I Have Become The Snow Maiden I Created

Translator: Marctempest

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

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Chapter 1: The Reincarnation of the Snow Maiden

[58:30]

The countdown had begun.

There was barely an hour left.

I needed to give a final push.

With a slight tension, strength filled my sweat-drenched hands.

– Giiikk…!

A black mass that could send chills down anyone’s spine on the screen let out a haunting wail.

Now that I was used to it, it no longer scared me, but it had been quite terrifying at first.

Before the disaster stood a slender beauty with pale blue-white hair.

The woman moved according to the mouse’s movements.

Naturally, she was the playable character I was controlling.

After briefly admiring her back, I input the command.

I would appreciate her later, but for now, I had to hurry.

The final battle with the disaster was about to begin.

Having seen it several times already, a tiresome cutscene with somber music played.

Though I could easily break it by simply kicking, this time, I had to be serious.

There wasn’t much time left, and the character I had chosen for this game set, Quellière, had low combat abilities.

I had only gotten this far thanks to high-level items collected from other playthroughs.

Of course, I was also covered in all sorts of buffs.

Shaa-

I used the blizzard skill, one of the Snow Maiden Quellière’s combat techniques, and the battlefield was soon covered in fierce snow and fog.

As a skill that altered the climate, it was classified as a grand magic, but it was a skill that had no destructive power unless fighting against mobs, which made it a worthless ability.

The only thing to praise was its range and the atmosphere it created.

Compared to a grand wizard’s ultimate spell, Blizzard, it was infinitely weaker, but I was satisfied.

After all, that was exactly the kind of skill I had aimed to create.

Still, it was disappointing when a quick battle was needed.

I had no choice but to resort to a trick.

After evading the disaster’s counterattack by transforming it into a visual illusion, I pulled out a wand-like item from my inventory.

It was a mythical-grade item, surrounded by stardust-like light that orbited me at all times.

“…How embarrassing.”

If the high-ranking players I knew saw me using a mythical-grade weapon to defeat just one final boss, they would have mocked me mercilessly.

As someone considered a veteran, I felt quite embarrassed, but there was no other way.

With the time running out… if I wanted to clear it before the launch of “Seasonal Wars II,” I had no other choice.

In this game, which had an extremely high degree of freedom, players could create their own characters.

As one of the early members and a hardcore fan, I had created dozens, even hundreds of characters, and among them, the Snow Maiden was my masterpiece, created in the game’s late stages.

A character designed solely for looks, taking into account the steep growth of the user and the increasingly lower difficulty of the game.

I hadn’t considered her abilities or time attack potential—only her appearance and the atmosphere she gave off.

Naturally, the character’s settings were biased toward that, making her quite unsuitable for strategy or combat.

Her basic stats and combat skills were extremely poor, and if I wanted to tackle the original base, it would take me hours.

But I was confident in my control, so I could defeat her if I tried.

“However, there’s no time.”

So, sorry, but you’re going to have to die.

With that thought, I used the overpowered skill embedded in the wand and struck, causing the boss to collapse with a sudden pop.

– Kieeeek!

As expected of a final boss, the disaster let out a majestic and irritating dying scream before vanishing.

Seeing that, I couldn’t help but feel a bit sorry.

Still, it was the final boss—I should have played with it more before finishing it off.

I had hurried, and now, after defeating it, I found that I still had plenty of time.

When the disaster disappeared, the screen returned to normal, blood-red and all.

Under the clear sky, shining drop items appeared.

Instinctively, I quickly collected the items.

Having fought this monster many times, the names of the items were all familiar, but the last one was different.

[Apocalypse of Disaster]

“Eh?”

I paused for a moment and stared at it.

An old book that reminded me of an ominous grimoire.

It was the first time I’d seen an item like this while playing “Seasonal Wars.”

Did the final boss, the Black Disaster, drop something like this?

There was still so much I didn’t know.

A sudden rush of excitement came over me, and I picked it up and checked the item description.

〈Apocalypse of Disaster〉

· Grade: ?

· Ability: If you offer something irreplaceable, the disaster will cease.

· Description: Equivalent exchange, the first principle of all magic. Truth does not distinguish between paths and apostles.

“Oo…”

What kind of nonsense is this?

The grade was a question mark, and there was nothing properly explained.

At first glance, it seemed like the game was mocking the player, but instead, I felt oddly pleased.

This game encourages players’ direct participation and exploration, so naturally, the better the item, the more vague its description would be.

