I am Kevin, an insignificant Ursus Infected.
As you can see, I am carrying out a sacred mission—
Spread the great name and blessings of the Black Forest Lord to this snowfield shrouded in suffering and ignorance.
Of course, the process of dissemination will inevitably encounter some obstacles.
"Hey! You... you must still have some food hidden on you! I saw it just now! Hand it over!"
He was facing this "compatriot" who had just received frozen meat from his hands, but whose eyes were instantly filled with greed.
There were several other Infected around, dressed in similar tattered clothes, forming a loose encirclement.
Kevin rubbed his temples and sighed.
"No way... How can we let scum like you defile that pure land?"
"Stop talking nonsense! Put everything... uh?!"
Pfft--
Warm blood gushed out as mist in the frigid air, then quickly condensed into tiny red ice crystals that fell down in a soft rustling sound.
Kevin flicked the blood off his blade and looked at the Infected around him who had frozen in place.
"So, what about you? Are you just as scum?"
The Infected retreated in terror, exchanging glances with each other.
From the ruthlessness in their eyes... I can roughly guess how they hunt for food in this resource-scarce snowfield.
When wild beasts are hard to find and fortresses keep them out, it goes without saying what the "prey" is that is easier to catch than wild beasts.
"Wait! We're leaving now! Here's your food back!"
Kevin's figure faded away.
Originium Arts activated; it wasn't anything profound, just the ability to control the light around me.
Kevin didn't understand the principle, but it worked very well.
Screams rang out one after another, but were quickly swallowed by the cold wind.
Pfft! Pfft!
When Kevin reappeared, several bodies were lying on the snow, gradually growing cold.
Along the way, Kevin encountered many infected Infected.
He distributed food, gave directions, and even tried to recount the man's deeds (though he himself knew little about them).
However, Kevin's response was mostly one of vigilance, suspicion, and betrayal and killing, just like what had just happened.
The souls of these people have long been corroded by the icy plains and suffering, riddled with holes and emitting a stench more repulsive than any ore.
Such a soul is unworthy to hear the holy name of the Lord, much less worthy to set foot in that sacred forest.
Bloodshed spreads, the cold wind persists.
After a long while, Kevin raised his hand and slapped his cheek hard. The cold touch cleared his muddled thoughts slightly.
Before he died, the Infected struggled to utter another piece of information:
"There are other Infected... They're over there... hiding in the forest... Let them all... all together..."
Kevin turned and walked in the direction the dead man had pointed.
The Originium Arts were activated silently, and a "phantom" materialized in front of him.
After an unknown amount of time, the forest came into view at the edge of the horizon.
An arrow was embedded in the snow in front of the phantom, its fletching still trembling.
"Stop!" A voice, its gender indiscernible, came from the forest. "Leave food... or anything useful... you can leave."
Kevin stopped the phantom, his gaze sweeping towards the direction from which the crossbow bolts had come... No one was there; they were well hidden.
"But I have no food."
"..."
Silence fell on the other end.
Clearly, a wanderer without food is practically dead on this snowy plain, and a dead person has no value to be exploited.
After a brief hesitation--
The second crossbow bolt pierced the air, this time landing even closer to the phantom.
Don't try to fool me.
The voice rang out again, forcibly maintaining its fierce tone.
Kevin's gaze swept over the landing points of the two crossbow bolts.
Extremely precise; considering the wind speed and distance, this shooting skill is beyond the reach of ordinary people.
But... the arrow pierced the snow less deeply than expected.
Just as Kevin was analyzing, the third arrow came right away!
This time, the crossbow bolt struck the snow right in front of Phantom's toes.
"Final warning!"
However, the response to this warning was not Kevin's surrender, but a childlike exclamation!
"Ah! You... why are you here?!"
"Eno!"
The voice changed instantly, and the boy hiding in the treetop turned around abruptly.
Kevin appeared out of nowhere, his blade pressed against the neck of the boy he had dragged out of the snow.
The boy in the tree was thin and small, wrapped in ill-fitting tattered clothes, and clutching a crude crossbow in his arms.
"Such precise archery skills... and it's just a child?"
"Let go of Eno!!!"
The black-haired Pythia (snake) boy suddenly lunged forward, his crossbow bolt pointed directly at Kevin, his hands trembling violently.
"Sasha! Run! Don't worry about me!"
The white-haired boy, called Eno, turned pale with fright. Kevin lifted him up to prevent him from running into the blade.
"I told you to let him go!"
Sasha's voice trembled, yet he stubbornly refused to move the crossbow bolt.
"Is this alright?" Kevin's voice sent a chill down Sasha's spine.
