Valtor Exploration (2)
The claws of the massive creature diving fiercely from the sky collided with Hakon's spear in a violent clash.
Level 14 Craig Eagle
It was a giant eagle with a body that reminded me of a small plane—the highest-level creature among the raptors of Zone 2 and the undisputed ruler of these skies.
Its strength was so overwhelming that Hakon's arms trembled violently. He was barely keeping his balance; it wouldn't have been surprising if he were flung away at any moment.
Right then, a streak of black wind brushed past Hakon's side.
It was me—Ian. A girl charging forward with sword in hand.
A long trail of blue light, like a meteor falling through the night sky, hurtled toward my enemy.
Basic sword skill, third form. A two-hit slash technique.
Double Accel
Basic sword skill (3rd form) — 2-hit slash
“Double Accel!”
My skill exploded on impact.
-Kiiiieeeeek!
Blood gushed from two deep gashes across the eagle’s body. But even that wasn’t enough to bring the sky ruler down. It spread its enormous wings and flapped with all its might.
The eagle shot upward, and a fierce gust of wind mixed with coarse dust swallowed both of us.
“Ugh!”
While we were blinded and unable to move, the eagle escaped beyond our reach and began circling overhead. It was trying to recover from the wound I’d inflicted and wait for another opening.
But it didn’t know.
“Savior, I’m counting on you.” “I know.”
That my staff was already aimed at it.
My mana surged into the staff, and wind began to whirl violently around its tip.
Wind Cutter
A blade of wind screamed toward the eagle. Before it could even register the attack, my magic slammed into its wing.
-Kieeeeek!
The eagle let out a pained shriek and plummeted. Healing that injured wing would take time.
“Now!”
It was the perfect chance for us.
At my shout, Hakon’s body shot forward like a cannonball.
Drive
His spear pierced the eagle’s torso at the exact moment of its fall.
Sword Rush
Basic sword charge skill (2nd form) — blue straight-line dash
My follow-up sword plunged into the eagle’s neck.
-Thud.
The sky ruler collapsed powerlessly, its head destroyed. In front of today’s trophy, Hakon and I bumped fists.
“Good timing.” “It’s all thanks to me setting it up perfectly.” “Huh? Something about that phrasing really bothers me?” “Sorry, but I don’t usually listen to the opinions of the defeated.” “Just how long are you going to milk that victory?” “Hmm… I hear a mosquito buzzing somewhere.”
That was how the two of us bickered again today. At this point, it would feel empty without the sound of each other’s voices.
Gazing at the horizon where the sun was beginning to set, Hakon spoke.
“Savior, shall we head back now?” “Yeah. That’s enough for today.”
The two of us dragged the eagle’s corpse back to Lundel.
It had already been a full week since I started exploring the Valtor Mountains.
During that week, I had scoured every corner of the Valtor Mountains with Hakon’s guidance. We visited the old residential sites that existed ten years ago, the dried-up riverbeds, and even the altars that once worshipped the earth god. Yet we found nothing of value.
Still, all that frantic activity had caused my level to skyrocket.
Level 14. Considering I was only level 9 a week ago, the speed was ridiculous.
At this point, I might have the highest level in the area, right?
The strongest monster discovered in Valtor was the Level 14 Craig Eagle. Excluding any bosses that hadn’t been found yet, that giant eagle was my only true rival in Zone 2.
I knew leveling up from here would only get harder, but seeing the number 14 made my posture straighten and confidence swell. A smile crept across my lips.
Even so, I understood perfectly that I could never have reached this point alone.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Savior.” “Yeah. Get some good rest.”
Hakon—the great warrior of Lundel and the man who now formed a party with me.
It was thanks to his help that I had been able to achieve such explosive growth.
Of course, my new equipment and the change in hunting style had contributed too. But more than anything, having someone who could tank hits when needed and deal the right amount of damage to set up a finish gave me a tremendous sense of mental stability.
Since he was an NPC, I only received half the experience. Even so, our hunting speed was two—no, easily three times faster than solo play, which made rapid leveling possible.
Now all that remained was to find the boss.
Where the hell is it hiding?
In front of my lodging, beside a modestly crackling campfire, I chewed on the tough, gamey meat of the eagle I’d killed today while studying the map of the Valtor Mountains.
I really miss Ms. Kate right now.
Having to eat the meat of beasts I’d killed myself was bad enough. The lingering stench and rubbery texture made it pure torture.
