Chapter 38

[You have defeated a yeti.]

[You have defeated a yeti.]

[Congratulations.]

[You have leveled up.]

▶ 39 → 40

“Whew...”

As the yeti fell, Ruen cupped her hands and blew into them as though they were freezing.

“It would have been hard to hold out without the Five Elements Trait.”

Clearing the Bloodstained Cave had changed the effects of their existing title once again. Thanks to Five Elements, which now increased resistance to natural elements to 20%, they had endured three days in the cold.

[The Lesser Growth Scroll's effect will expire in 5 minutes.]

“At least the end is finally in sight.”

“You know we still have thirty minutes left, right?”

“Ugh... Can't we take a little break?”

“In thirty minutes.”

The corners of Ruen's mouth drooped, but she nodded.

'Anyway... They said leveling gets hard after level thirty-five. They weren't kidding.'

Considering that he had used a scroll, the remaining ten levels looked unlikely to come easily.

“Ruen, what level are you?”

“Me? I'm thirty-eight now.”

Was it her royal blood? By contrast, Ruen was growing faster than Woojin had expected.

'Camilla's blood could cure her Mana Vessel Disease right away, but that's impossible under the circumstances... '

Lifran leaves, July Dew, Moon Fruit, and more...

Woojin had asked Ruen about the things she had used while treating her Mana Vessel Disease.

The problem was the order in which to use them. The Ruen from the other world had said she had used whatever she could get her hands on. Woojin remembered her saying that she had suffered several side effects as a result.

'But this is a game. If something can help cure Ruen's Mana Vessel Disease, a window should appear, just like with the Egg of the Phantasmal Spirit.'

For now, she needed the next treatment if only to accompany him to the central continent.

“Anyway, we've come pretty far in. Shouldn't we be able to see Hundred Flowers Valley soon?”

“Probably.”

At Ruen's words, Woojin opened the map.

Red markers dotted the holographic window that appeared before him. They marked the places Goun had pointed out on the map when he returned to the game. Most were still black, unexplored areas, but one location had been revealed on the map. It wasn't far from where he stood now.

'That's where Lake Darin was.'

He scanned his surroundings. The snow-covered expanse looked nothing like the place he remembered. There was a fifty-year gap between this place and the other world. It was hardly strange for the terrain and geography to change with time.

“Hundred Flowers Valley is just a little farther. Let's head there once we're done hunting.”

“Yes!”

Just then, Ruen exclaimed,

“Oh? It's snowing!”

Snowflakes began settling on Ruen's head one by one.

“Wow... It hasn't snowed once in three days...”

She sounded excited as she spoke to Woojin.

“Yeah. It is.”

Suddenly, Woojin seized her arm in a tight grip.

“Huh?!”

Little by little, flakes settled and began to pile up on Ruen's head.

“M-Master?”

Blushing at his sudden action, she looked at him.

“Run.”

“... What?”

A few more flakes fell, then the light snowfall abruptly became a furious deluge.

RUMBLE...

No sooner had he spoken than the ground began to shake.

“Aah?!”

Ruen began running as Woojin pulled her along.

“W-What's happening all of a sudden?”

“An avalanche.”

“What?!”

ROOOAR!

As though it had been waiting for his answer, a furious mass of white snow came surging toward them from the distance.

A weather event. It was one of the random events triggered by weather conditions, like mirages in the desert or avalanches in snowy regions.

“We still had thirty minutes. Damn it.”

“... I'm all right now. Let's run separately. It'll be faster.”

Pouting at his muttered complaint, Ruen freed her hand from his.

“There should be a shelter nearby.”

But Woojin merely scanned their surroundings without even noticing her expression.

“Over there!”

As they left the open ground and entered the forest, an old cabin appeared, just as he had said.

“W-Will we be all right?”

It was doubtful whether the shabby cabin could withstand the avalanche hurtling down on them.

“We'll be fine.”

Unlike the worried Ruen, Woojin looked calm.

Beside the cabin stood a small stone monument engraved with a red moon, the symbol of the Red Tower.

CLICK.

When he opened the door, they found players who, like them, had gathered to escape the avalanche.

“Mm...”

At the sight of the players, Ruen hesitated nervously. The people inside looked just as surprised to see an NPC rather than another player.

“Let's go in.”

Ruen nodded and took a seat to one side of the cabin.

“Ho ho. I thought the avalanche was the only random event, but this is rather interesting too.”

There were three people in the cabin.

“Someone traveling with a mercenary here in the Dark Forest, not even on the central continent? You must have money to spare.”

One of them had addressed Woojin: a friendly-looking man with a thick beard.

A large crossbow hung on his back, and two one-handed axes rested at his waist. He looked every inch a hunter, but there was something unusual about him.

“You look like the one with money to spare.”

The man chuckled at Woojin's reply.

Unlike the other two, the man stood out, and not simply because of his beard or weapons.

“I heard race changes are incredibly expensive.”

The man wasn't human. He was a dwarf.

In [Evil Tale], human was the only race available by default, but the website sold a cash item that allowed players to change races. It cost a staggering fifty million won. There had been an uproar when the item first appeared, but years later, it wasn't all that expensive compared to prices on the central continent's marketplace.

Tens of millions to hundreds of millions of won changed hands on the marketplace several times every day. A chance to strike it rich. That was why [Evil Tale]'s players had no choice but to stake everything on reaching the central continent. Of course, it was also why the barriers to entry were so high.

