00400 3. Second Request – Rescue: Frozen Forest (5/5) ——————————— —————————————=
It was deep at night, and the forest was dark.
Seeing… . Sigh… .
And it was very cold.
“hmm.”
A cold wind blew so hard that it stung my skin, and I flinched a little. And then he straightened his hips and approached the blazing bonfire alone.
When I suddenly raise my head and look up at the night sky, I see countless twinkling stars embroidered on it. It looks like there’s still a long night left.
“Cool… . Cool… .”
So I pulled up the blanket wrapped around my body, thinking about having a bowl of stew left over from dinner, and suddenly I heard a faint sound of snoring. Even if you don’t see who it is, it’s a video. I smiled brightly and looked around with a sigh.
Densely grown trees and lush bushes. Looking at this alone, it would seem like a perfect forest, but the surrounding scenery had one difference from a typical forest.
What I see is that the trees I step on are covered in frost.
no. It wasn’t just trees. Frost covered the entire forest, making it feel like we were in the middle of Antarctica.
Anyway.
I scanned the surroundings sharply to fulfill my role as a watchdog, and only looked down again after confirming that no one was there.
How much time has passed?
Crack! Crack, crack!
Suddenly, I glanced up at the sound of sparks flying. Then, I saw flames scattered in the air, and beyond them, I saw someone nodding their head. This is Ahn Hyeon.
“Um, um… . Yeonju sister… . You can’t do this… .”
What the hell. Not only is it not enough to doze off while on watch, but you also have wild imaginations?
I originally planned to wake him up after about 15 minutes, but Ahn Hyun’s sleep talking made me change my mind. To be honest, I would have tolerated it to some extent if it had been Yu-jeong or Han-gyeol, but Go Yeon-ju was an exception.
So, as soon as I saw the sinister smile on his lips, I opened my mouth without hesitation.
“hey. “Ahn Hyeon.”
“Hehehe!”
Surprisingly, Anhyun responded right away. And the subsequent actions were also surprisingly agile. For a moment, her head straightens up, her eyes widen and she looks around.
“Hmm. Hehehe. hmm… . brother! I don’t think there’s anything strange. Seup.”
“… okay?”
“Call, Cough! Seup.”
“… … .”
Although he played it off for a while, he seemed to soon feel the traces of saliva running down his mouth.
I narrowed my eyes and stared at him, and Hyun immediately stared at me with an awkward look.
“… sorry.”
I rummaged through the firewood piled next to me and opened my mouth quietly.
“I heard I’ll be arriving sometime this morning, so if you’re sleepy, just go in and sleep. “Don’t make mistakes when it’s really important.”
“Oh, no! How dare I… when my brother is on guard duty? . I’m sorry. older brother.”
“Try to erase the sleep from your eyes. Or maybe you should have said something in advance and closed your eyes. “You said this on Mule before, right?”
What I meant was that if you feel sleepy, ask for understanding in advance and then go to sleep. It is a hundred times better to sleep for about 15 minutes and be on watch with a clear mind than to be on guard in a half-conscious state. (Of course, there must be at least two people on watch.)
“lol.”
Ahn Hyun just smiled sheepishly, as if he had made a hundred mistakes.
I let out a short sigh when I saw that and stopped pushing it. Anyway, this was the most difficult time to stay alert, and I was quite sleepy at the time.
Ahn Hyeon opened his mouth wide for a while, but eventually opened his mouth cautiously, as if he could not overcome Suma.
“I. older brother. “There’s still a lot left to watch, right?”
“huh. “It’s a long way to go to shift.”
“Then I’m really sorry, but can I just sleep for one minute? “I’m so sleepy.”
“… I’ll wake you up in 5 minutes. “I am watching your area.”
As soon as permission was given, Ahn Hyeon immediately lowered his head and started snoring within 10 seconds.
Only then did I throw the firewood I had grabbed earlier into the bonfire and stared at the flames flying here and there.
After a while.
As I stared at the flickering flames for a while, my mind naturally fell into deep thought.
Two weeks have already passed since I received Istantel Row’s request.
As long as you have received the request.
And as long as the content of the request involves life and death, the urgency of the hour is at stake.
I announced the request notice and personnel selection that day, and set off for the ‘Frozen Forest’ the next day.
There were only 6 clan members who participated in this investigation team, which was not a large number. First of all, me and Ahn Hyeon. And it was Vivien, Shin Jae-ryong, Lim Hanna, and Jeong Ha-yeon. And if you include Song Seung-gyu, who joined as a leader, the total number of people will be 7.
