Ch.2Chapter 2

Skadi was born into a life of insult and contempt. The reason was her cursed white hair and red eyes that she was born with.

To people who were born and lived their entire lives in a tiny village, her white hair was an anomaly that defied age, and her crimson eyes reminded them of blood.

It took only an instant for difference to become discrimination. People branded her as a cursed child and spoke of misfortunes that hadn’t even occurred, loudly proclaiming reasons why she should be killed.

The only reason she survived was because her mother was the tribe’s Summoner, and she loved her daughter enough not to care about any supposed curse.

“If you so much as touch a finger to my daughter, your flesh will rot while you still live, and your soul will find no salvation, wandering this world and crumbling in agony!”

Her mother wasn’t just any ordinary Summoner—she was renowned even among other tribes for her exceptional skills.

People feared her mother’s magic and the Djin of nature as much as they feared the curse Skadi supposedly carried. While a curse was an invisible fear, a Summoner’s power was tangible force.

Skadi’s mother demonstrated her will by commanding a burning wolf and a bear made of tree roots, soil, and rocks. Thus began the uncomfortable coexistence between Skadi and the villagers.

Despite the people’s curses, Skadi grew into a beautiful young woman. Ironically, even this was considered ominous by the people.

“Look at those bewitching eyes. Women like her live by sucking the vital energy from men. If a young man in the village dies prematurely, it’s because he was enchanted by that wench.”

“Lustful woman. I heard she got that pretty face by offering sacrifices to evil spirits. She’s not destined to be a Summoner but a Witch!”

The woman who committed adultery with the neighbor blamed Skadi for her husband’s gaunt appearance, while the buck-toothed woman would curse whenever the man she secretly loved glanced at Skadi.

Skadi found it absurd. Why were they blaming their own problems on her?

Nevertheless, Skadi never voiced her complaints. She had learned painfully in her childhood that no one would listen anyway.

Instead, Skadi spent her time learning the knowledge and power of a Summoner from her mother. Fortunately, she had abundant talent as a Summoner.

She could see mysteries invisible to others, and by memorizing the primordial letters left by the gods, she grew into a well-prepared Summoner. However… she wasn’t without problems.

She couldn’t form a contract with any Djin. While Djin could be temperamental and mischievous, that wasn’t the reason she couldn’t contract with them.

“My child… I’m so sorry.”

“No, it’s not your fault, Mother. It’s all because I’m inadequate. It’s my fault, not yours. Why are you apologizing?”

It wasn’t just humans who felt uncomfortable with her white hair and red eyes. Even the Djin found her unsettling and refused to contract with her.

Her mother begged for Skadi’s forgiveness until her dying breath, believing that her daughter had inherited her sins.

Sadly, Skadi wasn’t even allowed time to mourn her mother’s death. Before she could even hold a funeral, she was attacked by the village men.

“Kill the Witch! Kill the Witch!”

“She’s a cursed woman abandoned even by the Djin. Burning her will please them!”

Some were consumed by superstition. Some just for entertainment. Others to possess a beautiful woman.

When the Summoner breathed her last, people attacked her hut like hungry wild dogs. Skadi had no choice but to abandon the hut filled with memories of her mother and flee.

The problem was that those who desired her were relentlessly persistent. Her heart pounding, she ran through the forest and looked back.

Torches flickered in the darkness of the forest. She trembled in fear as if they were the eyes of beasts.

As she ran through the forest, she pleaded with the Djin for help. She hoped anyone would save her.

“O burning wolf, O bear born of earth. I, Skadi, daughter of Brynhild, beseech you to grant me your aid!”

She sought help from the Djin who had contracted with her mother, but it was futile. The Djin were arrogant and cold-hearted. They weren’t kind enough to help someone just because they were related to their contractor.

When they remained silent, she recalled the knowledge her mother had taught her and continued to call out the names of Djin.

The snake that drinks stone, the giant born from a thousand-year-old tree, the hawk that eats lightning…

Her spiritual eyes saw mysteries moving about. She realized they were Djin, but she wasn’t pleased.

If they had intended to help, they would have revealed themselves, not circled around in their mysterious forms.

‘Damn this world, damn the Djin!’

If they weren’t here to help, they must have come to witness her death. Skadi thought she could hear the Djin’s mockery.

“The Witch is over there!!!”

Skadi wished she were truly a Witch. If she were a real Witch, she could at least summon evil spirits to kill those pursuing her.

