I Have Become The Snow Maiden I Created

Translator: Marctempest

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

—
Chapter 8: To the Continent (2)

In the Four Seasons War, the most notable magic zones chosen by the rankers were located in the east and west, with a total of two places.

In terms of importance, the western “Landfill” was far more significant, and as such, it had many intertwined stories.

However, if we only consider the danger level, the Snowfield in the extreme east could not be overlooked.

And the word “challenge” was something that always struck a chord with gamers.

Many users stepped onto the Land of Lamentation simply for their own satisfaction, and I, too, joined in on the trend.

Once you crossed the ice mountain range, which seemed like a gateway, the Snowfield was immediately ahead.

Just one snapshot was enough to earn the title of “Old Timer.”

“Yeah, it was like that…”

Memories surfaced, as though recalling distant past experiences.

Even with the relics I had painstakingly collected and the control comparable to that of the rankers, I had faced countless crises.

The moment I barely managed to navigate through and reached the summit, the sight of the pure white paradise left a strong impression in my mind.

Yes, I was an Old Timer.

So, I tried to be confident, poised, and composed.

Even facing the frosty blue-gray mountain range, I was able to feign calm.

As I quietly moved and climbed the slopes, I thought there wouldn’t be any major risks.

Because of that, when my eyes met the bear-shaped monster chewing on tree bark in the blind spot hidden by an ancient tree, I was slow to react.

Kroooar—!

The bear’s roar summoned dozens of monsters.

In an instant, I fell into panic, unprepared for the speed, which was leagues apart from regular monsters.

The bear’s front paw swung toward me. Had it struck, I would surely have been in grave danger.

With fierce resolve, my only ally rushed to my aid.

The Yetis’ monstrous strength caused the bear monster to roll down the slope, and snapping out of my daze, I immediately leaped downward.

“Cover me!”

The clever Yeti quickly understood my intent and, rather than fighting, focused on blocking, following me.

Our goal was to escape the mountain range as quickly as possible, just as we had originally planned.

Fighting the monsters would be a foolish move.

This was their territory, and it would only result in my one-sided loss.

The path, still uncharted, was unsuitable for travel, but I had my transformation skill.

Whoosh—

Like an old film Dracula turning into mist, I swiftly traversed the mountain.

Rare monsters could be seen in the alleys I passed, each displaying violent tendencies, aiming to expel any intruders.

“I’m just passing through… please don’t be angry…”

Though most of them were vicious monsters, there must have been personality differences between individuals. But the monsters acted as though they were trying to prove the name “monsters of the magic zone,” being merciless.

I fled from the relentless pursuit of monstrous versions of creatures like spiders, praying mantises, and wild boars, while the Yeti fought back.

As expected, the snow spirits, highly specialized in elemental properties, were remarkable.

Even though the Yeti was not a high-tier spirit, her struggles were impressive. Although she wasn’t affected by magic like freezing spells, her sheer size and strength were more than enough.

On the other hand, I had no way of assisting in combat.

My physical abilities were too weak, and even my modest combat skills were all tailored to elemental powers, so they didn’t match the situation.

My role was simply to keep running, endlessly.

…

Crash!

“Haa… it’s done.”

The only bear-shaped monster that had relentlessly followed us collapsed from the Yeti’s strike.

Only then was I able to wipe my forehead, which hadn’t broken a sweat, and catch my breath.

It was my first time running desperately like this since arriving in this world. It was also the first time I’d exhausted my stamina to such an extent.

“Still… I survived.”

Panting, I took in the surrounding scenery. To the front, I saw lush greenery and vegetation that had not been seen in nearly a year, while behind me stood ice-like hills and mountains.

A boundary line separated the land and the ice mountain range.

In other words, I had crossed the ice mountain range.

I had safely exited the magic zone.

Thinking about it, I felt a sense of achievement, as though I had left my homeland, yet at the same time, I had emerged from a dangerous place.

“Good job.”

With a clear mind, I thanked the Yeti.

