Former Hero, Solo Play Oriented

A white-haired elf, welcomed as a comrade by the Hero Party in the northern part of the continent, hardly ever spoke.

‘Rain.’

That was the first word she uttered after meeting us.

That was her name.

‘Little Rain? Adult Rain? Should we call her something like that?’ ‘Her hair is white too, so it’s similar, right?’ ‘Little Rain has silvery strands in her hair, doesn’t she?’ The three of them puzzled over it, huddled together, while I just stood there.

Maybe that’s why, I didn’t have many memories of talking with her.

Instead, whenever I gazed at the stars alone at night, she would quietly sit next to me and gaze at the sky for hours.

After spending months together in silence, one day she told me her true name.

Softly, with a smile.

‘Igrim, priestess of the World Tree.’

After that, we began to share conversations at night, little by little.

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“Ha.”

I managed to take down two Ice Golems and caught my breath as I looked down the hill.

WHOOOSH!

A strong icy wind swept through.
The white of the snowfield and the vast forest of towering trees spread out before me.

This was the second area of the expansion pack, ‘Frozen Lands,’ following the ‘Par Snowfield Region.’

In this area, large woods began to come into view. There were plenty of coniferous trees and birches, trees resilient to the cold.

Geographically speaking, I wonder if this area is close to Russia.

I remembered wandering around this nearby area when I first arrived in this world. Of course, being set a thousand years in the past might have changed things a bit.

And here, I met her.

The fifth and final companion of the Hero Party.

“Elf Igrim.”

In the past, every time I thought of them, I felt my breath quicken and my mind go foggy, unable to continue my thoughts.

But now I tilted my head.

“I’m not feeling that way as much these days.”

Was there a change in my emotions that I wasn’t aware of?

The pain in my chest that used to arise whenever I thought of them had significantly faded.

I had seen the emblem of the Melissa family in some tomb in a desert area.

I visited the headquarters of the Holy Church, where Saintess Elena was, in a rocky mountain of the plains.

In a certain Dwarf village, I came across Dwarf Ain’s petroglyphs.

And lastly, the final companion, ‘Elf Igrim,’ whose trace I had yet to find.

Aside from wandering elves or small elf villages, most elves supposedly formed a kingdom centered around the World Tree.

However, the location of the World Tree was not known even in the time when I was active. One could assume that spirits or some magical obstructions concealed that massive tree.

Would the elven kingdom still be thriving even after a thousand years in this era?

Sister Igrim said she was the priestess of the World Tree.

But the place I met her was a snowy region in the chilly north.

That implies…

Is the World Tree hidden in this vast forest of the cold north?

Should I have asked Sister Igrim where the World Tree was located?

An endless snowfield and a large forest.

Eventually, I had no choice but to aimlessly search for traces of the elves in this snowy area.

The exploration of the ‘Salva Snowfield Region’ proceeded in fits and starts.

The area itself was much larger than the first area, ‘Par Snowfield Region,’ and the size of the forest was enormous.

The game’s system interface, ‘Map,’ served somewhat as my guide.

However, unseen places remained undisclosed. I had to slowly fill out the map over several days.

When the guild members were around, we would grind dungeons together. We also steadily completed quests.

Meanwhile, I continued leveling up, exploring this snowfield area.

The size of the world was undeniably immense. It truly felt like someone had copied and pasted the ‘Continent of Astria’ itself.

I’ve heard that a popular pixel construction game back on Earth had a huge map too. Even with future technology, you could detail a world like this.

Today, my steps echoed.

Patter, patter.

Patter, patter.

I was exploring the vast forest of the snowfield, glancing sideways at Chris, who walked beside me.

“Sis, aren’t we grinding dungeons?”

“Rain is exploring, isn’t he?”

“Have you cleared the Ice Tower?”

“Umm…? When we reach the region’s highest level, it should be easy to clear it.”

She smiled sweetly at me.

I nodded.

“That’s true.”

The entry-level for the Ice Tower was 45, and the Named Enemy level was 50, so once I achieved the highest level in this area, the penalties due to level differences would almost disappear.

However, most of the early user groups were earning gold with bus runs at the ‘Ice Castle of the Frozen Land.’ The Hong Baek guild members were doing the same.

Even among early users not running a bus, most were leveling up in the monster-infested areas of this region or challenging the Ice Tower.

