Fighting Spirit
Sunlight pierced through the thin clouds, spilling gold across a rugged mountainside in the northern wilderness, seemingly cleaved by a giant axe. The mountainside wasn't extremely high, only about three or four hundred meters, but the rock face was steep, almost vertical, with only a few coniferous plants stubbornly growing in the weathered cracks, providing climbers with some insignificant footholds.
Himmel's team was at the bottom of the cliff. Himmel himself had already used his agile hands and ropes to descend to the ground and was looking up, his short blue hair fluttering slightly in the morning breeze. Ruby and Lupa had also arrived safely and were brushing off the dust and grass clippings that had stuck to them.
The key point is in mid-air.
The Priest Heiter was trembling as he clung to a rough rope, inching his way down. His face was pale, and his teeth were chattering; he was clearly not used to this purely physical activity and the experience of being at such a height. He was muttering incoherently about praying for Goddess protection. At this moment, he was still about five or six meters above the ground.
Just then, a short, stocky, and steady figure appeared above the mountain wall—it was Eisen.
The dwarf warrior didn't use a rope. He simply glanced silently down from the edge of the cliff, calmly estimating the height and landing point. Then, before the people below could even warn him, he made a move that made their pupils shrink in shock.
He leaped forward, headfirst!
"Eisen!" Himmel instinctively took a step forward, raising her arm slightly as if to catch something, but then realized the distance was too great.
Ruby and Lupa both gasped simultaneously, their mouths agape.
Under the gazes of the crowd, some terrified, some stunned, and some calm, Eisen's figure, clad in an ancient horned helmet, streaked down like a meteorite, leaving an almost straight, powerful trail as it hurtled toward the hard ground!
"Bang--!"
A dull, resounding crash, like a boulder falling to the ground, shook the ground, making one's feet go numb.
Eisen slammed his head into the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust mixed with gravel. The ground where he landed was noticeably sunken, and even showed spiderweb-like cracks.
Almost simultaneously, Heiter, terrified by this sudden, suicidal act, lost his grip, screamed, and fell from the remaining height.
Himmel reacted swiftly; her blue-haired figure flashed forward, gracefully stepping forward and steadily catching Heiter, whose gasp hadn't even landed yet, in her arms, defusing the small accident.
"Are you alright, Heiter?" Himmel asked with concern, though her gaze still lingered on the direction where Eisen had landed.
Heiter was still in shock, panting heavily, his face even paler.
At this moment, everyone's attention was focused on the dwarf warrior who was banging his head on the ground.
The smoke and dust slowly dissipated.
Eisen slowly, as if nothing had happened, first stretched his neck, making a slight "click" sound, then used his hands to support himself on the ground and "pull" his head out of the small, shallow crater. He silently stood up, his bronze face still as hard as rock, expressionless, only stretching out his large hand to casually pat away the dirt and gravel stuck to his helmet and shoulder armor, making a soft "pat pat" sound.
The whole movement was unhurried, as if he had just bent down to pick something up.
Ruby 'Ruby blue eyes widened, her little finger pointing at Eisen, her voice trembling. "... Eisen? Are you a monster! Jumping down like that... headfirst!"
She instinctively grabbed Lupa's arm, her voice filled with lingering fear and strong dissuasion, "Lupa! Did you see that! Listen to me! Never, ever learn that move as a soldier! It's terrifying! It's much better to use the rope method, like Himmel, in a graceful and safe way!"
Lupa was also stunned by this shocking scene, her heterochromatic eyes filled with disbelief. She chuckled awkwardly and nodded subconsciously.
"Ha, haha... I guess... I probably don't have that talent either..."
As if remembering something, she turned to look at Lowell, who had also witnessed the whole thing and was now looking helpless, and asked curiously, "But... Master, can't a mage's flying skill carry people? If it could fly, there would be no need to climb rocks like this or... use such a terrifying way to go down the mountain, right?"
Lowell sighed and rubbed his temples, as if he was worried that a certain warrior's "hardcore" demonstration would corrupt children. He first reached out and covered the eyes of Linié, who was standing quietly beside him, her dark blue pupils flashing slightly, seemingly activating "Mimicry Magic" to record and analyze Eisen's landing posture and force.
"This is forbidden to Imitation, Linié." He said firmly.
