Chapter 86: The Frozen Mountain’s Shadow

The surrounding warmth began to rise, gradually melting the ice, yet the snow-covered white mountain remained as cold as ever.

The wind blowing past was as sharp as a blade, cutting through the air with an icy chill.

“Ha…”

A white mist escaped from my lips as I exhaled, and at that moment, I spotted a large gathering of adventurers stationed at the base of the mountain.

These weren’t the ones who had set out from the capital—they had approached from a different direction.

A tense atmosphere loomed as they sized each other up, their temporary camps built upon the frozen ground, with small fires flickering in the cold.

By now, I was used to attracting attention.

Taking my Nightmare with me always meant dealing with stares. I pulled on the reins and approached a nearby merchant selling supplies.

“O-Oh…”

The merchant, who had been enthusiastically advertising his wares, suddenly fell silent as he noticed the massive shadow looming over him—my Nightmare.

His mouth hung open in shock.

Nervously swallowing, he cautiously asked, “W-What can I get for you…?”

I glanced over his display.

He had modified a cart, covering it with a small canopy to serve as his shop.

It was stocked with essential supplies for climbing the mountain—preserved food, oil, ropes, and small pickaxes.

Remembering that I had run out of oil, I said, “Give me a bottle of oil.”

Only then did the merchant’s eyes shift from my Nightmare to me.

It seemed he hadn’t properly looked at me before, as my mount had obscured his view.

“Uh… Huh…”

After a brief, dazed moment, he rummaged through his cart and handed me a small oil bottle.

“That’ll be three silver.”

I handed him the coins without hesitation and asked, “Why aren’t the adventurers ahead climbing the mountain?”

“Well… they’re waiting, aren’t they?”

“Waiting?”

“They want a strong adventurer to take the lead and clear the way. Then there’s the issue of loot distribution. If not that, they’re probably waiting to ambush those who come back with treasure.”

“Hm…”

“Do you need anything else?”

“No, I’m good.”

As time passed, more adventurers arrived, yet few dared to ascend the mountain.

Occasionally, the eerie cries of monsters echoed through the wind, drifting down from above.

To some, those howls might have sounded like the screams of the adventurers who had gone ahead.

Their footprints were quickly erased.

The howling winds carried fresh snow, covering every trace they left behind.

Without hesitation, I moved forward.

Some adventurers lingering at the entrance cast their gazes my way, but none dared to speak to me.

Whoooosh—

The moment I set foot on the snowy mountain, a frigid gust carried a swirl of snow, blurring my vision.

Despite being at the mountain’s base, I could already sense strange movements in the surroundings—signs of creatures that were not human.

But the moment they attempted to draw near, their presence vanished.

My Nightmare had exhaled roughly, exuding an overwhelming aura.

By now, it had surpassed the realm of an ordinary horse.

Its presence wasn’t so different from the colossal monsters I had faced on Monster Island.

Small creatures had no choice but to flee with their tails between their legs.

I couldn’t even rely on a Pathfinder Star here.

It was my first time in this place, and I had no acquaintances to guide me. Even if I summoned the star, it had no target to track.

That meant I had no choice but to ascend blindly—into this bleak, snow-covered mountain.

The ones who had gone ahead were likely already climbing.

Even if I hadn’t been particularly interested at first, now that I was here, there was no turning back.

“Let’s go!”

With that, I urged my Nightmare forward, galloping up the snowy mountain.

Beyond the white expanse, traces of monsters flickered in and out of sight.

They were observing, evaluating whether I was prey they could handle.

My heightened senses, surpassing those of an ordinary human, made me acutely aware of these movements.

It was impossible not to be on edge.

Then, through the swirling snow mist, I spotted a faint light. A small, flickering flame swayed in the wind, and a shadow danced above it.

It was a campfire inside a cave.

However, something was off. There was no human presence where one should have been.

Instead, a faint scent of blood lingered in the air, hinting at the fate of those who had once gathered there.

As I continued my ascent, I began drawing in the mountain’s mana little by little, guiding it toward my heart.

The slow process was frustrating, but recklessly absorbing too much mana at once would be dangerous.

Mana was arrogant. It resisted change and demanded that the world conform to its nature.

If I tried to force a mana circle into existence all at once, my heart would freeze solid.

It was during this careful absorption that my sharpened senses detected multiple presences ahead.

A large group of humans.

The air was thick with hostility.

