Nic walked quite far while carrying the still-unconscious rabbit girl, and eventually he saw a small village surrounded by large wooden barricades.
"A village with barricades? Seems safe," Nic thought.
He approached and tried to enter, but suddenly someone appeared—likely the village guard.
The man wore a black parka jacket with tiger details. His body was large and muscular, clearly strong.
At first he was about to question Nic, but the moment he saw the person Nic was carrying, he immediately pointed a spear at him.
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO BUNNY!?" he shouted, his eyes sharp and furious.
"Wait, don't misunderstand. I'm just helping bring her here," Nic replied calmly.
The man didn't act recklessly. He took a breath and tried to calm down.
"Come inside. Explain properly."
He brought Nic into the village and led him to his residence. Inside, there was a heater.
Nic stepped in and felt immediate comfort. Warmth in a place this cold was truly blissful.
"Now explain what happened," the man said as he sat down.
Nic explained that he saw the rabbit girl being captured by the Predator Faction. She managed to escape, but her leg was shot. Since he happened to be nearby, he brought her away without being seen.
"That makes no sense," the man said, unconvinced.
"That damn Predator Faction would never let their target escape. And who are you to take her away without being chased? Strange." The man stared at Nic sharply.
Nic's ego was slightly provoked. He immediately activated God of Intimidation, his eyes turning even sharper as he stared back.
The man began trembling.
"Why are you even asking that? Aren't you happy your friend is safe?" Nic said coldly.
The man was confused. Why did his body suddenly feel shaken and fearful?
"…I know. I'm grateful Bunny is safe. Thank you," he said, trying not to escalate things.
Nic deactivated God of Intimidation and returned to normal.
"Hm, I'm curious. Judging by your appearance, you look similar to that Predator Faction. Are you a faction as well?" Nic asked.
"That's right. My name is Fang. I am the leader of the Low-Caste Defense Faction. We protect the low caste who are always hunted unfairly by the high caste for their entertainment," Fang explained.
"Is this country really that dangerous?" Nic asked.
Fang shook his head.
"Nothing is dangerous for the high caste. Tourists who come here never step into this area. They always go to the high caste for vacation and entertainment."
Fang explained how the low caste wasn't even considered part of Northern—just nameless villages and towns, places without identity, merely dumping grounds.
"We survive together even though our territories are separated. Our connections are close, and we constantly exchange information to stay alive. We're forced to steal sometimes just to survive, but it's risky. The high caste always hires the Predator Faction to capture us if we break their rules. We're not even allowed to enter their territory, but fortunately the predator faction is not allowed to touch our territory" Fang said angrily.
Nic concluded that the low caste was indeed deeply oppressed. Especially the adults who were exhausted by the system. The children and younger ones were taught to accept it so they wouldn't realize how bad their situation truly was.
"How many members are in your faction?" Nic asked.
"We're currently split for several reasons. Right now I only have one member—Arctic Hare, or Bunny… Seems like she recklessly tried to steal heaters again," Fang said while looking at the unconscious Bunny.
Nic closed his eyes for a moment, silent.
Then he opened them and spoke softly.
"What would you do if you had a strong faction?"
Fang was surprised. "We would force our way into the high caste and make them acknowledge our existence! Force them to accept us as equals!"
Nic looked deeper into his eyes. "Based on…?"
Fang paused. "Huh? Humanity! Aren't we all equal!?"
Nic shook his head and tapped his temple.
"You need a reason that fits their logic. Something creative that makes them think you're important. They entertain themselves by hunting and killing you—that means they don't care about humanity."
Nic's gaze was sharp and piercing.
Fang was stunned into silence.
"But… what else can we do besides fight them? This is driving me insane."
Nic looked at Bunny, grabbed her hand, and used Transfer Energy, channeling energy into her body to wake her up.
"What are you doing?" Fang asked.
Nic stayed silent.
Moments later, Bunny woke up, breathing heavily.
"PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!!—Huh?"
She realized she wasn't in the snow anymore but inside their base.
"At home… Fang? Eh—YOU!?" She looked confused, then annoyed when she saw Nic.
Her thoughts scrambled.
"I remember my leg being shot… and you must've been buried in the snow when the storm hit, right!?"
"You didn't need to pretend and try to kill me. You were right to ask for help. But instead you tried to murder me. Still, I helped you in the end," Nic said casually.
Bunny scratched her cheek awkwardly.
"I just made a last survival move… find a victim and create a distraction so they'd stop chasing me…"
"Whatever. I don't care," Nic said, pointing at both Fang and Bunny.
"The point is—you two need to think of a way to make the high caste logically see you as worthy and equal."
Bunny asked why.
