"Boy, you awake?"
The dog sledder who picked up Benjamin noticed as soon as he stirred since Benjamin was still sharing the coat and body warmth.
"Yeah. Thank you for saving me."
"No sweat. It's only natural to help one another in times like these, after all."
'Times like these?'
Benjamin was curious about what the dog sledder meant, but he felt like being cautious was the right move. He wasn't sure what to think of the people inside the dungeon or what they would think about him, who came from outside it.
Maybe they thought they were the real world. Maybe they were fully aware of the world outside and the possibility of outsiders coming in. He had no idea.
"I'm Benjamin. You?"
"Toda. The other two are my brothers Noda and Boda."
"Triplets?"
"Hah. No. We might look similar. But in clothes like these, it's hard to distinguish between a dire wolf and my grandma's stew. We're not even real brothers actually. The chief adopted us after our real parents went missing in a snowstorm soon after the Eternal Winter started."
"...I see."
'Well, that was a landmine.'
Although Benjamin had gotten more information, the tidbit of tragedy made the conversation awkward, and he wasn't sure what to say. So, he stayed quiet until he could feel the dog sled slow down.
"We're here. Noda! I'm bringing this guy inside. Do you mind handling my payload?"
"I'm getting the next good fur."
"...Fine."
Still carrying Benjamin inside his coat to protect him from the blistering chill of the night of the Eternal Winter, Toda waddled over to one of the snow-covered mounds in the snow field. He stuck his hand in the snow and rummaged around a little until he found a rope, which he tugged on to open a leaning door, isolated with a layer of snow.
Toda opened his coat when they were inside the outer room. It was a small room with an icy floor and thick coats.
Benjamin looked around slightly at what looked a little like the airlocks he had seen in videos of space crafts. But instead of locking the air, it trapped the heat inside and snow and cold outside.
When Toda was finished getting rid of most of his cold-resistant defenses and revealed a handsome, youthful, but rugged, pale face he led the way through the door inside.
"Chief! I found a kid."
"Is it yours? If it is, you have to take responsibility."
Toda frowned and stepped through a doorway to look at the chief. He showed Benjamin.
"No. On the way back, this kid came out of the forest."
Benjamin looked at the buff, hairy guy who looked more like a fit bear than a human.
"Hi. I'm Benjamin."
The Chief narrowed his eyes as he looked at Benjamin. He glanced at Toda.
"I'll talk to him for a moment."
Toda nodded. But he didn't leave.
"That means you should give us some privacy."
"Right. Good luck, Benjamin. The Chief doesn't bite."
Before Benjamin could answer, Toda had already left the room.
Benjamin had a feeling the Chief didn't need to bite to be scary.
"Benjamin was it? You're not from around here, are you?"
'Is he asking if I'm from outside the dungeon?'
"No, I'm not."
"I'm guessing you have your circumstances."
"I do."
The Chief looked at Benjamin in silence for several long moments.
"You don't have the face of a bad kid. As long as you can contribute to the village, you can stay. We don't have the food or time to spoil lazy bums. Sound good?"
"Yes."
Benjamin was a little surprised at how quickly the Chief accepted him. He wondered if it was part of the setting.
He wasn't planning on staying forever. But since he had no idea what he was supposed to do to clear the dungeon, he might as well stay where there was safety, shelter, civilization, and information.
He had a feeling that the Eternal Winter Toda mentioned was a keyword to the dungeon. But he had to figure out more details and information.
"Good. Go find Toda. He'll fix you up some food and a fur to sleep on. You start tomorrow morning."
Benjamin nodded before taking his leave and finding Toda in a room with fridges and freezers at varying depths in the walls. He was putting together something that looked like freeze-dried and freezer-burned jerky. He put the strips of mysterious meat on slabs of vegetables.
He gave Benjamin a portion with a smile that Benjamin had trouble returning after taking a bite. But he did his best to accept the kindness of the strangers he intruded upon before bundling up on a fur on the floor and passing out.
Even if he napped for a bit in Toda's coat, he was still tired. He had barely had time to process everything that had happened since morning. His brain and body were both drained.
The next morning, Benjamin woke up to Toda drowning him in a pile of fur clothes.
"I hope you got a good night's rest, Benjamin. You've got a long day ahead of you."
Benjamin didn't respond. The dark bags under his eyes were answer enough. Needless to say, he had not slept well. He might have been passed out, but his mind buzzed with the events of the previous day, and he couldn't relax.
However, Toda and the village wouldn't just let him sleep in. So, Benjamin got up and covered himself in the furs before following Toda out into the horrible cold that stung his eyelids.
"Even after all these years, I still can't get used to it, stepping out into the cold after benign inside, you know?"
''All these years'? I guess that's the Eternal Winter…'
"Yeah."
Benjamin realized from Toda's words that it wasn't just winter right now. It sounded like it had been winter for several years. If he added what Toda had said about being adopted when his parents disappeared in a snowstorm, the winter might have even lasted more than just a few years.
'Is that how I clear the dungeon? Do I need to break this Eternal Winter? Puzzles like these are usually about fixing what's wrong.'
It was more of an instinctive guess based on the tiny pieces of information Benjamin put together. But with his extensive knowledge of dungeons, it made sense.