Survival 126

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The northern night is harsh.

First of all, the temperature is severe.

“Ugh… it’s freezing.”

Even though I was bundled up in winter gear, the cold wind cut through it all.

If it ended there, I could just endure it alone, which would be fortunate.

-Awooo.

Mixed in with the cold, the howls of beasts echoed in my ears.

The fierce wildlife and monsters of the north are mostly nocturnal.

The night was their time.

‘Ugh, my luck. If it weren’t for that relic….’

Moving alone at night,

My sigh, along with a white puff of breath, fell onto the snow.

Even as I moved, yellow flashes occasionally appeared beyond the darkness.

Their owners were closely watching me.

‘At least they don’t seem to be attacking.’

It’s not that they’re hard to deal with.

But dealing with one or a few is manageable; if a large number swarmed, it would not only take time but also attract other monsters, creating even more trouble.

It was fortunate in misfortune.

Their behavior was purely out of caution.

They didn’t seem to regard me as their dinner.

And,

The only reason creatures that would normally attack without hesitation were now watching from a distance was simple.

-Growl…

Several eyes that had been watching me quickly withdrew in response to Friede’s low growl beside me.

“To think I’d benefit from you one day.”

-Bark!

Originally, I intended to leave it at the academy.

Who would have thought?

Managing it would become such an issue.

‘Who knew they would have such a strong aversion to monsters.’

In the north, monsters are seen as targets for hunting and honorable prey,

But in other regions, especially the central ones, it’s different.

“You… you want me to take care of this?”

“Yeah, Friede particularly likes jerky. Just until Luciana and I return from our dispatch lessons….”

“I’m sorry! Please forgive me! If I’ve done anything wrong during my employment, please punish me in another way!”

Despite being a creature long tamed by humans and thus safe, what’s so scary about this pig or wolf?

Even when I asked them to take care of Friede, the servants, knowing it was a monster, were terrified.

They couldn’t outright refuse, given their employment status and my noble standing.

But their fear of monsters seemed to surpass that.

The only one who wasn’t afraid was Bathory.

“What are you talking about? Keep that wild animal here? Of course, I’ll follow you to the land ruled by the descendant of Warrior!”

“You’re not much help in the north because of your contract with the duke, are you?”

“You say such hurtful things so casually.”

I had to work hard to console her, holding her shoulder as she pouted.

‘I mean, aren’t you supposed to be a high-ranking demon? Why are you so sensitive?’

In the end, I had to bring both Bathory and Friede to the north.

At least they listened well, so I thought it wouldn’t be too much trouble.

-It turns out that wolf suppresses the surrounding creatures better than I thought. I only expected it to be useful as a hunting dog.

-It’s a Direwolf, after all, even if it’s been tamed by humans.

The top predator of the northern ecosystem.

True to its reputation as one of the top three monsters, seeing Friede made the lesser creatures scatter on their own.

“Well done.”

-Bark!

I wondered if the predators watching from afar knew.

Friede, this creature that looks like a mix between a pig and a wolf, was already full from the jerky I had thrown.

-By the way, are you sure? That the Wendigo monster is a Doppelganger?

-I didn’t know at first. I only realized after I cut it.

I made a sorrowful face towards the shadow reflecting my face.

Bathory believed I was the Doppelganger king.

Acting was essential.

-I never thought my kin would be treated as monsters and targeted for extermination. At least in the Evildon Empire, it wasn’t like this. It seems my kin had to leave the empire while I was away.

It wasn’t hard to speak in a somber tone.

I slightly roughened my voice, letting it sound scratchy.

Added a few spoonfuls of emotions from remembering Luciana’s suspicions.

A perfectly toned voice was etched into my performance.

-Don’t push yourself too hard. Remember, a king’s duty is to care for his people.

Bathory busied herself trying to comfort me.

That sight was…

…unexpectedly amusing.

I felt a twinge of guilt towards her.

But I couldn’t help the subtle smile tugging at my lips from the gentle pleasure.

‘At first, I found it annoying to constantly maintain a persona and occasionally deal with her fits at odd moments.’

Now, facing a difficult quest, I felt some of my stress ease in this brief moment of deceiving Bathory.

The sensation of manipulating someone’s emotions!

The subtle sense of dominance from Bathory’s current actions made my lips twitch.

“Ahem! Friede, come here.”

If I stayed still, Bathory might catch on to my deceit.

I cleared my throat to rearrange my expression.

“Let’s keep moving. I’m freezing without fur like you.”

-Bark!

Friede seemed to enjoy the rare walk in its homeland.

Hopping around, leaving footprints in the snow, its white fur blending naturally as camouflage.

-Screech, screech…

-Squawk…

Then.

Distant howls reached my ears.

I had strayed too far from the main group, making it difficult to receive support in battle.

‘But with more monsters around, it’s an opportunity.’

Thanks to Friede, my safety was somewhat guaranteed.

Crisis equals opportunity.

The abundance of monsters meant a higher chance of encountering the Wendigo.

It was fortunate for me, who needed to help them.

“Let’s head to the coniferous forest.”

I led Friede to the place where I had previously defeated a Wendigo.

The logs that had been scattered by the Wendigo’s charge.

The scattered nuts and the wildlife that had come to eat them.

Even the northern goblin-like monsters hunting them.

“It’s a mess.”

The desired Wendigo was nowhere to be found, only a bunch of random creatures.

I kicked an innocent tree.

‘Well, one of their kin was killed. Of course, they’d be cautious.’

A Wendigo is not a monster.

Though they can’t even speak, they are still a kind of demon.

Was it a coincidence they hid after the recent sacrifice?

