Continent (2)
The two most representative abyssal domains highlighted by rankers in the Sa-gye War were one each in the east and west of the continent—altogether two.
Of those, the western Landfill carried far greater significance in terms of importance, and its tales were far more intricately woven, yet when it came strictly to danger, the far-eastern Snowfield could not be overlooked either.
And the word “challenge” had always resonated deeply with a gamer’s soul. Countless users had simply stepped into the Valley of Torment for the sake of their own satisfaction, and I had ridden the current along with them.
It was as if the Ice Mountains—a natural gateway—were the only barrier that needed to be crossed before the Snowfield unfolded right before one’s eyes. A single victory snapshot was all it took to earn the title of “high-water mark.”
“Yeah… I remember it that way.”
Memories rose as though recalling a distant past. Even with the artifacts painstakingly gathered and the control that rivaled rankers, I had faced countless crises.
The moment I barely made it over the summit, the brand-new snow-white paradise that lay spread before me was etched so powerfully into my mind.
Yes, I had become the high-water mark.
So I had tried to remain composed and calm.
Facing the frost-colored mountain range, I had managed to stay serene with effort.
During the time I had crept forward in near silence along the slopes, I had told myself there would be no real danger. That was why, when the bear-shaped monster in the shadow of the gnarled tree had suddenly turned its eyes on me, my reaction came too late.
The bear’s roar summoned dozens of monsters. I, who had been floating in a peaceful haze at a speed far beyond ordinary monsters, fell into panic in an instant. The bear’s swinging paw. If it had reached me, I would not have survived.
Showing my resolve, my only enemy charged at me.
Thanks to Yeti’s overwhelming strength, the bear monster tumbled down the slope, and the moment I came to my senses I leaped straight down.
“Protect me!”
Yeti, ever intelligent, immediately understood my heart. Instead of fighting, it focused on shielding me and followed close behind. Just as planned, we had to escape the mountain range as quickly as possible.
Fighting a monster was foolish in the first place. This was its territory, after all; it would only harm me unilaterally. Untouched trails were unsuitable for movement, but I had transformation magic.
Hwaaah—
Just like the Dracula from old video media, I turned into thick fog and dashed down the steep mountain. Scattered through every narrow pass were occasional monsters, all moving to eliminate the intruder while revealing their ferocity.
“I’ll be passing through… don’t get angry…”
Even among the vicious monsters, there should have been individual differences in personality. Yet they were so cruel, as if trying to prove their worth as creatures of the abyss.
I ran from the tenacious pursuit of the twisted monsters—spiders, mantises, mutated boars—and Yeti fought them back.
As might be expected from a mid-grade snow spirit that specialized in an extreme attribute, its struggle was astonishing despite not being particularly powerful. Since these monsters lived in the Ice Mountains, the effectiveness of freeze magic was nonexistent, but the creature relied solely on its massive body and sheer power.
On the other hand, I had no way to help in combat. My physical abilities were weak, and my already feeble combat skills were all specialized in attributes, so there was no synergy.
My only role was to run endlessly.
.
.
“Haa… done. It’s over…”
The bear-shaped monster that had stubbornly followed me until the end finally fell from Yeti’s strike. Only then could I wipe the sweat from my forehead, which hadn’t even broken, and catch my breath.
This was the first time I had run for my life so desperately in this world. The experience of exhausting my stamina to the limit was no different.
“Still… I survived.”
While gasping for air, I surveyed the scenery around me. Ahead lay verdant vegetation and grass that I hadn’t seen a trace of in nearly a year, and behind me rose hills and mountains that looked like frozen plains.
This was the dividing line between land and the Ice Mountains.
In short, I had passed the Ice Mountains. I had exited the abyssal domain in perfect condition. The thought made my chest swell with emotion. It felt as if I had left home behind, yet I had also come from a dangerous place—something like that.
“Good work.”
I greeted Yeti in a light-hearted mood. The creature answered with a small grunt that sounded like it was scratching itself. After suffering for a month to create it, I felt no regret at all to be taking it along.
It had performed its share perfectly, and a faint affection had grown. But for now, it was time to part ways.
“This place from here on is enough for me alone.”
The place where Yeti could fully exert its power was only the frigid Snowfield and the Ice Mountains. With its extremely biased attribute and being a spirit, it would suffer health issues in a warm or temperate climate.
So I had to send it back here.
It gave a reaction that was neither refusal nor agreement—strange. It probably didn’t want to leave me alone, but that didn’t mean it knew the reason. Still, this decision had already been made.
In the end, Yeti turned its steps back toward the mountain range.
Its body had already endured enough battle, but returning without fighting wouldn’t be difficult. After all, the Snowfield and the Ice Mountains—called the abyss—were nothing more than the front yard of a snow spirit.
If it weren’t even bound by the need to protect me, it could finally use its full power. I saw it off with the brightest smile I could manage.
“Since they’ll be anxious alone, you should go help them.”
Now, shall we begin the real exploration of the continent?
The Sa-gye War had three core nations.
The powerful Empire of Arundel that ruled the continent’s board, the mighty neighboring kingdom of Uristia that chased it closely, and the supreme religious nation of the Astar Holy Kingdom.
All three were forces that could never be ignored when discussing the continental situation. Of course, that was a thousand years from now; the current reality was quite different.
The empire, just entering its prosperous phase, was unstable, and Uristia was still a city-state that hadn’t even become a kingdom. The Holy Kingdom’s influence that once spread across the entire continent had vanished.
The nations that had once been the continent’s main actors were now suffering growing pains—and that was exactly where we were.
