NOVEL NEXT Chapter 86
Whoooosh!
On the snowy mountains, a fierce cold wind howls.
The sky is filled with ashen clouds, and snowflakes swirl chaotically as if they’ve lost their minds. The entire world seems shrouded in white mist, creating a scene where nothing can be seen. The path along the ridge of the mountains is steep and rugged.
In the swirling snow that leaves no footprints, a lone shadow begins to reveal itself slowly.
Before the mighty forces of nature, the figure appears almost as a speck of dust, but it bravely continues its journey across the mountains.
As music gradually swells, the scene transitions.
The raging blizzard transforms into a lush green forest as if it were a lie. Peaceful melodies intermingle with the chirping of birds, and the sunlight of Astria shines down, piercing through the branches and leaves to illuminate the forest interior.
In that forest, Orcs and Goblins emerge. Adventurers fighting against them also come into view. Though they are a bit clumsy, they are gradually realizing their own strengths and standing up boldly against the vicious monsters.
The rapidly moving perspective soon begins to shine a light on a cave deep within the forest.
Hwoom!
A colossal Orc King swings its massive battle hammer, facing off against four novice adventurers.
A young man wielding a sword, a young man preparing magic, a middle-aged man with an axe, and a woman summoning spirits flash by one after another, culminating with the Orc King stomping its foot.
Kaboom!
The Orc King’s enormous body leaps down towards the center of them.
With that, the viewpoint shifts dramatically to a searing hot zone, passing quickly.
Deserts, oases, and towns flash by until entering a pyramid-shaped tomb, revealing a massive lake of lava.
Bubble, bubble.
From the lava lake, the first bubble bursts, and the dormant magma begins to roil, forming a massive whirlpool. From the center of that whirlpool, a gigantic figure slowly comes into view.
Raaaar!
A demon bound in thick chains lets out a roar, and the screen goes dark.
An endless plain, with a massive forest at its center. A fierce war is raging within.
Clang, clang!
Adventurers clash. Each for their own gain.
The scene shifts to a larger forest, where a grander clash of adventurers unfolds.
Waaaah!
It’s a battle that can only be called a large-scale war. Amidst it, the leaders of both sides—a fighter dressed in red robes and a swordsman clad in blue—clash.
The quick-moving perspective traverses into the depths of the forest, directing towards an enormous hole in a sheer cliff.
Raaaar!
A being of absolute power, a green dragon, roars into the air.
And in the space where it gazes, a white flash descends.
Flash!
Raaaar!
The green dragon twists its body, blood streaming from the wound etched across its neck.
The view zooms in on the white flash that has landed on the ground.
A mane of silvery-white hair.
One side of its profile is partially hidden behind its hair.
Its frame is petite, resembling more of a girl than a woman.
The girl’s body slightly turns, revealing an unshrouded eye.
Within it, obsidian glimmers ominously.
Raaaar!
Hwoom!
Gugugugu!
Massive energy begins to gather in the gaping maw of the green dragon.
Tap, tap, tap!
With the music building tension, the girl leaps off a rock she had stepped on.
And at last, the lizard’s torn eye meets the girl’s obsidian gaze.
Then, a breath capable of erasing everything is unleashed towards the girl.
Waaaah!
Flash!
The girl, airborne, becomes a streak of light, colliding with the breath.
The blinding light floods the screen, and the music comes to a halt.
Whoooosh!
The screen transitions back to the snowstorm on the mountains.
At the summit, the girl who faced the green dragon stands.
As the perspective shines on her face—silver hair, obsidian eyes, and a frail body—it slowly drifts towards the sky.
And beyond the mountains, the endless expanse of a frozen world is revealed.
At the end lies an unending snowfield.
[Astria Online, ‘The Frozen Land’]
*
“Wow, wow, wow…!”
As I finished watching the advertisement for the first time, I covered my eyes with my hands, feeling extremely embarrassed.
What on earth have I done?
Of course, it was to pay back Sister Chris’s money.
So, so, so embarrassing!
The view count on the video upload site had already surged into the millions.
It was even airing as a TV ad in the outside world.
I’m so embarrassed! So embarrassed!
I only mustered the courage to check out the advertisement today, coincidentally the day the new expansion pack was released.
It had been out for a while, but I couldn’t bring myself to watch the ongoing ads during that time.
“Haven’t you seen it on YouTube? You looked so pretty and cool!”
“Rain, Rain! Turn on the TV right now! You’re in the ad!”
Despite Chris teasing me about it, I had vehemently resisted, but here I was, ultimately seeking it out myself.
It was undoubtedly on a whole different level of embarrassment compared to what I had seen in edited samples prior to the ad airing. So many people have already seen it.
If I feel this embarrassed, how am I supposed to handle the video airing?
But I couldn’t help but check the comment section.
Is this what they call a desire for recognition?
My heart racing.
With my heartbeat pounding, I squinted my eyes as I scrolled down.
Would the reactions be bad?
“…Bump, bounce? Tweet, tweet, tweet?”
Strange onomatopoeias were dominating the top comments.
There were even comments that felt like they were choking.
Are the reactions good or bad?
