Chapter 40: Believe Me

Kate returned to the cave and told the other two about discovering the goblin.

Mel Carlo hadn’t fallen asleep yet, but he didn’t feel much about goblins from another world.

After all, in games, these things were just easy-to-kill beginner monsters.

The only annoying thing was their attack frequency.

Once you got swarmed by these small monsters, your health bar would be emptied quickly, so you absolutely couldn’t get blocked by goblins.

What were goblins in another world like?

Were they the same as in games—club-wielders, knife-users, archers, armored types, shamans, great shamans?

Even in games, goblins had their own levels, and trolls were a mutated type of goblin, with lower intelligence but larger size.

“You two rest first. I’ll keep watch tonight.”

Kate volunteered for the task.

There wasn’t a better arrangement anyway.

If Freli were on watch, they might get dismembered by goblins in their sleep.

He fell into a deep sleep.

In his dreams, Mel Carlo seemed to return to his childhood.

His childhood wasn’t happy, so much so that it would take a lifetime to heal.

His mother’s wooden stick struck him, while his father was either in jail or on the way there.

Material poverty made him anxious.

He stood shivering in the cold wind.

“Hit, hit, hit! Might as well beat me to death!”

The words repressed in his heart couldn’t explode, nor could they be released.

He knew his own weakness all too well, so all he could do was curl up tightly, using his back to bear more wounds.

He often wondered, was he really their son?

Why did her hand fall like she was beating an animal?

Why did his father never spare him a glance?

All he could do was keep moving forward, grit his teeth, walk on, all the way to where there was light.

Sunshine would drive away the cold from his body.

The dream’s direction turned white, and gradually, as he slowly opened his eyes, it was already the second day.

The snow hadn’t stopped, pressing down heavily, but the light outside was real.

Through the clouds and accumulated snow, light still fell to the ground.

The wind and snow were fierce, and the distance couldn’t be seen.

The cave entrance was reinforced with the carriage, and a thick layer of snow had built up outside.

“Unlucky, but not too bad. With snow this thick? At least the goblins won’t be moving around.”

Kate looked at the snow outside the cave.

In just one night, it had become hard for people to travel.

“With thicker snow, goblins won’t leave their nests easily.”

Freli stretched lazily.

He hadn’t slept well last night, constantly worrying about a goblin attack.

“You two prepare breakfast. I’ll rest for a bit, Mr. Freli.”

Kate unrolled her sleeping bag and prepared to rest.

She hadn’t slept at all after walking all night yesterday.

She had also gone to cut trees later.

Being able to hold out for a night was already her limit.

Of course, they couldn’t sleep directly on the ground.

Even in a cave, the stones and mud were cold.

Lying down directly would be unbearable.

Mel Carlo peered through a gap in the cave entrance.

The road was gone from sight.

The snow was heavy, and everything had changed overnight.

According to the map, this wasn’t even a northernmost area.

There were still the far northern snowfields, places marked on the map as vast and probably very dangerous.

Compared to the heat of summer, winter was the season less suitable for human survival.

Crops couldn’t grow, and human production was minimal.

This world lacked a solid industrial foundation, making winter a struggle.

For breakfast, they had some flour boiled into mush.

Even with salt added, it was just enough to fill their stomachs.

Who invented boiling bread and flour together?

That person deserved to be hanged.

Over the next week, the wind and snow only grew heavier.

Mel Carlo stopped practicing [Steal], needing to conserve his mana and spirit.

[Power Slash] practiced 100 times a day.

[Backstep] practiced 50 times a day.

After a week, the snow still hadn’t stopped, and the food was nearly gone.

Freli had already started rationing supplies.

Mel didn’t worry about this at all.

He kept his focus on training.

[Power Slash] proficiency rose from 100 to 800.

[Backstep] proficiency rose from 3451 to 3801.

Effort Points: 33941 to 34991.

There was a large reserve of Effort Points.

If all used for draws, a lot of supplies could be obtained.

There were still supplies in the system space:

50 bags of potato chips, 50 bottles of cola, 40 packs of instant noodles, 50 bottles of mineral water.

“If this keeps up, we’re in trouble. The food will run out soon.”

Kate brought up the issue.

When people get hungry, they might fight over food.

“I’ll go out hunting!”

The snow outside hadn’t stopped, and the path below the cave was completely buried.

This meant anyone going forward would have to wade through the snow.

The risk was huge, and encountering wild beasts could mean death.

Visibility was low in this weather.

Even if the snow paused, as long as the sky didn’t clear, another storm could come at any moment.

“Don’t go.”

Mel Carlo called out to Kate.

“But we don’t have much food left. What else can we do? And hunting isn’t easy.”

“Trust me. Just wait patiently.”

Mel Carlo didn’t reveal his secret, but his tone was firm.

That was as much as he could say.

If Kate insisted on going out, he wouldn’t feel any pity no matter what happened.

Either trust me, or bear the risk.

“All right. Judging by your expression, you’re not joking. But I’m curious—can you conjure food out of thin air?”

Looking at the sky outside, it was impossible to tell if it was morning or evening.

It was always so dark.

Mel Carlo naturally didn’t want his secret exposed so soon.

But sometimes, there was no choice.

If both Kate and Freli collapsed, he might not make it to Oak City alone.

Better to wait.

If the food ran out, then he would have no choice but to reveal his hidden secret.

By noon, the sky finally seemed to clear.

The clouds scattered, sunlight shone on the ground, and the snow began to melt.

The group didn’t rush to depart.

They needed to wait until more snow melted and the road was clear.

Kate looked at Mel in surprise.

“You knew the snow would stop?”

Mel didn’t know, but still nodded.

At least his secret didn’t need to be revealed.

Claire looked over with admiration.

“Let’s wait. When the snow on the road melts, we’ll set off.”

“It might not be until tomorrow.”

Mel Carlo gave a rough estimate.

No one came to clear the roads here, so they had to wait for the snow to melt naturally.

If the temperature kept rising, it would.

But if it dropped again at night, another heavy snow might fall.

What else could they do?

Humans could hardly fight against nature.

So they waited.