As he fell back down, white breaths formed a cloud that floated upwards. In this environment, such smoke would be deadly, so deadly that it wasn't crazy to say it might be the reason a claw would point at his neck.
That is why he stuffed piles of snow inside his mouth, avoiding accidental location reveal. He didn't know if it would help, but it was better than nothing.
'Still, isn't this just too much?'
He wanted to complain. However, thinking that such desires were far too luxurious as of this moment, shaking them away like the snow creasing on his coat.
'I must've teleported when I first fell down'
When the floor first receded away by the influence of the merchant, the feeling of dissonance accompanied him during the fall.
At first, he thought nothing of it, but the more he thought, the more he went back to that moment. It was certain to him that she, the merchant was the one to cause this.
'Aside from that, I can guess how the rest went'
The roars of the animals surrounding the tundra snapped him out of his thoughts.
'Let's first make a headcount of what we could use'
Searching through his pockets, he found two surprising items.
'This....how did it get in my coat?'
He stared at the collar with a bunny-shaped gemstone, and red jewels stared at him from every direction.
Seconds passed as he kept staring at the collar.
Dragging as he heard screams coming from above.
'Ominous'
Something in his body and mind told him that putting it on right this moment, would change a huge piece of him.
The eerie feeling didn't disappear either, the more he stared, the more he looked at it, it felt a whole lot of nothing kept staring at his being.
Cale didn't know how to best describe it, just...the thoughts 'never put it on' kept circulating within him. Yet, his thoughts conflicted to keep it on his person.
Shooing it away from his presence, he looked at the dagger he also found in the coat.
'Beautiful gleam'
It shimmered when drawn from the scabbard, at the touch, the blade felt warmer than metal should, thinking it was ironic that his hands were colder than the blade. He looked at the load of nothing in his inventory.
'The Dwon is gone just like she said'
It wouldn't be useful in combat, so he let it go.
Even so....The frown on his face couldn't fade and bury like the snow.
'Only a dagger and a collar for a slave.....wow, I'm more broke than a homeless man'
Being broke, he picked up the knife that came as a bonus, and slashed it around to get used to the weight.
Cale had never killed anything aside from insects, that would prove to be fatal here.
'Maybe I should keep that mindset while I'm here?'
He wouldn't want to mentally break down mid-fight because of the commonality of 'don't kill' getting in the way. Having the mindset of simply 'killing insects' would solve this moral issue.
Of course, a moral compass couldn't change all of a sudden because you want to.
However, something deep within Cale told him that he could at this moment.
'I'll cross that bridge when it comes'
Right now, he needed to set up a reliable way to get food at his level.
Of course, since he was a coward.
He would naturally employ cowardly tactics.
With those thoughts. Cale began digging behind him, occasionally frightened of the ceiling of snow crashing down on him.
Surprisingly, he didn't die from something dumb like that, however, his hands were another story waiting to be told.
Blisters appeared, and all of sudden, they felt warm. Under this immense cold, it didn't seem right.
'Should I take a break?'
The animals above wouldn't be able to kill him down here, and being able to maintain warmth was a must.
'How do I create a fire though?'
There wasn't anything down here that could create one.
'No wait, even if there are materials for the fire'
He glanced at the crater he created.
'They would all rush here'
The smoke would be a dead giveaway.
Clicking a tongue. Cale dropped close to the floor, accepting the outcome.
'No fire for me I guess'
He curled into a ball, hands deeply dug under his clothing. The cold chill crushing his skin.
The ceiling above never shook nor crushed under the pressure of snow pressing down on it, so with hesitant moves.
Cale closed his eyes, warmth bouncing off of the walls.
As off in the distance.
"Holy fuck!"
An armored knight moved at high speeds.
Barely avoiding the swift claws of a pack of bears.
Perched on a branch of a tree, he looked at the red stains in the center.
'Anyone who is in there is probably dead by now'
Gravel grinded the metal shaping his teeth.
'I doubt that sensory type is alive'
He didn't know what happened to it, but just its lack of absence told it.
That it was dead.
"I mean, shit, this is utter bullshit, the hell did I do to deserve this!"
He clutched at his side. Poison proceeding to gnaw away at his strength, even as he moved. It never moved further than that, but it hurt like hell each time he used his insight.
After returning from detention, it wasn't all sunshine, he was immediately attacked by someone the moment he walked into the courtyard.
Their claws were deadly, and their poison was even more so.
They were strong, absurdly at that. Firepower far more potent than himself.
Of course, if it weren't for the permanent debuff, he would be an equal to that bastard.
But was done was done, he lost and barely left with his life, saved only by the bell and left with a permanent scar to his side that kept pulsing poison to him.
"Ahhh, fucking hell...!"
His once empty eye sockets pulsed with a blue sickly glow, his body left blue particles as if it ripped through space and appeared on another tree branch.
A roar from one of the bears caused the light inside his empty eye sockets to fade and flicker.
'Troublesome'
One of the bears could distort his usage of insight periodically. However, it had a 5 second delay.
Having already realized that it was insight, Gravel retreated to more favorable terrain.
'That's the leader of the pack'
The white bear toppled over the brown bears that looked like its babies.
With one roar, one of the bears rushed and climbed at the command of the white bear.
The yellow crystal on its back shimmered and hummed slightly, before shattering.
BANG!
A loud boom resounded to the animals patrolling as the bear detonated itself.
Rippling its effects on the poor tree, the bear was nowhere to be seen, but neither was Gravel.
"I'm here~"
The white bear snapped upwards in surprise to the voice, two metal hands slithered and crushed both eyes before it could activate its insight, roaring wildly and sensing imminent doom, the blue crystals on its back shimmered and crackled, ready to detonate.
"Self-Destructing on someone who can teleport? Can an animal get any dumber?"
As Gravel's body disappeared, the white bear's self-destruction annihilated the entire bear pursuit squad. The snow was violently pounded by crashing metal.
"Haaaah"
Laying on the snow, Gravel thought to himself.
'How long did they say we have to survive for?'
Only a couple of hours have passed since the practical exam had started, and already, it seemed unbelievably hard. Gravel was already getting close to his limit due to the rushing influx of enemies.
"Someone who could sense danger....."
That someone was desperately needed in an exam like this one.
"Too bad"
Gravel had long known beforehand that all except the humanoid monsters and some ordinary monsters lived.
"His power and mine would work quite well"
Thinking how much of a shame it was that he didn't subdue it and turn it into a slave, the snow lifted as the metal raised into a statue.
"Well, not like I regret it"
If something didn't go to plan, the only thing anyone in this world could hope to do was improvise.
And doing their best to make that improvisation seamless.
That was it.
"I should get going before anymore of them appear.."
As snow left evidence of presence, the blizzard raged like fury would. Distorting the silhouettes of all that were aboveground.