**Whiiiish!**
A blizzard raged atop the mountain range, with biting winds howling fiercely.
The sky was filled with gray clouds, and snowflakes swirled wildly in the chaos.
The world seed to be buried in a white mist, rendering the path ahead invisible.
The trail along the ridge of the mountains was steep and rugged.
In the midst of the swirling snow, without leaving a single footprint, a lone figure slowly erged, a shadow barely holding steady against the overwhelming force of nature.
Like a speck of dust against the might of nature, the figure resolutely pressed forward, crossing the mountain range.
As music gradually built up, the scene shifted.
The raging blizzard vanished as if it were a lie, replaced by a forest of lush greenery.
Birds chirped between the peaceful music, and shafts of sunlight filtered through the branches and leaves, illuminating the forest floor.
In this serene forest, orcs and goblins appeared, along with adventurers fighting them.
The adventurers, though clumsy, gradually grew confident in their abilities, standing tall against the fierce monsters.
The perspective shifted quickly, showing the interior of a cave within the forest.
**Thoom!**
A massive Orc King swung its enormous warhamr. Four beginner adventurers stood against it.
A young man wielded a sword, another prepared magic, a middle-aged man brandished an axe, and a woman summoned spirits.
The Orc King stomped the ground.
**Thud!**
The Orc King leaped into the center of the group.
The scene then transitioned to a scorching wasteland, passing quickly.
A desert, an oasis, and a village appeared, followed by a pyramid-shaped tomb leading to a gigantic lava lake.
**Bubbling...**
The first bubble popped on the surface of the lava lake. Soon, the once-still magma began to roil, forming a massive whirlpool.
From the center of the vortex, a colossal form gradually erged.
**Kraaa!**
A demon, bound in thick chains, roared as the screen faded to black.
A vast plain stretched endlessly, with a massive forest at its center. Inside the forest, a fierce battle raged.
**Clang, clash!**
The adventurers fought one another, each seeking their own advantage.
The scene expanded to reveal a larger forest, where an even grander clash unfolded.
**Waaah!**
It was a large-scale war. At the center of the battle, the leaders of both factions, a martial artist in red robes and a swordsman in blue, faced off.
The viewpoint quickly shifted deep into the forest, heading toward a massive hole carved into a cliff.
**Kraaa!**
A green dragon, an absolute force of power, roared as it gazed into the sky.
From the sky, a white flash of light descended.
**Flash!**
**Kraaak!**
The green dragon twisted violently, green blood pouring from a wound on its neck.
The cara zood in on the white flash of light that had landed on the ground.
The figure was a young girl, her hair pure white with a silver sheen.
Her side profile was partially obscured by her hair, which fell over one eye.
Her small fra was more that of a girl than a woman.
As she turned slightly, the eye not covered by her hair ca into view.
In that eye, obsidian glead nacingly.
**Kraaa!**
**Wooooom!**
**Rumble!**
The dragon’s maw opened wide, gathering an imnse amount of energy.
With tension building in the music, the girl leaped from the floating rocks that had risen beneath her.
Finally, the torn eyes of the lizard and the obsidian eye of the girl t.
A devastating breath attack surged toward the girl, intent on erasing everything in its path.
**Rumble, rumble, rumble!**
**Flash!**
The girl’s body, suspended in midair, beca a beam of light, colliding with the dragon’s breath.
A blinding flash filled the screen, and the music halted.
**Whiiiiish!**
The scene returned to the snowy mountains.
At the mountain’s peak stood the girl who had fought the green dragon.
Her silver hair shimred, her obsidian eye piercing, and her slender fra silhouetted against the backdrop.
The cara slowly panned up into the sky.
Beyond the mountain range lay a frozen wasteland, stretching endlessly into the horizon.
**[Astria Online, 'Frozen Wasteland']**
---
“Wow… wow… wow...!”
Seeing the advertisent for the first ti, I covered my face with my hands, utterly embarrassed.
What on earth did I just do?
Of course, it was all to pay back Chris, but still…
Too… too… too embarrassing!
The views on the video hosting site had already surpassed millions.
And apparently, the ad was even airing on television in the real world.
This is so embarrassing! It’s unbearable!
I had waited until today, the day the new expansion area opened, to finally watch the advertisent in which I starred.
It had been airing for a while now, but I couldn’t muster the courage to watch it before today.
‘Didn’t you check YouTube? You look so pretty and cool!’
‘Rain, Rain! Turn on the TV right now! You’re in an ad!’
Chris had teased about it endlessly, encouraging to watch it, but I’d vehently refused until now.
Indeed, seeing the actual ad was far more embarrassing than watching the edited preview I had seen earlier.
And the fact that so many people had already watched it…
If it’s this embarrassing now, how on earth am I going to handle live broadcasts?
Despite my embarrassnt, I couldn’t help but scroll through the comnts.
Is this what they call the desire for recognition?
My heart pounded.
Holding my breath, I squinted and scrolled down.
Were the reactions positive?
“…Huh? Hop-hop? Chirp-chirp?”
Weird onomatopoeias were dominating the top comnts.
