Chapter 244: I don’t need a group; I can do it on my own.

But if they were unlucky...

They could spend three months in that mountain and return empty-handed.

And there was an even worse consequence.

The mission required a certain amount of resources to be handed over to the responsible family. If someone failed to collect enough resources, they would have to make up the difference using their own resources.

For a Pseudo-Mage, that made little sense.

Why risk their life and waste months just to test their luck?

After understanding the situation, I quickly had a meal.

I had arrived early. There were still five days before the mountain’s resting period.

Therefore, there was no need to wander around the city. I entered my room and practically never left it again.

I even asked the hostel staff to deliver my meals directly to my room.

During those few days, I focused on studying the Domain Field.

I had an increasingly strong feeling that an advanced defensive spell of the Light Element would perfectly complement my Light Body.

If I could master it... Any enemy that tried to approach me would be subjected to continuous Light Element damage.

It suited my style perfectly. I had never liked fighting someone fairly. If I could remain hidden and destroy my enemy before they even realized they were in danger, even better.

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.

.

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During those days, several acolytes came looking for me. They all had practically the same goal.

They wanted to invite me to join their teams.

My answer was always the same.

After several attempts, the news spread among the visitors.

There was a Level 3 acolyte who intended to enter the Crystal Peak Light Mountain alone.

Naturally, this attracted attention.

But none of them were idiots. They had all managed to become acolytes. That meant they possessed at least some degree of intelligence and caution.

If someone had the courage to enter a place like that alone, they probably had some kind of trump card.

Even so, I could feel their gazes.

Many of them were probably waiting to see something happen to me.

I didn’t care, because the day everyone had been waiting for soon arrived.

On that day, the rumble that had accompanied our stay finally stopped completely.

The outside world had changed.

I stood up and walked over to the window. I pushed open the heavy wooden shutter.

I looked toward the horizon.

The enormous column of dust that had remained suspended in the sky was beginning to disperse. The rain of dust and particles that seemed as though it would never end was slowly diminishing.

And, on the distant peak of the mountain, countless crystals began to shine.

The light reflected from them illuminated the entire region.

It was a magnificent sight.

The resting period had begun.

I closed the window and quickly picked up my equipment.

There was no reason to wait, so I immediately left the room.

Just like me, the other acolytes also began leaving their rooms.

In the main hall, Notoki was already waiting.

Another fifteen minutes passed.

When all twenty acolytes had arrived, Notoki gave the order.

"Let’s go!"

We quickly headed toward the foot of the Crystal Peak Light Mountain.

For a group like ours, a distance of seven or eight kilometers was not much of a problem.

In less than fifteen minutes, we arrived at a natural cave located approximately halfway up the mountain.

Two Pseudo-Mages from the Suntel Family were already waiting for us.

They checked the entry permits one by one.

When it was my turn, I handed over the white stone.

One of them examined the object.

After confirming its authenticity, he allowed me to pass.

The cave was not large.

It was approximately seventy square meters.

But the real danger was not its size.

The ground was covered with sharp-edged rocks and irregular limestone formations.

The tunnel seemed to lead toward the depths of the mountain.

The walls were covered with large cracks and deep trenches.

From time to time...

Fuuuuush!

A current of extremely hot air exploded from one of the openings.

The heat was so intense that it could cook an ordinary person almost instantly.

Probably because the scorching light activity had only recently ended, even the ground remained hot.

The air was permeated by a pungent smell of solar radiation.

I could feel its presence.

An ordinary human could not remain there for long.

After approximately ten minutes, the poisonous light would probably begin invading their body, and the lungs would be the first to suffer.

But none of the acolytes present were ordinary humans.

One after another, defensive fields appeared.

Barriers of different colors enveloped their bodies.

I was no exception.

I did not reveal my Light Body.

Instead, I released a Light Force Field around myself.

The luminous energy spread silently, forming a protective layer.

I looked at the others and quickly counted.

Eight acolytes had used similar defensive spells of the Light Element.

Almost half of the group.

The rest primarily used the Earth or Wind Elements.

But there was not a single Water Element acolyte.

The reason was not difficult to understand.

In an environment like this, a Water Element acolyte would be at an enormous disadvantage.

Not only would it be much more difficult to absorb Water Elementium, but the power and effects of their spells would probably be reduced by at least seventy percent.

If someone had even a little common sense... They would not come to a place like this.

Unless they were forced to.

The Light Element acolytes cast resistance spells on their companions.

After that, they began entering the tunnels.

Therefore, each group chose its own path.

One after another, they disappeared into the depths of the mountain.

I watched them for a few moments.

Then I noticed something interesting.

The acolytes from the Suntel Family did not accompany any of the visiting groups.

They chose a different path.

They probably knew the terrain much better than we did.

Besides, they had their own objectives and specific areas to explore.

They had no need to test their luck by following strangers.

I then looked at the tunnel in front of me.

Then I bent my body slightly and entered the tunnel.

...

1225 Words

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