Murmur Mur
Rumiel slowly walked across the snowy plains of the Ice Island.
The snow beneath her feet made a crisp, crunching sound with every step.
Everything around was completely white.
The sky, the ground, the wind—everything was covered in a cold yet cozy blanket of snow.
Pupu's voice still lingered in her ears.
Memories of dozing off during his long-winded stories came back.
Just recalling that memory made Rumiel extremely tired, so she blinked to shake off the drowsiness.
Then, an unusual movement was felt in the snowy field.
Pong.
Crisp.
Crunch.
Rumiel stopped walking.
The surroundings were still quiet.
Pong.
The snow pile trembled.
Something small popped out.
Rumiel looked down.
A round, white fluffy bundle was slowly rising up from the snow.
It was a small creature covered in soft fur.
Snowy white fur, round body, small ears, and black eyes.
[Lv.10 Mur]
A small monster, Mur.
Mur curled up into a ball in the snow and rolled out, stopping right in front of Rumiel.
The faint sound of Mur's small feet stepping on the snow could be heard.
Rumiel blinked for a moment, staring at Mur.
Mur stared back at Rumiel with its black eyes.
"......"
An awkward silence fell between them.
A breeze blew, and Mur's white fur fluttered slightly.
Rumiel's babo-teol stood up slightly.
Then, she looked at Mur again.
Mur looked soft, round, small, and its fur seemed fluffy.
A sudden urge to reach out and touch it arose.
Suddenly, Mur opened its mouth.
The small, cute mouth opened with a "cheek".
A tiny fang peeked out.
"Krru......"
It started making a small sound.
A very tiny, thin warning sound.
Mur kept its mouth open, eyes sparkling, staring at Rumiel.
Rumiel's babo-teol wiggled slightly.
Mur moved quietly on the snow.
Its small feet stepped on the snow, body lowered,
Whoosh!
Suddenly, Mur launched its body!
Fast.
Much faster than expected.
The small, light body shot up towards Rumiel in an instant.
Opening its small mouth, rolling its body like a snowball, it charged straight at her!
"......"
Rumiel paused for a moment, staring at Mur.
Mur seemed to believe it was a tremendous threat.
Using its small body to the maximum, it slid through the snow towards her.
But......
Thud.
Rumiel raised her hand and gently caught Mur.
The energetic charging Mur stopped in mid-air.
"......Krru?"
Mur looked confused.
Its small body flailed in the air.
Rumiel stared at Mur for a moment, then shook her hand slightly.
It was soft.
Mur's fur touched the tips of her fingers gently.
A light, warm sensation like touching snowflakes.
Rumiel quietly looked at Mur.
"......"
Mur also quietly looked at Rumiel.
Then, it opened its mouth.
"Krru!"
A small, adorable mouth let out another warning sound.
But Rumiel just held it without saying a word.
Mur looked like it was wondering if it should bite Rumiel's hand, rolling its adorable eyes back and forth.
Then, just as Mur was about to turn its mouth to bite...
Whoosh.
Rumiel gently set Mur down.
Mur blinked in surprise.
Rumiel continued to stare at Mur without a word.
Then, Mur, a bit flustered, ruffled its fur, then
Whoosh!
It rolled into the snow and ran away again.
Crunch.
Crisp.
Pong.
The sound of Mur getting farther.
Rumiel slightly wiggled her babo-teol, quietly lifted the corner of her mouth, then took another step.
In the middle of the Ice Island's snowy plains, gentle snowflakes were falling quietly.
Not long after that, as Rumiel was quietly walking on the snow-covered plains, another sound reached her ears.
Pong.
Crisp.
Pong, crisp.
A soft sound like sliding on the snowy field.
Similar to the small Mur she had just met, but this time something was different.
The sound was louder and heavier.
Not one, but two.
Rumiel stopped walking and turned her head.
There stood a monster with a much larger body than the one she had just seen.
[Lv.12 Murmur]
The name sounded like a small horned demon race, but it wasn't.
This creature was simply the monster formed by two Murs combining.
Two Murs were stuck together.
On the left, the small Mur, on the right, a slightly larger Mur.
