"Haaa!" Donald launched forward and hacked the sword down, but the snow creature
quickly dodged out of the way, just in time.
Niko's eyes shrank as he saw the snow creature running towards him. Since he didn't have any weapons at his disposal, he was completely defenseless.
At that moment, he noticed the small knife in the long-nosed man's dead hands.
As the snow creature pounced towards him, Niko quickly rolled down the snowy ground, snatched the knife from the dead hands, and stabbed it into the snow creature's snow hide.
The creature let out a blood-curdling scream and backed off with the knife still stuck on its side.
Niko stood up, panting and trembling with exhaustion, but triumphant in his small, short-lived victory.
"Keep attacking!" Donald shouted. "It's in pain!"
A tall man who had a relatively athletic-looking body launched forward with a hammer in hand. He was recruited back in the cottage and didn't mind joining since Donald seemed to know what he was doing.
He smashed the hammer at the skull of the creature, and it let out a blood-curdling scream as it fell to the ground.
"Good job, Samuel!" An unimpressive-looking man with a small mustache shouted and jumped from the side with an axe in hand.
He raised the axe high above his head and hacked it down, the metal blade landing on the snow creature's leg and cutting it off.
"Heh." He smirked as the snow creature's cries rang in his ears.
His name was Fama, and he joined Samuel in the tutorial after he asked. They were working in the same company—a desk job—and they both hated it.
After both received a few weeks of holiday, they both decided to try the tutorial and see how well they did. If they received a good score, they thought about quitting their job and trying their hand at Mortal Online.
The snow creature whimpered in defeat, but it still tried slicing through the air with its sharp claws. However, the group of players knew enough that the injured beast would be in its most dangerous phase.
Samuel dodged the claws and lifted the hammer above his head, his grin stretching from ear to ear. He had a clean shot to kill the creature once and for all.
At that moment, Donald tackled Samuel to the ground and used his broadsword to behead the snow creature.
As the snow creature's head landed on the snowy ground, Niko and Luke cheered for the successful kill.
However, Samuel angrily stood up from the ground, his clothes covered in a snow and asked loudly. "What the hell, Donald?!"
"I am really sorry!" Donald dropped his sword, bowed ninety degrees, and extended his hand for a handshake. "I thought one of its claws would hit you, so I pushed you out of the way. It was a mistake on my part, but we already lost one member, and I didn't want to lose another as well.
"I apologize sincerely!"
"The hell?" Samuel asked venomously, but at that moment, Fama came to his side and shook his head.
"It's not worth it." Fama said and grabbed Samuel's arm, pulling him away from the situation.
"Tch." Samuel spat on the ground and went a short distance away with Fama to recover from their exhaustion.
Donald stood up, picked up his sword, and looked at the snow creature with a smile.
"What should we do with this?"
"We can take its claws." Niko suggested. "Then, we could skin it and eat it."
"Yeah..." Luke rubbed his stomach. "I am feeling hungry. I didn't expect to be able to feel hunger in here."
"Apparently, you can die by starvation in here." Donald said with a smile. "So, food and water are essential for survival. They can also replenish lost health."
"I'll cut off the claws." Niko said, went to pick up the knife from the snow creature's side, and then started cutting off the claws.
"What'll we do with them?" Luke asked while glancing towards Samuel and Fama. They were whispering something to each other.
"Hmm..." Donald shrugged his shoulders. "They'll be useful for now. We'll see about the future."
Luke nodded.
...
In another part of the forest, Seth sat on top of a fallen trunk, eating some of the rations he received from the backpack.
'Brother, I hope you are right about the boss.' Seth thought and looked in the direction of the mountain.
At that moment, he felt that something was different from before.
As he looked to the sky, a few snowflakes fell on his face, and he suddenly started to smile.
"Finally..."
The clouds above the forest started to clear, revealing a bright and sunny sky.
The snowstorm was finally over.
It was still cold enough to freeze one's bones, but Seth finally had enough visibility to know which way to walk.
He stood up, slung the backpack over his shoulder, and started walking in the direction of the mountain.
