Do-Yoon stared at the person standing in front of him.
The person also stared at him.
Snow slowly fell from the dark sky.
The cold wind moved between the trees.
For a few seconds, neither of them said anything.
Both looked completely shocked.
Do-Yoon blinked once.
Then twice.
Then three times.
He thought maybe he was hallucinating.
After all, he had spent days fighting monsters, walking through freezing lands, almost dying multiple times, and surviving things that should have killed him.
Maybe his brain had finally broken.
But no matter how many times he blinked, the person standing there didn't disappear.
The black-haired boy was still standing there.
Looking just as shocked as him.
Do-Yoon slowly raised a finger.
"You..."
The other boy also raised a finger.
"You..."
Their fingers pointed at each other.
Silence filled the snowy forest.
Then both of them shouted at the exact same time.
"BRO?!"
"BRO?!"
The yellow-haired girl standing nearby jumped in surprise.
The next second, both boys ran toward each other.
Well...
Do-Yoon tried to run.
His body was still tired.
His legs still hurt.
His mana was almost gone.
But that didn't stop him.
Meanwhile Min-Jae ran normally.
A few seconds later both of them crashed into each other and hugged.
Not a normal hug.
A very dramatic hug.
The kind of hug that looked like they hadn't seen each other in twenty years.
"BROOOOO!"
"I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD!"
"I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD TOO!"
Min-Jae grabbed Do-Yoon's shoulders.
His eyes were wide.
His face was full of disbelief.
"Bro, you're actually alive!"
Do-Yoon immediately pointed at him.
"Why are YOU alive?!"
Min-Jae looked offended.
"What kind of question is that?"
"What kind of answer is that?"
Both stared at each other.
Then both started laughing.
The yellow-haired girl watched everything silently.
She honestly had no idea what was happening.
A few minutes ago she was about to be killed by goblins.
Then a strange red-haired boy crawled through the snow and saved her.
Now another strange boy appeared and both were acting like long-lost brothers.
The situation made absolutely no sense.
Eventually Min-Jae crossed his arms.
"Bro."
"What?"
"I seriously thought you died."
Do-Yoon scratched his head.
"Honestly, I thought I was going to die too."
Min-Jae nodded.
"Fair."
The two shared a serious look.
Then Min-Jae suddenly smiled.
"But you're alive."
Do-Yoon smiled too.
"Yeah."
Then both started laughing again.
The yellow-haired girl slowly turned around.
Maybe she should leave.
These two clearly had things to talk about.
She quietly took a step away.
Then another.
Then another.
But before she could leave completely, Do-Yoon finally noticed.
"Wait!"
The girl stopped.
"Hm?"
Do-Yoon pointed toward her.
"Don't leave."
She tilted her head slightly.
"Why?"
Do-Yoon looked awkward.
Because honestly...
He didn't know.
After a few seconds he finally said,
"We never introduced ourselves."
The girl blinked.
That actually made sense.
Min-Jae nodded.
"Yeah. We should do that."
The girl turned around and walked back.
Now all three stood together in the snowy clearing.
The bodies of the goblins were still lying nearby.
Cold wind continued blowing.
Snow continued falling.
For a moment nobody spoke.
Then the girl slightly bowed her head.
"My name is Sofia."
Her voice sounded calm.
Do-Yoon nodded.
"My name is Kim Do-Yoon."
Min-Jae immediately raised his hand.
"Park Min-Jae."
Sofia smiled slightly.
"It's nice to meet both of you."
Do-Yoon smiled back.
Min-Jae smiled too.
For the first time since arriving on this frozen island, things actually felt peaceful.
No monsters.
No life-threatening battles.
No terrifying bosses.
Just three teenagers standing in a snowy forest.
Then—
GRRRRRRRRRRR.
A loud sound echoed through the clearing.
Everyone froze.
Slowly...
Very slowly...
Do-Yoon lowered his head.
His stomach growled again.
The silence became painful.
Sofia looked away.
Min-Jae tried not to laugh.
Do-Yoon wished the snow would bury him alive.
Then—
GRRRRRRRRRR.
Another stomach growled.
This time it was Min-Jae's.
Do-Yoon immediately pointed at him.
"HAHA!"
Min-Jae looked embarrassed.
Sofia covered her mouth.
The situation was so ridiculous that she couldn't stop herself from laughing.
