On the way to the Ice Forest, the morning felt warm despite the winter chill slowly creeping through their clothes. The village road was still damp with dew, and the scent of burning wood from the chimneys of nearby houses lingered in the air.
"Good morning!" greeted an elderly woman sitting in front of her house, adjusting a rattan basket.
"Hey, old man! Want some fruit?" a young vendor shouted from a distance, holding up a bright red apple.
"No, thank you!" Elric replied with a smile and a wave.
The villagers welcomed Elric warmly, as if he were part of their family. But not a single one acknowledged Arvant. He simply walked beside Elric, like an invisible shadow.
"You alright?" Elric glanced at him, his expression slightly concerned.
"I'm fine," Arvant answered curtly, his eyes fixed straight ahead.
As they walked, Elric whistled and began telling a story. "You know why I want to give Sandy Ice Wolf meat?"
"No idea," Arvant replied flatly.
"She was raised by her grandmother. Since she was little, she's been used to hunting, cooking, and hard work. At sixteen, she hunted a level-one Ice Wolf alone. Since then, she's been experimenting with cooking its meat. She says there's a special memory in its flavor."
As they approached the forest's edge, the temperature dropped drastically. The icy wind pierced their skin, cutting through even their thick robes.
The Ice Forest was a wild territory beyond the village borders. Towering trees stood covered in a thin layer of ice, their leaves encased in frost that reflected the dim morning sunlight. The low howl of the wind mixed with the distant crackling of ice created an eerie silence.
"The natural mana here is strong," Elric muttered, rubbing his arms to warm himself.
The deeper they ventured into the Ice Forest, the thicker the snow became, and the cold bit into their bones.
"Alright, we'll split up here," Elric said, tightening the strap of his sword.
In his past life, Arvant had never separated from Elric during a mission like this. But this time, he accepted the change with newfound resolve.
"Okay, you go right, and I'll take the left."
Arvant walked alone among the frozen trees. The freezing air whipped at his robe, numbing his skin. Suddenly, from behind the white mist, a level-two Ice Wolf emerged.
Arvant immediately crouched, hiding behind a tree. His eyes sharpened with caution.
*"Normally, they travel in packs... why is this one alone?"* he thought suspiciously.
After confirming the Ice Wolf was truly solitary, Arvant prepared his magic. He threw a water orb onto the ground near the beast. The splash caught the wolf's attention.
As it approached, Arvant swiftly cast a stone spell at its eyes.
"Gotcha!"
He leaped out, swinging his sword with full force—decapitating the Ice Wolf in one clean strike.
"Now for the next one," he muttered, blood dripping from his blade down to his elbow.
Using the same method, Arvant defeated six Ice Wolves. Yet, he couldn't shake his unease.
*"Why are they alone? Normally, they move in twos or threes. This doesn't make sense."*
The air grew colder. His robe was torn, and the scent of blood clung to him. He returned to their meeting point, where Elric was already waiting with a sack full of meat.
"Finished already, old man?" Arvant asked.
"Just finished skinning them. How was your first hunt?"
"I took down six."
"That's quite a lot. Alright, let's head back to the inn. I'm sleepy was drinking with Old Ted last night," Elric said with a yawn.
On the way back, Arvant voiced his concern.
"Old man, why were the Ice Wolves wandering alone?"
"Simple. The law of the wild. The strong oppress the weak. That means they're being hunted by stronger magical beasts," Elric answered flatly.
Arvant wiped his blade. "How do you know?"
"Because I just took down a level-four Ice Wolf. This sack is full of its meat, hahaha."
*"In the past, I never saw a level-four Ice Wolf... Is this because I took a different path from Elric?"* he wondered.
They arrived at the inn by one in the afternoon. Elric immediately went upstairs and fell asleep.
Arvant sat by the fireplace, sipping warm milk. He closed his eyes briefly.
*"At a time like this, it's best to absorb natural mana,"* he murmured.
But his concentration was broken. Old Ted paced anxiously nearby.
"What's wrong, Grandpa Ted?"
"N-Nancy hasn't come back since noon..." Ted's voice nearly cracked.
