The demon lord’s blood-red eyes suddenly flared, and in an instant, he self-destructed. His body exploded, and the icy ghostly flames surged skyward, freezing the entire scorched earth into a massive block of ice. An inconspicuous dark red seed shot out from the explosion, chasing after the trail of that bright starlight.

The figure within the orb of light pointed a finger, and a surge of divine power followed the demon seed, intent on destroying it.

Chapter 1: Remember to Buy Life Insurance Before Getting a Cheat

The Frigga Continent is the northernmost of the five continents; “Frigga” means “atmosphere” and “cold wind” in ancient Odin language.

At the far north of Frigga lies a universally acknowledged forbidden zone for survival. There, only endless stretches of white mountains exist. Tens of thousands of years of blizzards have turned earth and stone into permafrost—towering, majestic, and bitterly cold.

Looking out from the last inhabited area at Frigga’s northern edge, one sees countless snow-white ridges piercing the blue sky like blades. This forbidden zone is called the “Cold Night Mountains.” Legend has it that the Cold Night Mountains are the palace of the Snow Goddess Messerys, home to countless powerful frost creatures. Over a hundred adventuring parties have explored the Cold Night Mountains throughout history, only to lose their lives to the wailing northern winds.

But even if you searched through all 700 million books in the Academy City’s library, there is one secret never recorded in any document: deep within the Cold Night Mountains, there exists a small tribe, solitary and mysterious, isolated from the world.

It is the last gathering place of a mysterious race.

……

The blacksmith of the Cold Valley Tribe, Henry Hawkins, had a child six years ago, naming him Owen Hawkins.

The newborn Owen Clark had a pair of sky-blue eyes, as clear and pure as the open sky, like two blue crystals, lively and bright.

Six years ago, Owen Clark inexplicably reincarnated into this world. The initial euphoria faded with time, and after a giant dragon flying overhead shattered his worldview, he temporarily suppressed his restless curiosity.

Outside the Cold Valley Tribe are endless mountains and countless wild beasts. Owen Clark’s only way to learn about this new world was through the ancient books on the three-tiered bookshelf at the village chief’s house. Those yellowed tomes recorded the basic knowledge and history of this world.

The Cold Valley Tribe is very small, with only 181 people. The weather is cold, snow falls year-round, and thick, pure white snow piles atop the wooden and stone houses.

After living in the tribe for six years, Owen Clark gradually adapted to the frigid climate, as well as the differences in language and culture.

The faint light of dawn shone on his face. Owen Clark opened his eyes on time, put on a fur coat for warmth, washed up simply, took a few pieces of dried meat from the large ceramic jar, grabbed a handful of pale blue ice rice, and stood on a stool by the stove to start making breakfast. The aroma of lean meat porridge gradually spread.

Owen Clark took a sniff, then turned and called toward the inner room, “Dad, get up, come eat breakfast.”

The curtain lifted, and a tall, thin, haggard-looking middle-aged man came out, ruffled Owen Clark’s hair, scooped a bowl of thin porridge, and ate in small bites.

Henry is the father of this body. Gaining a “cheap” dad, Owen Clark felt awkward at first, but after six years together, some feelings had developed.

Owen Clark also scooped a bowl and sat down, picking out two pieces of meat and putting them into Henry’s bowl. “You eat more.”

Although Henry is a blacksmith, his health isn’t good; he has a lung illness. Whenever he’s forging, Owen Clark always hears Henry’s painful coughing.

“You’re still growing, eat more meat.”

“Blacksmithing is hard work, you should eat more yourself, don’t worry about me.”

Food in the tribe is scarce, and wild animals outside are few. The hunting teams’ cycles are irregular, and after each hunt, every household gets only a small share, with most food stored and exchanged for labor.

Henry is a blacksmith, trading crafted axes, arrowheads, and spears for food.

There’s only a father at home, no mother. Owen Clark once asked where his mother was, but Henry refused to say. Although Owen Clark was curious, he got used to it over time.

Henry remembered something and looked up. “Today is your sixth birthday. The village chief will take you to worship the totem and let you choose your enlightenment teachers.”

The Cold Valley Tribe has a tradition: when young members turn six, they undergo enlightenment training, choosing three enlightenment teachers from among the tribe. Each teacher imparts a skill. Owen Clark knows that Henry’s enlightenment teacher was a retired old blacksmith, so Henry inherited the blacksmith’s position.

The Cold Valley Tribe values labor and doesn’t support idlers; almost everyone has a role. Choosing enlightenment teachers is essentially choosing your future job in the tribe.

But Owen Clark’s ambitions lie elsewhere. He’s very interested in the world outside the tribe, so he couldn’t help but ask, “When can I leave the tribe?”

Henry was taken aback, looked Owen Clark up and down, and reminisced, “I see a soul full of curiosity, just like I was when I was young. If only I hadn’t taken an arrow to the knee back then…”

Owen Clark interrupted helplessly, “I don’t want to grow old and die in the tribe.”

“You can only leave after the coming-of-age ceremony at sixteen,” Henry said. “Before the totem worship, the village chief will tell you the history and truth of our people.”

Owen Clark had already read the common knowledge books on the village chief’s shelf several times and knew that besides humans, there were many other races in this world. Could it be that he wasn’t human? No wonder he always felt his tailbone was a bit too prominent.