She responded with a small grunt, almost as if scratching her throat.

Despite the fact she had been created after a month of hard work, I had no regrets about bringing her along.

She had fulfilled her role well enough, and I had grown a little fond of her. But for now, we had to part ways.

“From here, I’ll be fine alone.”

The places where the Yeti could truly be effective were in the bitter lands of the Snowfield or the ice mountains.

With her extreme elemental specialization and being a spirit, she would suffer health problems if she were to go to warmer or milder climates.

So, it was time to send her back.

-Uuurgh…

She showed a strange reaction, neither refusal nor agreement.

She probably didn’t want to part from me, but she was inwardly conflicted. However, this was already a decision made.

In the end, the Yeti turned back toward the mountain range.

Although she had already fought hard enough, it wouldn’t be too difficult for her to return without further conflict.

After all, the Snowfield and the ice mountains, which were considered magic zones, were like her own backyard.

If there were no constraints to protect me, she would be able to go all out.

I sent her off with the biggest smile I could muster.

“Those guys are unreliable, so go help them too.”

Now, it was time to start the real exploration of the continent.

*

There were three major nations in the Four Seasons War.

The powerful empire Arundel, which dominated the continent, and the large country Yulistia, which closely followed behind.

In addition, the greatest religious state, the Astar Church.

All of them were immense forces that could never be left out when discussing the continent’s politics.

Of course, that was a matter of a thousand years in the future, and the current situation was quite different.

The newly flourishing empire was unstable, Yulistia had yet to form a kingdom and was still a city-state, and the church’s influence over the continent had all but vanished.

Even the countries that had once been the main players of the continent had their growing pains, and this was their current struggle.

Petras, a scholar and researcher, was carefully crossing the Tamansan mountain range, located on the route from the empire to Yulistia.

“Carefully now…”

But his position was quite precarious.

Using climbing tools, he was scaling a cliff. It was a deliberate choice to avoid “mutated monsters,” which were far more dangerous than regular ones.

Although he was not a warrior, he was no fool either. When necessary, he knew how to make bold decisions. Given his master and fellow researchers, this was only natural for him.

“How much further…”

Petras’s destination was the city-state of Yulistia. His purpose was to investigate the truth behind the rumors and negotiate with the head of the household.

In truth, neither of these were one hundred percent true.

Most of the rumors had been dismissed as nonsense, but he knew they were highly credible, as he had heard them from his master.

As Petras traversed Mount Tamasan, he had already encountered mutated monsters several times.

This fact made Petras almost certain that the rumors were true.

He had studied the relevant details about mutated monsters from research materials his mentor shared exclusively with disciples.

If “that” had truly taken over the city, it was only natural that monsters near Mount Tamasan would exhibit abnormal phenomena.

Thus, investigating the rumor’s truth was merely an excuse—a justification to present to “various people.”

“…Phew, I’m glad I’ve been exercising regularly.”

Now came the second goal: negotiations with the head of the family.

This was the main purpose.

According to what he had heard, Yulistia was currently under the rule of three dominant families.

Among them, the prestigious Krase family, which had solidified its influence until a few years ago, was Petras’s target.

Petras speculated that the young head of the Krase family might not be in a favorable position at the moment.

Such individuals were usually more reasonable to deal with, making persuasion easier to calculate.

In other words, nothing was promised.

It was merely a bold initiative that Petras had decided to push forward after weighing the pros and cons.

“…Well, not quite. It’s a kind of transaction.”

His gaze flicked toward the pouch on his belt.

Petras was a renowned scholar and assistant to a distinguished doctor, as well as the owner of his own workshop.

Inside the pouch was his recently completed masterpiece.

Though he couldn’t directly resolve the root cause of the rumors, he could help with the derivative problems they caused.

Specifically, he could suppress the mutated monsters wreaking havoc in the forests and mountains.

The Krase head wouldn’t be able to refuse such a proposal.

“Alright, then.”

With his breath ragged, Petras descended from the cliff to rest for a moment.

