Chapter 1: Barbarian of the White Snowfield (1)

The man looked out into the distance with a melancholy gaze. Wearing nothing but a light leather vest, he seemed unaffected by the brutal, raging cold, staring blankly into the vast white beyond. “What are you doing?” A voice came from behind him. A woman, with gray hair, dressed similarly in light attire, tilted her head curiously. “Just admiring the view,” the man said. “Why?” “To calm my mind.” “Why do you need to calm your mind?” “Because I’m tired. Stop asking questions, you clueless barbarian. ” “Your mind is tired?” She cocked her head once more, clearly puzzled. “Why would your mind be tired, not your body? I don’t get it.” “Ugh, just forget it.” The man sighed heavily. “I said I’d take the watch, so why are you here? Is something wrong?” “Five people from our tribe ate the Black Scorpions.” “Again? I told them eating those would kill them. It’s been less than a week, and they ate them again?” The man’s face twisted in annoyance. “It was a proud challenge. I was impressed.” The woman smiled brightly. “Damn it,” the man cursed, sighing deeply. “Just leave the bodies alone. I will deal with them when I am back. Don’t go snacking on them during the mourning rituals and end up all dead.” “But…” The woman hesitated. “If you eat them, I’ll kill you myself,” the man said, clicking his tongue. “A-alright. I won’t eat them. I swear.” The woman shivered slightly and darted off quickly. Watching her retreating figure, the man sighed once more, and couldn’t stop himself from cursing. “Damn, ignorant barbarians.” Eating the Black Scorpions didn’t scare them, even though it would kill them without a doubt, yet they got scared when he threatened them. Those ignorant, foolish people, the man thought. He trod on, his form fading away into the snowfield. *** It was snowing. It was a world of pure white, a vast landscape covered entirely in snow. Several carriages made their way across it. Clack, clack. “Ugh. Damn, it’s freezing.” A man escorting the carriage pulled his fur hat down low. The misty breath leaving his lips froze instantly, turning to frost and dropping to the ground. His eyebrows had frozen too, ready to fall off at the slightest touch. “Wrap up in more fur, or you’ll freeze to death.” A man who appeared to be the leader spoke stoically, prompting the others to clutch their collars tighter. “Yes, sir.” “It’s so cold…” They replied, teeth clattering. The group pressed forward slowly. Wagon tracks and footprints marked the white snowfield, only to be quickly covered again by the relentless snowfall. One of the men glanced around nervously and spoke up, “Captain, as much as the reward is tempting, this is insane.” The captain looked around. Front, back, left, and right—all he saw was white. They were the only color amidst the endless snow. “How are we supposed to cross the White Snowfield? This is madness.” The man tried to persuade the captain. “Quiet.” The captain’s voice rang out, sharp. “All of you agreed to this.” “Well, yes, but…” “Then stay quiet. We’re nearing the boundary.” “Damn it.” With a muttered curse, the subordinate fell silent again. In truth, they didn’t have much energy left for idle conversation. Speaking brought icy air into their lungs, which was painful. In the heavy silence, they moved forward once more. Tsk. Inside the carriage they escorted, an elderly man clicked his tongue. The old man, with a long white beard and dressed in elegant attire, wore a worried expression as he asked, “Are you alright, my lady?” “Yes.” A young woman nodded, her blue hair swaying. Her dark eyes met his gaze. “I’m fine.” “It’s truly a shame you had to endure this journey personally…” The old man let out a deep sigh of worry. “No, I must be here,” she said firmly. “It was part of my contract with my father.” “If you ask me, your father is a bit harsh. He should be more understanding of your efforts to save the family…” “Damn it! It’s so cold!” A voice rang out from outside the carriage. The old man’s concerned words were cut off by a disgruntled complaint from outside, and his face soured. “These rude people…,” the old man complained. “Oh, please don’t be too hard on them. They were the only ones willing to escort us across the White Snowfield,” the young woman said. “Well, that may be true, but…” “By the way, would it be okay to let them inside? They seem to be suffering from the cold.” Creak. Creak. The carriage shuddered against the cold, as if groaning under the intense chill. Even with the magic barrier protecting the carriage, it was barely holding up. Imagining the conditions outside, the young woman spoke with concern, but the old man rejected her suggestions sternly. “No, miss. You know what dwells in this snowfield.” seaʀᴄh thё nôᴠel Fire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. “You mean… the monsters?” The monsters in the White Snowfield were