Night had fallen.
Yuria and I bundled up in thick winter clothes, preparing to set out. Our destination was, of course, the Huge Snow Mountain.
Traveling to the Huge Snow Mountain at night was dangerous and ill-advised. I was well aware of this, but we had no choice. To act without being seen, we had to move under the cover of darkness.
I had two primary reasons for coming to the Huge Snow Mountain.
Travel? Why would anyone travel to a place like this? There's nothing to see but a boring snow mountain.
If genuine travel had been our purpose, we would have simply rested at a decent spot near Count Baek's Household of Prucus, rather than making the arduous journey to the Huge Snow Mountain.
I fastened my warm winter clothes, which I had brought from my previous life, and made sure to secure my dagger before turning to Yuria.
Yuria was completely covered in a coat and cloak, instead of her usual maid uniform. With a black mask concealing her face, only her blue eyes remained visible.
A sword, pistol, dagger, and axe were strapped to her waist.
"Ready?"
"Yes, Master. All the essentials are stored in the shadows."
I nodded. Even if she hadn't packed anything, my smartphone would have been enough.
"We need to be back by noon tomorrow at the latest. Let's go."
"Yes, Master."
We slipped out of the mansion, concealing our presence. We took a roundabout route toward Huge Snow Mountain to avoid leaving a direct trail. If the knights discovered our tracks tomorrow, things could get complicated.
At the entrance to Huge Snow Mountain, I retrieved something from my inventory.
"Master, what's that?"
"This? A snowmobile. It would take too long and be too tiring to just run there. Surprisingly, it wasn't as expensive as I thought."
It was a two-seater snowmobile, with skis in front and a continuous track in the rear. I'd acquired it from the Vampire Detective world.
Since it didn't possess any special powers, its performance wouldn't degrade even when used in another world.
I put on my helmet and gripped the handlebars. Yuria sat behind me, wrapping her arms around my waist.
We began ascending Huge Snow Mountain on the snowmobile. It was definitely faster and more comfortable than walking or running.
I need to find the rock shaped like an ogre's face. The original story said it was about halfway up Huge Snow Mountain.
But before long, a problem arose.
The snowmobile wasn't the problem; it was running perfectly.
"Master, three Ice Trolls are chasing us from the right."
"Ice Trolls?"
I turned my head to the right.
Three massive Ice Trolls with blue-skinned hides were closing in on us at high speed. I frowned.
Ice Trolls. The name sounds impressive, but their physical abilities are nearly identical to those of ordinary Trolls. The only difference is their adaptation to cold environments.
They're even found in the real world likely a case of the author simply reusing real-world monsters in the original work.
Trolls are D-Rank monsters. They pose no real threat to us.
With my current abilities and Mana usage, I could easily handle three Trolls. Yuria, of course, would have no trouble at all.
"They're still following us. Annoying... Kill them."
"Yes, Master."
Yuria raised her pistol and aimed at the trolls. Just before she pulled the trigger, a magic circle materialized in front of the barrel. She fired the moment the circle was complete.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The bullets passed through the magic circle a power-enhancing spell. Ordinary pistol rounds couldn't harm trolls, so magical reinforcement was necessary.
The bullets pierced the trolls' weak points their eye sockets and burrowed into their brains. Three trolls collapsed onto the snowy ground.
"As expected of Yuria."
"It's nothing, Master... Master! Ahead!"
Yuria's urgent warning snapped me to attention. I spotted the figure ahead a moment after she did. It couldn't be helped; I couldn't see through the darkness as well as she could.
"Damn it. What's that now?"
A hazy, pale figure hung motionless in the air ahead, staring at us. It didn't seem particularly dangerous; its stillness meant we could simply steer around it.
"It's an Evil Spirit. I overreacted."
"A poorly formed one. We don't need to turn back."
Evil Spirits vary wildly in strength. Fully manifested ones can challenge even veteran Hunters. But this was a shapeless, smoky wisp an Evil Spirit that was little more than a nuisance, immune to ordinary physical attacks but otherwise unremarkable.
"I'll handle it," Yuria said, gripping her dagger.
A vibrant blue Aura coalesced along the blade.
Whoooosh.
I didn't slow down the snowmobile. As it passed beneath the Evil Spirit, Yuria swung her dagger.
Screeeeeeeech!
The Evil Spirit shrieked and vanished.
The simplest and most effective way to kill Evil Spirits is to attack them with Mana. Methods like mine, which use Mana to enhance the physical body, are ineffective.
Since I haven't yet awakened my Aura, I can't kill Evil Spirits like Yuria does.
But I can kill them with Lightning.
The Lightning I wield consumes both Mana and Vitality. Since Lightning originates from Mana, using it is an effective way to damage Evil Spirits.
"No more pursuers, right?"
"..."
For the first time, Yuria didn't respond to my question. This was rare, a clear sign her mind was elsewhere.
She was staring diagonally to the left. My gaze followed hers.
A figure stood atop a snow-white hill.
"...It's a Yeti. I don't think I can handle it alone."
"Is it watching us?"
"Yes. It definitely saw us."
The Yeti waved its hand or rather, it seemed to be miming throwing something. The darkness made it hard to see clearly.
"Ice Spears are coming! Dodge to the right!"
Following Yuria's warning, I swerved the snowmobile sharply to the right.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Three massive, icicle-like Ice Spears slammed into the spot we had just vacated.
I felt a burning tension, as if my lips were parched.
Yetis, or Snowmen, are high B-Class monsters in reality, possessing the ability to manipulate ice. They typically operate alone, but occasionally hunt in packs. When they do, even A-Class Hunters avoid them.