Do-Yoon placed a hand on his stomach.
"I need food."
Min-Jae nodded seriously.
"I also need food."
The two looked at Sofia.
Sofia immediately understood what they were asking.
Unfortunately...
She slowly shook her head.
"I don't have any food."
The happiness instantly disappeared from both boys' faces.
Their souls practically left their bodies.
Three hungry teenagers stood together in the middle of a frozen forest.
None of them had food.
None of them had a plan.
And all three were hungry.
The three stood there in silence.
Snow continued falling from the sky.
Cold wind moved through the trees.
And all three were hungry.
Very hungry.
Do-Yoon placed a hand on his stomach.
His stomach growled again.
Min-Jae's stomach answered back.
It almost sounded like the two stomachs were having a conversation.
Sofia stared at both of them.
Then she sighed.
"You two are unbelievable."
Do-Yoon looked serious.
"Hunger is a serious matter."
Min-Jae immediately nodded.
"Very serious."
Sofia rubbed her forehead.
She had only known them for a few minutes and she was already getting tired.
Then Do-Yoon's eyes slowly moved toward the goblin corpses laying on the snowy ground.
Min-Jae followed his gaze.
The two boys looked at the dead goblins.
Then looked at each other.
Then looked at the goblins again.
A dangerous thought appeared in both minds at exactly the same time.
Do-Yoon slowly pointed.
"Bro..."
Min-Jae slowly nodded.
"Bro..."
Sofia looked between them.
"What?"
Do-Yoon looked at the goblins.
Min-Jae also looked at the goblins.
Neither of them spoke for several seconds.
Then Do-Yoon finally said,
"Meat."
Min-Jae's eyes widened.
"Meat."
Sofia's eyes widened even more.
"No."
The boys ignored her.
"No."
The boys continued staring at the goblins.
"NO."
This time Sofia stepped between them.
"You are not eating goblins."
Do-Yoon looked confused.
"Why?"
Min-Jae looked confused too.
"Food is food."
Sofia looked horrified.
"Those are goblins!"
Do-Yoon shrugged.
"So?"
"They are monsters!"
"So?"
"You don't even know if they're edible!"
The two boys paused.
That was actually a good point.
A very good point.
Min-Jae slowly nodded.
"I don't want to die because of food poisoning."
Do-Yoon nodded too.
"I agree."
Sofia sighed in relief.
Thankfully these two still had some common sense.
At least a little.
Then Sofia suddenly remembered something.
"There are Shencos nearby."
The boys immediately looked at her.
"Shencos?"
Sofia nodded.
"They are monster cows."
The boys froze.
Monster cows.
Cow.
Cow meant beef.
Beef meant food.
Food meant happiness.
Their eyes instantly started shining.
Do-Yoon nearly cried.
"Real food..."
Min-Jae looked like he had found treasure.
"Let's hunt it."
Sofia pointed deeper into the snowy forest.
"They usually stay near open fields."
Without wasting another second, the three started moving.
The snowy forest was quiet.
Only the sound of their footsteps could be heard.
Crunch.
Crunch.
Crunch.
The snow beneath their feet made soft noises.
Do-Yoon looked around while walking.
The island looked beautiful during the night.
The moonlight covered everything with a silver glow.
The trees looked like giant frozen sculptures.
Everything was peaceful.
Almost too peaceful.
After walking for around twenty minutes, Min-Jae suddenly spoke.
"So bro."
"What?"
"How strong are you now?"
Do-Yoon scratched his cheek.
"I don't know."
Min-Jae looked suspicious.
"That means very strong."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes."
Sofia listened quietly.
She was curious too.
After all, she had seen Do-Yoon defeat several goblins with pure strength.
That wasn't normal.
Especially not for someone his age.
After another ten minutes of walking, Sofia suddenly stopped.
Her eyes narrowed.
She pointed ahead.
"There."
Do-Yoon and Min-Jae immediately looked forward.
A huge creature was standing in a snowy field.
It looked like a cow.
But it was much larger than a normal cow.
Its white fur looked thick enough to survive any winter.
Large horns extended from its head.
Steam came from its nose every time it breathed.
The creature looked powerful.
But to the hungry boys...
It looked delicious.
Min-Jae swallowed.
"Food."
Do-Yoon nodded.
"Food."
Sofia pointed toward it.
"That's a Shenco."
