Player Who Became A Constellation [EN]: Chapter 159

159

Sharin recalled what had happened a while ago.

‘There’s no point in staying in a country that sold me off.’

“Jeez!”

She wanted to kick herself for saying that.

Puff-! Puff-!

The snow came up to her knees.

Her shoulders were covered in white frost.

She carried a combat backpack bigger than her own body on her back.

Even that was heavy, but it felt even heavier because of the steel helmet and plate armor covering her body.

She looked at the line in front of her.

‘…What…is this…training!’

Cadets were marching with military backpacks.

They had been doing that for hours without a break.

Only a very short amount of time was given for meals or physiological needs, and if they fell out of the marching line, they had to catch up immediately.

Wasn’t this just torture?

The cold of the north was bitter.

She had long lost feeling in her toes and fingers.

And that wasn’t all.

Some cadets even collapsed from cramps, probably due to overexertion.

Yet, the training was not stopped.

Only those dropouts were ‘eliminated.’

They would receive potion treatment and receive training as part of the regular soldiers.

The cadets’ faces turned even paler at the departure of their comrades.

“Everyone, cheer up! Fighting!”

“……”

The one smiling brightly and cheering was Cancun, the goddess of Asgard.

She was the supervisor of this training.

At first, it was cheering that gave strength, but now it felt more like mockery, draining their energy.

“This is bullshit…! How are we supposed to cheer up!!!”

Someone screamed, yelling.

Sharin turned around and saw someone struggling to move their feet, even though they were far behind.

Sharin knew him well; he was a priest.

…When did he praise her so much, saying it was a pilgrimage, that a saint had appeared? Now he was cursing at the saint.

Did he throw away his faith?

Even that devout faith seemed to utter curses in this endless ordeal.

‘…They say it will make us stronger, so I’ll do it….’

It was truly an unbearable ordeal.

Ordeal.

Yes, that word suited it perfectly.

Sharin recalled what Cancun had said before this training.

‘Cadets, don’t you want to have [Artifacts]?’

[Artifacts], known as the blessings of the Constellations [powerful, god-like beings].

The power of otherworldliness, different from the magic that creates miracles in this land.

‘If you belong to the warrior squad currently being formed, you will have [Artifacts]. We will also provide magical weapons.’

This was an irresistible temptation for those who wanted power.

Some were skeptical, but there were already quite a few who believed that the ruler of the North was not a human but a Constellation.

They didn’t know if they could really gain otherworldly powers through the authority of God, but most of them were desperately trying to endure this ordeal.

In particular, Sharin couldn’t give up even more.

She had witnessed the power of Loki and Koodan firsthand.

Even if she couldn’t reach their toes, wouldn’t she be able to have as much power as the dirt on their toenails!?

“Good!”

At that time, Cancun shouted.

“Stop marching! We will rest here in the Nornland Forest!”

At those words, one by one, they put down their military backpacks.

The cadets sighed in relief and sat down on the floor.

“M, my arms and legs… won’t move.”

“I can’t feel anything.”

“There are herbs in your backpacks. Use them. You should be able to do simple first aid!”

At Cancun’s shout, the cadets opened their backpacks.

Sharin tried to do the same, but she couldn’t feel her arms and legs.

“Uh… just a moment….”

She tried to open her backpack somehow, but her fingers wouldn’t move.

She began to get anxious.

If she didn’t treat it in time now, she would be eliminated from this training.

Then, overcoming this dog-like hardship would be in vain.

Tears welled up in her eyes.

Unmoving fingers.

She struggled to open her backpack with her stiff, frozen hands.

Then, someone approached her.

“……?”

He opened her backpack and took out herbs and bandages.

He applied herbs to her fingers and toes.

Sharin, who had been sensitively reacting to and rejecting the touch of others, felt grateful for his help.

“Th, thank you.”

“It’s nothing.”

Looking at the color of his hair and eyes, he was a Nord [a person from the North].

He got up and took care of other cadets as well.

‘…Does that person seem okay?’

Even among the Nords, who were familiar with this climate, there were quite a few dropouts.

‘He’s not ordinary.’

He seemed to be quite skilled.

The cadets did not refuse the Nord’s touch.

Even those who had shown discriminatory views towards the Nords expressed their gratitude to him.

The cadets took out only herbs from their military backpacks and wrapped them around their fingers and toes.

“Oh, oh! What is this, these fledglings…?”

The cadets stopped.

There were people coming down the steep cliff in the forest using ropes.

They were Nord warriors wearing jet-black armor and beast helmets.

“I heard that a new warrior squad was being formed…. Are you training here?”

“Everyone, cheer up! The goddess’s training is tough even for us to endure… You’re going to have a hard time.”

The Berserker warriors [fierce Norse warriors] passed by the marching cadets, encouraging them.

“Ah, and be careful. This is our playground, but it will be the opposite for you.”

“……?”

The cadets tilted their heads, wondering.

The burly Berserker warriors were carrying something on their backs.

Blood was pooling in the sacks they were carrying.

Sharin realized that they had hunted something.

Uh… wait, they hunted something?

Sharin turned her head.

She felt a presence in the forest.

Red eyes gleamed in the darkness.

Kuaooooooo!

And what popped out were muscular monsters with white skin.

They were Snow Orcs.

***

The monsters of the North had particularly white skin, which was skin that had evolved to blend in with the surroundings.

Moreover, it was tough and thick, so it couldn’t be cut well even with a normal sword, and the environment where it was difficult to find prey always left them hungry.

Because of this, Snow Orcs were among the most ferocious.

