The First Exploration of Asus Mountain

The exploration of Asus Mountain wasn't difficult at all. One of my specialties was scouting work that involved roaming across mountains. All those skills I'd learned back at the orphanage as a child were finally paying off.

"Good thing I've been here a few times." I unfolded the neatly folded paper as I climbed the mountain path. The well-preserved sheet showed a detailed map of Asus Mountain's terrain, marked with plant colonies, animal habitats, and the territories of specific monsters. Even by my previous life's standards, it was remarkably precise—the map of Asus Mountain provided by the adventurers' guild. It had been created by Edenberg's ranger unit as they personally surveyed the mountain.

I studied the map while pulling a stiff sheet of paper from my inventory. As I moved, I sketched information about the surrounding geography onto it.

"I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠never thought I'd be putting this skill to use here."

Map-making was something I'd learned at the orphanage when I was young. One of the men who served as a teacher there had been a former ranger. Drawing on that experience, I created a new map, carefully noting any differences from the existing one as I continued my survey.

I scaled a steep ridge to confirm a mana herb colony, then checked a nearby pond. I looked for any traces of monsters in the vicinity, observed how the positions of existing animal herds had shifted, and assessed the situation with the monsters settled near the mountain's entrance. As I meticulously examined the mountain's ecosystem, my gaze suddenly drifted to Ikelos, who was scouting ahead.

Thanks to him handling everything from tracking monster traces to scouting duties, I had it relatively easy. A normal person saddled with that much work would have been exhausted in no time, yet these guys were happily panting with their tongues out like dogs as they explored the area. They really did look like canine animals.

"You guys not tired?"

"Woof!"

When I asked just in case, they barked back that they were perfectly fine. I had no idea where that kind of stamina even came from. I watched the Ikelos, who weren't just fine but seemed to have energy to spare, with open envy.

The secret to exploration was proper pacing. You had to explore in moderation, rest in moderation, and adjust your rhythm so you wouldn't burn out before finishing a survey of such a vast mountain. That was why, unlike the Ikelos, I took periodic breaks.

"I wish I had stamina like you guys."

"Woof!"

"You wish that for me too? Thanks."

While the Ikelos kept watch over the surroundings, I climbed a tree to rest and pulled out some snacks. Searching while climbing mountains consumed a lot of calories. I needed to eat regularly to keep my strength from giving out, so I munched on snacks while admiring the scenery of Asus Mountain.

"Kit!"

"You want some too?"

"Kiiit!"

Rata, who had caught the scent of the snacks from my pocket, climbed onto my shoulder. I popped a nut into the little guy's mouth as he stared up at me with sparkling eyes. I stroked his head, smiling at how cute he looked happily gnawing away.

"How nice would it be if Asus Mountain was as easy to understand as you."

Asus Mountain was an incredibly special place. It was because the mountain stood where it touched the ley lines—the flow of mana that circulated through the world. As a result, Mystery phenomena occurred here at a much higher frequency than in other regions. Even the kind of Mystery events typically only seen in the South appeared frequently.

The guild scholars had gone on about how it was a very unique phenomenon, throwing around all sorts of technical explanations, but I'd simply let it flow in one ear and out the other. Maybe I should have listened more carefully back then.

I tried to recall the scholar's words that remained faintly in my memory. If I organized what I'd heard at the time...

Thanks to the abundant energy of the ley lines, the ecosystem that formed the mountain was incredibly diverse. It was full of precious resources, from flora and fauna to valuable materials, but it also attracted a great many creatures drawn by those same ley lines.

"Groooar!"

The moment I finished my thoughts, a log came flying toward Ikelos, who had been standing guard. The force behind it was clearly enough to kill on impact, so Ikelos instantly dissolved his wolf form into shards and dodged the attack.

The two-meter-tall silver gorilla that emerged from between the trees wore a triumphant expression, apparently believing it had killed him after seeing the pathetic way he scattered. It was just a Silver Gorilla—a common wild animal. I'd been on edge wondering if a powerful monster had shown up at such perfect timing, but the tension instantly drained away.

"You startled me."

Despite being an animal, it had plenty of spirit and didn't back down even after seeing our numbers.

"Guoooh!"

"Tsk. Spread out!"

