Survival Queen of the Frozen Wastes novel Chapter 496

Chapter 496 The Vultures

Hanna, sticking close to Riley wasn’t slacking off either. Her eyes were laser–focused on survival supplies.

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She spotted a purple longsword, stared at it for exactly three seconds, then decisively turned her back. She blew her tokens on a massive stack of Fast–Acting Stamina Potions, Explosive Trap Deployment Cards, and a Shoddy Nightshade Cloak that provided minor camouflage in the dark

“Money is meant for keeping you breathing,” Hanna muttered, comforting herself as she shoved the potions into her tactical belt.

Time flew by during the intense shopping spree.

However, after barely twenty minutes, the seven guild members started trickling back to the blue–glowing beverage cart.

They finished way earlier than the thirty minutes allotted.

The reason was simple: besides Riley, everyone else’s token stash was pitiful.

Coughing up the extortionate 50–token entry fee had already bled most of them dry.

After buying a few trump cards and potions, their pockets were practically cleaner than their faces. Even if they wanted to browse, staring at life–saving items priced in the hundreds was just twisting the knife.

But while their wallets were empty, their morale had done a complete 180.

LoneWolf had strapped on a brand–new riot shield. Ketchup had a row of armor–piercing grenades lined up on his belt.

Everyone had beefed–up their combat power or survival toolkit. The sheer terror of being ambushed by the system and forcibly teleported was heavily suppressed by the comforting weight of new gear.

“Got everything you need?” Riley asked, sweeping her gaze over the crew.

“Yep, bled dry,” LoneWolf patted his deflated coin pouch.

“Good. Let’s not waste time, then. Move out, the rest of the guild is waiting for us,” Riley ordered.

The squad turned and headed toward the glowing water curtain at the market exit.

At the exit, the two elven guards stood like statues, their apathetic eyes tracking the passing survivors.

In front of the curtain, the elderly goblin who collected the entry fees was lounging in a recliner, casually flipping a Frost Token between his fingers.

Right now, he didn’t look like the terrifying entity who had casually one–shot a survivor earlier.

Seeing Riley’s group about to step through the curtain, the goblin suddenly cracked a wide grin, chuckled, and called out to them.

“You folks seem in an awful hurry. You haven’t even run down the sand in your hourglass.”

Riley stopped, eyeing him warily.

The goblin continued at a leisurely pace, “Just a heads up, the timer in your hourglass only runs while you’re inside the market Once you step outside that curtain, the timer pauses.”

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Chapter 496 The Vultures

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The entire squad froze.

The goblin elaborated, “Also, that 50 token fee you paid? That bought you a ‘Single Instance Market Pass. Meaning, as long as this dungeon instance remains active and the sand in your hourglass hasn’t completely run out, you can find any market entrance and walk in for free.”

Hearing this, Hanna, LoneWolf, and the rest exchanged a look, collectively letting out a massive sigh of relief.

“Thank god. I thought that 50 tokens was a one–time toll. I was internally bleeding over it,” Beagle muttered.

This meant the market wasn’t just a supply depot; it was an “on–demand absolute safehouse” in this brutal battle royale. As long as they had time on the clock, they could retreat to the market to recover if they hit a wall or ran out of stamina.

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