Chapter 42 – The Valley of Seol-in

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The sled arrived at the hunters’ base camp in the quiet hours of dawn.

The silence was so profound that not even the cries of monsters could be heard.

The wind had died down, and the darkened cabins indicated that the hunters were nowhere to be found.

“It seems the hunters aren’t here.”

“That’s strange… They usually return to the cabins by this time to rest.”

The absence of footprints around the cabins suggested they had been gone for quite some time.

Isolin, Hark, and I stepped off the sled and approached the cabins.

Creak—

As Hark opened the cabin door, the cold interior was revealed.

Inside the darkened cabin, various taxidermized animals hung on the walls. Wolves, bears, and even a large bird I had never seen before.

(tl: taxidermized – the art of stuffing dead animals) 

Next, my eyes fell on the numerous horns and claws displayed.

Hark moved as if he were familiar with the cabin. He lit a lamp and stoked the large stove with firewood, starting a fire.

Hark spoke.

“It’ll warm up soon.”

“Are we waiting for the hunters?”

At my question, Hark glanced around the cabin briefly. He shook his head and replied.

“No. Since there’s no sign of them requesting help, it seems they’ve gone on a long hunt and ended up camping out. We can just leave the supplies and head back in the morning. If you’re tired, feel free to rest on the beds.”

I nodded at Hark’s answer and began wandering around the cabin. Normally, it would be time to sleep, but I didn’t feel like resting just yet.

Then, something caught my eye—a book placed on a small shelf.

I stood on my tiptoes and reached for it. My outstretched hand barely managed to touch the edge of the book.

“Hey, Hark. Is it okay if I read this book here?”

“Ah, feel free to read it.”

As soon as Hark finished speaking, I managed to pull the book down.

After catching the falling book, I took it and headed to the soft fur-covered bed.

The book was titled The Yeti of the Snowfield.

The thin book was an illustrated fairy tale. It seemed to be a written account of a legend passed down in the Parna region.

“What’s that? What are you reading?”

Just then, Isolin, seemingly intrigued by the book I was reading, came over and lay down beside me.

Her pink hair cascaded like a waterfall onto the soft fur.

I was a bit flustered by the uncomfortably close proximity, but Isolin didn’t seem to care at all about how her actions might come across.

I fidgeted with the small hand holding the book, then turned over to lie down.

“If you want to read, go grab one from the shelf. I’m reading this one alone.”

“Ah, you’re so mean…”

Ignoring Isolin’s whining, I opened the book.

The story began with a young hunter boy from a village in the Parna region.

The promising young hunter and the village’s most beautiful girl had promised each other a future together.

On the day they came of age, they exchanged gifts and vowed to marry.

But their happiness didn’t last long.

The girl was kidnapped by the Yeti of the Snowfield while briefly away from the village.

The villagers said the girl must be dead, but the hunter boy refused to give up.

Ignoring everyone’s pleas, the boy set off for the valley where the Yeti lived, armed with his spear and accompanied by his wolf.

The boy searched day and night for the girl. Being an excellent hunter, he quickly found traces of the Yeti.

Giant footprints, white fur, jaws strong enough to chew through a bear, and hands capable of crushing logs.

The more traces of the Yeti he found, the more his courage waned, but he never gave up.

Rustle—

As I turned the page, the story reached its final chapter.

After searching for about a week, the boy finally discovered the Yeti’s lair.

The battle between the boy and the Yeti was about to begin.

Bang—!

The tightly shut cabin door burst open, letting in a chilling cold and the metallic stench of blood.

Two men in thick fur coats entered.

One seemed relatively fine, but the other was in critical condition. His face was pale, his eyes unfocused, and one of his legs was missing.

There was no sign of the severed leg below the knee. The tightly wrapped bandages and the blood soaking through them indicated a serious injury.

The man carrying the injured person spotted Hark inside the cabin and shouted urgently.

“H-Hark…? Help! Quickly!”

“Oh no…! What happened…!”

Hark moved swiftly.

He rushed over, took the injured man from the other, and laid him on the large table. Then, he pulled out a dagger and cut away the injured man’s pants.

The torn wound and blood-soaked bandages were revealed.

My heart raced, and my breathing quickened at the sudden situation. But I quickly regained my composure.

