Thanks to Ludmilla’s magic, they had an impromptu igloo allowing them to rest well, and they had marched for almost two-thirds of the day without rest.
If it weren’t for Khan’s “Aecharis’s Pouch”, which helped lighten their load and provided proper rest to relieve their fatigue, even the toughest of them would have collapsed from exhaustion.
“This ride’s a bit rough. Is this carriage a bit cheap…?”
Ludmilla quipped.
“If you don’t like it, get off.”
“Can’t you take a joke? Honestly, it’s quite comfortable. Your strength keeps it from shaking much.”
Unable to withstand the arduous climb with her frail mage’s body, Khan was carrying Ludmilla on his back. Ludmilla whispered with a playful tone, then chuckled softly.
“To be honest, I’m a bit curious about how your body works.”
“You can borrow theirs anytime.”
Khan indicated the others.
“Those kids are also incredibly tough, but not as much as you. Honestly, with your current strength, I think you could’ve taken down that ogre without my help back then. How about it?”
“Well… I’d have to try to know.”
“Oh, really?”
Khan responded absently to Ludmilla’s curiosity, understanding why she kept talking nonstop.
‘Of course she’d be tired.’
Even if she was a formidable mage capable of facing superhumans, she was still human. Physically, she often fell below average. Only her relentless pursuit of knowledge about the ‘sorceress’ drove her through this grueling journey to Hoarfrost Gorge. Her willpower was commendable.
“If you’re tired, just sleep. I’ll wake you when it’s time.”
“Tempting offer… but no thanks. I’m not that weak.”
“Talking like that while being carried doesn’t make you sound credible. But suit yourself.”
With that, their previously ongoing conversation tapered off. Khan adjusted his posture slightly to make her more comfortable as light snores began to emanate from her.
‘At this pace… we should cross the snow mountains by today.’
Based on his past experience, Khan estimated their location. He wasn’t exact, but he trusted his judgment as he began to slow their march, conserving energy for the final stretch.
“Eat up while I talk.”
Even Alejandro, normally chatty, remained silent. The Three Idiots, caught up in their excitement, were pacified with premium jerky. Khan then spoke up.
“Soon, we’ll come to a valley. There, we’ll individually distribute ‘hand warmers’. Keep them in your hands or stuff them in your boots to maintain body heat.”
“Wait, suddenly?”
“Unless you want to suffer from frostbite, you’d better follow my advice.”
Alejandro gulped at that ominous counsel.
“Don’t tell me… soon…”
Maya exchanged a glance with Khan, grasping the implication of his warning. Khan nodded. Yes, Maya, you’re right.
“Soon, we’ll reach Hoarfrost Gorge.”
***
Maya found it difficult to suppress her growing tension.
‘Hoarfrost Gorge, the land where our lord was born.’
Though their first meeting had been harrowing, Maya held a deep, genuine trust and loyalty towards Khan. She might be projecting her own desires onto his image—idolizing his victories over catastrophic entities despite possessing no mana of his own. However, she found no fault in such admiration.
Being scornfully referred to as the barbarian’s lackey might invite disdain, but she would do anything to fulfill her aspirations.
Indeed, she had grown stronger. Partly due to the rare artifacts she had acquired during her time with Khan—
‘I’m growing.’
Facing monsters that ordinary mercenaries would not encounter in a lifetime and surmounting life-or-death trials had honed her spear skills further. Her strikes were now sharper, her thrusts heavier. While these words may sound simple, the number of individuals stymied by such a wall was vast.
And she knew that overcoming this wall was the only way to stand on equal footing with superhumans, like the Sword Master.
Just as Leniyar, the Sword Demon, had shown recently. If she could slice through a barrage of spells with just a spear and crush an overwhelming giant head-on, she would—
‘I can do it. No, I will do it.’
Her goal for this journey was simple: to pass the ‘warrior’s trial’ of Hoarfrost Gorge.
“Phew.”
Steeling her resolve, Maya let out an exhilarated breath and halted her steps when Khan, leading the group, stopped. When she raised her head, an entirely different world spread out before them.
“This is…!”
“Good heavens. What kind of dreamland is this?”
“It looks like something carved by the gods.”
Maya, Alejandro, and Eson each expressed their amazement differently. Even Ludmilla found herself gaping in surprise, her eyes wide.
“The blizzard has stopped…?”
Since when?
Coming to their senses, they realized the blizzard that had harassed them since entering the snow mountains had vanished. Beyond the clear view lay an overwhelmingly grand valley, vast enough to render them speechless.
And it wasn’t an ordinary valley. The two colossal mountains stretching endlessly to either side were not made of rock or soil but—
“A mountain of ice…?”
“Now I understand why it’s called Hoarfrost Gorge…!”
An ice-formed valley so immense it seemed almost impossible in reality. The valley was so vast that, despite their elevated vantage point in the snow mountains, it was difficult to grasp the entire landscape.
What was unmistakable, however, was that everything within their line of sight was enveloped in ice.
