Chapter 165: The Reunion in the Blizzard
An effect that stored the cold that would normally radiate outward inside his body instead, completely blocking Cold Emission for as long as the ability was active.
The Special Ability [Cold Accumulation] was the closest thing possible to the ideal power he had been hoping for.
’The time limit is a bit of a shame, but this is more than enough.’
It meant that for at least half of every day, he could safely stay by Jenna’s side.
For the remaining hours, he could ask Elsa to use [Cold Absorption], and that would take care of it one way or another.
Walfred smiled in satisfaction.
’If there’s one other minor issue...’
It was that with the skill level increase.
The range of [Cold Emission] had expanded far beyond what it used to be. Compared to its range at Level 4, it was nearly ten times wider.
If he hadn’t obtained [Cold Accumulation], then far from staying at Jenna’s side, he would have had to watch over her from a distance through binoculars.
’...Thank god it didn’t come to that.’
With a deep sigh of relief, Walfred activated the special effect of [Cold Emission].
[Passive: Cold Emission]
[Switching to Cold Accumulation state.]
And in that instant.
The pale white cold that had been periodically radiating from him no longer leaked out.
In its place came a strange change.
How to describe it?
A feeling of his entire body cooling from within.
But it wasn’t an unpleasant chill or a bone-deep cold. It was closer to a cool, refreshing sensation circulating through his body.
’So this is what accumulating cold feels like?’
Given that the sensation recurred at regular intervals, that seemed to be the answer. In any case, the worry that had plagued him for so long was finally resolved.
Walfred felt relieved all over again.
’Next up...’
The passive that had been overshadowed by [Cold Emission], nearly forgotten.
It was time to check what [Cold Awakening], the Special Ability of [Cold Resistance], actually did.
-----
[Passive: Cold Resistance (Lv.5)]
[Grants resistance to cold, slowing effects, and freezing.]
▷Cold-related resistance: +50% (100%)
[Special Ability: Cold Awakening]
[When struck by a frost-attribute attack, physical abilities and recovery are temporarily boosted by a small amount. Each boost scales with the number of hits taken.]
▷Physical ability boost: +0.25% (0.5%)
▷Recovery amplification: +0.75% (1.5%)
▶Duration: 1 hour (2 hours)
-----
The effect of [Cold Awakening] was straightforward.
A buff skill that strengthened his physical abilities and recovery the more he was struck by frost-attribute attacks.
’The boost per hit is a little low, but...’
Better than nothing at all.
Walfred shrugged.
But at that very moment, a notification he never expected appeared before his eyes.
-----
[Cold Awakening activating.]
[Frost-attribute hit confirmed]
[Physical abilities and recovery are being boosted.]
+[0.5%] / [+1.5%]
+[0.5%] / [+1.5%]
+[0.5%]...
-----
Along with the activation notice for [Cold Awakening].
Notifications announcing that his physical abilities and recovery had been boosted began to appear nonstop, at short one-second intervals.
The sight left Walfred bewildered.
"Wh-what the?"
Struck by a frost-attribute attack? Right now?
He wasn’t in a fight, and there wasn’t anything around that could even be called an enemy in the first place.
As he sat there looking baffled.
Something suddenly flashed through his mind.
"Wait, don’t tell me...!"
The blizzard raging violently around him.
Could the freezing snow and shards of ice battering his cheeks and face right now be counting as frost-attribute hits?
Struck by the thought, Walfred pulled the hood of his cold-weather gear down low and covered his face completely.
The moment every inch of his skin was fully shielded, the hit confirmation notifications stopped appearing, as if on cue.
His guess had hit the mark.
"...Huh."
Walfred let out a dry laugh.
To think that not just frost-attribute monsters or frost-attribute attack skills, but even environmental factors like this would count as being hit.
In other words, if he fought outside in a blizzard, he would receive the buff every single second. Stacking continuously for a full hour, no less.
’That’s absolutely insane.’
He’d just been thinking it was merely better than nothing, and it turned out to have an effect this ridiculous.
Walfred clicked his tongue in disbelief.
The Special Abilities of his two passive skills, released after such a long wait, were deeply satisfying. With that, Walfred checked his status window one last time.
"Status."
-----
[Name]: Walfred
[Level]: 136
[Attribute]: Frost
[Mana]: 18,600
[Cold]: 1.65%
[Rank]: B
[Experience]: 66.13%
-----
His current level was 136.
Compared to when he had first arrived in Key West, he had climbed a full 14 levels.
Five of those levels had come from experience gained by exterminating the Kraken that appeared at Smathers Beach, and the rest had come from dealing with the hunters.
"..."
To think the experience from killing hunters had outstripped the experience from exterminating monsters.
Walfred smiled bitterly at himself.
Just then.
He spotted an entry he’d never seen before.
’Cold.’
An entry that hadn’t existed until now.
It most likely represented the total amount of cold accumulating in his body through [Cold Accumulation].
As he finished looking over his status window.
[Papa.]
Elsa spoke to him through telepathy.
As if a question had suddenly occurred to her.
[The girl we dropped off at that cave earlier, is she the big sister you told me about before?]
Walfred had once explained Jenna’s existence to Elsa. His one and only niece, someone who would be like a big sister to Elsa.
Walfred confirmed it right away.
[That’s right. Her name is Jenna.]
[Jenna. Jenna...]
The moment she heard Jenna’s name.
Elsa murmured it over and over, as if committing it to memory. Then she said in a clear, bright voice.
[I hope big sis wakes up soon!]
[...Me too.]
Walfred felt exactly the same.
Please, let Jenna open her eyes safe and sound. Walfred clasped his hands together tightly and prayed with all his heart.
And a short while later.
[We’re here!]
With that spirited announcement.
Elsa touched down lightly on a snowfield near the Coral Cave Shelter. When Walfred climbed down from her back, Elsa’s body was instantly wrapped in a swirl of light.
Flash!
A moment later, Elsa had returned to the form of a young child. Together with her, Walfred walked toward the cave entrance leading into the Coral Cave Shelter.
And then.
’Huh?’
Something suddenly caught his eye.
A figure standing by the shelter entrance, waving furiously in his direction. But with the fierce blizzard, it was hard to make out who it was.
’Who is that? Alice?’
Just as he was wondering.
The figure that had been waving at Walfred abruptly broke into a run toward him.
And before long.
Cutting through the wildly churning blizzard, a voice he never expected tapped at his ears.
"Uncle Walfred!"
The moment he heard it.
Walfred’s eyes flew wide open.
"...!?"
He couldn’t help it.
There was only one person in this entire world who called him uncle. Soon, a familiar face emerged through the hazy white.
A girl gasping for breath.
Running across the snowfield with tears brimming in her eyes was none other than Walfred’s niece, Jenna.
"J-Jenna...!"
The instant he realized who it was.
Walfred kicked off the snow and sprinted toward her. Jenna didn’t stop running either.
The distance between them shrank and shrank.
And the moment they finally reached each other, Jenna burst into the tears she’d been holding back and threw herself into his arms.
"Waaaah, Uncle Walfred!"
The instant she was wrapped in his broad embrace.
Jenna poured out all the tears she had been fighting back for so long, crying like a little child.
It was the same for Walfred.
He wrapped his arms around her shoulders with the utmost care, terrified he might hurt her, and let out a breath of relief.
"Hngh! Thank goodness. Really, truly..."
"Mm, mm-hm! I’m so glad you’re safe too, Uncle."
A reunion seven long months in the making.
The two of them held each other close and wept for a long, long while. Together with the warmest warmth either of them had felt since the world froze over.