In the early dawn when indigo darkness had fallen. A snow-covered mountain where fierce snowflakes were flying to the point of obscuring vision. Amidst the extreme environment where sharp snow crystals scratched the skin, a black dot crossed the pure white snowfield, leaving a red trail.
Footprints deeply embedded at regular intervals marked the fairly steep middle of the mountain. However, they didn't extend more than a few meters. This was because the blizzard that had swept through in the meantime instantly erased the traces. The figure, who had just looked back, discovered that the marks he had left were gone and frowned.
Looking ahead again and sighing, he twisted his lips.
"Shit... how far have I gone?"
His cracked voice clearly showed signs of fatigue. Rough breathing was also mixed in.
Just then, as a gust of wind penetrated between his collar, the man who shivered wrapped his clothes tightly. Though he frowned as if in pain, he hunched his upper body and continued climbing the treacherous mountain path. Wherever he passed, the accumulated snow became soaked with red liquid, blooming profusely like red roses.
It was a beautiful sight, but the scent of blood wafted through the fluttering wind. Just as a similar smell brushed past his reddened nose, the man's steps finally stopped.
Leonardo, who stood stock-still in place, raised his head and looked around. Unlike a moment ago when he had been grumbling, his expression was extremely cold. Golden eyes resembling those of a beast flashed beneath eyelashes clumped with snow.
After checking for signs for a moment, he concentrated seething mana in his right hand covered with a mitten.
Grrrrrr―
At that moment, a gloomy monster's howl was heard nearby, as if the already low temperature had dropped further.
The corner of Leonardo's mouth rose with a grin.
"Am I the first one to chase you this far?"
Just as he muttered into the air, a heavy vibration spread beneath his feet.
A fault line formed in the wet snow accumulated from the heights, and the ground he stood on began to shake unstably like a precursor to an earthquake.
Flying snowflakes obscured his vision, and small snowballs that had been sliding down the mountainside gradually gained momentum. Soon transformed into threatening avalanches, they instantly covered the terrain before his eyes. A massive amount of snow and ice swept away the sparsely placed rocks mercilessly at a terrifying speed.
Amidst the snow scene overshadowed by an overwhelming wave, a monster howling at a low frequency jumped out from the snow.
As the massive shadow lunged at him, Leonardo also leaped powerfully into the air.
Looking down from above, the monster had white scales, an elongated neck and tail, and wings three times the size of its body. Hook-like claws, jaw joints that could open up to 145 degrees, protrusions rising from its spine, and a crystal rising like an icicle in the center of its head. It was a creature equipped with many dangerous elements.
Though it wasn't easy to spot due to its white scales providing camouflage, the bloodstains covering various parts made it somewhat easier to locate. Leonardo increased the volume of the undulating fireball while tracking the target's movements with his eyes. The opponent was a dragon, notorious for its ferocity and the disaster that had turned the Jahanic Mountains into ruins. However, in front of him now, it was merely a fat lizard that knew a few tricks.
The mitten with a scorched surface threw a fireball blazing like the sun toward the creature. The breath of ice and snow that had been concentrating in the dragon's wide-open mouth collided with the fireball, causing a massive explosion.
BOOOOOM―!
The dragon's scream-like roar echoed across the middle of the mountain. It immediately hid in the darkness and blizzard, but even that was only for a moment. Leonardo, holding crackling sparks in his hand, moved to the top of its head in one breath.
With flashing eyes like lightning, he murmured in a low voice:
"Let's end this."
The dragon, spreading its wings and puffing up its body, also extended its neck and howled fiercely. As it swung its tail, sharp scales became deadly weapons flying toward Leonardo. But black sparks protected their master, deflecting everything that blocked the path.
Leonardo struck the sparks down with all his might toward the dragon's neck.
Thick blood burst out and flowed down the snow-covered mountain like a waterfall. It was a matter of moments before the massive body rolled on the ground, forming a dark red valley of blood beneath it.
* * *
In the northwestern part of Raina Logia, Riverside Town developed along the Demsi River in Westforce. Located in the north close to the central region, it belongs to a temperate climate with strong sunshine, maintaining mild weather even in winter.
It was suitable for growing crops and was one of the small towns that had achieved rapid growth through exchanges with other regions. During past wartime, movement via waterways developed for material procurement, and furthermore, countless railway tracks were laid in the area.
Though it hadn't directly suffered from war or air raids, residents had always lived in anxiety due to its geographical proximity. Perhaps because of this, tall buildings were hard to find, and a city with traditional and unique charm, as if it had retreated about half a century, had formed.
The railway tracks, which had been like remnants of war, are now developing as a major means of transportation connecting the central-west and northwest regions, as well as a regional characteristic. Centered around the magnificent train station in the shape of a large semicircle, narrow waterways and old shops line every alley when going out about 1km.
