Nowhere could I see the Snow Maiden.
Inside the cave, there was nothing at all. Not even a trace or hint of her presence.
It was literally an abandoned cave, empty and desolate.
‘Could this not be the Snow Maiden’s dwelling…?’
There was a possibility. But no matter how much I thought about it, I was certain this was the place.
The ice decorations and sculptures in the cave couldn’t have been made by just anyone.
They were clearly works of the Snow Maiden’s magic.
But she wasn’t here. Only a massive ice block remained at the deepest part of the cave.
‘She should have been asleep here.’
I felt disheartened at the thought that the reason I had struggled to come here had vanished.
But I wasn’t ready to give up just yet. Slowly, I began to retrace the story.
Was there something I missed?
Could there have been an unexpected variable, like with Kayla?
I considered all possibilities.
Then, Erina slowly stepped forward.
“…Something feels strange.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
Erina approached the massive ice block at the center of the cave.
The transparent sculpture was beautifully shimmering.
She carefully brushed off some ice fragments and frowned in thought.
I couldn’t see anything particularly strange about it.
“Look here.”
She pointed to the center of the ice block.
Inside the transparent ice block, crystals were embedded.
But I could spot traces where cracks had formed in several places.
“This is…”
“Signs of the ice breaking and reforming.”
Upon closer inspection, it was unmistakable.
After the ice had cracked, it had been reshaped into its current form.
‘Does this mean the Snow Maiden escaped from the ice…?’
If so, it also meant that the Snow Maiden was wandering somewhere.
A foreboding feeling crept over me. It contradicted what I knew.
“Wait a moment.”
Come to think of it, we had slain numerous monsters on our way up.
As the ruler of Mount Norstel, the we would have known if she had awoken.
Something felt off.
Until now, everything had proceeded too smoothly.
It wasn’t just because we were strong.
The harsh cold, unpredictable weather.
The onslaught of countless monsters and unforeseen natural disasters.
But when we reached near the summit, it became eerily quiet, as if it were a lie.
Sure, the climb had been tough. But reaching the summit without incident was true.
Maybe it was just luck.
But I reminded myself that luck wasn’t on my side.
“Let’s get out for now. Do you feel it too…?!”
And my ominous feeling proved to be correct.
The interior of the cave began to tremble.
The ground shook, and the surrounding ice started melting.
I dodged icicles that fell to the ground like sharp arrows, raising my shield.
“Ugh…?!”
They were too hefty to be mere ice blocks.
These weren’t ordinary icicles.
They were ice spears conjured by magic.
“Seo-Hyun! It’s dangerous!”
“Stay calm! Let’s get out of the cave first!”
We ran for the entrance without looking back.
But I realized something was wrong.
“What the…?!”
The ground started freezing over.
A slippery ice path blocked our way on top of solid rock.
This was all a trap. I gritted my teeth and dashed towards the entrance.
“Kayla!”
“Got it!”
Fire erupted along with runes on the ground.
The flames spread towards the icy floor, melting it away.
But it wasn’t just a simple ice path.
“Be careful! It’s a golem!”
The ice sculpture I saw while entering the cave began to move.
Ice flowers sprouted, blocking our path.
Animals came alive and charged at us.
Statues wielded their weapons, blocking our way.
“Erina, take the left!”
“Yes!”
A huge ice axe flew towards me.
I blocked it with my shield, but the impact made my hands tremble.
I aimed to strike with my sword.
Even though it was made with magic, it was just ice.
My body crumbled under a light strike.
Meanwhile, a dazzling light erupted beside me.
Sparkles flew in all directions with a mighty sword slash.
Between the thundering strikes, brilliant flames erupted.
“I’ll take care of this…!”
Kayla breathed out flames from her mouth.
The flames engulfed the golem.
The frost that covered the cave interior melted instantly.
The heat weakened the ice magic.
But the threat didn’t disappear.
Countless golems still blocked our path.
The thawed frost quickly refroze.
“Hurry!”
The cave was collapsing more and more.
Piles of rocks fell from the walls, and cracks appeared on the ceiling.
We dashed forward, continuing our onslaught.