But if I didn’t eat, hunger would sap my strength, and there was nothing else available. So I forced it down like bitter medicine, tears in my eyes.
That was when a familiar voice reached my ears.
“There you are, Ian.” “Emily? You’re back already?” “No. I stayed in Lundel today.”
Emily, the shield user who had partied with me during the Zone 1 boss raid, sat down beside me.
She looked at the eagle meat resting on my knee and made a disgusted face.
“How do you even manage to eat that?” “There’s nothing else, so I just eat it.” “I mean, I get it, but I could never force that down.” “We can’t exactly starve, though.” “That’s why Naira and Mugi went to Startia to buy some proper food for us.”
It wasn’t just them. If you asked any of the raid parties currently exploring the Valtor Mountains what the hardest part was, the number one answer was always food.
Those of us who had grown used to fresh ingredients—even if they weren’t luxurious—found meat with zero seasoning to be absolute torture.
That was why some members would occasionally pause their exploration and head back to Startia to procure supplies.
To be honest, I wanted to head down the mountain for a break too, but—
Why am I the only one with restrictions placed on me?!
The price of partying with Hakon was far too steep.
Emily, unaware of that fact, looked at me with genuine admiration in her eyes.
“In that sense, you’re truly amazing, Ian. How does that even go down?” “Don’t remind me. It’s killing me too.” “As expected of our Savior. Your willpower is incredible.” “Please stop calling me that.”
The fact that I had become the savior of Lundel was already common knowledge. Even without the first group that met Shaura, every villager called me “Savior” with respect. There was no way I could miss it. The person in question was dying of embarrassment, though.
Still, no one resented me for receiving special treatment. After all, most of them had received similar quests.
“Anyway, what are you looking at?” “The map. I was wondering if I’d missed anything.”
I had shared the map of the Valtor Mountains and all the beast information I’d gathered with every player heading out to explore. In a death game like Arcadia, information was an incredibly valuable asset.
The truth was that the Lundel NPCs hadn’t been very helpful, so I’d given it to the players instead. I didn’t bother mentioning that part.
Emily leaned over my shoulder to look at the map with me.
“It really does look like we’ve uncovered almost everything.” “Yeah. The problem is what comes next.”
If there were still completely dark areas, it would be one thing. But with most of the map revealed, I was struggling to decide on our next course of action. All I could do was stare holes through the map. It felt like I was standing in front of a solid wall.
That was when she spoke.
“Don’t you think something’s a little strange?” “What do you mean?” “There’s no path to Zone 3.”
Emily showed me the Zone 1 map she carried.
“See? Zone 1 has a clear path connecting to Zone 2.” “You’re right.” “We only found the boss because of this. We discovered it while thoroughly searching the area. But no matter how you look at this map, there’s no path leading to Zone 3. So, Ian—what do you think that means?”
There was no path to Zone 3 on the map. Visual confirmation had yielded the same result.
After organizing my thoughts for a moment, I realized what Emily was getting at.
“Underground?” “Exactly.”
Emily nodded.
“This is what my long experience as a gamer is telling me. There has to be an underground passage somewhere around here. And judging by the distribution of the beasts, the most likely spot is right here.”
I looked at the place her finger indicated and gave her a doubtful glance.
“That’s a valley, though?” “Yes, a valley. And the beasts that mainly appear in this area are bats. Where do bats live?” “Caves?” “Exactly. Caves.”
In the world of Arcadia, beast ecology was quite similar to reality. In that sense, Emily’s reasoning was very logical.
But—
If there was a cave, wouldn’t Hakon have mentioned it?
When we had gone there before, I hadn’t heard anything about a cave from him.
From what I had observed over the past week, Hakon wasn’t the type to hide things. He could be annoying at times, but he was the very picture of an honest, upright warrior.
Still, I should ask just to be sure.
Since there wasn’t any better option than following Emily’s guess, I made up my mind.
“I’ll go check it out tomorrow.”
If there was a cave, great. If not, it was the same as always. With tomorrow’s plan roughly decided, I closed the map.
At that moment, Emily lightly pinched the back of my hand.
“Because of that, I actually have a favor to ask you.” “…What is it?”
The pressure carried by the word “favor” made my throat tighten.
“Can I come with you tomorrow?”
Without even a second’s hesitation, I gave her my warmest smile.
“No.”