Nic once again passed the road near the mountains when he came across that corpse. He tried heading behind the mountain range, thinking maybe there was a small town somewhere in that area.
But suddenly his whole body shivered.
"Huh? No way this is because of the cold…"
Nic looked at his hands. The hairs on his arms were standing on end.
He realized someone was watching him again.
[ Master Nic, like I told you before, it must be the entity residing on the highest snow mountain. ]
"If that's true… that means I'm being monitored right now?" Nic thought.
Zeta confirmed it and told him to stay cautious.
Nic understood. He ignored it for now and continued on his way.
Meanwhile, high atop the towering snow mountain far from where Nic stood, a figure was smiling while watching him.
"He noticed…?"
The figure dragged a corpse and threw it down the slope.
Its eyes were so sharp they could clearly see Nic far below.
---
Nic eventually arrived at a low-caste small town near the mountains. The houses were built clinging directly against the snowy cliffs, blending into the mountain itself.
"Wow… this is seriously cool," Nic muttered in awe, raising a hand above his eyes to get a clearer look.
He walked in, and just like usual, he saw normal daily life—no complaints, no visible unrest. Most of the townspeople were carrying wooden fishing rods and spears, probably for catching fish.
Suddenly, someone tapped his shoulder from behind.
"Yo! You a newcomer?"
Nic turned and saw a guy around his age, full of energy.
"Yeah, I just arrived. Wanted to look around Northern," Nic replied casually.
"Yoo! Then you picked the perfect town to visit! Want me to be your tour guide?" the guy said excitedly.
Nic thought for a moment, then agreed.
"YOO! Then let me introduce myself! My name's Fannar! I'm known as the best snow-mountain climber in the low caste! Even the steepest snow peaks can't stop me, so don't worry!" Fannar declared confidently.
Nic nodded. "I'm Nic. So where are we heading first?"
"Yoo, just follow me! We're going to the snow mountain house in Nivaria!"
Fannar started walking immediately, and Nic followed behind.
Throughout the tour, fannar truly acted like a professional guide. He explained how everything was built, how the structures were formed—every detail, not missing a single thing.
Eventually, they reached the house at the very top of the snow mountain. It was Fannar's home.
"Yoo! And this is my house. The view's amazing, right? You know what? I got this house because everyone challenged me to climb the highest snow mountain and come back down alive. Lucky me—I didn't die. I survived, and this was my reward," Fannar said proudly.
Nic noticed something.
"The highest snow mountain? And you survived? What exactly is up there?"
Fannar panicked. He had accidentally mentioned something he wasn't supposed to tell outsiders.
"Yoo, it's just… the weather up there is kinda extreme. Hard to reach. And if you're not careful on the way down, you could die…" Fannar said, clearly lying.
"Extreme weather, huh… wanna try going there?" Nic asked, testing him.
Fannar fell silent.
Nic used God of Psychology to check his mental state—it had already hit red. Clear as day. Fannar wasn't afraid of weather.
He was afraid of something else.
"This must be the entity you mentioned, right, Zeta?" Nic thought.
[ It seems so, Master Nic. You should gather information about that figure. Perhaps it could even become your ally. ]
"Not a bad idea… but not now."
Seeing Fannar frozen and refusing to respond, Nic adjusted his mental state back to green without him realizing. Fannar immediately looked energized again.
"Haha, I'm kidding. Forget it," Nic said, patting his shoulder.
"Oh yoo, I thought you were actually gonna do something crazy!" Fannar laughed in relief.
---
They went back down. Suddenly, someone shouted from afar.
"FANNARR! IT'S BAD!! THERE ARE BANDITS AT THE RIVER!! THEY TOOK ALL THE FISH WE CAUGHT!!"
Fannar instantly became furious. He told Nic to wait and quickly prepared himself, putting on a black parka jacket. Nic noticed it looked similar to the ones Bunny and Fang wore.
Nic secretly followed Fannar toward the Nivaria River.
Fannar didn't take the normal path. He ran along the snowy mountain edges at incredible speed, steady and balanced like a mountain goat.
When they reached the river, Fannar saw many townspeople unconscious on the ground, badly injured. The bandits were already gone.
"DAMN IT!!!!" Fannar roared.
He checked the victims. They were still breathing—but barely.
He ordered his friend to carry the injured back immediately while he prepared to chase the bandits.
"But Fannar, where are you even going to chase them? They're too fast!" his friend said.
"I DON'T CARE! I'LL KILL THOSE DAMN BANDITS UNTIL NOT ONE IS LEFT!" Fannar shouted.
"Fannar, don't be reckless! You're alone right now! It's better to regroup with the others and reform the defense faction!" his friend warned anxiously.
"That's unnecessary. I can handle them alone," Fannar said, standing up to leave.
Then—
A terrifying aura descended.
Fannar froze. Instinctively, he stepped in front of his friend to shield him.
"F-Fannar! Look!" his friend pointed toward the end of the river.
Nic, in Death Raven mode, stood there. He began walking toward them, one hand raised.
"Who is that…? Which faction is he from…?" Fannar asked, panicking.
His friend said the figure wore black attire—maybe from the defense faction.
"Are you insane? The defense faction doesn't have anyone associated with a black raven!" Fannar snapped, growing more alert as Death Raven approached.
Death Raven pulled out a potion bottle and poured it over all the injured victims.
Fannar tried to move—but he couldn't.
Death Raven's intimidation aura locked his body in place.
"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO THEM?!" Fannar shouted, throwing his horn-shaped weapon.
Death Raven deflected it effortlessly.
In the next second—
All the injured victims were completely healed. Not a single wound remained.
Fannar and his friend were stunned.
"What… was that a healing potion? Something like that exists?" Fannar muttered.
"Of course it exists. And I suggest you don't rush off alone to fight those bandits," Death Raven said calmly.
"Who are you…? I want revenge now," Fannar replied.
One of the rescued victims suddenly spoke.
"Fannar… don't risk your life. One of the bandits… belonged to the Predator Faction."
"WHAT!? The Predator Faction entered our territory? Doesn't that violate their own rules? Who was it? Did you see who?" Fannar asked, angrier than ever.
"Calm down. I'll help you get your revenge—but don't let your ego control you," Death Raven said.
As Fannar was about to ask more—
Death Raven removed his mask.
Nic's face was revealed.
"Huh… yoo… YOU'RE NOT A NEWCOMER?! WHICH FACTION ARE YOU FROM? WERE YOU GATHERING INFORMATION?!" Fannar yelled in shock.
Nic briefly explained that he truly had just arrived and had recently joined the defense faction led by Fang the Tiger.
"Yoo… so that's how it is? Why didn't you say that from the start?" Fannar sighed, exhausted.
"It's fine. I'll help you get revenge—if you're willing to rejoin the low-caste defense faction," Nic said, extending his hand.
Fannar stared at Nic's hand for a moment.
Then he shook it.
"Fine. I don't want to be oppressed forever…"
Fannar officially rejoined the defense faction. The townspeople were relieved—maybe now their protection would become stronger.
Nic secretly used Cupid Loyalty on Fannar. Now Fannar unknowingly received half of Nic's stats.
After telling Fannar to stay put and guard the town for now, Nic prepared to leave again. Fannar informed him that if he continued straight from the town's exit, he would reach another small town called Vintervirk.
Nic headed in that direction.
"They say everyone in that town is extremely aggressive if approached… interesting."
Then—
A feather drifted down in front of him.
It was gold.
"A feather?"
Nic picked it up and looked up—but there was nothing there.
[ Master Nic, that is a feather from the apex sky predator—the Golden Eagle. ]
"Golden… eagle…?"
To be continued…