RG 142

Following the footsteps of one person, the tracks of two people and one animal continued. Eunbok climbed the mountain nimbly, even with paws significantly smaller than a human’s.

“An expert, a real expert.”

Now I understood why Eunbok had insisted on coming along. With climbing skills like this, he’d have felt left out if we’d left him behind. Unlike me, already breathing heavily, Eunbok was still full of energy—it was undeniable.

Meow. Mraow.

As if he heard me, Eunbok replied with a sound. Then he lifted his chin, clearly showing off his climbing skills—it made me laugh.

‘It really must be Eunbok.’

Eunbok used to make proud gestures like that sometimes too. Everyone in the guild thought it was so cute, they’d cover their mouths to keep from squealing. And now, the color of his fur stood out. A body covered in gray without any particular patterns. At a glance, it might remind one of the Russian Blue cat breed, but his fur color was much lighter than that. That’s why his name is Eunbok—”Silver Blessing.” He wore white socks on all four paws, and the area around his facial features was snow-white too. He was a cat with an appearance rarely seen around here.

I also couldn’t help but notice how the animal had voluntarily followed Song Ji-un and stayed close to him. It felt like the bond between Eunbok and Song Ji-un had reconnected. Even if Song Ji-un claimed he wasn’t the owner anymore.

“Haa…” My breath turned into a white mist as it dispersed into the air.

As we silently followed the path Song Ji-un had taken, the altitude steadily increased. I thought we’d just check around the house and the base of the mountain, but contrary to our expectations, he was heading for the summit.

“This outing doesn’t seem to be about looking for a lost person.” I glanced at the markings carved into the trees and the footprints one by one. “If he were trying to find a missing person, there’d be no need to climb this high, and the tracks wouldn’t be so cleanly imprinted. These are clearly the steps of someone with a destination in mind.” 

Ryu Seonghyeon answered while brushing his fingers along his lips, “There’s definitely something strange. If we keep going like this… we’ll reach the top of the mountain.”

That far, we couldn’t follow. We were already at our limit.

‘Is there something at the top of the mountain?’

I lifted my gaze. A sky full of dark clouds, snowflakes falling thickly, and tall trees covered in snow blossoms. The summit was hidden from view.

“…There’s no helping it. Let’s stop here.” At my firm words, Ryu Seonghyeon slightly widened his eyes. His surprised reaction made me let out a bitter laugh. “We made a promise, remember? Not to push ourselves. I’m curious about the mountain keeper’s destination too, but going any higher seems too dangerous.”

I looked at his hands. Just like mine, the fingertips had turned red and were trembling slightly. The cold here was intense enough to affect even Ryu Seonghyeon, an S-class.

If it were just me feeling cold, that’d be one thing, but I wasn’t about to drag Ryu Seonghyeon up the mountain while he was struggling. Even Eunbok, who looked like he was in the best shape among us, was still a concern.

“We didn’t come away with nothing. We’ve learned that the mountain keeper isn’t just searching for a missing person—he has a destination. And my throat.”

“Your throat?”

“When I faced the mountain keeper, I felt like my insides were freezing. My throat actually got worse. But now that I’m up on the mountain, it’s different. It’s just cold. My throat’s not worsening anymore. It’s clear this is connected to the mountain keeper.”

Even so, nothing changes. I want to take Song Ji-un back, but staying near him slowly freezes my body.

‘Seeing how Seonghyeon is fine and I’m the only one affected, it probably means civilians and Supports are both in danger.’

I began to understand why Song Ji-un had run away to such a remote mountain. And at the same time, my heart ached.

I’ll find a solution no matter what. There must be a reason the fake sent me here.

“For now, let’s head back down. We still have one more day.”

“Understood.” Ryu Seonghyeon nodded, his expression complicated.

He must have caught on to what I was suspecting about Song Ji-un. We’d have to talk it over slowly once we got back down.

“Let’s go, Eunbok.”

Mrooww.

I gestured toward Eunbok, who stood ahead, staring at us as if asking why we weren’t moving. He looked back and forth between us and the direction ahead, as if torn, then finally scampered after us, albeit reluctantly.

Just as I turned to head down the mountain, letting go of my lingering regrets—

Krrr-rumble!

