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“……?”

Hong Yu-ri, shaken back to reality by the biting cold, frowned. Why had she fainted? As her last memories resurfaced, she bit her lip in frustration.

When she fell into the deep snow, she tried to summon her magic, but it was harder than she expected. Magic was the life force of a mage. A high concentration of magic was like an elixir to a mage, but the issue was it was overwhelming. It was so difficult to unleash her magic that she almost got swept away in an avalanche, and just as she was about to fall, Alpha extended a tentacle to help her. The fact that she collapsed on that helping hand filled her with a sense of self-loathing and despair. In this state, she couldn’t do anything… Just then, she glanced below and saw Baek So-yul absorbing magic and shook her head.

‘Wasn’t it Baek So-yul who truly needed it from the start?’ she thought, questioning the meaning of her presence here. Just then, she met the hollow gaze of the white deer and swallowed hard. Why was Baek So-yul appearing down there…? Only then did Hong Yu-ri realize she was lying on the back of the white deer.

“You’re awake. By the way, it seems this mage is particularly afraid of you…”

“There’s a reason for that.”

“Hmm…”

Hong Yu-ri frowned at the completely unintelligible words while adjusting her position on the deer. Suddenly, she flinched as Alpha extended a tentacle but felt relieved when she realized it wasn’t directed at her. Blood gushed from the tentacle that struck the ground, staining the pure white snow.

“……?”

When she used Magic Detection, she sensed numerous presences around her. However, they were invisible to the naked eye. A multitude of strange creatures hid beneath the snow—perhaps the movement from Alpha’s tentacle had stirred them into action.

Out in the snow, a large monster resembling a giant insect with countless legs emerged—one Hong Yu-ri had never seen before. The magic emanating from it was insignificant, yet its form inspired an instinctual revulsion.

The wolf began to take down the centipedes with shadows and tentacles. The centipedes weren’t weak monsters, but they couldn’t even get close to the wolf. It was a complete slaughter—far beyond what Hong Yu-ri had experienced in her previous battle with it. She bit her lip; that growth was unearthly.

“Teacher!”

At Baek So-yul’s call, Hong Yu-ri snapped back to reality and summoned her magic upon seeing a monster closing in from behind her. This time, it didn’t manifest properly, but she managed to force out her magic through the dense energy of the dungeon. The moment she snapped her fingers—a fiery chain shot out, binding the centipede and forcing it into submission. As she clenched her fist, the chains tightened, burning and squeezing the immobilized creature.

“A magnificent mage… But magic should be embraced, not repelled.”

It was an unknown remark, but she could tell it was directed at her. The white deer shook its head, and magic began to surge from its entire body. It wasn’t powerful magic, but it blended with the dense magic around them, gathering together. Instead of embracing it, just letting it be would—

‘How?’

She couldn’t comprehend. The way it was used seemed too natural, but Hong Yu-ri knew just how absurd it was. Just then, a massive shard of ice broke through the centipede as Baek So-yul reached out.

“So, it really is…”

Contrary to the nodding white deer, Hong Yu-ri couldn’t hide her surprise. The centipede might not die from a large ice shard, but for someone like Baek So-yul, still a student, it was something beyond her capability. Something had changed—was she also surprised? With wide eyes, Baek So-yul began chanting again, and Hong Yu-ri put aside her earlier worries, starting to closely observe her. After all, she was born to be a mage.

***

‘…It seems we’ve nearly finished.’

Having dealt with most of the approaching centipedes and turning around, she saw Hong Yu-ri and Baek So-yul using magic. It didn’t seem worth her effort to chip in. As the white deer shot a magic ball, one centipede was pierced and fell. Using her piercing vision, she confirmed that vital spots had been struck, perhaps related to her skill.

With Baek So-yul chanting behind her, Hong Yu-ri began to take action, and it didn’t take long to take down the remaining centipedes. Before they could retreat in surprise, they all fell to the ground, pierced by a red bullet of magic.

[You have absorbed a Greedy Centipede. Experience and fullness increase.]

As she devoured them, she felt close to reaching level 18.

‘It seems we’ve cleared the snowfield.’

—Now only the valley below remained. But with the name “Frost Valley,” the real threat lay down there. As the snow covering the valley was swept away by the avalanche, she sensed the monsters that had been hibernating below starting to awaken one by one.

“Are you alright?”

While it seemed impossible that Hong Yu-ri would be hurt by such monsters, Baek So-yul might be at risk. As she turned her gaze, she noticed Baek So-yul, slightly dazed, hugging her.

“…Yes. It’s a bit amazing. I feel a little dazed.”

Baek So-yul was in shock, feeling as if it wasn’t her own magic at work. From her perspective, the Greedy Centipede was weak, yet it was still stronger than an orc or a cyclops.

