MTLNOVEL Chapter 116: My lord, he said, to take you to his chambers
"Dubhu Mountain... I've finally made it," sighed Kael, gazing up at the imposing purple mountain from the hillside.
Michel stood silently beside him. Both were exhausted; their clothes were in tatters, hanging from their bodies like old rags, and dirt covered every inch of their skin.
After the explosion caused by that woman, they had managed to take cover in time, blocking part of the shock wave. The injuries they sustained were minor and, thanks to Kael's foresight, none became infected.
However, the real danger came later. Before arriving, they encountered several groups of wild beasts, including creatures of King rank. In particular, a herd of steel hippos, extremely territorial and with young among them, pursued them for much of the journey.
Six days had passed since the explosion. Now, after a long and arduous journey, they were finally standing before Mount Dubhu.
Michel stood motionless on the hillside, staring at the majestic silhouette. It was the first time he had seen it. All around, white hills like bones surrounded it, making the central mountain stand out even more, rising with solemn grandeur, crowned by its characteristic purple color.
He frowned as he remembered what he knew about that place: dangerous, isolated, and plagued by the most poisonous creatures in the entire Northern Frontier. Dubhu was home to the most deadly wild beasts a man could face. What could Kael possibly want in a place like that?
Meanwhile, Kael was reviewing his memories.
Dubhu Mountain had recently been occupied by Baron Aiden Blander, a nobleman who had bought his title. He settled there after finding rare ingredients to continue his research into poisons. In just a decade, his name would resound throughout the Northern Frontier: he would reach rank 4 and become a 6th Circle mage, feared as the Monarch of Decay.
But what Kael remembered most clearly was not the rise of the Blanders, but a single person: Elizabeth, the baron's daughter.
She would discover a hidden cave at the back of the mountain, behind a purple waterfall. There she would find the legacy left behind by a wizard from the Tower of Babel of the 5th Circle, whose name had been lost, but whose title still commanded respect: the Lord of the Stars.
That inheritance would change her destiny, turning her into a young prodigy who would rival the heirs of the great families, even reaching the same level as Michel. Half a century later, she would reach rank 4, becoming a Demigoddess and leading the Blander family to two generations of glory.
The inheritance encompassed the six pillars of magic: attack, healing, defense, movement, storage, and research.
When Michel and Kael left Kiran Mountain, the skills they possessed only covered two aspects: attack and defense. In addition, there was another problem: their ranks were not very high.
Kael was rank 8, Highest level, and Michel was ranked 7th, Intermediate level.
By standard, their ranks weren't very high, and they could only defend themselves, especially Michel, who had the lowest rank.
This meant that they were currently weak.
If I can get the inheritance, it will save me a lot of trouble, Kael thought.
Kael knew of many inheritances, but with his current level, he couldn't even get close to most of them; doing so would be suicide. However, he had chosen this one in particular for two reasons.
The first: its proximity to Kiran Mountain.
The second, and most important, inside it was a type of magic capable of accelerating the refinement of mana essence.
With SSS-rank talent, if he added this magic to his repertoire, his growth rate would triple... maybe even quadruple.
It should be remembered that less than a year had passed since he awakened his mana core, and he had already reached rank 8, the Highest level. A ridiculously fast advancement by the standards of this world.
Now, to increase that pace even more... it was simply terrifying.
Kael glanced sideways at Michel, who continued to stare silently at the mountain.
Before they could make a move, they felt several figures rapidly approaching them.
Kael simply smiled slightly.
They reacted quite quickly.
Not long after, several figures landed in front of them. Among them was an elderly man with black and white hair, perfectly groomed, blue eyes, and dressed elegantly yet simply.
The aura emanating from the old man was that of someone in rank 7, Peak level, just one step away from rank 6.
So Michel stood alert, ready to begin a fight, but contrary to what he expected, the old man bowed slightly.
"My lord, he said, to take you to his chambers."
...
Darkness.
The last rays of the sun were like blood, and crows cawed as they flew back to their nests.
Luca moved forward through the undergrowth, his face cold, his eyes fixed on the horizon as if the vegetation brushing against him did not exist.
When they set off for Glass Beach, there were eight members, all ranked 7. Now, there were only three left. Including him, there were only four.
Luca's heart sank, and his expression turned grim.
The losses had been too great!
This completely exceeded his expectations. He knew that traveling was dangerous and that nature could kill him before he even noticed... but what had happened was excessive, as if bad luck had taken a liking to him. As if fate itself was mocking him.
They had followed Kael and Michel's tracks until the tracking Zu died. With no other options, they continued onward, but the path proved far more deadly than they had anticipated.
They fought against several wild beasts; two of his men were seriously injured. The wounds, in such a dirty and inhospitable environment, quickly became infected. Within a few hours, they fell into critical condition... and Luca, with a furrowed brow, had to end their lives.
He looked at his hand. The memory of how he had finished them off hit him hard. Hatred began to burn in his chest.
It was all those bastards' fault.
If it weren't for them, his comrades would still be alive.
Even so, they couldn't stop. Not after all this. They had to keep going.
The advance became increasingly chaotic and dangerous. One single mistake and they would enter the territory of some bloodthirsty beast of Viscount rank.
They had never faced such a brutal journey before.
They encountered a herd of fiery red monkeys, which relentlessly harassed them. To be honest, their luck was miserable. And the worst was yet to come: without the scout, who had died from infection, they mistakenly entered the territory of the Iron Eaters, creatures as territorial as steel hippos.
There, they lost two more men, mercilessly torn apart by an Iron-Eating Bear of Viscount rank. Luca still had a vivid image of the scene: pale red organs hung from the beast's mouth, staining the ground with blood.
A long, weary sigh escaped Luca's lips as he watched the sky grow dark. At that moment, all he wanted was to rest... and avenge his fallen comrades.
They continued advancing through the jungle, now much quieter than before. The chirping of insects and the distant hooting of owls gave the place a strange life, but also made it extremely dangerous.
After walking for quite some time, they came to a clearing where a huge crater distorted the ground. Some nearby trees had human remains stuck to their trunks in a disgusting manner, and the air stank of rotten and burnt flesh.
"It looks like there was a fight here," said one of the survivors, covering his nose against the unbearable stench.
Luca, on the other hand, felt calmer when he saw it. He endured the nauseating smell and looked up at the moon. It confirmed that they were going in the right direction: those responsible for the destruction of the Medici clan had passed through there.
"How much further is it to Mount Dubhu?" he asked wearily, looking around for a place to spend the night.
"Captain, from here... about five days at most," replied one of them.
Luca's brow furrowed.
"Didn't you say before that it would take between five and six days? Why is it still the same distance?"
"We said that based on the journey along the River of Blood. But... we didn't know that this jungle would be so dangerous and chaotic."
Luca was silent for a few seconds before speaking again:
"So, those bastards are probably already on Mount Dubhu, right?"
"Yes, Captain."
"Damn it!" he exclaimed, stomping so hard that the ground shook slightly. Pieces of rotten flesh fell from the trees and crashed to the ground with a repulsive sound.
The mere thought filled him with rage and hatred. It frustrated him to know that, for now, there was nothing he could do.
Just wait, bastards... when I catch you, I'll make you beg for a quick death.
He looked at the few men left and, with a tired voice tinged with a slight tremor of anger, ordered:
"Let's find a place to spend the night. We'll continue tomorrow."
They ventured a little further into the jungle to set up camp. One of the scouts riding ahead frowned when he sensed a trace of magic in the air.
He didn't have time to react.
In the next instant, a deafening explosion shook the jungle.
BOOOOM!