Frozen Mountain Range (1)

“It was very… enjoyable. I hope you have a safe journey, -nim.”

I left the Black Rose, receiving Leila’s send-off. Sadly, Dyna wasn’t there. She had too much work to see me off. Since I’m not the type to cling to relationships, I left the Black Rose without much regret.

I stretched in the middle of the street, checking my body for any abnormalities.

Being violated by tentacles only happened in a fantasy. Naturally, there was nothing wrong with my body. The smoke was also analyzed and found to be completely harmless. No need for reconstruction.

Still, it’s unsettling.

My lower abdomen twitches and trembles whenever I think about the tentacles. Even if it was just a fantasy, I still carried and birthed a monster’s egg, and experienced crazy shit I wouldn’t even want to imagine, like being penetrated from my ass to my mouth.

It would be weird if I was sane… Shit, I am sane. Should I just die?

Nevertheless, I didn’t deny the pleasure. I decided to be honest with my feelings now.

Am I really falling into irreversible depravity?

I shoved my hands into my pockets and walked down the street with a gloomy expression. A kid who looked barely over sixteen coming out of a brothel, especially the Black Rose, didn’t receive favorable looks, but I didn’t care.

‘Fuck.’

To visit a brothel as a woman when I couldn’t even go as a man.

I grabbed 5 silver in my hand, found a nearby inn, and checked in.

* * *

The first three days were bearable.

I spent my time researching the petrification potion I got from Hooded Man, which was quite rewarding.

The ingredients were Lyhas tree root, live gargoyle claw powder, and a bit of low-grade Mana potion. When you mix gargoyle claw powder with Lyhas root and sprinkle it with Mana potion, it rapidly hardens and turns the surrounding environment to stone.

‘How fascinating.’

That was it.

I swept up the scattered stone fragments on the floor and sighed. Of course, I experimented on my own body. It was a little disappointing that I couldn’t feel anything when my body hardened, but I satisfied my curiosity, so it didn’t matter.

But what do I do now?

Should I burn my arm or something?

I leaned against the wall and tried to stab my wrist with a knife, but stopped halfway. I wiped away the blood and sprawled out. I was bored. Meaningless destructive acts only accelerated my boredom. Maybe I’m developing depression. Maybe I already have it and just didn’t realize it.

“…….”

In the end, I curled up in a corner like a corpse. I wrapped myself in a blanket and stayed as quiet as a mouse. Suicidal thoughts occasionally surged, but I endured them by self-harming.

A week passed like that.

I couldn’t take it anymore.

Stimulation, I needed stimulation.

Should I go back to the Black Rose? No, I decided never to go back to the fantasy world. I asked myself these questions while breaking my fingernails. I got up, staggering like a zombie. The blanket wrapped around my body slipped off, kicking up dust. Come to think of it, I haven’t cleaned in a week. The smell of blood and dust was overwhelming. The innkeeper would freak out if they saw this. If I leave it like this, I’ll definitely get kicked out.

I dragged my heavy body to the window. I don’t know how long it’s been since I moved. I spent the last week repeating the cycle of wandering around for tens of minutes, collapsing, cutting my arm, and covering myself with a blanket, so my limbs felt somewhat unfamiliar.

As I pulled open the curtains that had been closed for a week-

“……Snow?”

Pure white Mana crystals.

It was snowing heavily outside.

‘Wasn’t it July?’

This world uses the same 365-day, 12-month Gregorian calendar as Earth. It wasn’t called Gregorian here, but whatever.

The Empire was in the Northern Hemisphere, and Bridonia, located in the southernmost part of it, was known for its hellish heat in July. This year was milder, but it was still hot. But snow?

‘What the fuck.’

Is there something wrong with my eyes? But the Mana particles embedded in each snowflake didn’t lie. With a doubtful heart, I opened the window, but the wind that blew in so strongly that it made my body tremble gave me the finger.

‘Ah… Come to think of it…’

Moving my body and facing reality, I remembered a problem I had forgotten.

I’m broke.

I spent almost all of my 5 silver researching the petrification potion. With the money I have now, I can barely afford two days at the inn. I need to earn money.

‘I need to start moving soon… Not bad.’

Considering the money I have left, I had to move anyway. It might not be a bad idea to go out and investigate the strange phenomenon of snow falling in July. I tore off the dried blood clots and grabbed my clothes. I should probably wear stockings, which I usually don’t wear.

I put on thicker clothes than usual and donned my robe.

I opened the door.

It’s been a while since I’ve been outside.

The sky was clearer than ever.

* * *

-Adventurers wanted for snow removal!! Daily wage: 20 coppers!!

