Cold. So cold. Freezing cold.
As his body was assimilated by the glowing numbers, this was what Richard felt, and it only grew worse afterward.
It was as though he had stripped naked and been cast into the Polar Ice Field. Endless chill washed over him, making him feel as if even his blood—and his soul—were about to freeze.
Just as he was nearly unable to endure it, his vision flashed, then brightened, and he appeared in a completely unfamiliar environment.
His body, which had been assimilated by the glowing numbers, returned to normal. Even the clothes he wore were exactly the same. The only thing that had changed was the environment.
Looking around, he was no longer on the mountaintop from before, but on a plain.
Under the gloomy sky, goose-feather snow fell across the plain. It was nearly knee-deep, causing the slightly eased chill to envelop Richard's entire body once more.
Richard narrowed his eyes and surveyed his surroundings. Even with his intelligence, he could not determine what was happening at this moment and could only proceed cautiously.
A moment later, he spotted a faint flickering light in the distance. After thinking for several seconds, he started walking toward it.
"Crunch, crunch, crunch..."
The footprints he left in the snow were quickly covered by fresh snowfall as Richard reached the source of the light.
It was a tavern built beside the road. It was not large, but faint energy fluctuations emanated from within.
Richard raised his hand and knocked on the tavern door in a steady rhythm.
"Bang bang bang, bang, bang bang bang!"
With a creak, the door opened, and a middle-aged man with a fiery red beard appeared. He was likely the tavern owner. He glanced at Richard and asked in a booming voice, "Passing