Chapter 41 – The Valley of Seol-in

Ȓҽ​аɗ о​ṅ ΚαтṚ​ėαｄｉｎｇḈɑϝε

I stared blankly at the snowy white expanse.

The sound of the wind and the falling snowflakes muffled my ears.

After the search party left, Isolin and I diligently completed the quests requested by the villagers.

They were simple tasks like moving firewood or transporting monster byproducts such as hides.

While completing the quests, the villagers casually shared information about the area and the characteristics of the monsters.

The packs of “White Wolves” that roamed the snowy plains, the “Ice Goats” often seen in the mountainous regions, the “Frostbirds” that flew through the sky, dropping icy shards, and the “Ice Spirits” that could be encountered by the frozen lakes.

By playing  many RPG games, I could roughly predict what kind of monsters would appear in each region.

Snowfield Parna was no exception, with its monster placements aligning closely with my expectations.

After completing most of the quests within the village, there wasn’t much left to do.

Isolin and I decided to use the time to build a giant snowman.

“Isolin! We need to make the lower body, so roll it bigger!”

“Got it!”

This was the first time I’d seen snow since arriving in this world.

How could I resist? Supreme, the 12-year-old priestess, is a young girl who loves to play. No one would fault her for having fun building a snowman.

“Yahap!”

With a spirited shout, Isolin began rolling snow from a small hill. Roll, roll— Perhaps she got too absorbed in rolling the snow?

Her body wobbled, and she started tumbling down the hill along with the large snowball.

“Hyaaah!”

The magic wand she was holding and the pointed hat she was wearing were buried in the pristine snow. Isolin rolled down the hill and landed right in front of me.

“Hehe…”

Isolin lay on the snowy ground, wearing an awkward smile. Her expression was so cute that I couldn’t help but smile.

Since Isolin was making the lower body of the snowman, it was my turn to make the upper body. I crouched in front of a pile of snow and began gathering it.

I spread my arms and packed the snow tightly, forming a decently round base.

Though the shape was a bit lumpy, it didn’t matter. Rolling it would smooth it out eventually.

“Here we go!”

I rolled the snowball bit by bit toward the hill. With each roll, the snowball grew rapidly.

Once the upper body of the snowman was complete, it was time to assemble it.

Isolin and I lifted the heavy snowball and placed it on top of the one she had made.

“Phew…”

“It’s done!”

Isolin jumped around excitedly, admiring the basic shape of the snowman.

But there was still an important step left in building a snowman.

I opened my inventory and pulled out two sticks I had gathered for firewood and a carrot for cooking.

The sticks became arms, and the carrot became the nose.

I stuck the materials into the snowman, and it started to look quite impressive.

Isolin decorated the snowman’s eyes and mouth. She used shiny pebbles for the eyes and dry grass she found nearby for the mouth.

We even placed the spotted cowboy hat I had bought earlier on its head.

“That’s one cool snowman.”

“Right? This guy’s an outlaw of the snowy wilderness.”

We admired the finished snowman, exchanging compliments.

Isolin crossed her arms and nodded, clearly pleased with our creation.

After building the snowman, we returned to the village, feeling hungry. We could have made something from the ingredients in our inventory, but we wanted to try the local specialties.

“What should we eat here?”

“I want roasted sweet potatoes…”

As we walked, discussing what we wanted to eat, we noticed something unusual in the center of the village.

It was a large sled. Judging by the five large wolves tied nearby, it seemed to be a wolf-drawn sled.

A significant amount of cargo was loaded onto the sled.

“A dog sled…”

“Those are wolves, Isolin.”

While we were admiring the sled, the sound of crunching snow approached, and a tall man walked up to us.

[Level 15]
[Hark]

“Interested in the sled?”

He was tall and sturdy, with sharp features. Hark was a typical resident of Parna.

“Are you the owner of this sled?”

“Yes, I am.”

“And the wolves?”

“They’re my companions.”