Wiping the sweat trickling down his face, he leaned against the rocky surface.

Ultimately, his goal was to negotiate with the head of the family and create a plausible “achievement.”

Even if it involved monopolizing the distribution of his creations as part of the deal, that was merely a means to an end—a secondary profit.

Had his fellow disciples and peers not been so competent, he could have taken his time.

But because those senior disciples were gaining fame across the empire, he felt driven to compete out of sheer anxiety.

At this rate, he would fall behind in the race for accomplishments.

That sense of urgency led him to set his sights on the city-state after missing the prime opportunities in the empire.

The Krase family was quite well-known even within the empire.

Carrying a recommendation letter bearing the family head’s seal would provide a decent accomplishment.

Even if his mentor wouldn’t find it particularly impressive…

At that moment, he suddenly felt a scorching heat brush against his skin.

He turned his head.

There was a monster.

“……”

It only took an instant for Petras to grasp the situation.

As he froze in place, his hand reflexively moved to his pouch while his mind raced.

He had been careless.

Distracted by the thought of resting for a moment, he had let his guard down, allowing the gap to close.

With the monster this close, Petras, who was not a magic user, had no chance of escaping unscathed.

Climbing back up the cliff quickly enough to evade it was not an option.

With sharp observational skills, he deduced the monster’s identity.

A dog-like form, two heads, and a body engulfed in flames.

“A Hellhound…!”

It was undoubtedly a Hellhound, often referred to as a Hellhound.

Although it wasn’t a high-ranking monster, it was still an opponent Petras couldn’t fight.

The beast would either tear its prey apart with sharp teeth or burn it alive with fire magic.

No aspect of it was something an ordinary human could contend with.

-Grrr!

Finally, the Hellhound, which had been burning with hostility, seemed to decide on its course of action and sprang into motion.

Petras’s tension doubled as he quickly gathered additional information.

The crimson, dark magical energy emitted by the frenzied Hellhound was clearly a characteristic of mutated monsters.

Just as he reached into his pouch and pulled out a spherical object, he hesitated.

He had already used quite a few of these while crossing Mount Tamasan and had only one left.

This last one was supposed to be his bargaining chip for negotiations with the family head—a sample.

The reason he had been navigating the perilous cliffside in the first place was because the mountain was overrun with mutated monsters.

Having encountered them several times, he was left with no reserves to use.

That was why he was so certain the rumors were true.

Even so, he hadn’t expected such a large number of them.

“Damn it…”

Petras regretted his recklessness.

He should have taken his time and prepared more thoroughly before coming here.

But now, the city was right in front of him.

Failing here would haunt him with regret.

In the intense moment, as time seemed to slow down, the Hellhound’s jaws drew perilously close.

Petras, torn by indecision, finally made up his mind with a sinking heart.

After all, nothing was worth more than his life.

Just as his grip on the object began to loosen—

—A wind swept through.

No, it wasn’t wind.

A current of air mixed with snowflakes and ice crystals blew past.

It was sharp enough to sting the skin and resembled not so much a mere gust of wind but the breath of a dragon.

That breath pierced through the monster’s core.

-Roar!

A howl of agony filled the air.

The once-majestic Hellhound was no more.

Both of its heads twisted in pain, and the flames that had enveloped its body were extinguished in an instant.

Without its fiery armor, it could no longer be called a Hellhound.

The monster collapsed, never to move again.

It was dead.

“What on earth…?”

Stunned by the sudden turn of events, Petras was at a loss for words.

Who could have defeated such a fearsome monster…

As these thoughts raced through his mind, he turned his gaze toward the source of the breath.

“Gasp…!”

And then, he was even more shocked than when he had seen the fallen monster.

There stood a goddess… or rather, a breathtakingly beautiful woman.

Dressed in an exotic white attire he had never seen before, she had lustrous, pale blue hair that set her apart from any other woman.

Petras stood frozen, as though his legs were nailed to the ground…

And the woman gazed down at him with cold, piercing eyes.