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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Vine
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The Snow Kingdom, a demonic realm where blizzards rage year-round. Called the White Labyrinth because its blinding snowstorms cause all who enter to lose their way, this place holds the legend of an ancient civilization that shone brilliantly countless ages ago.
Setting foot in the Snow Kingdom is considered suicide. Yet, despite no one ever returning, fifteen individuals, all harboring a death wish, sought to find the ruins of this ancient civilization. Among these gambling addicts who risked their lives for a vague legend, this collection of lunatics with diverse backgrounds, young and old, male and female, I was included.
“Included” isn’t quite the right word. I, Seo Ji-hoon, reincarnated as the villain Atlas Titan from a novel where the character killed someone over height teasing, was the leader of this Snow Kingdom Exploration Team.
Trusting only the journal of a man who claimed to have survived the Snow Kingdom fifty years prior, I gathered these fools willing to venture into the blinding white wilderness. And we actually found the ruins, buried deep beneath the thick snow.
The ruins of the ancient civilization were real. We overcame countless traps designed to repel intruders, and finally… we succeeded in finding the legendary treasures.
The pale light conjured by our mage reflected off the mountains of gold within the treasury, illuminating the faces of the exploration team members in a golden glow.
“Grandfather’s journal was real…”
A woman with braided brown hair spoke in a trembling voice, awestruck by the magnificent sight. In her hand, she held a worn leather-bound book, the very journal of the ‘survivor’ that led us here. Since entering the ruins, everything her grandfather had written proved true, and her excitement continued to escalate.
“No time to sit around! We need to check if the rest is true too!”
“Right! Just you wait, Academy snobs!!”
Having been ridiculed by the Academy for writing a thesis on the potential ancient civilization within the Snow Kingdom, she meticulously documented everything in her notebook, supplementing it with recordings from a magical tool. With the discovery of these ruins, her evidence would shatter their arrogance.
“Uwahahaha! Gold! Mountains of gold!!”
“This damned hand-to-mouth existence is over!! We’re rich!!”
How many could truly be here for academic purposes? Everyone scrambled to gather the mountains of gold and jewels, while I, instead, searched among the treasures displayed in a separate area. Among the uniquely crafted armor, swords, and various dazzling artifacts, I picked up a small, carefully preserved vial.
Inside the transparent crystal vial, adorned with gold leaf, red and green liquids swirled together in a mesmerizing, otherworldly pattern.
“Yes! This is it…!!”
It was just as I remembered. This was the ‘Elixir of Growth,’ said to instantly increase one’s height upon consumption. The single treasure I sought within the Snow Kingdom.
It certainly possessed the legendary characteristics, but its safety was unknown. However, I didn’t have the luxury to ponder such concerns.
Looking forward, I saw the backs of my companions as they gathered treasure. Turning my head, I could only see backs and chests, not a single face or the back of a head.
This wasn’t some gruesome scene of decapitation. It was simply that I, with the stature of a dwarf, couldn’t even see the face of an average adult man without straining my neck upwards.
Since my reincarnation, my height hadn’t even reached 150cm. The shortest person besides me in this expedition was 165cm. There was no way I could make eye contact with anyone while looking straight ahead.
I couldn’t bear this low perspective any longer. I opened the vial and gulped down the ominously swirling mixture of green and red liquid.
Poof!
A deflating sound accompanied the consumption, and white smoke billowed out, filling the air.
“Whoa! What’s this?!”
“Captain?! Are you alright?!”
Startled, my companions looked towards the source of the smoke.
“Did… it work?”
It was instantaneous, but I felt something had changed. As the smoke cleared, a completely different world unfolded before me.
I no longer saw chests. Even without lifting my head, I could see the surprised eyes of my companions. I saw the oily scalps of their unwashed hair.
My perspective was higher. My short limbs, my torso, all lengthened.
“Ha… Hahahaha!!”
Laughter escaped my lips. Finally… Finally, I was back to my original height.
Sixteen years had passed since I was reincarnated into the body of Atlas Titan, the web novel villain who killed someone for mocking his height. This world was not kind to men with short stature, with physical flaws. Especially not to the firstborn son of a noble family.
Sixteen years I had been persecuted for my height. Now, I could see people’s faces without craning my neck. It was a familiar sight, one I had seen often before my reincarnation. The very sight I longed for every single day for sixteen years.
Everything would be alright now. Growing taller wasn’t just about physical change; it held a deeper meaning. My predetermined fate in the novel, my relationship with my parents, everything would improve.
“Oh…!! Captain, did you finally achieve your wish?!”
“That’s the Elixir of Growth… the legends were true!! Congratulations, Atlas!”
My companions congratulated me. They had witnessed my struggles, my single-minded desire to grow taller, and their congratulations were genuine.
Basking in their celebration, I marveled at my elongated limbs. Observing me intently, someone said,
“…..But if you suddenly grew that much taller, shouldn’t your clothes not fit?”
Now that they mentioned it… I was still perfectly clothed, despite having grown over 30cm. It was as if my clothes had grown along with me.
A dreadful thought crossed my mind.
“Could it be…?”
