Chapter 6: Falling

[Whisper] ●Paul: Hello, Master.

It was just like having a phone call.

The [Whisper] function allowed for voice conversations like this, and it also had the features of a regular chat window.

The ‘●’ symbol in front of the nickname meant it was a voice call.

A puff of white breath escaped every time Paul opened his mouth.

As soon as he playfully called her Master, a disgusted voice followed from the other side, cringing, “That ‘Master’ this, ‘Master’ that!”

So Paul laughed silently.

[Whisper] ●Kian: Ugh, forget it. More importantly, where are you now? You’ve been logging in a lot lately, but I have no idea what you’ve been up to.

[Whisper] ●Paul: Haha, I’ve been a little busy lately.

[Whisper] ●Kian: You? What could you possibly be so busy with? Does that mean you can’t come to ‘Hwion’ today?

[Whisper] ●Paul: Hwion? Hmm, I’m not sure. I think it might be impossible… I’m at the northern tip right now.

[Whisper] ●Kian: The northern tip… isn’t that Flora? What’s there to see that you went there?

[Whisper] ●Paul: You can see the snow. The scenery is surprisingly pretty. It’s a bit cold, though… very cold, actually! But it’s not as bad as you might think. We should all come together with the guild members later. I’ll be your guide for free.

[Whisper] ●Kian: Oh my, alright, alright. I’ll look forward to it if you’re the guide. So, when do you think you can make it?

[Whisper] ●Paul: Hmm, I definitely can’t make it today. I don’t think I’ll be able to for a while… Can I contact you again after checking my schedule? It’s not anything important, right?

[Whisper] ●Kian: Oh my, why do you assume that? What if it is important?

When Kian said that in a deliberately stern tone, Paul retorted as if telling her not to lie.

[Whisper] ●Paul: Come on, when has our guild ever had anything like that?

[Whisper] ●Kian: ……Honestly, it’s one person after another. This time, it’s actually quite important. I mentioned it briefly in the guild chat… but I bet you didn’t read it, did you?

Since she hit the nail on the head, Paul just laughed quietly.

He opened the chat window he had minimized and switched to the guild chat, and indeed, he could see conversations scrolling by quickly.

But the speed at which it was scrolling up was so fast that he didn’t dare to read it all.

So Paul pretended he hadn’t seen it and minimized the window again.

[Whisper] ●Kian: You laugh again when you’re at a disadvantage, don’t you? Anyway. I received a guild quest a few days ago. I was just going to notify you later, but I called everyone together to see your faces for the first time in a while, so just know that.

[Whisper] ●Paul: Hmm, then I’ll get to Hwion as soon as possible. I can’t go today, though! I’ll go within this week.

[Whisper] ●Kian: Okay. It didn’t seem like it would be over in a day or two.

Just as they were about to end the whisper, Kian suddenly said as if she just remembered something.

[Whisper] ●Kian: By the way, Ian said he got something while fishing this time. Did he contact you?

[Whisper] ●Paul: Oh, no? He didn’t.

[Whisper] ●Kian: Really? That’s strange. He was making a fuss saying he needed your help… Help him out when you see him next time.

[Whisper] ●Paul: Ah, yes, yes. I will. It’s not that difficult anyway.

With those words, the whisper ended.

“…Let’s see.”

Paul looked around once.

He had been walking aimlessly while talking…

“Where am I?”

With snow here and snow there, if you let your guard down for even a moment, you get lost easily.

Paul gloomily opened the mini-map and started wandering, turning it this way and that to find his way.

‘I think the path I took last time was around here…’

Ding!

[System: [Deathly Chill] is seeping into your equipped gear. Durability is decreasing faster than usual!]

A red, translucent message window that blocked his view as if it were a matter of course.

Looking at the message that was so familiar it was almost tiresome, Paul grinned behind his mask.

He immediately took out the said [Salamander’s Lamp] from his bag.

“Huhu, I’ve waited a month for this day…!”

The white flame from the lamp, held up triumphantly, flickered greatly, then turned blue, and finally red, forming the shape of a small lizard.

As soon as he saw it, Paul cried out pitifully.

A sneeze was a bonus.

“It’s cold, Sally…! Achoo!”

“I told you so. Why did you have to come to a place like this…”

“You promised to grant me one request!”

“You’re a bit of a fool.”

The lizard, in the form of a flame, crawled out of the lamp and settled on Paul’s shoulder, clicking its tongue softly.

