‘Damn, it’s too cold…!’
Hearing about the cold was one thing, but experiencing it firsthand was another—this was beyond mere words. Alejandro wished he could go back and slap some sense into his past self for agreeing to follow Khan to Hoarfrost Gorge.
Crunch. Crunch.
Every step felt like sinking into sludge. Despite wearing magic boots designed for walking on snow, it felt like they were getting sucked into the ground. The boots weren’t entirely ineffective, but they couldn’t prevent his feet from sinking slightly into the snow, making his ankles disappear with each step.
‘If only it were just up to the ankles….’
The constant lifting and lowering of his legs made his joints ache, but he could handle that. The real issue was the biting cold slowly seeping in.
The merchant had confidently claimed that these boots would keep him dry even when running through snow. Yet, less than a day had passed, and the cold had infiltrated the boots, freezing at first, then melting with his body heat to soak his feet.
“That lying son of a…!”
Grinding his teeth, Alejandro swore to shave the merchant’s head bald like his own upon returning. However, that resolve didn’t last long. Facing imminent death, thinking about revenge upon returning seemed pointless.
The only silver lining was that the hunter fur coats Khan had procured from Northland were quite useful.
The fur-lined coat, long enough to reach his ankles and with a hood covered in dense fur, was layered with another beast’s skin on the inside. It was said to be a luxury item, each costing several Imperial gold coins.
Initially skeptical about the high price for mere fur coats, Alejandro felt like he had discovered a treasure upon entering Hoarfrost Gorge.
The expertly crafted Hydra hide mantle by the old tanner further insulated him, preventing the cold from penetrating his upper body.
‘If only I could somehow manage my feet and hands…’
Just when Alejandro thought he could endure, the first night in Hoarfrost Gorge shattered that illusion.
“What’s that sound…?”
“Huh? What sound are you talking about?”
“Sounds like something’s shaking…?”
For the first time since entering Hoarfrost Gorge, maia, who had conserved her energy in silence, spoke up.
Alejandro, putting all his focus into trudging through the snow, weakly responded, while Eson, with his partially inherited barbarian senses, agreed with Maya.
“Is it just our exhaustion making us hear things wrong…?”
This Northland snowy mountain seemed to possess a maddening charm, driving people insane.
The blizzard, so dense it was nearly impossible to see even a few feet ahead, obscure the view of their companions. Time seemed to stretch endlessly, making it impossible to gauge how long they had been walking.
The sensation in Alejandro’s fingertips and toes slowly dulled, as if his limbs had been cut off, rendering any semblance of rational thought nearly impossible.
“Besides, if anyone heard something, the boss would have been the first to…”
“I was just waiting to see when you’d notice,” Khan interrupted.
“What? So it’s true?”
“Yes, it seems the monsters of the snow mountain have caught the scent of meat and are coming our way.”
Alejandro’s face, already aged several years in just a few hours, paled even further.
Walking alone felt like a grueling ordeal, and now they had to fight monsters too?
Given his current state, remaining stationary would be more beneficial. The blizzard not only shortened their vision but also created an extremely treacherous environment.
In this condition, he couldn’t even trust his agility to dodge any incoming threats.
“But we’ll be fine, right? We’ve got the Witch, the boss, and those barbarian friends…”
“Well, don’t count on too much help from me.”
“Eh?!”
Khan had sensed the vibrations from afar long before Maya and Eson spoke up. Despite the blizzard obstructing his view, the intensity and rhythm of the vibrations were enough for him to make a rough guess.
‘Judging by the long stride, these creatures are bipedal. And they’re quite massive. For the vibrations to be this pronounced, they must be larger than the regular Greenskins of the snowfields. So they’re likely…’
Having deduced their enemy’s identity purely through instinct, Khan readied his Giant Slayer. It would be more effective to crush their skulls with a hammer than to slice through their thick hide.
“The three idiots, follow me.”
“We’re not idiots─!”
“This trembling…! They’re bigger than me!”
“Amal, son of Karan. Stop bragging about your size and start running!”
As the four barbarian bickered loudly and disappeared into the blizzard, the remaining party members hurriedly prepared for combat. Although the group’s most powerful member, Khan, suddenly left, they trusted he had a good reason. Besides, they still had the ace up their sleeve—Ludmilla.
“W-Witch! Please, we need your help…!”
However, Alejandro’s faith was abruptly shattered by Ludmilla’s unexpected response.
“I don’t feel particularly inclined. Just handle it yourselves.”
“Witch?!”
With the ground-shaking vibrations growing ever closer, Ludmilla’s sudden declaration to sit out the battle left Alejandro utterly flabbergasted. This was the first time such a thing had happened, leaving him at a complete loss.
As much as Alejandro wanted to urge Ludmilla to fight, he knew better. Confronting Ludmilla could lead to him becoming the first roasted human in the Northland snow mountains.
