Chapter 158- Winds Of Calamity (Part 1)

Chapter 158: Chapter 158- Winds Of Calamity (Part 1)

Chapter 158- Winds Of Calamity (Part 1)

After resting for half an hour, Rize finally stood up to resume his climb. While he felt a bit tired, he didn’t want to waste more time doing nothing. His next stop was a few hours away, so he decided to get there before the end of the day, or he might have to continue climbing in the darkness, something he would rather avoid at all costs.

’The temperatures are still dropping rapidly. I can barely feel my hands.’ He thought to himself as he channeled even more Essence to warm his body and regain sensation in his fingertips. He knew this was merely the start, and the storm they forecasted was bound to come at any given moment. Rize didn’t know how he was going to deal with that, but he knew he couldn’t really let it stop him.

Ideally, he would get to his destination before the storm got too strong and risky. He was certain with this speed, it would take him two to three days at most to get to the peak. With that in mind, Rize started climbing again with even more vigor and intent than before.

He pulled himself up while the two girls were lying against his back, completely unconscious, or rather... Their consciousness didn’t even exist at the moment, so they were almost dead corpses. Shells without anything inside.

Steadily, Rize continued moving up, using his knowledge of climbing to the max. He had learned how to climb before as part of his training, and so he was able to move at a rather fast speed. At the same time, climbing at the moment helped him understand the mountain more and use that knowledge to increase his speed.

’It’s not that hard to climb if it were a very small mountain. It’s the distance that makes this climb so damn hard and arduous.’ He clenched his teeth as he stopped mid-climb and stared back. He could still see candidates in the distance moving toward the mountain. They still had at least a day before they got there, so he wasn’t worried about them yet.

’Now that I think about it. I wonder where that bastard is right now.’ Rize mused. ’I am certain he finished the test as soon as we did. But there is no sight of him. Did he wait for his group to start the climb?’

Whether Fate was indeed here or if he was still back there didn’t really concern Rize at that moment, but he couldn’t deny that the mysterious bastard was always in the back of his mind, knowing he could be planning something malicious at any given moment that could sabotage his mission.

If he finds Rize now, that could risk ruining his goal, or perhaps Fate would try to make sure the two never come back for his own gain.

An hour passed slowly and swiftly while Rize continued on his way up. Aside from the cold temperatures, Rize didn’t really feel anything else that could disturb his climb. He thought that he was at least safe for the time being and that even if the mist attacked, he would know beforehand and act accordingly.

What he didn’t expect was the noise he was about to hear that made him stop and look up. The sky above him had been covered in a thick layer of clouds for the past two days, but Rize hadn’t noticed any sign of rain so far.

However, at that moment, the thunder suddenly clapped, shaking the entire forest and the mountain. Rize immediately gripped the wall as he stared up, his face dark as he frowned.

’Don’t tell me.’ He muttered under his breath as he scanned his surroundings. The wind was picking up pace, and he could notice it at that moment.

Then, before he could even react, Rize felt a droplet of water fall on his face, and as small as it was, it was akin to a dagger sinking into his heart. It was about to rain... A storm was brewing.

’Wait, wait, wait, what do you mean a storm right now?! Wasn’t it supposed to start in a few days?!’ Rize clenched his teeth as he looked down. There was no way he could go back to the rock he was resting on earlier, so his only option was to continue up.

"What are you waiting for, human? Move." Baragon said as he noticed the rain and realized what was about to happen.

"I know! I’m going to!" Rize replied as he started climbing again with even more urgency. Earlier, he was trying to be as safe as possible, but now that he was facing imminent death, he had no choice but to throw safety out of the window as he tried to climb as fast as he could, sometimes even leaping from one ledge to the other without thinking twice.

The droplets increased in quantity quite rapidly as Rize found himself racing against time as the storm grew. The wind whistled faintly in his ear, pushing against his body from the side, and he could tell it was only increasing in intensity by the second as he continued rushing toward the ledge.

’I’m at least an hour away from it! Fuck! Fuck!!!!’ He cursed as he continued moving without looking down or stopping for a second. He couldn’t even afford to think let alone wait.

With each passing minute, more rain fell on Rize’s face as it started obscuring his vision and making every rock slippier. Rize’s grip was strong, so that didn’t change his balance much, but it was only getting worse and worse, and he knew soon enough, every rock could be slippery enough for him to lose his balance and fall to his death.

In a matter of 10 minutes, the wind went from mildly audible to deafening as it started pushing harshly against Rize, making balancing even harder. The rain dripped on his face every time he tried to look at his next target. He had to shake it off several times before he resorted to using Endless Hunger as an umbrella and a shell against the wind.

It consumed a lot of his essence, but it was good enough to protect him and the girls from the storm for a bit. He used that precious time to make even more distance, desperately trying to make it to the next stop so he could save their lives.

’Please, just don’t get stronger than this until I get to the ledge! Please!’ He begged in his mind as he bit his tongue to remain awake. His essence was running dangerously low, and he could feel that effect on his body as he grew nauseous and delirious. But the jolt from every bite kept him awake and somewhat focused.

Bit by bit, he got closer and closer to his target while at the same time, the storm became violent and dangerous even for someone walking on the ground, let alone someone climbing a mountain.

Endless Hunger continued to protect for a few more minutes before Rize had to stop using it. He had no essence left to spend on it while also using it to boost his physical performance to keep moving fast. It was a sacrifice he tried to make to buy time, and it did what it could before he had to face the storm again. The rain descended on him like a waterfall from the mountain, covering his face and body and making every single rock even slippier.

At some point, Rize tried to hold onto a small ledge, and his fingers instantly slipped as he started falling.

’Shit!!!!’ He screamed in his head as he grabbed onto the other edge at the very last second, putting all his weight and the weight of the two girls on his back. Even with all his strength, Rize struggled to hold on.

"Agh..."

The hard rocks dug into his skin, poking holes in it as they drew blood out. Rize clenched his teeth as he grabbed onto another ledge and tried to regain his balance. The wind kept swinging his body left and right while the rain stopped any possible attempt by him to stare up.

Everything was against him, the weather, the mountain, even his own body. However, even during that dire situation, Rize’s eyes remained immensely focused and determined.

"I... won’t... fall... Goddammit!!!" He grumbled as he looked ahead of him with outraged eyes. Even if everything was against him, even if he might die, he wouldn’t give up. He wasn’t going to fall in such a manner.

Baragon watched with curious eyes as the boy fought the storm with a spirit he had never seen before. For a second, his eyes flashed with realization, as if he understood something. Something he had been curious about ever since he laid eyes on this mysterious boy.

’Could he be...’ He thought to himself as he watched everything the boy was doing carefully. ’Could he truly be?’