Chapter 103
Chapter 103
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 103
Chapter Title: Mountain Escape (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Harley's group had entered the Northern Mountains four days prior.
After yet another battle, Harley brought the freshly acquired mana stone to his mouth.
-Destroy them all, rip them apart, kill every last one!
Crunch! Grind grind—
Ignoring the maddening impulses echoing in his mind as usual, he diligently chewed and swallowed it.
Thanks to steadily consuming mana stones over time, he was finally seeing some meaningful results.
His metabolism had become far more active, and his physical abilities had improved accordingly.
Side effects tried to manifest—bloodshot eyes, bulging veins—but...
To Harley, who could control his entire body with "Body Transformation," such things were trivial.
Without this ability, he would likely be showing the same symptoms as the monsters infesting the mountains by now.
"Damn, they really don't give us a moment's rest. How many fights is this in a row?"
"Kahahat! Sorry to interrupt your complaining, but another group's approaching! The Curtain of Concealment seems to be holding—they haven't spotted us yet—but if we stay put, we'll run into them soon."
"...We truly have no time for maintenance now."
The deeper they ventured, the higher the chance of encountering monsters, and the stronger those monsters became. Pressing forward was growing ever more arduous.
The group had no choice but to quickly cleanse the blood scent from their bodies with the purification magic tool and hurry onward.
Even with Ranger Charlton from the Steel Citadel erasing their tracks from the rear as best he could, this was still highly dangerous...
The moment the magic dispersed, monsters would swarm from all sides. It was unavoidable.
To avoid endless combat, their only option was to evacuate the area at maximum speed.
"Looks like quite a few that way too. Distance..."
"...Then we'll detour this way. Everyone, follow carefully."
Without Harley's detection abilities and guide Marcus's expert navigation, they wouldn't have made it this far.
"Mr. Marcus, how much farther to the destination? You said we were almost there earlier, but the sun's setting now."
Fabiela's face was pale from the relentless march, her voice weak with exhaustion.
No matter how trained, a mage like her couldn't match the others' stamina. Frequent spellcasting had also begun to deplete her mana, making it understandable.
Marcus, who had been silently leading the way, pulled out a pocket watch-like magic tool, checked it, and turned back to the group with a brighter expression.
"We're in the vicinity. It's really not far now."
"Phew... Finally, we'll see that famous face. Good lord, even for a dwarf, mobilizing this many people to rescue one craftsman."
Michel whispered lowly while raising her crossbow to scan the surroundings.
As she said, even if the mission called for a small team, the people here weren't cheap hires.
Each was among the top talents of the Tarac Mercenary Guild.
And they were offering extra hazard pay on top of that, plus knights from the territory.
'Well, Robin's a commoner-born knight, they said.'
Having bonded with their client Robin through shared hardships, the group had shared stories during camp.
He hadn't gone into detail, but they'd grasped the rough situation...
'The territory's chief artisan, connected since the previous lord's time. Makes sense—this fee is pocket change for someone like that.'
Weapons grew exponentially more expensive with quality.
In that regard, he was far more valuable than some coin or a single commoner knight.
If monster containment weren't more urgent, there might have been a larger rescue op.
Though the chaos was what stranded the dwarf to begin with.
"We're here. This is the place."
And finally, they arrived where the magic tool's signal pointed.
"Hm..."
A brief silence followed.
The group scanned warily while tapping the ground.
"...No cave or anything. Where's he hiding? We need to find the entrance first..."
At that moment.
Rumble rumble—
The roots around a nearby tree began to shift.
Snap!
"Oh! You're here already! Earlier than I expected."
The ground split open, and a bushy-bearded face popped out.
***
"I came for mineral surveying, then all hell broke loose! I've crossed these mountains plenty, but escaping on my own this time was impossible!"
Following the dwarf into the tunnel, the group was astonished by the surprisingly cozy underground space.
'Heard he'd been isolated for only about a week.'
The spacious area, roomy enough for all of them, was neatly finished. The root-entwined ceiling even had multiple ventilation holes.
Plus dirt beds, a workbench, and assorted clutter on one side.
"Ah, this? Got bored waiting, so I tinkered around. Good thing I expanded beforehand! Hahaha—!"
Zaonik Steelstone boomed with laughter at their stunned faces.