“Do you always waste the one-time ‘favor’ you get from being acknowledged by a spirit like this? Other people use it for more practical things.

Like catching a monster they can’t defeat on their own, or melting ore that can’t be melted by a normal fire… But you, is that guy really that handsome?”

“Ah, he’s seriously the best. You should see him too, Sally. He’s perfect, absolutely perfect!”

“It’s probably just a mask.”

“Are you disrespecting masks!?”

“You have quite the… taste.”

“Boo-hoo, I pity you for not knowing the beauty of masks~!”

“I have no desire to know that, even in my next life.”

The fire spirit Salamander, nicknamed ‘Sally’, had known Paul for quite a long time.

That’s why when the being who called it by a nickname said it was finally using its ‘favor’, Salamander had been somewhat expectant of what kind of request this carefree elf would make.

But it never imagined the request would be something like this.

“That’s so mean~. But besides the mask, the overall…”

If Paul had taken off his mittens, his hand might have made a slightly more explicit gesture, but the effect of the mittens turned it into a cute, flailing motion.

However, Salamander, who immediately noticed what he was trying to express, narrowed its eyes.

“That’s enough! More importantly, this is really the last time. I really… hope you know you’re the only one who makes such a request of me.”

“I would have frozen to death in this cold place if it weren’t for you, Sally. Sob sob.“

Watching Paul pretend to cry with a playful voice, Salamander slapped his shoulder with its tail.

“You’re probably the only one in the whole world who uses me as a mere substitute for a heater.”

“You know it too, Sally. A normal fire is useless in this place. That’s why I used the ‘favor’ I’ve been saving up, right? Thanks to you, I’m so warm~.”

Paul giggled with a coaxing, charming voice and tapped the lamp in his hand with a ‘tong’.

Ding!

[System: [Deathly Chill] is seeping into your equipped gear. Durability is decreasing faster than usual!]

Looking at the message, Paul let out a small groan.

‘See? This debuff seems stronger than last time. Last time, the title effect and the lamp were enough…’

“Sally!”

“I know.”

[System: The fire spirit [Salamander’s Blessing] is bestowed upon [Target: Paul].]

[System: With the spirit’s blessing, the [Status Effect: Deathly Chill] debuff is temporarily blocked!]

[System: The essence of fire seeps into your equipped gear.]

After confirming the continuous messages, Paul gently stroked Salamander’s head.

He was relieved now.

His whole body instantly warmed up as if covered in hot packs, and the debuffs accumulated on his way here began to disappear.

A pleasant blush appeared on his pale face, which had been pale from the cold behind the mask.

“Hoo… Thank you.”

“Hmph.”

Now, unless Salamander was unsummoned or the lamp was destroyed, this blessing would continue for a while.

‘Alright, let’s go all the way with this momentum!’

But it was the moment he took a step forward, full of resolve.

[System: Due to the warm heat, the snow on the ground begins to melt!]

The messages he thought were over poured out again.

[System: The ground is weakening rapidly!]

[System: Caution! Prepare for a fall!]

[System: The ground is collapsing!]

***

[System: Brace for impact!]

“Sally—!”

“It’s not my fault!”

‘No, it’s your fault!’

***

Thud—!

With a loud noise, Paul fell face-first onto the ground.

This time, the snow had melted and couldn’t cushion his fall, so the impact he received was doubled.

Of course, he didn’t feel a strong pain like in reality, but a pain equivalent to a flick on the forehead spread tinglingly through his whole body, starting from his face.

His full health instantly plummeted to the bottom, and his vision swam dizzily.

He could see [Status Effect: Stun] added among the debuffs.

Paul had to wait for a while, lying face down on the ground, for the status effect to wear off.

“…”

He could feel the small lizard, which had been flung far away by the impact of the fall, fidgeting and pacing back and forth beside him, but there was nothing Paul could do until the status effect was lifted.

Ding!

[System: You have discovered a Forgotten Trace.]

[System: Communication with the outside world is temporarily blocked.]

After 10 minutes of silence, Paul pushed himself up, propping himself with his trembling arms.

Crack.

…He had expected it from the moment he fell, but today, another one of his precious masks met its end.

“Ugh.”

Seeing the broken mask again, Paul wanted to cry.

Not just once, but twice…!

Of course, he had anticipated this might happen and wore a mask that was easy to replace, but he couldn’t help but feel heartbroken.