“…!”

Suddenly, the ground trembled, and a piercing clap of thunder exploded in the sky. Shocked, I spun around—only to have a flash of blue light blind my vision.

“What the…?”

It wasn’t enough that lightning struck a snowy mountain—a tremendous force surged toward us. It was the presence of a monster.

‘A monster?’

And one with this powerful a presence? It had to be S-class. No—maybe even beyond that…

Kra-BOOM! Another thunderclap rocked the heavens and earth.

Ryu Seonghyeon, sensing more accurately than I ever could, pinpointed the source of the energy and spoke. “It’s coming from the direction of the mountain keeper.”

“…!”

My heart dropped. No matter how powerful a DPS Song Ji-un was, handling a monster with that level of presence alone would be impossible.

I bit my lip and rushed toward the source of the noise—but someone beat me to it.

It was Eunbok.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!”

As Eunbok shot off like an arrow toward the monster, both Ryu Seonghyeon and I freaked out and started running after him in a panic. Just Song Ji-un being there was already terrifying enough—why did you have to join in too? To make things worse, the snowstorm intensified, making it hard to keep up with Eunbok. Ryu Seonghyeon grabbed my stumbling hand and became my guide.

The higher we climbed after Eunbok, the clearer the monstrous aura and the piercing cold became.

‘Their energies are colliding!’

The auras of Song Ji-un and the monster were crashing into each other, sending out shockwaves. The waves spread wide like ripples, making my skin sting as if stabbed by dozens of needles.

Climbing over a large boulder with snow-covered hands, I finally caught sight of Song Ji-un’s back in the distance—the one we had been so desperately searching for.

“Guh—huff!”

“Hunter Cha Seohu!”

A strange, numbing sensation pierced my chest, stealing my breath. I clutched my throat and collapsed, only for Ryu Seonghyeon to catch me just in time.

Whoooosh! With a gust of strong wind, a massive flurry of snow came pouring down.

“Ugh… My body—it’s freezing up…” I couldn’t get closer to Song Ji-un, nor could I run away.

Ryu Seonghyeon held my trembling, suffocating body tightly. The warmth through our contact felt faint. Snow continued to pile up on our bodies.

I couldn’t breathe, and the cold dulled my senses. I forced my heavy eyelids open and saw Song Ji-un’s back over Ryu Seonghyeon’s shoulder.

Standing in front of Song Ji-un was someone else—small in stature, with long hair fluttering in the wind.

‘Who is that?’

Could that be the monster? A humanoid type?

I tried to get a better look, but the blizzard swirling around me and my fraying consciousness made it impossible to see clearly.

“No…”

Held in Ryu Seonghyeon’s arms, I could feel my body growing colder and stiffer as thoughts spun through my head.

There had to be a way. If I stayed like this, I’d freeze to death alongside Ryu Seonghyeon. Ryu Seonghyeon couldn’t be allowed to die—and I was caring for the Calamity in this life! There’s no way I could die in a place like this.

I bit down hard on my tongue, and the sharp pain briefly jolted my mind awake.

‘A way—there has to be a way…!’

Bzzzt!

Then, a strange, grating sound pierced my ears.

I opened my eyes without realizing I had closed them, and a heavily glitched and distorted system window appeared in front of me. It hadn’t shown up even once since we entered the mountain.

Crackle, bzzt! Ssshhh!

Unlike usual, the system window appeared and vanished repeatedly, flickering as if experiencing an error—until finally, it stabilized and displayed a complete message.

《Monster information has been updated!》

《Would you like to check it?》

It was a message I had never seen before. Why was this system window popping up all of a sudden?

‘Monster information…’

Was it going to reveal information about that humanoid monster standing off against Song Ji-un? For the system to display something like this right now, of all times…

‘That means the solution is in the information window.’

I had already realized the system was trying to help me survive. Even if that wasn’t the case, when my life was on the line like this, I had to cling to anything.

‘Confirm.’

Ding!

Monster Information: One Who Walks Above Snow and Painting

Species: Demon-type Yeti

Class: S

Attribute: Ice

The information was simple, but it included everything I needed to know.

An S-class demon-type monster. I instantly understood what the system was trying to tell me.

