The moonlight shone on his white skin as he examined himself. A six-pack that looked like it was made of steel. Toned and flexible arms. Well-defined back muscles. Large muscular chest. A perfect body sculpted for battle.
His hand then reached to the side, brushing past a full blue beard, and grabbed soft blue hair that reached his broad shoulders. Loki stared at those, his pupils reflecting an icy blue light, until another notification window popped up.
[Access to status window granted]
__________________________________
[Loki Jökul]
[I. GENERAL INFO]
Species: Half-Human
Sex: Male
Age: 22
Height: 185cm
Weight: 85kg
Emotional state: Calm but confused
Job: Lv1 Soldier (Inherited from previous body owner)
Title: None
[II. HERITAGE]
°Human side:
- Harsh Training (Permanently increases Control by 1 level.)
- Viking (Greatly increases the host's affinity towards skills related to axes, swords and shields.)
°Giant side:
- Cool-headed (Allow the host to stay calm in strenuous situations.)
- Giant's Constitution (Permanently increases Strength, Body, and Stamina by 1 level.)
- Frost Giant (Increases Mana by 1 level and the host's affinity towards magic related to the ice element.)
[III. ATTRIBUTES]
°Passive Skills:
- Frost Immunity (Immune to frost damages)
- Viking Weaponry Lv4 (Ax+Sword Mastery)
- Shield Mastery Lv4
°Active Skill:
- Berserker Lv1 (Temporarily increases the host's Strength and Control by 1 level, but consumes stamina faster.)
[IV. FIMBULWINTER {Tier 1} (Allows the host to learn any Tr1 Ice magic in its truest form.)]
- Frost {Tr1} (Freezes a target upon touch.)
[V. BASIC STATS]
- Strength: Lv2
- Body: Lv2
- Control: Lv2
- Stamina: Lv2
- Mana: Lv2
__________________________________
Weirdly enough, he had never felt so great before. He felt… powerful. Much more than when he had been during his first life.
[Warning, starting previous host's memory transfer.]
"Again?" He said, his mind starting to blur. "I'm getting tired of those transfers."
Loki stood dazed for a moment, hazy from the myriad of data dumping into his mind. Pieces of information about the body's previous owner's memories, mixed with the system and his new powers. The toll was such that he momentarily lost consciousness before awakening again.
[100%. Transfer Completed.]
The blue window disappeared in a flash, leaving Loki pondering on his new knowledge and powers.
"Snowflake…." He thought, wondering why that word sounded estranged, yet so familiar. The word tugged at his heartstrings, melting the ice barrier surrounding it ever so slightly.
That, coupled with the myriads of new pieces of information were hard to believe, yet was undeniable. He needed time to digest them. Time he currently did not have.
"I need to get out of here first." He said, knowing that the giant spiders' lair he currently stood in wasn't exactly welcoming.
Loki examined his surroundings, taking into account every little detail. The old and new bones on the rocky ground. Residue of webs. Traces of past cocoons in random locations. A cold temperature that did not bother him in the slightest.
And six other freshly made cocoons of soldiers who had recently died with Adam, his body's previous owner. He headed for one of them, placed his hand on the sticky thing, and concentrated. Mana traveled from his bosom to his right hand, as he activated his spell "Frost."
The web progressively froze before Loki shattered it with his fist. However, he realized that the ice had partially propagated to the body. The man's shirt and pants were frozen, and the gambeson was a mess.
He didn't find anything useful on him and just grabbed the necklace with his soldier's iron tag. Every soldier had one to identify them.
Loki was no angel, but he respected tradition and, most of all, courage. Unlike Adam who had died like a pussy from a heart attack, those men had fought bravely. They deserved to be remembered. Also, as per Noor's custom—the town they all originated from—if possible, their tags should be brought back to their families.
He examined the other corpses one by one, taking their tags while rapidly fine-tuning his control over "Frost" thanks to his "Heritage: Frost Giant."
By the third cocoon, he was able to leave the clothes unscattered. By the fifth, he could finally avoid freezing the gambeson. By the last cocoon, he finally found a weapon: a steel bastard sword of poor quality. Pure luck, since most of the soldiers' weapons were lost during their previous fight against giant spiders.
"Better than nothing," he said, swinging the sword that felt a bit unbalanced. "Amateur's work."
Gambeson was the only armor ordinary soldiers could afford, since it was made of linen. Cloth armor gained in popularity for its resistance against sharp edges.
But most of all, it was cheap. Much cheaper than leather or metal. Also, it could be repaired quickly by just patching up the sections that needed sewing.
Loki outfitted himself with a tattered white linen shirt, a dark green gambeson vest, pants, and brown leather boots he had to chop off to fit his shoe size.
Sword in hand, he was about to leave the area by stepping into the only tunnel leading to this spider food stock when a voice from above called out to him.
"Hello, handsome blue-haired man. Would you be so kind as to... free me from these absurdly disgusting webs?"