As she fled on trembling legs, she failed to notice a tree root hidden in the darkness and fell. She groaned at the scrape on her knee.

“Augh… hic?!”

Was it true that misfortunes come in succession?

Skadi covered her mouth and trembled, not even having time to overcome the pain. A large bear was glaring at her, drooling.

With the beast looking ready to tear her apart at any moment, Skadi finally broke into tears. She exhaled in despair.

‘Yes, perhaps this is better. Rather than suffering as men’s plaything before dying, perhaps dying instantly is…’

As the desire to live and the desire to give up clashed in her mind, a massive ice spear flew with a thunderous sound and pierced the bear’s heart.

“Aaaahhhh!!!”

She screamed and curled up. Even in that moment, her spiritual eyes examined the ice spear. It was definitely no ordinary spear.

The ice spear, saturated with mystery, must have frozen even the bear’s blood, as the bear didn’t shed a single drop. Moreover, the spear, half-buried in the ground, didn’t have a single scratch.

While she didn’t know every Djin in existence, at least among those she knew, none could perform such a feat.

‘What kind of being could possess such power?’

Her gaze shifted beyond the bear.

There stood a being she had never seen or heard of in her entire life.

A giant wearing a deer skull was watching her from the darkness. She felt her heart freeze.

* * *

The Wendigo sighed. He instinctively realized that the woman had seen him.

‘How long has it been since I vowed not to get involved with humans? Has it been about two hours?’

Indeed, the world never goes as planned. If he had told anyone about this, he would have died of embarrassment.

The Wendigo considered simply leaving. The bear was clearly dead, and the only person who had seen him was this woman.

Of course, if she returned to the village, she would say, “There was a monster wearing a deer skull in the forest!” But honestly, he didn’t think people would believe her.

The only evidence would be the dead bear and the spear. The spear would melt once he withdrew his power, and while the corpse would remain, the woman’s slender arms couldn’t possibly drag a bear back.

Just as he was leaning toward the option of leaving, he realized the woman was shouting at him. He listened to her voice.

“Whether you’re a Djin or an evil spirit, I don’t care. O great one, please help me!”

The Wendigo was taken aback. He hadn’t expected the woman to speak to him first. Judging by her willingness to speak to a hideous monster, she must not be an ordinary woman.

Given that she was asking for help, there must be some problem…

The Wendigo quickly calculated. What could he gain by helping her?

‘At the very least, judging by her asking a monster for help, she must be familiar with beings like me. Otherwise, screaming and running away would be the normal response.’

If one encounters something strange, it’s best to ask someone who deals with strange things.

At the very least, given that she was addressing a monster as a Djin or evil spirit, she must know quite a bit.

The Wendigo kicked off the ground and ran toward Skadi. Skadi felt awe at the Wendigo who approached without making a sound.

‘This is definitely no ordinary Djin!’

Unbeknownst to the Wendigo, his body was a collection of mysteries. Although the energy was cold and somewhat dark, it wasn’t malevolent enough to be called an evil spirit.

As he approached, Skadi sensed the Djin retreating. Through the surrounding mysteries, she realized the Djin were trembling in fear.

For the arrogant Djin to retreat in fear, he must be no ordinary Djin.

‘I must definitely hold onto him!’

‘Her gaze is unsettling, like I’ve meddled with something I shouldn’t have.’

The Wendigo looked at Skadi with a disgruntled expression. From a distance, she had seemed like an ordinary beauty, but up close, her gaze was overwhelmingly intense.

He decided to help her quickly, find out what he needed to know, and part ways.

“So, what do you mean by asking for help?”

“I, Skadi, daughter of Brynhild, greet the great Djin. Please take pity on this humble Summoner…”

“That’s burdensome, speak comfortably. And just tell me what you need briefly.”

Skadi looked at the Wendigo in surprise. The Djin she knew were arrogant. Their arrogance was comparable to that of tribal chiefs and renowned warriors.

Naturally, Summoners who dealt with Djin treated them with utmost respect. Otherwise, the Djin would throw tantrums and cause trouble.

And the trouble caused by Djin was always a headache. They would burn houses, overturn farmland, and in severe cases, take human lives.

Given the danger of dealing with such beings, Summoners were naturally cautious, and the Djin enjoyed such treatment… but this Djin showed none of that.

‘Despite his appearance, is he a kind Djin?’

Skadi couldn’t believe her own thoughts. A kind Djin? A docile Ogre seemed more likely to exist.

But she couldn’t deny what was right in front of her…

As she gazed at him with a complex expression, the Wendigo urged her.