-Adventurers wanted to catch ice butterflies awakened from their summer slumber!! Healers preferred!!

The Adventurers’ Guild was bustling with activity due to the early snow.

I saw a familiar face. It was the receptionist, Mary. With her brown hair fluttering, Mary stood confidently in the center of the Adventurers’ Guild, holding the ends of a luxurious parchment and unfolding it. It was a letter.

“Alright, everyone!! Count Bridonia has issued a subjugation order!!”

-Subjugation?!

-It’s probably just a bunch of ice trolls waking up. This whole area is frozen over.

-First the great fire, and now this. Unlucky things keep happening one after another.

-Maybe the Demon King has been resurrected?

-Hey, watch your mouth!! The paladins might hear you!!

‘Subjugation order.’

I was slightly intrigued.

Subjugation orders were one way to earn money quickly. Of course, if you had the skills. With mediocre skills, you wouldn’t even be able to gather your bones.

Mary shouted in a loud voice.

“The ice trolls in the surrounding area have awakened from their summer slumber and become ferocious, making it truly dangerous!! I, Fahar Chevalier von Bridonia, command you!! Lead the soldiers in a large-scale subjugation and ask for the participation of you adventurers as well!”

After delivering the letter, Mary returned with a cheerful voice.

“Alright! The reward is 2 silver per head!! Those interested should sign at the reception desk on the left and gather at the designated date and location!!”

-2 silver!!

-Don’t bother. Trolls aren’t trolls for nothing.

-Still, if I could just catch one…

2 silver. It wasn’t a small amount of money. It was enough to make the eyes of adventurers who lived day by day light up. Ice trolls. Their blood and fangs were valuable alchemical ingredients, so you could aim for additional income.

But trolls aren’t trolls for nothing. Their size and strength aside, their tremendous regenerative ability contributed to placing ice trolls firmly in the position of predators. One can easily take on three. That was the troll.

The Count’s intentions were obvious. He would push the adventurers in first to exhaust them, and then deploy his soldiers.

But despite the danger, the reception desk was packed. Most of them were D-rank adventurers hoping for a quick fortune. Having climbed up from E-F rank after a long time, they were full of excessive confidence. I’m different. I’m not like the weak and stupid E-F ranks. No. They were the same. Half of them would die without even being able to swing their swords properly. That’s the end for those who overestimate their abilities.

‘Should I participate too?’

I’m short on money anyway, so this is good.

I slapped my cheeks hard and headed to the reception desk.

“Signing there completes the application! Just so you know, if you apply and don’t show up, you’ll have to pay 1 silver for breach of contract, so be careful!”

It was unlikely that an average adventurer would be able to pay 1 silver, so participation was almost mandatory.

Well, it’s their fault for signing.

Reading the contract carefully is essential.

As I always think, being a receptionist is a cruel job. They always greet adventurers with a smile, even though they know they’re heading to their deaths. They give you a smile that makes you feel brave. There’s no warning or concern in the process.

‘Let’s see…’

I took the ice troll subjugation application in my hand and read it carefully. The application was filled with text.

There were 8 clauses, but the ones to pay attention to were the following:

[All adventurers participating in the subjugation order must absolutely obey the orders of Fahar Chevalier von Bridonia. It is specified that all the words written in this application have the same authority as Bridonia. This is as follows.

1. All adventurers will gather at Kantara Plain, northwest of Bridonia, at the time when Phinar cries.

2. All adventurers will be placed under the command of a knight directly designated by the Bridonia family. The knight’s authority is absolute, and no disobedience should occur during the subjugation process.

3. The knight has the right to execute those who desert the battlefield on the spot.

4. All adventurers participating in the subjugation order will receive a reward of 50 coppers and have the rights to the byproducts obtained during the subjugation process. Under the name of Bridonia, there is no reversal or falsehood in this promise. ]

Here, the time when Phinar cries refers to around 8 AM. Although there was some variation, the time between 6 AM and 8 AM was generally called the time when Phinar cries.

Phinar was a legendary Red Dragon who lived beyond the sea in the Hailivi Highlands, and the expression was coined because his cry was heard every morning. Of course, Phinar had been in a long sleep for nearly three hundred years, and he was still sleeping, so I wouldn’t hear him.

Anyway, it was a series of unreasonable conditions. Disobeying orders aside, the right to execute on the spot? It was absurd.

Moreover, the receptionist didn’t say anything about it. Not many adventurers could read. They just thought they had to fight while listening to the orders of the higher-ups.

Seriously….

The intention was so obvious that it made me feel even more bitter.