Chapter 66: 66 North Pole 02.

Jin proceeds toward the cave, his ears perked up by the whistling, the eerie wind coming from the darkness inside. His foot trace is barely visible as a vicious blizzard buried it completely in a matter of seconds.

The inside was pitch-dark with a long straight path twisted into a spiral structure, making him wonder who could build this amazing phenomenon if not nature itself.

He stepped into solid ice, tightening his grip on the girl in his hands, who shivered uncontrollably without warmth.

The weather was so extreme that it sapped her life away, and if Jin was not mentally trained, his condition might not be much different from Silvia’s.

Although the cold had eroded his senses, Jin wondered if he was in a bad state rather than the girl.

His Jade eyes flashed, and they parted away the darkness that shrouded the cave. Jin followed his instinct, entering deep into the unknown.

A slight movement from his hand prompted him to look toward the girl. Her trembling body subsided, but her breath was weak, almost inaudible if he didn’t focus on it.

“Silvia, are you with me?”.

“Aa,”. Her hoarse voice echoed inside the enclosed space. Silvia snuggled close to Jin’s chest and barely muttered, “I’m sorry”.

“It’s okay”.

Jin replied calmly as he strode over the path further toward the deep. His eyes scanned his surroundings, never letting his guard down in case there was a monster like the one he had met earlier.

However, after walking for about half an hour, he couldn’t meet a single soul inside, and the deeper he entered, the faint light that blinked in the farthest tunnel caught his eye.

’A light? Is it the exit or?’. Jin shook his head, dismissing his negative thoughts.

As for now, he doesn’t want to think about bad things and worse possibilities that could plummet his mentality. He had enough burden on his shoulders and the chilling poison that gnawed at his being.

He needs a long night’s rest to freshen his mind and a plan to escape this predicament.

When he reached the light, Jin widened his eyes by its majesty. He saw a massive cave structure like a dome, glittering crystals plastered on every wall, making the place visible enough for Jin to see.

Above him, a gaping hole, seemingly the mouth of darkness erected, left a massive impression that this place was truly a foreign and untouched land.

“What in the world?!”.

One thing that also left his mouth agape was the existence of a colossal pillar structure that resembled some sort of formation, with an elevated altar with a blue sword stabbed in it.

“A sword? In this kind of place?”.

Jin knitted his expression; he tapped the primal mana in the atmosphere.

Cold tore his mind apart, tearing every fibre of his muscles that were screaming in agony. But he gritted his teeth and let his hearing and the wind thinly spread far away.

He closed his eyes, letting his other dulled sense be enhanced a bit, like a bat that utilizes ultrasonic waves to pinpoint its way through the darkness.

It has the same principle, but it was also his first time practicing it, so he couldn’t capture a clear image. He had to use his imagination and instinct to pinpoint his vast surroundings.

’Tch, it’s difficult’. His brows furrowed together, but at least he could faintly picture the area.

He rolled his stiff shoulders and walked toward the pillar formation closer to the altar. Gazing toward it with relief, he exhaled, “Let’s rest around here.”

“Silvia, I will put you down. Don’t worry; this place seems safe, and there is no cold wind that would disturb our rest”.

“Um, I’m sorry, Jin”. The girl replied weakly as her body lay on top of the hard surface and softly leaned her back against the pillar.

She vacantly stared at the ground, no visible light around her azure eyes. The girl was akin to giving up in life and burdened with something she wasn’t at fault with.

Silence hung between them. Jin exhaled sharply, leaned against the pillar and sat beside her, shoulder touching. “So, how was your condition? Are you feeling better?”

To dispel the gloomy atmosphere between them, he starts with a light conversation, which the girl replies to with a single nod.

“I see. Are you feeling hungry or thirsty?” Jin took out several pieces of street food he had collected inside his Item box and a water bladder from his mother, who was still in his hand.

In his hand, a sandwich with various fillings and its colourful presentation roused his appetite. The delicious aroma of burned spices in brown, juicy, tender meat incited his stomach to let out a growl that echoed in the room.

“Man, I recalled that I haven’t eaten yet. Silvia, let’s eat some of them”.

Instead of waiting, he took the girl’s hand and handed her a sandwich. Jin took a huge bite of the sandwich; its crisp and crunchy vegetables melted the girl’s expression as she stared at the boy with eyes hidden beneath the hood.

