Chapter 156- So and So

Chapter 156: Chapter 156- So and So

Chapter 156- So and So

The trip to the foot of the mountain took a bit longer than Rize expected, as it required him to make many stops to fend off the monsters attacking him. He was certain that as he got closer and closer, the chance of him encountering a monster that he might need to escape from rather than fight would increase.

Rize had to take into consideration the girls he was carrying. Any attack could cause damage to their bodies, and he couldn’t afford to let that happen when they were completely unconscious. He was treating them as gently as he could in fear of hurting them by mistake. That, in these circumstances, was not ideal, as he needed to constantly move and jump and dodge and swing, and do all kinds of things while having to carry them on his back.

It pushed him to his limit with every fight as he got closer and closer to the mountain. Eventually, after a long struggle against the tides of monsters that kept attacking him, Rize emerged into the opening where the foot of the mountain was.

He stared up as he breathed heavily, his face covered in blood, before he gulped. He couldn’t see the peak from here, and it only dawned on him that the true struggle didn’t even start yet.

Baragon stood next to him as he looked at the mountain with a scowl on his face. "It hasn’t changed since the last time I saw it. As terrifying as ever."

"..." Rize looked at him before he sighed and chugged an energy potion to regain some stamina. "And I need to climb all of this. It’s going to be so much fun."

Rize knew that if he made any mistake, no matter how small it was, he was going to suffer dearly and perhaps even lose his life. However, he tried not to think about that too much, knowing that he needed to remain optimistic and focus on trying to do everything the right way.

With that, Rize prepared the tools he was going to use, all the climbing gear and also Endless Hunger, as he would need it to assist him throughout the entire climb. Luckily, the first major part of the mountain is inclined but not enough for him to do any serious vertical climbing, and it was walkable even though it was insanely long and, with the upward motion, even more exhausting for Rize.

Then comes the second major part, which was a vertical climb for miles and miles. That was what scared Rize; having to climb all of that was incredibly strenuous on his body, and then he had to fight to get the souls of his companions back. Just thinking of that made his body shudder, and his bones shook.

However, he erased those thoughts from his mind as he started walking. He knew if he didn’t get there in time, something could happen that would end his chances. He was already grateful enough that he could try.

As he set foot on the mountain, Rize felt a chill run down his spine. The same feeling he had when he first saw the mountain came back to him, and he looked up. That feeling was never going to leave him as long as he was there, and he had to get accustomed to it.

’Nothing bad will happen; I just need to focus.’ Shaking those thoughts away, Rize continued walking as the path became inclined and his feet started fighting harder to push forward. However, Rize focused on taking the next step without focusing on the path much.

Although trees grew on this inclined plain, Rize’s vision was much better than when he was deep in the woods earlier and gave him far more time to react to any incoming danger, which was ideal for his situation.

The weather was freezing cold, and even the sun didn’t really help with it, as it was barely visible through the clouds. Each breath he took created steam, and he could feel the cold through his thick clothes.

But Rize didn’t care as he continued walking, and walking and walking for hours. He luckily didn’t come across anything dangerous yet, except for some wandering monsters that he was able to deal with before they became a threat.

Eventually, Rize had to stop to get some rest and eat. He felt so nauseous from the constant effort he had to exert

Resting against a tree, he looked down, and the view was naturally ridiculous. He could see far into the distance and could even see the city in its full view. He ate some food while staring at it.

"Hm?"

That was when he noticed something. In the far distance, he could see countless small dots moving. Squinting his eyes, he was able to quickly identify them as the candidates. Many of them were leaving the city and heading toward the mountain.

"It seems they’re finally coming," Rize muttered. "It will be very chaotic soon, so I need to get ahead before they all arrive.

"What are these humans coming here for?" Baragon asked.

"The academy test. We need to climb to the peak to meet the supervisors there as part of the test." Rize explained.

"Academy? Test?"

"Ah, right, you were here before the academy was established," Rize said. "It’s a place where the awakened children go to further their studies and hone their powers. It was established by all the major powers in the world, and it has its own separate governing body."

"Interesting concept."

"Right? Many kids come here every year to have a chance at joining the academy since it provides them with the resources and status that they yearn for."

"Hm, and do they get it?"

"What do you think?" Rize asked. "Most of them go back home since they aren’t talented enough or smart enough. It’s really a battle of the fittest, if you ask me. Most aren’t prepared for that, but they still try, as you can see."

"..." Baragon didn’t reply as he simply watched the masses coming toward them.

"Anyway..." Rize threw the rest of the food in his mouth before he stood up and picked up both girls as he started walking again. The rest of the journey was quite uneventful, which made Rize somewhat even more uneasy than he was already.

’I expected a lot more monsters attacking me, but I only got a fraction of that number. This doesn’t sound good at all.’ Rize gulped as he looked around him and couldn’t see a single enemy in sight.

Usually, no enemies meant good things, but in a place like this, it was only a warning. Rize’s biggest threat wasn’t even the abominations, but rather the mist that didn’t approach him yet. However, he wasn’t going to stop even if his senses were telling him something was very off about all of this.

Rize continued moving for a few more hours until the sun started setting in the distance, where he finally came to a stop and set up a tent for the day. He would never move during the night as that was so dangerous.

Instead of setting three, Rize put one up, as he knew he had to keep the two next to him in case the mist attacked again. After that, Rize prepared some food and tried to feed the two.

"It’s pointless; they don’t have their souls, so their bodies aren’t consuming any energy. They’re in a state akin to being frozen in time." Baragon explained. "Food won’t be digested, and they don’t need it either way."

"Oh? Is that so?" Rize asked as he nodded his head and started eating. His eyes wandered to the two and he could only sigh. Seeing their faces so motionless and yet serene filled his heart with complicated emotions. He had been talking to them barely a day ago; how things changed so fast just terrified him to the core.

’There is no true safety in this world. One second you’re fine, the next you’re dead. You could never relax or let your guard down.’ He mused as he swallowed the food.

The silence and the flame next to him made him fall into deep thought as he tried to remain calm. Things might get extremely bad or extremely good tomorrow, and only time will tell. After finishing his food, Rize finally pulled the two inside the tent and put them in comfortable positions before he covered them with thick blankets to make sure they didn’t freeze at night. Then, he lay next to them and tried to close his eyes to get some sleep.

’I need to sleep in 30-minute increments to make sure nothing attacks.’

Meanwhile, Baragon sat outside in silence. Rize didn’t even know what the man was going to do the entire night or if he would still be here in the morning, but he didn’t care to ask. He had too much on his mind, and the mysterious man was the last of his problems right now.