There was no way they would just leave defenseless humans who had flowed into the mountainous area alone.

“Kuaooooooo!”

“Humans!”

The Snow Orcs roared.

They attacked the resting cadets with stone axes made of stones, tree trunks, and branches.

“Ugh, ugh!”

Their arms and legs were not moving properly due to the extreme march.

Facing them in this physical condition, the cadets’ reason was paralyzed by the fear that washed over them.

“H, help me!”

The cadets shouted towards Cancun.

She and the Nord warriors were standing behind her, but they were only watching from the hill and waving their hands, taking no action.

Rather, Cancun smiled and said.

“Everyone, cheer up! Or give up and come to us. Then we will send you to the academy comfortably. However, you will not have artifacts!”

“……!”

“Whether you will be rewarded for your hard work, or whether you will make your efforts so far futile.”

Cancun smiled brightly.

Anyone who saw it would think it was a truly beautiful smile, but to the cadets, it looked like a truly cold smile.

“The decision is yours.”

Cancun said that, but muttered to herself.

“Step in and help if it seems dangerous.”

“I understand.”

The Nord warriors reached for the longbows and arrows on their backs.

If they were on the verge of death, they could be healed with potions, but if they died, they could not be healed even with potions.

They were preparing just in case.

Cancun was also paying attention and preparing her bow and arrows.

“Huh?”

A strange man was seen among the cadets.

He was a Nord.

However, Cancun had never seen him before.

He didn’t seem to have any particular peculiarities, but Cancun couldn’t shake off a strange feeling.

She looked at the Nord and could tell instinctively.

“Lord Loki?”

That he was among the cadets.

***

It was difficult to deal with even ordinary orcs, but these were Snow Orcs.

Since they were larger than ordinary orcs, the cadets had no choice but to be afraid.

“G, give up?”

“…No way!”

Those who lacked patience while marching had long since dropped out.

Those who remained here were only Nords, or those who were outstanding in skill even from noble families, or those who were commoners but had outstanding talent.

From stones to sharp branches.

They each took something that could be used as a weapon and began to confront the orcs.

Not only that, but there were also those who faced the orcs with their bare hands.

“Kuaoooooo!”

One orc ran up and swung a stone ax.

A woman ran towards such an orc.

She dodged the stone ax. As if sliding on the snowfield, she passed between the orc’s legs and quickly grabbed the orc’s back.

She wrapped her slender hands around the orc’s neck and used mana [magical energy].

As strength was applied to her arms, she strangled and squeezed the orc’s neck.

“Kuaoooooo!”

The orc writhed in pain, but she wrapped her legs around the orc’s body.

The orc hit its back against a tree.

“Kuh! I won’t let go!”

The woman, Sharin, bit her lower lip.

Her lips burst and blood flowed out.

She glared at the back of the orc’s head with bloodshot eyes and put more strength into her arms.

Soon, the orc’s eyes rolled over, and its large body fell forward.

Thud-!

The orc collapsed.

The cadets also looked at her in surprise.

“Everyone, gather around!”

When Sharin shouted, the cadets quickly regained their senses and gathered together.

They formed a line, back to back.

“There, priest. Treat the injured!”

“…Who are you ordering around!”

The priest clicked his tongue at Sharin’s words, but still treated the injured.

Loki, who had transformed into a Nord and was treating the cadets while watching the scene, smiled with satisfaction.

‘Unlike Karma, she has a lot of guts.’

Loki had been watching her since the Kratian territory.

If she was refined well, she would become quite a useful gem.

“Kuaoooooo!”

Three orcs ran towards Loki.

When Loki waved his hand, the orc’s head flew off.

***

“I, I’m alive!”

The evening glow was setting.

The orcs eventually gave up hunting due to the cadets’ persistent resistance.

As the orcs retreated and disappeared, the cadets sat down on the floor.

Towards such cadets, Cancun and the Nord warriors approached.

Clap clap-!

“Excellent!”

Cancun did not spare genuine praise.

However, such sincerity was not conveyed to the cadets.

The cadets looked at Cancun with anxious eyes.

“But the training is not over yet.”

She pointed to the sky.

As the evening glow disappeared, extreme cold covered the cadets.

The body that had been warmed up by moving to resist the orcs was now freezing cold, and the skin was tingling.

“Do you know what is the scariest thing in the North?”

The cadets began to tremble one by one.

Frosty breath flowed out as they breathed.

“It’s the cold.”

Cough! Cough!

A coughing sound flowed out.

“C, cold….”

“There is food and a piece of fur in your luggage. Use it well.”

Cancun gasped for breath.

“From now on, form a party of three and act as a team. See everyone other than your team as competitors, as enemies.”

“……”

At those words, some cadets narrowed their eyes.

“Light a fire with firewood and spend this night. You must replenish any 부족한 물자 [deficient supplies] on your own. We will not interfere. If you want to give up….”

Cancun pointed to her side.

There, warm furs and blankets were piled up.

There was also soup boiling.

The cadets looked at the supplies as if they were looking at a treasure chest.

“Come here. Then you can take this and return to the academy and spend a comfortable night in a soft and warm bed.”

It was a sweet temptation.

But there were no quitters.

“Good! Until tomorrow morning, may everyone have a safe night!”

At Cancun’s shout, the cadets moved busily.

They gathered firewood to forget the cold.

Even if they lit a fire, it was difficult to endure, so they huddled together like penguins to try to maintain their temperature.

Sharin also turned her head to find a partner to raise her body temperature, and she could see two people sitting in front of the bonfire.

It was the priest and the Nord who had treated her.