Chapter 37

Love and Hate (2)

Mountain peaks blanketed in pure white snow. As I gazed at those peaks rising silently toward the heavens, the boundary between mountain and sky faded until they seemed to form a single mass.

Deep snow covered every ridge and valley. The rough surfaces of the rocks wore a covering as soft as pale skin. Here in the snowy mountains after the blizzard, amid a landscape like an endless world of pure white...

◆Storing snow in Inventory.

◆Removing snow from Inventory.

I cleared a path by repeatedly storing the accumulated snow in my Inventory and taking it back out. My current Strength stat was 29. In other words, I could remove a full 1,160 kg of snow at once. Clearing a route blocked by the heavy snowfall wasn't particularly difficult.

I continued up the mountain. My first objective was to find an ice troll; my second was to obtain monster meat to sell on our next trading expedition.

With the Gelu Drake, known as the master of the snowy mountains, already slain, nothing stood in my way. I was the master of these mountains now. Nothing here could threaten me. I searched without hesitation.

I spent an entire day in the snowy mountains that way. And unfortunately...

"... Nothing."

There was nothing. Forget an ice troll—I couldn't find a single monster of any kind.

Well, with the season of bitter cold approaching, the monsters were bound to become less active. All the more so now, when the heavy snow made moving about difficult.

"Still, this is strange."

Even so, it was odd. No matter the circumstances, they couldn't possibly be this inactive.

After all, I'd searched the entire mountain range. However bad the weather, there should have been at least one monster out looking for prey, even if it wasn't an ice troll.

But there wasn't. The distant wind was the only whisper in the silence of the snowy mountains.

"Did they move to different habitats because the Gelu Drake is gone?"

That was possible. But that alone didn't explain everything.

"Hmm..."

I thought it over, but no answer came to mind.

"At least I stocked up on food for Regeneration in Frecce."

Regeneration[B-] absolutely required food. I'd been eating monster meat until now, but from now on, that meat needed to be sold as merchandise. I had to obtain the nutrients for Regeneration[B-] some other way, and I'd bought plenty of a substitute in Frecce.

"I can't keep searching in this snow."

It looked as though I'd have to check again once the heavy snowfall stopped. That didn't mean I intended to sit idle until then.

"My current stats..."

As I muttered, translucent text appeared before my eyes.

==「Player Information」==

[Name] = Adrian Whitewolf

[Title] = Master of the Snowy Mountains

[Level] = Level 28

[HP] = 2,200

[MP] = 0

[Stats] = Strength:29(+5) Agility:28(+5) Stamina:21(+5) Mana:6(+5)

[Experience] = 34.7%

Completing the Territory Quest [Though Your Beginnings Are Humble, Your Future Shall Be Great!] in Frecce had brought me to level 28. I'd grown incomparably stronger than when I'd first returned to the past. But I couldn't possibly be satisfied with this.

"At this rate, I wouldn't stand a chance against a Sovereign, let alone the Emperor."

Never mind a Sovereign. I couldn't even beat the legion commanders.

Besides, I'd absorbed Ian's abilities, not copied them. That meant my own growth was just as important as finding him.

"Still, my Agility has come a long way."

That was only natural, since I was currently investing every stat point I gained from leveling up into Agility. As a result, it had risen to nearly match the others.

"It's already caught up with Stamina."

That didn't mean I planned to spend level-up points on Stamina. I'd keep putting those into Agility. In short, I needed to train my Strength and Stamina consistently.

"I'll work on physical conditioning today."

Leaving the search for another time, I headed down the mountain.

* * *

The Frost Trial Grounds were bustling with soldiers training.

... Or they should have been, but not today. Every soldier stood transfixed by a rather shocking sight, quite unlike anything they usually saw.

A black-haired man was lifting an enormous iron bar.

HUFF! HUFF! HUFF!

It was Adrian, his breathing not merely regular but razor-precise. He was continuing his physical conditioning at the Frost Trial Grounds.

But...

"What in the world is that?"

"What is he lifting?"

There was something extraordinary about the iron bar Adrian was lifting. It was nothing like the barbell he'd used last time. No one had ever seen a piece of exercise equipment like it in the county.

"Apparently Lord Adrian bought it in Frecce this time."

"In Frecce? That thing?"

It was something he'd purchased during the latest trading expedition. The soldiers who had accompanied him attested to that, so there was no mistaking it. It was a cylindrical iron bar compressed to an extremely high density. And it weighed a staggering...

"They say it's 1,500 kg."

"What?! 1,500 kg?! You mean 1.5 tons?"

"Unbelievable, isn't it?"

