Chapter 18
Snowy Region
Whoosh!
A blizzard swirled through the air.
The biting cold was harsh, but HeavenlyMaiden trudged through the snow with determination, dressed in cute overalls and a thin shirt.
The chat buzzed with concern for her well-being.
– Those clothes are too thin.
– She’s gonna catch a cold ;;
– Forget a cold, she’s gonna freeze to death like that.
– メHakoDigger13) HeavenlyMaiden, aren’t you cold?
“This one has reached the realm of Cold and Heat Immunity, so I don’t feel the cold.”
– Huh? Cold and Heat Immunity?
– What’s that?
– Roughly means a state where cold and heat can’t affect you.
– ;;;
Despite the explanation, the concerned messages persisted, so Chi Yulang had the manager display a note in the corner of the screen.
※Immune to cold and heat, so I’m not cold!
Only then did the worried chats subside a bit.
Chi Yulang wandered through the snowy region, showing off the scenery of the snowfield.
An icy valley.
Towering snow-capped mountains.
Trees adorned with snow blossoms.
A blizzard raging under faint sunlight.
– Wow, it’s really beautiful.
– Gorgeous…
– Like another world.
– It is another world, lol.
The vastness of nature evoked awe in the viewers.
They were overwhelmed by the mystical beauty of the landscape.
It made them realize how small humans are in the face of nature.
– Wow…
– Damn.
– Whoa.
– All I can do is gasp.
While touring the snowfield, Chi Yulang meticulously checked for traces of rifts, but found none.
– Wait! Isn’t that Snow Ginseng?
– Ice Blossom! Ice Blossom!
– No way, a whole patch of Snowcap Mushrooms…
– Ice Rose! Ice Rose just passed by!!!
– This is insane.
– Damn, are we gonna find a Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng next?
She didn’t forget to collect the elixirs that caught her eye, stuffing them into her bag.
The chat conveniently pointed them out, making it quite easy.
“Let’s take a break.”
– Yeah, must be cold.
– Rest up quick.
After roaming the snowy terrain for a while, Chi Yulang decided to rest in a cave.
It wasn’t an ordinary cave.
The place she entered to escape the howling blizzard was an ice cave made of transparent ice, shimmering with a bluish glow. When sunlight hit it, it sparkled like a rainbow.
– Wow.
– Beautiful…
– That’s wild. Anyone know why it’s like that?
– Probably water infused with a ton of mana that froze… not sure, though.
– メHakoDigger13: HeavenlyMaiden, start a fire to warm your hands.
“Alright. But there’s no firewood to burn.”
Chi Yulang looked around the cave and snapped off some vine-like plants growing inside.
After rolling them into a bundle…
“Yap.”
Whoosh-
She touched it with her fingertip, and it ignited.
– ?
– How’d she do that?
– True Fire of Samadhi???
– Get outta here, lol.
– An artifact?
– Looks like fire magic to me.
– The HeavenlyMaiden’s actually a genius mage, damn.
Chi Yulang warmed herself by the crackling fire.
She wasn’t actually cold, but it created a nice ambiance.
Whoosh!
…Until the flames roared high enough to nearly touch the cave’s ceiling.
– Oh no!
– Fire!
– Why’s it like that?
– Wait, now that I look, those vines she burned are Frostvines ;;
– Burning Frostvines for a campfire?
“It burns well.”
– Burns well? That’s an understatement.
– Lol, so funny.
Leaving the overly enthusiastic fire alone, Chi Yulang half-buried her cola in the snow.
With a satisfied look, she muttered,
“This should chill it nicely, right?”
– Lol, so that’s why she brought the cola.
– Bet it’ll taste great, lol.
– Taste connoisseur, approved.
– メHeavenlyDemonForever: Sect Leader, you should grab some ice too.
“Got it.”
Chi Yulang broke off some ice and packed it into her bag.
It was a sample for Kwitch to analyze, part of her efforts to escape the island.
“…”
Sitting with her knees drawn up, Chi Yulang stared at the blazing fire.
She felt uneasy.
She’d planned to show the Dongpo Meat Squad a beast hunt, but despite wandering around, not a single beast had appeared.
Even if they didn’t say it, the viewers must be disappointed.
At that moment, a beast’s roar echoed from the distance.
“A beast!”
Dash!
Chi Yulang grabbed the camera and bolted out of the cave.
– Hey, where’re you going!
– If it’s a beast, hide!
The chat expressed alarm, but Chi Yulang knew better.
They might say that, but they loved beasts more than anyone.
The numbers didn’t lie.
“I’ll give you a good show!”
– We don’t need it!
– Stay in the cave!
– Hey!
Chi Yulang raced through the snowfield like a shot, arriving at the source of the sound.
There stood a tiger, the size of an ox.
Not an ordinary tiger. Its body was covered in pure white fur, no stripes, with two sharp fangs protruding from its jaw.
If one had to name it, it could be called a Saber-Toothed White Tiger.
Its muzzle, however, wasn’t white.
It was stained crimson with blood, as if it had just killed something.
Blood dripped from its pointed fangs.
Roar!
The beast roared threateningly at the sudden appearance of Chi Yulang.
Unfazed, she assessed the situation.
In front of the Saber-Toothed White Tiger lay a white fox of similar size, bleeding out.
It seemed the two had fought, and the fox had lost.
This was common here.
Survival of the fittest. But with a touch of wilderness.
The weak get eaten. Not metaphorically—literally.
The white fox was losing a lot of blood, its eyes dimming, likely close to death.
Crunch!
Roar!
The Saber-Toothed White Tiger kicked up snow with its front paw, roaring menacingly.
This fox was its prey, and it wouldn’t let it be taken easily.
A smile spread across Chi Yulang’s lips.
As mentioned, this was the wild, where the strong reign supreme. The victor takes all, and the loser loses everything.
Chi Yulang was a part of this ruthless wilderness. She had every right to intervene.
She beckoned with her hand.
“Come. Let’s see you protect your prey.”
Roar!
Snow scattered underfoot.
The Saber-Toothed White Tiger charged at the small human, intent on tearing her apart with its vicious claws!
…Whine?
But the small human wasn’t there.
Chi Yulang, now standing atop the tiger’s back, spoke.
“You’ll need to be faster than that.”
Suddenly, an immense weight pressed down on the tiger’s back, and thud!
It collapsed flat.
Crack! Snap!
The tiger’s bones screamed under the unbearable weight.
Whimper! Yelp!
Realizing its position, the Saber-Toothed White Tiger thrashed wildly beneath Chi Yulang, but there was no mercy for prey in the eyes of a predator.
Just as it had shown no mercy to the fox.
Chi Yulang smiled, raising one foot.
“Cry.”
Whether it understood or not, the tiger whimpered, looking up at the small girl on its back with pleading eyes.
Chi Yulang grinned.
“That’s not what I meant by cry.”
She slammed her foot down.
BOOM!!
Snow dust billowed wildly.
Crack! Craaack!
The shockwave sent cracks spiderwebbing through the ground.
Her stomp, imbued with the essence of Thousand-Pound Drop, triggered an earthquake in the area.
Rumble…
As the snow dust settled like a cloud of debris, the surrounding landscape came into view.
The frozen ground was shattered, scarred with deep, indelible marks, a brutal sight.
Maybe I got too excited because the stream’s on.
Reflecting briefly, Chi Yulang extracted a beast core from the unrecognizable remains of the Saber-Toothed White Tiger.
Checking the chat, she saw…
– What the hell!
– Can’t see anything!
– メHakoDigger13: HeavenlyMaiden!
– Damn snow! I can’t see a thing ;;
– What was that sound?
– An earthquake out of nowhere?
– Did anyone else see that? It was blurry, but I swear I saw a small figure on that thing’s back.
– Stop talking nonsense.
– That’s the issue right now?
– HeavenlyMaiden! Are you okay?
– Told you not to go!
“…”
Chi Yulang looked at the snow-covered camera with a hollow expression.
She’d put on a grand show, but the swirling snow had obscured the screen.
Judging by the chat’s reaction, it seemed the snow kicked up by the tiger’s paw had blocked the view.
Wiping the snow off the camera, the chat erupted in cheers upon confirming HeavenlyMaiden’s safety.
Chi Yulang clicked her tongue and turned the camera toward what was once the Saber-Toothed White Tiger.
“Pity. You should’ve seen me thrash this beast.”
– HeavenlyMaiden, don’t talk nonsense.
– Ugh, it’s completely flattened.
– Looks like it got crushed in the earthquake.
– Damn lucky. An earthquake at that exact moment.
– For real, she must’ve survived ten years on pure luck.
“…”
Seeing no point in arguing, Chi Yulang let out a small sigh and approached the white fox.
Its surroundings were already stained red with its blood, yet the fox was miraculously still alive.
The stark contrast of the white fox against the crimson snow was dramatic.
Chi Yulang looked at the fox impassively and said.
“Want me to end your suffering?”
“…”
The fox stared at her without responding.
Meeting its gaze, Chi Yulang realized it wanted to say something.
Despite bleeding heavily, the fox staggered to its feet and lowered its head toward her.
– ?
– Did it just bow to HeavenlyMaiden?
This was a first for Chi Yulang, who stared at the fox blankly.
The fox pulled out something it had been hiding like a treasure.
It looked like a red fluff ball.
More precisely, it was a fox cub, originally white but stained red with its mother’s blood.
The fox, holding its whimpering cub in its mouth, stared at Chi Yulang.
Then, it carefully placed the cub at her feet.
– What?
– Oh no! It’s asking her to take care of its baby!
– I’m tearing up ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
– Even beasts have maternal love ㅠㅠ
But Chi Yulang was cold.
Without hesitation, she turned away.
– ?
– Not saving it?
“Why should I?”
– But…
– It’s pitiful.
“It’ll manage. This is the wild, where the strong reign. Compassion is a luxury.”
– That’s harsh!
– What if it dies!!
“If it’s lucky, it’ll survive. If not, it’ll die. That’s how the wild works.”
Chi Yulang trudged through the snow.
It wasn’t sudden pity or the cub’s whimpering that stopped her.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The fanfare of a large donation.
[EvenBeastsCanBeGood donated 100,000 cookies!]
Take it, and I’ll give 1 million cookies.
Chi Yulang’s eyes wavered.
[EyeContactStealsStockings donated 300,000 cookies!]
Raise it.
[HeavenlyDemonChanDongpoMeatThief donated 500,000 cookies!]
Raise it, I said.
“…”
Chi Yulang slowly turned back.
The mother fox was nudging its whimpering cub, trying to push it toward her.
Crunch-
Chi Yulang approached and picked up the cub.
The mother fox gazed at her.
“I’ll take care of your cub. Rest in peace.”
“…”
The mother fox stared at the small girl, then lowered its head once more, as if in gratitude.
Crunch- Crunch-
Whimper- Whimper-
Chi Yulang walked away, holding the cub.
The mother fox watched her retreating figure.
As she faded from view, the mother fox finally closed its eyes.
A brief silence followed.
Rumble…!
The ground shook.
Crack!
A massive beast burst from the snow, swallowing the fox and the Saber-Toothed White Tiger’s remains in one gulp.
And then, no one was there.
