The sun rose slowly from the south, as morning birds flew to find food for their babies. While the birds sang a lullaby, the melody felt distant, like a child sleeping in her mom's lap. The sky glimmered, and rays brightened the forest. Leaves became radiantly green, and shadows formed a net to sleep.
Han was the first to open his eyes as the rays fell on his face through a small hole in the cave.
"Hnn... It's already morning. Ah! I have to get ready for my classes. Wait... Oh, I am in a game now. It still feels like a dream—transported into the world of Upiter—and this world being real. Not only this, but Kazuki is also nowhere to be found. I guess I can say a lot has happened."
His eyes gazed outside the cave at the shrill branch hanging on the old tree, on top of which sat an orange bird. Its eyes were golden, pupils oceanic blue, with a small black beak giving the impression of a tie in a designer suit. The wings were colorful all over the tails. He had never seen such beauty in his life.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" a voice came from behind, a melody so soft that it felt unworldly. There sat a snow-white-haired girl.
"Scarlet! Good morning. Did you sleep well?"
"Hmm... Pretty well, but Nana was a little worried. She seems to not have been able to sleep well."
"I understand. When everyone wakes up, I think we should visit a kingdom—hopefully, to find some clue."
"Yeah, I think it's a good idea. Do you know any kingdom?"
"Let's see... In the manual, there is a map given. I think if we can somehow guess our location, then we can potentially find a route."
They opened the manual, but both were unable to understand anything. They tried, but failed to read the map. On the spur of the moment, a hand grabbed the map.
"Martha, sorry. I think our noise woke you up."
"No, it's okay. Let me see... so this is south and this is north. The sun rose from the south, so that side means we are somewhere on the left side of the map. The valley was a little like this one, and there's a stream, so there must be a river or lake somewhere... Ah! Got it. So we are here, at the center of these two kingdoms—[Thelafa] and [Atria]."
Both were shocked, unable to say anything out of pure amazement. Their mouths hung open like toon characters.
"You are amazing, Martha!" Scarlet jumped and hugged her.
"It's okay~"
"Umm... Scarlet, she can't breathe the way you hugged her."
"Oh, sorry."
"Then we should visit one of these two. The way it seems, Thelafa is a really big kingdom, so I think it's best for finding any clue. What about you both? What do you think?"
"I also think it's the best option."
"Hmm… me too."
From the back, another voice came. "Me thrice."
"You idiot! Nobody asked you, you hairy blacksmith! When did you wake up?!"
"Who the heck is hairy?!"
The sound of their quarrel woke Nana from her sleep, her eyes tired like someone who hadn't slept for days. Jay knelt down beside her.
"Don't worry, we will find Kazuki."
The group was ready to begin a journey to the kingdom that lay at the center of the valley—home to more than fifty thousand people. It was one of the biggest and most prestigious kingdoms of Upiter.
• • • • •
The sun was now at the top. Its light glimmered across the surroundings. The cave was now empty as they had left.
The journey had begun. The kingdom was located at the center of the vicious valleys, surrounded by a large forest. The path to get there was pretty straight.
"Looking at it, if we walk, it would take three days to get there," Martha, holding the map, estimated the time.
"Three days?! Isn't there a shortcut?"
"I don't think so."
Jay was unusually quiet. He was thinking something. Suddenly, he grabbed a small stick and started drawing something—a path that cut through the mountains.
"Martha, if we follow this, how long would it take us to get there?"
"Like 15–16 hours, but I don't think we could climb this mountain without any risk."
"I think there is a way."
He looked towards Han. His eyes were enough for Han to understand his idea.
"So you mean, I use my skill to make a path for us to climb it?"
"I didn't say anything, did I?"
"I understand it. But you have to carry me on your back if I get unconscious."
"Whatever."
Han looked up. The mountain stood, reaching the skies. He took a step forward, clenching his fist. The symbol once again started to glow.
"Skill: INSPECTION!"
Mana: 150 → 145
"Hmm... The rocks are a little steep. I can only inspect half the mountain currently. The way it seems, if I have to make a path, it should be there."
His fist clenched harder, with nerves starting to pop out of his skin. The hue of his eyes changed to brown as he shouted:
"Skill: GROUND SHIFT!"
The ground started to tremble. Rocks and boulders began to fall. The shaking created a blanket of dust, covering everyone's vision. As the dust started to fade, a stair appeared, carved on the skin of the mountain. The glow in Han's fist finally dimmed as he fell on his back, unconscious.
Mana: 145 → 5
"You did good. Now let your caretaker take care of the rest."
Jay picked Han on his back and started to climb the stairs. After one hour of climbing, they reached the center of the mountain. But the top couldn't be climbed the same way—it was steep and covered with snow.
Han was now a little better. Martha read the map again. By observing the height and the angle of the rays falling, she calculated that they should walk along the edge.
The edge was narrow and steep. One wrong step and you were gone. It was only wide enough for one person at a time. Jay, a hill climber during high school, had already collected some leaves that they used to make the blanket.
[Skill: Material Sewing]
Mana: 180 → 145
The leaves broke apart into small pieces, dancing in the air like petals of blossom. The pieces began lining up, joined together to make a long rope.
"Perfect, Martha! It's good. Now I will be the first to go. After me, Scarlet, then Nana, then Han, and last Martha. I want you to constantly use appraisal on the rope. If the durability gets low, we'll stop and change it."
Everyone nodded. And thus began the mountain climbing.
First was Jay. He attached one end of the rope to his back and started to move forward—slowly and steadily, with each step calculated. After every 100 meters, he fixed the rope to the edge. Then others moved in the order he said: first Scarlet, scared but composed, then Nana crawling because of fear, then Han, somehow managing even while tired, and last Martha, using appraisal and checking the rope thoroughly.
After doing the same drill again and again, with many close calls along the way, they somehow managed to find a breakthrough—a small hole connected to the other side of the mountain.
Han used his [Skill: Inspection] to check for any problems. After confirmation, Jay used his [Skill: Blacksmith Lagoon], using some small rocks of iron he had found. He made a hook, hooked it on the crack between two rocks, and used the rope to slide through the hole to the other side. The hole was long—it took 3 minutes for Jay to get out from the other end. He knotted the rope on a boulder outside and ordered the others to follow.
One by one, they crossed through the hole—first Scarlet, then Nana, then Han, and lastly Martha.
• • • • •
Far away, in the middle of the giant forest, a kingdom could be seen clearly.
"So that is Thelafa," Han said before vomiting again.
"Yeah, looks like it. Now all we need is to find a road—or rampage through the forest."
"Before that, first we need to climb down this mountain. Han, are you ready for round two?"
"Looks like it."
• • • • •
Somewhere west, in the land of Drognar, Kazuki was handcuffed inside a small cell.
"You are a monster! What do you think you're doing?! I'm never going to tell you anything!"
In the depths of the shadows, a person stood wearing a red robe. His face was translucent in the dark. He slapped Kazuki.
"Do you really think you have any other options? The only option you have is to become a pawn of mine. It's been a long time since I last saw a [Cursed Saint]."