As the Silver Gorilla grabbed the log and began shaking it wildly, I clicked my tongue and retreated. Once it confirmed we were pulling back, the creature snorted and glared at us with wary eyes.

I sighed as I looked at it, readjusting my grip on my sword.

"Gruuk!"

"I'm already swamped with work and you decide to cause trouble."

Though it stood over two meters tall, that size was common enough in the North. The gorilla looked around, seemed to like the spot, and began rubbing its own fur onto a tree. It was clearly marking the area as its territory.

I clicked my tongue again at the sight of the Silver Gorilla acting like some arrogant king. It wasn't even a monster, yet it possessed an excessively strong sense of territory and a vicious personality. The scholars had described it as a classic example of the "strong against weak, weak against ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠strong" rule—if it sensed someone stronger, it would lower its head on its own. I'd once read an academic paper on the subject because the topic interested me, but right now the situation only made me frown. It meant the creature was acting up because I looked like an easy target.

"I'm not that weak, you know."

No matter how little real combat experience I had, I wasn't at a level where I'd lose to something that wasn't even a monster. Its triumphant pose while holding that log was strangely irritating.

"Seriously, what kind of luck is this on the very first day of exploration?"

With my mood already soured by bad luck from the start, I sighed and wrapped my ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠body in mana. I wasn't as fast as Grid, but I closed the distance to the Silver Gorilla at a decent speed, lowered my stance, and widened my footwork.

"Huk?"

The Silver Gorilla realized I'd approached only after I'd already arrived, staring at me with a dumb expression. Before it could react, I swung my mana-infused sword. The creature never even realized what hit it before it was sliced cleanly in half.

Sssss.

At the same time, a hazy energy flowed from the creature's body and was absorbed into mine. The moment the energy entered me, a strange refreshment spread through my entire body. It was the signal that I'd gained experience points.

I glanced at the pathetically collapsing creature, ordered my summon to collect the usable byproduct—its fur—then focused my mind. A familiar shape appeared in one corner of my consciousness. Countless skills had formed beneath the Summoner class like ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠constellations, and the unlocked ones shone brightly, asserting their presence. It was quite a majestic sight, but I paid it no attention and first examined the experience I'd absorbed.

"The experience points... aren't that much."

Maybe because it was just a single wild animal. It wasn't enough to unlock a skill for summoning a new creature, though it would have been sufficient for a basic passive skill. Still, now wasn't the time to invest in that.

With a slightly regretful expression, I released my concentration and accepted the heavy pouch from Ikelos, who had already finished collecting every bit of fur in that short time. Their touch was surprisingly delicate despite their appearance; they'd apparently used the shards on their fingertips like razor blades. I marveled at the practical little trick that would be useful in daily life and stored the pouch in my inventory. The weight vanished from my hand, and a pouch icon was added to my inventory.

"No matter how I look at it, inventory is completely overpowered."

How could such a perfect Mystery exist in this world? No matter how heavy the contents, there was zero burden on the body, and the available storage space was enormous. Even in the North, where magic was widespread, subspace pouches were extremely expensive and their efficiency was garbage compared to my inventory. Perhaps the most broken power within my Mystery was the inventory itself?

Thinking about the volume and weight of supplies currently stored inside it, I gave an involuntary shiver. Adventurers suffered endless headaches over logistics. In contrast, I only needed to worry about myself. Silently praising my inventory ability, I was about to resume the survey when—

"Kit!"

Rata, who had been watching the world from inside my pocket, suddenly darted toward the Silver Gorilla's corpse.

"What's wrong?"

"Kiiit!"

Curious about the abrupt action, I approached. Rata examined various parts of the Silver Gorilla's body before pointing at its neck with one small finger. It was clearly indicating that something was there, so I carefully inspected the spot.

".....This?"

Just as I suspected, a dark stain marked the creature's neck. And it carried a distinctly ominous, unpleasant energy.

"This isn't ordinary power."

This was serious. I narrowed my eyes at the instinctive wave of unease. It wasn't as if natural phenomena never gave off such disturbing energy, but those usually came with clear precursor signs. Perhaps this situation itself was one such precursor.

After considering every possibility, I thought it over carefully.

"For now, I should gather every adventurer in the surrounding area."

I decided to increase our numbers first.