unimaginably horrifying. “While the odds of an encounter are low, we must remain vigilant. That’s why we hired these mercenaries as our guards,” the old man said. “Okay. But…” The young woman gazed out the window. All she could see was white, nothing else. “Do you think anyone could survive here?” “That’s only a legend. No human could survive in such a place.” “But it’s a credible legend.” “Well…, yes, that’s true.” The old man didn’t outright deny the woman’s words. Long ago, in an age almost forgotten, an empire once ruled the world, spanning from the edge of the earth to the seas. But it left the White Snowfield untouched. This expanse, covering more than half of the world, lay at the heart of the empire. It was a region of hell from which no one returned. Yet the emperor, determined to control the entire world, wished to conquer the White Snowfield. He led the strongest warriors and soldiers into it. Years later, when the empire had fallen, and its emperor was all but forgotten, he returned. He had lost countless soldiers and warriors, returning alone, aged beyond his years. He muttered, like a man driven mad, that the White Snowfield was home to monsters—White Serpents that devoured glaciers, White Bears that caused earthquakes, and Ugly Rats that polluted the sea. But, he had said, the most dangerous thing in the White Snowfield was not the monsters. It was humans. “The past emperor said something about barbarians with ash-gray hair and scarred chests, right?” the woman asked. Yes, barbarians lived in the White Snowfield. “It’s a mere legend, surely,” the old man replied. “But the emperor’s accounts have been proven correct. Many of the monsters he described were later discovered.” After the emperor’s death, numerous adventurers entered the White Snowfield. Most never returned, but a few survived to share tales that matched the emperor’s. “Yet, there has been no report of the barbarians,” the old man countered. “That’s… true.” In all the accounts, there was no mention of these barbarians. “It likely was just a delusion of the emperor, my lady. Nothing for us to concern ourselves with.” The young woman fell silent, agreeing with the old man that it was not their concern. That’s when a knock sounded. “I think we’re approaching the boundary, my lady,” the old man said. “I see,” the woman answered. The old man and the woman tensed. Not all areas of the White Snowfield were dangerous. Countless sacrifices later, the regions where monsters lurked had been charted. Crossing into those areas increased the likelihood of encountering the monsters. The mercenaries’ faces tensed up. Their already quiet footsteps became almost inaudible. “Just because we’re near the boundary doesn’t mean we will encounter anything,” the captain spoke calmly to boost the mercenaries’ morale. “If we’re careful, we can move without trouble. Even if we do encounter something, most monsters here can be defeated.” “But if we meet the ones we can’t defeat, doesn’t that mean we will all die?” one of the subordinates asked. “I am afraid so, but there is still a chance of making it through. Move slowly.” Clatter, clatter. The wheels creaked softly as they pressed forward, each member tensing, muscles coiled in anticipation, hoping to avoid any signs of color in the white world. However, fate crushed their hopes. “Everyone, stop.” The captain halted abruptly. “Something’s here.” “What is it…?” “It’s hard to make out.” The intense cold blurred their vision, revealing only a vague shape. “There’s good news and bad news,” the captain said while squinting. “Damn it, just tell us!” “The good news is that it’s small.” Countless monsters roamed here, some towering as large as mountains. A monster of human size gave them a fighting chance. “The bad news is that it’s coming toward us.” The captain knew that they couldn’t avoid the fight. Curses and the sound of drawn weapons filled the air as each mercenary prepared for a battle. Inside the carriage, the old man and young woman clenched their fists. In the biting cold, their foe slowly drew closer. And at last, in the frigid mist, their foe came into view. The captain, poised to strike, hesitated. “Huh?” “What?” Inside the carriage, the woman’s eyes widened in shock. The figure before them wasn’t a monster. “A… human?” the woman said. Ash-gray hair billowed against the white backdrop. The enemy in front of them had a perfectly sculpted physique, and an impressive scar across the chest, as if it had burst open. He wore only a light leather vest, unaffected by the bitter cold. “A… barbarian?” someone whispered. The barbarian, watching them in silence, finally spoke, “I was just out for a stroll, hoping to avoid going back…, but look at my luck.” For a moment, they doubted their ears. The very symbol of savagery standing before them spoke fluently, his ash-gray eyes meeting theirs. “Pleased to meet you,” the barbarian said.