"First," he said, "there's something important I need to tell you."
"Don't worry, yo—" Arven interrupted Si Hon before he could say anything else.
"Wait," she said, still stirring the stew. "Earlier, when Boreas and Nivalis went hunting…"
"Boreas? Nivalis?" Si Hon asked.
"Oh." She nodded toward the massive polka-dotted Ursa Canis. "That's Boreas, Sixxy's dad."
Then she pointed to the furless Ursa Canis now resting nearby. "And that's Nivalis. Sixxy's mom."
"Oh. Okay," Si Hon replied simply.
Arven's grip on the spatula tightened.
"When they were out there," she continued, lowering her voice, "they said they felt something. A presence."
Si Hon looked up.
"They called it Winter's Maw," Arven said. "The Whitefang Calamity. Frosthowl."
Si Hon stared at her for a second.
"ಠ_ಠ You should pick one name and stick with it," he said flatly.
Arven scowled. "Enough. I'm serious, Si Hon. If that thing is nearby, we might not survive. We need to hide. Or escape this Re—"
She stopped herself, memories of last night flashing through her mind.
The window. The warning.
Silence hung between them.
"Well?" Si Hon said calmly. "Go on."
Arven blinked. "Huh?"
"Continue," he said. "That's actually what I was going to say."
"ಠ_ಠ …What?" Arven frowned. "What do you mean?"
Si Hon exhaled and leaned back slightly.
"ಠ_ಠ I mean you can say it," he said. "I asked the System. It told me nothing will happen if you talk about something I already know."
Arven froze.
"…You asked it?"
"Yeah."
Her stirring slowed, then stopped entirely.
"…Then you already know," she said quietly. "About Frosthowl."
Si Hon nodded once.
"The Winter's Maw doesn't hunt randomly," she said. "It circles territories before it strikes. If Boreas and Nivalis felt it, then it's already decided that this mountain is Its own place."
"I said stick with one name…" Si Hon then looked at the stew and swallowed. "So hiding won't work?"
"No," Arven replied. "Not forever."
The fire popped softly between them.
"…Then what do we do?" Si Hon asked.
Arven looked toward the cave entrance, where the white light of snow reflected faintly inside.
"We move before nightfall and leave this region," she said.
"Or—"
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"We must find somewhere safer. That isn't a choice."
The stew bubbled again, thick and heavy, releasing a rich, savory scent that filled the cave.
Si Hon stared at her.
"…Well," he said slowly, "there is somewhere safe. It just doesn't have any water."
"Well," Si Hon added after a pause, "I'm hungry. And I don't feel like doing anything right now."
She sighed, grabbed a bowl, and filled it with stew before handing it to him.
"If it's water and food, don't worry. I have Boreas and Nivalis. They can hunt."
Her gaze shifted toward the pond at the far end of the cave, its surface faintly rippling in the dim light.
"About the water. I know a way."
Si Hon took the bowl. "Sure. Let's do it later. I'm hungry."
Then he glanced at the two Ursa Canis resting nearby.
"What about them, by the way? What are you going to feed them?"
"Them?" she said, scooping another bowl and handing it to Hana, who accepted it happily.
"They already ate. Remember? They're the ones who hunted this."
"I see," Si Hon said, then scooped up a spoonful of soup, meat and vegetables together and brought it to his mouth.
He paused.
The taste hit him all at once.
Rich. Deep. Warm.
The broth settled straight into his chest, spreading heat through him as if it had been waiting there all along. The meat was tender, soaked through with flavor, while the vegetables still held their shape, adding texture instead of melting away.
"oh~"
It tasted slow-cooked layered. Like every ingredient had done exactly what it was meant to do.
Savory. Full-bodied. Comforting, yet it was so impossible to ignore.
The kind of soup that made you stop after the first bite… just to take another.
"…What is this?" Si Hon asked.
"It's rabbit soup," she replied, pouring herself a bowl. "Just a plain one."
"No way," Si Hon muttered. "This tastes way too good to be called plain."
Then—
Beside him—
"WOOOOOAH!!!" Hana suddenly screamed.
"This ish sho ahmazeing!! It teyshte sho gooood!!!" she said, her cheeks puffed out, mouth full of meat and vegetables.
Si Hon shot her a side eye. "Better than mine?"
Hana swallowed her food quickly. "Uh— oh… uh… no? Dad, yours is so much better."
"Nah, don't worry," Si Hon said, patting Hana's head. "I know. It is better. Way better than mine."
Hana giggled. "Yeah. It's sooo much better than yours."
At that moment, Si Hon was struck by lightning.
"Yeah.." Si Hon said, watching her with a smile. "It really does taste good."