Even though they weren’t intentionally releasing bloodlust, I could almost smell the scent of blood wafting from them.

Through the thick snowstorm, the sound of approaching footsteps grew closer.

Dark silhouettes began emerging one by one, their numbers reaching about seven.

“One? A kid alone?”

“Is that even human…?”

“The stuff they have looks valuable.”

As they sized me up, they naturally began circling around, moving in a way that blocked off any escape route.

Weapons were raised, applying pressure as if it were second nature.

They had done this more than once.

Resting my hand on my sword, I asked them a question.

“Just in case, has any of you come across Kashpa’s lair?”

“Kashpa’s lair?”

“Hmm… Can’t say we have.”

The seven who had surrounded me froze.

Their blades, pointed in my direction, were close enough to strike at any moment.

I let out a long sigh.

They say the difference between adventurers and bandits is razor-thin, and here I was, facing adventurers turned brigands in the middle of nowhere.

It seemed they were more interested in looting the pockets of fortune-seeking adventurers than finding the rare lair of a dragon.

Perfect timing.

I’d been meaning to test a new spell I’d been imagining lately, and now I had just the right targets.

They had already stained themselves with blood, so there was no need to hold back.

Kiiiing!

A sound only I could hear burst forth—the hum of a mana circle spinning into motion.

Amplified mana surged through my body, racing toward the sword in my grasp.

Ever since my transformation on Monster Island, a thought had lingered in my mind.

Could I use the Fear that monsters wield?

My body had surpassed human limitations.

I had become something closer to a monster than a person, so it didn’t seem impossible.

I had even gone to secluded places, tensed my abdomen, and let out screeching cries, trying to replicate the monstrous Fear.

But it had all been in vain.

Monster Fear relied on infusing mana into a peculiar low-frequency sound—a sound that human vocal cords simply couldn’t produce.

Grrrng!

With a scraping sound, my sword slid free from its sheath.

The mana flowing along the blade amplified its resonance.

Uuuuuung!

At first, it sounded like a swarm of bees buzzing, but the noise deepened.

The moment the humming mixed with a sharp edge, a roar erupted from the sword.

[Grrrng!]

“Doesn’t seem like you grasp the situation. Normally, you’d be begging for your life…”

“G-gurgh…!”

The man who had been grinning and talking suddenly froze.

Not just him—everyone around me reacted the same way.

Some even collapsed to the ground, foaming at the mouth.

They couldn’t move. They couldn’t even breathe.

They were facing pure terror.

If I couldn’t create the monster’s Fear through my voice, I just had to find another way.

That’s how I discovered this method—using the sword’s vibrations.

Mana continued to pour out, scraping against the blade as it resonated.

With each passing second, the sound grew stronger.

[Grrrrrng!]

The eyes of those who had fallen onto the snow rolled back, turning white.

Judging by the way they clutched their chests, they wouldn’t last much longer.

As the last of their labored breaths faded into silence, I flicked the sword lightly, cutting off the resonance.

Tang—!

A perfect spell for dealing with multiple enemies at once.

As long as they were within the range of the sound, it didn’t matter how many there were—they’d all be subdued.

Of course, if they were strong enough to wield mana, the effect wouldn’t be as severe.

The seven corpses lay still, growing cold.

I rifled through their belongings, stuffing their coin pouches into my bag.

Then I noticed something.

The area was unnaturally quiet.

The monsters that occasionally appeared had completely vanished.

It seemed they had sensed the Fear I had artificially created and fled.

I had come full circle.

Leo had been tracking Seris, and his search had finally led him to the capital city of the Karma Empire.

He had scoured the world chasing after the audacious girl who dared to impersonate a mage from the Tower, and his patience was wearing thin.

From the Karma Empire, he had crossed the Hyland and reached the Burning Road.

He had braved the scorching desert, believing he was finally close to capturing the imposter—only to find that Seris was nowhere to be found.

So, once again, Leo had to continue his journey.

He had even passed through the Holy Kingdom and Greenfall. And now, he had arrived here—back at the capital of the Karma Empire.

To match the absurd speed of that little girl’s movements, Leo had barely slept.

Rubbing his dry eyes, he once again asked around about Seris.

But once more, he was a step too late.

Seris was already gone.

“Kashpa’s Snowy Mountains…?”

His next destination was set.

Leo immediately left the capital.

His time in the city had lasted barely an hour.