Chapter 467
Chapter 467
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 467
>Chapter Title: The World Above the Clouds
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The moment the rumor about the missing wyverns of Valdu surfaced, Kang Seol's expression changed.
“…What.”
Flash-!
Fwaaah-!
Kang Seol and his group, sensing the signs of a brief clash, appeared and surrounded the troll.
“Hoh… You’re not thinking of ganging up on little old me, are you? That’d be disappointing.”
Kang Seol asked.
“What’s your game?”
“What do you think it is?”
“…….”
“More importantly, mind backing off a bit? I’m not here to stir up trouble.”
The troll hadn’t revealed his name.
He was draped in a large cloth befitting his massive build, making it hard to pick out any distinguishing features.
‘If he knows where Valdu’s wyverns all vanished to… An enemy? No, not an enemy.’
The wyverns’ whereabouts had been a complete mystery from the start. An enemy wouldn’t show up and take such a risky action.
“…Who are you.”
“If you find out who I am, you’ll have to cooperate with me.”
“Bullshit. Does your name carry that much weight?”
“If not, you’ll never find Valdu’s wyverns.”
Cordon thumped his chest.
“Torture! We gotta capture him and torture him!”
“Cordon, what’s the troll saying?”
“No idea! So frustrating!”
Kang Seol sighed as he looked at the troll.
“You approached us because you want something, right?”
“Of course! Looks like you’re finally in the mood to talk.”
The troll met Kang Seol’s gaze and let out a hearty laugh.
“Truth is, me and my friends around here are in a real bind. So we came to borrow some power.”
“Why us?”
“I heard you’re at odds with those Council bastards. Or am I wrong?”
“The Council!”
It hit them anew, but the entity Kang Seol was truly up against was the single organization known as the Council. They had already extended their tentacles to various groups in the North.
“…Where’d you hear that?”
“It’s obvious. Think about it.”
The troll’s presence was confusing.
The only great tribe based in the North was the Glacier Grip. Yet this guy not only knew where Valdu’s wyverns had gone but also that Kang Seol’s group was hostile to the Council.
‘…An enemy?’
On second thought, it made sense if this troll was part of the Council. In that case, was he an enemy?
“You’re slow on the uptake. Guess I’ll have to introduce myself.”
The troll pointed a finger at the sky.
“If I told you there’s another world up in the clouds, would you believe me?”
Flinch!
Cordon and Kang Seol’s expressions changed in an instant. A being above the clouds—if it wasn’t just abstract phrasing, there was a group that came to mind.
Cordon shouted.
“Highwings! The great tribe of the clouds!”
“You’re from the Highwings. Now I get it.”
“Hahaha! Took you long enough.”
Cordon flipped through his dictionary and said.
“That accessory! That tattoo! It’s Highwing!”
Zian and Sindio were startled upon hearing the name, recalling where they’d heard it before.
“The Highwings… that’s the Council!”
“Hekai! Hekai said he was part of the Council!”
“Right, he did!”
“You said it!”
“Yeah! That’s right!”
Cordon’s eyes widened as he said.
“The Council? Oh! Yeah! You’re a bad guy!”
“What? Hahaha! Can’t argue with that, honestly.”
Karen and Karuna glared at the troll’s entire body.
Now that he was confirmed as an enemy, they were preparing for a potential clash.
“That’s creepy. Stop staring like that.”
Kang Seol asked him.
“Why would a Highwing from the Council approach us?”
“Don’t talk like everything’s set in stone. I don’t agree with that.”
“…What?”
Kang Seol was taken aback by the troll’s response.
“The decision to follow the Council… that was Hekai’s. Not all Highwings follow his choice.”
“That means…”
“We Highwings haven’t decided yet. Does that answer your question?”
It was an enticing proposition.
If the Highwings split from the Council, it’d eliminate enemy forces without a fight. And if they could pull the Highwings to their side, that much more power would be added.
“…What do we have to do?”
“Convince Hekai.”
“Will he listen to us?”
“I’ll create the situation.”
“And the wyverns’ location?”
“That… sorry about that.”
The troll scratched the back of his head.
“Truth is, I don’t know it myself. I just know someone who does.”
“Hekai, right.”
“…Yeah.”
Kang Seol summarized the troll’s words.
“There’s more than one or two reasons for us to help you convince Hekai.”
“I’d appreciate it if you think that way.”
“But I still have a question. Who are you?”
“What?”
