Wolves of Hader

"The giants have arrived!"

"Focus on the battle! The giants can't break down the gate!"

"More demons are coming up!"

"This is insane!"

Ku-kung—

Uwooooo—

The sound of a giant pounding on the gate echoed. The reverberating roar of the giant shook the air.

With even trolls joining in, the goblins went even crazier. The number of goblins climbing over the rampart kept increasing.

The soldiers were truly struggling with all their might.

For those who had gone down from the rampart, there was nothing to be done, but in order to survive, they had no choice but to fight like madmen.

Their armor had been shredded to rags by goblins biting and tearing at it, and with their helmets lost, many had chunks of flesh ripped from their faces.

At this rate, some soldiers were bound to have their throats bitten to death.

"How many of these things are there?!"

"Mirel is unconscious!"

"Everyone, rush in and pull them off!"

The soldiers who had been fighting off five or six goblins apiece threw themselves at the fallen comrades.

A dozen goblins were clinging to a fallen soldier like a pack of wild dogs, biting and tearing at him.

"Grab Mirel's neck! He's bleeding out!"

"Hurry and pull them off! Mirel! Wake up!"

"Argh! These damn dwarf demons!"

When I climbed up onto the rampart, soldiers and goblins were tangled together in absolute chaos.

At this rate, some soldiers really would die! With even giants here, there was no better timing.

While everyone's minds were in disarray.

I released the power of freezing through my whole body.

Like an explosion of energy!

Puh-puh-pung—

Swaaaaa—

With a sonic boom, a fierce storm burst from my body. Goblins near me were blown away in all directions, and the area instantly froze over.

Soldiers yelled furiously as they knocked away the goblins.

Goblins clung to the soldiers' limbs and backs, baring their fangs. The rest of the goblins around them screamed and shouted.

It felt like a scene from an icy hell.

Even in the midst of it, goblins kept climbing up the rampart. But before they could even get on, they froze and tumbled back down.

Next, I sent a wave of cold snap downward from the rampart with all my might.

Swaaaaa—

Jjejejejejeong—

A series of deafening sounds followed, then all at once the goblins' howling stopped.

When a freezing skill meets ice, it creates a synergy effect, and it seemed stronger than I'd expected.

Maybe because the entire rampart was frozen.

Worried about aftereffects from remaining frozen too long, I approached Russell first.

Drawing a dagger, I stabbed the goblins clinging to Russell's body and slowly absorbed the chill.

The freezing lifted quickly, but Russell couldn't move right away.

He stared at me rigidly, having no idea what I'd done since he'd lost consciousness.

"Russell. I did this. Please take care of all the dwarf demons here. Their bodies aren't as hard as ice."

With that, I climbed down from the rampart.

I immediately called Donnie and headed with him toward the rampart's gate.

To take care of the trolls, as well.

"Donnie. Open the door."

"Open the door? I heard a giant's roar just now!"

"A small cold snap hit. It should be frozen for now."

"A small cold snap? I never heard of that."

"Just open the door."

"All right."

Donnie lifted the heavy crossbar locking the massive gate.

It was a log reinforced with steel, but Donnie could lift it alone—well, at least he lifted one side by himself.

Kkigigiing—

As Donnie pushed, the huge door slowly swung open.

I ran down the passage toward the next door.

I checked outside to make sure it was quiet, then signaled Donnie to open this door as well.

He hesitated a moment, then lifted the crossbar on the second door, too. He cautiously opened it, and—

Gasp! I couldn't help but exclaim.

There were five trolls. Goblins swarmed around them and clung to them, numbering in the hundreds.

However, they weren't completely frozen—just stiffened so that they could barely move.

Countless goblins slithered along the ground, writhing.

Kaaak!

Krrrrr—

A few tried desperately to approach me.

The trolls also twisted their bodies, trying to move.

"Donnie! Bring out all the [fire pouches]!"

"Yes! But you shouldn't be out here alone!"

"I'm fine! They can't move now!"

"Ah, okay!"

Donnie hurriedly ran back to the fortress.

Once I confirmed he'd entered the first gate, I walked forward, slowly releasing the power of freezing.

To freeze everything completely.

///

Thunk—

The second door closed and the crossbar dropped.

