By Zephyria Dawn with indigo darkness. A snow mountain where fierce snow is blowing so hard that you can’t see ahead. In an extreme environment where sharp snowflake crystals scratch the skin, a black dot left a red trail and crossed the white snowfield.
On the mountainside with a steep slope, footprints were deeply imprinted at regular intervals. However, it did not continue for more than a few meters. Because the blizzard that had blown in the meantime quickly erased the traces. The figure, who had just turned around, frowned upon discovering that the marks he had left behind had disappeared.
Looking ahead again, he sighed and twisted his lips.
“Damn… how far did it go?”
His cracked voice was full of exhaustion. There was also a rough breathing sound mixed in.
As a gust of wind blew in and penetrated through the collar, the man shuddered and tightly fastened his clothes. While frowning painfully, he bent his upper body and continued to climb the rugged mountain path. Wherever he passed, the snow piled up was soaked in red liquid and bloomed like red roses.
It was a beautiful sight, but there was a faint smell of blood through the fluttering wind. Just as a similar smell brushed against the reddish tip of his nose, the man’s steps finally stopped.
Leonardo, standing tall in his place, raised his head and looked around. Unlike a moment ago when he was grumbling, his expression was very cold.
Gold Eyes, resembling those of a beast, gleamed beneath the eyelashes where snow was sticking.
After a moment of checking for signs, he concentrated the boiling Magic Power in his right hand wearing gloves.
Grrrrrrrrr―
At that moment, a sinister beast’s cry was heard nearby, making the already chilly air feel even colder.
The corners of Leonardo’s lips curled up.
“Am I the first one to chase you this far?”
The moment he muttered to the empty air, a heavy vibration spread beneath his feet.
Layers of wet snow piled up from high places created faults, and the ground he was standing on began to shake unstably like a sign of an earthquake.
The scattering snow obscured the view, and the small snowballs slid down the hillside, gradually increasing their power. Soon, they transformed into threatening avalanches and instantly covered the terrain in front of them.
A large amount of snow and ice rushed in at a terrifying speed, mercilessly sweeping away the sparsely placed Boulders. Amidst the snowy landscape cast by the overwhelming scale of the waves, a beast emitting a low-frequency roar jumped out of the snow.
As a huge shadow rushed at him, Leonardo also leaped powerfully into the sky.
The beast seen from above had white scales, a long neck and tail, and wings three times the size of its body. It had claws like hooks, jaw joints that opened up to 145 degrees, protrusions on its back, and crystals embedded like icicles in the center of its head. It was a creature with a lot of dangerous-looking elements.
It was not easy to spot because the scales were white and provided camouflage, but the bloodstains in various places made it easier to locate. Leonardo followed the movements of the target with his eyes and increased the volume of the flickering fireball. The opponent was a disaster that had turned the Zahanic Mountains into ruins and a Dragon known for its ferocity. But now, in front of him, it was just a fat lizard that knew how to do some tricks.
Two gloves with scorched surfaces threw a fireball that glowed like the sun at the beast. The icy breath that had been condensed in the Dragon’s wide-open mouth collided with the fireball, causing a large explosion.
Kwaaaang―!
The Dragon’s scream-like roar echoed in the middle of the mountain. The beast immediately hid in the darkness and blizzard, but even that was only for a moment. Leonardo, holding sparks crackling in his hand, instantly moved above the beast’s head.
He flashed his lightning-like eyes and muttered in a low voice.
“Let’s finish this.”
The Dragon, spreading its wings and puffing up its body, also stretched out its neck and roared fiercely.
As the beast swung its tail, the bristling scales became sharp hidden weapons and flew towards Leonardo. But the black sparks protected the owner’s body and deflected everything that blocked its path. Leonardo, unconcerned, slammed the sparks down on the beast’s neck with all his might.
Concentrated blood burst out and flowed down the snow mountain like a waterfall. It was only a moment before the heavy body rolled on the ground and a valley of crimson blood formed beneath it.
Riverside Town in Westforce, developed along the Demsi River in northwestern Laina Rogia.
Located in the north, close to Central, it belongs to the temperate climate zone and maintains mild weather even in winter due to the strong sunlight.
It is suitable for growing crops and is one of the small towns that has achieved rapid growth through exchanges with other regions. In the past, transportation through waterways developed to supply materials during the war, and furthermore, countless railways were laid in the area.
Although it was not directly damaged by wars or air raids, residents have always lived in anxiety due to its geographical proximity. Perhaps that’s why it’s hard to find tall buildings, and a city with a traditional and unique charm, as if it had retreated about half a century, was formed.
The railway, which seemed like the remnants of war, is now developing into a major means of transportation connecting the Midwest and Northwest, and a characteristic of the region. If you go 1km out from the center of the magnificent semi-circular train station, there are narrow waterways and old shops lining every alley.
Among them, the shopping district located at 41 Aldenon Street was a quiet and historic street, with rumors circulating that the same sign had been hanging for 300 years.