The creature was peacefully eating snow-covered grass.
Completely unaware of its fate.
Do-Yoon cracked his knuckles.
His mana had already recovered enough.
He could use Blood Rush.
He could use Manipulator's Hand.
He could use Demons Domain.
But he decided not to.
Sofia and Min-Jae were watching.
There were still many things he hadn't told them.
Especially Blood Rush.
That skill felt strange.
It didn't feel normal.
So he chose the simplest option.
Disk Dash.
Do-Yoon lowered his body.
Then activated the skill.
His body shot forward.
The snowy ground blurred beneath his feet.
The Shenco finally noticed him.
But it was already too late.
Do-Yoon appeared directly in front of it.
Then punched.
Just one punch.
Nothing fancy.
No special moves.
No complicated strategy.
Just a punch.
The moment his fist connected with the creature's head—
The Shenco froze.
For a second nothing happened.
Then the giant body slowly tilted.
And crashed into the snow.
The ground shook slightly.
Silence.
Complete silence.
Do-Yoon blinked.
Min-Jae blinked.
Even Sofia blinked.
Nobody expected it to die that easily.
Do-Yoon looked at his fist.
Then looked at the dead Shenco.
Then looked back at his fist.
"I think..."
He paused.
"I hit it too hard."
Min-Jae immediately ran over.
"BRO!"
Do-Yoon looked at him.
"WHAT?!"
"YOU ONE-SHOT A MONSTER COW!"
Do-Yoon scratched his head awkwardly.
"Was it supposed to survive?"
Sofia stared at him.
She was beginning to realize that this lazy-looking red-haired teenager was much stronger than he appeared.
Much stronger.
Eventually they dragged the huge Shenco body toward a safer area.
Then another problem appeared.
None of them knew how to cook.
Do-Yoon tried making a fire.
It failed.
Min-Jae tried.
It somehow failed even worse.
Sofia tried.
She successfully made fire.
The two boys immediately started clapping.
Sofia looked proud.
"For your information, unlike you two, I actually know basic survival."
Do-Yoon nodded respectfully.
"You're amazing."
Min-Jae nodded too.
"Please continue."
After a lot of struggling, a lot of mistakes, and several pieces of burnt meat, they finally managed to prepare food.
The smell immediately spread through the cold air.
Do-Yoon nearly cried.
Min-Jae nearly cried too.
Sofia simply laughed while watching them.
The three sat around the fire.
Then started eating.
For several minutes nobody spoke.
They were too focused on eating.
Do-Yoon had never appreciated food this much before.
Every bite felt amazing.
Eventually Min-Jae leaned back.
"Best meal ever."
Do-Yoon nodded.
"I agree."
Sofia laughed.
"You two are acting like you've never eaten before."
Do-Yoon pointed at the forest.
"After everything that happened, this feels like a five-star restaurant."
Min-Jae nodded seriously.
"It really does."
The warm fire continued burning.
The night became quieter.
The stars shined above them.
For the first time in a long while, Do-Yoon felt relaxed.
No fighting.
No monsters.
No life-threatening situations.
Just warmth.
Food.
And friends.
Eventually exhaustion caught up to everyone.
Min-Jae yawned.
Sofia yawned too.
Even Do-Yoon felt his eyes becoming heavy.
The three prepared a place to sleep near the fire.
Min-Jae fell asleep first.
Less than thirty seconds later he was already snoring.
Sofia also slowly closed her eyes.
Soon she was asleep too.
Do-Yoon looked up at the night sky one last time.
The stars looked beautiful.
A cold breeze passed through the forest.
The fire crackled quietly.
Everything felt peaceful.
His eyelids slowly became heavier.
And heavier.
And heavier.
Eventually he closed his eyes.
Darkness covered his vision.
A few moments passed.
Then—
Do-Yoon opened his eyes.
He immediately froze.
The campfire was gone.
The snowy forest was gone.
Min-Jae was gone.
Sofia was gone.
Instead...
A familiar ceiling greeted him.
A familiar room.
A familiar bed.
His room.
His real room.
Back in the real world.
Do-Yoon sat upright so fast that he nearly fell off the bed.
His eyes widened.
He looked left.
Then right.
Then left again.
Then at his blanket.
Then at his desk.
Then at absolutely everything.
His brain completely stopped working.
A few seconds later he finally managed to speak.
"What the hell?!"