Show Me Your Stats!

Janus seemed to be fitting in well even if he were in the labyrinth, Ayra thought, shaking her head as she crawled out of the igloo. What awaited her outside was not the snowy plain she expected, but the edge of a steep cliff. Startled, she staggered backward and nearly fell, but Janus caught her by the waist.

"Be careful," he said.
She was grateful for the catch, but the solid presence against her backside was uncomfortably imposing. Why was he still excited? The thought that he might genuinely be aroused by fantasies of cutting her open turned her face pale. A psychopath with sexual sadism was the worst kind...
Carefully squatting down to avoid Janus's imposing anatomy, Ayra looked over the edge of the cliff. They were at the edge of one of the cliffs that formed Dalum Gorge, a high area where they would be safe from any further landslides.

'But how did the horses manage to carry the load up here?'
While she pondered this, Janus fearlessly stood at the edge of the cliff, bent over, and admired the view below. Suddenly, he kicked a stone down the cliff along with the snow. Seeing the snow and rock pile blocking the path only made her sigh. At least, the tumbling rocks had swept down much of the snow, reducing the possibility of another avalanche.
"What should we do? We need to clear the path enough for the carriage to pass."

Could magic not solve this, Ayra wondered, racking her brain. She would fully recover her mana in half a day, but even then, she had no way to manage this avalanche. It was beyond her physical ability to deal with. It seemed easier to just teleport the merchant across directly.
Just as she was about to stand up and check the site of the landslide first, then cross Dalum Gorge, Janus casually offered, "Want me to clear the path?"
"...Clear it? How?"

Even with Janus's strength, clearing the mountainous pile of snow and rocks would take a long time. Janus feigned deep thought, then his red eyes sparkled worryingly.
"We'll need some fire first."
"You're not suggesting we melt all this snow with fire, are you?"

Her abilities were limited, and even if she could do it, the melted snow would quickly freeze into ice. Without further explanation, Janus motioned for her to follow him. Skeptically, Ayra trailed behind him.
On the way, Ayra asked to stop at the site where the landslide had started. Upon closer inspection, she indeed found traces that the landslide had been artificially triggered.
'Someone used magic here.'

Magic always left residual traces of mana. Could it have been sent from Sobletz or Bolni? The traces didn't clarify if it was a mage or merely a magical device used. Further investigation was futile. With a wary mind, Ayra followed Janus again.
After trudging through the deep snow for about twenty minutes, Janus stopped. The place was a dimly lit slope, untouched except for the neatly piled snow.
"Lucky us. I thought it would take at least an hour to find this spot."

"Why? What's special about here?"
"Hmm... You'll see. This way."
Ayra followed him reluctantly, her curiosity piqued despite her suspicions. Looking around the spot he pointed to, she saw nothing but the giant boulders, accumulated snow, and trees common in the mountains.
"Now, light a big fire here."

"Light a fire here? Why? What happens when I do?"
"You said you wanted to clear the path, didn't you? If not, never mind."
Honestly, she didn’t want to! She didn’t feel like doing it.

However, Ayra couldn’t think of a better idea, and the prospect of clearing the path was too tempting. She hesitated but eventually lit a fire where Janus had indicated.
The fire she conjured with a bit of her mana flared up impressively. After about ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) five minutes, the heat from the flames began melting the snow into puddles. Yet, there were no changes so far.
"How long do I need to keep this up?"

"Hmm, isn't this enough? Maybe we need to set fire up to here."
What else is there but melting the snow and ice? A strange, unsettling feeling crept over her. However, a part of her wanted to find out what would happen next, so she reluctantly increased the fire at Janus’s instruction. A mage dies of curiosity, they say...
As she stared blankly at the blazing fire, she was about to ask how much longer they should keep it up when the ground suddenly shook violently. Thinking it was another earthquake, she tried to stand up, but the ground beneath her exploded upwards, throwing her into the air. Janus, as if he had been waiting, caught her as she tumbled down.

"What is this..."
"Ah, it's finally awake."
Startled, Ayra tightly hugged Janus' neck. Every time the buried creatures exhaled their rough breaths, dust and snow scattered into the air. Ayra immediately recognized the identity of these massive creatures. They were the Ocampaniya beasts, who had woken up from their hibernation due to the fire Ayra had started.