However, contrary to the rumors, the streets were decorated with cute ornaments and colorful banners ahead of the upcoming New Year. The splendor of the street, which created a festive atmosphere, made the passing citizens feel excited.
The general store that handles chocolates and candies was crowded with people buying year-end gifts. The laughter of the children who received the gifts never stopped, and the affection of the lovers promising the future warmly colored the streets.
However, there was also a place that was the opposite of such a lively atmosphere. The expression of the owner of the magic supply store, which was flying with flies diagonally across the street, was exactly like that.
He clicked his tongue, tsk tsk, looking at the crowd gathered at the general store beyond the glass window.
“You should buy spells to wish for safety at the end of the year, but they’re spending money on such useless things…”
The man, with his sparse, grizzled beard and drooping eyelids, had an eccentric and peculiar impression. The magic charms hanging from his neck and fingers, and the grotesque objects filling the store, also contributed to his eccentricity.
Among them, there were many things with unclear boundaries with sorcery, such as curse daggers in the form of ornaments, and Magic Circles drawn with unknown blood. The tails and eyeballs of small reptiles in bottles, and dried grass that was indistinguishable from poisonous herbs or medicinal herbs. From thick books covered in dust, ancient spell books, to potions with primary colors.
The supplies, which were densely displayed from the table to the walls and ceiling, had quite a variety to be seen as a simple neighborhood corner store.
But what good is it if there are no customers? The old owner put a pipe in his mouth and puffed out smoke.
The welcome sound was heard just as the ashtray was full of dry tobacco ash.
Ting-a-ling―
A young man flickering outside the window suddenly opened the door and came in. Usually, they would loiter around, but they rarely came inside the store, so the owner was startled and put down the pipe he was holding and got up from his seat.
“…Oh, welcome!”
He looked for a place to put the cigarette and roughly shoved it into a cup filled with distilled liquor. Then, after blowing away the smoke with his hand, he rubbed his palms together and smiled brightly at the customer he had greeted for the first time in almost two days.
“Take your time looking around. Or are you looking for something?”
The customer, after pulling the handle and confirming that the door was closed, slowly walked around the store, looking around. He seemed to have a purpose, but his first question that followed was not very welcome.
“Do you also buy things here?”
The corners of the owner’s lips, which had gone up, drooped down along with his buccal fat.
“Buy? …I do buy things, but only things that we don’t have in our store.”
The owner replied indifferently and plopped back down. Since the first customer of the day was asking about buying, he couldn’t help but sigh, thinking that business was ruined again today.
“If you’re thinking of selling antiques rolling around in your house, go look somewhere else.”
He belatedly regretted the cigarette he had shoved into the alcohol and nervously pulled it out. But the young man, who he thought would leave right away, strode up to the counter.
The man, who was looking around for no reason, leaned his elbows on the table, lowered his voice, and asked again.
“I don’t think you have it here, but do you also buy dangerous things?”
The man was wearing a military-style hat pulled down low and a balaclava mask that completely covered the area under his eyes. The hair that escaped from under the hat was light brown, and the eyes revealed above the balaclava were a clear gold color. Her eyelashes were long and her eyes were so alluring that her low voice felt so out of place that she was quite a beauty.
“Da…ngerous things?”
“Yes.”
The owner deliberately asked back and glanced at the Gold Eyes man. He looked quite suspicious, but in Riverside Town, where the sunlight is strong, skin diseases are common, so there were occasionally people who wore clothes tightly.
He wondered if this person was one of those people, but the accent he heard didn’t sound like a local.
“…Well, how dangerous is it? I’m amazingly good at handling cursed things. There’s nothing I haven’t touched. If it’s rare enough, I’ll buy it, so take it out and show it to me.”
The golden eyes that heard the owner’s answer curved softly. Then, as if he had been waiting, he twisted a ruby ring and took out a large sack from the Artifact.
“But that’s not going to happen. Our store has everything you can get around here…”
The owner, who had been boasting, trailed off. This was because the size of the sack placed on the wide counter was more enormous than he had thought.
“What, what is this?”
“It’s not cursed… it’s called something similar, but it’s not a curse. Anyway, you promised to buy it as long as it’s rare, right?”
“Promise, I have to see it and judge it first. By the way, why is there blood on the sack…”
The owner, with his eyes wide open at the overwhelming majesty, looked here and there at the reddish sack. While making a queasy expression, there was a subtle expectation behind his wary eyes. This is because he was born with a desire to collect new things.
As the owner instinctively brought his hand to the entrance of the sack, the rope that had been tied up suddenly came loose on its own and fell to the floor with a thud.
At the same time, the ominous energy that had been blocked was spewed out of the sack. The cursed objects reacted to it and rattled wildly like strange phenomena. It wasn’t just one or two. An unusual current spread in all directions as if shaking the entire store.
The store owner, who instinctively took a step back, slumped down on a wooden chair. Goosebumps rose on his forearms, and he felt like he could hear an evil voice in his ears.
Soon after, what emerged from the sack was a heart of something, still throbbing with blood and flesh clinging to it.