Both were round like snowflakes, but there was a clear size difference.
The small Mur had eyes full of curiosity, and the large Mur looked at Rumiel with a calmer, more cautious gaze.
Rumiel quietly blinked.
At the same time,
"Krru!"
The small Mur reacted first.
Like the previous small Mur, it let out a warning sound full of caution.
Shaking its small body slightly, it approached Rumiel little by little.
"......"
The large Mur didn't move.
Unlike the small Mur, it was cautious.
Quietly staring at Rumiel, it only checked the situation without rashly attacking.
Rumiel wiggled her babo-teol.
Quietly staring at Murmur without saying a word.
Then, the small Mur crouched down as if being more cautious.
Like the previous small Mur, it was ready to pounce at any moment.
And,
Whoosh!
Again, the small Mur launched its body!
Much faster than the previous small Mur.
This time, there was a clear determination to "get it".
Thud.
As expected, no change.
Rumiel caught the small Mur lightly again.
The small Mur stopped in mid-air once more.
Its small feet flailed in the air.
"Krru?"
The small Mur blinked in confusion.
Like before, its expression showed it couldn't adapt to the unexpected situation.
Rumiel quietly looked down at Mur.
Then,
"......"
The large Mur moved.
Its large body slowly approached Rumiel.
Unlike the small Mur, it didn't rush in.
Just quietly staring at Rumiel and the small Mur.
Then,
Gently—
The large Mur crouched its body and began staring at Rumiel while buried in the snow.
It seemed to be saying "stop it" or something.
Rumiel looked at the large Mur.
And she put the small Mur she was holding back down onto the snowy field.
"......"
The small Mur looked at Rumiel once.
Then, it curled up a bit and rolled towards the large Mur.
Churr.
The small body rolling on the snow.
The small Mur that reached the side of the large Mur seemed to be taking a breath.
Rumiel quietly watched the scene, slightly wiggling her babo-teol.
Then, she quietly took another step.
Murmur no longer attacked.
It just quietly crouched in the snow.
Pong.
Crisp.
The sound of footsteps getting farther.
The wind on the plains blew gently.
Rumiel slowly headed towards the deeper part of the Ice Island.
Rumiel stopped walking.
A faint sound came from somewhere.
Among the sounds like the wind blowing, there were irregular footsteps mixed in.
It wasn't the natural sound of the wind.
Rumiel slowly turned her gaze.
Far away, something was moving inside the ice.
People wearing black hoods appeared.
They were cautiously walking on the snow-covered plains.
Their movements seemed to be on guard for something.
It was different from ordinary adventurers or villagers.
Rumiel's pupils widened.
These...... were the villain organization that frequently appeared in the main quest.
Thinking about it, there was a specific building built on the Ice Island as the hero's rumors spread.
A massive base created by the villain organization melting the island's glaciers, destroying nature.
They were using this Ice Island as one of their bases.
And, one of the main quests where the hero awakened here was to destroy that building.
In other words, according to the original story, the hero would awaken, defeat them, and destroy the base.
But since they were still active, it meant the hero hadn't awakened yet.
Rumiel slowly turned her gaze and looked far away.
There stood a strange building intertwined with ice and rocks.
Black, cold walls that seemed to have been made by melting ice awkwardly.
Weirdly twisted structures.
A black flag was fluttering on top, and smoke rose from various parts of the building.
According to Rumiel's memory, that place was the final dungeon of the hero quest.
A high-difficulty dungeon 'Ice Cream Factory' with a 120 level limit.
Rumiel's babo-teol gently fluttered as she looked at that building.
According to Rumiel's memory, the final boss of that dungeon was [Ice Cream Factory Manager, Sweet Parfait].
Setting aside why Parfait was the manager, according to the monster manual description Rumiel remembered, it was written that it had "[a sweet aroma that makes you want to take a bite]".
Rumiel quietly blinked.
And, she placed her small hand on her chin and thought.
Then.
Would it be okay to take a bite?
If the boss mob is Parfait, wouldn't it be edible?
Rumiel's babo-teol wiggled vigorously.