Nic didn't throw the feather away. He slipped it into his pocket and continued his journey toward Vintervirk.
The air here was even colder than before. Even without any special outfit, Nic could start to feel the difference—though he was still resistant to it.
When he arrived at the Vintervirk territory, he frowned.
There was no town in sight.
Then—
Crunch.
Nic stepped on something.
In less than a split second, he jumped back. Beneath the thick snow was a massive bear trap, perfectly concealed.
"If that had caught my leg… it would've split in half," Nic muttered.
But it didn't stop there.
The moment he landed, another trap nearly snapped shut on him. There were countless traps scattered all over the area.
Nic kept jumping and moving forward without triggering a single one. But there were too many.
It started to annoy him.
After another leap, he landed directly on a trap that had already failed to snap shut.
"I've got an idea," Nic said with a grin.
He grabbed the trap and hurled it hard.
CLANG!
It smashed into another trap—triggering it.
Which triggered another.
And another.
Within seconds, a massive chain reaction spread across the entire snowy field. The sharp metallic snapping sounds echoed loudly, one after another.
"Damn… did the people of Vintervirk set all of this up?" Nic muttered in confusion.
Because the town itself was nowhere to be seen.
---
Meanwhile, elsewhere—
The people of Vintervirk were panicking.
Their warning bells had been ringing nonstop. Each bell was connected to a trap—whenever one was triggered, it would sound.
And now?
The bells were ringing continuously.
"A-Are the Predator Faction trying to break into our territory?!" one of the townspeople cried.
"Or… is that predator from the highest snow mountain angry and coming down for us?!" another said nervously.
They were spiraling, unable to calm down.
CLAP.
A single, sharp clap silenced them all.
A girl wearing a black parka jacket with Arctic Fox ear accessories stood in the middle of the crowd.
"Everyone calm down. I'll go check it myself," she said firmly—though her heart was trembling.
The townspeople were worried. She was their only capable defender. If she left and didn't return, they would be finished.
"Don't look at me like that. What, you don't trust me? Did you forget who I am?" she said with a confident smirk. "I'm the cunning Arctic Fox. I'll toy with anyone who dares threaten us. Just wait."
And with that, she left.
What Nic had encountered earlier was only a fake perimeter—a decoy trap field. The real Vintervirk was far from there.
The Arctic Fox girl put on her mask and sprinted forward, fast and agile like a true fox. Her resolve was clear—she would protect her town from predators.
But when she arrived—
She froze.
Some random guy was throwing giant traps around like toys, triggering everything.
"Huh—HUH?! OI! OI! WAIT!! DON'T SET THEM ALL OFF!! DAMN YOU, YOU CRAZY IDIOT!!" she shouted.
Nic stopped and turned.
He saw a short girl in a black parka.
He immediately recognized it.
Former defense faction.
Nic raised both hands. "Sorry. I just didn't want my legs ripped off."
She stormed over, walking precisely along the safe path between traps.
"UGH! YOU LUNATIC! WHAT ARE YOU EVEN DOING HERE?!" she snapped.
Nic stepped closer calmly. "I just wanted to visit Vintervirk. But… there's no town."
"The town was destroyed by a blizzard," the Arctic Fox replied flatly.
"Huh? Really? Then where are the ruins?" Nic asked, suspicious.
"Follow me if you want to see them. You won't trigger any traps."
Nic smiled.
His Anti-Lie passive had activated.
She led him across an endless snowfield.
Then she stopped.
Silent.
Nic was about to ask—
She suddenly turned around.
"Don't think we don't know you're sent by the Predator Faction! ATTACK!"
In an instant, dozens of men and women emerged from beneath the snow wearing cloaks. They wielded claw-shaped weapons and surrounded Nic.
Nic only smiled.
They all slashed at him at once—
They were sure they hit.
But suddenly—
Nic vanished.
He reappeared behind the Arctic Fox girl.
"So this is your squad? Not bad," he said, hand on his chin.
But she had anticipated fast opponents.
She shoved him backward.
Nic fell into the snow—
Which collapsed.
A deep, massive pit lay underneath. Its bottom was lined with sharp spikes.
"Don't mess with us, you Predator bastards," she said coldly, assuming Nic was dead.
They quickly buried the hole again with snow and left.
---
Inside the pit—
Nic had indeed been pierced.
But not fully.
Only the tips of the spikes had embedded into his body.
Thanks to his physical stats, defensive skills, and pain resistance passives—
He was fine.
Even when snow buried him, he remained calm.
Nic activated God of War and God of Martial Arts, using a palm technique that blasted all the snow above him away in one burst.
He then punched the inner wall of the pit, shattering it and collapsing the spikes beneath rocks and snow.
Nic sat on top of the filled pit while activating his Fusion Healing skill.
"Seriously aggressive… and brutal," he muttered, looking upward.
Using God of Climber, he scaled out effortlessly.
He was about to go straight back to that Arctic Fox girl—
When suddenly—
A sharp eagle cry echoed through the sky.
A massive bird circled above him.
The Golden Eagle.
The same one whose feather he found earlier.
"Huh? What's it doing?"
Seconds later—
The Golden Eagle stopped circling.
It dove.
Straight at Nic.
Nic dodged instantly—
But the eagle's speed was insane.
Its talons sliced across his arm.
"So you're attacking me now, huh? …Yeah, this place really is extreme for newcomers," Nic muttered, glaring up at it.
The eagle kept diving repeatedly.
Nic kept dodging. Without a weapon, counterattacking was difficult.
[ Master Nic, why not just use Forbidden Love on it and finish this quickly? ]
"I want this to be fun, Zeta. I want to know its intentions. Use God of Animal. I'm talking to it."
[ Hah. When there's an easy option, you never take it. Activating. ]
Nic shouted, "Stop flying around like a coward!!"
The Golden Eagle understood.
It was provoked.
It dove again.
Nic had memorized its pattern.
This time, he prepared to grab its legs mid-attack—
But—
Something suddenly appeared right beside his face.
[ Warning! Someone has appeared undetected! ]
"Huh—?!"
Nic barely turned—
A golden fan slammed into him.
He was sent flying into the snow.
Nic stood up slowly.
The snow obscured his vision at first.
Then—
A black-and-gold silhouette appeared.
Holding a golden fan.
The Golden Eagle perched calmly on her hand.
Nic narrowed his eyes.
So this was the entity from the highest snow mountain.
He thought she would leave.
But instead—
She walked toward him.
A mature woman.
Her aura was massive.
And just like before, the hairs on Nic's arms stood up.
Her sharp eyes pierced through him. She tilted her head and smiled.
"Sorry for hitting you~ I didn't want you eating my Golden Eagle," she said in a low, smooth voice.
"Eating it? I'm not interested. And who exactly are you?" Nic replied bluntly.
She didn't answer.
For some reason, her cheeks turned red.
Her gaze grew strange.
"To be honest… I've been watching you the whole time," she said softly, touching her cheek.
Nic looked unimpressed. "I don't care. Am I your son or something? Answer the question. Who are you?"
Her face flushed again. She looked up at the sky, covering her mouth with her fan.
"Allow me to introduce myself… I am Galea. Usually called Lady Golden Eagle~ I'm simply a woman who enjoys scenery and staying atop mountains. When I grow bored, I wander to other peaks… to observe interesting things. Like… you~"
She shifted her gaze back to him.
"That doesn't sound like the full story," Nic said flatly.
"Oh? Do you want the full version? If so—"
"Don't need it. I'm busy. You can keep watching me from up there. You don't have urgent business with me, right? Then I'll be going."
And he actually turned and left.
[ Master Nic… are you seriously leaving her? ]
"Shh, Zeta. Quiet."
Nic dashed away.
Behind him—
Galea stood frozen.
Her face completely red.
Then she started laughing.
Softly.
Then louder.
And louder.
Until it became almost insane.
Her laughter echoed across Vintervirk—
Which was actually hidden beneath the snow. The town was camouflaged like nothing more than snow-covered hills.
---
Meanwhile in Vintervirk—
The Arctic Fox girl, Felicia, was running with her group after hearing that insane laughter. She recognized it immediately.
"WHY IS THAT CRAZY EAGLE WOMAN HERE?! HER VOICE IS SO CLOSE!!" Felicia shouted.
"No one goes outside. If Lady Golden Eagle comes down from the mountain, it's not normal. She usually never leaves her peak. If she's descending… something serious is happening," one of her group warned.
A townsman approached Felicia.
"What about the one who triggered the traps? Was it Lady Golden Eagle?"
Felicia crossed her arms proudly.
"Relax. The idiot who messed with our traps is dead. He fell into the spike pit."
Everyone admired her.
Felicia puffed her chest proudly, demanding praise.
---
Meanwhile—
Nic had already pinpointed Vintervirk's exact location using God of Tracker.
"Found it."
He stood directly above the hidden town.
After finding the entrance, he crouched and knocked on the hidden door.
"Excuse me~ delivery package."
Felicia, still bragging earlier, heard the knock and opened the door.
"WHAT THE—?!"
"Boo~ we meet again pretty fast, huh?" Nic said with a bright smile.
Felicia tried to slam the door shut.
Nic quickly said he was from the Defense Faction and knew Fang, Bunny, and Fannar.
"I don't believe you! Every predator knows the low-caste faction! We're their targets!" Felicia snapped stubbornly.
Nic's face twitched. "Seriously? Arctic Foxes are this hard-headed? You really won't acknowledge me as an ally?"
"Why should I? You were supposed to be dead in that pit!" she shot back, still trying to close the door.
Nic was tired of arguing.
He quietly shot her with Cupid Arsenal's pistol.
Then let her close the door.
[ Ding! Congratulations! Felicia is now 100% in love and loyal to Master Nic. ]
[ Ding! Heart Claim activated! Felicia has been added to your girlfriend list. ]
"So her name's Felicia. If I keep dealing with that loud fox, I'll be stuck here forever. At least I've planted the seed of love," Nic thought before walking away.
[ There it is. The Master Nic I know. Planting love seeds without hesitation. ]
"Quiet, Zeta."
[ I'm already less active than before and you still tell me to be quiet? Should I just go silent forever like a normal robotic system? ]
"Haha, no no—please forgive me, Princess Zeta~"
[ … ]
Zeta went silent.
Nic sighed and continued his journey, teasing his system along the way.
---
To be continued…