“For someone asking for help, you seem quite leisurely. Is it not a serious matter?”

“Ah! Actually, the ruffians chasing me…”

“There she is! The Witch is over there!!”

Speak of the devil—the people chasing Skadi appeared. Each of them held a weapon and glared at Skadi with a chilling gaze before noticing the Wendigo and panicking.

‘Now that’s a normal reaction. But… what’s this?’

The Wendigo looked them over and felt disgust. For some reason, their filthy desires were transmitted to him without any filter.

‘Is this also a Wendigo’s ability?’

Being able to read others’ dirty and vulgar emotions wasn’t particularly pleasant. He pulled out the spear embedded in the bear.

Gundar, a tribal warrior, pointed his axe at the Wendigo and boldly shouted.

“The Witch has summoned an evil spirit. But don’t be afraid! An evil spirit that reveals its form is nothing more than a monster that can be defeated!”

The hesitating people regained courage at Gundar’s words. While Gundar was known for his foul temper, he was equally renowned for his exceptional combat skills.

As other warriors stepped forward, the people cheered. The Wendigo found this baffling.

To show such a reaction to a monster twice their size—do people in this world have no fear?

“Aren’t they afraid of me?”

“They don’t know your power, great Djin. That’s why they can make such foolish statements.”

Skadi mocked the people’s foolishness. It was amusing to see them throwing away their lives, intoxicated by desire and superstition.

The Wendigo sensed sadness and anger from her. While he didn’t know exactly what had happened, he could tell she had lived a life of persecution.

‘At least they don’t seem to be good people.’

He transformed the ice spear into a sword.

The crude greatsword with a rectangular tip was not only large but also emitted an intense cold around it.

Despite the distance, the cold swept over the warriors, making their skin sting.

One of the warriors realized something was amiss and expressed concern.

“Th-that doesn’t seem like an ordinary evil spirit. Wouldn’t it be better to retreat?”

“Ha, have you forgotten what kind of woman she is? Unlike her mother who was an exceptional Summoner, she’s never contracted with a single Djin. How strong could an evil spirit summoned by such a woman be? That appearance is just a facade!”

Ignorance sometimes becomes courage. At Gundar’s confident declaration, the warriors swallowed their fear. As warriors, they couldn’t retreat shamefully.

Gundar secretly mocked the warriors. In truth, the reason for his confidence was that he had something to rely on. He touched the amulet around his neck.

‘With this exorcism amulet I got for helping a Summoner from the neighboring tribe, no evil spirit can touch me. While others risk their lives fighting, I’ll gain both honor and that woman’s body… hehehe.’

Gundar had faced an evil spirit before. When the exorcism amulet began to shine, its light weakened the evil spirit, and in that state, a few axe strikes were enough to exorcise it.

So regardless of what kind of evil spirit this was, with this exorcism amulet, he couldn’t lose!

“If we just capture the Witch, the evil spirit can’t do anything. Capture the Witch!”

With a battle cry, they charged toward Skadi.

The Wendigo watched them for a moment, then positioned himself with the greatsword held at an angle. It was so obvious he was going to make a horizontal slash that Gundar laughed mockingly.

‘I’ll easily dodge such a heavy-looking weapon!’

The Wendigo swung his greatsword. The seemingly slow greatsword accelerated explosively with a chilling sound, and Gundar was shocked.

In the blink of an eye, the Wendigo’s greatsword had reached right in front of his nose!

Gundar threw himself aside in panic to dodge the greatsword. But that wasn’t enough to escape death.

The cold energy surrounding the greatsword swept the area along its trajectory. Gundar felt the agony of his skin freezing and tearing while he was still alive.

“Guh…ack.”

The cold penetrated his skin. Flesh, blood, and even bone were invaded by the cold and froze. As death began to creep in, he felt rage.

Why hadn’t the amulet, which had emitted a sacred light and protected him when facing an evil spirit before, helped him this time?

Gundar painfully moved his eyes, which hadn’t yet frozen, to check the exorcism amulet. The amulet had lost its original color and was frozen black.

It wasn’t that the amulet hadn’t worked; rather, a mere Summoner’s amulet couldn’t withstand the Wendigo’s cold.

Only then did Gundar realize he had meddled with a being he shouldn’t have. But the realization came too late.

His head flew off from the Wendigo’s greatsword. His head, rolling on the ground, displayed a hideous mix of dismay and fear.

Beside him lay bodies split in half. A heavy silence descended upon the forest.