The player had to figure out what the item was and how to use it.

Most people, with their tendency to rush, would ask the community what to do with it.

But those of us who were veterans from the early days could usually figure out the usage of such items without any hints.

While I was eager to investigate this item slowly, there was no time.

This was clearly a high-grade item, and “Seasonal Wars II” had a restriction that items of a certain grade wouldn’t carry over.

That was likely a balancing measure for the game.

“Can’t do anything about it.”

Since I couldn’t leisurely investigate, I decided to try using it right away.

There was one way to transfer items to the next game, and that was if the item had a permanent effect on the character.

Such items were extremely rare, so the chance of this being one of those was slim, but since I couldn’t use it anyway, there was no loss.

I immediately applied the Apocalypse of Disaster to Snow Maiden Quellière.

The ominous tome dissolved into ash and seeped into her.

“…What is this?”

But nothing happened.

Thinking the use might have been interrupted, I checked again, and the Apocalypse of Disaster had disappeared.

It seemed there were some hidden usage conditions.

“Could it be a trigger condition?”

It wasn’t visible, but maybe it was applied and would activate under certain circumstances.

Several hypotheses crossed my mind, but I had no way to prove them right at the moment.

Anyway, with no response and the item gone, I felt a little deflated.

[05:48]

Soon, I decided to put it out of my mind and turned my focus back to the remaining time.

In about five minutes, the sequel to my life’s work, “Seasonal Wars,” would be released.

I had already received the data, so as soon as it launched, I could start right away.

“Ha…”

Thinking about that again, my heart began to race.

My current wish was to experience “Seasonal Wars” the way I had when I first got into it, and now it seemed that wish would be granted in another way.

I couldn’t calm my excitement at the thought of reliving that initial thrill.

Seasonal Wars

This title, which had appeared like a comet several years ago, sold four million copies in just two weeks.

Considering that the game developer was a new company with no track record, it was an astonishing achievement.

The reason for its popularity could likely be the extreme freedom it offered, and I felt the same way.

In fact, the story itself wasn’t anything special.

The game “Four Seasons War” takes place on a chaotic continent engulfed in war throughout the four seasons, with the main objective being to defeat the “Black Calamity,” the cause of all this chaos.

It’s a time when heroes are easily born, a period of warlords and conflict, and players must join forces with these heroes to defeat the calamity.

If the player doesn’t intervene, the continent will be destroyed by the calamity, and the game will end just like that.

Thus, the user must think strategically, grow efficiently, and build their strength.

“There was so much to do.”

Here, the player could be anything they wanted.

From the beginning, users could design and set up their own characters, and they had the freedom to control the direction of the game, even making adjustments to various secondary elements.

For example, they could create NPCs that weren’t originally in the game or even alter parts of the storyline.

This uniqueness went beyond the level of performing the roles assigned to a character in typical RPGs, leading to the creation of a new genre: the “Role-Making RPG.”

It was truly a one-of-a-kind game, which, of course, created many devoted players like myself.

The endless possibilities meant it never got boring, and even those who briefly left the game would return once a new meta emerged.

“Looking back, there were so many things that happened.”

As I quietly reflected on past events, I stared at the screen.

After defeating the calamity and reaching the ending, the game set had returned to the settings menu.

On the rectangular board named ‘109 Set,’ three characters stood.

At the center was, of course, the first character: the Snow Maiden Quellière.

The other two, positioned beside her, were the secondary characters, much like the indispensable background extras.

In this game, in addition to the main character controlled by the player, two secondary characters could be added.

Although they were secondary, each had its own background and setting, meaning they could either be allies or enemies.

The two characters in this game set were from concepts I had used in previous playthroughs, but unfortunately, I hadn’t had the chance to meet them.

Due to my personal mission to finish the game in a day before the release, I didn’t have time to recruit companions.

Additionally, given Quellière’s character setting, it didn’t make sense for her to have warm, friendly relationships with others, so I didn’t bother to meet them.

“I had fun playing with them too.”

I looked at the two distinct characters.

A lonely vampire and a taciturn Black Knight, the lone warrior.

The former was based on the well-known vampire legend, and the latter was a concept I’d briefly got caught up in, inspired by the idea of a quiet, powerful figure.

All three, including Quellière, seemed to radiate an air of noble mystery, revealing my personal taste.

Had I not gotten hooked on the concept of the Snow Maiden while researching folklore, I might have kept developing different ideas.

