Whoosh!
On the mountain range where a blizzard is raging, icy winds are blowing fiercely.
The sky is full of ashen clouds, and snowflakes swirl madly in chaos. A scenery where the whole world seems buried in white fog, with nothing visible ahead, is depicted. The path following the spine of the mountain range is steep and rough.
In the snow swirling without leaving a single footprint, a shadow that just sways slowly reveals itself.
The human figure, looking like mere dust in front of the enormous power of nature, is steadily crossing the mountain range.
As music slowly plays, the scene transitions.
The harsh blizzard that was raging until just now is replaced by a forest full of green vegetation as if it were a lie. Bird chirps are heard amidst peaceful music, and sunlight falling hazily through branches and leaves blocking the sun illuminates the forest interior.
In that forest, Orcs and Goblins appear. The figures of adventurers fighting against them are also shown. They are a bit clumsy, but they firmly realize their powers one by one and boldly face the vicious monsters.
The rapidly moving viewpoint soon starts showing the inside of a cave in the forest.
Woong!
A huge Orc King swings a monstrous battle hammer. Four novice adventurers face him.
The figures of a youth swinging a sword, a youth preparing magic, a middle-aged man wielding an axe, and a woman controlling spirits pass by in succession, and finally the Orc King stomps his foot.
Boom!
The Orc King’s body jumps down into their center.
With that as the last, the viewpoint switches to a hot desert area and passes by quickly.
Passing through desert, oasis, village, the viewpoint entering a pyramid-shaped tomb shows a huge lava lake.
Bubble bubble.
In the lava lake, the first bubble bursts, and soon the calm magma boils up forming a huge whirlpool. From the center of the whirlpool, a huge form slowly reveals itself.
Kaaaah!
With the roar of a demon with thick chains wrapped around its body, the screen fades to black.
An endless prairie, a huge forest in its center. Fierce wars are taking place inside it.
Clang, clang clang!
Adventurers are in conflict. For their own gain.
Soon that screen transitions to a slightly larger forest, and larger-scale clashes of adventurers occur.
Waaaah!
A battle that can truly be called a large-scale war. In it, the leaders of both factions, a Fighter wearing a red robe and a Swordsman wearing a blue robe, clash.
The rapidly moving viewpoint heads towards a huge hole drilled into a sheer cliff inside the forest.
Kaaaah-!
A being with absolute power, a green dragon, roars looking up at the sky.
And from the sky its eyes are looking at, a white flash thrusts down.
Flash!
Kaaaah-!
The green dragon twists its body greatly, shedding green blood from the wound carved in its neck.
And the screen zooms in on the white flash that landed on the ground.
Snow-white hair with a silver tinge.
One eye of the side profile is lightly covered by hair.
The body is small. Closer to a girl than a woman.
The girl’s body turns slightly, revealing one eye not covered by hair.
In it, obsidian flashes ominously.
Kaaaah-!
Woong!
Rumble rumble!
Massive energy starts gathering in the green dragon’s opened mouth.
Tap, tap, tap!
Along with music building tension, the girl’s body starts jumping on rising rocks.
And finally, the dragon’s torn lizard eyes and the girl’s obsidian eyes meet.
And a breath that seems like it will erase everything bursts out towards the girl.
Boom boom boom boom!
Flash!
The girl’s body floating in the air becomes a beam of light and collides with the breath.
A blinding light fills the screen, and the music stops.
Whoosh!
The screen transitions back to the snowy mountain range.
At the peak of that mountain range stands the girl who faced the green dragon.
The viewpoint showing the face of the girl with silvery hair, obsidian eyes and a slender body soon slowly moves to the sky.
And shows beyond the mountain range.
The land of bitter cold visible from the mountain peak.
That endless snowy field.
[Astria Online, ‘Land of Bitter Cold’]
* * *
“Wow, wow, uwah…!”
Checking the advertisement video for the first time, I covered my eyes with my hands and was very embarrassed.
What on earth have I done?
Although it’s to repay Chris unnie’s money.
Too, too, too embarrassing!
The view count of the advertisement video on the video upload site had already surpassed millions.
It even came out as TV commercials and such in the outside world.
Embarrassing! So embarrassing!
I only checked the advertisement I appeared in today when the new expansion pack area opened.
Though the advertisement has been out for a while, I didn’t have the courage to directly watch the advertisement being broadcast until now.
-Didn’t you watch YouTube? You came out so pretty and cool!
-Rain, Rain! Turn on the TV now! You’re on the advertisement!
Although I vehemently shook my head and refused every time Chris giggled and told me to watch until now, I ended up looking it up directly with my own eyes.
Certainly, it’s a different dimension of embarrassment from when I saw it through edited versions before the advertisement was broadcast. Countless people have already watched the video.
If I’m going to be this embarrassed, how did I manage to broadcast the video?
But I couldn’t help checking the comment section.
Is this what they call the desire for recognition?
Thump thump.
Clutching my pounding chest, I scrolled down with narrowed eyes.
Won’t the reactions be bad?
“…Thump thump? Hop hop? Chirp chirp chirp?”
Strange onomatopoeias were taking the best comments.
There were even comments saying they felt like they couldn’t breathe.