The soldiers could only gape. It was easy enough to say 1.5 tons, but was that a weight a human could lift? How could anyone call that exercise equipment? It would be more accurate to call it construction material.

Sure enough, Adrian's muscles were not merely rupturing moment by moment, but being compressed to a high density. As a result, he wasn't bulky. Judging by appearances alone, his build wasn't particularly large—clear proof that his muscles had become densely compressed.

He didn't so much as grimace. Even though he was clearly suffering the dreadful pain of muscles tearing, rupturing, and compressing, not a single brow twitched.

HUFF! HUFF! HUFF!

He simply kept lifting the iron bar in silence, his breathing unwavering. His mental strength was truly extraordinary. The soldiers' gazes held something beyond respect: awe.

"He's incredible..."

"I'm seeing it with my own eyes, and I still can't believe it."

Perhaps that was why the question arose.

"Who would win if Sir Kai and Lord Adrian fought?"

"W-who knows...?"

"Before, it would've been Sir Kai without question..."

The soldiers' eyes naturally turned toward Kai, who was practicing his swordsmanship. The moment their gazes settled on him, his blade sliced through the cold air. His footwork flowed swiftly and smoothly, yet he never lost his balance.

Was he imagining an enemy before him? He suddenly bent at the waist to dodge an incoming blow. Then, as he swung his sword like lightning, the soldiers cried out in admiration all at once.

"Wow!"

"What was that just now?!"

Their admiration stirred up quite a commotion, but Kai's concentration never wavered.

One hand swung the sword while the other maintained his balance. His entire body moved as a single coordinated whole. His blue eyes focused solely on his swordsmanship, oblivious to everything around him.

Kai, head knight of House Whitewolf. The soldiers could see that his innate talent—the reason even the royal guard was constantly trying to recruit him—was no exaggeration.

Adrian on one side. Kai on the other. As the two continued training in ways that were inhuman for entirely different reasons...

"Hyaah!"

A thin, clear voice suddenly caught the soldiers' attention. It was unmistakably a woman's. Their gazes naturally drifted toward its source, and...

"Hup!"

They saw Seraphia lifting an iron bar with her slender arms.

In truth, even calling it an iron bar was a stretch. Compared to what Adrian was lifting, it was no different from a toothpick. Yet her arms were trembling.

"Hyup!"

The soldiers could only worry that her arms might snap.

* * *

An empty bar with no weights attached weighed approximately 15 kg. But even that had been too heavy for Seraphia to lift. After struggling with it, she'd had no choice but to give up. In the end, she'd compromised by using a 1 kg dumbbell as a barbell.

"Hyaah!"

And even then, this was the sorry state she was in.

'How does Brother...!'

How could he do this every single day? And wasn't he lifting an iron bar thousands of times heavier than this?

"Hup!"

Seraphia felt a renewed sense of admiration for Adrian.

Her arms shook so badly that she couldn't lift them anymore. By the time she finally managed to put the bar down, she was drenched in sweat. Her long silver hair was a disheveled mess, its sweat-soaked strands constantly sticking to her neck and cheeks.

She gathered her damp hair behind her head with both hands, tied it with a cord, and let the rest hang naturally. With a few strands left loose at the sides, it looked exactly like a horse's tail. Her silver ponytail resembled the tail of a unicorn.

Convenient though it was, this style left her neck completely exposed, so she hadn't been able to wear it until now. The bruises Adrian had left on her neck had still been there.

'It's all right now.'

Now, however, the bruises had healed completely. She could savor the cool breeze brushing against her neck. Somehow, it lifted her spirits. Smiling, she looked around the Frost Trial Grounds.

The reason she'd suddenly taken up exercise was none other than to watch Adrian work out. Through that, she hoped to grow even a little closer to him.

He was lifting the heavy iron bar with steady breaths. According to the soldiers, it weighed 1,500 kg. She couldn't even lift 1 kg without trembling, so how was he lifting that?

'He's truly amazing...'

BOOOOM!

The entire Frost Trial Grounds shook as Adrian set down the heavy bar.

Having stripped off his shirt, his firm body was giving off wisps of hot steam. She felt oddly embarrassed and was about to avert her eyes when...

'Oil...?'

Adrian was pouring the entire container down his throat. She froze at the sight, her gaze fixed on him.

The oil was quite dark. It was in a state that more than warranted calling it waste oil. In other words, it didn't look particularly good.

'Why would he...?'

Why would he drink oil like that? If he needed nourishment, there was all the delicious food he'd procured. Indeed, he was the very person who'd brought it back. He could eat that, so why go out of his way to drink oil—

'Could it be for the people of the county?'

