"It appeared just a few days ago?!"
Eliana massaged her forehead upon learning further about the mission's objective and details.
As she suspected, the objective wasn't to survey but to clear the Monolith.
"I don't want to risk it."
Glancing at Niveus, Eliana said, "That's why you said it's a survey..."
Niveus nodded.
"If the Monolith's level is too high for us, it will end with just a survey. If not, we will clear it without delay."
Niveus used the words 'survey' because he wasn't sure yet about the situation, especially when it was a recently formed Monolith in which no one had any information about what was lurking inside.
Of course, that was just for a show. In fact, thanks to Nono, Niveus already knows what creatures will be waiting for them inside the Monolith.
It would be weird for someone to already have information about a Monolith that had just emerged from the depth of the earth unless they possessed the suitable Forte or extra abilities for the situation.
That said, Niveus had learned that the three were enough to handle the Monolith without requesting reinforcement.
The group was already halfway toward their destination. They noticed the frozen river ahead after passing the road under green canopies.
Before Nono could tell him what was happening, Niveus had already realized something was wrong in the frozen river. So, he asked the coachman to stop.
Opening his eyes and yawning, Alphonso glanced at Niveus, who had just exited the cart. Across from him, Eliana asked Niveus, "Is something wrong?"
"The river... I feel something. I'll be right back," Niveus said, quickly rushing toward the center of the frozen surface.
Standing on top of the ice, Niveus examined the surroundings. Then, he focused on the river beneath and wiped the dew off the surface.
"Can you count how many Frozen are down there?"
["There are roughly a thousand Frozen that tried to escape."]
"And how much time before they arrived on the land?"
["If nothing is intervening with their arrival, a month. But if it is caused by someone, I'm afraid we don't have much time."]
"I see."
Niveus returned to the carriage and informed everyone about the situation.
"F-frozen?! And a thousand of them?!"
"W-what should we do...?"
Upon hearing the news, the villagers were shaken to the core. Not only do they need to worry about the Monolith, but they also need to be wary of the coming Frozen battalion.
"Don't be afraid. It will still be a month before the Frozen can reach the surface and contaminate the surrounding area. Before that happens, it'd be best to inform the nearest Alliance quarter."
Noticing the glances between the villagers, Niveus continued, "The Glacend Fortress isn't enough to handle this."
As if caught red-handed, the villagers scratched their necks nervously.
"That..."
"You won't need to pay the Alliance anything for this. Instead, you will be rewarded for the information."
"I-is that so...?"
The villagers, released from their worries, sighed relievedly.
It had been a long time for Niveus to remember such small details he made for his game.
If he were to count the years it had been since the last update of the game and add up the years he had been living in this world, it would be 33 years since he last touched the game.
However, Niveus was sure this scenario didn't happen in the original game or comic.
"So, it only took some settings and contents from my works. Anything else from that is a gray zone to me, huh?'
As Niveus drowned within his mindscape, Alphonso asked the villager beside him, "Does the village have a Nexus Link?"
The villager tilted his head, "What is that?"
Hearing the clueless answer, Eliana only smiled awkwardly. Meanwhile, Alphonso sighed as though he had expected it.
Then, he asked again, "How long will it take you to get to the nearest branch?"
"The last time we visited, we traveled for a week."
"So, three weeks. I think that's enough time, right Niveus?" Eliana chimed in, staring in Niveus's direction.
Deep in his thoughts, Niveus couldn't hear nor answer Eliana.
Eliana called again. This time, Niveus snapped out of his mindscape and responded instinctively with a quick "yeah" before drifting back into his thoughts.
'Three weeks is enough if nothing interferes. But...' Niveus gazed at the frozen river, now appearing smaller in the distance. 'Something tells me someone is behind this.'
Thinking about that, he called Nono.
'Nono,' Niveus whispered internally. 'Do you know what will happen to the Frozen or this village? Is there someone behind this?'
["If no one addresses this issue within the time frame I've mentioned, it will escalate into a problem that could threaten the peace of the entire continent. Sadly, I have no information to ease your concern."]
'You said you know everything in this world?'
["I said I know everything that's RECORDED in this world, which means HISTORY, not FORETELLING."]
'Okay, okay, I get it. No need to get mad.'
["I'm not mad. I'm just clearing misunderstanding here."]
Niveus smiled. It was always fun to tease someone or something, especially an advanced robotic race known as Automaton in some popular titles back in his world.
Thankfully, he also wore a mask so smiling suddenly wouldn't get people to give him a wary stare.
'But, Nono, the part where you said you can hijack the other Beacon, how about that? Was that true?'
["There's a limit to how much I can take over, or else something bad will happen."]
'Is sending the people at the nearest Alliance branch a message about this situation, okay?'
["Done."]
'Already? That was fast.'
Although that method relaxed his mind, Niveus was still wary about the looming threat under the ice.
Throughout the travel, Niveus was quiet just like usual.
However, Alphonso and Eliana knew something was different with his quietness that day.
Even so, they left him to his own thoughts—one likely seemed hesitant to disturb him, while the other seemed indifferent to what was on his fellow knight's mind.
Meanwhile, a few minutes ago in another place...
A man with glasses was working on his desk, checking and stamping all the documents.
He looked so busy with his task. But, despite the scene where made-in-paper towers surrounded him, the man with glasses was full of smiles, actually enjoying his life.
Suddenly, all those bright smiles and energy disappeared when his Beacon rang and showed him a bitter reality.
From smiling when working with the documents to being annoyed after receiving a notification and lastly shocked when he realized something was odd.
"This?!!"
Immediately after reading the message, he stormed out of his room into the building lobby.
With all his might, he shouted: "Trailblazers!!! Assemble!"