Hark answered while checking the sled’s condition. He inspected the cargo area first, then tested the long ropes connecting the wolves for durability.

I watched him and asked, “What do you do, Hark?”

“I transport goods between villages. Sometimes I deliver supplies to hunters’ base camps.”

“Oh… a delivery service… So, where are you headed now?”

“To the hunters’ base camp. It seems something’s happened there, as they’re taking longer than expected to return.”

As Hark answered, he finished securing the wolves to the sled.

He seemed to remember something and blinked before making an offer to Isolin and me.

“I heard you two are adventurers. If it’s not too much trouble, could you do me a favor?”

An unexpected quest offer. Since we had nothing else to do, accepting it wouldn’t be a problem.

I exchanged a glance with Isolin and nodded.

“What’s the favor?”

“There are two routes to the hunters’ base camp. One is safe but takes a long time, and the other is the opposite.”

“You want to take the shortcut and need us to escort you, right?”

“Exactly.”

[Hark’s Proposal]
Safely escort Hark’s sled to the hunters’ base camp.

Rewards: Snow Wolf Fur Coat x5, Parna Traditional Stew Recipe, Lucky Rabbit’s Foot

I squinted slightly as I read the quest window. The rewards were decent, but I wasn’t sure if the two of us could protect Hark safely.

I decided to ask for more information.

“How strong are the monsters on the shortcut?”

“Most of the monsters are Snow Weasels. They’re level 17–20 and usually travel in groups of 2–3.”

“What about other monsters?”

“At night, Ghost Deer appear. They’re level 25. If there’s light, they won’t approach, so they’re not a big concern.”

The Ghost Deer were a bit worrying, but the Snow Weasels were at a level Isolin and I could handle easily.

I turned to Isolin.

“Should we accept?”

“If you want to.”

At her answer, I nodded.

Hark smiled brightly and said, “Thank you so much. This will help me deliver the goods quickly.”

“Are we leaving now?”

“That would be best. If you have any business to take care of, I can wait a bit.”

I rummaged through my inventory and the leather backpack on my back.

We had all the basic supplies for camping in the snowy wilderness. It seemed we could leave immediately.

“No, let’s go now.”

Isolin and I naturally climbed onto the sled’s cargo area. The ride was surprisingly comfortable.

“Let’s go!”

As soon as Hark finished speaking, the wolves stood up and began to move. Crunch, crunch— As the wolves moved, leaving large paw prints, the sled picked up speed.

Once we left the village, the sled began to pick up speed. As the wolves ran excitedly, the speed increased, and Isolin bounced in her seat, raising her arms and shouting.

“Run!”

The cool wind rushed past us. The exhilarating speed as we raced across the snowy plains felt liberating. I closed my eyes and spread my arms, feeling the cold sense of freedom.

The sled continued without stopping.

As time passed, the sun began to set. The sunset behind the large mountains painted the snowy plains in a crimson hue.

“Wow…”

The entire world was bathed in the colors of the sunset. The bare trees adorned with snowflakes, and even Isolin, sitting on the sled, were all tinted with the glow.

However, this beautiful scene didn’t last long. Once the sun completely disappeared, the world was plunged into darkness.

It was then that the monsters began to appear.

On the snowy plains, illuminated faintly by the moonlight, something long raised its head.

[Level 18]
[Snow Weasel]

Screech—!

Despite their fluffy appearance, the Snow Weasels were ferocious. They charged toward the sled at an incredible speed.

At that moment, Isolin jumped up and swung her magic wand.

“Take this!”

Whoosh—!

She skipped the incantation and created a fireball the size of her head. The fireball flew toward the approaching Snow Weasels and exploded.

Boom—!

Three monsters were killed in one skill. Isolin looked at me with a proud expression, clearly pleased with herself.

“Hohoho…!”

“Good job, Isolin. You’re an amazing mage.”

She seemed to want praise, so I patted her head.

Vrslop_translator