Climbing the Mountain

As the magical effects of ' Iron Will ' gradually faded, the griffin's fur returned to its original brown color.

The griffin realized the danger it was in, and with its four legs slightly bent and its fleshy wings spread out, it turned and rushed down the cliff.

Instructor Nora was so angry that she went into a frenzy. First, Instructor Virgil was a beat too slow and was scratched by the griffin.

Later, before the griffin's Iron Will disappeared, Instructor Gru fired an Armor-Piercing Arrow, completely enraging the griffin.

Roy was then swatted away by the griffin and is now stuck in the rubble on the hillside, his fate unknown.

At this moment, the griffin was still thinking of jumping off the cliff and escaping the battlefield.

Instructor Nora, carrying her longsword, turned and glanced at Elinore, who was walking alongside her...

The two had been friends for so many years that even a single glance from Instructor Nora was enough for Instructor Eleanor to understand instantly.

Instructor Eleanor quickened her pace and leaped toward the left side of the griffin, channeling energy into her longsword. The Icy Long Sword she gripped instantly felt hot. A flash of light caught the griffin's attention, and it immediately sensed the extreme danger of the sword in Instructor Eleanor's hand. If it charged down the cliff, it would inevitably be injured by the sword.

So the griffin instinctively twisted its body, not only slowing down but also dodging more than three meters to the right to avoid Instructor Eleanor's sweeping attack.

Taking advantage of the moment, Instructor Nora rushed in front of the griffin. A phantom of a Martial Artist appeared behind Instructor Nora, Instructor Nora gripped her sword in one hand and slashed at the griffin's head...

At this point, the griffin had almost no way to avoid it and could only forcefully turn its head, tilt its head, and open its mouth towards Instructor Nora's wrist.

As the griffin swooped down, Instructor Nora's body swayed like a blade of grass in the wind, dodging its bite and thrusting her longsword into its neck. The sword instantly pierced the brown fur and went straight into its heart.

The griffin pressed its forepaws down towards Instructor Nora, but Instructor Nora blocked it with her shield.

Instructor Virgil, who had caught up from behind, leaped into the air, swung his longsword, and slashed it hard at the griffin's neck.

The griffin's head was severed by Instructor Virgil's sword.

Instructor Nora seized the opportunity to draw her longsword, and blood gushed out. Instructor Nora quickly dodged to the side.

Instructor Virgil, quite pleased with himself, stepped on the griffin's head, took out a handkerchief to wipe the blood-stained longsword in his hand, and was about to say something smug when Instructor Nora and Instructor Eleanor ran towards the rubble area.

By this time, Roy had already been pulled out of the rubble by Instructor Gru.

Sabrina, the Magician Scarlett, and Miss Christine also rushed over. Roy was lying on the ground with his face covered in blood. His left cheek was cut by a piece of gravel, and he seemed unable to lift his left arm.

"Roy, where do you feel unwell?"

Instructor Nora crouched down, examining Roy's injuries as she asked questions.

"Everything else is fine, but I can't seem to get much strength out of my left arm!" Roy sat up, looking at his left arm with the small Round Shield hanging on it, and frowned as he spoke.

This little Round Shield was definitely the right purchase. If it were one of those old iron shields, it would probably have been shattered by the griffin's claw. Now, the little Round Shield only has a shallow mark on it. However, my arm couldn't withstand the griffin's attack and is now red and swollen. The little Round Shield is even stuck on my arm and I can't get it off.

"Do you feel tightness in your chest? Do you feel dizzy or nauseous?" Instructor Gru asked from the side.

Roy shook his head, then braced himself with one hand on the ground and actually stood up. He tried to take a few steps in place, and there was nothing unusual.

Fortunately, the injury to his left hand did not affect Roy's ability to draw divine runes. Roy stood still and decisively cast ' Minor Healing '.

Seeing that Roy had not suffered any internal injuries, the instructors finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Magician Scarlett stood on the outermost circle. She could see the clear stone patterns and metallic luster on the back of Roy's hand. Just now, the Magic Rune Array on this Magic Inscription Construct should have been fully activated.

She personally attached each of those basic Magic Rune Array.

Even now, she still couldn't quite understand how Roy could withstand such a heavy magical load...

Instructor Eleanor also stared at Roy's Magic Inscription Construct and asked with some curiosity:

"Without comparison, you really wouldn't realize that the Petrification Lizard leather has such good resistance."

Magician Scarlett wouldn't reveal the secret of this Magic Inscription Construct, but not wanting her friend to be led astray, she warned Instructor Eleanor:

"The Magic Inscription Construct of this Hard Leather Armor is very good, but it's not suitable for you at all!"

Instructor Eleanor nodded repeatedly and said:

"It's probably because it's a thick, Hard Leather Armor that Roy was able to withstand the griffin's claw attack unscathed!"