“In the end, we have to trust you and move. If you’re some nobody, the meeting with Hekai won’t even happen. I’m not wrong, am I?”
“……No, you’re right.”
The troll said.
“…You’ll find out naturally once you come up to the clouds.”
“Hmm…”
Leaving the troll aside for now, Kang Seol’s group discussed among themselves.
“What if it’s a trap?”
“Is there a sloppier trap than this?”
“The troll could be lying.”
“The problem is we have no other choices.”
“That’s… true.”
Finding Valdu’s wyverns, locating the Council’s meeting place, or figuring out where the next piece of the Ring of Aspiration is.
They had to accomplish at least one of these to advance, but it was impossible on their own.
“This is what it means to believe out of necessity.”
“Shouldn’t we tell Valdu?”
“He’d kill the troll. Brutally.”
“That’s… yeah.”
“Well, what can we do? No other way but to check out what’s above the clouds like the troll said.”
Cordon snorted and said.
“Above the clouds! Of course we gotta go!”
“…Simpleton.”
“Complicated problems can be solved simply!”
“Annoying, but true.”
Kang Seol asked Karen and Karuna.
“How’s your condition?”
“Perfect?”
“Fine.”
Even if the troll’s words were suspicious, they had no choice but to head there, so they had to prepare for potential combat in the worst case.
“Whew…”
Kang Seol said to the troll.
“Alright, we’ll help you. But you’ll pay the price properly.”
“Hahaha! Of course! Now then… let’s head out right away.”
The troll pulled out a mysterious seal from his bosom.
“What’s that?”
“Stick close to me. And you two, keep your mouths shut except for you and you. You’ll arouse suspicion.”
The troll pointed at Cordon and Kang Seol.
The others didn’t even speak Troll, so Zian, Sindio, Karen, and Karuna nodded.
“Hmmmmm…”
Smoke billowed from the troll’s nostrils.
Shiiiii…
It soon enveloped Kang Seol’s entire group.
[An unknown entity uses Cloud Sorcery: Dreamlike Memory.]
[Distorts the appearance of the designated targets, blurring their features. Unless they do something special, it won’t draw attention.]
……[An unknown entity uses Cloud Sorcery: Dreamlike Memory.]
[Distorts the appearance of the designated targets, blurring their features. Unless they do something special, it won’t draw attention.]
……
“…Huh?”
“This is…”
The troll said.
“Illusions are my specialty. Now, to others, you’ll seem vaguely familiar. They won’t pay much attention unless you do something stupid. Alright, let’s go.”
“Go where…”
“Above the clouds.”
Whiiiiiirrrrr…
As the seal glowed, the group’s bodies were wrapped in blue particles.
The familiar sensation of teleportation after so long.
A force that whisked them instantly to designated coordinates.
“Wai…”
Kwaaaaa-!
A beam of light shot into the sky.
[Sudden Adventure ‘Who Lives Above the Clouds?’ has occurred.]
[This adventure is extremely dangerous.]
* * *
Ruuuuumble…
Thud-!
The teleportation wasn’t perfect.
As a result, the group plummeted from quite a height.
“Urghhh…”
“Shh, someone’s coming.”
The presence of someone approaching.
The ones who appeared were also trolls.
‘Highwings, huh.’
They had to be careful.
No idea exactly where this was, but it was undoubtedly deeply tied to the Highwings. For this unidentified troll to drag them here so boldly was impressive.
“Hey, it’s you? That was a short jaunt this time.”
“Ahahaha! Forgot to bring Kakui feed, you see.”
“Well, you forget what you forget. But…”
Kakui.
Kakui were magical beasts similar to the pterosaurs the Highwings rode, known for their ferocious temper that only Highwings could tame.
The sentry glanced over Kang Seol’s group and said.
“No, never mind.”
“Why?”
“Nothing. Just a weird feeling.”
“Haha, alright then. Gotta get going, busy road ahead.”
The troll led Kang Seol’s group through what looked like a checkpoint.
Ruuuuumble…
“Phew… What is this place?”
“They really didn’t notice. Amazing…”
“Sometimes makes you think sorcery’s greater than magic, huh.”
“Don’t say that. You haven’t been hit by a mage.”
“I get hit every day.”
“…Oh.”
As Zian and Sindio muttered, Kang Seol and Cordon surveyed the surroundings.
It felt like they’d stepped into a dream.
Mountains of moderate height dotted the area, covered in vibrant grasses.
“Where are we?”