Is the reaction good or bad?
After squirming alone for a while in embarrassment with an internet window open while standing in the middle of a snowy field, I raised my head and checked the village in front of me.
“Valos Village.”
The first village of the ‘Par Snowy Region’, the first area of the new expansion pack ‘Land of Bitter Cold’, revealed itself before my eyes.
The humans of the Astria continent were living even in such harsh environments.
The past me had been to this region too. Was it when facing a Legion Commander? There was no human village here then. There might have been one in the more distant past, but it could have disappeared due to demons.
A lot of time has passed in the setting. Even in the time I was active, my range of movement wasn’t wide enough to roam every corner of the continent.
Anyway, at this point in time, there’s a village here. It’s the first base that adventurers visit to explore the snowy region in earnest. There should be quests too.
Chris couldn’t log in even though it’s the first day of the expansion pack. She seemed to have gotten busy with company work again recently.
This time too, I need to level up first and make Chris jealous.
For now, I should level up while steadily completing sub-quests.
Should I look for good places to grind too?
Crunch crunch.
Leaving small footprints in the snow, I entered the village.
“To think the first quest in the new region is a monster subjugation quest.”
I had no choice but to leave Valos Village not long after entering.
Because a vigilante wearing thick clothes that I met at the village entrance immediately requested help.
[Wolf Pack Leader Subjugation Quest]
[Let’s kill the leader of the snow wolf pack threatening Valos Village]
[Silver Fang Wolf 0/10]
Silver Fang Wolf.
The name referring to the leader individual leading the wolf pack.
It seemed there were quite a lot of wolf packs living in the snowy region.
It’s a new expansion pack region. The monster specs will be high enough to be difficult to hunt without finishing farming in the plains region.
But I have no problem.
Slash!
Whine!
Red was sprinkled dotingly on the snow-white field.
I swung Astaroth emitting silver light and easily cut down the wolf pack.
And finally, I faced a wolf twice as big as the regular wolves.
Grrrr!
The Silver Fang Wolf rolled its eyes and charged at me who killed its subordinate wolves.
Chomp!
The Silver Fang Wolf’s huge teeth bit my lightly swung sword.
“Oh.”
Is it a blocking judgment?
I put strength into my sword and imbued it with starlight.
Crack!
Yelp!
Twisting my sword that came out breaking a few teeth, I slashed the charging Silver Fang Wolf’s waist and side.
And before the Silver Fang Wolf could come to its senses, I swung quick sword strikes several times.
Slash slash slash!
Long wounds remained where my beloved sword Astaroth passed.
Flash!
Whimper!
The Silver Fang Wolf that exhausted all its HP from my last Flash Strike fell with a dog’s cry.
I shook Astaroth once and put it in its sheath.
As expected of a new expansion pack region, the HP is quite high for a field monster.
Still, it’s enough to take down instantly if I use Flash Strike together.
Awoooo!
At the wolf sound heard from the nearby forest, I looked towards the forest.
Wolves started slowly revealing themselves from inside the forest of the snow-covered field.
The respawn speed is fast. It should be good for grinding too.
Swish.
I smiled and raised my sword, then charged at the newly appeared wolf pack.
Slash slash slash!
Yelp!
[Wolf Pack Leader Subjugation Quest]
[Let’s kill the leader of the snow wolf pack threatening Valos Village]
[Silver Fang Wolf 4/10]
I looked towards the Silver Fang Wolf while facing the last mob wolf.
If I catch that, it’ll be the fifth one.
At that moment.
Thud, thud, thud!
Yelp!
Arrows imbued with blue energy flew in and took the Silver Fang Wolf’s aggro. The Silver Fang Wolf that was watching me started running after the arrows that damaged it.
Thud thud thud!
Whimper!
And with the additional shower of arrows that flew in, the Silver Fang Wolf finally collapsed.
“Eh.”
I blankly stared at the spot where the Silver Fang Wolf fell.
That skill is the Ranger’s Training Tower finishing move, Sure Hit.
When I turned my head towards where the arrows came from, a male Ranger user of the elf race with long ears entered my view.
That person stole my Silver Fang Wolf.
He sat down laying out a mat without even giving me a glance.
He intends to do the Silver Fang Wolf quest in this area with fast respawn speed.
I puffed my cheeks slightly.
Aren’t I a bit famous now? I even shot an advertisement.
Well, not all users watch advertisements, so it’s not strange if there are users who don’t know me.
Of course, I don’t want to flaunt my fame either.
But even just as user to user, this isn’t right.
I came first and was clearing the surroundings, but he just sniped the quest mob Silver Fang Wolf.
Crunch crunch.
I carefully approached the Ranger user.
He turned his head and glanced at me.
I hesitated slightly.
Rain, are you still afraid of people even after shooting an advertisement? You practiced socialization hard.
Even if it’s a stranger, you should know how to appeal this much.
Should I say, ‘Since Silver Fang Wolves appear in other places too, could you give up this spot I cleared first?’
That’s too long.
Among the teachings of the sages of old RPGs, there was a phrase that simplified this long sentence.
I closed my eyes tightly and shouted boldly.
“Th-this is my spot!”