'I wonder how he is doing.' Seth thought with a frown. 'Brother said that usually the people that were left outside the groups were the first to die.'
'Maybe I can still find a group to join. He'll probably won't last long if he keeps that stubborn attitude. A person can only do so much alone until reaching the limit.'
...
Adam looked out of the cottage at the beautiful winter wonderland.
"Well, the storm is over." Ron chuckled while drinking from his water canteen. "You are left behind; others are about to arrive at the boss. Some might've already acquired points."
"It's a beautiful view." Adam looked toward the mountain. "Well, I suppose it's also time for me to leave."
"Good luck, brat." Ron waved his hand lazily. "If I were you, I would be running."
Adam slung the backpack over his shoulder and held the shield in his left hand.
As he opened the door, he glanced at Ron and thought.
'He is probably Grandeur. I wonder how much this mission gives him.'
Adam then stepped out into the cold air and cracked his knuckles with a loud pop. He took a deep breath and then launched forward as he started running towards the snow-covered forest.
Inside the cottage, Ron glanced out of the window as the young man disappeared into the forest.
'He was calm, fearless, and didn't show any sign of being nervous. When I was in his shoes, I was panicking every day, trying to get every possible point I could get my hands on.
'That Donald kid seemed impressive and could maybe reach Grandeur rank, but this... Adam, I think his name was, is not too bad either.'
...
Outside Adam's room, Serah and John stood with their backs against the wall.
"Are you certain?" John asked. "Should I call the doctor?"
Serah scoffed and waved her hand dismissively. "Doctors are expensive. He'll get over it in the next couple of days!"
They then heard footsteps from the stairs as Alice had returned from school, wearing a school uniform that consisted of a skirt that reached her knees and a white blouse with a tie.
"Mom, dad?" Alice wondered why they were standing outside Adam's room. "What are you doing?"
"Adam is sick with Plague Sickness." John said.
"What?!" Alice accidentally dropped her backpack to the ground and quickly hurried towards Adam's room.
"Wait, don't go!" Serah stopped her before she managed to open the door. "You'll get sick."
"I am not an orphan of the plague." Alice said with a frown. "I can't get sick, neither you two."
Serah turned speechless, but since she was a clean freak, she still didn't want to take any risks.
However, John then said, "Alice is right. We should see how he is doing."
"Ugh, fine." Serah took out her napkin and covered her mouth. "O-open it."
Alice carefully opened the door and peered towards the bed. "Adam, how are you doing?"
However, she couldn't see anyone on the bed. The bed was neatly made.
She frowned and stepped inside the room, followed by John and Serah, who moved very slowly.
At that moment, they noticed a strange device in the corner of the room, glowing with ethereal light.
As they approached it, they saw a young man sleeping inside.
"Oh..." Alice bit her pink lips and shook her head with a smile. "Adam, you..."
"This bastard!" Serah screamed and leaned over the VR Pod, looking straight at Adam's face, which seemed like he was in a deep sleep. "How ballsy of you, Adam, to lie to me!"
John scratched the back of his head. "Ah, rebellious phase."
"Rebellious phase?!" Serah stomped her feet angrily. "Adam, you have made a great mistake!"
She then began looking around the Pod, and asked, "Does this thing have power off button?!"
"Mother!" Alice called her out and stood in her way, stopping her from doing anything harsh. "Don't do it. Adam must have reason."
"Reason?" Serah scoffed. "This is pure laziness. Skipping the work just to play!"
"So, this is the reason why he asked for a holiday." John said out loud and shrugged his shoulders. "At least, he tried asking."
"And I said no!" Serah screamed. "Still, he did this behind my back; he even lied!"
"We'll talk to him." John grabbed his wife by the shoulder. "But after he returns from there,"
"Ugh..." Serah loosened her clenched fists and looked at Adam's sleepy face with narrowed eyes. "Fine, but just wait, Adam, you'll get earful."
After Serah and John left the room, Alice leaned on the VR Pod, gazing at Adam's sleeping face with a smile.
She couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction, knowing that he was finally doing something he was enjoying, and not forced to do.
"Good luck~"