The next morning.
Having barely slept through the night, I returned to my hamster form and settled into Kyle’s palm. At the same time, I let out a long yawn, stretching my tiny mouth wide open. Kyle gently stroked my forehead and whispered,
“Hold on tight, Shu. I’ll make sure you don’t fall, but things might not go as planned.”
Right. It never hurts to be prepared.
I nodded and wrapped both my arms around his index finger.
Only after confirming that I was clinging tightly did Kyle suppress his presence and begin descending the stairs. Step by step. His movements were cautious, deliberate.
[(ﾟДﾟ；≡；ﾟдﾟ)]
Why are you more on edge than I am?
I waved a paw to shoo away the fidgety system notifications and fixed my gaze straight ahead.
The tower was structured in such a way that its depth extended far more than its width. As we descended the seemingly endless stairs, we eventually reached a midway landing where an entrance led outside. However, Kyle ignored it, continuing down the opposite direction until we found another staircase leading underground.
“Shu.”
Kyle lowered his voice, calling for me just as we reached the entrance to the underground passage.
— Squeak. (What?)
“I have a bad feeling about this. No matter what happens, don’t let go of me.”
— Squeak, squeak squeak. (Got it, got it. Stop worrying.)
“And don’t even think about pushing me ahead on my own if things go south.”
— ……
Sharp as ever.
“Answer me.”
— Squeak! (Yeees.)
Only after I replied did Kyle nod in satisfaction and slowly step downward.
The walls and stairs leading underground were noticeably different from the ones above. While the upper levels had been neatly constructed from cut stone, the underground levels had the rough, haphazard look of a recently dug-out mine.
A complete mess.
I wasn’t sure whether the space had been abandoned or deliberately left untouched, but regardless, the dim glow of flickering lamps cast hazy light through the floating dust in the air. The dust irritated my nose so much that I had to rub my face several times to suppress the urge to sneeze.
I wasn’t sure how far we had descended when—
“…It’s getting darker.”
Kyle murmured, voice low.
Half-lidded eyes, I nodded in agreement.
Despite the oil lamps mounted at regular intervals along the walls, the passage remained murky. But more than that—at a certain depth, shadowy attendants began drifting through the corridor like wandering ghosts.
At least they’re not hostile.
Still, one thing bothered me.
Every single one of them was staring at me.
Even as they walked without focus, whenever Kyle passed by, they would freeze and turn their hollow gazes toward me.
It felt disturbingly like a scene out of a horror movie. Unnerved, I clung even tighter to Kyle’s finger.
Step, step.
Kyle’s steady footsteps echoed in the eerily silent corridor. The quiet was suffocating—like the stillness before a storm.
I swallowed dryly and glanced at one of the attendants, whose unwavering stare burned into me. Just as our eyes met—empty, soulless eyes—a cold shiver shot up from the top of my head down my spine.
— Squeak! (Kyle!)
The attendants lunged at us without warning.
Their sharp, claw-like nails extended—not like human hands, but like puppets on strings, controlled by something unseen.
Kyle swiftly tucked me into his pocket and unsheathed his sword. The grating clash of metal against metal rang out, sending chills through the air. But Kyle’s blade, wrapped in a razor-sharp aura, effortlessly sliced through their hardened claws in a single strike.
Of course, with the surrounding darkness and me tucked inside his pocket, I could only rely on sound to grasp the situation.
Even so, not once did I get the feeling that Kyle was being pushed back.
For one, I wasn’t feeling nauseous.
Which meant he wasn’t moving around wildly—an indication that the battle wasn’t particularly difficult.
The fight was over in no time.
After a few more slashes of his blade cutting through the air, Kyle slipped something into the pocket where I was. A mana stone, freshly wiped clean of blood.
As I absorbed the murky-colored stone, my luck stat shot up. The haul was decent, likely because the amount of mana stones he had collected was substantial.
I climbed back into Kyle’s palm and glanced at the glowing system window before me.
[Information about the Tower of Frost has been updated!]
[Deviation Interference Rate is increasing.]
[Current Deviation Interference Rate: 61%]
[Current Deviation Interference Rate: 65%]
[Current Deviation Interference Rate: 71%]
At this rate, I might not even need to drink that nasty magic potion.
The deeper we descended into the tower’s underground, the faster the interference rate skyrocketed. It felt just like unlocking a new region map in an RPG.
Not that there was any excitement in this process.
“We’re here, Shu.”
Kyle’s whisper was just loud enough for me to hear.
Sure enough, as he said, a massive, suspicious-looking door loomed before us. Just from a glance, I could tell that we had reached the lowest level of the underground.
I patted his finger reassuringly.
A faint chuckle escaped him.
“Let’s go.”
Creaaak.
The rusted hinges of the old door groaned as it slowly swung open. I instinctively frowned, keeping my gaze locked straight ahead.
