We pressed on through the blizzard.
With every breath, the freezing air threatened to ice my lungs.
It was so cold my teeth were chattering, but I gritted them firmly.
‘This expedition… I must…’
I clenched my fist tightly.
The youngest knight of the knighthood.
The heir to the prestigious Haインド family.
I couldn’t afford to fall here.
“I will never be like Brother…”
The day seven years ago flashed through my mind.
The day Brother left the family to become an adventurer, forsaking the noble path.
Father was furious, Mother wept.
And I… I looked down on him.
“What do you even know!”
His final words to me echoed in my ears.
“A noble’s duty is to protect the people. Even as an adventurer, I’ll continue that path.”
“You’re bringing shame to the family!”
“Edgar, you’re too young to understand.”
Brother’s last words pierced my heart.After that, his trail went cold.Perhaps somewhere in this Snowstorm Ridge…
The snowfall intensified.
Frozen rocks and jagged ice walls were everywhere.Crossing the Snowstorm Ridge was perilous. Without harnessing the wind, even walking properly was difficult.
‘Is this where he met his end?’
I shook my head to clear the intrusive thoughts.This wasn’t the time for such musings.
I crouched low and read the wind’s flow.The swirling currents around me.With a slight swing of my sword, the air split and dispersed.
‘This is the true swordsmanship of a knight.’
The secret technique passed down from Father.Brother had never learned this.He had stubbornly clung to the crude swordsmanship of adventurers…
Using the wind, I lightly propelled myself forward.But looking back, the other knights were struggling to keep up.Their armor, soaked with ice and snow, had become heavy, slowing their movements.
“This pace won’t do!”“We need to rest…”
The knights’ breathing became labored.Already three had collapsed, and two more couldn’t walk due to frostbite.
‘To think I’m stuck with such weaklings…’
That’s when it happened.
“Monsters!”
Someone’s desperate shout rang out.I immediately gripped my sword.
From the snowstorm ahead, red eyes began to glow.Huge Frost Wolves had surrounded us.Their fangs were frosted over, and their claws scratched the snow with sharp sounds.
“Frost Wolves… the guardians of the Snowstorm Ridge.”
Father’s teachings flashed in my mind.Guardians of the Snowstorm Ridge.Not ordinary monsters, but ancient beings that protected this place.
I took a deep breath.This was my chance to prove myself.
“HAH!”
I swung my sword, imbuing it with wind.A razor-sharp wave of energy surged out like lightning.The fierce wind enveloped the wolves, tearing at their skin.
A chilling howl erupted.The other knights joined in too late, but their blades were clumsy.Their sluggish movements couldn’t keep up with the wolves’ speed.
‘Of course these fools can’t match me.’
I quickly changed position.I flowed lightly with the wind, targeting the wolves’ weak points.I drove my sword deep into one of their necks.
Red blood spread across the snow.But in that moment, I noticed something unusual in the wolves’ eyes.Not fear, not anger…
As if warning us to turn back.
‘They’re not ordinary monsters.’
Guardians of the Snowstorm Ridge.Guardians testing those who would dare to cross.Their eyes seemed to say…Do not proceed further.
“Knight Edgar!”
Someone called out.A knight had fallen, torn by a wolf’s claw.His blood spread across the snow.
‘Damn it.’
I moved quickly to him, riding the wind.I blocked the wolf’s attack and pulled the knight toward me.
“Are you all right?”
“Sorry… my ankle…”
His legs were frozen stiff.Frostbite.
‘At this rate…’
That’s when it happened.One of the wolves attacked my back.I turned just in time, but its claws grazed my shoulder.
“Ugh!”
A sharp pain shot through me.My armor was torn.But more shocking was…‘How cold!’
The wound was freezing over rapidly.This wasn’t an ordinary injury.A curse-like cold was seeping into my body.
‘Damn… could Brother have…’
Brother’s image flashed through my mind.No, not now!I clenched my teeth.As I infused my sword with mana, faint flames began to burn.One of the Haインド family’s secret techniques.A skill that could warm the body with sword energy.
“HAAA!”
I swung my sword widely.A wave of heat enveloped me.The freezing wound began to thaw.
‘I can’t fall here!’
With my sword still raised, I faced the wolves again.Their eyes were different now.As if… acknowledging that I had passed the test.
“KRROOOOWW!”
The apparent leader of the wolves let out a loud howl.The other wolves began to withdraw one by one.
“They’re retreating…”
Someone muttered.But I knew.This wasn’t a retreat.
‘They’re allowing us to pass.’
The guardians of the Snowstorm Ridge had tested us.And barely, we had passed their test.
After the battle, we managed to set up a temporary camp.Many knights had fallen to frostbite, and many more were injured.At least there were no fatalities.
I slowly wrapped my wound by the fire.My shoulder still throbbed painfully.The Frost Wolves’ claws carried a special magic.This wound wouldn’t heal easily.
‘Could Brother have suffered this same pain…’
I shook my head.Why did I keep thinking of him?
In the distance, we could see frozen bodies embedded in the ice walls we had passed earlier.People who tried and failed to cross this ridge in the past.Could Brother be among them?
“Edgar.”
Knight Captain Rowen’s voice brought me back to reality.
“Yes, Captain.”
“Your skill is recognized. But…” His gaze sharpened.“Poor judgment actions must be avoided. We are a knighthood. Facing the enemy alone…”
“I apologize.”
I bowed my head, though internally I was filled with frustration.It had only happened because the other knights couldn’t keep up with my speed.But now wasn’t the time to argue.
