NOVEL NEXT Chapter 362: To the White Snowfield (1)
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
Chapter 362: To the White Snowfield (1)
While Ketal said they needed to prepare, there wasn't much to actually prepare.
It was more about mental readiness than anything material.
Ketal informed those around him and prepared to leave for the White Snowfield.
Naturally, he planned to go alone.
However, just before he departed, Helia cautiously asked,
"May I accompany you?"
"Hmm? Accompany me? Why?"
"Now that the Tower Master has been neutralized, I could be considered the strongest being on the surface."
It wasn’t an exaggeration or arrogance.
Among those on the surface, there was no one who could rival Helia.
"Thus, I have an obligation to observe and confirm the Barbarians."
The hundreds of Barbarians and beings of the Forbidden Lands who were being brought to the surface—Helia felt it was her duty to monitor and watch over them.
Of course, there wasn’t much she could do.
If they weren't brought to this place, the surface would collapse.
She made the offer simply because the idea of taking her eyes off them made her uneasy.
"And more than anything... I’m curious."
She was curious about how the Barbarians lived within the White Snowfield.
And she was curious about what kind of existence Ketal was in that place.
Ketal looked at her.
Beside him, Serena hesitated and raised her hand.
"Uh, could I come too?"
Her face held a faint curiosity.
Serena, the Holy Sword, was knowledgeable about everything on the surface.
But the White Snowfield was an unknown place to her.
Despite her fear and aversion, she was deeply intrigued by Ketal’s origins and the place where he had grown up.
"Hmm."
Ketal stroked his chin and quietly observed the two.
Serena outwardly appeared like a child.
The divinity she possessed wouldn’t hold much significance for the Barbarians.
The same applied to Helia, whose outward appearance was that of a young woman in her early twenties.
More importantly, both of their bodies appeared fragile, soft, without a trace of muscle.
‘It shouldn’t matter.’
If it was these two, they wouldn’t cause any significant issues.
Concluding his thoughts, Ketal nodded.
"Fine. You may come along."
"R-Really?"
Helia’s eyes widened in surprise, not expecting her request to be accepted.
Ketal replied indifferently,
"With you two, there shouldn’t be any major problems. But heed this warning: you’d better be ready to risk your lives. I can protect you, but it won’t be flawless."
Both of them were hero-class warriors.
Even so, their survival within the Snowfield wasn’t guaranteed.
Both nodded grimly.
* * *
From then on, they moved immediately.
Given the circumstances, there was no time to rest or plan leisurely.
After leaving a few brief words to their close ones, they headed to the White Snowfield.
"This is the place."
Arriving at a forest near the Snowfield, Ketal’s expression turned nostalgic.
It was from this very forest that he had emerged into the outside world.
The memories and emotions from that time came flooding back.
‘There used to be an elven village nearby.’
The elves were the first outside beings he had encountered.
He wanted to greet them, but there wasn’t time for that.
Thus, Ketal quietly expanded his senses.
"Hmm?"
"Huh?"
Helia and Serena flinched.
It felt as though the world itself was within Ketal’s grasp.
"Ketal?"
"It’s nothing."
Ketal smiled faintly.
His expanded senses detected the presence of the village within the forest.
‘They’re doing well.’
That was all he needed to know.
Ketal moved forward.
"Follow me."
"...Okay."
"Y-Yes."
Helia and Serena cautiously followed Ketal’s lead.
Soon, they reached the border of the White Snowfield.
"This is... the White Snowfield,"
Helia murmured, her face filled with wonder.
A blizzard raged on the other side, unveiling an endless white expanse.
Yet this side was remarkably tranquil, untouched by the cold.
Serena gazed blankly at the Snowfield.
It was as if the world had split in two, like a scene from a painting.
As Ketal observed briefly, he murmured,
"It’s definitely weakened."
"W-Weakened?"
"I can faintly sense the cold."
"...Is that so?"
At his words, Helia sharpened her senses to their limits but couldn’t detect anything.
‘How sensitive must his senses be?’
She marveled silently.
Ketal continued,
"Still… it’s not weak enough for the old man to emerge. As I thought, they came through the Empire’s passage."
With this, there was no need to worry about other entities emerging.
Satisfied, Ketal stepped forward.
"Let’s go in."
Helia and Serena hesitated briefly before following him.
They entered the White Snowfield.
"Ugh!"
At that moment, Helia was struck by an overwhelming chill, a cold unlike anything she had experienced before.
She quickly gathered her divine power to protect herself.
Serena did the same.
Only Ketal walked forward unperturbed, without any measures.
"...Are you okay?"
"Having grown up here, it’s no issue for me."
Ketal strode confidently ahead.
Following him, Helia asked,
"What should we do now?"
"This is the outer perimeter."
The White Snowfield was divided into the outer and inner regions.
The outer area wasn’t overly hostile.
Long ago, even traders like Milena had dared to pass through the Snowfield’s outskirts.
Mercenaries alone could handle this region without much trouble, and there was ample data about it.
"First, we’ll cross the outskirts and head inside. For now, we just need to keep moving forward."
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
"Understood."
"Y-Yes."
They continued advancing through the white snowy plains, encountering monsters that leaped out to block their path.
Since the monsters weren’t particularly strong, Ketal didn’t need to step in.