The door was massive and heavy, and beyond it lay nothing but pitch-black darkness. The only illumination came from the flickering light spilling in from the hallway behind us.
And then, the moment the door had opened just wide enough for a single person to pass through—
—…
I unconsciously ground my teeth.
Because the very first thing Kyle and I saw as we stepped inside was—
“Hello.”
Nox.
His greeting was casual, his voice smooth and composed. At the exact moment the door shut behind us, he flicked his thumb and index finger together.
Snap.
With that crisp sound, the oil lamps inside the chamber flared to life, one by one.
And as the room was finally illuminated—
What lay before us was an absolute spectacle.
The basement air was thick and eerie, its atmosphere suffused with a cold, unsettling chill. Books, experimental tools, and herbs were scattered everywhere, haphazardly strewn across the floor like the aftermath of a storm.
Yet despite the utter chaos, the very center of the room—the area surrounding the coffin—remained immaculately clean. As if it refused to allow even a single speck of disorder to approach.
“I always knew this day would come.”
Kyle didn’t bother responding. Instead, he raised his sword and pointed it straight ahead.
His blade exuded an unmistakable hostility.
Feeling the tension tightening around us, I kept my system window open, carefully timing my next move.
[Current Deviation Interference Rate: 81%]
[Current Inventory | ♣×350]
[Current Miracle Gauge | 95%]
Was it because we had arrived at the place that held the tower’s greatest secret?
The interference rate had shot up to nearly 80%.
I hadn’t used Reload yet, so I couldn’t say for sure, but my condition didn’t feel too bad.
That coffin—at its very center—must be where the Heart of Winter lay.
“If you take another step forward, I won’t hold back.”
Nox’s voice dripped with icy finality.
Kyle gave a slight nod.
“Come at me.”
The moment he spoke, pale, ghostly daggers formed in the air around Nox. They hovered protectively around him for a fleeting second—then shot toward Kyle from multiple angles at once.
Kyle had been waiting for this.
He swung his sword in a wide arc, deflecting three of the daggers. Then, tilting the blade horizontally, he blocked another before swiftly shifting its angle to intercept the last one.
Clang!
Kyle’s right hand shot up and firmly caught the dagger that had been aimed at me as I clung to his shoulder.
If he had been even a second slower… I didn’t even want to imagine what could have happened.
“Shu. Get in my pocket.”
I pretended to be startled and quickly slipped inside.
Then, I summoned the Nut Shop.
[Emergency Escape Pumpkin Seed Stick | Consumes 8% Miracle Gauge | Instantly teleports you within a 10-meter radius.]
The price was still ridiculous, but this wasn’t the time to be stingy with my miracle gauge.
I swiftly grabbed the summoned pumpkin seed stick, popped it into my mouth, and started crunching down on it.
Crunch. Crack. Crunch.
Nox didn’t wait. Before I could even finish, he flung another dagger. Kyle had to move abruptly, and in the rush, I choked on my snack, coughing violently.
Even dogs get left alone when they’re eating!
This was straight-up dirty!
My fierce coughing fit momentarily drew both their gazes toward Kyle’s pocket.
Now!
[Replica Hamster for Comforting Loneliness (Duration: 30 minutes) | ❤×100]
I quickly swapped myself with a replica hamster and teleported toward the coffin.
Kyle, already briefed on this strategy, didn’t panic. Instead, he adjusted his stance, focusing his defense on the left side.
Nox stood up, now gripping a thin sword that glowed an eerie blue. Clearly, he wasn’t pleased with Kyle steadily pushing forward toward the coffin despite the barrage of daggers.
If he turns aggressive, he’s bound to counterattack just to put more distance between Kyle and the coffin.
That was my chance. While Nox was distracted by Kyle, I had to climb that coffin.
One shot.
Everything had to be over before he even thought to look this way.
[Frantic Almond Financier | Consumes 3% Miracle Gauge | Increases running speed.]
Empty the gauge. Dump it all.
I shoved the entire financier into my mouth, chewed as fast as I could, and swallowed.
And the very moment their swords clashed head-on—I sprinted toward the coffin.
For a tiny hamster, the coffin was absurdly tall and smooth as hell.
I scrambled up as fast as I could, but I kept slipping, falling flat on my back more times than I could count.
Damn it, this hurts like hell!
Clang! Crack! Clang! Boom! CRASH!
The basement echoed with the violent symphony of their battle. Nox, having abandoned his usual composure, was lunging at Kyle with ferocity, and Kyle was visibly struggling to keep up.
I had to hurry—for Kyle’s sake.
Gritting my teeth, I stretched out all four limbs and latched onto the coffin.
After what felt like a lifetime of desperate climbing, I finally hauled myself onto the lid.
And then—I saw it.
A cold, brilliant glow.
The Heart of Winter.
