The day after playing together with Chika, Shiori returned home from university and looked at her smartphone.

"Hmm..."

She was browsing the official website of White Games, the publisher of Fantasia World. New information had been posted that day.

"Downloadable content... that’s interesting."

It was an announcement of additional content for Fantasia World. The revealed features included new quests, erotic events, and dungeons.

This information piqued Shiori’s interest to some extent, but only slightly. The reason was simple: a considerable number of quests, erotic events, and dungeons had already been confirmed.

Strategy websites alone listed several hundred entries, and because new information continued to be provided daily, even when something was described as "newly added," it was often unclear whether it had actually been there from the beginning or only appeared later. Thus, Shiori did not worry about it too much.

Next, she looked at another element listed as part of this downloadable content.

"A new facility... I wonder what it will be like."

A facility called the "Library" was to be added to Middle City. The description stated only that it was "a facility where you can experience various erotic events through ’books’." Although the details remained unclear, the arrival of a new facility intrigued her.

"I’ll just buy it for now... and wait until it’s released."

Even if the specifics were not entirely clear, this was Fantasia World—the content was surely reliable. The price was reasonable at 1,000 yen, so Shiori completed the purchase without hesitation. Incidentally, the downloadable content was scheduled to become available in August.

"...Oh, it looks like Chika bought it too."

Just as Shiori finished the purchase process, she received a message from Chika on her smartphone. Seeing that Chika had also bought the DLC, Shiori sent a reply and sat down on the bed.

"That girl will study properly, won’t she...? Anyway... let’s start today’s game... ♡"

With a slight worry about Chika’s exam preparation, Shiori set up her VR equipment and logged into the world of Fantasia World.

"Phew... what should I do today?"

After playing with Chika yesterday, Shiori had landed in the fountain square of Middle City—the last place she was before logging out. She immediately began thinking about her plan for today’s gameplay.

"Hmm... how about exploring a new field?"

After a moment’s thought, she made that decision and then considered which direction to explore: north, south, east, or west.

"Well... I suppose I’ll start with the east."

She often explored eastward. Having decided on that direction, Shiori first used a Teleportation Tag to teleport to the Town of the Forest People. From there, she ventured deeper into the forest, heading toward even newer fields. She cut down the monsters she encountered one after another with her rapier. Whenever she discovered a dungeon, she simply noted its location, planning to return another day. She continued like this for about ten minutes, making her way through the forest until she arrived at a new field.

"This is... a snowfield, isn’t it..."

The new field could be summed up in one word: snowfield. A plateau covered in snow. In the distance stood snow‑capped mountains, and beyond the drifted area, a town came into view. Its name was displayed as "Snowfields of the East."

"After coming out of the forest, you suddenly find yourself in a snowfield... Well, it’s a game, so I suppose you don’t need to worry about the details..."

Passing through the lush green forest, the moment the field changed, a snowfield—the complete opposite—unfolded before Shiori. She felt a slight urge to point out the inconsistency, but decided it was not something to worry about too much. Slowly, she hugged herself with both hands.

"It’s cold..."

Since it was a snowfield, the temperature was naturally low. The black dress Shiori currently wore had no "environmental suitability" effect, and to make matters worse, it was sleeveless. Having no tolerance for the cold, it was only natural that she felt chilly. The only piece of equipment she possessed that provided an "Environmental Adaptation" effect was the [Bikini Set], but she had no intention of wandering around a snowfield in a swimsuit, so that was not an option.

"...For now... I’ll just leave it as it is."

Shiori considered creating new equipment on the spot, but because she felt uneasy about crafting in the regular field, she decided to keep her equipment as it was for the time being. She headed straight for the town visible in the distance.

"Phew... That should do it."

A few minutes later, Shiori arrived at the town located in the eastern snowfields—the Snowfield Town. After completing the registration process so that she could teleport here using a Teleportation Tag, she took a breather. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"Well then... let’s get some warm clothing ready."

She decided to create new equipment. She immediately purchased only the base wear and began tinkering with the design.

"I suppose this is about right."

A few minutes later, Shiori created a new piece of equipment: the [Black Stole]. It was a simple stole with a black base color.

[Black Stole Lv58]

Special: "Cold Resistance"

This equipment was not meant to be worn alone, but as an outer layer over the [Black Dress]. The dual‑equipment configuration was intended to avoid compromising speed.

"Ahhh... it’s gotten warmer."

As soon as it was finished, Shiori put it on over her shoulders. Because it was designed to combine with other items, it paired very well with the [Black Dress] in terms of design, further highlighting her beauty. The crucial cold‑protection feature seemed to be functioning properly, and Shiori nodded with satisfaction.

"Now then... let’s start again. First, I’ll explore the surrounding field and look for a dungeon."

After donning the new equipment, Shiori reiterated her plan for activities here. Having decided to explore the surroundings first, she immediately left the Snowfield Town and began to wander.

"It’s completely different from before... Oh, what’s that...?"

She started walking, nodding approvingly at how well the stole kept her warm. Then a monster appeared before Shiori.

"Kon...! Kon...!"

A fox appeared. It had gray fur, a menacing look in its eyes, and was openly hostile toward Shiori, threatening her. Above its head was displayed: Gray Fox Lv40.

"A fox, huh... Well, I suppose I should defeat it. Ha!"

"Kon!?"

She was not entirely uninterested in what would happen if she lost here, but her current objective was to explore the field and search for dungeons. Shiori moved quickly across the snowfield with light steps, swung her rapier at the Gray Fox, and swiftly took it down.

"Phew... Well then, shall we go?"

After confirming that the figure had fallen and disappeared, Shiori started moving again.

"Ah, there it is..."

A few minutes later, she discovered a dungeon.

"The ’Cave of Tranquility’...? I wonder what kind of dungeon that is."

The entrance was a staircase leading underground, carved into a giant snow dome about three meters high. Since this was the first dungeon she had discovered since arriving in this field, Shiori decided to enter it for the time being.