"Could it be... Could it really be Ocampaniya?"
Ayra’s voice trembled. How on earth did they find us?
Whether it was because of the fire Ayra had ignited or because they mistakenly thought it was spring due to the rising temperature, the Ocampaniya beasts that woke up early did not seem pleased. Ayra quickly tried to put out the fire, but it was already too late—dozens of Ocampaniya were now emerging from the ground. Their spiky fur was covered in brown dirt, resembling giant hedgehogs.

The largest of them was the size of an elephant, and the smallest was as big as a wild boar. Their massive eyes bulged out from either side of their heads, bloodshot and furious.

"I didn’t expect there to be so many," Janus whistled as if he had witnessed something incredible. Ayra’s face turned pale. Only then did she realize that Janus was planning to crush this angry Ocampaniya herd with the landslide he had caused.
"Are you insane? What will happen if another landslide occurs?!"

"It already happened once, so I don’t think there’s much left to fall," he replied carelessly, without a hint of concern. Before Ayra could argue further, Janus quickly adjusted his stance, lifting her onto his shoulder as he supported her with one arm. His hand patted her rigid backside a couple of times before quickly starting to run.
The furious herd of Ocampaniya immediately chased after them.
Clutching onto Janus' neck, Ayra opened her eyes wide and watched the nightmare-like scene unfold. Wherever the Ocampaniya passed, rocks tumbled down, trees fell, and dust rose like fog, obscuring everything. As her face paled, the madman spoke.

"You like beasts, don’t you? Enjoy the show."
Ayra screamed in frustration. No matter how much I love beasts, I don’t want to watch them like this while risking my life!
Despite her desire to scream and curse, no words came out of her mouth as she clung to Janus, worried that she might fall off. In the midst of this chaos, she couldn’t help but notice how the Ocampaniya’s well-developed mammary glands caught her attention, feeling both incredulous and pitiful.

Janus leapt down the mountain with incredible speed. He ran so fast without tripping that it felt like riding a roller coaster. Even the exhilarating drop was exactly the same. Feeling nauseous, Ayra clenched her mouth shut but kept her eyes wide open. As Janus said, such an opportunity to observe living Ocampaniya up close was rare.
‘Wait, doesn’t he always close one eye when he runs?’
Trying to focus on confirming this information, Janus suddenly leaped high into the air. When she looked back, they had already reached a blocked path. Janus climbed up a pile of snow and rocks, and the Ocampaniya charged directly at them.

A tremendous roar echoed through the gorge. The dust and snow fog clouded the air, making it impossible to see even a step ahead. Janus leaped somewhere, and after a few running starts, he grabbed Ayra and hung from a cliff by one hand.
"Ha..."
A sigh of admiration slipped from Ayra's lips. Watching the Ocampaniya pushing through the snow and rock piles with terrifying force from a high vantage point was magnificent. Ayra briefly lost herself in awe, but once she regained her composure, her complexion turned pale.

"No! There’s a village over there!"
Janus, who had been watching the Ocampaniya carve a path through the gorge with enjoyment, pretended not to hear her. In desperation, Ayra unconsciously tugged at Janus' hair. It was soft yet so strong it nearly didn’t come out.
"Get down, quickly!"

"Mm..."
His dismissive attitude made Ayra’s heart chill. Janus, who had lived here for ten years, would surely know that there was a village beyond the gorge. Seeing the Ocampaniya heading in that direction, Ayra couldn’t help but think that Janus had deliberately woken them up, fully aware of what the outcome would be.
As she struggled to get away, Janus suddenly dropped down from the cliff. Despite still holding Ayra, he landed lightly on the ground, cupped a hand to his mouth, and shouted with a booming voice.

"You foolish—piglets—! Over here—!"
The volume was so immense it seemed unbelievable that it came from a human body. Ayra quickly covered her ears, fearing her eardrums might burst. The Ocampaniya herd, which had been shaking the earth as it ran, suddenly stopped in its tracks. Slowly, they turned around, their bloodshot eyes twitching.
A stone hidden somewhere on Ayra’s body pinged with a notification.

[Janus Rehzedet used the skill ‘Taunt’. Effect: Successful!]
If you survive this, just wait...