Although the number of people may be thought to be smaller than expected, the client did not say anything. However, he only said something to urge us to leave, as if he wanted to go as quickly as possible.
The ‘Frozen Forest’ was not a ruin I had planned to explore, but it was definitely a place in my memory.
In fact, it wasn’t that difficult by my standards, so I boldly excluded all but the necessary positions. (In terms of efficiency, it would have been better to include a high performance, but the current mercenary needed a clan lord deputy, so I left it in.)
Afterwards, the investigation team that moved west marched straight to their destination and were able to arrive at the ‘Frozen Forest’ just three days ago.
And now. We were just one day before arriving at our final destination, the ‘Ice Tower’.
When evaluated objectively, everything went smoothly up to this point. There weren’t many monsters to be seen (because they had already created a siege) and, except for the extremely cold weather, no clan members were injured.
However, if there is one variable, it is the client… .
‘huh?’
– Saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa… .
– Heaaaaaa… .
It was then.
When I suddenly sensed abnormal signs around me, I immediately woke up from my thoughts and raised my senses.
And as I keep my head still and turn my gaze to the left and right, I see pale things appearing one by one among the trees. When I quietly counted the number, I wonder if the number seemed to be roughly equivalent to spirit. At first glance, it looks like white steam or haze, but… .
‘This suspicious aircraft… . There’s no way they would appear all at once like this.’
I guess I couldn’t hear their footsteps because they were shapeless.
– Heeeeeeeee… .
– Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu… .
A song that gives you goosebumps and can never be heard through human voice. I held on tightly to the ‘armored sword’ that I had kept inside the blanket, and looked ahead, intending to wake Ahn Hyeon first.
“not… .”
“brother.”
But surprisingly, Anhyun was already up. I blinked my eyes three or four times as if I was still drowsy, but my pupils were infinitely sunken. Before I knew it, that guy’s hand was secretly heading towards the ‘Jet Black Spear’.
Anhyun asked in a low tone.
“brother… . “What are these?”
“… shade.”
“A ghost?”
Ahn Hyeon closed and opened his hand holding the spear, constantly looking left and right alternately. Then, he sent a signal to the guy who was about to run towards the tent telling him to wait a moment, and soon he began to understand the signs around him in detail.
– Saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa… .
– Heaaaaaa… .
‘Don’t you feel any hostility?’
– … good… .
– … Hit it… .
No, wait a minute.
‘This… .’
I’m trying to say something.
While I still didn’t let go of my hand on the sword, I listened even more closely to the deafening sounds the haze made.
– … … ! female… west … go!
– fat… … … yo. this. I… Save… … yo. this.
okay. It is certainly. The noise that at first sounded like the wind now sounded like it was saying something. As if I wasn’t the only one who heard it, Ahn Hyun rolled his eyes with a stiff expression on his face.
“Tongue, bro… . what… . I hear a strange mumbling sound. I may not understand it exactly, but… .”
muttering. Even for me, who has heightened my senses, I can’t hear it perfectly, but for Anhyun, it will be faintly audible.
After expressing my intention to understand, I put my index finger to my lips, and Anhyun immediately closed her mouth quietly.
– escape… ! Run away! Inside the forest… … … luck… !
– you guys… I’m being deceived… . … Inside the gold tent… … Is … silver… .
indeed. Is that so?
Based on the last words I heard, I was able to understand what the ghosts were trying to say, and at the same time, I quietly let go of the sword I had been holding tightly.
“… … .”
He looked back at the tent once, then slowly turned his head again and made eye contact with the ghosts.
Eventually, when I made eye contact with Ahn Hyeon at the final station, I softly opened my mouth.
“Don’t worry too much. “Just take a break.”
“yes? Rest?”
I nodded quietly. And as I looked sideways, a feeling of agitation came over me.
– Don’t worry… … ?
– what… article… he!
As if there was someone who was quick to notice, the ghosts suddenly became quiet. After confirming their silence, I spoke once more.
Of course, my eyes were still fixed on Anhyeon.
“I know. “These guys are ghosts who have nowhere to go.”
“yes?”
“Be patient even if it’s cold. If you step away soon… . You will feel comfortable soon. So don’t react hastily, just wait quietly.”
“?”
Perhaps because the answer was slightly out of focus, Ahn Hyeon tilted his head the entire time. However, the ghosts seemed to understand what I said right away and immediately did as I said.