Among them, the shopping street located at 41 Aldenon Street was a tranquil and historic street, with rumors that the same sign had been hanging for 300 years.
However, contrary to the rumors, the street was adorned with cute accessories and colorful banners in anticipation of the upcoming new year. The splendor of the festive atmosphere on the street uplifted even the mood of passing citizens.
The general store selling chocolates and candies was crowded with people looking to buy year-end gifts. The laughter of children who received gifts was endless, and the affection of lovers promising the future warmly colored the street.
But there were also places with an atmosphere contrary to such vibrancy. The expression of the owner of the magic supply shop across the diagonal, where only flies were buzzing, was exactly like that.
He clicked his tongue, tsk tsk, as he looked at the crowd gathered at the general store through the glass window.
"At the end of the year, they should be buying spells for well-being, but they're spending money on such useless things..."
The impression of the man with grizzled, bushy beard and drooping eyelids was both stubborn and peculiar. The magic amulets hanging from his neck and fingers, as well as the grotesque items filling the store, contributed to his eccentricity.
Among them were many items with unclear boundaries with sorcery, such as curse daggers in the form of accessories and magic circles drawn with unidentifiable blood. Tails and eyeballs of small reptiles in bottles, dried grass that couldn't be distinguished between poisonous plants or medicinal herbs. Dusty thick books, ancient spell books, and potions with primary colors.
The densely displayed supplies from the tabletop to the walls and ceiling had considerable expertise and diversity to be seen as more than just a simple neighborhood hole-in-the-wall store.
But what good was that when there were no customers? The elderly owner just puffed smoke with a pipe in his mouth.
Just when a welcome sound was heard, it was around the time the ashtray was piled high with burnt tobacco leaves.
Ding-a-ling―
Wasn't a young man with obviously good breeding entering without hesitation?
Since it was rare for people to actually enter the store even if they loitered outside, the owner was startled and stuffed his pipe into a cup filled with distilled liquor.
"W-Welcome!"
The owner, who had risen from his seat, waved his hand to push the smoke behind him. Soon, he smiled broadly at the customer he was seeing after two days while rubbing his palms together.
However, the customer's first question wasn't very welcome.
"Do you also buy items here?"
The owner's raised corners of the mouth drooped along with his cheeks.
"Buy? ...I do, but I only buy things that aren't in our store."
The owner replied indifferently and sat back down with a thud. Since the first customer of the day asked about selling first, he sighed involuntarily, thinking that business was lost for today as well.
"If you're thinking of selling antiques lying around your house, look elsewhere."
But the young man, who was expected to leave right away, walked briskly to the front of the counter. After looking around unnecessarily, he lowered his voice and asked again:
"It doesn't seem to be here, but do you also buy dangerous items?"
The man was wearing a military-style cap pulled down low and a face mask covering everything below his eyes. The hair escaping from under the cap was light brown, but the eyes revealed above the mask were vivid gold. His eyelashes were long and his eyes were captivating, making him quite a beauty just by looking at his eyes, to the extent that the low voice heard seemed discordant.
"Dan...gerous items?"
"Yes."
The owner deliberately asked again while glancing over the golden-eyed man. Though his appearance was quite suspicious, in Riverside Town where the sun was strong, skin diseases were common, so occasionally people could be seen wrapped in thin clothes as a preventive measure.
He thought this person might be one of those, but the accent he heard didn't sound like a local.
"...Well, how dangerous is it? I'm exceptionally good at handling cursed items. There's nothing I haven't touched. I'll buy it if it's reasonably rare, so take it out."
The golden eyes curved gently at the owner's answer. Soon, as if he had been waiting, he twisted a ruby ring and took out a large white sack from his artifact.
"But that's unlikely. Most things that can be obtained around here are already in our store..."
It was an enormous size that filled the entire fairly spacious counter.
"W-What is this?"
"It's not cursed... it was called something similar, but it's not a curse. Anyway, you promised to buy it if it's just rare, right?"
"Promise? I need to see it first to judge―. By the way, why is there blood on the sack...?"
The owner, whose eyes had widened at the overwhelming presence, looked down at the sack with a wary gaze. Just then, the rope tightening the entrance untied itself and fell to the floor. At the same time, the evil energy that had been blocked gushed out of the sack.
Cursed items responded to it, rattling on their own like a poltergeist phenomenon. It wasn't just one or two. An unusual current spread in all directions as if shaking the entire store.
The store owner, who had instinctively stepped back, sat down heavily on a wooden chair. Goosebumps rose on his forearms, and it felt like eerie cries were heard in his ears.
What revealed itself from inside the sack was the heart of something still writhing with wet blood and flesh chunks stuck to it.