Serena and Helia’s combined efforts were enough to handle them.
“It’s been a while.”
Ketal chewed on a piece of black slime, his teeth grinding into it.
Serena, looking uneasy, asked,
“...Is it good?”
“Want to try some?”
“N-No, thank you.”
Serena immediately shook her head.
Ketal chuckled.
It was chewy—a texture unlike anything found elsewhere.
He used to eat it often when he was trapped.
“I miss this.”
That was a lie.
Ketal spat out the piece of black slime without swallowing it.
They kept moving forward.
Eventually, they reached the outskirts’ boundary.
“This is the border that leads into the inner region.”
“......”
Helia swallowed nervously.
From here on, there was no information available.
No one had ever gone inside and returned alive.
Helia stepped into the inner region.
The moment she did, a change occurred.
Crack.
Frost began to form on the divine barrier that enveloped her body.
Cracks quickly spread across the barrier, unable to withstand the extreme cold.
“What is this?”
Helia hastily reinforced the barrier, but it wasn’t enough to fully resolve the issue.
The horrific cold gnawed at the barrier relentlessly.
Helia couldn’t believe her eyes.
“The cold… it’s targeting the barrier’s weak points?”
“The cold here isn’t just a natural phenomenon. It’s more like an enemy with hostility, intent on killing us. Be thoroughly prepared.”
“......”
It was, quite literally, a different world.
The two of them swallowed nervously and fortified their defenses even more.
Ketal advanced cautiously.
After several minutes, they felt it.
Something was approaching.
“It’s coming,”
Ketal said as he gripped his axe.
Helia and Serena gathered their divine energy.
Through the extreme cold, something was steadily drawing closer.
A white snowfield.
The monsters within.
Both Helia and Serena wore tense expressions.
Ketal braced himself to respond at any moment.
But then, Ketal, who had expanded his senses, paused momentarily.
“Hm?”
His instincts told him something unexpected.
The approaching entity wasn’t a creature of the white snowfield.
The figure became visible.
Helia’s eyes widened.
“…A person?”
It was an old man.
He had a long, white beard and wore tattered rags.
Though his weapon—a worn-down blade—was damaged, he didn’t resemble a barbarian at all.
As the old man’s gaze fell upon Helia, his eyes grew wide.
“Helia?”
A fluent and elegant voice rang out.
Helia was taken aback.
A being of the white snowfield knew her name?
“D-Do you know me?”
“What are you talking about? Of course, it’s me. It’s me.”
“W-What?”
“Well, I suppose my appearance has changed quite a lot. Still, I didn’t expect you wouldn’t recognize me. How shocking.”
The old man stroked his beard.
Seeing that gesture, Helia suddenly realized.
“…Hashuwalt?”
“Ah, you’ve finally figured it out. Yes, it’s me.”
The old man—Hashuwalt—smiled warmly.
“I’m the fool who entered the white snowfield to prove my own strength. It’s been a while.”
* * *
“…Ah.”
The moment Hashuwalt spoke, Ketal remembered.
About three months before he had left the white snowfield, there was talk of a hero-class warrior who had entered it on their own.
The reason?
To prove their strength.
When Ketal heard that, he had said he couldn’t understand it.
Why would anyone abandon such a beautiful world to enter such a horrifying place?
He had called it foolish.
And now, that fool stood before him.
Helia, shocked, rushed forward.
“My goodness. Hashuwalt! You’re alive!”
“Yes. I’ve had a rough time, but I’m alive. It’s nice to see people again.”
Hashuwalt laughed heartily.
“How long has it been since I came here? Without day or night, it’s hard to keep track of time.”
“It’s been over a year.”
“A year, huh. I’ve survived for quite a while.”
“My goodness.”
Helia steadied her shocked heart and asked,
“How have you been managing?”
“Well, it’s tough, but manageable.”
“M-Manageable?”
Helia was flustered.
According to Ketal, even hero-class warriors found it nearly impossible to survive here.
While Hashuwalt was strong, he wasn’t considered an exceptional hero.
And yet, he said it was manageable?
Hashuwalt continued leisurely,
“The monsters here are strong, but they aren’t much of a problem. The harsh environment is tough, but with my strength, I can endure it.”
Ketal, who had been listening quietly, asked,
“Can you tell us where you’ve been staying?”
“Hmm? Nearby. There’s a good cave I found, so I’ve been living there.”
“I see.”
Ketal nodded and muttered,
“So you were living near the boundary between the outskirts and the inner region. That explains it.”
“Hmm?”
Hashuwalt looked puzzled at Ketal’s murmuring but didn’t press further.
Instead, he turned his curious gaze to Helia.
“By the way, Helia, why are you here? Did you come looking for me?”
“N-No, not exactly. We’re here to find the barbarians of the white snowfield.”
“Barbarians?”
Hashuwalt tilted his head.
“I’ve been here for over a year, but I haven’t seen anyone like that.”
“…You haven’t?”
“Well, they’re just a legend, aren’t they? Maybe they couldn’t survive in this harsh environment and went extinct. Even I struggle to endure it—it’s hard to imagine barbarians surviving here.”
“Oh… I see.”
Hashuwalt spoke confidently.
Helia glanced at Ketal.
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]