Chapter 257: The Northern Sea
A biting wind howled over the frozen sea, sending snowflakes swirling high into the air before they drifted back down. The patches of exposed ice between thick layers of snow glistened under the sunlight, polished like mirrors.
The guards of Drosia City patrolled the shoreline where the sea met the land. Around them, spirits of various shapes and forms flitted about, dancing freely in the air.
Drosia’s mana hall was located deep beneath the ocean. It was nearly inaccessible to humans, but countless spirits of the sea gathered around it instead. Most of Drosia’s guards had an affinity for spirits, drawing mana from the mana hall through their connections with these beings to protect both the city and the ocean.
There were a few who formed actual contracts with spirits, but such cases were rare. Typically, their relationship was one of simple cooperation, a shared effort to safeguard one another. Spirits had no real reason to bind themselves to humans.
Unlike humans, spirits did not possess skills. Their ability to control mana was also crude—rather than wielding their elemental power with precision, they could only release it in bursts, making them inefficient compared to humans. If a human’s skill was like a finely honed sword wielded with expert technique, then a spirit’s power was akin to hurling a blunt chunk of iron.
For that reason, they collaborated with humans to lend their strength, but this cooperation did not require a formal contract.
“A request for support just came in from East B-1. The ice is melting rapidly.”
At the report coming through their comms, several guards adjusted the direction of their snowmobiles. They sped across the frozen sea, leaving behind the pristine white shoreline.
The monsters that appeared each night were hostile to spirits as well, but their primary targets were the densely populated city areas. Most of the monsters emerging from the ocean attempted to crawl onto the beaches, so Drosia’s guards and the spirits had frozen a portion of the sea to prevent their advance.
Any monsters that lacked SS-rank or higher cold resistance froze to death in the sea’s intense chill.
“The sun will set soon.”
A Drosia guard murmured as he poured warm tea from a thermos and took a sip. He had cold resistance skills and protective gear, yet in this frozen landscape where ice-attribute skills were constantly active, the chill was inescapable. Anyone without at least C-rank cold resistance would struggle to remain standing for long.
The guard beside him wore a tired expression, clearly fed up with the cold. At least within the city, the spirits absorbed the chill, keeping the climate perpetually warm like spring.
“There was an alert for an SSS-class monster earlier. Two of them, even.”
“At least they’re in the ocean. If they were in the city, the damage would be catastrophic.”
“But still, all that ice we worked so hard to freeze is going to be wrecked. Looks like we’ll be working overtime for a while.”
Maintaining already frozen ice was relatively easy, but once it melted, it was difficult to refreeze. Hopefully, the monsters wouldn’t be too large. As they prayed for some luck, the sky darkened. Deep red hues mixed with violet, and faint stars began to appear one by one.
Guards with no combat abilities or those specializing in ice maintenance began retreating from the beach all at once. Only the spirits remained, lingering over the sea.
— It’s here!
A high-pitched voice rang out, and all the spirits abruptly stopped moving. Schools of fish that swam with the wind froze in place, the blue antelopes that had been prancing across the snowy fields halted, and the dolphins that had been dipping in and out of the ice as if it were water ceased their movements. Every spirit, regardless of form, turned in the same direction.
Guuuuuung—
A deep, resonant sound trembled through the air. Cutting through the darkening sky, a massive, blue-tinged white figure emerged.
A colossal whale.
Countless spirits swirled around it as it moved slowly. Even the spirits over the sea surged toward the white whale. Watching this, the Drosia guards murmured in awe.
“No matter how many times I see it, it’s incredible.”
“For spirits to be this obsessed… That wasn’t always the case, was it?”
“Well, Lord Delta has always been strong, so spirits were naturally drawn to her. But not to this extent.”
As they chatted, the whale glided down, skimming over the frozen sea. One by one, the battle-class and support-class guards who had been riding on its back leapt down. Then, the whale’s form began to dissolve.
The enormous, semi-transparent blue mass of water rippled and slowly split apart from the center. The sides formed towering walls of water, while the remaining portion descended gently to the ground in an unshaken, fluid motion.
It was like an elevator.
As the water platform fully settled, white boots touched down onto the snow.
“You could’ve just let me jump.”
Park Yerim spoke to the water spirit, which had now shrunk into the form of a small whale. She had flight skills, after all—this was unnecessary. But the whale shook its head stubbornly.
Park Yerim slowly scanned her surroundings. Wherever her gaze landed, spirits straightened their postures and their eyes gleamed.
The sheer intensity of their attention and goodwill made her shoulders twitch slightly.
‘Not like I’ll be staying here forever anyway.’
For some reason, the spirits were deeply fascinated by Park Yerim, who now resided within Delta’s body. Even the small, young spirits who could barely speak, as well as the ancient spirits that had existed for centuries, all vied for her attention.