Poof!
Another anticlimactic explosion, accompanied by a puff of smoke.
As the smoke cleared, I emerged, as short as I was before drinking the elixir.
“Uh… uh… Captain…?”
My companions were speechless, staring at my dwarfish form.
Silently suppressing the swirling energy of the elixir within me, I tossed the empty vial aside.
“Ha… This is garbage.”
What I had found was indeed the legendary elixir. But it wasn’t the Elixir of Growth, it was the Elixir of Polymorph.
Polymorph, a true ‘transformation’ magic of dragons… this elixir granted the drinker the ability to freely use this high-level magic.
Wow, it really was a genuine dragon treasure. I, who had given up on studying magic, could now use Polymorph as easily as breathing. A truly incredible treasure.
But it didn’t make me taller.
“This… something else… the one I’ve been searching for…”
I could transform into a taller version of myself, but inside, I was still the same short, stubby me. Once the magic wore off, I’d revert back. This wasn’t growth. It was a deception.
I slumped down, the events of my life flashing before my eyes: my reincarnation into Atlas Titan, my parents’ abuse when I didn’t grow taller despite aging, running away to join the Knights because they said it would make me grow, deserting them when it didn’t work, and beginning my search for the Elixir of Growth.
And now, here I was, still short and stubby. Nothing had changed.
“Damn it! Why me?! Why this shitty life?!”
Repressed rage exploded. I grabbed the surrounding gold and flung it everywhere.
“Hey hey hey! The Captain’s gone mad! Everyone run!!”
“He was quiet for a while, I thought something was up!!”
“This… this damned thing!!!”
My tantrum lasted a good twenty minutes before I finally calmed down.
After documenting and collecting everything of value from the ruins, the Snow Kingdom Exploration Team began its journey back, heading for a nearby village. Everyone had brought expensive ‘magic bags’ in anticipation of a haul, so despite carrying a load of gold that would normally make them stagger, their steps were light.
The Snow Kingdom was normally a one-way trip, a white labyrinth with no exit. That was why it was designated a demonic realm, a place avoided by every nation. Yet, the Snow Kingdom Exploration Team emerged unscathed.
It was only natural. The Snow Kingdom Exploration Team had me, Atlas Titan, as its leader. Having been reincarnated while reading the web novel about this world, I possessed knowledge of its hidden lore, knowledge I hadn’t forgotten. This included the method to conquer the Snow Kingdom.
In the original novel, the protagonist had also navigated the Snow Kingdom. I merely followed his method. Satisfied with his own height, the protagonist hadn’t spared a glance for the Elixir of Growth. Perhaps if he’d known it was the Elixir of Polymorph, he would have taken it. It would have been more useful to him than the Elixir of Growth.
Before returning to the Empire, the team arrived at the last resupply point, a village near the Snow Kingdom, to rest their weary bodies. The villagers, seeing the snow-covered exploration team emerge from the deadly labyrinth, stared as if they had seen ghosts. Having stopped at this village before entering the Snow Kingdom, they had assumed we were dead. They were naturally shocked to see us return alive.
Ignoring the stunned villagers, the exploration team entered the village’s only tavern and began to drink heavily. Bella, the female team member who provided the Snow Kingdom journal, sat across from me as I sat sullenly in a corner of the tavern, nursing my drink and staring into the fireplace.
“Atlas… Are you still angry?”
“You’re lucky… You got what you wanted.”
“Still angry, huh…”
Bella looked at me cautiously, sensing the thorns in my words. She had achieved her goal, while I, who played the most crucial role, had gained nothing.
“I guess I had too much hope for the elixir. I didn’t even consider that it might not be what I wanted… Stupid me.”
Despite my self-deprecating tone, I couldn’t help but assume the Elixir of Growth would be there. My premise was that the Elixir of Growth existed. The author had explicitly stated its existence in the novel’s afterword. Its location was never revealed, but its existence was confirmed. So when I heard the legends of the Snow Kingdom, I naturally assumed they were true.
Well, they weren’t.
“You’re not stupid… At least I know… Atlas, you’re a bigger person than anyone here… They’re all just too small to see it.”
“Thanks for the comfort, but I’d rather be physically bigger, not metaphorically.”
“I like you just the way you are.”
“I don’t like myself this way, so that’s not helpful.”
Her attempts to cheer me up were endearing, and I wanted to pat her head, but with my short arms, I’d have to contort myself into a ridiculous position to reach her across the table. I gave up.
As I reached for my drink again, a luxurious envelope fell from the ceiling. Looking up, I saw a humanoid figure melt into the shadows.
“Huh? What was that??”
“Don’t worry, it’s just a letter from home.”
I wasn’t surprised by the letter falling from thin air. The crest on the wax seal was one I knew very well.
The moment I opened the letter, I jumped up, grabbed my belongings, and rushed out of the tavern.
“Atlas! Where are you going?”
Startled by my sudden departure, Bella followed me out.
“Sorry!! I need to leave this to you! Something urgent came up at home, I have to go back.”
The letter informed me that both my parents had conveniently kicked the bucket and I was needed back home.
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