There was an injured person in front of me, and they were asking for help. Moreover, I had the power to solve their problem.

There was no time to ask who they were. I approached the injured man and asked the other man.

“Where’s the severed leg? Where is it?”

“It’s…”

“Quick, give me the leg!”

The healing skill I possessed could restore all wounds. However, it couldn’t regenerate severed body parts.

For a complete recovery, the severed body part was essential.

“You don’t have the leg?”

At my question, the man nodded with a stunned expression. I sighed deeply and said.

“If I heal him like this, he’ll lose his leg forever…”

“You can heal him? You can save him?”

“I can. I’m a priestess of Archeres.”

“The leg… the leg’s gone… The Yeti ate it…”

“The Yeti…?”

“…”

“Don’t regret this later.”

I had no professional medical knowledge. I didn’t even know basic first aid. But I had the power of divine energy, which could heal anything.

Since it didn’t require a great cost to use, I didn’t hesitate to heal the injured man.

I reached out to the man, who was breathing heavily.

[Heal]

A skill completed without even a short prayer.

The white light emanating from my small fingertips enveloped the injured man with a warm glow.

His blue lips regained their color. His contorted face also relaxed. The most significant change was in his severed leg.

As if fast-forwarding time, new flesh began to grow and reconnect. I frowned and tore off the bandages. As the blood and dead skin-soaked bandages fell to the floor, a blunt knee was revealed.

“My god… The wound really…”

Ignoring the man’s awe, I frowned. If I healed him in this severed state, even if he regained his leg later, it wouldn’t return to its original form.

There had been players who hastily healed severed arms or legs and ended up permanently disabled.

If they had waited calmly and retrieved the severed limbs from the monsters, they could have returned to normal.

The man who brought the injured person was a hunter named Ibok. Once the urgent situation was resolved, Hark, now calm, asked Ibok.

“Hey, what exactly happened? Where are the others?”

“Huff… huff… huff…”

Ibok slowly began his story.

He repeated himself like a madman and mixed up people’s names, but the story progressed steadily.

“It was like any other day. We went hunting, just like usual. How many of us were there…? Now it’s just me and Jane… Was it seven…? The Yeti ate five, so… right? Or was it four?”

“The Yeti…? You really encountered the Yeti?”

“Ah, if it wasn’t the Yeti, then what…? White fur, a massive body, walking on two legs like a human… It tore off Jane’s leg. No, did it grab and tear it off…?”

“Did it eat the others too?”

“No. They weren’t eaten. Well, they might be by now… Hah… haa… huff…”

“Oh no…”

Hark sighed deeply, looking at Ibok, who was showing signs of delirium. Then, as if making a decision, he headed to the corner of the cabin and picked up a large spear.

I was startled and asked.

“Hark?”

“Wait. Take care of them.”

“Where are you going, Hark? You’re not planning to go into the mountains, are you…?”

Hark paused briefly at my question, then turned and left the cabin.

Left behind, Isolin and I blinked at each other.

“Uh, what do we do…?”

“Ah…”

I sighed softly and thought about the Yeti Ibok had mentioned.

Ibok’s level was 27. The injured Jane was also level 26, so the other hunters were likely around that level.

A monster that could decimate a party in the late 20s was undoubtedly a field boss. It wasn’t something Isolin and I could handle, even if we joined in.

Therefore, the wise decision was to wait here until dawn and then return to the village.

“Shouldn’t we go help them?”

At Isolin’s question, I grabbed her shoulders. Her uneasy gaze wandered before settling on me.

“Isolin. The hunters are in their late 20s. A party like that was wiped out, and only two returned. Even if we help, it won’t change the situation.”

“But still…”

If I could save five people, I would do so without hesitation. But if it meant putting myself in danger, I wouldn’t step forward.

“So we’ll wait here safely until…”

Snow began to fall outside the window. At the same time, the wind, which had stopped, began to howl again.

Boom—!

A massive roar accompanied the snowstorm.

“D-did you hear that? Supreme. There’s a thudding sound outside!”

Boom—!

My heart sank at Isolin’s exclamation. I looked out the window, and another boom—! echoed.

A faint shadow appeared amidst the snowstorm. At first, I thought it was a mountain, but it wasn’t.

The shadow was moving toward us.

Boom—!

With each step, the ground shook.