Fang explained briefly. Bunny understood but still looked confused. It was hard to understand what kind of logic the insane high caste would accept.
"Simply put—you need to be insane too. Think slowly. I'll help you," Nic said.
Bunny bit her lip irritably.
"By the way, who even are you!? You survived the storm, your clothes are thin, and you weren't even caught by the Predator Faction!"
Nic paused.
"Coincidentally, your faction's parka jackets are black. Faction members have codenames, right? You can call me Death Raven. That means I'm joining your faction… See you."
Nic walked away casually, leaving Fang and Bunny staring at each other in confusion.
"Didn't we not agree yet?" Bunny said.
"Forget it, Bunny. Just accept it… He said we have to be crazy," Fang replied.
Bunny immediately started punching Fang for taking that too literally.
---
Nic headed back toward the small town where Fino lived.
While walking, he looked up at the white sky covered in snow.
"I wonder if Noctis is okay and scouting properly. Seems like it'll take a while before he returns."
Suddenly, Nic instinctively dodged—an arrow nearly hit him.
"Damn it, what now?"
He searched for the source. Two more arrows nearly struck him.
Nic activated God of Speed and transformed into Death Raven. Moving swiftly, he located the attacker.
Behind a tree stood someone hiding, wearing an outfit similar to the Predator Faction.
Nic instantly lunged, grabbing her by the throat and pinning her to the ground.
It was a girl wearing a Snow Owl hood.
"Ugh… let go…" She kicked Nic.
Nic pretended to be thrown back slightly and let her escape.
She grabbed a snow pouch from her pocket and threw it at Nic, creating a snow bomb that blocked his vision.
Nic raised his hand. As the Snow Owl girl ran—
He activated Cupid Arsenal → Pistol and shot her.
[ Ding! Congratulations! Sowa has become 100% like and loyal to Master Nic! ]
[ Ding! Heart Claim activated! Sowa has entered the girlfriend list! ]
[ Ding! Transfer Skill activated! Master Nic obtained new skill: God of Bow (Master Nic becomes an expert in all bow-type weapons such as arrows and crossbows) ]
Nic stepped out of the snow bomb area, already back in his normal appearance, smiling.
"Why did she suddenly attack me? She's from the Predator Faction for sure… It's good I shot her. At least I have one to cooperate with later."
He continued toward Fino's town.
Upon arriving, he saw Fino relaxing with his crow. Pinny was still playing in the snow.
"Hello," Nic greeted.
They greeted him back, confused why he returned.
"Fino, are you skilled at anything?" Nic asked.
"Hm, I'm good at swimming. I can endure cold sea water since I'm used to falling into the freezing ocean while fishing," Fino said.
"Oh, not bad. You're practically identical to a Gentoo penguin," Nic thought.
"Like Pinny's costume?" Fino asked.
Nic nodded.
Fino immediately realized what Nic meant. Those with strong identity traits often became faction members.
"Don't tell me you're inviting me to join a faction… Sorry, Nic, I can't. I'm afraid of leaving the people I protect here. And I'm not strong enough to face the Predator Faction."
Nic was surprised Fino understood so quickly.
"You don't have to leave your town. I just want to invite you and make your dream possible—to live like the high caste without being oppressed. That's all. I'm not asking you to die. I just want you to fight alongside other low castes. You're all connected, right?"
Pinny grabbed Fino's hand.
"Fino, I think you're perfect for something like that! You're strong enough!"
Fino patted Pinny's head.
"What are you saying… Who'll protect you then?"
Nic asked if Pinny was his sister.
Fino smiled.
"No. But she's been with me since childhood. She considers me her older brother, and I see her as my little sister."
"I understand the feeling of wanting to protect someone," Nic said softly. "Think about it. I won't force you. But I promise—everything will turn out fine."
Fino nodded. "Alright. I'll think about it."
After that, Nic used Cupid Loyalty on Fino, granting him half of Nic's stats and making him stronger.
Nic then left again to search for members of the defense faction who were supposedly split.
On the way, Zeta appeared in hologram form.
[ Master Nic, your girlfriend list has increased by another multiple of 10. Would you like to unlock a new system skill now? ]
"Open it. I want to see."
[ Congratulations! New system skill obtained: Listen to the Leader! (If Master Nic is near a group that considers him an ally, he can position himself as an indirect leader. If Master Nic gives instructions, they will listen and execute without rejection—even the original leader.) ]
"Perfect… Did you design this skill to match my current situation, Zeta?"
Zeta stepped closer and gently touched both of Nic's cheeks.
[ I don't know. ]
Then she made an exaggerated exploding face expression. When Nic tried to pinch her—
She disappeared.
"Annoying system…"
To be continued…