Chapter 148 : Chapter 148
Chapter 148
“I have a lot to clear up too, don’t I?”
“I’m sorry… and thank you.”
“I’m up to you whether we get along, but… I’d appreciate it if you accepted my apology. It took a lot of courage, you know.”
“Answer me next time.”
The waltz at the conquest banquet, where Elisha held my hand and supported my waist, flashed in my mind.
‘She said that.’
If I can’t save her, fine, but if I can… I should.
Silently, I stomped out the fire I’d painstakingly lit.
‘The problem is…’
Can Elisha make it this far? Another cadet just got smashed by the Yeti’s swing, limbs torn apart.
***
“Cadet Elisha! Run!”
A male cadet turned, gripping his sword.
“Hey!”
“Be realistic! One of us has to survive! Don’t worry! They’ll give points for this!”
Leaving the brave cadet charging the Yeti, Elisha ran. A scream echoed behind, and her steps faltered.
‘I can’t escape.’
The Yeti was 10 meters tall. Without mana, no amount of running would help.
Then, as she rounded a snowy hill, thud! Something burst out!
“…?!”
Before she could react, it wrapped around her and pulled her in. Warmth enveloped her… and something covered her mouth.
“Quiet.”
***
Having rescued Elisha, I quickly piled spare snow to block the entrance. Hopefully, the blizzard and darkness would obscure the Yeti’s vision.
“…”
Turning, I saw Elisha staring up at me, still in the awkward position I’d pulled her into. Her silence was commendable, especially in this pitch-black darkness where nothing was visible. Just in case, I placed a finger to her lips.
“Shh.”
Soon, heavy thud thud footsteps approached. The Yeti—Snow Giant might be more fitting. It wandered for a while, then—
[■■■■■■■—!]
With an angry roar, it moved away.
‘Got away.’
Looking at Elisha, she was still frozen, silent. Since the Yeti was gone, no need to stay quiet, but her obedience was oddly satisfying.
‘Fire first.’
The cold was creeping in. Returning to the firewood, I relit it with the flint. With a crackle, warmth and light returned, piercing the brutal cold and darkness.
“You can talk now.”
“As expected… Cadet Martin.”
Rustling behind me, Elisha sat up properly, looking at me.
“As expected?”
“Yes. Your voice was familiar.”
“…”
Quiet. She recognized me from that single word? Seeing her in the firelight reminded me of the ruins conquest.
“I keep getting help from you, Cadet Martin. Remember the Eudialyte Desert?”
“Yeah, sure.”
“Thanks every time.”
“…”
Elisha acting like this felt awkward. She’s supposed to start with “Hey, you!” and interrogate me—that’s more her style.
Maybe my expression showed it, as she smiled awkwardly.
“Don’t make that face. I told you, I’m sorry. I trust you now.”
“…”
I should respond, but it was too embarrassing to say anything.
“…”
“…”
In the silence, I said,
“We’ll stay here until the blizzard stops. Rest.”
That was all I could manage.
***
The blizzard stopped. It was still dark, but the fact it calmed was enough.
Elisha crawled out of the snow shelter and asked,
“Any place in mind to go?”
As if. I hid here because of the blizzard and darkness.
“Roughly.”
But I had Wild Instinct and Know-It-All. With Wild Instinct finding the path and Know-It-All mapping it, we’d make progress. Three days to find a place to stay—plenty of time. For now, we’d head to a high hill.
As we walked side by side, Elisha brushed snow off a conifer branch and asked,
“How long has it been since the assessment started?”
“About five hours since we got here.”
“Only five hours?”
Wild Instinct was keeping track, so it was accurate.
“Let’s move.”
“Yes.”
From the summit, the landscape was clear—white everywhere. Mountains, plains, endless white to the horizon.
‘The Academy found a hell of a place.’
Like some remote northern corner of the continent, but that wasn’t important.
“We need to find Exploration teacher Jewel’s markers and collect herbs for Herbology teacher Villemon.”
“Alright. There’s got to be one around this mountain.”
I pointed upward.
“What?”
Following my finger, Elisha saw it—a marker 10 meters above the summit, the Academy’s open-book emblem floating in the air.
“How do we…?”
“Will you catch, or jump?”
“What? Oh…”
After thinking, Elisha clasped her gloved hands and extended them upward, like a platform.
“Come on!”
“Here I go.”
I sprinted, stepped onto her clasped hands, and her powerful arms, like a bow’s tension, launched me upward. Combined with my leap, I easily cleared 10 meters—almost too high.
‘Got it.’
