Chapter 7

If the capital, Averyden, had become chaos because of avalanches and landslides, then Rosebrook had become hell because of the frozen sea.

The harbor was covered in thick white sea fog.

Huge chunks of ice had crashed into the docks.

But the most shocking sight was something else.

A gigantic tidal wave.

A massive wave that had rushed toward the harbor had frozen solid just before it hit the city.

Because of it, a huge shadow covered the harbor.

Are there even any survivors?

The streets were filled with people who had frozen to death where they stood.

The whole city looks like one giant grave.

The scene was so unreal that I couldn’t even feel afraid.

Even so, Logan quietly walked in front of me, blocking the frozen bodies from my view as much as he could.

He was carrying a rifle from his backpack.

“Let’s find some weapons.”

“Is that rifle just for decoration?”

I pointed at the gun.

Logan smiled.

“It’s a spare. I prefer using a sword as my main weapon. There’s a famous weaponsmith in Rosebrook.”

He looked me up and down before casually saying,

“Eve, you need a weapon too.”

“I don’t know how to use one. I’ve only studied.”

“That’s a lie. You were one of the best students in Hunting and Gathering.”

“Were you secretly stalking me?”

Logan didn’t answer.

Not answering makes it sound like the answer is yes.

Anyway, since we were already in the city, we gathered as many survival supplies as we could.

The streets were silent like a ghost town.

We collected useful items and visited the weapon shop Logan had mentioned.

Logan picked up a huge greatsword along with several other weapons.

For me, he chose a hunting shotgun.

Taking too much will only make it harder to move.

It was a little disappointing, but I had to stop being greedy.

“Let’s go.”

I nodded and followed Logan out of the weapon shop.

We headed southwest.

Our destination was the Devil’s Village.

I swallowed nervously as I looked around.

The city was strangely quiet.

Above it stood the enormous frozen tidal wave, looking as if it could collapse at any moment.

It happened in the novel too.

That frozen wave will collapse within a few months.

Before that happened, we had to collect everything we could.

Once the wave fell, the city would be completely destroyed.

Thankfully, the Devil’s Village would not be affected by it.

Our plan was simple.

We would live in the shelter Logan had prepared inside the Devil’s Village and return to the city whenever we needed supplies.

With that plan in mind, we entered the forest.

The snow inside the forest reached our thighs, making every step difficult.

After walking through the deep snow for a long time, I finally noticed something white in the distance.

It was an abandoned village covered in fresh snow.

The snow there only reached our feet.

Everywhere else in the forest, the snow was thigh-deep.

Only this place had a thin, beautiful layer of snow.

That was right.

We had finally arrived…

At the Devil’s Village.

Chapter 2: The Devil’s Village

One month later.

Life in the Devil’s Village was actually pretty comfortable.

Outside the village, the temperature was around -60°C.

Inside the village, it rarely dropped below -10°C.

“I wish summer would come soon.”

Logan looked at me after hearing me mumble.

I shrugged and explained,

“Most plants and animals can’t survive for long in minus sixty degrees.”

“That’s true.”

“And if the ground stays frozen for more than two years, plants probably won’t be able to grow anymore.”

“The whole food chain would collapse.”

I nodded strongly.

At least we were the academy’s top two students. We should be able to have conversations like this.

If summer never comes, this world’s ecosystem will collapse within a year.

No matter what, the protagonist had to find a way to end this ice age as quickly as possible.

Logan had prepared almost everything.

We were living in the former village chief’s house.

He had even prepared a dressing room full of winter clothes just for me.

The biggest surprise was the greenhouse in the garden.

It was incredibly warm, making it possible to grow crops even during the ice age.

We were growing potatoes, cabbages, turnips, and carrots.

Thanks to Logan preparing everything in advance, we could survive on our own.

The greenhouse was also huge.

It was divided into different sections because every crop needed different soil, moisture, and space.

Potatoes needed deep soil and had to be covered with extra dirt, so they couldn’t be planted near cabbages.

I slowly piled soil around the potato plants with a small shovel.