But ever since creating Quellière, I found it hard to take an interest in any other characters.

“Is this… love?”

I mumbled to myself, glancing at the time.

Suddenly, I was startled.

It was getting so close.

[00:23]

My heart skipped a beat as the numbers changed.

I’d heard that the background of “Four Seasons War II” takes place a thousand years before the events of the original.

As a sequel and prequel, what kind of events would unfold in this one?

With the subtitle “The Dawn of the Calamity,” perhaps it would delve deeper into the calamity itself.

Whatever the case, as long as it was fun, I, as a gamer, didn’t care.

[00:00]

“Let’s go!”

As the time arrived, I clicked to start the game with superhuman reflexes.

This is the kind of physical skill only a veteran gamer would have.

Though no one else responded, the system window popped up instead.

[The game is starting.]

[We found a record of your play in ‘Four Seasons War.’ Would you like to sync the data?]

[Y/N]

Knowing this already, I didn’t hesitate and pressed Yes.

Immediately, the screen turned black, and my vision faded to black as well.

*

I had no memory after that.

Perhaps it was just a brief headache, but my head throbbed.

I felt a strange sensation of floating, as if dizziness had come over me.

I gently placed my hand on my forehead and opened my tightly closed eyes.

“……”

It was a world of pure white.

The walls of my room, which had accumulated yellowish grime from neglect, were nowhere to be seen.

Instead, there was something resembling a white space in front of me.

Was I so shocked that I froze in place?

“What is this…?”

I couldn’t help but mutter, but as soon as I heard my voice, I froze again.

It was an impossibly soft voice, one I couldn’t attribute to myself.

My usual deep voice was nowhere to be found.

This made no sense.

Just moments ago, I had heard my own voice, and now it had changed so suddenly.

Not just changed, but it was now this delicate tone that seemed utterly impossible for a man.

I glanced around, trying to comprehend the situation, but my eyes were fixed on one spot like a magnet.

“……!”

There was a mirror.

It was an elegant full-length mirror, simple in design but looking strangely luxurious.

It shouldn’t have been in my room, but that wasn’t the issue.

The issue was the reflection in the mirror.

A woman I knew all too well.

The Snow Maiden Quellière, as white as snow herself.

“…What is this?”

The celestial voice echoed in my ears, and a sharp headache returned.

I lifted my hand to touch my forehead but froze mid-motion.

My hands—smooth and flawless like a blank canvas—were not the hands I had known.

They were pale, almost ethereal, without a single visible vein, and I stared at them in a daze.

I shifted my gaze back to the mirror.

I looked at Quellière in the reflection.

When I moved my eyes or hands, she mirrored my every motion, like a puppet.

The shock was so overwhelming that I was left speechless.

After a long silence, I muttered as if to myself.

“Could this be… possession?”

There was a genre in subculture, though not officially classified, that dealt with possession or reincarnation.

I wasn’t proud of it, but I knew a lot about such things, and because of that, I could adapt to the situation relatively quickly.

“Possession… And a TS (gender swap)…?”

Of course, that didn’t mean I wasn’t shocked.

Who wouldn’t be confused if they were suddenly pulled into a game, especially with their gender changed?

As proof, my stomach churned, and my heart was racing wildly.

“But… it doesn’t show.”

While my inner turmoil felt like an erupting volcano, the reflection of Quellière… my new self, remained perfectly still.

Her unshakable gaze seemed colder than ice, almost ruthless.

Even though I was extremely tense, not a single bead of sweat formed on my brow.

She exuded the kind of coldness you’d associate with a freezing winter.

I wondered if I wouldn’t even sweat if I were stranded in a desert.

Shaking off those random thoughts, I blinked.

“By the way, where am I now?”

I sprang up and looked around again.

This place was certainly inside some building, and it was filled with a pure white color, resembling snow.

If I had fallen into the game by pressing “Start,” and if I had taken possession of the Snow Maiden I created, then her settings should have been applied.

This place was probably somewhere I knew.

Seasonal Wars II shared the same universe as its predecessor.

I approached the window and stuck my face out to take in the view.

As expected, I couldn’t stop my mouth from dropping open.

“Wow…”

It was a snowfield.

How else could I describe the scene other than saying it was a snow-covered land?

A world of pure white, with fierce winds and snowflakes of all shapes and sizes blowing across it.

The cold wind, sharper than anything I’d ever felt on Earth, slammed into my face.

