Chapter 76: The Winter Whale and the Frozen Frontier

“Ha, unbelievable…”

Snort

Nightmare nervously glanced around, unable to conceal its discomfort.

Overnight, Nightmare had undergone such a transformation that it attracted a crowd of people eager to see it, including scholars studying monsters.

The scholars sought my permission to closely examine Nightmare, but I shook my head and firmly declined.

Even if I had given my consent, it was doubtful Nightmare would have allowed anyone to inspect its body.

As a result, the scholars and adventurers had to settle for observing Nightmare from a distance.

“Phew…”

Letting out a deep sigh, I looked at Nightmare.

The sudden change in its appearance likely stemmed from the Dragonheart crystal I had been carrying.

The unique mana within the crystal had caught my attention, and I’d carefully stored it in my bag.

Somehow, Nightmare had managed to extract and consume it.

How in the world did it even eat that solid piece of crystal?

Running my hand over Nightmare’s head, I gently stroked its shimmering mane.

At first glance, Nightmare’s mane resembled solid crystal, but as my fingers brushed against it, the texture softened, reverting to its previous state.

“Does anything hurt?”

Snort

As if answering my question, Nightmare lightly stomped its front and hind legs.

I unwrapped the bandage I had tied around its hind leg, only to find that the wound had healed without leaving a scar.

After replacing the broken leather straps on its bridle and saddle, I placed them back on Nightmare’s back.

It seemed the protruding crystals from its body during its transformation last night had torn the straps apart.

“Selion.”

“Yes?”

“I’m going to take a quick ride around the area.”

“On that thing?”

“Yes, I want to check Nightmare’s condition.”

“Hmm, as long as you don’t go far.”

“I won’t.”

“Alright, go ahead.”

With Selion’s approval, I leapt onto Nightmare’s back.

Its size hadn’t changed, so the view from above remained the same as before.

A horn, though? Was it aiming to become a unicorn or something?

As I gripped the reins, Nightmare stomped its front hooves on the ground, exuding confidence and eagerness to run.

The moment I tugged on the reins, Nightmare surged forward as if it had been waiting for this signal.

As the wind whipped against my face, I lowered my body, clinging tightly to Nightmare.

The sudden acceleration was so intense that the surroundings blurred, and a thunderous roar filled the air.

Each time Nightmare’s hooves struck the ground, my vision wavered from the jolts.

Nightmare itself seemed startled by its newfound speed and agility, but it quickly regained composure.

The turbulent wind subsided, but the pace didn’t slow.

Clack-clack!

The sound of its hooves striking the ground was different now, likely due to the crystal formations on its legs.

I experimented with various maneuvers while riding Nightmare—sharp turns, climbing jagged crystal-covered hills, and so on.

Nightmare met all my demands without hesitation or difficulty.

The sharp crystals beneath us posed no challenge, as Nightmare’s white crystal legs shattered them effortlessly with each stride.

When we ascended a steep crystal hill, Nightmare didn’t lose any momentum.

I lightly pulled the reins to steer it in a different direction, but Nightmare pressed onward, as if it had unfinished business at the hill’s peak.

If I pulled the reins harder, it might obey my command, but for now, I decided to let it do as it wished.

Clack!

Reaching the edge of the hill, Nightmare suddenly leaped into the air without hesitation.

Was it unable to contain its excitement?

Bracing for an impact, I tensed my body in anticipation of the fall.

But…

Contrary to my expectations, Nightmare didn’t plummet downward.

Clack-clack-clack!

The familiar sound of its hooves echoed in my ears.

Looking down in bewilderment, I noticed something extraordinary.

As Nightmare stepped forward, pristine white crystal platforms formed beneath its hooves, floating in midair.

Clack!

The moment its hooves met the floating crystals, they shattered into fine white powder, scattering behind us.

The crystalline powder left behind in the air resembled footprints, trailing like a luminous ribbon.

Clack!

With one final step, the floating platforms disappeared, and Nightmare descended back to the ground.

It seemed it could only manage five steps in the air before reaching its limit.

Despite this, its speed remained unchanged as it continued to gallop around the base camp.

“Hey, you there! I need a word with you!”

“That foal… it’s incredible!”

When Nightmare and I returned to the base camp, the cheers were louder than ever.

Apparently, Nightmare’s display of running through the air had been witnessed by the camp residents.