Mount Taman, the pass between the empire and Uristia. Fett, a researcher and assistant to Scholar Agnatz, was carefully climbing the mountain.
“Careful… careful…”
Yet his position was extremely precarious.
He was climbing the cliff face using specialized tools. It was a choice made to avoid mutated monsters—more dangerous than ordinary ones.
He wasn’t a soldier, but neither was he a priest. When necessary, he knew how to make bold decisions. Well, considering his mentor and fellow disciples, it was only natural.
“How much longer…”
Fett’s destination was the city-state of Uristia. His goals were investigating the truth behind rumors and negotiating with the family head.
In truth, neither goal was one hundred percent real.
Rumors were mostly dismissed as empty nonsense, but he had heard them from his master, so he knew their credibility was very high.
Moreover, while climbing Taman Mountain he had already encountered mutated monsters several times. From that fact, Fett was almost certain the rumors were true.
That was because his master’s research notes—kept secret from the disciples—mentioned mutated monsters in detail. If “it” truly controlled a city, then the monsters of nearby Taman Mountain would naturally exhibit strange phenomena.
So the rumor investigation was just an excuse. Precisely, it was a justification he could present to “many people.”
“…Ugh, it’s lucky I’ve been working out.”
Now the second goal—negotiating with the family head.
That was the main point.
It was said that Uristia was currently ruled by the three ruling families. Among them, the prestigious Crase family—the one that had held the real power for years—had been Fett’s target.
According to his guess, the young heir of the Crase family would be in a weak position right now. Weak positions were easily swayed, so the calculation was that persuasion would be easy.
In other words, nothing had been promised. He had simply decided to charge ahead with a cost-benefit analysis.
“…It’s not that. It’s a sort of transaction.”
His gaze flicked to the pouch at his hip.
Fett, a famous scholar and doctoral assistant who also ran his own workshop, had a finished masterpiece inside.
The rumor’s original culprit was beyond his help, but he could assist with the problems that had arisen from it. He could suppress the mutated monsters plaguing forests and mountains.
The Crase family head probably wouldn’t be able to refuse the proposal.
“Just in case.”
His breath was almost spent, so he took a short rest by climbing down from the cliff. Wiping the dripping sweat, he leaned his back against the rock face.
Ultimately, the goal was to negotiate with the family head and create a convincing “achievement.” Even if he entered a deal to monopolize his own creations for distribution, that was merely a means and extra income.
If his fellow disciples weren’t so competent, he could have moved at a leisurely pace. But his fellow disciples had been stirring up the empire’s provinces and gaining fame, leaving him in a panic.
If things continued like this, he would lose the achievement race.
Already, in this state of anxiety, he had left the empire behind and set his sights on the city-state.
The Crase family held quite a reputation even within the empire. If he brought a recommendation letter with the family head’s seal, it would count as an achievement. Even if it wasn’t much to his master……
That was when.
Suddenly, he felt scorching heat against his skin and turned his head.
A monster was there.
“……”
Situation assessment ended in an instant.
Fett, who had frozen stiff, reflexively reached into his pouch.
He had let his guard down.
He had intended to rest briefly, so he had been careless, and now he was paying for it.
If it had gotten this close, Fett as a non-mana user could not have run away. His ability to climb the cliff and escape was nonexistent.
He quickly deduced the monster’s identity. Canine shape, two heads, flames covering its entire body.
“A hellhound…!”
It was indeed the hellhound, commonly called a hellhound. It wasn’t a high-grade monster, but the fact that he couldn’t fight it was the same.
It tore its prey apart with those sharp fangs or burned it to death with fire magic. There was nothing ordinary humans could oppose.
Finally, the hellhound, which had been blazing with hatred, stamped the ground as if judging its prey. Fett’s tension tripled.
He immediately grasped additional information—the dark mana emanating from the agitated hellhound. It was clearly the characteristic of a mutated monster.
The instant he pulled out a spherical object from his pouch, he froze as he prepared to throw it.
He had already used up quite a few during the climb, and only one remained in stock—the card to present to the family head, a sample.
That was why he had been climbing the dangerous cliff: there were too many mutated monsters here, and after several encounters there was no more stock left to use.
It was also the reason he had been almost certain the rumors were true. Even so, he hadn’t expected so many.
“Damn it…”
Fett regretted his arrogance.
He should have prepared more thoroughly and not rushed. But now the city was right in front of him. Failure here would leave him unable to sleep.
In this urgent moment, within the world flowing slowly, the hellhound’s muzzle drew close.
Fett had debated over and over, but with resolve burning in his blood he made his decision.
Nothing was more valuable than his life.
The moment his grip on the object slowly loosened.
—Wind blew.
No, it wasn’t wind.
Air mixed with snowflakes and ice crystals. It felt freezing, like… the breath of a dragon.
That breath precisely pierced the monster’s lungs.
A pained scream echoed.
The majestic hellhound was gone without a trace. Its two heads twisted in agony, and the flames that had covered its body vanished in an instant.
The creature, stripped of its fire armor, could no longer be called a hellhound. It collapsed where it stood and never moved again.
It was dead.
“What…?”
The suddenness left Fett stunned. Who on earth… had slain such a terrifying monster? Thinking that, he turned his gaze toward the direction the breath had come from.
“Hah…!”
And he was even more shocked than when he had seen the fallen monster. There, a goddess… no, a beautiful woman stood.
Her exotic attire, white and pristine, was unlike anything he had seen in any region, and her glossy snow-white hair set her apart from ordinary women.
Her legs seemed nailed to the ground, and Fett stood frozen for a long while… and the woman looked down at him with cold eyes.