“Eat it, and then we will rest for tonight.” He chuckled and added, “I don’t know if this place had a concept of night and day.”

As Silvia’s eyes slowly regained their light, she opened her frozen lips and bit a small portion of the food. The savoury meat and its salty taste broke her expression.

Her body trembled as she stifled a sob, the warmth of the food melting the frost that froze her emotion. Tears streamed down as the girl tried to finish her simple meal yet warmed her chilled heart.

Jin parted his lips as he took several more foods and said, “Yeah, eat up and wash your worry away. No matter what happens, we both will survive this situation. I promise you that”.

“*hic, *sob, Um”. Silvia weakly nodded while moving her stiff jaw to shred the food in hand.

They calmly enjoy the meal in silence as a breathtaking scene straight out of a novel is presented before their eyes.

As if noticing the mood, the gleaming crystal dimmed slightly, and the calm ambience embraced the two youngsters stranded in a faraway land, shrouded with desperation.

Jin and Silvia slowly settled down, both closing their eyes in an awkward position to let their tired minds and bodies rest. Their faint shadows overlapped each other in gentle support, closing their first day in the story that would be foretold to their descendant.

***

After a seemingly long rest, Jin’s consciousness resurfaced from the abyss. He opened his eyes, and their blurry sight distorted before he could see his surroundings clearly.

’This is.’ He knocked his head aside but soon stiffened upon feeling the weight on his shoulder. Glancing to the side, he saw Silvia calmly breathing through her deep sleep.

’She must have been stressed yesterday’. Jin lightly touched her warm cheek and exhaled, relieved that her temperature had returned to normal.

However, his action stirred the girl’s closed eyes, which quivered and gently opened to reveal her azure eyes, which seemed to regain a bit of light.

“Good morning, Silvia. Did you sleep well? Or still tired?”.

Silvia wiped her eyes and straightened her spine. She shook her head sideways then, as if recalling what happened, blood drained from her face.

“I see, so it was not a dream”. Silvia’s expression tightened, with dark wrinkles creeping across her forehead.

“Silvia, listen!” Jin faced the girl and began to cup her cheeks in a tight squeeze. “As of now, we are lost, stranded on a foreign continent with no way back home. But I want you to listen to this!”

“Let’s believe in ourselves and proceed forward even though the path is hard. Never lose hope, and I believe miracles will shine upon us.”

The flame in her eyes blazed lightly as Jin confirmed with his eyes, and she nodded.

“Okay, let’s explore this place first before stepping out toward the snowy land once more.” Jin’s lips spread into a warm smile, which thawed the ice in Silvia’s heart.

Jin stood up and extended his hand to grasp her pale, delicate hands to help her stand. Both exchanged smiles, and their attention abruptly shifted toward the altar near them.

On top of the altar, a sword stood eternal across time. Half of its blue blade was deeply embedded into the altar, its silver hilt coiled by tiny chains made of ice that gently leaked a white mist from its cold air.

Jin felt a strange sensation that drew his attention toward the sword—it was like a heartbeat pulsing through the cold air—but he shook his head and asked the girl behind.

“Right, Silvia? You didn’t bring your storage item right?”.

“Um, I’m sorry. I never thought this situation could happen, so”.

He nodded and turned toward the girl, “Let’s take that sword; you used it for the journey that was about to come.”

“Eh, but!?”. Just before Silvia could refute, Jin squeezed the girl’s cheeks, turning her mouth into a gaping fish.

“It’s alright, you don’t have to be considerate of this. Can you do that from now on?”.

Silvia’s eyes darted around, glancing toward the sword and Jin’s expression before nodding meekly, “Awwight!”.

“Good”. Jin released the girl’s cheek and turned toward the sword. “Let’s check the sword first”.

Jin couldn’t help but be conscious of this kind of situation. His mind wandered toward a certain story in his previous life about a certain King who took a sword from a stone.

In that story, it was depicted that if the person was destined to wield it, the sword would easily be released from the stone, but what about now?

His situation was nothing but an accident, coupled with a coincidence that brought them to the place. Are they going to be alright?

“Jin?”.

“Nothing. Let’s go!”. Jin shook his head and approached the altar with Silvia behind.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep