The Snow Girl's Evolution
“Jeolmi, is that you?”
In an instant, everyone’s eyes were fixed on us.
I get it. It must feel like a daughter going to elementary school for the first time, only to be suddenly hailed as the world’s greatest genius.
Even I, the one involved, was incredibly flustered.
I mean, I didn’t even do anything…? Some older sister just appeared and went *poof!* and took care of the dragon, that was it…?
“Shiro-yang, I know it’s rude to ask, but… what on earth happened in there?”
The contents of the Tower differ for everyone, but since the trials are fundamentally linked to one’s job, many hunters hide what they’ve experienced.
They didn’t want the flaws or weaknesses of their jobs exposed. While a hunter’s primary enemy is the Gate boss, there are always villains who target other people, so it was best to be cautious.
Even so, Mr. Jong-wu spoke up as if he couldn’t hold it in any longer, despite being someone sensitive to the unwritten rules of hunter society.
“I, I didn’t really do anything…?”
“Shiro, you really are a genius!”
“Hoho….”
Se-eun Unni rushed over to me, hugging me tight and rubbing her cheek against mine, telling me I did a great job. Grandpa Yong-su just let out a hollow sigh from behind, shaking his head.
“I didn’t even know there was something above S-rank, but I never expected it to be Shiro.”
“Me neither… If you hadn’t expected it, Hunter-nim, then no one would have known.”
Yeon-hwa Unni tried to score some favor while Se-eun Unni was distracted. Mr. Jong-wu cleared his throat to calm his excitement and approached us.
“Shiro-yang, have you checked your rewards?”
“Ah, that’s right. I’ll check them now!”
Come to think of it, they said that when you clear the Tower, you get rewards based on what you did. Some people used these rewards to raise their skill grades, and some hunters even obtained elixirs that increased their mana capacity.
As I spoke with the intention of checking my rewards, a status window appeared with a *whoosh*.
[SSS+ Rank breakthrough confirmed, rewards significantly enhanced.]
['Breath of the White Night (C)' has grown into 'Breath of the Frozen Earth (B)'.]
[True power of the Snow Girl confirmed.]
['Breath of the Frozen Earth (B)' has grown into 'Sigh of the Heavenly Snow (A)'.]
[Obtained '5kg of Heavenly Ice Snow'. Can be summoned at will.]
[Obtained '500g of Myriad Change Frost'. Can be summoned at will.]
A bunch of stuff popped up. *Breath of the White Night* had grown by two whole stages to become an A-rank skill. It was already strong before, but I couldn’t even fathom how much stronger it was now.
‘Heavenly Ice Snow… sounds like high-quality snow, but what is Myriad Change Frost?’
“I obtained something called Myriad Change Frost… but I don’t know what it’s used for.”
“Myriad Change Frost, you say? Is the unit listed in weight? Or by count?”
“It says five hundred grams.”
“In that case, it’s highly likely to be a raw metal material. I think we’ll only know for sure once we summon it.”
I guess when equipment or items are rewards, they’re listed by count. Well, it would be weird to describe equipment by weight.
Then, is it something used to strengthen summons, like the snow? Jeolmi started looking at me with expectant eyes. This is burdensome.
“Anyway… that, plus five kilograms of Heavenly Ice Snow, and one of my skills grew to A-rank.”
“A-rank? Shiro, you’ve really already gotten your hands on an A-rank skill?”
“Yes!”
Grandpa, who had been looking at the ceiling with his arms crossed as if he still couldn’t believe it, jumped in surprise and looked at me.
“Hoho… it seems Shiro is an even more incredible awakener than we thought, Jong-wu.”
“I’m thinking the same thing. Shiro-yang, then shall we go to the warehouse where we made Bombe last time… no, to the training room, and try summoning the rewards?”
“Can’t I just go straight to the 2nd floor?”
“Hmm….”
Mr. Jong-wu tilted his head, looking troubled by my request. Since I’d received quite a few rewards, he probably wanted me to grow stronger before moving on.
But… I couldn’t stop thinking about the Snow Girl I saw on the 1st floor.
‘The status window called me a true Snow Girl, so that must mean I’m only a Snow Girl by job title for now. And… she definitely tried to tell me something.’
I didn’t know what it was, but I had a strong feeling it was important. I’m not usually an impulsive person, but this time, I felt like being a little stubborn.
“Will it be okay?”
“I’m confident.”
“Just send her, Jong-wu. Even if Shiro is young, isn’t she the 1st place in the 1st-floor Hall of Fame?”
Grandpa seemed to think it would be fine to send me straight to the 2nd floor after seeing me reach 1st place. It felt like he was worrying about me a little less.
Mr. Jong-wu nodded after hearing him.
“Very well. But please, make sure to use your Return Stone if you’re ever in danger.”
“Yes!”
I gave him a bright smile and bowed to Grandpa to show my gratitude. Grandpa couldn’t hide the corners of his mouth curling up; he must have been in a great mood.
I turned around to head straight into the 2nd floor, but.
[Your Tower has a waiting period.]
[Next opening in 335 : 46 : 21]
Eh.
Why am I the only one who’s different again?
I had no choice but to pause my Tower conquest log. I’d promised to reach the 5th floor and then go to the labyrinth, but now this obstacle had appeared.
When I started to tear up, Grandpa Yong-su changed his promise, saying he’d decide after seeing how much I’d grown once I checked my rewards. I was so happy I hugged his leg tight, and he looked like he was about to pass away from joy.
And so, we were now in the wide-open training room, the moment to summon my rewards. Thanks to being made of special materials, there was no need to worry about it collapsing even if something happened.
“Then… reward summon!”
There was no *thud* sound; instead, snow poured down, and blue crystalline ice shards fell to the side. True to the name *Frost*, they existed in the form of crystals you’d typically think of when you hear “snowflake.”
“Ji-seon-ssi, could you please check these?”
Mr. Jong-wu stepped aside for the Association employee he’d called over. She was a haughty-looking woman with navy hair tied back in a neat bun and glasses.
She was a direct employee of the Korean Awakened Association headquarters, and her job was an Appraiser, just like Mr. Jong-wu. I’d heard she possessed skills particularly excellent for appraising items and raw materials.
Ji-seon Unni rubbed her glasses and stared at the summoned items for a long time. After about ten minutes, she let out a hollow *hooo* breath, looking surprised.
“First of all… the snow seems to be a material related to the Awakened here. My skill only brought up information that it is the highest quality snow, Association President.”
“Then, the reason it took so long to appraise must be the ice.”
“Yes, that’s correct. This ice, called Myriad Change Frost… is a material that can be crafted into any weapon by the owner injecting mana into it. Its strength is on par with *Myriad Year Cold Iron* often found in Chinese labyrinths, and its mana conductivity is comparable to *Mithril*.”
“Hoho….”
Myriad Year Cold Iron was famous for being harder than titanium, a special alloy that could be made on Earth. Mithril was a metal from Northern European labyrinths, and because it held and conducted mana so well, it was a material highly coveted by magic-type hunters.
“Are you saying it can be changed into any form simply by injecting mana?”
“Yes, I believe that’s why it has the word ‘Myriad Change’ in its name.”
“For now… I understand. You may go now, Ji-seon-ssi.”
Ji-seon Unni bowed and turned to leave, but suddenly stopped. She looked back at Mr. Jong-wu with a very serious face and spoke.
“About the… additional pay….”
“I will see to it, so don’t you worry.”
“Why does that young lady talk about such things so seriously….”
I agree with Grandpa’s opinion. I thought for a second that the Myriad Change Frost might have been cursed. I’m so glad it’s nothing serious.
“Since the amount isn’t large, you won’t be able to make a big weapon… but you’ve essentially obtained a truly incredible material.”
“Doesn’t it fit Shiro’s abilities perfectly?”
Se-eun Unni looked at the Myriad Change Frost for a moment before suggesting, as if asking what I thought.
“You could make several daggers or throwing knives to wield, or, considering Shiro’s abilities, it would be good to make it into an accessory that helps with mana operation.”
She looked at me, asking what I thought. Honestly, it didn’t sound bad. I couldn’t feel how much stronger I’d become, but the power of my original skills was immense.
― *Kyaak!! Kyaak!*
“Umm…? Jeolmi, why are you doing that…?”