So people even seed to be short of breath in their replies.
Was this good feedback? Or bad?
---
Standing alone in the middle of the snowy plains, scrolling through the internet while squirming in embarrassnt, I finally lifted my head to see the village before .
“Valos Village.”
It was the first village in the new expansion area, *The Frozen Wasteland*, in the *Far Snowfields* region.
The humans of Astria still managed to survive in such harsh conditions.
I had been to this area before, in the past. Was it when I was facing the legion commander?
Back then, there wasn’t a human village here. It might’ve been destroyed by the demons.
In the lore, a lot of ti had passed since then. Even when I had been active, I hadn’t traveled extensively across the continent.
Anyway, in the current tiline, there was now a village here. It was the first base for adventurers exploring the snowy region. There would probably be quests, too.
Chris hadn’t been able to log in on the first day of the expansion due to her busy work schedule.
Once again, I’d have to level up quickly and help power-level her.
For now, I could complete the side quests steadily to level up.
Maybe I’d also find a good spot to grind mobs.
**Crunch, crunch.**
Leaving small footprints in the snow, I entered the village.
---
“First quest in the new area, and it’s a monster-hunting quest.”
Not long after entering Valos Village, I found myself leaving it again.
At the village entrance, a thickly-clothed militia mber had imdiately asked for help.
**[Hunt the Wolf Leader Quest]**
**[Defeat the leader of the snow wolves threatening Valos Village]**
**[Silver Fang Wolves 0/10]**
Silver Fang Wolves—the alpha wolves leading the packs in the snowfield.
It seed there were plenty of wolf packs living in this area.
Being a new expansion zone, the monsters’ specs were going to be high.
Without proper farming in the earlier zones, these monsters would be hard to hunt.
But for , it wasn’t a problem.
**Slash!**
**Kiieee!**
Red spots dotted the white snow as I easily cut down the wolf packs with my silver sword, *Astaroth*.
Finally, I ca face-to-face with a wolf that was twice the size of the others.
**Growl!**
The Silver Fang Wolf bared its teeth at , its eyes gleaming as it charged.
**Clang!**
My sword clashed with the wolf’s massive fangs.
“Oh.”
A blocking action?
I poured energy into my sword, filling it with starlight.
**Crack!**
**Kyyagh!**
With a crunch, a few of the wolf’s teeth shattered as I twisted my sword, slashing its side and back.
Before it had ti to recover, I launched a series of rapid strikes.
**Slash, slash, slash!**
A long gash opened where my blade passed.
**Flash!**
With one final, decisive strike, the wolf’s HP hit zero, and it collapsed with a whimper.
I shook off *Astaroth* and sheathed it.
As expected from a new expansion zone, even the field monsters had high HP.
But with the right skills, I could take them down quickly.
**Awoooo!**
From the nearby forest, the howls of more wolves echoed. I turned to face them.
Wolves began to erge from the snowy forest.
Fast respawn ti. Could be a good spot for grinding.
**Click.**
With a smile, I raised my sword and charged toward the new pack of wolves.
---
**Pop, pop, pop!**
**Kyyyagh!**
**[Hunt the Wolf Leader Quest]**
**[Defeat the leader of the snow wolves threatening Valos Village]**
**[Silver Fang Wolves 4/10]**
After finishing off the last of the smaller wolves, I glanced at the Silver Fang Wolf nearby.
That would make five.
But then—
**Thwack, thwack, thwack!**
**Kyyaagh!**
Blue-glowing arrows flew in, stealing the wolf’s aggro.
The wolf, which had been focused on , turned and charged toward the source of the arrows.
**Thwip, thwip, thwip!**
With another barrage of arrows, the wolf fell.
“Eh.”
I stared blankly at the spot where the Silver Fang Wolf had fallen.
That skill—wasn’t that the Ranger’s finisher from the Tower of Training, *Sure Shot*?
I turned to see an elf male Ranger, his long ears poking out, sitting casually where the arrows had co from.
That guy had just stolen my kill.
He didn’t even glance in my direction as he settled in, clearly planning to farm Silver Fang Wolves in this fast-respawn area.
I puffed out my cheeks slightly.
Aren’t I kind of famous now? I an, I’m in an ad and everything.
Then again, not every player watches ads, so maybe it’s not surprising if he doesn’t recognize .
I didn’t want to flaunt my fa or anything.
But still, player to player, this was just wrong.
I had cleared the area, and then he swooped in and stole my quest monster.
**Crunch, crunch.**
I cautiously approached the Ranger.
He glanced at briefly before turning back to his business.
I hesitated.
Rain, you’ve done plenty of socialization training, right? Don’t be scared now.
Even if you don’t know the person, you should be able to speak up.
Maybe I could say sothing like: "There are other Silver Fang Wolves spawning nearby, so would you mind leaving this spot that I’ve already cleared?”
Too long.
I racked my brain for sothing shorter, recalling the wisdom of RPG veterans who had faced similar situations.
With my eyes squeezed shut, I shouted boldly:
“Z-Zar... zariryo!” (This is my spot!)
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