Volume 4 Chapter 1 Avalanche, Bracelets, and the Hero’s Arrival
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Dungeon 4th Floor, Magic-Draining Snow Mountain.
In front of us spreads an endless world of shimmering white.
It’s like a snowy highland environment.
Right now, the wind is calm, and a clear blue sky stretches out above.
The sunlight reflects off the snow, sparkling brightly, almost like a dream.
The air is cold, but the oxygen level is just like it is on the ground.
So in that sense, we’re still lucky.
Even at a Love Hotel, they can’t fix breathing problems.
In this situation, we’re making our way through the dungeon’s 4th Floor.
The members are me, Lifia, and Kéa.
The usual 3.
We’re wearing Santa Claus outfits we bought at the Love Hotel.
Bright red fabric and fluffy white decorations make them stand out way too much for dungeon exploration.
But when it comes to keeping warm, we have no choice.
Kéa tilts her red hat a bit while scratching her head, taking in the silver scenery of the dungeon.
Lifia pulls her hood down deep to shield her face from the cold wind, keeping an eye on our surroundings.
Lifia suddenly stops and frowns a little.
Her gaze is directed towards the summit of the snow-capped mountains.
”I sensed a monster. There’s a big humanoid presence at the summit.”
At those words, I stop and stare intently at the snow-covered peak.
A large humanoid.
So it’s… that one?
I think back to the info I heard and voice the possibility that pops into my mind.
”It might be an Avalanche Ogre.”
Lifia nods quietly.
”That seems likely. It doesn’t look aware of us.”
The Avalanche Ogre, as its name suggests, is a dangerous monster that causes avalanches in an attempt to bury adventurers alive.
From what I’ve heard, it’s said to be a big, hairy man.
It makes me think of a Yeti.
They say it’s the biggest threat in these snowy mountains.
”Milord, what shall we do?”
Kéa looks up at me, her hand already resting on her sword hilt, ready for battle.
Our planned route will take us right past the Avalanche Ogre’s feet.
Staying under the Avalanche Ogre is too risky.
If we trigger an avalanche, we’ll get buried in a split second.
To move safely, we’ve got to take it out.
If it doesn’t notice us, we won’t have to worry about causing an avalanche.
”We’ve got to take it down. Leaving it alone is too dangerous.”
”No sign of other monsters. Shouldn’t be a problem for the fight.”
I confirm Lifia’s report and make my decision.
”Alright, let’s aim for the summit. We’re taking out the Avalanche Ogre.”
”Yes!”
”Understood!”
The two respond with energy.
They’re ready and raring to go.
Following Lifia’s instructions, we move carefully.
We stick to the shadows of the rocks to avoid being spotted by the Avalanche Ogre.
The cold wind stings our cheeks, and the only sound is the faint crunching of snow underfoot.
After a while, the enemy comes into view.
It’s just as we’ve heard described.
A massive body covered in grey, shaggy fur.
It looks to be over 3 meters tall.
The giant silhouette lumbers along the mountainside.
We’ve reached a position just below it.
Tension spikes.
”We can go anytime.”
Lifia whispers to us.
I nod, and she starts to chant her spell.
”Air Lancer!”
A blade of wind slashes through the Avalanche Ogre’s back.
The shaggy body rocks, turning its face towards us.
Its eyes are blood-red, filled with a threatening presence.
But the damage seems light, barely effective.
”I’m going in!”
Kéa dashes forward.
She leaps lightly over the snow and dives into the ogre’s chest, swinging her sword down.
The ogre swings its massive arms in response.
Arms as thick as logs.
One hit would crush us flat.
”Ack!”
Kéa dodges the blow by a hair’s breadth and slashes with her blade.
She scores a shallow cut on the ogre’s flank.
But the thick fur and muscle seem to absorb the attack, and the enemy barely flinches.
Lifia quickly chants another spell, unleashing a gust of wind magic.
The wind slashes across the ogre’s face, shaking its massive body.
Yet the ogre quickly regains its posture.
I took aim while being ready, and with my sword, I aimed at the avalanche ogre’s leg.
The sharp feeling traveled through me, and I heard the meat slicing sound, but it still didn’t land the decisive blow.
The battle was at a stalemate.
Kéa was bravely attacking, Lifia was using support magic, and I was waiting for my chance to strike.
But against the heavily defended avalanche ogre, none of our attacks could land a real hit.
Next moment──
”──rrgh!”
The avalanche ogre’s arm suddenly caught Kéa.
That massive arm flung her body away.
”Kéa!”
Kéa tumbled down through the snow with a lot of speed.
The white snow rose up, and for a moment, it looked like she was lost in the blur.
The enemy’s power was more than I imagined.
Can’t be helped, we gotta retreat for now.
”Pull back!”
”Yes!”
We hurriedly ran to Kéa.
She had fallen pretty far down.
Climbing back up from here to fight again looked really hard.
Just as I was thinking that, the avalanche ogre roared.
Its voice shook the air, loud enough to break our eardrums.
”Kuh…!”
Lifia covered her ears, and I shrank back instinctively.
In that instant, the ground trembled.
The roar of the avalanche ogre set off a seismic ripple across the entire mountain range.
”No way… an avalanche!?”
Just as I guessed.
White snow slid down the mountain’s face, rushing toward us in an instant.
The force was incredible, and at this rate, everything will be swallowed whole.
I sprinted with all I had to Kéa, grabbing her as she rolled.
”Can you stand?”
”Y-yes! I can stand, I swear!”
Kéa faltered but answered.
But the approaching snow didn’t wait.
I immediately activated the Love Hotel skill and made a door appear.
”Inside!”
I forced Lifia and Kéa into the door.
I felt the roar of the avalanche behind us, but I jumped in too.
Just before closing the door, I caught a glimpse of the outside scenery.
Everything was covered in pure white snow.
I shut the door, cutting off all external sounds.
Breathless, I leaned back against the door, finally sighing in relief.
”That was a close one.”
”Milord, thank you, you saved us…”
Kéa looked up at me with a smile.
She seemed to have no serious injuries, but fatigue was written all over her face.
”Sorry for holding you back…”
Kea drooped her shoulders and looked all sad and down.
In her eyes, you could see she was mad at herself.
”No, I also… held back too much with the magic power. Considering the possibility of an avalanche, I couldn’t go all out.”
Lifia also mumbled quietly, blaming herself.
Her blue eyes wobbled with an apology look.
For real, it’s true──bad footing plus the threat of an avalanche made the fight super hard.
No doubt about it.
”That was a tough enemy, so it can’t be helped. …My sword didn’t even land a good hit. We gotta think of the next move.”
I speak softly to both of them.
They tried their best all out.
That’s enough, I think.
Luckily, thanks to the Love Hotel skill, even if an avalanche happens, we won’t be buried alive.
If it’s an emergency, we can open the door and run to a safe space.
Of course, there’s a chance the snow outside might cover the door, trapping us for a bit.
But, that’s not a deadly problem.
Give it some time, and we can dig out through the snow.
* * *
After that, we took a little break and decided to get back to the raid.
When I opened the Love Hotel door, it was just a wall of white.
Well, more like a wall of snow frozen into the shape of the door.
It’s completely buried.
”Guess I’ll try digging first.”
I start digging at the snow with my weapon, but it feels like it’ll never end──no sign of finished.
The snow keeps going deep forever, and it seems it won’t be cleared easily.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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