"Hey, hey, hey... hey you guys, Roy, if you're alright, could you take a look at my back? It feels a bit hot..."

Instructor Virgil, carrying the griffin's head, walked up to the group and spoke.

When he turned around, everyone noticed that the griffin had torn three holes in his back armor with its claws. Not only was the armor damaged, but it seemed that Instructor Virgil's back had also been scratched by the griffin. However, judging from his walking around and talking normally, it was clear that his vertebrae had not been injured.

Roy quickly had Instructor Virgil remove his breastplate and check the injury. Sure enough, it was just three shallow cuts. It was thanks to the protection of the Spike-tailed Crystal Lion Leather Armor he was able to recover; otherwise, he would probably be lying on the ground by now.

Roy treated Instructor Virgil and then bandaged him up.

Instructor Virgil sat awkwardly on a rock, the joy he had felt from just killing the griffin vanishing instantly because of the scars on his back.

Instructor Eleanor began skinning the griffin, a rare opportunity for hands-on teaching that was not available at the Elf Academy in Castleton.

So Roy, Sabrina, and Miss Christine all went to watch.

Instructor Eleanor said to the three students, "The reason why griffin leather is not valuable is that it is not tough enough. It can be easily peeled off with an ordinary skinning knife."

As she spoke, Instructor Eleanor looked up at Roy and asked him, "Roy, when you encountered that Petrification Lizard, how did you manage to peel off such a large piece of Petrification Lizard skin?"

Roy really didn't want to recall those unpleasant memories, but he still answered honestly, "The Petrification Lizard skin was hard and thick. At the time, we didn't have Skinning Knife. Only Klayr had a Long Dagger. So we cut the Petrification Lizard skin into several large pieces. It took us a whole afternoon to peel off that piece of skin."

Instructor Eleanor nodded and explained to Sabrina and Miss Christine, "Before mastering Skinning Technique, cutting the prey apart before skinning it will simplify the process..."

Instructor Eleanor was very skilled at skinning, and quickly peeled off the griffin's skin and cut off its tail.

Instructor Gru and guide Majeri dug a large pit next to the rubble, and everyone carried the griffin's carcass over and buried it on the spot.

According to the elves' custom, if there are trees nearby, the corpse will always be buried under the tree.

But even weeds were scarce in this area, so they could only bury it anywhere.

Guide Majeri did not participate in the fighting.

He stood by and witnessed the entire process of killing the griffin.

The Adventure Group led by Instructor Nora does indeed possess the ability to hunt griffins, but with the current team members' coordination and abilities, they can easily kill a single griffin, but they probably cannot defeat a flock of griffins.

The griffins in the sky probably noticed the battle, and some even flew low to the ground.

Upon seeing their companions being killed, they all flew into the sky.

Unlike wolf packs, which emphasize teamwork, griffins prefer to act alone...

Before nightfall, the Adventure Group finally made it through the scree area. Further up, they would have to climb a rock face that was almost vertical.

As evening approached, before it was completely dark, Majeri pointed to a slightly lower ridge on the mountain and introduced it to everyone, "The Aperture No.3 is roughly located around there. The Griffon Nests here are not as dense. We will start from here early tomorrow morning. If all goes well, it will take about a week to climb to the top of the mountain."

No matter how long Miss Christine stood in the sun, her skin remained porcelain white.

Roy is different; his skin has recently turned wheat-colored from being tanned.

Miss Christine asked with a smile, "Guide Majeri, I'd like to ask if you've ever reached the top of the mountain? I mean, have you ever seen what it looks like on the other side?"

Although her question was somewhat sharp, it wasn't so hard to accept when paired with her sweet smile.

"Um, not yet."

Guide Majeri touched his nose somewhat embarrassedly.

"Alright, I'll be on the first half of the night shift tonight, Gelu will be on the second half. Everyone should get some rest."

Instructor Nora addressed everyone.

The next day, when Roy was climbing the Griffon Bulwark Aperture No.3, Roy discovered that it wasn't as he had imagined. He had to hang his body on the vertical cliff face every moment, connect everyone with a rope, and then climb non-stop.

In fact, guide Majeri led everyone up a narrow Mountain Road on the cliff face, barely wide enough for one person to stand on.

The road is bordered by a mountain wall on one side and a cliff on the other. Everyone must keep their center of gravity close to the rock face, otherwise they could easily fall off the cliff.

Such a dangerous place would be extremely deadly if attacked by a griffin.

Guide Majeri provided everyone with Disguise Cloak that matched the color of the rocks. Occasionally, in crevices or around corners in the mountainside, there were slightly wider spots where everyone could sit down and rest for a while.

Roy rubbed his aching thighs, realizing for the first time how tiring mountain climbing could be.