Chapter 27 | Climbing The Mountain [1]
The group reached the bottom of the mountain only a few hours after exiting the cave, their legs aching from the long journey through the dark, scorched forest.
They all stood side by side, gazing upward at what could be their only chance at escaping this nightmare realm once and for all.
The mountain stretched impossibly high into the dark sky, its jagged slopes steep and treacherous, covered in loose rocks and twisted, dead trees that seemed to reach for them like skeletal fingers.
A malevolent aura emanated from the very top, pressing down on them like an invisible weight that made each breath feel heavier than the last.
In fact, it seemed like the black sun that the Sun Beast transformed into was positioned exactly above the mountain, its dark, pulsing presence looming over them like an ever-watchful eye.
Or more precisely, it was positioned above what waited at the top of the mountain: the Sun Temple itself, an ancient structure that radiated an almost sentient hunger.
"Last chance to turn back," Leon spoke as he faced the group, his voice serious and commanding, his eyes scanning each of their faces. "Because once we start going up, there’s no going back."
"Nowhere else to go," Alicar replied calmly, his gaze fixed on the peak above them, his mind already calculating the challenges ahead. "Let’s just deal with all that and..."
"...Kick Rick’s ass!" Iris finished with an angry expression, her fists clenching with raw determination, her eyes burning with the memory of betrayal. "He will pay for what he did to us."
"Agreed," William’s sword glinted in his hands as he drew it from its sheath, the metal catching the faint, eerie light. "Well then, I say Alicar leads the way!"
"Why?" Alicar raised his eyebrows, genuinely surprised by the suggestion, his head tilting slightly.
"Cause you’re the strongest among us," Leon replied, his voice carrying absolute certainty, no hesitation in his words. "Our team may be stronger but... not at your level."
"Hm," Alicar responded, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips, a rare moment of genuine satisfaction.
Alicar actually felt great about the recognition, that was something he had never experienced before in his entire life, something he had only ever dreamed of.
He always saw powerful awakeners grab all the fame and attention, their names spoken with reverence, while he and his ex-friends hoped to one day become like them.
Unfortunately, a lot of things had happened since then, betrayals and disappointments that had shaped him into who he was now, and now Alicar found himself in this position inside of a secret realm, leading a group of survivors who looked to him for guidance.
But still, he was as determined as ever, his resolve unshaken, and just like that, he took a step forward into the mountain, beginning their arduous ascent.
...
The next few hours passed without anything significant occurring, as the group took their time to climb the mountain carefully, each step measured and deliberate.
It was quite difficult to find stable paths, as there were sometimes loose slopes and hidden holes that led deeper into the mountain, requiring constant vigilance and careful navigation.
And as for the monsters that appeared, Leon handled them with brutal efficiency, his new power making short work of anything that dared to challenge them.
Smash!
Leon smashed through a Temple Guardian who appeared in front of them with his Demon Fist technique, shattering it into pieces with a single, devastating blow that echoed across the mountainside.
"Incredible," Leon grinned, clearly satisfied with his newfound power, his eyes gleaming with excitement at his own growth.
Due to his high strength and the fact he had a passive that boosted it even more, he could smash through most of his opponents in one-shot without much effort, a feat that would have been impossible just days ago.
Though much like Alicar, using the Demonic Arts exhausted him each time he used them, draining his stamina considerably and leaving him breathless.
"That Vorgath fellow must have been really strong," Leon spoke as he walked right beside Alicar, his voice filled with curiosity and admiration. "I mean, to be able to create such a powerful technique..."
"If he existed, he’d probably be in the Fourth Layer, or even the Fifth," Alicar replied, his mind wandering through the possibilities.
"Does a Fifth Layer even exist?" Iris intervened, her voice carrying genuine curiosity, her brow furrowed in thought. "Based on the [Records of Eternal Races], not a single race managed to get there yet!"
Alicar simply shrugged, not having an answer for that question, his knowledge of the upper layers still woefully incomplete.
As for Leon, he simply grinned, his eyes gleaming with determination. "Well, let’s focus on surviving before thinking about such things."
The Initial Stage was reserved for Awakeners between Level 1 and Level 10, the starting point for every awakener who entered the Eternal Realm.
The First Layer was for those between Level 10 and Level 25, The Second Layer for Level 25 to Level 50, The Third Layer for those between Level 50 and 75, and finally, the Fourth Layer for Level 75 to 100, each tier more dangerous than the last.
Because it took far too long and far too much effort to even reach the Fourth Layer, many assumed there might be nothing beyond it, that the journey simply ended there, as only a handful of individuals managed to even enter it.
And yet, doesn’t it seem far too weird for the levels to end at 100, such an arbitrary number that felt more like a barrier than a natural limit?
Alicar could sense it deep within his very being, an intuition that whispered to him: there must be something beyond the known layers.
It might not be the Fifth Layer as people understood it, but one final realm beyond the Fouth Layer was a certainty in his mind, a place where true power awaited.
Perhaps some even headed there but never came back, their fates unknown to the world, their stories lost to time.
Either way, his information on this world was far too little, and he’d need to learn more once he registered with the Awakener Association properly.