“Follow me.”
In a trance, the group followed Khan down toward the valley. As they descended, they began to understand.
“I-It’s so cold…!”
Having traversed the Northland snow mountains, they believed they had grown accustomed to the cold. But this was different. The closer they got to Hoarfrost Gorge, the more the temperature plummeted. Even with the hand warmers maintaining their body heat, it felt as if all warmth was being leached away.
“If we had used the hand warmers from the start, you’d have been exhausted long ago.”
There was a reason Khan had them use the warmers only upon entering Hoarfrost Gorge. He had let their bodies develop a natural resistance to the cold first.
Additionally, he had ensured they consumed adequate calories beforehand to help protect their body heat.
“I’ll teach you a breathing technique; try to follow it as best you can.”
Khan taught them a Hoarfrost Gorge breathing technique, similar to one renowned on Earth. While it wasn’t something they could master immediately, nor was it a cure-all, Maya found that focusing on the breathing technique made the biting pain even a touch more bearable.
‘But this… is too much.’
It hurt.
The cold in the snow mountains had been sharp and painful, but this was on another level. It felt as if the very air was a venomous toxin, causing stinging pain every time it touched her skin.
‘What if I got injured here in Hoarfrost Gorge…?’
The thought alone was terrifying.
“Hahaha! This feels great! Home sweet home!”
Excited like a fish back in water, Ashuk inhaled deeply and dashed off towards Hoarfrost Gorge.
“Well, the snow mountains were a bit tame!”
Maya watched in disbelief, her tongue clicking in bewilderment. What kind of bodies do these people have…?
“H-Hey, newbie. H-How are you holding up…?”
“D-Don’t ask. I’m this close to dying…! This place is just a demonic realm. No, it’s hell!”
Maya overheard the exhausting conversation between Alejandro and Eson. Clearly, even someone with barbarian blood like Eson found Hoarfrost Gorge harsh.
He had complained about the cold in the mountains, but Hoarfrost Gorge was another realm entirely.
‘I thought there might be a difference here in Hoarfrost Gorge.’
Is it not the bloodline but environmental adaptation? Or perhaps Eson’s barbarian bloodline was too diluted.
Lost in thoughts she wouldn’t normally entertain, Maya focused on mimicking the breathing technique taught by Khan.
Initially, everyone was marveling at the extraordinary scenery of Hoarfrost Gorge and then recoiled at the extreme cold. Eventually, their conversations dwindled one by one.
“Wait, stop!”
“Stop! Wait!”
The urgent cry came from Ludmilla, who had been conserving her energy while being carried on Khan’s back.
“What’s wrong?”
Khan asked, looking back at her. It was unlike Ludmilla to be so visibly disturbed. Normally unflappable, even if she was internally rattled.
“Put me down! Quickly!”
Her urgent tone and movements prompted Khan to set her down. She closed her eyes and appeared to focus intently.
She opened her eyes, her pale eyebrows trembling.
“It’s gone…!”
“What’s gone?”
“It’s gone! How can this be possible?!”
Her panic was evident, almost as if she couldn’t hear Khan’s voice. Rambling incoherently, she finally gathered herself and with a look of shock and dread, uttered a startling revelation.
“There’s no mana in Hoarfrost Gorge…!”
—
In a space filled with transparent ice, a man sat cross-legged with his eyes closed. He opened his mouth to speak.
『I can feel it.』
“What do you feel?”
『Chaos.』
“That’s something our God always feels, isn’t it? You’re making a big deal out of nothing! Haha!”
『I’ve always told you, you need to learn to speak more respectfully, you insolent brat.』
“Haha! I think I’m showing enough respect!”
Strangely, two voices emerged from the man’s mouth, yet he didn’t find it odd. Instead, he laughed heartily, making a jest towards the ‘transcendent being’ using his lips to speak.
“If you really desire that, let me take the ‘Test of Valor’ right away!”
『You know it’s not possible.』
“Well, isn’t there any way? Gods aren’t that great after all! Haha─!”
『You crazy fool. I often wonder if you’re truly my descendant.』
The transcendent being in the man’s body sighed and returned to the initial topic.
『The chaos inside is reacting to something. It means something is agitating it enough to shake that firm mage’s seal.』
“Hmm. It seems the time has come.”
『Indeed.』
“Well then, I should start warming up!”
The man stood up from his seated position. As he did, it felt as though a small mountain suddenly rose, filling the space with his presence. He was a giant, almost implausibly so for a human.
His arms were thick enough to effortlessly twist off a troll’s limbs, and his legs, reminiscent of ancient thousand-year-old trees, seemed unyielding to any external force.
Even considering he was a warrior of Hoarfrost Gorge, his sheer size was overwhelming. And knowing his true identity, that impressive physique might almost seem natural.
“Are you curious, Karyan!”
His name was Gordi.
The apostle of the Warrior God Karyan, the great warrior representative of Hoarfrost Gorge. And—
“I wonder how strong my son, Khan, has become!”
He was Khan’s father.