Chapter 390: Top of the world

The top of the world. Such a nice place to be.

And yet, when Luke finally reached the peak, the first thing he did was invest more than thirty points into Speed. His stat climbed to nearly eighty, and he immediately took off so fast that he almost stumbled over his own feet.

The peak was covered by a dense forest, its towering trees disappearing into a thick layer of fog that reduced visibility to little more than a few dozen meters. Luke had no time to admire the scenery, however. He pushed deeper into the forest, weaving between trees as quickly as he could.

He nearly crashed several times, but creating distance was far more important than avoiding a few bruises. Behind him came the reason for his haste.

A dozen beings, perhaps even more, were chasing him.

Luke had no idea whether they had seen his face, but they had clearly sensed him climbing the wall. Now, all he could hear through the fog was the sound of hurried footsteps, excited shouts, and the increasingly desperate chatter of those pursuing him.

’They’re fast.’

Luke gritted his teeth as he realized just how different the creatures at the peak were from the humans below. None of them seemed to have less than seventy points invested in Speed, judging from the pace at which they were tearing through the forest.

Thankfully, Luke had accumulated enough stats over the past few weeks to spare a few more points.

Thak!

"Agh!"

His shoulder slammed into a tree when he tried to make a sharp turn around it. Leaves rained down around him as he staggered for half a step before forcing himself forward again.

"There!"

Someone spotted him through the fog.

Luke clicked his tongue and accelerated, ignoring the dull pain spreading through his shoulder. Reaching into his inventory, he tossed several small explosive bombs behind him.

BOOM!

The explosions tore through the forest, followed by startled cries and frantic shouts. More than a few of his pursuers were caught in the blasts, some screaming in pain while others scrambled away from the smoke.

It bought him a little distance.

Not nearly enough.

Some particularly stubborn bastards continued after him without slowing down.

Luke glanced through the fog and realized the forest showed no sign of ending. His mind had been so occupied with escaping that he had completely lost track of where he was supposed to find the middleman.

’Do I confront them?’

He quickly dismissed the thought.

’Without the moon, they’ll probably overwhelm me with those numbers.’

He was at a clear disadvantage. Even if he could deal with several of them, fighting ten beings at once while already exhausted was another matter entirely.

He needed to think. And he needed to think fast.

[Host, unless you verify what creatures you are dealing with, the system cannot determine the most effective method of dealing with them.]

Luke’s eyes narrowed.

The system was right.

He needed information first.

’Buy me the mask.’

The moment the purchase was confirmed, Luke came to a sliding stop. His feet dug into the damp soil as he spun around, reaching into his inventory and pulling out the fox mask. He covered his face with it just as the first of his pursuers emerged through the fog.

Thud.

"Haaah... finally. The cat has given up."

The speaker looked vaguely human at first glance, but the thick black thorns protruding from his head and the long black tail whipping behind him made it obvious that he was anything but.

"You really know how to run. Must’ve been a thief."

Another voice followed from behind him, much calmer and gentler. Unlike the first, this one showed barely any sign of exhaustion.

The second creature possessed a humanoid body, but its head belonged to a wolf. Its powerful hind legs remained slightly bent even while standing, explaining the remarkable speed with which it had kept up during the chase.

[Demi-humans, Host. They possess the physical strength of beasts and the intelligence of humans. They are discriminated against in this world because of the latter.]

Luke inwardly snickered.

So just because they happened to share some connection with humans, they were treated differently as well?

’Just how deep does the hatred for humans run?’

Parting his lips, Luke finally spoke. "I mean you no harm. I came here to meet a man, and once I have spoken with him, I will return."

The two beings exchanged a glance before the horned one scoffed. "And you believed we should let you cross the border simply because you asked nicely?"

The wolf man followed, his voice losing its earlier calmness. "Anyone who lives beyond the Wall is prohibited from coming here. You have committed a crime, and we don’t require a trial to pass judgment."

Their bodies tensed as they prepared to attack. There was no hesitation in their movements, making it clear that neither of them had any intention of listening to his explanation. As far as they were concerned, Luke was an intruder who had crossed a boundary he was forbidden to approach. Killing him would probably earn them nothing more than praise from their superiors.

Luke, however, had no intention of allowing the conversation to end there.

"Are you sure you can simply get rid of me?" His voice remained composed beneath the fox mask. "Someone who possesses the authority to challenge the ritual itself?"

The two beings froze.

It lasted no more than a heartbeat, but Luke noticed it.

Good.

He had their attention.

Luke straightened slightly and continued before they could recover. "Are you learned enough to know who is permitted to bypass the rule that binds every individual from crossing the Wall? The ritual is indiscriminate. It binds every being, including the almighty dragons. Yet the blessed Guardians of the Realms may cross the border whenever they wish."

His gaze swept between them.

"And you bunch dare to challenge me?"

For the briefest moment, Luke maintained an expression of absolute confidence behind his mask.

Internally, however, he knew he was spouting utter bullshit.

Their expressions visibly shifted as they exchanged uncertain glances. For the first time since confronting Luke, neither of them seemed entirely certain about what to do with him.

Then another figure emerged from the forest.

"Then why did you need to climb the Wall, Protector of the Realm?"

The newcomer possessed the face of an owl, with sharp, watchful eyes that seemed almost too perceptive. Unlike the other two, he stood perfectly upright, his posture carrying an air of authority that immediately set him apart.

Luke inwardly smirked.

What a foolish question.

He could come up with ten excuses on the spot. He could claim that the ritual interfered with his passage, that he needed to make his presence known, or come up with some other piece of nonsense that sounded convincing enough.

But then the system interrupted him.

[Host, don’t lie to this person.]

Luke frowned.

’But why?’

Before the system could answer, the map suddenly appeared before his eyes.

A red blip was displayed dangerously close to his current position.

Luke’s eyes narrowed.

He looked toward the owl-faced man.

Then back at the map.

As if confirming his suspicion, the system finally spoke.

[That’s the middleman.]

"..."