After all, the food Adrian had brought wasn't enough.

"How long do you intend to stare?"

To survive the coming season of bitter cold, they had to scrimp and save every last bit. So Adrian was giving up his share of the food for the residents, while he himself—

"Can't you hear me?"

His voice pierced her ears. Startled, her whole body jolted involuntarily. She hurriedly brought her eyes back into focus to find him glaring at her as though he wanted to kill her.

"Y-yes?! Wh-what... did you say?"

"I asked how long you intend to stare."

"Ah... Oh, um..."

"Don't stare at me. It breaks my concentration."

"... Yes."

Seraphia answered, her expression crestfallen. He never said a word when the soldiers watched him, so why was he only like this with her?

Still...

'He spoke to me first...'

It had been worth making the effort to come exercise. This way, little by little, one step at a time, she would be able to grow closer to him.

Of course...

"Hyaah!"

Her arms felt as though they might break before long.

* * *

Seraphia's staring had been bothering me for a while. Only after I ran out of patience and said something did she finally stop looking at me.

"Hyup!"

She lifted the dumbbell with that odd, breathy cry. I wondered whether her arms might break, but I didn't particularly care.

I poured more oil into my mouth. I'd bought it in Frecce—used waste oil, at that. It had cost next to nothing, so I'd been able to buy a huge quantity.

'Oil really does have a lot of calories.'

Monster meat provided an average of roughly 250 kcal per 100 g. Oil, on the other hand, provided a whopping 900 kcal per 100 ml. That was nearly four times the calories.

However, oil contained only fat, so it couldn't provide other nutrients such as protein. Naturally...

◆You can consume calories to synthesize [Protein].

◆Surplus Calories - 93,200 kcal

◆Would you like to use the skill 'Nutrient Synthesis[B-]'?

For me, with Nutrient Synthesis[B-], that wasn't a problem at all. When it had advanced to [B-] last time, both its efficiency and the range of compounds it could synthesize had increased dramatically.

What's more, being a liquid, it could be digested and absorbed quickly. In short, oil was the most efficient food I could have.

There was just one thing.

'Urgh.'

The nauseating greasiness welling up from my stomach. If I could overcome the one drawback of giving up the pleasure of eating, this diet had nothing but advantages.

I gulped the oil down without leaving a single drop. The container I'd just drained held 10 liters. With fifteen of those 10-liter containers in my Inventory, I had a total of 1,350,000 kcal ready to go.

'I'm burning it all today.'

Those 1.35 million calories were my goal for the day. I wasn't going to get up until I'd burned through them all.

'Shall we get back to it?'

I gripped the iron bar again.

* * *

While swinging his sword, Kai watched Adrian lift that terrifyingly massive iron bar. It was certainly not something a human could do. For anyone born with human limitations, it was utterly impossible.

But Kai no longer doubted Adrian or denied what he saw. A power that made the impossible possible—he now believed Adrian possessed such a power.

That was why he threw himself all the harder into his training. If he didn't want to fall behind Adrian, he had to work harder still.

Above all, recent events had taught him something. Half-measures in strength and martial prowess would never be enough to protect Seraphia.

Kai didn't have Adrian's gifts. But he did have an innate talent for aura and swordsmanship. So he had to surpass them—the limits of aura and swordsmanship.

Just as Adrian was doing, Kai had to surpass his own limitations. He had to grow stronger and stronger, until he could effortlessly cut down something as trivial as this season of bitter cold.

SWISH! SWISH!

His sword movements grew faster and faster. He continued training, lost in complete absorption, when suddenly...

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Urgent bells rang throughout the Frost Trial Grounds.

* * *

◆A Sudden Quest has arrived!

Translucent text suddenly appeared before my eyes.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

At the same time, urgent bells rang throughout the Frost Trial Grounds. They came from the castle's tall watchtower, which overlooked the surrounding area. And that warning only sounded in emergencies, such as an enemy attack.

"Reports say the monsters of the snowy mountains have formed a legion and are attacking the county!!!"

One of the soldiers urgently reported to Kai, who had been training. His eyes went wide.

And so did mine. My eyes widened just as much as his.

I'd wondered why I hadn't seen a single monster in the mountains. No matter how I thought about it, it hadn't made sense. Now it seemed all the monsters there had gathered in one place...

That was why my eyes didn't merely widen, but filled with shock.

"A monster legion...?"

My reason was both the same as and different from the one behind Kai's question.

Because the words monster legion...

'The Sovereign of Beasts!'

Those words pointed to the Sovereign of Beasts.