Inside the ship, it turned out that a fully enclosed outfit had been prepared—designed to be worn in case a storm arrived at any moment, and also suitable for continuing the journey into the Northern region.
Nic immediately put it on and walked to the edge of the ship, gazing at the beautiful scenery of the Eastern lands.
"Once again… I have to say goodbye. It's time to focus on the Northern."
After everything was ready, the ship finally departed toward the Northern seas.
At first, the journey was calm. Some passengers even came forward to the deck, enjoying the view.
Then, a woman appeared.
She wore a fully covered white outfit, her gaze sharp and cold. Slung beside her was a large sniper rifle, the strap hanging casually over her shoulder.
People immediately stared at her and began whispering, warning each other not to get close. She looked far too dangerous.
The woman glanced at them briefly, then walked to the edge of the ship and stared out at the sea. She didn't care about their whispers at all.
Nic noticed her too. He could tell immediately—she was genuinely dangerous. So he chose not to draw attention and simply enjoyed the sea breeze in silence.
At that moment, Noctis returned and landed on Nic's shoulder. Nic activated God of Animal to speak with him.
"Seriously… if you were a few seconds late, you would've been left behind."
"Krakkh! Sorry, Master! I stopped to say goodbye to the tiger and the others first!" Noctis replied.
Nic chuckled and gently rubbed Noctis's head with one finger.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the deck, a man was sitting quietly. His face looked tired. He had short white hair, slightly messy, red eyes, and a bird perched on his shoulder.
"Hm?"
The man noticed his bird staring intensely at something.
"Noa? What are you looking at?"
He followed his bird's gaze—and it was directed at Nic.
At the same time, Nic noticed Noctis turning his head and staring behind him. When Nic looked back, he saw Noctis locked in a staring contest with a white bird.
"Hey… Noctis? Are you in heat or something?" Nic joked.
"Master Nic, stop joking. I'm just wondering why that white bird keeps staring at you… so I stared back," Noctis replied seriously.
Nic decided to approach the man.
"Hey," Nic greeted him.
The man looked up, stood up, and brushed off his clothes.
"Oh, hello. Sorry if I disturbed you, but it seems my crow has taken an interest in you. He keeps staring," the man said calmly.
"That's a crow? I rarely see white crows," Nic said with interest.
The man explained that he had found Noa on a tree buried in heavy snow. One of Noa's legs was broken, and he couldn't move. He had been exposed to snow for too long, and his feathers gradually changed due to the cold.
"I took care of him… and named him Noa," he said while gently stroking the bird's head.
"I see… good thing he survived. By the way, mind if we introduce ourselves? I'm Nic, and this is Noctis—my loyal crow," Nic said warmly, extending his hand.
The man shook Nic's hand.
"My name is Fino. This crow is Noa. We're from the Northern. Nice to meet you."
"Oh, so you're from there? I'm actually heading there too. What were you doing in the Eastern?" Nic asked.
"I was just buying supplies. And you? What brings you to the Northern?" Fino asked back.
Nic casually dodged the question. "I just want to learn about the place."
"Are you a researcher?" Fino asked.
"Ah, no. I'm just a normal guy. I'm just curious because I heard it's extremely cold there," Nic replied, scratching his head.
Fino sighed. "It's not just the cold that makes the Northern dangerous for newcomers."
He then pointed toward the woman with the sniper.
"See her? I heard she's a member of the Predator Faction in the Northern. They're ruthless and mysterious. They appear all over the Northern territory. If you see someone like that… don't provoke them."
"I see. Thanks for the warning. I'll be careful," Nic said while glancing at the woman.
Suddenly, an announcement echoed through the ship—the vessel had entered the dangerous Arctic Sea, and a storm was approaching.
"Hey Nic, get inside! You'll be thrown into the sea if you're careless!" Fino shouted as he hurried inside.
Nic nodded, but noticed that the sniper woman remained outside, still staring at the sea.
Nic activated God of Analyst to view her profile.
"Snow Sniper… huh. Interesting," Nic muttered to himself.
Then the storm hit.
Massive waves shook the ship violently. Everyone had gone inside—including Noctis, whom Nic had ordered to enter first.
Nic deliberately pretended he couldn't make it inside in time.
"Waaa!! I'm gonna fall!!"
He clung to the ship's railing at the very edge, right beside the Snow Sniper.
She glanced at him coldly, seemingly confused.
Then she spoke flatly.
"If you want to die, then die. No one's going to save you."
With that, she turned and went inside.
Nic climbed back up and stayed at the edge, thinking.