‘A witch.’

That wasn’t a frivolous remark. Baek So-yul wielded a tremendous amount of magic that no one could touch.

“So that’s why you brought me here?”

“……?”

“So that I can learn to protect myself…”

At that remark, she nodded. I could clear the dungeon without delay, and Baek So-yul could absorb magic; it was a win-win situation. The grip around her tightened, becoming slightly uncomfortable.

“Kyu~!”

The fairy wrapped around the neck of the white deer flew off, nudging Baek So-yul as if to let her go, and just then, the white deer spoke.

“Are we going down?”

“Yeah. How long will it take?”

“Two days… It might even be shorter.”

Two days… As I glanced ahead, I paused briefly to contemplate whether to absorb enough magic to clear the dungeon or to leave a few monsters behind to gather more magic. Just then, I felt something touch my leg and looked down to see Hong Yu-ri’s hand.

“……?”

***

I can do this. Like Baek So-yul and the white deer, I felt my way through handling external magic. It wasn’t through instinct; I was thinking and mimicking, acclimatizing Hong Yu-ri to the magic of the dungeon. As she became more comfortable using magic, the centipedes couldn’t stand before her. After dealing with all the centipedes, her crimson eyes gazed at her own hands. Once the battle was over, the worries she had momentarily set aside returned.

‘It’s not me…’

Alpha had brought Baek So-yul out of necessity. She had no intention of denying that—so what?

‘Are you just going to cling to my ankle?’

Would she faint again? Would she tremble and loathe herself every time? She didn’t have the thought of doing her best or being helpful but also had no intention to cling to anyone pathetically. Alpha was indeed frightening, but it didn’t harm her. She knew that well. Yet, gritting her teeth, Hong Yu-ri shook her head vigorously. No need for useless thoughts. What was needed wasn’t thought but action.

“……!”

Hong Yu-ri marched through the snowy field. Her feet, sinking into the snow, trembled as if to tell her to stop. —This could lead to an irreversible situation. As she thought she could still go back, she twisted her lips into a smirk.

‘What the hell.’

For such a trivial thing…! In front of Alpha, Hong Yu-ri didn’t think but reached out. Before hesitation could form, her hand touched the rough fur, sending chills down her spine. Clenching her teeth, Hong Yu-ri summoned magic to endure. As the red gaze turned towards her, her mind went haywire, but she couldn’t faint, and that realization made her lips curl up into a bitter smile.

—But that was her limit. As Hong Yu-ri, about to crumple, was nearly touched by the wolf’s tentacle, Baek So-yul caught her.

“You did well. Teacher.”

***

She thought she would faint, but seeing her pale complexion holding strong made her nod. Overcoming her fear might not take as long as she expected.

‘After all, I must become as capable as Euna.’

To face the Volcano Ceratops, she needed to be able to ride on the Juggernaut like she had before. Instead of waiting to absorb magic, she decided to head down to the valley. Steep slope. Baek So-yul and Hong Yu-ri hopped onto the back of the white deer, and they began to descend the cliff.

“Will it be alright? What if you…?”

“Shut up.”

Hong Yu-ri frowned at the worried voice and caught her breath.

“If we’re going to do this, it’s better to do it quickly and get it over with.”

“…….”

As they landed on the bottom—the Frost Valley devoid of flowing water—several presences were watching them.

“There are a ton of them… Aren’t they busy?”

Hong Yu-ri’s sharp words made me chuckle. When you think about it, they awakened the monsters that had been hibernating due to the avalanche, so it was only natural to feel their ire. The numbers were high, but most of them were stronger than the Greedy Centipedes on the snowfield above. Monsters that could barely scrape into B-Class. Among them were the massive Snow Giants and those that swam beneath the ground, among other things.

“Is this okay?”

Baek So-yul, sensing the magic late, spoke anxiously, and Hong Yu-ri scoffed. As long as she had time to cast, the numbers didn’t mean a thing to a high-level mage.

‘The problem is…’

It seemed Baek So-yul hadn’t realized, but the real issue was the boss of this dungeon—the true giant presence felt deep within the cliffs, not among the snow. Hong Yu-ri frowned as the wolf’s eyes clearly recognized what it was.

[Frost Lord (Frost Bone)]

[Height 21.96m] [Length 5.23m] [Weight 17.2t]

[Strength 475] [Agility 504] [Health 478] [Magic 631]

[Skills Available]

[High Magic (B)] [Magic Concentration (C)] [Mitigation (C)] [Frost Eye (C)] [Magic Armor (C)] [High-speed Flight (D)]

—A huge dragon, reduced to bones, began to awaken from the cliffs.

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