Without hesitation, I activated my skill.

《Skill: Divine Power (Class S) activated!》

《A divine aura overflows!》

A brilliant light burst from my body, surrounding me in a radiant aura. Moments later, two wings of light spread from my back.

《Due to the high rank of Divine Power, a special effect is added!》

The freezing cold that had paralyzed my limbs quickly faded. The snow that had accumulated on Ryu Seonghyeon, who was holding me, melted in an instant.

“This is…?”

Ryu Seonghyeon, who had gone limp from unconsciousness, came to his senses from the warmth. The divine power radiating from my body pushed back the cold and melted the snow.

I smiled at him, who stared at me in surprise. “It’s okay now.”

I stepped out of his arms and clasped my hands together. It was time to break free from this miserable cold.

Meditation Prayer: Class S (Divine Power Effect)

By clasping both hands together, the skill’s effects are amplified, increasing its range.

Fwoosh!

Once again, a burst of light radiated from my body, and the area where the snow melted expanded. In the place where pure white snow had disappeared, fresh green sprouts began to bloom.

Ryu Seonghyeon looked around at the greenery spreading around him, his expression dazed as if in a dream.

I was surprised, too. I thought it would just purify the cold and snow created by the demon-type, but I didn’t expect this kind of transformation.

Like watching time fast-forward, buds began sprouting on tree branches and soon the trees were filled with leaves. I turned my gaze toward Ryu Seonghyeon. Thankfully, the pale color that had drained from his face and lips was returning. I let out a sigh of relief—only for a deafening roar to pierce my ears.

Boom!

Crackkk!

The ground trembled as razor-sharp ice surged upward like crashing waves, slicing through the air. Behind us, Song Ji-un and the monster, unaware of the situation on our side, had begun their full-on battle.

The effects of the divine power were impressive, but now wasn’t the time to sit back and admire it.

“Vicemaster.”

At my call, Ryu Seonghyeon sprang to his feet. “Yes. I’ll go now.”

Wait, not like that! I grabbed Ryu Seonghyeon’s arm as he prepared to rush in unarmed. “Wait. You need to receive a buff first!”

“But—”

“There’s no way I’m letting you go like that. Get the buff first!”

This wasn’t like the Leviathan incident at Gwanghwamun. With Leviathan, I had the advantage because I knew its weak point—its reverse scale. But this “One Who Walks Above Snow and Painting” was an S-class demon-type I had never encountered before. Charging in blindly was too dangerous.

Still holding onto Ryu Seonghyeon’s arm, I told him, “Put your hand inside my clothes and hug me.”

“…Excuse me?”

“The more physical contact we have, the longer the buff duration. Hurry.” Five minutes from a handshake wasn’t nearly enough.

When Ryu Seonghyeon hesitated in shock, I grew impatient and forcibly pulled his arm into my shirt. His fingertips twitched the moment they made contact with my skin inside the clothes.

“W-wait a second…”

The longer he hesitated, the more time we wasted. I grabbed his collar and yanked him down toward me. “I said hug me. Now.”

When I whispered in a low voice, Ryu Seonghyeon’s eyes widened with a tremble.

He no longer resisted and allowed himself to be pulled into my arms.

Having escaped the bitter cold, his hands now carried a gentle warmth. The hand that touched my abdomen slid along my waist and moved up to my back. Wrapping both arms around me, Ryu Seonghyeon lowered his head. His cheek, slightly warmer than his hand, pressed against my still-cold one. With as much physical contact as possible, I immediately activated the buff skill.

《Skill: Guardian’s Bond (Class S) activated!》

《Primary Skill damage increases. (Target: Ryu Seonghyeon) (Duration: 1 hour 59 minutes)》

《Base Speed increases. (Target: Ryu Seonghyeon) (Duration: 1 hour 59 minutes)》

《Stability effect applied. (Target: Ryu Seonghyeon) (Duration: 1 hour 59 minutes)》

‘Wait—two hours?’

Before regression, it barely lasted 30 minutes. And now it’s two full hours? What kind of absurd efficiency was this?

‘All it takes is a bit of body rubbing to get two hours? A handshake or a hug takes the same amount of time!’