Potatoes grow better when you cover the stems like this…

Cabbages, on the other hand, could rot if they became too wet.

So I opened the greenhouse windows to improve the airflow.

Just then, Logan walked inside.

“I told you I’d do it, Eve. You should be resting in the house.”

“If I just sit there, I’ll get bored. I have nothing to do.”

Chirp! Chirp!

A baby squirrel climbed down from the large tree in the middle of the greenhouse and squeaked at us.

It sounded like it was complaining because we were being too noisy.

This wasn’t an ordinary squirrel.

It was basically the guardian of the greenhouse.

The novel never explained what it really was, but it took excellent care of the crops.

I watched the tiny squirrel run around the garden, carefully checking every plant.

“When we first started farming here, it kept pulling our hair and bothering us.”

“Now it acts like this greenhouse belongs to it.”

Logan laughed.

“It was probably protecting its territory.”

“What a grumpy squirrel.”

I smiled as I watched it work.

Then I sat down at the table under the large tree inside the greenhouse.

Logan sat across from me.

We quietly prepared tea together.

During the past month, this had become our own little newlywed routine.

Without small moments like this, surviving such difficult times would have been much harder.

“Logan, aren’t we going to rescue other people? There might still be survivors.”

“No.”

“Why?”

He tilted his head and answered casually.

“Because the only person who matters to me is you.”

I calmly poured the herbal tea.

“I see.”

Well… that’s just how Logan is.

Besides, in his memories I had already died nine different times.

Except for the first time, I had been murdered every single time.

It was impossible for him to trust people anymore.

His overprotectiveness came from years of trauma.

I couldn’t really blame him.

“Our families are missing, but didn’t you have an assistant who stayed by your side?”

“Aren’t you going to look for him?”

Logan thought for a moment before shaking his head.

“Nathan will come on his own.”

“He’ll find this place? How?”

“You’ll understand when he gets here.”

Nathan Holt, Logan’s assistant, was very skilled at traveling by sled.

He had once been part of an expedition team that Logan sponsored.

If he was still alive, he was probably already on his way here with a dog sled.

When I was fifteen, there had been a Northern Exploration Project.

Sponsors were allowed to read the expedition reports.

I had wanted to join so badly.

Back then, my second older brother, an assistant professor specializing in northern climate research, inspired me to study the north.

I even chose the same major when I reached my second year at the academy.

The exploration project only accepted one sponsor.

Logan got the spot before I could.

That was the first time I truly noticed him.

Why am I thinking about Logan again?

I shook my head and changed the subject.

“…How’s the Red Stone?”

Logan took a small red crystal out of his pocket and placed it on the table.

A faint red light glowed inside it like a tiny flame.

Its surface was rough, like a mineral freshly mined from underground.

Dark red lines ran through it like veins.

Just looking at the Red Stone made me feel warm.

More accurately…

The air around it was slightly warmer.

“It’s still producing heat.”

We had found it in the basement of the village chief’s house.

A whole pile of them.

I had purposely suggested exploring the basement because I already knew they were there from the novel.

Because of that, Logan now firmly believed I had gained the power to see the future.

Well… he’s not completely wrong.

There was one thing Logan didn’t know.

The magic stones.

The Winter Stones.

Right after the disaster began, mysterious magical stones appeared all over the world.

People called them Winter Stones.

They only appeared after Logan’s tenth life began.

There were many different kinds, each with its own color and special power.

According to the novel, collecting these Winter Stones was the key to becoming stronger and eventually ending the ice age.

Rosebrook was said to contain more Winter Stones than anywhere else.

I already knew Logan’s house had some.

That’s why I happily led him to them.

Suddenly…

The red light inside the Red Stone burst out.

“Eve!”

Logan grabbed my wrist in surprise.

But it was already too late.

The energy from the Red Stone flowed directly into my body and disappeared.

Huh…?

What just happened?

The novel never mentioned Winter Stones being absorbed into a person’s body.

THIS IS THE END OF CHAPTER 2