Linié blinked, and with her eyes covered, she quietly nodded, "Oh." But whether she truly listened was unknown.
After preventing a potential "catastrophic Imitation," Lowell answered Lupa's question, "Systematic Flight Magic for human mages is a high-level skill that has only been researched, improved, and gradually popularized from the Demons in recent years, and those who master it are extremely rare. For Ruby such a young age is already exceptionally talented. You must know that on the battlefields of long ago, the sky always belonged to Hafk... no, to the Demons."
He paused, then continued, "As for carrying people in flight, Frieren and I certainly could. But, Lupa, free climbing itself is an excellent workout for physical strength, endurance, and willpower. Look at Heiter,"
He pointed to Heiter, who had just regained his footing and was frantically pulling out a wine flask to take a swig to calm his nerves, and said, "Even with the Goddess's Blessing, drinking all day and lacking basic physical training won't do. This level of climbing is just the right amount of training for him; there's no need to use magic to do it for him."
Lupa nodded thoughtfully, her gaze towards Heiter now carrying a hint of understanding. "Indeed... Mr. Heiter, who is only 17 years old, seems to have all his energy drained like a drunken old man."
Heiter was the only person who often drank alcohol while wearing a monk's robe. When he spoke to people, he always spoke of the weight of faith and the need for the soul to settle, leaving people only half-understanding.
He had just swallowed a mouthful of wine, his face flushed red, and the veins on his forehead bulged as he argued, "How rude! Exorcising demons is exhausting... how can that be considered being drained? Can a monk's business be called being drained?" Then came a string of incomprehensible words, such as "the sedimentation of faith" and "wine is the best of all medicines," which made everyone burst into laughter, and the air below the cliff was filled with merriment.
Ruby immediately put her hands on her hips and retorted, "What do you mean rude! That's exactly how it is! You drunkard!"
Even Frieren, who had been standing a short distance away as if it were none of her business, glanced at Heiter and added casually, "A drunkard."
Upon hearing this, Lowell's face lit up with a hint of smugness. He leaned closer to Frieren and said in a slightly boastful tone, "See? I'm better, aren't I? I don't drink, I don't jump off cliffs, I'm emotionally stable, and I'm safe and reliable."
Upon hearing this, Frieren merely tilted her head slightly, glancing at Lowell with her emerald eyes. She didn't speak, but her gaze clearly conveyed, "You're only slightly more normal Heiter and Eisen."
Lowell felt a little embarrassed by the look in her eyes, touched her nose, and then, as if suddenly remembering something, changed the subject, saying to Frieren in a mysterious and seductive tone, "Ah, speaking of which, I think I found a rather interesting magic book in the general store of that little village I passed through earlier..."
Before he finished speaking, Frieren's previously calm face suddenly lit up with bright green eyes, like stars that had been illuminated. She immediately turned around, looked up at Lowell, and spoke with unwavering certainty:
"Lowell is the best." She even nodded emphatically to emphasize.
The speed at which they changed their tune and the firmness of their stance are astonishing.
Lowell smiled with satisfaction, reaching out to ruffle Frieren's soft silver hair as if rewarding a cat instantly won over by a treat.
Ruby, who had witnessed everything, couldn't help but sigh helplessly, rubbing her forehead with one hand. She muttered under her breath, "Lady Frieren... where are your principles? A magic book of who-knows-what kind... you're too easily bribed..."
After the minor incident, the team regrouped and set off again.
Eisen acted as if his astonishing leap was just a routine warm-up. He stretched his shoulders, shouldered his battle axe, and refused the offer from Heiter, who was holding the Holy Scripture and had a "are you sure you don't need healing?" look on his face, saying, "Aura is enough."
While drinking to calm his nerves, Heiter muttered, "People these days really don't know how to cherish their health."
Himmel watched this scene, shook his head with a helpless smile, his handsome face displaying its usual gentleness and tolerance.
Ruby was still whispering with Lupa, seriously discussing the correct way for warriors to train, with the core idea being to resolutely reject any form of "Eisen" training.
Linié continued to follow quietly, but her gaze would occasionally drift towards Eisen, as if recalling the "Earth Throw" from just moments before.
Meanwhile, Frieren had already huddled up to Lowell and was whispering inquiries about the contents of the magic book in a voice only the two of them could hear.