“So refreshing…”

But it didn’t bother me at all.

Even though the wind seemed sharp enough to cut my skin, it felt soft to me.

I lightly touched my cheek.

The Snow Maiden’s hand should have been freezing cold, but I felt nothing.

In this weather, my whole body should have been frozen solid, but I was completely fine.

“Looks like the settings were applied.”

The Snow Maiden Quellière, whom I painstakingly created, had several traits.

Of course, being a Snow Maiden, immunity to the cold was an obvious one, but if I listed all the traits and little details, it would take forever.

For now, I’ll just focus on what matters.

“Emotion expression is minimal.”

This was something I’d already confirmed.

No matter how I felt inside, my facial expression barely changed.

That much was obvious.

I wasn’t particularly good at keeping a poker face.

“She resides in a castle made of snow.”

This was another trait added for flavor, to match the character’s vibe.

After all, she was just a character in a game, so her emotional expression wouldn’t realistically be reflected, and the castle addition was for balance; there was no reason to give her a whole castle from the start.

But to think these things would come to life like this.

In Seasonal War, there was only one place called “the Snowfield.”

A land of harsh cold, located in the far eastern part of the continent, where humans could not survive.

Since she was a Snow Maiden, of course, she would live here.

I had chosen the location and added the idea of her living in a snow castle, inspired by the Snow Queen.

“The snowball has started rolling…”

Anyway, it was now clear that I was in a place called “the Snow Castle,” a new building.

No wonder the ground I saw outside the window looked so distant.

It made sense if I was looking out from a castle.

I was lucky not to be thrown into the middle of nowhere like some isekai story.

Sure, I had landed in an extreme area, but thanks to the cold immunity, I felt nothing, and I had a home—whether it was a castle or something else—so I wouldn’t have to worry about surviving in the wild.

The only concern was if I might be attacked, but that wasn’t really something to worry about.

The Snowfield was so harsh that even most monsters couldn’t survive there, so no humans or other species would live here.

It’s not like no one lived here at all, but with my settings, I didn’t have to worry about that.

“So, what now?”

Though my heart still felt unsettled, I decided there was no immediate danger, so I felt a sense of calm wash over me.

The fact that I had become a woman—a situation I hadn’t planned for—made my stomach feel tight, but with so many shocking things happening, it didn’t seem as serious as it should have.

I’d think about that later.

“Well… should I explore the castle?”

I had only mentioned that I lived in a snow castle, but I hadn’t described what the inside looked like.

So, this step was necessary.

I had no idea how long I’d be here, but since this was the place I was living for now, I needed to figure out the layout.

After deciding that, I quickly moved.

The place I was in seemed to be between the middle and upper floors, so I followed the spiral staircase down below and started climbing up.

I figured the important rooms would probably be at the top.

And I was right.

As I toured the large castle and admired the decorations, I found a big door off to one side.

I carefully pushed it open and immediately realized it led to a storage room.

The items inside were haphazardly scattered around, but I couldn’t help but smile.

“This… A Pegasus hairpin! And this… a celestial music box!”

I immediately recognized what they were.

They were all in-game items I remembered.

But the amount was staggering.

The massive storage room was filled to the brim with items that seemed about to spill over the top.

“Could it be that my inventory is linked?”

It seemed so.

They were all items I knew well, and for someone like me, a veteran player, it was impossible to collect this many items unless they were actually linked.

I had chosen “Yes” when asked if I wanted to sync the data.

I was ecstatic at the thought of handling these long-forgotten items, so I started rummaging through them.

I dug through them for quite some time before I finally collapsed onto the floor, exhausted.

I was happy to see so many items, but at the same time, I was disappointed.

As I had guessed, the high-level items weren’t synced.

There were a few useful things, but none of the really good stuff.

“It’s a bit disappointing, but… I guess this is enough.”

At least this much was good enough.

It was better than expecting too much and getting nothing.

I brushed off the disappointment and dusted myself off before continuing my search.

The castle had a kitchen, cleaning tools, a bathroom—essential living facilities.

Whoever had built this place was clearly very practical.

It was when I reached the top floor that I opened another door and froze in surprise.

Inside was an astonishing room.

“…A dressing room?”

The room was filled with various colors of clothing, with garments covered by protective cloths to prevent them from getting dirty.

That in itself wasn’t too interesting, but what caught my attention was the identity of the clothes.

They were costumes I had painstakingly gathered over the years.