Of course, at this point, having just entered the second area, it seemed a bit too early for that.

In the end, I was the only one exploring this massive forest area after farming at the Ice Castle of the Frozen Land and clearing the Ice Tower.

I complained for no reason.

“This feels inefficient. You should be leveling up when you have the time.”

“With Rain traveling together, there’s no such thing as inefficiency.”

“R-Right? If you’re happy, then it’s all good.”

I fiddled with my fingers for no reason.

Chris kindly took hold of my fidgeting hand.

Holding her hand, I continued walking through the tree-covered path, blanketed in snow.

Patter, patter.

Patter, patter.

And so, it gradually surrounded us.

I only noticed something was off once I felt a chill on my hand.

“!?”

I hurriedly looked around.

I could hardly see a step ahead.

“Is it fog? In the forest of the north?”

Something felt weird.

This fog isn’t natural.

The chat window, not opening.

The messenger window, not opening.

All interfaces were shut out.

Of course, logging out was possible but…

Soon, a wave of unease washed over me.

Is Sister Chris okay?

“Sis? Sis? Where are you?”

I desperately called out to her in a voice full of anxiety.

Should I log out to check on her situation?

No. I finally caught a clue.

I can’t back down now.

I took a deep breath.

And slowly began to navigate through the fog.

There’s definitely something in here.

Patter, patter.

Minutes crept by.

“…In! Rain!”

Hug!

“Ah!?”

I was startled by the warmth that wrapped around my body.

My guard radar didn’t react.

This feeling, this touch.
It’s definitely Sister Chris.

I looked up to confirm her face.

Chris’s face was filled with concern.

“Um, I was so scared I almost rushed straight to your room, but I thought our Rain would definitely keep exploring!”

I awkwardly scratched my face.

Chris knows me too well.

By the way, how did she find me in this magical fog?

Reading the question in my eyes, Chris wore a confident expression.

“No matter where you are, my Rain detection radar always activates!”

“Wow.”

Sister Chris is amazing.

While my guard radar is neutralized, she can detect me.

Chris tightened her grip around my hands as if she wouldn’t let go again.

I hesitated for a moment.

“Um.”

Magical fog.

I can’t distinguish the front, and I lose track of my surroundings.

If this is a gimmick, it’s quite nasty.

However, this too would definitely be a gimmick that can be resolved.

This time, I wouldn’t be thinking as a system, but rather from the experiences I had in adventures in this world.

Following the common sense of this world, I had to find the direction.

I gently brushed my hand against a nearby massive conifer.

“Do you know about the rings of that tree?”

“Uh-huh. You can tell the direction by looking at the rings from the tree stump, right?”

“That’s actually a misunderstanding. It’s said that the distances between the rings differ depending on the sunlight received, but in reality, there are so many variables like slopes, wind, and the type of tree that it’s uncertain.”

“Oh! Rain, you’re quite knowledgeable!”

Chris clapped, impressed.

I blushed in embarrassment.

“Um, um, it’s not that special.”

Then I looked at the branches of the snow-heavy conifer. They were slightly tilted in one direction.

Even if it’s just a little, if there’s really a World Tree around here, surely the surrounding plants would be influenced by it.

“This way.”

I took Chris’s hand and started to lead the way.

Carefully checking the trees in front of me, I advanced cautiously for about an hour.

The fog around started to thin out.

This confirmed it.

If I go this direction, I will definitely reach where I need to be.

As I continued to move forward, the snow covering the trees vanished, revealing a wave of green before my eyes.

I turned to confirm what I saw with Chris.

“……? Sis. There’s no snow from here?”

“Oh! You’re right!”

At the same time, I felt the temperature around rise significantly.

Still lower than the continent’s average temperature, but an environment where plants could thrive completely.

Shivers.

In that moment, a signal caught my attention.

CLANG!

I swiftly drew Astaroth and deflected the projectile that flew towards us, standing in front of Chris.

Before long, Chris also pulled out her talisman, her eyes sharp.

“What on earth?!”

Lying on the ground was an arrow.

And above, among the high trees, between the leaves, ‘it’ revealed itself.

With white long hair, elongated ears, and a beautiful appearance.
Yet, the angular jawline and muscular body clearly indicated he was male.

An elf, whose appearance I had often seen only as a user.

But this time, he was no user.
The first elf NPC I encountered on the Continent of Astria.

He looked down at us with cold eyes.

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