Touching the marker mid-air, it glowed, activated. Not retrieval, but contact-based.
[1/7]
Seven markers total? Seven peaks, so we’d visit each.
‘Better land well.’
Spotting a good spot, I saw Elisha already below, arms outstretched to catch me.
‘Hmm…’
No need for that. Using Movement, I balanced, kicking small trees to slow my descent, landing lightly like a cat.
“Uh…”
Elisha stared at me, dazed. She’d trained in Movement, so she must’ve realized how advanced my skills were. But no time to waste.
“The markers are contact-based, not retrieval. Let’s switch roles.”
I offered to be the platform.
“Okay… here I go.”
Elisha ran and stepped onto my hands.
‘Now!’
Matching the force from her thighs, calves, waist, and spine, I pushed with full strength. Elisha soared into the sky.
“Got…”
She touched the marker.
“…it! Eek!”
The marker activated, but Elisha vanished, snatched by something.
[Cawww!]
A giant arctic raven. I drew my hunting rifle.
‘Can’t use mana or stellar force, which weakens it.’
But—
‘Without energy, a gun’s the strongest weapon.’
Firearm Comprehension (Lv 6) guarantees victory.
Instead of aiming carefully, I swung and fired. The crisp gunshot rang out, the bullet following my intended arc despite the cold wind and the raven’s wingbeats. A parabolic shot hit the raven’s eye.
[Cawwww!]
The raven thrashed in the air.
“Eek?!”
Elisha was flung. But this was part of the plan.
As Know-It-All (Lv 4) calculated!
I was already running to the predicted landing spot. Stretching out my arms, I caught her.
“Eep!”
Startled, Elisha gasped, clinging to me.
“You okay?”
“Yes? Yes, yes…”
Setting her down, she stood on shaky legs. I worried about the shock, but—
“Hey, Cadet Martin, you okay?”
She was worried about me.
“What?”
“I fell from really high…?”
“…”
She’s asking if my arms are okay after catching her barehanded?
“I’m fine.”
The assessment’s magic blocks energy, but not physical stats. My strength and endurance are at the peak of human potential, and my Movement is maxed. Honestly, give me a tool, and I could take down a bear.
“No, really, let me check. Internal injuries aren’t always obvious.”
She grabbed my arm and rolled up my sleeve. Well, if she wants to…
“…Wow, you’re really fine. But… you…”
Her worried face turned to admiration.
“You’re ripped. I didn’t know. You look slim in clothes!”
“…”
What’s she talking about?
“Let’s get moving. That commotion won’t go unnoticed.”
“Okay. Where to?”
I pointed in a direction.
“To the next peak.”
We left the original peak for the next.
“Brr, it’s cold. Oh? What’s that creature?”
While Elisha was distracted by sightseeing disguised as scouting, I gathered nearby herbs.
We found a frozen river, about 30 meters wide.
“Hmm, crossing on the ice seems risky. It might collapse.”
Thinking to redeem her earlier mistake, Elisha suggested,
“How about this? We knock down that tree and walk across it! It’ll take time, but we can get halfway safely!”
Ignoring her, I pulled out a blue herb, crushed it with snow, and sprinkled it across the river.
“Uh… what’s that?”
“Frost Herb. Mixed with snow or ice, it emits cold, turning into an environmental substance. I’ll use it to thicken the river’s ice.”
“Where’d you get that?”
“Collected it on the way.”
“When…?”
[1/15]
An assessment update appeared. Must be one of Villemon’s herb concoctions.
‘Lucky.’
We crossed the reinforced ice, picking rare herbs along the way. Finding a marker in a cliffside cave, we secured the second marker.
We repelled a pack of snowy boars with a foul-smelling brew made from cliff herbs and frozen beast dung.
Heading to the next peak, another uninvited guest arrived—a blizzard. We built another snow shelter and took refuge.
‘The only gain…’
A few potatoes I’d dug up by chance.
“Let’s eat!”
Elisha stepped in front of me with exaggerated flair.
“…Sure.”
Is eating such a dramatic event? Then she pulled out emergency rations.
‘Oh.’
Not the type to prepare for emergencies, but… she’s well-prepared.
“What does Martin like? Meat stew, bean soup, crackers… I’ve got it all!”
“…Let’s open them.”
My first time trying this world’s rations, but having tasted Earth’s military food, I wasn’t hopeful.
“Just heat it over the fire!”
She proudly presented bean soup.
“Ugh, fishy… Let’s try something else.”
“…”
The meat stew was—
“Ew, what’s this smell…?”
“…”
Finally, the crackers—
“Too hard! And salty!”