Chapter 150 - 149: Terminus
Chapter 150: Chapter 149: Terminus
Yanni’s voice grew quiet again.
"I originally thought you were that kind of person, but after these past few days, I’ve come to understand. I misunderstood you..."
"What kind of person did you think I was?" Zelir asked curiously.
"The kind who uses his good looks to go around toying with girls’ feelings," Yanni said, narrowing her eyes.
"Ha..."
Hearing Yanni’s words, Zelir couldn’t help but chuckle. "And now?"
"Well... you’re brave, responsible, and you think of others."
Yanni’s eyes sparkled in the firelight. "Completely different from what I thought before."
"You’re going to make me blush," Zelir said, taking another bite of rabbit meat.
"Anyway... that’s all I wanted to say. I’m sorry for my bad attitude before."
"It’s nothing. I didn’t take it to heart," Zelir said. "After all, you’re Bev’s good friend."
"Mhm..." Receiving his forgiveness, Yanni finally relaxed.
"But, actually, there’s something I’ve been wanting to ask you... Consider it a personal question. If you find it offensive, I’ll apologize in advance," Zelir said.
"Go ahead and ask."
"It’s just..."
Zelir chose his words carefully. "Why do you like girls?"
Hearing this, Yanni pursed her lips slightly.
"It’s not that I like girls... I’m just like this with Bev."
"Only with Bev?"
"Yeah... Did you know? My father is actually a lot like you," Yanni said, turning her head to look at Zelir.
Zelir didn’t know how to respond to that. Something about it felt strange.
Seeing Zelir’s odd expression, Yanni waved her hand dismissively.
"Not in the way you’re thinking... I just mean that my father is also quite handsome. But he’s a womanizer, completely unrestrained. He doesn’t even bother to hide it, even after marrying my mother."
"When I was a child, I’d often stumble upon him having secret trysts with other women in our garden. And it was always a different woman each time."
"Oh, that’s pretty scummy, all right," Zelir said.
’A different one every time is just too much.’
He subconsciously glanced at Gray, who was busy chatting with Marcus.
"So, my mother would fight with him all the time. The two of them would have huge rows over it, making our home anything but peaceful. Every time they saw each other, it was like they were enemies..."
"But as soon as they were outside, they’d pretend to be all amicable, like a model couple."
"Sigh..."
Yanni sighed softly. "I really don’t understand how adults think."
"When I was little, I’d get so scared every time they fought at home, and I’d just want to run away. But I didn’t know where to go, so I could only hang around the Mage’s Guild."
"That’s when I met Bev. She was so gentle and kind. She would always comfort and guide me, and she helped me so much... Anyway, from that moment on, I’ve felt that Bev is the best person in the entire world."
After listening, Zelir nodded slightly.
He recalled his own first visit to the Mage’s Guild. He was a stranger in a new place, but Bev had enthusiastically explained everything about the Guild to him, without a hint of the airs one might expect from Nobility.
Zelir’s gaze shifted to Bev, who was sitting across the campfire.
She was taking small bites of rabbit meat, the firelight casting a lovely rosy glow on her fair face.
...
「The sixth day of the Monster Hunting.」
The squad had left the forest completely behind.
The mountain terrain grew more pronounced. The ground underfoot was no longer soft soil but hard rock and barren red earth.
As far as the eye could see, there were only a few large trees growing tenaciously from rock crevices, and most of the bushes had become low and sparse.
With a series of KRAKS, dozens of Demons with heavy stone shells on their backs emerged from their camouflage.
They scuttled forward on their numerous jointed legs, surrounding the entire squad from all sides.
"Riley, left flank! Use the Rock Bullet Skill to break their momentum."
"Isaac, watch your back! Block them off with the Stone Wall Skill."
"Lante, aim your Ice Cone Skill better!"
Leiden was the one commanding the battle. Though still a bit clumsy, he was no longer panicking.
Under Leiden’s direction, the young Mages began to unleash their Magic in an orderly fashion.
Zelir just watched idly from the side, not lifting a finger the entire time.
[Rock Shell Insect], a Tier Thirteen Demon with a [Simple] rating.
’They’re nothing special. They just camouflage themselves as rocks in mountainous terrain and attack when a group walks into their encirclement.’
’This is perfect practice for them. Killing them doesn’t give much Experience Points anyway.’
Marcus merely stood guard at the front as a token gesture. Only when a Rock Shell Insect occasionally crawled past the line did he swing his blade to cut it down. He left the rest of the Rock Shell Insects to the Magic Apprentices.
Soon, all the Rock Shell Insects were eliminated under the bombardment of various Magic spells.
It was clear from this easy battle that after several days of training, the young squad members had matured, both in their mental fortitude and their practical application of Magic.
The squad pressed on.
However, the path ahead was not as easy as before.
The mountain path grew increasingly rugged and steep. In many places, there was no path at all, forcing them to use their hands and feet to climb the sheer slopes.
