Silver hair, a cute appearance.
In contrast, a sensual figure.

She was tightly wrapped in a classic suit, but the curves that stood out on the outside couldn’t be hidden.

“……”

I told her everything that had happened so far.
It wasn’t even worth calling it information, just the hellish struggles I’d gone through.

From the feeling of it, it seemed like I’d have to team up with this woman, so there was no reason to hide anything.

“Ah.”

The woman glanced at the pile of wooden logs and planks I had stacked beside me, then let out a small chuckle.

“So, you’re planning to make a boat and set out to sea with that? It’ll probably sink before long. Do you think it’s possible?”

“Well, it’s the 3rd floor’s request, so there’s no choice. To get to the 4th floor, I need to find Treasure Island. I’ll just have to try it.”

Whether it’s possible or not, I have to try.
There’s no other way.

‘It’s a bit concerning that the wood is limited, though…’

Just in case, I left a few trees behind.
I didn’t foolishly cut them all into pieces.

“Hmmm. Not bad. Sounds like a good idea.”

The woman nodded slowly.
Although it was a ridiculous plan, she seemed to think there was some logic in my words.

“As long as you can finish the boat, that is.”
“…Are you planning to interfere?”

“Did that sound like I was going to?”

She smiled mischievously, and I got the feeling there was something more behind it.
Honestly, there was a slight hint of provocation in her tone.

Should I call it cheeky, or soft-spoken?
Her tone was a mix of both.

‘She reminds me of that playful senior back in school.’

A senior not from my department, but from the sports club.

‘Since she didn’t get what she wanted, she became cruel after a while.’

I didn’t know when this woman would show her true colors, so I decided to stay on guard.

“It’s just a joke. Why so tense?”
She chuckled and waved her hand.

“I think it’d be better if we work together to go to the sea. Am I the only one thinking that?”
“…I think so too. It’d be better with two than alone.”

“Uh-huh.”

I responded, but I didn’t stop making the planks.
With the Golden Dagger, I could make them with minimal effort.

“It’s chilly. It would be nice and warm if you came closer to the campfire.”

She sat down away from the fire, too far to feel any warmth from it.

“I appreciate the concern, but I’m fine. I don’t really feel the cold.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. In my hometown, it snows all the time, so I’m used to most cold weather.”

“Well, that’s good to hear.”

“……”

The woman stared at me.
Then she smiled again.

“What’s your name?”
“Error Player.”
“I’m Yuki.”
“……”

Yuki?
She looked almost like a Westerner, yet her name was Japanese...

As if answering my question, Yuki spoke.

“I’m mixed. My mom’s Russian, and I was born in Japan. Technically, my nationality is Japanese. I’ve never been to Russia.”

As she spoke, a strange feeling crept over me.
By the time I realized why, it was already too late.

“If you’re going to pretend to be a Murim warrior, you should do it properly.”
“…Did it stand out that much?”

I thought I’d kept my expression under control, but apparently not.

“You looked pretty much like a Murim warrior. But the opponent was bad. If it had been anyone else, they would’ve fallen for it.”
Her subtle self-praise was absurd, but I didn’t push the matter.

“Well, I get it. If an Earthling wants to survive, pretending to be a Murim warrior is the only choice.”
As many have said, there are different types of humans.
Middle Realm people, Murim warriors, Citizens, and Psychics...

Among them, the only human type Earthlings can pretend to be is a Murim warrior.

‘Psychics have different colored hair depending on their powers, so that’s impossible, and Citizens, well...’

Who would believe in a human with iron limbs pretending to be one?

That’s why so many East Asians pretend to be Murim warriors.
Like scared hedgehogs, they put up their spikes, telling others not to touch them.

The problem is, most Earthlings can’t pull off the Murim warrior act without giving themselves away.

“Don’t you talk to each other?”
“What about?”
“That your face screams Earthling.”

“……”

We’re both East Asians, aren’t we?

‘Isn’t it racist to say you can’t tell us apart?’

Do you really distinguish between East Asians?

“That’s not what I meant. Murim warriors and Earthlings have different skin textures. If you really want to look like a Murim warrior, you’d have to change your entire face.”
“……”

Even though we’re the same Earthling race, it’s true that Murim warriors tend to have better looks overall.
Physically speaking, there’s a clear difference.

Individually, it’s hard to tell, but if you put an Earthling and a Murim warrior together, you’ll see the difference.

“…So you knew I was an Earthling.”
“I wasn’t sure. The power you showed in the Colosseum wasn’t like an Earthling’s.”
“Then why…”
“It’s just funny. The way you’re half-heartedly pretending to be a Murim warrior.”