"What did you say?" Arvant stood abruptly, his eyes widening.
"She went to the Ice Forest... to pick mushrooms... just for a little while, but she hasn't returned."
As they spoke, the sound of a storm rattled the windows. The curtains fluttered. Ted looked outside and dropped his cup in shock.
"My granddaughter... my only family..."
Arvant turned, gripping his sword. His expression hardened with determination.
"Don't worry, Grandpa Ted. I'll find her."
He rushed out into the blizzard. The snow stung his face, but he pressed on.
Inside the forest, he found bloodstains and a white glove.
"Nancy..."
He followed the trail. His breath came in ragged gasps. His eyes darted in every direction.
*"Please don't be dead. I can't fail again..."*
In the distance, a level-three Ice Wolf stood with blood dripping from its maw. A girl slumped weakly against a large rock.
*"That... can't be... Nancy...?"*
Arvant approached. His heart clenched.
"...!"
He froze. Nancy was motionless.
**[System]:** Host's mental state severely shaken.
Suddenly, the Ice Wolf lunged. Arvant barely rolled out of the way.
"Damn mutt!"
He hurled a stone spell at its eyes, but the wolf deflected it. The beast counterattacked, slamming its head into Arvant's chest. His body crashed against a tree.
He lay there, bleeding. His hand still clutched his sword.
*"Why did I even come here...? I didn't even know her..."*
**[System]:** You're thinking useless thoughts. You don't deserve the title of hero. Even after ten regressions, you've failed every time.
Arvant slowly loosened his grip on his sword.
**[System]:** But at least, out of all those failures, you can still fix things.
*"Really...?"*
**[System]:** Of course. Now get up and kill that wolf.
"You're right. I'm not done yet."
Arvant forced himself up, trembling. His sword returned to his grasp.
Meanwhile, Elric awoke to the storm. He descended the stairs and saw Ted biting his nails by the fireplace.
"What's wrong, old man?"
Ted panted. "A-Arvant... N-Nancy... in danger..."
"Where are they?!"
"Ice Forest!"
"Stay here. I'll find them."
Elric grabbed his greatsword and stormed out into the blizzard.
Arvant was still fighting. He spotted bite marks on the wolf's neck.
*"If I can stab right there..."*
He threw a water orb to distract it.
"Come on, take me!"
The wolf leaped. Arvant blasted a fireball at its legs. The flames erupted. The wolf howled in pain.
Arvant unleashed a flurry of attacks. The wolf dodged, but one slash severed its ear.
The beast retaliated with a vicious claw. Blood sprayed from Arvant's chest.
"AAAGH!"
His body shook violently. But he refused to yield.
*"If I die here... then I don't deserve to live again..."*
The wolf lunged for the kill. Arvant hurled his last fireball straight at its neck.
The wolf shrieked. With all his strength, Arvant leaped and drove his sword deep into the wound.
"RAAAAHH!"
Blood splattered his face. The wolf collapsed.
Arvant staggered toward Nancy. He fell to his knees beside her.
Silence enveloped the area. A cold mist drifted through the air, veiling Nancy's lifeless body among the moss-covered rocks. Snow partially covered her, leaving only her frozen fingers clutching something at her chest. Around her, faint blood trails were slowly erased by the encroaching ice.
The ice around the battlefield was shattered unevenly, remnants of magic explosions that had scorched the frozen air. A faint burnt smell lingered among the trees, their bark blackened on one side.
The Ice Wolf's corpse lay lifeless, its neck wound still smoldering. Frozen blood formed dark red crystals on the snow.
The sky above darkened as the approaching storm deepened the gloom.
Arvant, on the verge of collapse, knelt with his face turned to the gray sky. His body was drenched in blood and cold sweat. His ragged breaths echoed against the howling wind.
"Forgive me... Nancy... forgive me..."
Tears fell. He repeated his apology like a mantra.
Amid the despair, heavy footsteps approached. Snow crunched underfoot. Elric's shocked gaze hardened as he took in the heartbreaking scene.
"Good work, Arvant. You truly deserve to be called a hero."
That voice Elric. Without hesitation, he lifted Arvant before he could collapse.