"Oh, flattery," Arven said dryly.
And they ate.
They ate until the pot was empty, until nothing but warmth remained in their bellies.
While eating, Si Hon glanced at Arven without thinking.
Only then did it register— she was actually pretty.
Her green hair fell loosely around her face, slightly messy from the cold, with a small accessory clipped near the strands above her left ear. A thick jacket hung off her shoulders, making her look sturdier than delicate, but the way the firelight caught her profile softened everything anyway.
Si Hon looked away and took another bite, pretending that thought hadn't crossed his mind.
After a moment, Si Hon spoke again.
"By the way," he said, glancing around, "this is a cave inside a mountain, right?"
Arven took a slow sip of her soup. "Yeah?"
"Good," Si Hon said. "Then I'll show you where we're going."
***
(Location: Above the Cave Mountain)
At the peak of the mountain, Si Hon and Arven stood shoulder to shoulder as the wind howled around them, biting through layers of fabric.
Snow drifted sideways in thin, endless sheets, the cold was sharp it felt like it could split bone, yet through the white haze.
The "TOWER" was still there— far away, faint but unmistakable, its massive outline carved against the storm like a silent promise or a threat.
Si Hon smirked and pointed toward the distant tower.
"There," he said. "That's the safe zone I was talking about. That's where I'm actually living."
"What?!" Arven spun toward him. "Are you insane?! That's… that's the most dangerous place in all of White Grave!"
"…I'm not joking," Si Hon replied calmly. "That's where Hana and I live. Trust me." His smirk widened, just a little.
"No!" Arven snapped. "You're crazy, Si Hon. We need to leave this region— no one has ever survived long enough to even reach that place!"
"…Then how did I get here?" Si Hon asked flatly.
Arven clenched her fists. "I don't know— luck, a miracle, or something! But we have to leave this region!"
"Fine," Si Hon said with a shrug. "Sure. Let's leave this region tomorro—"
The familiar transparent window snapped into existence mid-sentence.
「ಠ_ಠ …Must I remind you again, Si Hon?
You are required to remain in this region until three months have passed. And…」
────────────────────────
New Quest Unlocked: Survive and Reach the Safest Zon
Threat Level: EXTREME
In this quest, you must reach the Safest Zone— no matter the cost.
During this time, you will be actively hunted by the following hostile entities:
1st — MOLE-RATS
Estimated number: 139
Threat: Slightly Hostile
2nd — MUNCHES
Estimated number: ??? (DEPENDS)
Threat: DEFINITELY HOSTILE.
3rd — Whitefang Calamity
Designation: 1
Threat: It's looking for you.
Distance to Target: 30,198M
────────────────────────
Si Hon stared at the window.
"…This is a joke," Si Hon muttered.
Arven stepped forward and stopped beside him, staring at the quest window.
"This is— this is— this is fucked up!" she shouted.
"Fuck! And there's no reward?!" Si Hon yelled too. He even tried to punch the transparent screen, but his hand passed straight through it.
Arven slowly turned to look at him.
That's what he's focused on? The reward?
Hello? Look at that thing! she thought.
「ಠ_ಠ …The reward is in a different window…」
Another screen appeared.
「Reward: 6,400 EXP
Reward: Any two Common Spells of your choice」
"That's it?!" Si Hon shouted even louder. He dragged a hand through his hair. "We're talking about the Whitefang Calamity— Frostmaw— the one and only hybrid monster!"
Arven: "ಠ_ಠ… you told me to pick on—"
Si Hon: "Shut up."
Arven: "ಠ_ಠ…"
「C-calm down, Si Hon… that reward is… uh… it's appropriate for you…」
Si Hon looked away.
"No. I won't accept the quest."
「(๑•﹏•) …You need to—」
"No," Si Hon cut in flatly.
The window paused.
「…Then what do you want?」
"Better rewards," Si Hon said, still refusing to look at it.
Another pause.
「…O-okay. Wait. I'll… I'll ask…」
"Huh?"
Then—
A new window snapped open.
「Poll has started:
Does Si Hon deserve better rewards?」
「AGREE: 0
DISAGREE: 0」
Poll?
Si Hon stared at the floating window.
…That's new.
Since when did the System ask for opinions?
Arven stared at the screen.
"…You're negotiating with the System?"
Si Hon crossed his arms.
"No? Who does that…?" Si Hon muttered. "I'm just saying, like— you know…"
He side-eyed Arven.
"The Whitefang Calamity. Frostmaw. Winter's Maw."
He counted on his fingers. "The one. The only. Everyone deid monster."
He looked back at the window.
"…And that's the reward?"