Sampo's secret path wasn't much of a "path" at all. On the contrary, this "path" was very down-to-earth. To put it another way, Wende preferred to call this thing... a "dog hole."
Looking at the conspicuous little hole at the bottom of the thick wall before them, Wende shook his head with a sigh.
"Everyone, this way is old Sampo's secret passage. It took me a long time to dig this out, you know. I had to hide from those Silvermane Guards and watch out for Fragmentum monsters."
With that, Sampo was the first to crawl into the "secret little path."
"Er... I say, why don't we go find the main gate instead?" March 7th suggested, staring silently at the "secret little path" for a moment before looking up at Wende.
This thing, no matter how you looked at it, didn't seem reliable at all!
"......"
Wende thoughtfully stroked his chin.
Snap.
"AHHH!!!"
Following a crisp snap of the fingers, Sampo's blood-curdling scream came from the other side of the wall.
"Looks like it should be fine. Let's just make do," Wende said with a helpless shrug. There was no other choice.
Wende led the charge, nimbly crawling through the "secret little path." The others had no choice but to follow him.
Brushing the snow from his clothes, Wende looked at the empty space behind the wall.
"......"
He picked up the lightning needle from the ground, casually letting it dissipate into an arc of electricity, and stared silently at the tracks in the snow.
As expected of Sampo. To be able to run away so quickly even after being zapped. Are fun-seekers truly the strongest beings in this universe?
"Huh? Where's that guy? Did he run away?!"
March 7th, who had emerged somewhat disheveled from the "secret little path," looked around in surprise at the empty space where only Wende stood. She was already covered in dust, and crawling through the hole had added a layer of snow. Right now, March 7th looked like a pitiful little beggar.
"Er..."
Wende shook his head. Just now, he had suddenly connected March 7th's image with another character who also liked to use the folksy pronoun "咱" (we/I), and combined with the beggar look...
Forget it, forget it! If I keep thinking about it, I'm going to get assimilated, too!
"It seems you can't judge a book by its cover," Stelle sighed, patting the snow off her own clothes.
"So... where are we now?" March asked, taking a towel from Wende's backpack to wipe her dirty face as she looked at the unfamiliar street.
Dan Heng walked to a nearby house and peered through the window. It seemed to have been abandoned for a long time, and the atmosphere in the area felt familiar.
"We seem to have entered an area eroded by the Fragmentum. Look over there."
Dan Heng pointed to a building not far away. The symbols of Fragmentum corrosion covered the building layer by layer, and the silhouettes of monsters could be faintly seen moving within.
"It's not that surprising, really. Since it's a so-called secret path, it was never going to be in a conspicuous location," Wende said with a nod.
"But... has the Stellaron's corrosion of Jarilo-VI really reached this extent? Even this last human fortress has been eroded by the Fragmentum like this..." Dan Heng said gravely. This Trailblazing journey was looking to be anything but simple.
Putting the towel March handed him back into his backpack, Wende observed the nearby architecture.
The buildings were tall and magnificent. It looked like this was once a residential area for nobles. What a pity.
"In any case, let's just get out of this area first," March 7th suggested. There weren't any better options at the moment.
And so, the Trailblaze party began their adventure within Belobog.
............
Real World
Kakaya looked at the somewhat tragically beautiful frozen planet on his game screen. No matter how many times he saw it, he felt it was a shame.
"I hope miHoYo changed the story here, too. The original plot was a bit too miserable."
Kakaya shook his head and clicked the dialogue box. His screen went black for a moment before transitioning to a world of ice and snow.
March 7th, Dan Heng, Wende, and his own Trailblazer appeared on the screen together.
[Hot damn, the team is finally a full party in the truest sense.]
[I wonder how the plot will change now that my husband is here.]
[Shh, no spoilers!]
[Ah, Little March is still as cute as ever.]
[What are you talking about! Isn't His Lordship myself cute?]
[What?! Don't you guys think Wende x Dan Heng is a pretty good ship, too?]
[Get the hell out of this stream!]
[Exactly! That's my wife and my husband!]
[You get out, too!]
[Huh??]
[This fandom is a mess.]
Kakaya: "..."
Seriously? They can start a fight over this?
Staring at the chaotic bullet comments, Kakaya was rather speechless.
He left the mess for his moderators to handle. It was time for him to start his own grand adventure in the ice and snow!
As expected, with Wende's appearance, the plot on Jarilo-VI was also changed. Thankfully, that one essential line hadn't been replaced.
The next part of the story should be meeting Sampo, but why...
This wasn't what he expected.
Looking at the in-game Sampo, with only his head sticking out of the ground, Kakaya fell into deep thought.
["Getting a-head" in life.]
[The soil on this Jarilo-VI is really fertile. It can grow anything.]
[Fun-seeker: "Fun. The joke's on me."]
[Next time you're at the tavern, don't tell people you know me.]
[Good deeds are rewarded, evil deeds are punished, and the black-bellied Wende gets my hugs!]
[? Why are you still here! MODS!]
"User: Wende Elementary School Contractor has been muted."
[LMAO]
"So you have this kind of skill, too," Kakaya marveled again, watching the in-game Wende threaten Sampo with a smile crinkling his eyes.
Although Sampo looked miserable, who was he to feel sorry? You were the one who wanted to be a troll. Now you've met the living King of Hell, haven't you? Even if he accidentally killed you, this King of Hell could just heal you right back up.
"I just didn't expect the usually gentle Wende to have such a black-bellied personality. Little March is still so cute, though!" Kakaya said with a perverted grin, looking at the pouting March 7th with her dirty face.
On the screen, Wende tilted his head slightly and gave the Trailblazer a meaningful look. It was now the player's turn to choose.
Option 1: What happened?
Option 2: (Step forward and comfort March 7th.)
Option 3: Wende, I'm hungry.
"What are these options?"
Kakaya was baffled. His instincts told him to choose the most unhinged one for the best entertainment value.
And so, his Trailblazer shouted at Wende.
"Wende, I'm hungry!"
"......" x3
"See that?! Our boss is hungry! Keep messing around and we'll stew you!" Wende snarled viciously at the terrified Sampo.
[LOL...]
[Sampo: "Crap, I've run into zombies!"]
[Oh no, the image of the black-bellied male god has shattered...]
[Shattered? Or pregnant? With whose kid?]
[??? Are you sober?]