The Rise of the Winter Wolf - Book 5 - Chapter 47 - Depression (Patreon)

Wolf

I sit with a bored expression on my face on a little throne of ice at the edge of my system store high above the Conjunction. Because ironically, the moment Sapphire and I decided we had enough of a break and were preparing to enter the next floor, the Conjunction began.

And now I have nothing to do.

After watching the Competitors down below moving around trading items and skills with each other for a while, none of them using SP anymore at this point, I turn my attention back to the home crashers who are lounging around on my porch. Including a certain spider who is actually in her spider form and hanging upside down from an icy thread while reading a book that is also being held by an icy thread.

My little wolf pup pal also came back after the battle and has been lounging around on my lap since, to Sapphire’s irritation. But eventually she grew indifferent towards it. I think.

She at least stopped complaining and sending Snow dark looks. Which is definitely an improvement from how she used to be.

I return my gaze to the Competitors down below, still finding quite a few of them looking at me. Although they immediately avoid my gaze the moment my eyes meet theirs. That or they give me a polite nod and continue whatever it was that they were doing.

From what I’ve head, I’ve become a bit of an inspiration for a lot of the surviving Competitors.

They look up to me and possibly even fear me, using me as a way to push forwards through their despair. For the ones that are despairing that is. Since only around a third or so of the remaining Competitors are very upset with being stuck in the dungeon at this point and are growing more and more depressed about being stuck in it. A fact that doesn’t please the viewers very much.

Then again, the viewers tend to focus on the ones that interest them rather than those. The ones that are actually motivated and interesting for them to watch.

But the ones that are despairing look up to me as a representation of what is possible. One that motivates them to continue pushing further.

I pity them a little, but other than that, they aren’t involved with me. Because while they do care about surviving and doing what they need to such as working with others, they are still clearly depressed. Which in hindsight makes sense, considering that none of us had a choice in coming to this dungeon and spending years of our lives doing nothing but fighting and surviving while being watched by millions of people.

Not everyone can keep up with that psychologically, even if they manage to survive.

I lean my chin on to my fist, my elbow on the armrest of the ice throne.

It’s a little sad just how many viewers tend to forget about these people though. I know there are some groups outside of the dungeon that are set up for support for them. Mostly through sponsorships and just verbal support or attacking any haters the people get. But it’s still sad just how many viewers forget they exist.

Most of the time these sorts of Competitors don’t make it to the end of the Dungeon, from what I’ve heard on the System Forums about previous Administrator Dungeons.

I continue looking at the people below for several seconds before sighing.

The Reaper really can be a cruel bastard…

And it didn’t help their motivation when they learned that the progenitor is just having us do this for his own entertainment.

I personally don’t think about my situation very often. I just do what I feel I need to do without thinking much about whether it’s fair or not.

A lot of people on the System Forums seem to think I’m indifferent to it all, or maybe just a battle junkie who enjoys this. But to be honest, I don’t think about any of it.

I just push forward with my goal of winning in mind and don’t think about much else.

Eventually I just sigh again and reach for the glass of wine sitting on the ice table next to my throne. But just like always, I don’t feel anything from drinking it.

Alcohol has no effect on me now after all.

Before I wouldn’t have ever drunk alcohol because of my distaste for the idea of being mentally inhibited. But since it doesn’t affect me, there’s no reason to avoid it.

And it does taste good.

Mostly it’s just a change of pace for what I usually drink though.

I continue watching everyone in silence for a bit before leaning back and closing my eyes, simply waiting for the timer to finally hit zero so that I can go back to the dungeon and start on the next floor.

Five. Four. Three. Two.

And one.

The moment the timer hits zero I find myself back in my portable system store within the Beta Dungeon next to Sapphire who had apparently already put away her book. Then I dismiss the portable store and we both turn to the exit.

Time to see what’s on the 242ndfloor.

The two of us both step forward at the same time and touch the door, leading to a bright flash of light to shine out of it before we appear on another spaceship. But unlike the previous floor, we end up right in front of a window. One with a perfect view of the massive, blue planet outside of the spaceship.

I blink in surprise before smirking.

The planet is covered in ice and appears to be falling apart, with large chunks of ice floating out into space amidst the other spaceships. Meanwhile everywhere is filled to the brim with ice element.

Then my smile grinds to a halt when I realize that means a free buffet of elements for the corrupted arachnids.

I don’t even have to guess that they’ll be on the floor, considering the spiders that I see cocooning themselves onto the floating chunks of ice.

This is going to be a pain.

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