That’s about it.
Gazing at the young man frowning and deep in thought amidst the snowstorm, the delicately dressed beauty concealed within the wind and snow couldn’t help but slightly curl her lips upward, revealing a breathtakingly beautiful smile that could captivate one’s soul.
After being dragged into the snowy mountain valley by herself, the cleaner named Leon didn’t show any signs of panic on his face. He must have heard legends about her.
He knew she couldn’t directly attack him, so she had to lure him deeper into the snowstorm to kill him. Thus, he appeared quite relaxed, believing that as long as he stayed cautious, enduring the storm would allow him to be safe.
But what he didn’t realize was that her true strength wasn’t in creating snowstorms within dreams; rather, it was in quietly erasing the memories of those who entered her dreams, much like how snow covered travelers’ footprints.
And memory is the foundation of dreams, a blurred cognition.
In a state where he remembers nothing, no matter how powerful he originally was or how many terrifying anomalous items he possessed, if he doesn’t know he has them, then those anomalous items simply don’t exist in the dream.
Once he lost his original memories, his guard against the “Snow Maiden” would drop to its lowest point. If he really followed her into the depths of the valley, he would naturally die from the cold and the fierce winds, surrounded by endless snowstorms.
She might not even need to appear herself. As long as he forgot he was a cleaner and lost his superior physical abilities, in this icy white world…
Hmm? Why is he lighting a fire? And why has his clothing changed?
Hiking boots, down jackets, hiking hats, headlamps, goggles, walking sticks, gloves… After checking all his equipment, Leon couldn’t help but nod in satisfaction.
This time feels much more normal.
After all, who would climb into a blizzard wearing just an old autumn coat? That’s stupid, right?
Am I stupid? No, I’m not.
So I definitely brought all the necessary gear because climbing a mountain with just an old coat is impossible. It’s something I’d never do in my life. Only someone with a brain problem would do such a thing. I must’ve been half-asleep before.
As for being a hunter? That’s ridiculous. I don’t even know what wild boar tracks look like, let alone how to use a hunting rifle. How could I possibly hunt anything? Clearly, I’m just a regular hiker! After eating some hot canned beef in a sheltered spot, Leon grabbed a handful of snow to extinguish the campfire.
Then, he packed up his sleeping bag, stuffed it into his backpack, collected all his trash from camping to avoid polluting the environment, stuck heating pads all over himself, wrapped his scarf around his neck, put on his goggles, and walked downhill using his trekking pole.
Not bad, this snowy camping experience was pretty good. But the snow seems to be getting heavier. I should go down quickly; otherwise, I might get trapped, which would be troublesome.
Huh?? Why are you still going?
Watching Leon, dressed in strange but clearly warm clothes, whistling as he headed downhill, Snow Maiden was completely stunned.
There have been people who could adapt to her dreamworld before, even some who endured for over half a month in sheltered mountain hollows. But someone so… carefree? This was her first time seeing such a person.
No! She can’t let him leave! Watching Leon step firmly along a path that shouldn’t even exist, heading downhill step by step, Snow Maiden frowned deeply, took a deep breath, and disappeared into the wind and snow, transforming into a violent blizzard.
“Whoo!!”
The fierce wind roared past, and the snowflakes falling from the sky grew larger. Sensing the danger of staying longer, Leon, who thought he was a seasoned hiker, immediately sped up his steps, wanting to return to the camp below the mountain as soon as possible.
As for why there was a camp below the mountain…
If there were no campsites below the mountain, where did I rent all this gear? Where did I buy the instant food and alcohol blocks? Surely I didn’t carry them all the way here myself?
“Finally… finally met someone!”
Seeing Leon trudging through the wind and snow, the thinly dressed woman immediately rushed over, her clear face full of joy as she said,
“Good sir! I’m lost in the mountains. Please help me! Could you take me back…”
“Wow! There really are dumbasses out there!”
“Huh??”
Looking at the beautifully dressed woman wearing only a thin dress in the snowstorm, Leon couldn’t help but curse under his breath. Then, he immediately carried the stunned Snow Maiden to a wind-sheltered place, shoved her into a sleeping bag, and asked in shock: “What the hell are you wearing? Where’s your jacket? Your luggage? The team leader?”
“Huh??”
Completely unaware of what Leon was talking about, the Snow Maiden, holding the hot water bottle he handed her, replied in confusion: “I… I live in the mountains, there’s no team leader. Just take me back inside…”
“Live in the mountains?”
Leon furrowed his brow upon hearing this, turned around, rummaged through his backpack, pulled out a map, glanced at it, and then asked with bewilderment: “Is there a village in these mountains? It’s not marked on the map!”
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“It’s not…”
Seeing the somewhat peculiar but genuine map in Leon’s hand, Snow Maiden instantly couldn’t hold it anymore while holding the hot water bottle.
“How do you have a map of here?”
“That’s redundant talk.”
Facing the woman dressed in a skirt climbing the mountain, Leon criticized heartily: “Would you dare climb without a map? That’s insane!”
“…”
“Alright, alright, we’ll talk about the map later. You stay in the sleeping bag and rest!”
“And, did you get lost or something? Where’s your thermal suit? Can you contact your team leader? Let me talk to him about your situation and figure out how to get you down.”
“I… I live in the mountains, no team leader, just take me back…”
Send your mom! After hearing Snow Maiden’s outrageous request, Leon couldn’t help but roll his eyes hard and ignored her completely, starting to fiddle with the satellite phone and sending out a distress signal.
Sending you back? Are you serious? I’ll probably die halfway in this snowstorm! Besides, you don’t even have a map. How am I supposed to know where to go? Should I let this idiot guide me? Also, this woman probably hallucinated from freezing already; there might not even be a village!
Remember, when people are about to freeze to death, they feel hot, so they take off their own clothes. If I hadn’t come across her by chance, she’d probably cool off in minutes.
Really… inexperienced newbies coming to the snowy mountain are such a pain! Glaring at the crazy woman who wanted to say something else, Leon shot down her request with a glare and sighed helplessly after barely resisting the urge to swear.
Though she’s a complete pain and spouting nonsense, she’s still a life. I can’t just watch her freeze to death, right? Try to save her a bit, and… hmm? There’s a dog over there?
(End of Chapter)
