Surprisingly, the path to the summit was bizarrely smooth.
Maybe I’m thinking this because I believe I’m dead, but that’s probably not the case. Perhaps it’s just that after surviving an avalanche, I’m thinking, “Whatever happens, this guy will make it anyway,” only guessing about it.
I advanced toward the summit, creating a path without hesitation.
[Contractor, how much longer until we reach the summit?]
“Not much left.”
[I think I heard that yesterday too.]
Well, the me of yesterday thought the same way as I do now.
Sure, I’m getting closer to the summit, but this weird feeling of never quite reaching it is unsettling. Is it because the perceived temperature is around minus 40 degrees?
There’s still quite a distance to the summit.
“Human! Going forward from here will have you sinking deep!”
It’s like he’s saying that just to point out something fun, but that’s a crevasse. If I fall in, it’s a drop into oblivion. Is he bragging that he’s some kind of spirit and won’t die?
With a sigh, I pulled out my shovel. If there’s a crevasse, I have to be extra cautious from this point on.
In fact, taking a roundabout way would be the wise choice, but who knows how long that would take? It’s wiser to reach the summit as quickly as possible.
In an environment where I can’t get extra food supplies, wasting time is like hastening a countdown for my life. My instincts built over ten years are ringing alarm bells.
“Wendy. Do you know exactly where we are?”
“Uh… over there?”
Where is over there? I looked at Wendy as she pointed with her forepaw hidden in her furry mass and then back at the pristine white snowfield. I shouldn’t have asked her.
I slammed my shovel down to secure it and stretched my right arm forward. I activated the device strapped to my right arm. SWISH- With a sound slicing through the air, the hook lodged into the ground about ten meters away.
Since I can feel it digging in, is it safe enough up to there?
I moved to where the hook was attached and shot it forward again.
After doing this about eight times, I felt something different as I retrieved the hook and cautiously approached to drive the shovel into the ground.
The shovel slid in with no resistance whatsoever.
Is this a crevasse?
It looks no different from the path I’ve already taken. But stepping down would surely buy me a one-way ticket to the other side.
I took a few steps back and used my skill.
“Crafting.”
I clump together solid ice, just like how I made an igloo.
Ice gathered together into a three-meter-high pillar standing firm in the middle of the snowfield.
Once I confirmed the pillar was complete, I struck its base with the shovel. As the broken pillar toppled over, it cleared the nearby snow away completely.
[Wow… if I’d walked over there, I would have fallen right in.]
“That’s deep!”
I swallowed hard as I gazed upon the deep blue fissure that looked to be about ten meters wide. If I act carelessly, the environment is perfect for a quick death. Thank goodness I brought my equipment. I looked at the other side of the fissure and used my skill.
“Crafting.”
I create a bridge. The materials are ice and rock. The start is rock, and the main part is ice. With nothing else to use, this is my only option. I took my shovel and began chopping at the transparent ice bridge.
Once, twice, three times, four times…
“This should be pretty sturdy.”
Though it’s hard to gauge since it’s transparent, this thickness seems solid enough for me to cross without issues. Still, just in case…
“Crafting.”
I reinforced the bridge with nearby ice and rock and carefully grasped the railing to cross the crevasse.
It took a whole hour just to cross the crevasse.
Actually, this was pretty quick for me. I can’t fly or swing like a spider-man relying on just one hook.
“Is this something humans can all do?”
“Only I can.”
At least making a bridge in one go is something no one else can do.
Anyway, I crossed the bridge, so should I keep moving? I advanced purposefully, filtering out Wendy’s warnings from the side as I walked, and soon night fell again.
This time, the path steepened, and the ground became hard. The summit was getting closer.
I used my shovel to dig into the slanted surface and create a tunnel. I didn’t forget to set traps around. So far, I hadn’t encountered any other life forms aside from Wendy, but one can never be too sure.
“I’m going to sleep here tonight.”
I gazed at the dark sky and said. It was late, so there’s really no need to force my way up.
[Let’s quickly start a fire! My tentacles are frozen and can’t move!]
“Human! Let’s make a fire! Fire~”
“I don’t know how you can survive in that kind of cold.”
“But fire is warm and feels good~”
In the tunnel with the entrance high up, I made a fire near the entrance and leaned against the wall, nearly lying down. Now that I think the end is in sight, the fatigue I had been holding back rushed in all at once.
They say you shouldn’t let your guard down at times like this, but after coming this far, my body felt as heavy as a waterlogged sponge.