Clearing her throat, Yuki composed herself.
Then, with a low voice, she spoke.

“Sit down. It’s cold over there, come closer.”
“……”

I clenched my teeth.
Whether it was from the warmth of the flames or my embarrassment, my face felt like it was burning.

I didn’t notice anything unusual when Murim warriors spoke.
But when someone from another dimension speaks, it feels awkward.

“…How about helping out instead of laughing?”

I threw a log toward Yuki.
She came late, so it was only fair she did some work.

Yuki fiddled with the wood and muttered.

“Can’t we do it tomorrow?”
“Then make the boat on your own and follow me.”

I wouldn’t stop her if she wanted to solo play.

“Not mad, are you?”
There was no point in answering.
I ignored her and continued with my task.

Srrr-

Yuki chuckled and started working on the log.
I watched her for a moment and couldn’t help but admire her skill.

‘Is she a Psychic of the Frost Element?’

Cold air gathered at the tips of Yuki’s fingers, and ice blades appeared.
With them, she turned the logs into planks.

It was definitely faster working together than doing it alone.

“Yawn. I’m getting sleepy.”

Yuki glanced at me as she spoke.

“I’m going to sleep.”
“Go ahead.”

I wasn’t sure what Yuki’s intentions were, but I still didn’t trust her.

‘What if she stabs me in my sleep?’

I wouldn’t even be able to resist before dying.
That would be the worst possible outcome for me.

So I kept my eyes wide open.
I was determined to stay awake, even if it meant pulling an all-nighter.

Fortunately, Yuki fell asleep.

Zzzzt-

Using her psychic powers, Yuki created an igloo-like shelter.
She crawled inside and went to sleep.

The moment I saw that, a brilliant idea crossed my mind.

Frozen Prison.
I can set the range of the walls within a certain limit.
It’s a skill, but if it traps someone and not others, it would be strange.

I extended the walls to the maximum.
It was slightly larger than when I trapped the Giant Black Lager.

I moved the campfire inside the ice walls.
The heat spread, warming the inside.

【10,003】

The durability didn’t wear down from the flames.
It seemed that the campfire wasn’t treated as an attack.

‘Or is it because I started the fire?’

Either way, it was good news for me.

I sat inside the ice house, waiting for the cooldown to finish.
I used the second Frozen Prison to create a roof.

‘It’s not disappearing.’

I had never used Frozen Prison twice before.

Naturally.
Once it’s used, everything dies, so why would I use it twice?

Moreover, I never thought of using it this way.
Honestly, I didn’t need to.

Thanks to that, I had a cozy house now.
Inside the ice prison, I didn’t have to worry about Yuki’s surprise attack.

The sand was uncomfortable, but it wasn’t unbearable.
The relentless flood of demons solved everything.

I closed my eyes.

“Error Player?”

The sound of geese honking.
And Yuki’s voice calling me.

“Isn’t it time to wake up?”

“……!”

My eyes snapped open.
Yuki was staring down at me.

“W-How?”

I hurriedly reached for my Golden Dagger.

“I didn’t think it’d be possible either.”
Yuki pointed to the ice wall.
A hole large enough for me to pass through had appeared.

“I found I could manipulate it.”

Yuki casually spoke, and as she did, she started carving the ice wall.
At her gestures, the ice wall with 10,000 durability began melting away.

‘Damn.’

Could Earthlings like me really survive this?

“Is it treated as a natural object, even though it was generated by a skill?”
“I guess so.”

From her tone, it seemed like Yuki didn’t expect it to be possible either.

Since this was only the 3rd floor,
Her reaction wasn’t that strange.

I glanced at Yuki.

‘That was really close.’

If Yuki had decided to turn on me, I would’ve been defenseless and dead.
The thought sent chills down my spine.

‘I need to raise my stamina.’

Or I could get a skill like Cheolpo Samgong.
If I could acquire a passive skill that’s always active, I might consider giving up on Samjaegeombeop and acquiring it…

‘No.’

The Illusionary Tome devoured the White Dragon Heart.
While doing so, my intelligence and wisdom increased significantly.
My skill slots also expanded.

‘I just need to find it.’

The simplest method would be to kill a player who has the related skill.

It’s kind of amazing when I think about it.
Even someone like me, who’s calm about it, starts with PKing.
I wonder how much more desperate other Earthlings are.

“Are you going to make a boat?”
“Yeah.”
“I was thinking about it while I was carving your ice wall.”

Yuki continued speaking.

“I think it’d be a good idea for you to generate the ice wall and for me to carve it into a boat, don’t you think?”