"Your friend's life is in my hands. What if your crossbow misses, or my hand slips...?"
Sasha's breath hitched.
"Release Eno!" he practically roared.
"I'll give you anything you want! Anything is fine with me!"
"Oh? And what about your life?"
"No problem! I'll trade my life for Eno's!"
"Sasha! No!" Eno screamed, struggling even more fiercely.
Kevin silently watched the boy in the tree. A few seconds later, he suddenly released Eno and even gently pushed him.
"Cough...!" Eno staggered forward.
"Eno!"
Seeing this, Sasha jumped down from the tree without thinking, forgetting to aim her crossbow at Kevin, and scrambled over to hug Eno.
The two huddled together, staring at Kevin in shock.
"Eno, and Sasha, right?"
His gaze was fixed on Sasha, who had black hair.
"You're of different races, so you can't be brothers, right?"
"Why would you risk your life for him?"
Sasha pursed her lips tightly, shielding Eno behind her, and glared stubbornly at Kevin.
Kevin didn't expect an answer, and raised the crossbow bolt in his hand:
"And this too."
"A crossbow bolt without an arrowhead cannot kill."
His gaze swept over the two men's thin, worn clothes, their frail bodies, and the makeshift hiding place behind them.
"You rely on this kind of thing to rob people in this man-eating snowfield?"
The boy's face turned pale instantly. Their disguise had been easily exposed.
Do you want to survive?
The question came abruptly, and Sasha and Eno were both taken aback, exchanging a glance.
After a moment's hesitation, Sasha nodded, and Eno followed suit, nodding vigorously as well.
Kevin stopped looking at them and turned around, completely exposing his back to the boy.
He raised his hand and pointed in one direction, where the leaden-gray horizon stretched out.
"Keep walking in this direction, and you will see a dark forest."
"The climate there is much warmer than here, and there are no Infection Patrol there, or if there were, they would disappear quickly."
"The master of the forest is gentle yet powerful. If you only want to survive, he might give you a chance."
Kevin added details in a rambling manner, and Sasha and Eno's tense nerves gradually relaxed.
"Why?"
Sasha interrupted Kevin's rambling, her snake-like eyes fixed on Kevin's retreating figure:
"Why are you telling us this? Why... did you let us go?"
Kevin didn't turn around immediately. After a while, he said in an impatient tone:
"Why so many questions? A kid should act like a kid."
He took a step, seemingly intending to leave.
If I absolutely have to ask why...
Kevin's voice drifted back on the cold wind, sounding somewhat muffled.
"... Your eyes remind me of someone."
Kevin's figure disappeared into the snowstorm, eventually vanishing completely.
"Sasha ..." Eno gently tugged at her companion's sleeve.
"Is what he said true? Does such a place really exist...?"
Sasha silently put away his crossbow and picked up the arrows from the ground.
"I don't know, Eno."
Sasha's voice was low; he didn't believe Kevin.
He certainly longed for a future where he wouldn't have to worry about freezing to death, starving to death, or being caught and beaten to death by the Infection Patrol every day.
But...
He glanced at Eno beside him out of the corner of his eye.
The white-haired boy was pale, his thin body shivering slightly in the cold wind, yet he still managed to give him a reassuring smile.
Sasha closed his eyes, determined to protect Eno no matter what, even if it meant taking up arms and playing the role of a ruthless robber.
Yes, he could endure hunger, frost, and all suffering as long as he could live with Eno.
Sasha looked back at the makeshift shelter that barely provided shelter from the wind, and at the empty food supplies.
They haven't had any harvest in a long time...
A cold hand grasped Sasha's equally cold hand.
Sasha looked up and met Eno's eyes.
"Let's go together, Sasha," Eno said softly, but her tone left no room for argument.
"I want to... give it a try."
"Good."
Without exchanging any further words, the two boys began packing up their meager belongings.
Following the direction Kevin pointed, they walked into the snowstorm.
They hadn't gone far when they found frozen meat on the main road.
"Sasha..." Eno called softly.
"Um?"
"That person..." Eno's eyes welled up with tears.
"... He's a good person."
Sasha picked up the meat, carefully wrapped it up, and took Eno's hand again.
"Um."
"Kevin...?"
Looking at the two trembling little ones in front of him, Gorth lowered his head slightly.
The other refugees scrambled for food after expressing their gratitude, and the quiet demeanor of the two caught Gorth's attention.
"No one cleans my house."
Gorth turned and left, Eno was stunned, and Sasha grabbed her friend and followed.
The Lord of the Forest has a new attendant.
As for the others...
They can become Gardener.