Prologue
"Huff..."
A shallow breath escaped out of my mouth.
The frigid air swept the tip of my nose.
Every breath I made materialized in the air for a second before fading away.
Any move I made was met with a chilling sensation running down my body.
The thick white hooded jacket and pants I wore wasn't doing any better, it could only minimize the cold sensation I felt.
At least my black gloves and boots felt much better. The scarf wrapped around my neck also felt comfy and kept it warm.
That much, was all I could ask for.
I raised my head to the front.
"Kraagh...!"
In the distance, a low grunt voice could be heard.
Several white towering figures appeared in the horizon.
They were covered in thick white fur and their eyes gleamed red.
[Ice Ogres x9]
A brief translucent window popped up into the corner of my sight.
I unsheathed my sword from the scabbard strapped to my waist.
Blood that dried up long ago along with rust coated the edge of the blade.
This sword was "Ezekiel", the holy sword of the hero.
Despite its appearance, this sword has been my long time companion for this journey.
The abilities of this sword was staggering and always felt reliable.
I paused for a few seconds.
"How much time has passed...?"
I pondered for a moment looking up in the sky.
Dark clouds filled most of the sky. And it kept pouring down snow and harsh cold winds downwards.
I glanced back at the scene in front of me.
A freezing sensation spread throughout my ankles.
My legs sank deep into the snow hindering my movements.
The surroundings around me was devoid of life. All I could only see further ahead was more snowy mountains and huge cliffs.
The snow encompassed most of the surface here and were also quite deep to step on.
I was currently in the northernmost part of this world, a snowy region.
Harsh cold weather dominated this land and was often frequently accompanied by blizzards.
But what could I do in this situation? Left with no choice.
"I must keep moving forward."
To whatever hinders my progress, I will kill them by any means.
I twirled Ezekiel in my right hand.
The hilt of the sword felt cold to the touch of my hand despite wearing a glove, but I ignored it and gripped it firmly.
[Ice Ogres x9]
I positioned myself into a battle stance. Multiple ice ogres slowly advanced from the slope.
"Kriek...!"
Then, one of them quickly marched ahead than the rest.
"...Kreugh!!!"
An ice ogre leapt forward to me. It's legs sprinted up and its right fist was aimed at me.
I dodged by a hairsbreadth by tilting my body to the side.
Swish!
I swung Ezekiel to the side. A shallow cut was made, blood oozed out slowly.
"Kieek!"
The ice ogre shrieked for a moment before writhing his body in pain.
Immobilized for a few seconds, I took this chance to lunge forward towards the ice ogre.
I pulled my legs together and jumped.
I held Ezekiel tightly with both of my palms and thrust it towards the solar plexus.
The engravings within Ezekiel's blade glowed bright yellow as I struck down its flesh and carved a hole.
"Kuk...!"
The ice ogre gagged blood out of his mouth. It lost its balance landing its back deep to the snow.
Its head lowered down to where it was struck for a brief moment before it raised its eyes back to me fiercely.
Thunk.
I pushed Ezekiel deeper, its body gushed out more blood and left entrails.
The ice ogre's eyes slowly lost its life.
"Kreuk..."
A weak grunted voice escaped from its mouth before its eyes turned gray.
[You have obtained 100 EXP.]
I pulled Ezekiel out from its body with my right hand.
I wiped the edges of Ezekiel's blade clean by sliding it across the ogre's thick fur.
"Eight more to go."
I looked towards the other ice ogres.
———
A few minutes passed by.
"Haa..."
I lodged Ezekiel to the ground and bent my knees while clutching to it with my right hand and took a deep breath.
Cold air kept blowing fiercely at my face blocking the corner of my view.
I raised myself up and turned my head to look around.
The scene in front of me looked like a massacre.
Blood and entrails were erratically scattered throughout the snow.
Multiple huge bodies covered in thick white fur laid strewnly across the ground.
Marks left by my sword could be seen in their bodies with some still flowing out fresh blood.
I stared blankly for a moment at the sight in front of me, absorbed deep into my thoughts.
'Sigh...'
I inwardly let out a deep sigh.
When did things become like this? I had no answer to be honest.
All I vividly recalled in my memories was me huddled up in my room in an apartment.
I was enthusiastically playing the game "Hero's Fate", reaching up to the middle game and streaming it to my viewers.
I lived a frugal quiet life at that time. Undisturbed from people, and also socially alone.
Before an unknown figure suddenly showed up inside the game.
Making the game I played glitched out and randomly showing error screens out of nowhere.
Eventually it destroyed the progress of my game, and my life too in the process.
[₣ØɄ₦Đ ɎØɄ.]
The last words I heard before coming into this world.
If only I knew better.
Things wouldn't have come to this point...