What the spirits desired was just one thing—a contract with Park Yerim.
Even when she grabbed a spirit capable of speech and asked why, there was no clear answer. Just because. That was all.
“Lord Delta!”
The guards who had disembarked first started their snowmobiles and called out to her. Park Yerim lightly floated into the air before landing on a snowmobile. Since they couldn’t pinpoint the exact location of the SSS-class monster’s emergence, she patrolled the area, with a flock of spirits trailing closely behind her.
— We can scout ahead for you!
— That’s right! You can just rest!
“And then you’ll just charge in recklessly and get hurt again.”
Park Yerim flicked a large flower bud that had approached her, sending it bouncing away.
— Do not interfere. Do not block the path.
A spirit in the form of a tropical fish with long, elegant fins spoke in a calm voice. Beside it, a white-furred wolf leaped forward. Behind the snowmobile, a massive sea serpent slithered, its terrifying size making the nearby guards uneasy. The sea serpent spirit had a notorious temper and rarely cooperated, so its presence alone put them on edge.
— Over here! Here!
A seabird soared high in the distance, crying out. Park Yerim expertly turned the handlebars of her snowmobile. Some spirits clung to her, boosting her speed as she raced toward the seabird’s location. The moment she arrived—
Crack!
The solidly frozen ice sheet began to fracture. Park Yerim abandoned the snowmobile and leaped into the air. As she spread her empty hands, the spirits hesitated, glancing at each other, before one darted forward.
The spirit in her grasp lost its shape and transformed into a long spear. Its mana flowed into Park Yerim, becoming sharply refined before returning to its spirit form—now a spear of ice. The weapon, imbued with swirling mana, shot down toward the cracked sea.
Boom!
The ice crumbled inward, opening a massive hole. The thick ice, as strong as fortress walls, was pierced in an instant, sending freezing seawater gushing upward. From beneath the surging waves, a scaled head suddenly emerged.
— Grrrrr.
A monster with sail-like fins running down its back bared its teeth menacingly. One of its eyes had already been impaled by the ice spear. Its fins spread out to either side and flapped like wings. As the monster rapidly ascended into the night sky, waves of heat rippled around it.
“Hey, I know a guy like you.”
Park Yerim smirked. The monster continued to heat the air around it, causing the water to bubble and steam to rise in thick clouds. Even the ice below it began to melt.
But that scorching heat didn’t even reach the ends of Park Yerim’s hair.
The Drosia guards and countless spirits, unable to get close, watched as she stepped forward.
“What was its name again? Gagu? Well, you’re definitely stronger than him. If Gagu was at the level of boiling water for a teapot, you could heat an entire bathhouse.”
— Kyarrrrk.
Blistering steam coiled around the monster like a burning aura. The spirits retreated behind Park Yerim, unable to withstand the heat. Even the ice spear spirit withdrew to a safe distance. The monster’s scales glowed red-hot like molten iron, and a massive wave of burning energy descended toward her.
At that moment—
Splash!
A pillar of seawater erupted into the air. The icy water, mixed with shards of ice, intercepted the monster’s attack. Steam spread thickly like a dense fog. The monster, still radiating heat, crashed onto the frozen sea. Shattered ice flew in all directions, but Park Yerim was nowhere to be seen.
Instead, the sea serpent shot up from beneath the ice.
Its long, blue-scaled body, imbued with an icy aura, coiled tightly around the monster in an instant. Crrrk— The sound of constriction filled the air as scale pressed against scale. Heated red scales and frost-covered blue scales rubbed against each other, locked in a struggle of power.
— Kyahhh!
The monster roared, releasing a wave of heat to try and break free from the spirit’s grip. Normally, a spirit alone wouldn’t be strong enough to handle an SS-class monster.
But Park Yerim stood atop the sea serpent’s head.
She could wield the power of water with precise control.
The ancient, massive power of the spirit resonated with her will, spreading outward. It absorbed the monster’s heat while channeling a fierce cold through its body.
Park Yerim didn’t just issue commands—her hands pressed against the serpent’s scales.
Shiiiing!
Countless razor-sharp ice spikes erupted along the serpent’s blue scales. Thousands of ice thorns scraped, pierced, and stabbed into the monster’s burning body.
As it thrashed, the monster suddenly sensed a massive shadow looming over it. It instinctively lifted its head.
— Krrrk.
Water.
A towering wall of water had risen high above, and now, like a severed dam, it came crashing down.
There was no more steam.
The moment the water seeped through the wounds in its scales, it froze instantly. The monster’s body stiffened, its roars and its heat swallowed entirely by the frigid sea.
“Is the next one up yet?”
Rising effortlessly into the air without a single drop of water touching her, Park Yerim turned to the surrounding spirits. Other guards rushed in to finish off the half-submerged monster.
— It’s still in the ocean!