I moved a bit closer to the fire and used my backpack as a pillow for a more comfortable position. I had dug wide enough that there was enough space for me to lie down.
[Contractor, are you going to sleep?]
“Yeah. Wake me up when the sun rises.”
[Sleep well. Contractor.]
—————-
[Contractor, wake up! The sun has risen!]
It felt like I hadn’t slept at all…
I set Wendy down, who was sleeping on me, and stretched. Looking at the fire, it appeared Rue had been continuously feeding it oil, making it blaze fiercely.
“Mmm…”
Should I eat first? I filled a pot with snow near the entrance and placed it over the fire. Instantly, the snowball melted away into a transparent liquid, and I tossed in all the properly chopped ingredients.
“Delicious smell…”
The ingredients were running low now.
Thankfully, the summit was just within reach, so I didn’t have to worry too much about conserving food. I had even brought emergency rations for any dire situations.
[What’s going on? Why are you staring like that?]
Are those tentacles going to taste like grilled octopus? I stared at Rue, who was peeking outside the entrance, then glanced at Wendy, who was starting to whine.
“Human! What are you making?”
“Stew.”
“That hot dish, right? Give me some!”
“Wait a bit.”
I made enough intentionally, so there was plenty for Wendy as well. I took a ladle, stirred it, and dished up Wendy’s portion of stew. I guess I’ll be lazy and eat directly from the pot.
“Delicious smell!”
“Eat slowly.”
…Looks like she’s not even listening to me. I watched Wendy gobbling down the stew like a puppy that hadn’t eaten for days, before spooning my portion.
Just the right level of salty flavor.
Compared to the food served at restaurants or the luxurious meals at Yeomyeong-gwan, this is quite humble, but even just eating this well in an environment like this feels more than adequate. Thinking this, I finished the pot, extinguished the fire, and tidied up my spot.
I’m not someone who normally worries about environmental pollution, but leaving no trace is essential for survival, so it’s something I always do.
“Wendy. Rue. We’re heading straight to the summit.”
[Looking down from the summit will be majestic, right?]
“Yeah.”
“Human! Let’s go! We’ll show that red one what’s what!”
“I’m not going for that purpose.”
With a smirk, I strapped my backpack on and began to climb the steep slope out of the tunnel.
—————
“Is this the summit?”
The view from the summit, which felt like it took about a week to climb, was… how do I put it, flat.
I thought it would be the peak, but in reality, it was more like a wide pillar.
I sat dignified on top, looking up at the phoenix that gazed down at me.
Instead of feathers, there were writhing flames.
Eyes that sparkled like flames, seemingly piercing through my heart.
Despite the raging snowstorm, it felt as warm as spring.
The divine beast radiating overwhelming presence stared at me with a composed gaze and asked.
[Child of humans, what brings you here?]
“I’ve come to make a request.”
[Contractor, you have a remarkable presence… but I sense something familiar about you.]
What does that mean?
Why is Wendy silent? I stole a glance over my shoulder to see her completely scared and hiding behind me.
She confidently shouted for freedom, but now it seems like, rather than freedom, a slave contract will just grow.
[Help, you say…]
The phoenix turned its long neck to look toward the rising sun. The sun peeked its face from behind the clouds. After a while, the phoenix turned its head back to me.
[Since you have passed a trial, if it’s something I can grant, I will do so. What request do you have?]
“I would like your help to kill Harpas.”
[Harpas… huh.]
The phoenix repeated Harpas’s name a few times, then asked me in a teasing tone.
[Why do you need my help to take down that crow?]
“To kill Harpas, I need the phoenix’s power.”
The powers of Harpas and the phoenix are opposites. To seal Harpas’s power, one would either need to borrow the power of the phoenix or at least gain some blessing to become immune.
[I’m sorry, child of humans. That may be difficult.]
“…Are you saying you can’t help?”
Why?
[It’s true that Harpas is my enemy, but… I’m in no condition to intervene right now.]
…No wonder my luck has been peculiar.
“Condition… what do you mean?”
Not just any other divine beast, but a phoenix with insane regeneration and can even infinitely resurrect if it messes up?
[Since you’ve come this far, I should at least tell you the reason.]
The phoenix began to slowly spread its wings. Huge wings that appeared as though they could cover the entire spacious summit. I widened my eyes as I caught sight of the phoenix’s body hidden behind those wings.
[As you can see, I am in this state.]
The only part untouched by flames was the blackened spot, a wound as if it were slowly being consumed. Without thinking, I asked.
“What happened to that wound?”
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