The Yetis in this world can also control wind.
Therefore, it's safe to consider this Yeti an A-Class monster. Only those at the upper-tier Aura Expert level would stand a chance in a fight.
"Make a U-turn to the left!"
Following Yuria's instructions, I steered the snowmobile. Thump, thump, thump, thump! Ice Spears slammed into the ground.
Ugh... just looking at them is terrifying.
If I had my way, I'd send that Yeti straight to hell, but fighting it wouldn't be easy. Besides, the Yeti was so far away I could barely see it. Even if I fought, my chances of winning were slim.
Auuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!
A wolf's howl echoed through the air. I reflexively glanced at the sky. Tonight was a full moon the perfect night for canine madness.
If those wolves are from the Huge Snow Mountain... they must be Dire Wolves.
C-Rank Monsters.
I turned toward the sound. Twenty Dire Wolves were charging toward us. Individually, Dire Wolves are weaker than Trolls, but they always hunt in packs and are incredibly agile.
Hsssssssssssss.
Evil Spirits were materializing everywhere, their forms clearer and more distinct than the pale, ghostly figures from earlier.
"Seven Ice Trolls and a pack of Ice Boars are approaching from the left."
"Did they even smell the wild boar? It feels like we've become a gourmet feast."
I tried to sound calm, but my insides were burning. This was a life-or-death crisis. If we stopped here, we'd become monster fodder.
Shit. I never imagined it would be this bad.
And that wasn't all. Naturally, monsters were also emerging from the front. Thanks to Yuria's swift handling of the frontal assault, we didn't have to worry much about them. The real problem was the horde of monsters chasing us from behind.
We were already facing over eighty monsters.
More will swarm in as time passes. If it were daylight, we'd have a better chance... Did we make a mistake moving at night?
Fortunately, the Yeti had begun hurling Ice Spears at the monsters instead of us. From its perspective, we and the monsters were likely just different types of prey, so it probably started with the easier targets.
Good thing we're far away. The Yeti probably doesn't even realize we're human.
If it knew we were human, it would have targeted us immediately. Monsters instinctively prioritize humans above all else. Just look at the monster chasing us it's proof enough.
Ogre Face Rock... Ogre Face Rock! Where is it?!
Cawwww!
A monstrous cry echoed from the sky.
Yuria, sitting behind me, reacted swiftly. She hurled a dagger into the air, and something plummeted to the ground a monstrous bat over a meter long.
More monsters are showing up here.
Whoosh!
The snowmobile's engine roared loudly. If necessary, I planned to use hacking to override its speed limits. I'd learned from Vampire Detective that hacking could temporarily boost performance beyond its normal capabilities.
"...Found it!"
There was the Ogre Face Rock.
I glanced back. They were still following us.
"We need to shake them off..."
"I think we can use Darkening to lose them for a while."
"Do it now!"
"Yes."
Darkness erupted from Yuria's shadow. This wasn't magic.
Yeongcheon Style Dark Shift.
By emitting darkness, it plunges the surroundings into complete darkness. Only the caster can see through the darkness, or anyone with Mana manipulation skills surpassing the caster's, or those with special abilities that allow them to pierce the darkness.
I couldn't use Darkening because I hadn't mastered Dark Shadow, but I knew the technique in theory.
My vision went black. Mentally gauging the distance, I stored the speeding snowmobile directly into my inventory.
Yuria caught me as I began to fall. She lifted me up and started running forward.
"Yuria! There's a space at the bottom of Ogre Face Rock. Jump in there!"
"Understood."
Thump!
Our bodies plunged into the snow, and we felt ourselves sinking downward. Midway through, the darkness lifted, and my vision returned.
Still just as dark as before. But I can see if I use Mana.
We landed on relatively firm snow. Looking up, we spotted a hole about five meters above us.
"...Do you think the monsters will chase us down here?" Yuria asked anxiously.
I shook my head firmly.
"That won't happen. This place is protected by a barrier. Even if Dire Wolves have an incredible sense of smell, they won't be able to track us here."
"A barrier... Is this a dungeon?"
"You could say it's something like that."
We brushed the snow off our bodies. Getting back won't be a problem. There's a safe, secret passage that will take us quickly down the mountain. The only issue is that it's a one-way route.
"It's probably this way. Let's go."
We began walking deeper into the cave, our boots crunching through the pristine white snow.
As we ventured further inside, the snow gradually disappeared, and the temperature grew warmer.
"A cave... I can feel the heat."
"One of the secrets of Huge Snow Mountain is that its interior is warm, unlike the freezing exterior."
We continued through the cave. After being in the cold for so long, the warmth felt like a blessing.
"...Could this cave be warm because of the Dragon Vein?"
"Oh, you noticed right away. You're correct. More precisely, it's a convergence point of Dragon Veins what we might call a Spirit Vein. Do you remember the legend of Huge Snow Mountain?"
"The one about the Ancient Silver Dragon dying on the mountain, causing its snow to never melt?"
"That legend is true. To be precise, this was the Silver Dragon's lair. The reason Huge Snow Mountain became an Eternal Snow Mountain is because the Silver Dragon used its last reserves of power to make it so."
I didn't know the reason for this, as it wasn't explained in the original story.
"Is the Dragon Lair your Master's objective?"
"No."
The legend of Huge Snow Mountain is a tale from the distant past.
A Dragon Lair? It must have been discovered by adventurers long ago. It can't be called a Dragon Lair anymore.
"My objective is those dwarves living here."