Near Dragonspine Mountain, Ethan sped forward on his sled. He knew exactly who Battle Angel was—an experienced veteran player who had once led *Third Heaven* to prominence across multiple virtual games. Even though their glory days were behind them, Battle Angel remained a figure admired by ordinary players.
But Ethan didn't fear him. In fact, he was eager for the challenge.
In his previous life, he had clashed with *Third Heaven* before. At that time, Ethan had joined the game late, with his level far behind others. As a result, he had been forced to hide constantly, barely able to grind for experience without being hunted.
Now, although he was still behind in level, the gap wasn't nearly as wide, and with the experience from his past life, even if all of *Third Heaven* came after him, he wouldn't back down.
"Threaten me? I'm not even afraid of my ex-wife—why should I fear you?" Ethan sneered, closing the chat interface and focusing on steering his sled.
The path was teeming with high-level monsters: snow bears, ice wolves, and even powerful frost trolls. These creatures, seemingly invigorated, howled as they chased after him. But they were too slow and could only watch as Ethan sped off, leaving them in the dust.
By the time afternoon rolled around, a massive valley appeared before him.
---
**[Adventure Log: You have discovered Icewind Valley. Experience +1.]**
---
Icewind Valley lay at the mid-point of Dragonspine Mountain, dividing the mountain range in two. Passing through the valley would lead directly into the Snowy Highlands. Unlike the cold, barren lands outside, the valley was relatively warmer, with coniferous trees and spruces adding a touch of green to the snow-white landscape.
"Time to take a break."
Ethan halted the sled near a spruce tree and checked his status.
---
**[Status: Hungry, Tired, Drowsy.]**
---
A player's status was incredibly important in *Godfall*. It affected attributes like attack power, and if left unchecked, could even lead to death. Therefore, rest and recuperation were essential.
Ethan climbed off the sled, stretching his stiff limbs. He pulled out three meaty bones from his pack and tossed them to the sled dogs. Then, he settled down with some bread and jerky, leaning against the tree as he studied the map.
The Snowy Highlands was vast, and the quest didn't specify the exact location of the Ice and Snow Circus. Even if he did find the circus, what if Roy, the magician he needed to deal with, wasn't there? This search was going to take some time.
---
"Crunch!"
---
A faint crunching sound suddenly reached Ethan's ears. His hand paused as he stashed the map away and pulled out his cards. He stood up, his eyes scanning the surroundings warily. However, apart from the snow and the dense forest, there didn't seem to be any signs of life.
"Was it my imagination? No, it's invisibility."
Ethan frowned. He had no skills that could reveal invisible enemies, which meant he could easily fall prey to an ambush. Still, he wasn't too worried. Even if he couldn't see his opponent, he could always bait them out.
With that thought, Ethan sat back down, continuing to eat his bread, all while remaining on high alert.
---
"Crunch!"
---
The sound came again, this time from behind him to the left. Ethan remained calm, still eating his bread as if nothing was wrong.
---
"Whoosh!"
---
Suddenly, a white figure shot out from the snow, aiming straight for his back.
"Heh, finally fell for it."
Ethan grinned, finishing the last bite of his bread before swiftly activating his **Blink** skill. In an instant, his body vanished, reappearing three yards away. At the same time, he threw a tarot card directly at the white figure.
---
**[Adventure Log: You have killed Simon.Al's pet—Snow Weasel.]**
---
"A pet? Damn it, I've been tricked!"
Ethan's eyes widened, and he quickly sought cover. But it was already too late. Two arrows whistled through the air, hurtling straight toward his face.
"Damn, a multi-shot!"
Reacting quickly, Ethan used his **Eye for Detail** talent, pulling out more tarot cards. Locking onto the arrows' tips, he flung the cards with precision.
---
"Thud!"
"Thud!"
---
The arrows collided with the cards, producing two faint sounds.
"Huh?" came a soft exclamation from the attacker.
They hadn't expected their attack to be neutralized so easily. This wasn't just a simple shot—it was a multi-shot. At least two arrows were fired simultaneously. But the opponent had deflected them with a single card. The accuracy was terrifying.
If that were all, it wouldn't have been too shocking. However, their arrows had a **Double Strike** effect. Could this be a **Dual Casting** from a mage or a **Double Shot** from an archer? Neither seemed likely!