The climb was incredibly draining on their Physical Strength.
It was manageable for the Adventurer Squad and Zelir, but the other Mages were completely exhausted.
During this process, Instructor Manlin had to stay at the rear of the group, continuously casting group Vitality Granting spells to replenish their Physical Strength with her Magic Power.
This was the only way to ensure no one from the squad fell behind due to a lack of Physical Strength.
Finally.
Zelir stepped onto a protruding rock and reached the summit of one of the Hengduan Mountain Range’s peaks.
The squad was now situated in what was roughly the saddle of a massive, U-shaped mountain valley.
On either side, even taller peaks soared directly into the clouds.
But looking out from here, the view was still so magnificent it could stir the soul.
The scene before them opened up dramatically.
Stretching out before them was a boundless sea of churning clouds. The afterglow of the sunset dyed the cloud layer into a brilliant golden ocean.
In the distance, even more majestic mountain peaks stood like black islands in a golden sea.
Fierce winds howled through the valley, whipping at their sleeves, making it feel as if one could simply spread their arms and be carried away by the wind.
"Give me a hand..."
Bev’s breathless voice came from behind him.
"Oh..."
Zelir pulled up Bev with one hand and Yanni with the other.
The other squad members also reached the summit one by one.
The moment they got to the top, they collapsed onto the sparse grass, panting for breath, too tired to even speak.
But upon seeing the magnificent spectacle before them, they couldn’t help but let out soft gasps of admiration.
Zelir unfolded the map and carefully compared it with their surroundings.
"Mhm... that’s right. This should be the place."
Zelir called out to Instructor Lena, who had just reached the top not far away.
"Instructor Lena, this is the final location on the route map."
"This is it," Instructor Lena said, stretching as she gazed at the churning sea of clouds in the distance.
Hearing this, everyone felt a sense of relief.
’We’re finally here. The end of this Monster Hunting journey.’
Zelir looked around and couldn’t help but ask, "What about Instructor Marvin and his team?"
"Their route is a little more roundabout, but it won’t be long. They’ll probably arrive by tomorrow at the latest."
Instructor Lena said casually, "We can just make camp and wait."
’It seems Instructor Lena isn’t worried about the safety of Instructor Marvin’s team at all,’ Zelir thought.
Zelir took two steps forward and gazed ahead.
The endless clouds and mist completely concealed everything below the mountain range.
The continuous, rolling mountains were like black reefs, almost forming a single, unbroken mass.
No matter which way he looked, left or right, there was no end in sight. Even the distant horizon was completely obscured by this giant wall.
’No wonder they call it the Hengduan Mountain Range... ’
’It’s like a barrier set down by the Creator God at the border of the Kingdom.’
"Instructor Lena, what lies beyond this place, if we were to keep going?" Zelir asked, turning his head.
"Thinking of exploring?"
Instructor Lena walked over to Zelir’s side, and together they looked down upon the magnificent scenery.
"I’ve never been any further myself, but I have heard some rumors."
"The Sel Kingdom is already located in the northern part of the Candia Continent, and Black Stone Town is in the Sel Kingdom’s Northern Territory. The Hengduan Mountain Range serves as a dividing line—the dividing line for human settlements."
"Beyond the Hengduan Mountain Range lies the legendary Land of the Far North."
"It is said that the snow there never melts, a frozen wasteland stretching for thousands of miles. There are no permanent villages, and only a very small number of powerful Adventurers have ever set foot there."
"Needless to say, it’s fraught with danger. But precisely because it’s so rarely traveled, astonishing opportunities also lie hidden amidst the endless perils."
Instructor Lena smiled softly.
"Zelir, if one day your power grows to a level that even I cannot fathom, perhaps you could try venturing into the Land of the Far North."
"I believe there will be many things waiting for you to explore and discover."
Instructor Lena’s words sent Zelir’s imagination soaring.
Gazing out once more, Zelir felt as if a grand scroll depicting the world was slowly unfurling before him.
The Land of the Far North.
’What secrets could be hidden there...?’
...
"HAAH!"
A ferocious Fireball erupted from the tip of a Magic Wand and struck a Beastman Goblin in the head.
With a BANG, the Magic Power blew its head apart. The Beastman Goblin’s headless body swayed for a moment before crashing to the ground.
Once the leader was dealt with, the other smaller goblins scattered in all directions. But they didn’t get far before they were picked off one by one by various pursuing Magic spells.
"Mmm..."
Seeing this scene, Marvin finally nodded in satisfaction.
The one who had just unleashed the Fireball was Philip, the captain of the second squad under Marvin’s command.
The composition of Marvin’s Adventurers was similar to Manlin’s.
Aside from the Upper Level Warrior and Upper Level Swordsman responsible for the squad’s safety, the combat team was also a combination of an Assassin, a Warrior, a Ranger, and a Swordsman. The only difference was that the Swordsman here was Middle Level.