“Above the clouds, like you were curious about.”
“I get that you brought us to the coordinates engraved on that seal, but I want to know exactly where.”
“Where the Highwings live. What’s so special?”
The air itself felt different, for sure.
Each breath was so unfamiliar, it almost felt like they really were above the clouds.
“The Highwings are a tribe cast out from the tribal federation. They cut ties and live independently up here.”
Neither Cordon nor Kang Seol had known the Highwings’ exact whereabouts. Only that they were once one of the great tribes in the tribal federation, and that they’d vanished from the continent for some reason.
Cordon said to the troll.
Ruuuuumble…
“Weird, right? Above the clouds? This looks totally like ground level. And what’s with this ruuuuuumble I’ve been hearing?”
“Ground level? Ahahaha! Perfect, see that mountain over there?”
“Huh? Yeah.”
“Climb that, and you’ll understand everything.”
“Where’s that?”
“The Highwings’ home base. Probably the tallest mountain in Pandea.”
“Hmm…”
The troll didn’t lead them straight to the distant mountain. He took winding paths, avoiding villages to stay out of sight as much as possible.
Thanks to that, it took two more days to reach the target mountain.
Tadak…
Crackle…
Sitting around a campfire for the night.
Sindio said.
“…This long expedition is finally coming to an end.”
“Yeah.”
Zian stared at the fire with unfocused eyes.
“Did you find what you wanted, Zian?”
“If you mean peace of mind… Hmm, definitely better than before.”
“I see…”
“And you, Sindio?”
“I… don’t know.”
Perhaps Sindio had faced the biggest change from before.
“Why am I even here?”
“…….”
“Where are we now?”
Even knowing the answer, it was a question that couldn’t be answered. Understanding her words didn’t mean one could embrace the worry and pain within them.
Then, unexpectedly, Cordon—who seemed farthest from such talk—gave an answer related to Sindio’s question.
“Humans are insignificant.”
“…Pardon?”
“Look at those stars. Beautiful, right?”
“What’s that got to do with anything?”
“Tiny and pretty, but actually huge! Humans are less than dust.”
“…….”
“Pandea’s just a star too. Humans are one of countless lives rooted there. You’re just one individual among humans, and your thoughts are just part of you.”
“Are you saying I’m worthless from a cosmic perspective? Rude.”
“I mean don’t shoulder too much responsibility! You worried, you failed? Dust just failed, that’s all.”
Cordon pursed his lips as if to say he’d meant it as comfort.
“…That was meant to be comforting.”
“Oh? There’s someone worse at comforting than me. That comforts me too. Thanks, Cordon. For the trash-tier consolation.”
“Q-Quiet! You sappy guy!”
Sindio said.
“Once all this is over, what will Pandea look like?”
“Who knows…”
“Will we have stopped the three giants’ resurrection? Will everyone in the federation return to normal?”
“…Sindio.”
“I don’t know… Why fight battles where we only lose what’s precious… Whether we can even win.”
“Your questions are too heavy. Let’s take it easy. Think about the near future.”
“Okay, then…”
Sindio looked into Zian’s eyes.
Zian of the gray seed.
Time with him had allowed her to understand the man Zian a bit more.
“Will we finally reach peace?”
“Good question, Sindio.”
Zian grinned.
“Naturally, we will.”
Sindio smiled at Zian’s upbeat reply.
“Sometimes, I think it’s good I’m traveling with you.”
“Yeah, I feel the same. If it was just me and Kang Seol, cobwebs would’ve grown in my mouth.”
Night soon gave way to morning.
They ascended the towering mountain without interference. However, the inherent danger grew.
“To think the Highwings are on this scale…”
“No wonder they’re one pillar of the Council. They could become enemies.”
Like Pointy Rock Mountain or other mountains in the ungoverned zones, a village had formed near the summit.
A massive village.
Countless trolls.
And an even greater secret: this place’s location.
“Now, look down below.”
The troll who’d led them to the summit pointed to the distance.
“…Impossible.”
“How is this even possible?”
“Amazing! Incredible! Knew coming here was right!”
Even Kang Seol couldn’t hold back his awe at the sight. In the distance, the head and flippers of a turtle bearing mountains and land were visible.
[Marvelous Discovery! Witnessing the Sky Turtle Totombo.]
[Intelligence permanently increases by 10.]
……
The Highwings lived atop the shell of a massive flying turtle.
The troll grinned.
“Not bad, the world seen from above the clouds, eh?”