Meanwhile, Ethan finally got a good look at his assailant. Dressed in a white fur coat that covered their entire body, the attacker held a large bow, with a short knife hanging from their waist. Seeing this, Ethan's expression turned serious.
"So, it's an Eskimo Hunter."
Eskimo Hunters were a unique class in *The Northlands*, capable of ranged and close combat, invisibility, and having pets to assist them. In snowy regions, the Eskimo Hunter was the strongest class, bar none—just as the Amazon Hunter was the most powerful in tropical jungles. Both were extreme classes, excelling only in specific environments. Outside of their domains, they were no better than foot soldiers.
Sizing up the Eskimo Hunter, Ethan cast **Insight** to gather more information.
---
**[Name: Simon.Al]**
**[Race: Human]**
**[Base Attributes: Strength 10, Agility 14, Constitution 10, Spirit 12, Intelligence 10]**
**[Special Attributes: Insufficient Information…]**
**[Class: Eskimo Hunter (Level 6)]**
**[Personal Talent: Insufficient Information…]**
**[Class Feats: Bow Mastery, Short Blade Mastery, Insufficient Information…]**
**[Skills: Snow Stealth, Multi-Shot, Snow Eagle Guard.]**
**[Items: Insufficient Information…]**
**[Pet: Snow Weasel (Deceased).]**
---
Seeing the information, Ethan relaxed a bit. This guy was level 6, meaning he had only three feats. One of them seemed to be missing, but since he had a pet, Ethan guessed the third feat was likely **Beastmaster**. As for the skills, none posed much of a threat.
**Multi-Shot** was countered by Ethan's **Double Attack** from **Try Again**. **Snow Eagle Guard** was an auxiliary skill that increased attack range and provided some defense, but without a snow eagle, it was useless. The only tricky skill was **Snow Stealth**, but even that wasn't too worrying.
All in all, the two of them were fairly evenly matched—if anything, Ethan was slightly stronger.
"I thought I'd run into a tough opponent, but he's just a half-baked rookie," Ethan muttered under his breath.
To be fair, in a normal situation, Simon.Al would have the upper hand. But thanks to **Try Again**, Ethan's talent made him virtually unbeatable at the same level—and the further into the game, the more powerful he would become.
On the other side, Simon.Al realized his attacks weren't working and immediately knew that Ethan wasn't someone to mess with. With his snow weasel dead, he was already thinking about retreating. Without hesitation, he put away his bow and turned to flee.
"Running away? Not a chance!"
Ethan, still holding onto a bellyful of anger, wasn't about to let him go. Randomly attacking him—did this guy think he had a good temper?
Jumping onto the sled, Ethan shook the reins. "Let's go, huskies—catch him!"
At Ethan's command, the sled dogs took off, chasing after Simon.Al at full speed. Within seconds, they had closed the gap to less than ten yards.
"Dear god!" Simon.Al glanced back and nearly died of fright. Why was this guy still chasing him? What kind of grudge did he hold?
Ethan didn't care. He pulled out more tarot cards and hurled them at Simon.Al.
---
"Swish, swish, swish!"
---
Three cards flew through the air, aiming for the back of Simon.Al's neck.
"Oh shit—**Snow Stealth**!" Simon.Al cursed and activated his skill. In the blink of an eye, he vanished, as if he had burrowed underground. A long trail of disturbed snow stretched out ahead, moving quickly as Simon.Al tunneled through the snow.
"Heh, trying to outrun my sled? Huskies, cut him off!" Ethan ordered.
It was as if the sled dogs understood his words. They ran even faster, swiftly overtaking Simon.Al and skidding to a stop ahead of him, blocking his path.
---
"Thud!"
"Ahh, my head!"
---
Just as the sled stopped, a loud crashing sound echoed through the valley, followed by a pained scream. Simon.Al, clutching his head, emerged from the snowbank.
Seeing this, Ethan couldn't help but laugh. The poor guy had such poor perception that he had run straight into the sled
.
But Ethan wasn't going to give him time to recover. He drew another tarot card, ready to attack.
"Wait, wait! I surrender, big bro! Please, forgive me!" Simon.Al cried, raising his hands in surrender.