“Expensive, but worth it. It doesn't just change your appearance. It changes your stats and the skills you can learn, too.”

The dwarf grinned at Woojin.

“I'm serious about this game.”

However much money changed hands on the marketplace, ordinary people rarely burned tens of millions of won on a game. Race changes were mostly used when major clans raised alternate characters to tackle the Labyrinth Tower. But the dwarf before him was a little different. Nothing about him suggested he was building toward clearing any particular content.

“A dwarf with a bow? For someone who's serious, your build looks awfully unfocused...”

“Heh heh. Doing what other people don't is what makes me serious. And this isn't an ordinary bow.”

Woojin shrugged at the man's cryptic reply and sat beside Ruen.

“The avalanche won't subside for at least thirty minutes.”

The man quietly reading beside the cabin's fire spoke in a low voice. Perhaps he meant that they should keep quiet until then. He wore green robes. Apparently, he was a trainee mage.

“I'm Weden. You seem to be a fellow Warrior. Good to meet you.”

The remaining man greeted him warmly. He looked younger than Woojin, but he was tall and solidly built.

'Well, you can't trust a character's appearance... '

Judging by the large shield on his back in addition to the sword at his waist, he appeared to be a frontline tank.

“I'm Khan.”

Woojin took the offered hand and answered casually.

“Name's Gareth.”

“...”

The dwarf raised a hand and introduced himself as well. The mage glanced at them, then returned to his book.

“Well, it's not as though we're going hunting together. No real need for introductions.”

Weden smiled awkwardly at the mage's reaction.

“Would you like to try some?”

Gareth, the dwarven archer, pulled some jerky from inside his clothes and offered it to Woojin.

“It's good.”

With small villages scattered throughout the Dark Forest, there was rarely any need to sleep outdoors, so food wasn't much of a concern. Usually, one simply bought bread and water at a shop and stowed it away.

“Huh...”

After tasting the jerky, Woojin looked at Gareth in wonder. His confidence hadn't been misplaced.

“Heh heh. Good, isn't it? That's why I chose a dwarf.”

Looking pleased by Woojin's reaction, Gareth leaned against the wall.

“I hunted the meat and made it myself.”

Woojin understood why he had chosen to be a dwarf.

'The starting dwarf Trait gives a bonus to manual dexterity.'

Most people chose dwarves to pursue equipment-crafting professions. He hadn't expected anyone to use that bonus for cooking.

“You really are serious.”

“Of course, of course.”

Gareth laughed cheerfully at his words.

“Hey, could I have some too?”

Weden sidled up beside him with an amiable smile.

An affable warrior. A prickly mage. An eccentric dwarf. If this weren't a game, the scene could easily have belonged to another world. It wasn't often that so many people so committed to their roles gathered in one place.

'This isn't so bad, either.'

After all, people were probably so enthusiastic about virtual reality because it let them live a life in a world other than their own. Woojin smiled wryly. He had been like that once. Now he was playing a game because he wanted to return to his real life.

“Are you all heading to Hundred Flowers Valley?”

Weden asked as he happily tore into the jerky Gareth had given him.

“Of course. It's the only place to go from the snowy region. Are you heading to the central continent too?”

Woojin glanced at Weden. Going to the central continent meant he had reached level fifty.

“Ha ha, yes. I just have one last quest left.”

“Oh... Congratulations. Time to say farewell to this tiresome Dark Forest.”

“Exactly. I can't wait to cross over and visit the Labyrinth Tower.”

“Do you have a guild lined up?”

“No, not yet. I'll join the Adventurers' Alliance first and get used to things while doing mercenary work.”

“Pfft.”

The reading mage let out a derisive chuckle. Knowing what that laugh meant, Weden frowned slightly.

“Look, plenty of people do well in the Adventurers' Alliance. You don't have to join a major guild to enjoy the game.”

“Did I say otherwise? If you're satisfied with never making a regular raid team and just fooling around on the lower floors, that's your business.”

“...”

SNAP.

The mage closed his book and said,

“For the record, I'll be joining the Naian Clan.”

His sneering tone was obnoxious, but at the clan's name, the other two couldn't hide their surprise.

“Naian...? You mean the one with the Red Witch?”

“Ho ho. Rubbing shoulders with someone that important? Impressive.”

“Ahem.”

Instead of answering, the mage cleared his throat. The twitch at the corners of his mouth suggested that their reaction pleased him considerably.

“Wouldn't having someone that important there actually be a disadvantage?”

Everyone turned to Woojin.

“Oh. Sorry. I was talking to myself.”

“What do you mean?”

“Just... Like dungeons, the Labyrinth Tower limits how many people can enter.”

“And why would that be a problem?”

Woojin looked at the mage as if to ask whether he genuinely didn't know.

“You said you're aiming for a regular raid team, right? But you'll be in the same place as the Red Witch, the top mage? Do you really think there'll be a spot left for you?”

“Oh...”

Weden's exclamation made the mage's face flush.

“Having someone impressive around doesn't make you impressive. Well, it'll give you a sense of belonging and security, so if that's what you're after, there's nothing wrong with it.”

Woojin reclined against the wall as he spoke.

“That's not really my thing. I'd rather lead, even if it means being the head of a snake.”

“So in the end, there's nowhere willing to take you?”

“That's right. Nowhere. I've never considered serving under anyone.”

“What a show-off...”

“Besides, I'm not high enough level to go yet.”

“... What?”

“I only just reached level forty.”

At that moment, bewilderment filled the faces of everyone in the cabin.