― *Kyaak! Kyaak-kyaak!*
“You want me to give all the snow and ice to you…?”
Jeolmi nodded as if he understood perfectly. Of course, I was going to give the snow to Jeolmi, but even the Myriad Change Frost…?
“I, I want to make my own weapon, though?”
I’m a hunter too, you know. I know it’s much safer for my summons to fight for me, and Mr. Jong-wu wants that too, but….
You can’t help but have a romanticized dream of owning a cool weapon.
― *Kyaaaaak! Kyaak! Kyaak!*
“You’re saying you want it because we promised…? And that you’ll really sulk if I don’t…?”
― *Kyaak, kyaak!*
It can’t be helped. I looked at Mr. Jong-wu and Grandpa with eyes asking for help. If those two took my side, wouldn’t Jeolmi give up?
“I think it’s a good idea. If you give the Myriad Change Frost to Jeolmi, you’ll be able to achieve a massive power-up without significantly increasing the mana required for maintenance.”
“If you think so, then it must be so.”
Thud. That’s not it.
― *Kki-woong….*
“Bo, Bombe, you’re on my side, right?”
― *Kki-woong?*
What? You want me to give it to you instead?
You guys are all the worst.
In the end, I decided to give it to Jeolmi. Everyone wanted it, so what could I do? Instead, I’m holding back because Grandpa promised to buy me a good defensive artifact.
“Then… merge!”
Jeolmi spread his two wings wide and stood on top of the Heavenly Ice Snow and Myriad Change Frost. As he poured out his mana with a shout, the two materials swirled violently around him.
A massive snowstorm rose up, and I could even see lightning striking inside it. Jeolmi didn’t care and accepted the power gathering toward him.
*Kwaang-!* A dense snow mist rose, and as it slowly cleared, Jeolmi’s changed appearance came into view.
“Whoa…!”
A snowy owl larger than a soccer ball flapped its wings and flew toward me. Its appearance had changed a lot, but because I knew it was Jeolmi, I slowly offered my arm.
Jeolmi, who landed slowly, looked truly magnificent. His blue eyes glowed faintly, and his wings were made of icy feathers.
His noble posture gave off the feeling that he could be called the master of the snowy mountains.
Actually, I was confused about whether he was a Eurasian eagle-owl because of the long ear tufts that looked like eyebrows, but seeing him up close, he was definitely a snowy owl. I guess because Jeolmi was born as a special being, he had slightly different characteristics.
“Is it really you, Jeolmi…?”
― *Bwong-!*
“I guess it is….”
Jeolmi nodded as if to say it was him. Jeolmi definitely didn’t have this image before; it feels like he’s become some kind of dignified old man.
Mr. Jong-wu looked at the changed Jeolmi with interest and pressed a remote control. A wall opened, and a massive steel plate appeared on a rail.
“Shiro-yang, shall we test your grown abilities and attack that steel plate with Jeolmi-gun?”
The steel plate was a chunk made of Myriad Year Cold Iron. It was just a massive square block of metal, but its strength was anything but ordinary.
I stood right in front of the steel plate after hearing Mr. Jong-wu. As I lightly shook my arm, Jeolmi flew up into the sky. Beautiful, sparkling ice crystals scattered through the air.
Even when I was C-rank, I was at the level of freezing a 3rd-rank Gate boss, so I wondered how much stronger I’d gotten now. I poured mana toward Jeolmi and activated my skill.
“Jeolmi, show them!”
A powerful blizzard engulfed Jeolmi. Then, a few of Jeolmi’s ice feathers broke off and flew through the air along with the blizzard.
*Pazzzzt-* Blue electricity flowed between them. Jeolmi then flew toward the steel plate at a speed twice as fast as before, accompanied by the electricity, and struck it with his talons.
*Kwa-gwa-gwa-gwa-gwa-!*
The blizzard and ice feathers swirling around hit the steel plate in direct succession—and the steel plate made of Myriad Year Cold Iron was torn apart in various places.
It hadn’t been completely destroyed, but it was torn to the point where you could describe it as tattered.
“That is… truly incredible.”
Mr. Jong-wu, your jaw is going to drop off.