“You expect us to fight alone?! We’ll all die!”
“Neither he nor I can always be there to save you now, can we?”
“That’s…!”
Unable to counter her argument, Alejandro clenched his mouth shut. Yet, seeing Ludmilla burrow deeply into the fur of the Snow Mountain White Wolf pelt given by the old tanner made her seem even more infuriating.
“She’s right. Plus, we’re the ones who insisted on coming along.”
Eson chimed in.
“If we turn tail now, we won’t be worthy of attempting the warrior’s trial. I will fight!” Maya declared, despite the heavy layers making her waddle.
‘You crazy idiots, what about me?!’ Alejandro internally screamed, watching Maya and Eson, bundled up in clothes and gripping their weapons, suddenly caught up in the fighting spirit.
“Roarrr!”
Their monstrous adversary emerged through the blizzard. Twice Alejandro’s size, with long arms that touched the ground even while standing on two legs, and eyes gleaming red through thick fur, the giant creature elicited a fear-induced backward step from Alejandro.
“Roarrr!”
Its red eyes locked onto Alejandro, and almost immediately, a massive purple foot stomped down on the snowy ground. Defying natural laws, the creature did not sink into the snow but stood firm as if on solid ground, then bent its knee.
Thud-
“You’ve got to be kidding me…!”
The fur-clad giant leaped over Maya and Eson, landing behind them, directly facing Alejandro. The sheer impossibility of its movement made Maya and Eson scramble to catch up, but unlike the giant, they had to tread carefully to avoid sinking.
This left Alejandro facing the monster alone. His decision was rapid.
‘Run!’
Sometimes, desperation brings out unexpected success. Perhaps the days spent dazedly trudging through the snow had prepared him. Alejandro’s feet didn’t sink deeply today; instead, he flitted across the snow like the creature itself, leaving minimal footprints behind.
The giant beast roared again, chasing after Alejandro. Had Khan seen this, he might have described it as a big orangutan chasing a small monkey.
“Well done!”
Maya, accelerated by an artifact, raced past Alejandro during his desperate flight, utilizing the giant’s focus on Alejandro to launch a surprise attack.
Now Maya’s cherished weapon, the Jotun’s Spear, pierced through the thick fur, barely scratching the skin beneath. At first, it seemed like the surprise attack had failed, but the true strike came next.
Boom─!
The spear’s tip exploded with force from within, causing the insides of the hairy giant to churn. No matter how tough its body, it couldn’t remain unscathed from an internal burst of power. The creature let out an agonizing scream.
“Hyaap!”
With a low shout, eson swung his glaive, striking the creature’s leg. Rather than cutting, he chose to hit it, knowing it would be more effective.
His precise strike to the joint caused the giant to stagger.
Maya and Eson relentlessly continued their assault, not wanting to lose the upper hand. However, they lacked a decisive blow, and soon enough, the creature shook off the disorienting effects of the Jotun’s Spear and stomped its foot.
Just like human warriors step forward to steady themselves before delivering a powerful blow.
Boom──.
Right after, the giant smashed its massive fists into the ground.
Snow piled up around the creature surged outward, creating a small avalanche. Maya and Eson, who were attacking from all sides, were caught in the torrent of snow. They struggled to free themselves, but having been directly hit by the snow surge that rose higher than their heads, it wasn’t easy.
“Ugh!”
“Gah—.”
Eson, buried in the snow, was then stomped by the yeti. Despite his efforts, he disappeared entirely into the snow, unable to withstand the force of a kick from a foot nearly the size of a human torso.
‘What kind of crazy monster is this?!’
Alejandro had seen transcendent beasts like the Golden Dragon, but his role wasn’t to fight them head-on, so he never truly grasped the magnitude of their power.
Now, however? Against a monster far weaker than the resurrected Golden Dragon, his life was hanging by a thread.
Khan’s warnings finally hit home, sinking into his flesh as he realized the gravity of the situation.
‘I’m truly screwed….’
***
A dwarf pirate ship, unlike any human vessel, docked in the port city of Northland. The townsfolk, drawn by the spray it created as it approached, gathered out of curiosity. Their surprise doubled when unbelievably beautiful elves disembarked from the ship.
The harbor master hurried over to the elves, his face tense. Docking a ship without permission was a violation of the city’s laws.
“W-Who are you, and where did you come from?” he stammered.
Despite the master’s efforts and the courage it took to speak, the elves of Paradise ignored him entirely. The harbor master couldn’t muster the anger to respond, not because he was intimidated by their extraordinary appearance.
“That damned bastard─!”
The sudden appearance of a red-haired woman limping badly made the harbor master gasp. Leniyar’s face was red and blistered as if she’d suffered severe burns, and her expression radiated pure, lethal intent.
“Where is that fucking barbarian──!”