Or were they organizing and concealing themselves?

It wasn’t hard to deduce that the latter was more likely.

“What do you plan to do?”

“Well, we’ll find out as we dig around.”

There were plenty of ways to search.

They had already caused enough human casualties to warrant support from the academy in the north.

“Friede, here’s some jerky.”

I held out my hand to the creature who now adeptly caught anything I threw.

“Okay, if you perform your task well, I’ll give you more jerky as a reward. See this black powder?”

-Bark.

“Smell it. You need to find this.”

The last traces of the Wendigo had no scent to me.

But it would be different for Friede.

‘They say a dog’s sense of smell is much better than a human’s.’

And Friede, having been brought straight from the wild, would be even better.

Like a hunting dog remembers the scent of blood and animals.

Friede rubbed its nose against my hand a few times.

“If it were blood, I’d have found it by now.”

“Ha ha… Doppelgangers can’t manage blood well.”

“That’s true. The moment it touches the air, it evaporates and turns into black powder. In that sense, you are special.”

A cold sweat trickled down my neck.

If I twisted her words, Bathory was essentially saying I wasn’t a typical Doppelganger.

But sometimes, misconceptions can cover fatal errors.

Like now, when Bathory accepted the misunderstanding naturally.

‘Phew, that was close.’

I discreetly wiped the sweat and struggled to keep my eyes from forming a crescent.

Call it thrill.

Even in these dangerous moments, deceiving Bathory brought a proportionate amount of joy.

‘But I must be careful. Once a seed of suspicion sprouts, it spreads uncontrollably.’

The solution was simple.

Show Bathory undeniable proof that I was the Doppelganger king.

‘Which is why securing Shadow is essential.’

-Growl…

While I was deep in thought,

Friede bared its gums and growled.

Its tail bristled, hinting at its anger.

“What? Does the smell bother you that much? If you don’t like it, stop sniffing. Here, have some jerky to calm down.”

I offered it jerky to soothe its mood.

But Friede ignored its favorite snack and bit onto my pant leg.

Then, as if to lead me somewhere, it let go and dashed through the coniferous forest.

“Why is that beast so excited?”

“Could it be? It might have really found something!”

I had to admit.

Friede wasn’t just a jerky-eating pig.

It was a competent Direwolf, skilled at tracking prey.

I hurriedly followed Friede, who had already vanished from sight.

Fortunately, the light snowfall hadn’t erased its tracks on the ground.

-Bark! Bark!

After a while of chasing, I finally saw Friede barking at me from the middle of the snowy field.

“I can’t see anything. What did you find?”

“You can’t expect results immediately.”

Bathory was right.

There was nothing but a vast expanse of snow.

It was a place with nothing but swirling snowflakes and cold wind.

“Ugh, what a waste. Friede, let’s go back.”

After a long search, dawn was breaking.

I couldn’t go without sleep, so I’d have to catch some sleep during the day.

-Bark! Growl!

But despite my command, Fried was busy barking, urging me to come over.

“Hey, let’s go back. You’re tired too. We need to rest well in a warm place for tomorrow’s search….”

As I scolded and approached the still-barking Friede,

[A Dungeon, ‘Wendigo’s Sanctuary,’ has been discovered.]

A translucent status window blocked my path.

[Wendigo’s Sanctuary]

[The Wendigo, one of the three great northern monsters, lives in packs.]

[Their reason for living in packs is not due to survival advantages like other wild animals or exceptional organization like the Direwolves.]

[Faith.]

[With a highly intelligent leader at the forefront, Wendigos worship an unknown god.]

[Uncover their secrets and obtain the relics possessed by the monsters.]

It had been a while since I’d seen a dungeon notification.

But I rubbed my eyes, wondering if I had seen it right.

‘This isn’t what I know.’

In the original, the dungeon’s name was ‘Wendigo Habitat,’ and though I don’t remember the details clearly, it was about eliminating a monster that threatened the northern residents.

Faith and a leader?

‘No, this isn’t the time to nitpick! It’s the Wendigo dungeon I’ve been looking for! Where’s the entrance?!’

– Dig!

That’s when I noticed Friede digging at the ground with its front paws.

“Is there something underground?”

-Bark!

It’s a clever creature that understands human speech.

It barked vigorously and nodded, making it impossible not to believe it.

I immediately took a shovel out of my backpack.

While it was excellent for excavation, it was also useful for its intended purpose of digging into the ground.

A true Korean man should be able to dig at least one trench with a shovel. Drawing on my modern experience, I started digging efficiently.

“Do you need help? I can come out of the shadows and assist.”

“No need. This requires technique. Bathory, please let your servants handle this and don’t dirty your hands.”

“…Hmm. Still, it bothers me to do nothing while that creature helps you selflessly.”

What’s this?

Bathory saying something commendable?

Thanks to that, I dug even faster.

After shoveling for a while,

-Clang!

Finally, I hit something.

It was a clear sound that neither snow nor earth could produce.

A sound of metal stRickyng metal.

At the same time,

-The one who is worthy has knocked on the door.

A hoarse voice, like that of an old man at the end of his life, strained to speak.

However, the telepathic message, filled with dense magic, resonated in my head.

It wasn’t just a telepathic message.

A great magic surged from the shovel, enveloping my body.

It forcefully pulled me into the ground.

‘This, this is insane! Is this a live burial?!’

I tried to resist, but as a novice mage, I was powerless.

-Bark! Bark!

“What’s happening?!”

-Those without qualifications, leave.

“Be careful Frost Mane! I can’t follow you…!”

With Bathory’s urgent voice,

My consciousness gradually faded.

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