While Donnie went to get the fire pouches, I finished everything up and was heading back to the fortress.

"Let's go up to the rampart."

"Come to think of it, it's quiet up there now."

"It's frozen over too."

Together with Donnie, I climbed the rampart.

Russell had finished off all the goblins.

"They're all dealt with."

"Thank you for your hard work. Donnie, give him the fire pouch."

"Yes."

Russell took the pouch Donnie handed him and tucked it inside his clothes.

The leather pouch Donnie had given him was a kind of hot pack made from a mixture of firestone powder, sawdust, and other things.

"Donnie, you can go down now."

"Yes."

Once Donnie descended, I slowly began absorbing the power of freezing from the rampart.

Suddenly, soldiers and goblins started collapsing one by one. All the soldiers fainted, and all the goblins died.

Next, I placed the fire pouches Donnie had brought inside the armor of each soldier.

Russell also helped distribute the pouches and said,

"I see now why you only told me..."

"Yes. Not everyone needs to know."

"The giants must have frozen, too."

I simply nodded in silence.

Meanwhile, the soldiers gradually came to. They had no idea what had happened.

Russell spoke up.

"I'll take care of the soldiers."

"I'll leave it to you, Russell. The giants should stay frozen for a while. Donnie saw it but I just said it was a small cold snap."

"I can tell them that, then."

Thus, the goblin crisis was over.

The defense against the giants went just as I'd expected.

If the soldiers suffered any aftereffects, I'd find a way to heal them. After all, they were my soldiers.

///

The 30-year cold snap came as predicted.

The morning after the fierce battle with the goblins, just as the villagers said—by the latest, it would arrive within a day—it truly did.

Wheeeeeee—

Deolgeodeong. Deolgeodeong.

The howling wind and shaking windows grew ever louder. The fortress trembled under the force of the freezing storm.

As time passed, the blizzard's intensity only increased.

Kkigigiing—

Kagagagak—

A series of bizarre noises rang out. It sounded like countless things were striking the rampart, or perhaps shards of ice were scraping violently at the walls.

I never imagined a blizzard could be so terrifying.

"It's coming soon!"

"Step away from the wall!"

Ku-kung—

Swaaaaa—

With someone's shout, came the sound of something collapsing. It felt as if a massive strength was pressing down on the entire village.

Right then.

From the ceiling, suddenly—jjejejejeok!—a strange sound was heard. White frost began to form, and everything started freezing over.

The whole house was literally being encased in ice, starting from the ceiling and quickly spreading to the doors.

The frost crept across the floor up to the wall and doors, slowly advancing into the room like a swarm of white ants.

This made Urald, who'd been sitting on a chair, quickly retreat to the bed.

Only after the whole party climbed onto the bed did the freezing spreading across the room finally halt.

Thanks to the heat from the stove, the frost slowly began to sublimate and disappear, until finally, the floor was clear.

"Phew! That's one hell of a cold snap!"

Urald let out a sigh of relief.

The siblings and Donnie had gone pale.

Frost still rimmed the walls, but the storm had subsided. The strange noises were gone as well.

"The cold snap has swept over the village. That bizarre noise was probably the blizzard passing over the rampart. I never expected it would be this fierce."

"If we go out now, will we freeze?"

"You probably couldn't take more than ten steps."

You wouldn't freeze instantly, but you'd soon be unable to move at all. Even a bit of a rise in temperature wouldn't make much of a difference.

This meant we'd have to spend the whole winter with everything completely frozen over.

Since it was a cold snap from the polar region, I'd been worried.

But I didn't absorb the chill into my body—maybe because it wasn't assimilated with magic power, or maybe just exactly as much as my magic power would allow.

But why does the 30-year cold snap happen?

Is it because of the planet's cycle? Is there something in the Arctic? Or could it be the result of an ancient demon invasion?

One way or another, it passed without incident.

They say if this harsh winter lasts, it could go for a month.

For me, it's time to prepare for the future.

Skill development, research and crafting, all good.

I'll retrace my memories to draw a map of the continent.

Plan out the future.

Devise a master plan.

For my new life in Rac.

For my family and my people.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
It's sometimes frustrating that soldiers don't listen to orders...
【(⩌_⩌ )】