Standing momentarily in the midst of the snowfield, I stared at the town ahead.
“Valos Village.”
The first town in the new expansion pack ‘The Frozen Land,’ right before my eyes.
The people of the human race in the Continent of Astria were managing to survive even in such harsh conditions.
I had come to this region in the past as well. Was it when I faced the Legion Commander? Back then, there were no towns of humans here. Perhaps they had existed long ago, but might have been wiped out by demons.
Although a lot of time has passed since then, even when I was active, my routes were not extensive enough to travel to every corner of the continent.
Anyway, at this moment, there’s a village here. It’s the first foothold for adventurers venturing to explore the snowfield regions. There must be quests as well.
Sister Chris, even on the first day of the expansion pack, couldn’t log in. It seemed her work at the company had become busy again.
Once again, I would have to level up first and carry Chris along.
For now, I’ll just take my time doing subquests to level up.
Should I also scout for a place suitable for hunting?
Crunch, crunch.
I left small footprints in the snow as I entered the village.
*
“I can’t believe the first quest of a new area is a monster-hunting quest.”
I had barely entered Valos Village when I was forced to exit.
This was because a sturdy-looking member of the self-defense force I encountered at the village entrance immediately requested help.
[Defeat the Wolf Leader Quest]
[Let’s take down the leader of the snow wolves threatening Valos Village!]
[Silver Fang 0/10]
Silver Fang.
It’s the term used to refer to the lead creature of a wolf pack.
It seemed that numerous wolf packs inhabited the snowfield region.
After all, it’s a new expansion pack area. Unless I finish farming in the plains, the monster specifications will be high enough to make it difficult to hunt.
But I have no issues.
Swoosh!
Ting ting!
Red began to splatter all over the pristine white snow.
Swinging Astaroth, which gleamed silvery, I easily sliced through the wolf pack.
And at last, I faced a wolf that was twice the size of a normal one.
Grrr!
Silver Fang charged at me with glinting eyes, ready to attack as I had just hunted its pack.
Clang!
Silver Fang’s huge teeth clashed lightly with my shining sword.
“Oh.”
Was that a block judgment?
I poured power into my sword, gathering starlight.
Crack!
Roar!
With the impact, I twisted my sword and sliced through Silver Fang’s waist and side before it could regain its senses.
And without giving Silver Fang a chance to react, I unleashed a series of quick slashes.
Swish, swish, swish!
In the wake of my beloved sword, Astaroth, long scars were left behind.
Flash!
Squeak!
With my last One Flash, Silver Fang, depleted of all its HP, let out a whimper as it collapsed.
I shook off Astaroth and sheathed it.
As expected for a new expansion pack area, the field monsters had substantial HP.
But even so, when using One Flash alongside it, I could take them down in the blink of an eye.
Arwoo!
Hearing a wolf’s howl from the forest nearby, I turned to glance towards the woods.
Wolves began to reveal themselves from the snow-covered forest of the snowy region.
The regeneration speed is fast. This would be a good spot for hunting.
Swish.
With a smile on my face, I raised my sword and rushed at the newly appeared wolf pack.
*
Bang, bang, bang!
Roar!
[Defeat the Wolf Leader Quest]
[Let’s take down the leader of the snow wolves threatening Valos Village!]
[Silver Fang 4/10]
As I faced the last henchman wolf, I glanced at Silver Fang.
If I take that down, it’d be the fifth one.
At that moment.
Thud, thud, thud!
Roar!
An arrow imbued with a blue aura flew in, catching Silver Fang’s aggro. Silver Fang, who had been observing me, began to sprint after the arrow that had dealt it damage.
Puff, puff, puff!
Squeak!
With the addition of a barrage of arrows, Silver Fang eventually collapsed.
“Huh.”
I stared blankly at the spot where Silver Fang had fallen.
That skill, it’s the Ranger’s Training Tower ultimate skill, Perfect Shot.
When I turned to face the direction from where the arrows had come, an elf male Ranger user with long ears entered my line of sight.
That guy just stole my Silver Fang.
He didn’t even glance my way and sat down casually.
He must be planning to do the Silver Fang quest in this quickly regenerating area.
I puffed up my cheeks slightly.
Aren’t I a bit of a celebrity right now? I was in an advertisement and all.
But then again, not all users watch the ads, so it wouldn’t be surprising if there were users who didn’t know me.
Of course, I wasn’t looking to leverage my fame to assert dominance.
But, simply as a user-to-user interaction, this isn’t right.
I was here first, clearing the area, and he just swoops in to take the quest mob, Silver Fang.
Crunch, crunch.
Cautiously, I approached the Ranger user.
He turned his head slightly to glance my way.
I hesitated for a bit.
C’mon, Rain, you even shot an ad and you’re still scared of people? You practiced your social skills so hard!
Even if he’s a stranger, I should be able to make this mild appeal.
Would it be too long to say, “Could you please yield this place, as they’re spawning nearby and I’ve prepared it”?
Among the teachings of the old RPG sages, there was a quick phrase to convey lengthy sentences concisely.
Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and declared with confidence.
“Excuse me, your spot!”