At the spirits’ fluttering words, Park Yerim dove into the sea without hesitation. The spirits swarmed after her, and soon, a massive eel-like monster was dragged to the surface. Despite being covered in countless defensive skills and spewing sticky mucus in a desperate struggle, the eel was quickly dealt with.
As Park Yerim diligently collected her points, the spirit that had transformed into an ice spear approached her, swaying lightly.
— If you form a contract with us, everything will become much easier. You wouldn’t have to control our power yourself.
If she formed a contract, the spirit would automatically adjust its strength to match its contractor’s abilities. She wouldn’t have to guide them individually as she did now.
At the mention of a contract, the spirits all looked at her with hopeful eyes. Park Yerim waved a hand dismissively.
“I told you, I’m not interested. Thanks, but no thanks.”
She smiled at them. She didn’t dislike these spirits that constantly showered her with affection. In fact, it was flattering and even a little tempting.
‘But I have to go home.’
She wouldn’t be able to take responsibility for them. Even if this world wasn’t real, she didn’t want to be careless with beings who genuinely liked her. Especially not for personal gain. If she was going to keep them by her side, she had to be responsible until the very end.
‘I wonder if Mister is doing okay.’
She wasn’t too worried about anyone else, but Han Yujin lingered in her thoughts. This world had a higher average level—was he really alright?
‘I want to check on him, but I can’t leave my post! If it were Yuhyun, he’d have gone straight to find him.’
It wasn’t just a matter of leaving her position as the strongest SS-class guard in the city. The problem was that the spirits would all try to follow her. If the spirits suddenly disappeared, Drosia City wouldn’t last long before collapsing.
‘I can’t go that far.’
She sighed. At least dying here didn’t mean dying for real—that was a relief. If this were her real body, she wouldn’t have cared about the city and would’ve rushed straight to find Han Yujin.
“Lord Delta!”
Just then, a Drosia guard approached her.
“There’s a message from Medsang City.”
“Medsang? Where was that again?”
“It’s the city known for having many support-class guards. There are quite a few Medsang-born guards even here in Drosia. But this isn’t from Medsang’s Myu—it’s from someone named Han Yujin—”
“Mister?!”
Park Yerim instantly teleported in front of the guard, startling him into stepping back.
“Is Yuhyun not there? He should definitely be with him.”
“Uh, I… I’m not sure…”
“There was an SS-class guard with flame skills, right? What was his name again?”
“That would be Achates’ Alpha. He’s among their group as well—”
“That’s Yuhyun! I knew it! So he’s with Mister after all.”
“The request was for permission to board Medsang’s ship under Han Yujin’s name. But their party includes not just Medsang’s Myu, but also Achates’ Alpha, Lanchea’s Lambda, and one more unnamed SS-class guard. Given the situation, it seems highly dangerous.”
“It’s fine! Let them all come!”
Park Yerim grinned brightly.
“There’s no problem at all. Even if everyone here ganged up on me, I’m still the strongest!”
With her confident attitude, the guard delivering the news looked noticeably more at ease and nodded. Here in Drosia, even if all the cities united, the victor would undoubtedly be Delta.
“Ahem! Everyone, are you ready?”
A voice blared from a loudspeaker. A few Lanchea guards stationed around nodded slightly. Yuhyun and Moon Hyunah stood firmly on either side of me.
After contacting Drosia City, where we assumed Yerim was, we had split into two teams. Sigma, who was being pursued by monsters, remained on the ship with Noah. While they lured the SSS-class monster away, Yuhyun, Moon Hyunah, and I focused on installing the remaining disks.
Starting with the closest location—Lanchea.
“There will be at least three SS-class monsters, so stay on high alert.”
If anything beyond our control appeared, we planned to open an escape route outside the city. We had already coordinated with Medsang’s ship to come in and lure any threats away if necessary. Hopefully, we wouldn’t end up dragging two SSS-class monsters along with us.
“Hyung, be careful.”
“Don’t worry. I’m eating a cookie first, so I’ll be fine.”
Safety first. I popped a mini-mini cookie into my mouth before hopping onto the button of the disk and pressing it down.
A now-familiar sensation of space trembling washed over me. As expected, monsters appeared. Three SS-class ones—manageable.
Yuhyun quickly snatched me up and tucked me into his chest pocket while Moon Hyunah revved up her bike.
After handling this, the next stop would be Medsang.
As if celebrating the third disk installation, a new side quest popped up.
[Take care not to catch a cold!]
Drosia City is located near the frozen northern sea. Make sure to bundle up to avoid catching a cold! Wrap a warm, cozy fur scarf around your neck~☆
Reward: 100,000P, Handmade Hot Pink Long Cardigan, Strawberry-Flavored Cold Medicine
…They already made a cardigan? Impressive. But strawberry flavor? Not my favorite.
–TL Notes–
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