As the curious crowd approached, Nightmare stomped its hooves firmly on the ground, lowering its horn in warning.

Mana gathered beneath its feet, forming small but sharp white crystal spikes.

Crack!

Though not large, the spikes were razor-sharp, a clear message from Nightmare: any closer, and it would attack.

“Ha…”

The adventurers and scholars hesitated, finally retreating to a safe distance.

Awkwardly smiling, I stroked Nightmare’s mane.

“A horse that can run through the sky… unbelievable.”

“There’s going to be an uproar when we return to the empire…”

“What did you call it… Seris? There’s a fine steed in my hometown with good lineage. Maybe if we…”

Adventurers and scholars continued to flock to Nightmare and me.

Some even attempted to secretly breed their horses with Nightmare while I was asleep.

Of course, none of those attempts succeeded.

The adventurer who brought along a stallion suffered an attack from the Nightmare, leaving a large hole in the ship.

The stallion they had brought was killed when the Nightmare’s rear kick crushed its head.

It was only after such casualties that the adventurers and scholars calmed down.

A week passed since then.

People had grown accustomed to the Nightmare’s uniqueness, which meant peace had finally returned to it.

The Nightmare lay flat on the ground, chewing on crystal stones scattered nearby.

Since its body had transformed, it seemed to regard crystal stones as food, just like the other monsters in this place.

Among the visitors who came to me, the only one who didn’t seek the Nightmare’s lineage was Selion.

Every night, she came to ask me about how to use mana.

However, there was only one answer I could give her.

“Just move instinctively.”

Selion listened to my vague advice for an entire week while continuing her mana control training.

When asked if she had made any significant achievements, I could only tilt my head.

Selion still couldn’t draw mana outside of her body.

“Seris.”

Selion visited again today.

However, this time, it seemed she had a different purpose.

I glanced at the Nightmare lying on the ground and replied,

“What is it?”

“I’m planning to send an exploration team beyond this crystal-covered land. You’ll join, right?”

“You’re already exploring beyond here?”

“The scholars are in a hurry. They want to collect as much data as possible before heading back.”

“Hmm, will you be going too, Selion?”

“Of course.”

“Alright, I’ll join.”

The exploration team consisted of twenty members, including Selion and me.

Surprisingly, Noel was also among them.

The team departed the base camp with ample supplies of food and water.

The barren land offered no sources of food unless monsters were found, and the same went for water.

Naturally, the team had to conserve their supplies.

Selion was assigned as the temporary leader of the exploration team.

As we traveled, she scattered red dye on the ground to mark the path.

Throughout the journey, the barren land and beautiful crystal stones stretched endlessly.

After walking for a week straight, the surrounding environment began to change gradually.

New sights appeared over the desolate land, and the bodies of the occasional monsters we encountered no longer contained crystal stones.

“This place…”

“Winter?”

Selion muttered as she touched the white snow covering the ground.

As she said, this was an area of pristine winter.

What a strange land.

To think that a snowy region and a snowless one could be so closely adjacent, separated by just a few steps.

The Nightmare, upon seeing the white snow, started playing around on it.

Its sturdy legs stomped on the ground, leaving deep impressions and scattering snow mixed with dirt into the air.

At that moment, white snow began falling from the sky.

Selion looked up, tightened her hood, and spoke.

“Let’s move before the snowstorm intensifies. If anyone finds a cave suitable for building a base camp, report immediately.”

Just as we were about to move together, the sound of snow crunching underfoot scattered beneath us.

Both the Nightmare and I instinctively looked up at the sky almost simultaneously.

It appeared silently.

A massive eye, emerging from the clouds, seemed to gaze down at the ground.

Behind it, an enormous body loomed, resembling a floating mountain.

[!]

A low, eerie cry resonated through the area.

A colossal fin revealed itself next, accompanied by a gust of wind that carried even more white snow.

Swoooosh!

The appearance of this incomprehensible monster left everyone frozen in place.

The gigantic whale that had announced its presence with such force brought snow and wind in its wake before disappearing again into the clouds.

Thud.

Some adventurers collapsed to the ground as their legs gave way. However, no one mocked them.

“…We should get moving.”

The long silence was finally broken.

The exploration team, staring blankly at the sky, managed to step forward into the raging snowstorm.

[T-!]

The haunting cry of the colossal whale grew distant quickly.