The interior was protected by high-grade barriers from his magic tools, so they didn't need to worry about noise alerting outside monsters.
'Expensive stuff—even my senses were fooled.'
Harley had sensed only a faint incongruity despite knowing someone was hidden nearby; pinpointing the location took effort.
With more time, he might have found it, but clueless monsters would pass right by oblivious.
"By the way, you alright? Didn't expect someone your size—the entrance tunnel isn't reinforced much."
"Hm—my skin's not so frail it'll get hurt by a mere dirt wall scrape. Don't worry! Hahaha—!"
Zaonik eyed Harley worriedly, but squeezing through the narrow passage was no big deal for him.
If anything, the sturdy tunnel was now gouged from his bulk.
"Ah! Bordo, Hans. You're both alive!"
Then, Ranger Charlton, who had quietly trailed the group, lit up and headed to the dirt beds.
Of course, Zaonik hadn't entered the mountains alone.
Two more Steel Citadel rangers were with him in the space.
"Ah! Senior Charlton, you've arrived!"
"Senior..."
But one wasn't in great shape...
Unlike the cheerful greeter, the bandaged ranger struggled to rise from bed.
"Tsk—when the anomaly hit, I reacted first and got hit in the shoulder."
Zaonik scratched his head, explaining as the group looked over.
"Gave him potions and treated it right away—not too serious. A few months' rest, and he'll recover fully."
But that assumed a safe location.
In the Northern Mountains, epicenter of the monster frenzy, it was wishful thinking.
An injury impairing mobility was a life-threatening liability now.
"Hans! You okay? Can you move?"
"Yes, it's not my legs. Climbing mountains is no issue. Don't worry."
Ranger Hans nodded solemnly, face set with resolve not to be a burden.
Harley, watching them with arms crossed, sank into grim thought...
'Hans, huh...'
He knew it was a common name.
He'd met several during his time in Outerica—village youths, chiefs, carpenters, blacksmiths, farmers. Double digits already.
Excluding the peak output Immortal King Hans, this injured ranger Hans was the most extraordinary yet.
'Becoming the greatest Hans among Hanses isn't bad, but... no impact.'
As Harley pondered the rangers seriously, Zaonik misinterpreted his gaze and patted his waist enthusiastically.
"Well, Hans can still move, and he's an elite ranger. Plus these fine warriors came to help—should be fine, right? Hahaha—!"
"Hm? Ah! Right. A proper Hans should overcome this much hardship! Pahahat—!"
"Hahaha... Huh?"
"Hahaha—!"
The slightly off-topic exchange and laughter continued briefly before the group decided on a day's rest here and departure tomorrow. They prepared beds.
Protected by high-level barriers, only one watch per shift was needed—unlike usual camping.
'Even with barriers, anything can happen. Watch is essential.'
Still, far better than 3-shift pairs excluding mage Fabiela. No complaints.
Thus, a peaceful night passed.
The day of great escape dawned.
***
Thalia Kingdom, Bright Duke's household.
Heinz 2nd was reviewing reports from various sources to gauge the continental situation today as well.
Hans acquiring Banshee Queen Olivia had added a new intel route, but it didn't lighten Heinz's load.
Low undead ghosts lacked higher cognition, following orders rigidly without complex info.
Olivia's talent in processing fragments into high intel was impressive, but limited.
She excelled at real-time battlefield data, troop movements, underworld stirrings—but for national politics, Brocoslak Clan's network was easier.
'Each has pros and cons. My job is synthesizing it all.'
Cross-verifying sources for reliability was basic.
As he organized new intel...
"Lord Heinz."
Mulo Brocoslak entered after a knock.
"Come in. What is it?"
Heinz looked up from papers. Mulo bowed politely.
"Just now—a report that the monsters have begun stirring."
"Hmmm... So it came to that."
Mulo managed dispersed vampires via blood magic, relaying their emergencies.
This time, from those in the Beast Forest.
"With two True Bloods there, it shouldn't be too dangerous. Tell them to intervene just enough to keep the outer armies intact—don't overextend."
"Yes, sir. But it's not just there..."
"Hm?"
Under Heinz's puzzled gaze, Mulo continued calmly.
"The Northern Mountains too—the monsters have begun marching south in earnest."
The anticipated chaos had begun.