“Shia Kalt lies beyond.”
Captain Rowen pointed toward the distance.The majestic snowy peak faintly visible through the clouds.
“Our goal awaits within. The one that transformed the Holy Maiden and the Hero…”
“Captain!”
A knight interrupted, his voice trembling.“If we go on like this… we’ll all…”
Rowen’s gaze turned cold.
“If you intend to act like a coward, feel free to turn back here. But…”A sneer formed on his lips.
“Afterwards, you’ll forever lose the honor of a knight.”
No one dared to answer.The knights’ faces were a mix of fear and torment.But we couldn’t turn back.A knight marked by Rowen would never be welcomed anywhere.
‘Ugh…’
I stared at the fire.I could see something in the dancing flames.
‘To endure this cold…’
Then, a sudden chill enveloped us.The flames flickered.The wind sounded like someone whispering.
Instinctively, I gripped my sword hilt.We were still within the Snowstorm Ridge’s realm.More dangers than the Frost Wolves awaited here.
‘But I cannot retreat.’
I clenched my teeth.This was just the beginning.The true trials likely waited beyond the ridge.
…
The next day, we pressed on through the blizzard again.The deeper we went into the ice gorge, the stronger the wind became.Lofty ice walls rose on both sides, blocking out the sky.Breathing became difficult.
“Captain!”
A knight shouted.Though muffled by the wind, I followed his gesture.
‘That is…’
Something was embedded in the gorge wall.A flag half-buried in ice.The crest of the Kingdom of Genesis.
“Remnants of a previous expedition.”
The captain’s cold voice echoed.He inspected the flag.Then quickly…
“Bodies.”
Knights frozen into the ice walls came into view.Their armor was rusted, and the frozen corpses were encased in white ice.It was as if someone had forcibly embedded them into the wall.
‘Is this… last year’s expedition team?’
“We move forward.”
The captain’s voice carried no hesitation.But the knights’ steps grew heavier.To advance in the face of death.
Then it happened.
KOOOOOOM!
The gorge began to rumble.The ice walls shook violently.
“Everyone, to the center!”
As the captain shouted, chunks of ice began to fall.In an instant, several knights nearly got crushed.
“AAAAH!”
A scream rang out.I immediately drew my sword.This wasn’t a natural phenomenon.
KRROOOOM…
With a sound like cracking ice…The gorge walls began to move.
“That’s…”
An ice-covered giant golem emerged from the gorge wall.It looked like the wall itself had come alive.Two golems revealed themselves simultaneously from both ice walls, surrounding us from above and below.
“Guardians of the Cold…”
The captain muttered.Legendary beings we had only heard about.The true guardians of the Snowstorm Ridge.
“Form the ranks!”
The captain’s order rang out.But it was too late.Trapped in the narrow gorge, we were already surrounded.
KWAAAAAANG!
A massive ice fist came crashing down.I moved quickly using the wind.Not everyone could do that.
“GAH!”
Two knights were crushed under the ice fist, their screams lost in the wind.
‘This is…’
Dangerous.The gorge was too narrow, with no escape route.We were like rats caught in a trap.
“Attack!”
The captain raised his sword high.Red energy erupted from his blade.For all his talk, the power of the knighthood captain wasn’t to be underestimated.
The knights launched their attack simultaneously.But their swords only grazed the ice.The golems’ bodies were too solid.
BOOM!
Another ice fist came down.This time three knights were sacrificed.
“This is…”
Hopeless.We couldn’t run, we couldn’t defeat them.Were we all going to die?
‘No… I cannot die here!’
I infused my sword with mana.The secret technique of the Haインド family.I pushed my swordsmanship to its ultimate limit.
Suddenly, wind began swirling around me.My sword began to emit a blue light.
“The blade of wind…”
I took a deep breath.And raised my sword high.
‘Brother… was I wrong?’
Suddenly, Brother’s voice echoed in my mind.
“Going straight isn’t always the best option, Edgar.”
That’s when I realized.I saw something on the gorge wall.A faint path.It must have been a bypass route used by previous adventurers.
“Captain! There’s a path…”
But the captain ignored my words.His sword was already glowing red.
“We do not retreat! We are knights!”
His defiant shout rang out.But I knew.This way, we would all die.
“We’re retreating!”
I shouted.Simultaneously, I unleashed the wind gathered in my sword.A massive storm erupted, covering the gorge.Enough to block the guardians’ vision.
“This way! Follow the wall path!”
I moved quickly.I led the surviving knights toward the narrow mountain path.
“Dare you…!”
I heard Rowen’s furious voice.But now wasn’t the time to preserve his pride.
We barely escaped.We ran a long way along the narrow mountain path.Behind us, the guardians’ roars echoed.
Finally, when we broke free from the gorge, we saw it.The Shia Kalt Mountain Range.The majestic snowy peak we had seen faintly through the clouds from a distance.
‘Finally…’
But the sight gave me an unsettling feeling.The guardians of the Snowstorm Ridge.What were they protecting?Is the path we’re taking… truly the right one?
We walked for another week.The surviving knights numbered less than forty.But Rowen’s stubbornness remained unchanged.
“We’re the knights of the Kingdom. We cannot return before reaching our goal.”
But his voice lacked its former authority.Just stubbornness to save face.Everyone knew he had chosen the wrong path.
‘Brother must have taken a different path.’
I thought as we climbed the mountain trail.Certainly, Brother wouldn’t have taken this reckless direct route.But because he couldn’t find a safer path…