– … they say. that… all… .
-Thank you… all.
The haze disappeared in an instant. Just like when I first discovered it, it appeared in an instant and then disappeared in an instant.
A little time passed, and silence returned again.
“brother. “Did you just say that to me?”
“It’s true what I told you.”
“no. What is that… .”
“What? “Even if I say something stupid, I want you to understand it perfectly.”
After spitting out a word, I got up and looked at the bonfire. Near the firewood pile was a pot containing leftover meat stew from tonight’s dinner.
I lifted the pot with a light hand and glanced at Anhyeon. Then, I see the guy still moving his neck with a blank expression on his face.
“help?”
Even though he was dumbfounded, Anhyeon nodded and nodded, probably because he was hungry.
I immediately found the remaining bowl and handed it over, suddenly looking up at the night sky.
Still, the remaining nights are long.
‘I’m looking forward to tomorrow.’
*
The morning dawned.
The morning in the ‘Frozen Forest’ is not much different from dawn. The sun was shining brightly in the sky, but the sunlight was blocked by the ice in the forest and could not shine on the ground.
Moreover, the colder it got as we got deeper into the center, we had to keep rubbing our clothes as we marched.
I was not at the head of this march. At the front were leader Song Seung-gyu and archer Lim Hanna, and I, along with Ahn Hyeon, stood in the middle protecting the rest of the ranged class.
Rustle, rustle!
Rustle, crackle!
Every time I step on the frozen ground, I hear the sound of frozen bushes crunching.
“Ugh. “It’s so cold I’m going to die.”
While passing through the forest, Vivien hugged her whole body and grumbled. Even though he wore two layers of robes with a cold protection spell, it seems that he could not block the cold of the ‘Frozen Forest’.
“Iknow, right. It was so cold yesterday that I couldn’t sleep at all. “It’s warmer in front of the bonfire.”
“Ugh. yes?”
Hayeon also said “Ho” between joined hands. He blew his breath and agreed with Vivian’s complaints. Then he looked back at Shin Jae-ryong, who was quietly following him next to him, and continued.
“Jaeryong, aren’t you cold dressed like that? “I saw you yesterday and it seemed like you were only wearing a priest’s robe.”
He must have been surprised by the fact that someone spoke to him. Shin Jae-ryong widened his eyes for a moment, then smiled bitterly and answered.
“… “It’s pretty cold.”
“Then why…?” .”
“When I’m on an expedition, I have to dress like this so I can concentrate. Especially during combat. To be honest, I regret that nothing much has happened so far… . Anyway, I can clearly feel the value of the name Frozen Forest.”
“me too. If a monster appears, at least move your body. “I feel like my joints are freezing like this.”
Anhyeon also complained repeatedly that he was full. He was very excited to hear that he was going on an expedition for the first time in a long time, but he seemed quite bored as the expedition continued to be smoother than expected.
“The sun is rising like that… . “Isn’t it melting here?”
At that moment, Ahn Hyeon approached me with a flash of something on his face.
“Now that I think about it, bro. But suddenly I became curious. Why is this place called the Frozen Forest? And why doesn’t the ice melt?”
“… “I don’t know everything.”
“ah… . My brother always stopped by the library before going on an expedition. So, just in case you know… .”
“There wasn’t enough time to investigate this time… .”
Even though he said it like that, I was able to understand what Anhyun wanted. In the past, when I went to the research lab and the magic city of Magia, I explained some of the related stories, so I guess I was curious this time too.
Suddenly, I felt the expectant gaze of my clan members, as if everyone had been bored so far. Even Lim Hannah, who was walking ahead of her, looked back for a moment and smiled slightly.
‘As for the related story… . I really don’t remember the details… . ah.’
I cleared my throat once or twice and then stared at Song Seung-gyu’s back for a moment. And then he slowly opened his mouth.
“Anyway, I don’t know, but… . “Did you see the ghosts yesterday?”
“yes? yes.”
“Then listen. When you go to a grave or a haunted house, you often get an eerie feeling for no reason, right? So what do you mean by that? . okay. It’s called a vag!na. If such a feeling is defined as a negative energy, the ice in the forest is not just ice, but a ghost. In other words, it can be seen as a crystallization of the resentment of vengeful spirits.”
“Crystal? “Then are all these ices made of negative energy emitted by vengeful spirits?”
Anhyeon understood right away, so I nodded loudly.
“You could say so. “This forest is completely frozen, so much so that it is called a ‘frozen forest.’”
