「A short time later, on a snowy slope outside Snow Deer Ridge.」

"Colin, are you sure I’m wanted?" Ale asked from the back of the group. "Isn’t it possible someone just wants to find me to thank me in person?"

"You set someone on fire in the middle of the street. Regardless of your reasons, the local law definitely won’t permit that. And whatever those people were up to was probably legal in Mokewick, so it’s no surprise you’re wanted now."

Colin explained with a hint of resignation as he walked up the slope, "If I were you, I would have used a subtler method."

"Oh..." Ale fell into thought.

She had ultimately agreed to go with them, but the young girl was still struggling to accept the cold, hard fact that she was wanted.

Colin didn’t quite know what to say.

’Setting someone on fire in the street probably isn’t a good thing, after all.’

At that moment, the group was climbing a snowy slope. A little further and they would pass through the gap in the World’s Roof and leave Snow Deer Valley.

Speaking of which, the reward for the mission had finally come through.

Colin held his Dagger as he walked.

Even with his gloves on, his right hand was nimble enough to twirl the Dagger.

The blade glinted, a dazzling flash of light.

This was one of the benefits of a high Agility Attribute.

He had learned this little trick after fiddling around for a while last night. ’If I had a butterfly knife,’ he thought, ’I could do something even fancier.’

This was also thanks to his increased Swordsmanship Skill Level.

Practicing Swordsmanship, after all, improved his overall coordination.

The one hundred fifty Skill Level points from the commission had all been allocated to Swordsmanship. Combined with his regular training, the progress of his various Skills was now: Casting (1364/2000), Armor (632/1250), and Swordsmanship (1143/1250).

After this long, intense push, his Swordsmanship Skill Level was finally about to reach the next Level.

’My biggest leap in power so far was definitely when I learned the Silent Sword Skill,’ Colin thought.

’I could feel a fundamental change in my strength, like a toddler suddenly learning how to sprint. I wonder what kind of Specialty I’ll get when it levels up again.’

Finally, there was the Tier Two Magic.

The Misty Step spell, like Shield and other similar spells, could be cast with a simple Spell. Having already mastered eight spells, Colin easily learned this new one through the illusion.

It was just as he had expected.

After learning a higher-Tier Magic, Colin’s Perception of the Magic Net became much clearer.

The most obvious change was that the fluctuations of the Magic Net around Magic Equipment appeared sharper to him. ’I’ll probably be able to see through Illusion Magic more easily from now on, too,’ he thought.

"Kase, watch this," Colin said, patting the Half-Orc on the back. "That Elf’s memory taught me a new spell."

"Oh? Go on and cast it, then. It’s not like a Giant Dragon is going to swoop down and carry you off."

"Alright, then."

Colin stared at the snow ahead, his expression grave.

’This spell isn’t difficult, but it does have its... complications.’

’Ten meters forward.’

As he thought it, Colin broke into a run and uttered the single-syllable Spell.

The instant he did, his vision was flooded with a vast expanse of silver mist. Colin felt himself being devoured and dissolved by it, like a block of salt tossed into water.

Within the space of a single breath, the mist dispersed.

The moment Colin opened his eyes, he was hit by a wave of dizziness like motion sickness. He quickly clamped a hand over his mouth to keep from throwing up, and the momentum from his run nearly planted him face-first into a snowdrift.

"Whoa, are you okay?" Kase hurried over, patting him on the shoulder.

"I’m fine," Colin said, managing to straighten up.

’At least now I know the spell doesn’t reset the Caster’s velocity.’ When he first learned it, he had wondered if he could use it to escape a fatal fall, just like a Mage’s blink.

Kase said, "Is that another one of those Cantrips taught by that Elf memory of yours? Looks pretty useful."

"It is," Colin laughed. "Next time I’m in a bind like when we ran into that Druid, I can just pop up right next to him and cut the guy down."

"Just don’t go using it recklessly. You might teleport somewhere and not be able to get back."

"You really have the nerve to say that to me?" 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

"Okay, okay, you win," Kase said with a sigh of resignation.

Orelia chimed in from the side, "It’s good that you lost. Otherwise, something like that might happen again, Mr. Kase."

Colin laughed and patted Kase’s shoulder, his expression clearly saying, ’It’s just a joke.’

But getting back to business, after learning Misty Step, he could now cast two Tier Two Magic spells per day, and his number of daily Tier One Magic casts had increased to four.

It was also worth noting that Colin had discovered the parts of his brain responsible for casting Tier One and Tier Two Magic seemed to be different.

Therefore, even after casting two Tier Two Magic spells, and despite feeling some mental discomfort, he could still cast all four of his Tier One Magic spells.

’The principle is probably similar to how a person can control their hands and feet at the same time.’

Regardless, for Colin, the reward from this commission had boosted his Casting Ability by a huge margin. The total number of spells he could cast per day had gone from three to six, and he could now cast two higher-tier Tier Two spells. It was nothing short of a fundamental transformation.

The group chatted and laughed as they finally reached the gap in the World’s Roof.

As soon as they climbed up, the gale began to blow fiercely once more.

As the gale howled around the pass, the Orcs pulled their children close.

Kase and Colin each took one of Orelia’s hands.

Glancing at Ale, who was alone and just as petite, Colin reached out and also took the Half-Elf’s thickly gloved right hand.

The wind pushed them forward together.

After what felt like an eternity, the wind suddenly eased.

They had finally made it out of Snow Deer Valley, leaving Lady Rime’s domain completely behind.

Standing on the mountainside, Colin gazed into the distance.

The view ahead was unobstructed. Hills, mountains, and plains intertwined as they stretched into the distance. Closer by was the ceaselessly flowing North River, carrying some of the meltwater from the World’s Roof down to the sea.

From this vantage point, he could even see two cargo ships moored upstream. Those must be the vessels from the Weston Clan sent to meet them.

Colin looked up.

The sky directly above was still thick with clouds, but far in the distance, a distinct "wall of light" was visible. That area had to be beyond the reach of Lady Rime’s Divine Power.

’It’s all over,’ Colin thought.

’This journey has been utterly exhausting. The battles felt endless, with several of them being life-or-death struggles. And on top of that, the local customs and people were so harsh... it was impossible to relax.’

’Thankfully, all those bad memories are now on the other side of the World’s Roof.’

At that moment, the Orcs all around them also came to a stop.

They looked back at their former homeland, then turned to face the World’s Roof, spread their arms wide, and slowly prostrated themselves in the snow, as if embracing the very land.

Watching the scene, Colin couldn’t help but feel a surge of emotion.

’No matter how the Gods treated them, no matter how harsh their lives were, no matter how perilous their escape had been...’

’This was still their home.’