From Boiling to Freezing - Rin's Never-Ending Suffering

After two months of non-stop swimming, punching, and not dying, Rin Asakura finally saw it—

The next magic circle.

It shimmered, glowing faintly atop a jagged coral reef. It was beautiful. Like a divine beacon of hope, a sacred gateway that whispered, "Come, weary traveler, your suffering is over."

Rin almost cried.

She had punched sharks in the face, survived multiple attempts on her life by tentacle monsters, and gotten so strong that she had bodyslammed a kraken for trying to eat her.

And now, FINALLY, she was about to leave this cursed ocean.

As she pulled herself onto the reef, completely naked, sunburned, and muscular enough to be legally classified as a threat, she grinned for the first time in weeks.

“I did it,” she gasped, collapsing onto the stone. “I actually did it.”

She sprawled out, letting the sun warm her skin. No more swimming. No more fighting sea monsters. No more—

A system notification popped up.

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DING!

[Portal to the Future Detected]
Time Jump: +2.4 Million Years
Destination: ???
Do you wish to proceed?

[YES] – [NO]

---

Rin slammed the YES button so hard that she nearly broke her own finger.

Light flashed around her, and she felt the familiar pull of teleportation as the world blurred—

And then—

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SPLAT.

She hit the ground face-first.

But instead of warm sand or stone, she landed in—

SNOW.

Deep, freezing, soul-crushing snow.

Rin lifted her head, her breath instantly visible in the icy air.

"...No."

She looked up. The sky was grey and overcast, and in every direction, all she saw was a vast, frozen wasteland of snow, ice, and miserable suffering.

"No, no, NO."

Her whole body shook violently. Her skin, once immune to heat, was not immune to cold.

A bitter wind tore across the land, slamming into her like an angry god.

She instantly curled up into a ball.

"WHY?!" she screamed into the abyss.

No answer. Just more cold.

---

Survival Log, Day 1 of the Ice Age:

I am still naked.

Everything is freezing and awful.

My Heat Immunity skill is useless now.

My only solution to staying warm is punching things for body heat.

I already hate it here.

---

Survival Log, Day 4 of the Ice Age:

I punched a mammoth. It was fluffy but very mad.

I punched a saber-tooth tiger. It was also fluffy but EXTREMELY mad.

I am getting stronger, but still freezing.

I need clothes. Badly.

---

Survival Log, Day 12 of the Ice Age:

I made clothes out of mammoth fur.

They are horribly made and fall off when I run too fast.

I am becoming a caveman.

No sign of the next portal.

I am so done with this world.

---

Rin shivered violently, huddling under a poorly made fur blanket inside a tiny snow cave she had punched into existence.

Her stats were absurd now. She could punch glaciers, outrun wolves, and survive getting buried in an avalanche.

But she was cold.

And miserable.

And so, so tired.

She glared at the sky.

“Alright, system,” she grumbled through chattering teeth. “Where’s my next portal?”

As if in response, a new notification popped up.

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DING!

New Quest: Find the Next Portal!
Objective: Travel 4,800 km across the Ice Age tundra to the next magic circle.
Reward: Time Skip to the Next Era.
Failure: Freeze forever. Good luck! :)

---

Rin stared at the quest for a long, painful moment.

Then she screamed into the cold, unforgiving sky—

"WHY IS IT ALWAYS LIKE THIS?!"