One by one, we knocked down the blocking golems and sprinted with all our might.
The vibrations in the cave intensified.
It was set to completely collapse.
Being trapped under the rocks would be the end.
“We’re almost there!”
Fortunately, we weren’t far from the entrance.
With the last golem down, nothing stood in our way.
Finally, the icy floor vanished, and bright sunlight approached.
But we couldn’t relax just yet.
“The Snow Maiden must be nearby! Everyone, be careful!”
She was surely waiting for us.
Another trap could be waiting.
As we reached the cave’s entrance, a huge rock fell from the ceiling.
With a heavy impact behind me, I staggered.
“Seo-Hyun!”
Luckily, Erina grabbed me before I fell.
We avoided being buried under the rubble.
Thankfully, Kayla emerged unscathed as well.
Meanwhile, the cave interior collapsed in an instant.
If we had been even slightly delayed, we would have been trapped inside.
But then, something unexpected happened.
“Ugh…?!”
Cold frost enveloped my entire body.
Suddenly, numerous monsters surrounded us.
And we were pushed to the edge of a cliff.
Despite escaping the cave, the ground continued to shake violently.
The ground itself was collapsing.
This place was on the very edge of the summit. Below us was nothing but a sheer drop.
By the time we realized the situation, it was too late.
The ground collapsed beneath us. The ground we stood on crumbled along with the cave.
“Don’t worry!”
Erina calmly embraced me.
Just before the ground collapsed, she propelled us forward with a leap.
But Kayla couldn’t react in time.
“Ugh…?!”
Along with the collapsing ground, her body floated into the air.
I reached out desperately, but couldn’t touch her.
She plummeted down the cliff.
“Kayla!”
There was no answer, not even an echo returned.
I couldn’t gauge how far down it was.
When I looked down the cliff, it was already too late.
She had disappeared into the distance, too far to be seen.
I couldn’t afford to lose her like this. I had to rescue her no matter what.
But our situation was precarious.
“Seo-Hyun! Watch out!”
A massive club came flying. Thud, it echoed on the ground.
Fortunately, with Erina’s help, I managed to dodge the attack.
But in front of us wasn’t just the Frost Giant.
Wolves. Frost Ents. Yetis and Ice Golems.
All the monsters we had encountered climbing the snowy mountains were gathered here.
And among the horde, there was a woman.
From head to toe, everything about her was frozen.
She walked barefoot, wearing a dress resembling frost.
Rather than beautiful, there was an eerie aura about her.
Her pale, almost white skin lacked vitality.
Her sharp features and unfocused pupils were unlike any human’s.
“…The Snow Maiden.”
“You know me…?”
Her icy gaze pierced through me, chilling me to the core.
“I didn’t expect anyone to know me.”
“You’re famous in legends.”
Her face twisted unpleasantly.
With her arms crossed, she glared at me sharply.
Appearing amidst numerous monsters, she seemed like the ruler of the snowy mountains.
“While I was asleep, what rumors have been spreading?”
“You don’t need to know.”
It wasn’t really important anyway.
Just a legend about a witch living in the snowy mountains.
What mattered was our current situation.
Behind us, a cliff. Ahead, a horde of monsters.
Literally a situation of dire straits.
And Kayla had even fallen off the cliff.
Erina and I had to face the hordes of monsters alone.
‘She wouldn’t have died.’
She wasn’t weak enough to fall off a cliff and die.
Right now, I needed to focus on the Snow Maiden in front of me.
Erina was strong. I had grown somewhat, too.
But could we really defeat this many monsters and the Snow Maiden?
It wasn’t easily predictable.
Unlike my anxiety, Erina showed no sign of wavering.
She remained incredibly calm even in this standoff.
She slowly scanned the surroundings, vigilantly assessing the situation.
Then her gaze stopped at one spot.
“You…”
It wasn’t directed at the Snow Maiden. There was something peculiar among the monsters.
Pink hair, slender body, round face.
Eyes full of mischief, resembling a young girl.
But the aura she emitted was clearly different from the other monsters.
Moreover, the two horns protruding from her head caught my attention.
‘A dragon…?’
