"Wrong? You little traitor! Off with your head!"
This guy had no persistence whatsoever—he gave up way too easily.
If this were a battlefield, he'd definitely be a deserter.
Plus, in his past life, Ethan had been betrayed, so he harbored an intense hatred for such behavior.
Upon hearing Simon's pleas, Ethan became even more ruthless.
He immediately pulled out five cards, ready to finish Simon off.
Seeing this, Simon's face turned pale with fear.
If he got hit with a five-hit combo, he'd definitely die on the spot.
"Big brother, wait! This is all a misunderstanding! I thought you were an NPC, so I attacked you!"
"Cut the crap! Look at these cards!"
"Big brother, I have equipment! I'll give you all my gear—just spare my life!"
"If I kill you, your gear will drop anyway."
"Uh... I also have a skill book—a rare one! But I didn't bring it with me. I can take you to get it!"
"Oh? And what skill book is that?" Ethan asked with curiosity.
"Mirror Image!"
"Heh, do you think I believe you?"
Ethan sneered instantly.
"Mirror Image" was a Magician's skill. How could a hunter possibly have it?
"Big brother, I swear it's true!"
Simon was on the verge of tears, desperately trying to explain,
"I'm on a mission, and the reward is the Mirror Image skill. I've already completed the task; I'm just waiting to collect the reward."
Hearing this, Ethan frowned.
Usually, mission rewards match the player's class, and since Simon was a hunter, the reward should have been a hunter skill book.
Why would it be a Magician skill?
Unless…
Ethan thought of a possibility and asked,
"Where did you get this mission?"
"From a magician in a circus. Why?"
"Is it the Frozen Circus, and the magician's name is Roy?" Ethan continued.
"Uh... how did you know that?" Simon responded in surprise.
Got it!
Ethan was delighted. He had been worrying about how to find Roy, and now someone had brought him a lead.
But this was too coincidental, almost as if it were scripted.
Ethan felt suspicious and glanced at his special attributes.
Special Attributes: Charm +1, Luck +1
"Huh? When did my luck become 1?"
Luck and Charm are special attributes that always fluctuate between -10 and +10.
Increasing these stats through normal means is almost impossible.
Charm is somewhat manageable. Some unique items, like masks or fancy outfits, can increase it by a point or two.
But for Luck, there are no clear methods to improve it.
In his past life, some players speculated that Luck might be linked to astrological events or specific dates, but it was never proven.
"Looks like today's my lucky day."
Ethan's mood brightened; he felt like fortune was finally smiling on him.
He looked at Simon and, while putting his Tarot cards away, said,
"Alright, let's hope you're telling the truth."
"I swear, big brother! If you don't believe me, we can sign a sacred contract."
"No need. If you're lying, I'll just kill you on the spot."
"..."
Simon was speechless.
What's wrong with this guy? Why does he always talk about killing? He's way too violent.
But Simon didn't dare say any of this out loud.
After barely surviving, he wasn't about to risk angering Ethan again.
"By the way, big brother, what should I call you? Should we add each other as friends?"
"Dustwalker," Ethan said, patting the sled. "Get up here and lead the way."
"Oh, right!"
Simon quickly climbed onto the sled and even took the reins.
"Big brother, I know the route. Let me drive. You should rest—this cold weather can be harsh on your health."
"..."
Ethan gave Simon a glance, wondering if this guy had some sort of problem.
The way he spoke was just... odd.
"Alright, you drive, but be careful."
"Don't worry, big brother, I've got a license!"
Simon snapped the reins, urging the sled dogs forward, racing toward a certain direction.
Time passed slowly, and soon the sky began to darken. A bright silver moon rose into the night.
Normally, by this time, players should have logged off.
But considering they weren't in a safe zone and with a possibly untrustworthy hunter by his side,
Ethan decided to pull an all-nighter.
Simon had the same thought; he didn't dare log off either.
And so, two "gaming addicts" embarked on an overnight marathon.
The snowy landscape stretched endlessly, glistening under the moonlight.
It looked as if the whole world had been draped in a pristine white veil—a breathtaking sight.
"This is stunning!" Simon marveled. "Ever since Terra warmed up, I haven't seen anything like this in years."
"Don't worry, you'll get sick of it soon enough."
From the moment Simon chose the Eskimo Hunter class, he was destined to spend his life dealing with snow and ice.
"Sigh... if only there were a girl to enjoy this beautiful scene with!" Simon continued to muse.
"Heh," Ethan chuckled, "With your looks, any girl would run away..."
"ROOOAAAR!"
Suddenly, a deafening roar cut off his words.
Both of them froze, then looked up simultaneously.
Above them, a massive creature descended from the peaks of Dragonspine Mountain.
"Holy crap, a dragon!" Simon yelled.
"Holy crap, a Frost Dragon!" Ethan added.
Both were terrified, their hearts skipping a beat.
Simon freaked out, whipping the reins desperately.
The three sled dogs sensed the danger too and sprinted as if their lives depended on it.
"Damn it! We're done for! How did we run into a Frost Dragon? My Luck stat is +1, damn it!"
Ethan was only level 3, while the Frost Dragon was at least an epic-tier monster.
They were on completely different levels.
One sneeze from that dragon could turn him into an ice sculpture.
"My Luck stat is -2," Simon whimpered.
He felt like crying. His luck had been awful today.
First, Ethan had killed his pet, and now a Frost Dragon was after them.
This wasn't fair at all!
"You walking jinx! I never should've brought you along."
Ethan was furious, wishing he could kick Simon off the sled.
But there was no time for that. The Frost Dragon had already locked onto them.
Flapping its enormous wings, the dragon rapidly closed the distance.
They needed a plan—fast—or they were both done for.
Ethan pulled out the map Kekkero had given him and quickly scanned it.
Soon, he found a symbol representing a cave, located at the base of a cliff to their left.
The cave was large enough to shield them from the Frost Dragon's attacks.
The only problem was whether the sled dogs could make it there in time.
"No choice. It's worth a try."
Ethan stashed the map and yanked the reins, steering the sled hard left.
The dogs immediately changed course, heading straight for the cliff.
"Big brother, that's a cliff over there!" Simon cried, his voice trembling.
"Shut up!"
Ethan had no time for his nonsense, focusing entirely on navigating the sled.
At this point, the Frost Dragon was less than 100 yards away.
Its overwhelming presence bore down on them, making it hard to breathe.
Along with the dragon's aura came an extreme cold.
Ethan had the Eternal Ember, so he wasn't affected. But Simon wasn't as lucky.
Even though Eskimo Hunters had high natural ice resistance, they couldn't compete with a dragon.
Within seconds, Simon was freezing, his body rapidly accumulating frost.
"B...big bro," Simon stammered, shivering uncontrollably.
"My luck's too...too bad. M-maybe I should just j-jump off..."
"Can you just shut up already?!"
Ethan wanted to smack him.
At this critical moment, why was Simon saying such useless things?
Suddenly, a dark cave entrance came into view.
"There it is—the cave! Head for it, quick!"
Ethan shouted, pointing toward the opening.
"Woof woof!"
The lead sled dog seemed to understand and increased its speed.
But the Frost Dragon was even faster.
A storm was gathering between the dragon's wings—its magic attack.
In the blink of an eye, the massive beast was directly above them,
its enormous claws stretching toward Ethan and Simon.
Just at that moment, the sled shot into the cave, narrowly escaping the dragon's grasp.