“then… .”
I nodded to Anhyun’s question.
“It’s one of two things. “There are either vengeful spirits with a negative energy strong enough to cover the entire forest, or there are countless vengeful spirits.”
Or maybe both. I ended my sentence without even saying the last word. And let’s take a look at the reactions, female clan members. In particular, I could see Jeong Ha-yeon’s shoulders shaking slightly.
It was then.
Crunchy, crunchy! Tuk!
The march stopped with a loud noise coming from the floor. Song Seung-gyu, who was leading in front, suddenly stopped his steps.
Song Seung-gyu said without even looking back.
“Im here.”
As he approached those words, Song Seung-gyu slowly raised his finger and pointed forward. Then, although there was still some distance left, a towering tower peeking out from above the trees caught my eye.
“That is the final destination.”
“I can see it clearly. Has confirmed.”
“… What would you like to do? “After a break, or right away?”
“Let’s go right in.”
I answered immediately, and the clan members organized their formation with even more tense faces.
Eventually, with Im Hanna taking a quick glance at Song Seung-gyu, we started marching again.
Rustle, rustle!
Rustle, rustle!
As some time passed, we were able to reach the front of the tower without any obstruction.
“and. Kim Soohyun. “It’s really high here.”
Vivien let out a loud exclamation and looked up at the tower.
If you look at the exterior alone, excluding the atmosphere, the scenery could be said to be pretty. The tower was located in the exact center of a frozen lake. The ice was thickly frozen around the bottom, giving the appearance of rising from the bottom.
Also, as Vivien said, the size of the tower was quite large. Although it was wide, the height seemed to reach 50 meters. The material appeared to be just brick, but there was ice stuck to the outside, so it seemed to be maintaining its shape to some extent.
After taking a moment to look around, I quietly opened my mouth.
“We will prepare to go inside.”
After a while. We slowly began to shorten the distance to the tower.
The closer I went, the more I could see the exterior, but the cracks and stains I could see here and there gave it an old-fashioned feel.
It was then.
Im Hanna, who was standing in the lead, suddenly stopped walking and hung her head in a daze.
“Im Hanna?”
And at that moment, Song Seung-gyu quickly pulled her arm.
“It’s dangerous. “It’s a ghost.”
I shouted right away.
“Is there a problem.”
Im Hanna must have finally come to her senses and pointed down with a trembling hand.
“I felt something strange, so I lowered my head… . “Something passed by down here.”
Im Hanna’s voice was slightly frightened. I looked straight down with my third eye and tilted my head. There was only a frozen lake on the way to the tower.
Then, Song Seung-gyu’s words were immediately heard.
“… “If possible, avoid looking down.”
“yes yes?”
“Like the Mercenary Lord said earlier… . There are many ghosts here. At the very least, it would be best not to make eye contact. “They are trying to charm people somehow.”
“after… . okay. “I’ll be careful.”
As if to calm her frightened heart, Im Hanna gently placed her hand on her chest and took a deep breath.
“Merchantry Lord. “It would be best to go inside the tower quickly.”
I stared at Song Seung-gyu for a moment, then calmly nodded.
“Of course. So let’s get into it right now. Everyone, prepare well… . Mr. Song Seung-gyu. “Please lead the way.”
“All right. “I will take the lead.”
Song Seung-gyu answered in one breath and walked with long strides into the open entrance. And his companions and I made eye contact once and then carefully followed him.
When I finally entered the tower, a strong chill instantly swept over my entire body.
And when did you walk there?
Song Seung-gyu was seen standing alone in the center of an empty cavity, surrounded by bricks emitting a cold, icy light. He is still looking straight ahead, so you can’t see his face.
Soon, he silently pointed upward.
“You can probably get to the 8th floor right away.”
And the voice that follows, as if scraping metal… .
“Let’s go. Hehehehe… !”
Unlike what I heard outside, it had a very creepy tone.
—————————= Review of the work ——————– ——-=
Originally, this chapter was going to be a creepy horror story, but it changed direction to just a regular exploration. Because when Jwibulnori using hair appears in the next episode… . I don’t think it will be a match. haha. -_-a
I was really sorry for taking the day off yesterday. I don’t really know why. I don’t know if it’s Monday Sickness, but for some reason, my heart feels heavy and my emotions explode. I keep feeling lonely… . ㅜ.ㅠ
Anyway, I will continue to work hard.
Thank you for the 400th congratulations. 🙂
fantasy,