"A faction, huh… That means there are a lot of them"
A wave slammed into him, soaking him completely. Thankfully, the outfit prevented water from seeping inside.
"Fuaaah! It's cold… If I go inside now, it'll look suspicious. Guess I'll just keep pretending," Nic muttered.
He continued clinging to the ship's edge, getting drenched repeatedly by waves.
"When are we arriving…?"
---
Three hours later…
The storm finally calmed. Some passengers came back out onto the deck.
Fino looked around, confused.
"Where's Nic…?"
Noctis noticed Nic still hanging onto the side of the ship.
"Master Nic, what are you doing?"
Nic signaled Noctis to stay quiet, then immediately pretended to cry for help.
Fino rushed over and pulled Nic up. Others glanced briefly, then lost interest, assuming Nic was just some reckless idiot who nearly died.
Snow Sniper didn't even look back.
Several hours later, the ship finally arrived in the Northern region.
The captain made an announcement.
"Passengers heading to the Lower Caste, please disembark here."
Nic stared ahead. There was nothing but endless snow—no clear path in sight.
"Lower caste…?" Nic thought, puzzled.
Fino picked up his large bag and disembarked.
"Are you heading to the Upper Caste, Nic? If so, I'll go ahead," Fino said before leaving with several others.
Only then did Nic realize—there was a caste system here.
Before the ship departed again, Nic decided to get off as well.
The Snow Sniper did not disembark—meaning she belonged to the Upper Caste.
"I didn't arrive at a port… but in a massive snowy field. Damn, it's freezing," Nic muttered.
He activated God of Survival, adapting his body to the cold environment.
After walking for a while, Nic finally saw a small city completely buried in snow.
"They survive in a place like this? How miserable…" Nic thought.
But as he approached, he was shocked.
The townspeople looked cheerful and lively.
He saw Fino distributing food and warm clothing.
"This is all I could buy… I didn't have enough money," Fino said apologetically.
An elderly man—likely the town leader—thanked him sincerely. Everyone looked genuinely happy.
Nic approached Fino again.
"Huh? Why are you here? If you want to study the Northern, the Upper Caste has far more to learn," Fino said in surprise.
"I was confused, so I just followed you," Nic replied. "By the way… why is there a caste system here?"
Fino hesitated. "It's complicated… You should ask Pinny over there."
He pointed to a girl wearing a penguin costume.
"Alright," Nic said, walking toward her.
Pinny was happily lying in the snow in her penguin suit.
"Excuse me… may I ask you something?" Nic said with a smile.
Pinny was startled and tried to stand, but failed at first.
Nic almost helped her, but she managed on her own.
"Haha, sorry! You're not from here, are you? What do you want to ask?" Pinny said cheerfully.
Nic asked about the caste system.
Pinny fell silent for a moment, fidgeting with her mitten-covered hands, then began to explain.
From what she knew, the caste system had existed since the beginning. Upper Caste Northerners were smarter and stronger. Lower Caste people mostly became servants and laborers.
The Upper Caste developed knowledge comparable to other nations. When they built a large, warm city, they advanced rapidly—and no longer needed the Lower Caste.
The Lower Caste was forced to live in colder, smaller regions, told that such places suited them because they "couldn't create anything new."
Even though the Upper Caste had once relied on them.
Over time, the Lower Caste adapted. Their skin grew pale. They became resistant to the cold—but still needed warmth.
"Why didn't they just develop the smaller regions too?" Nic asked.
"Their ego is too high," Pinny replied. "They think these regions are cursed because blizzards always strike here, while the Upper Caste areas are safe. They want peace without disasters."
"Are you angry at them?" Nic asked.
Pinny shook her head.
"No. My parents say this is fate, and we should accept it happily. Getting angry won't help—it'll only make things worse. No matter the situation, we stay happy because we can still live together here!"
She smiled brightly.
Nic felt deeply impressed.
"I see… I've learned a lot. Thank you."
"You're welcome!" Pinny replied.
---
Nic walked around the snowy town with Fino, slowly understanding.
Pitying them would only insult them.
For now, Nic decided to leave things as they were and contacted Mei Tsukino, Shen Akira's assistant.
"Master Nic. Shen Akira is currently in the Upper Caste capital, Rusfin. He's planning to hire protection using his remaining funds," Mei reported quietly.
"Alright. Keep monitoring him. I'm currently in the Lower Caste region, so it'll take time to reach him," Nic replied.
Nic headed toward the snow-covered mountains—then suddenly tripped.
"What was that? A rock?" he thought, checking.
But when he looked down, Nic froze.
A pale body lay there—covered in slash wounds.
Clearly dead.
"…What the hell?"
To be continued…