The mist gradually cleared.
Gelman pushed aside the waist-high weeds crisscrossing in front of him. He cautiously prodded the ground with his Spiral Cane, and only when he was sure it was firm did he step forward.
The slope here was quite steep. Gelman had to make sure each step was steady, lest he stumble and take an awkward fall or roll halfway down the slope.
He had just hiked down from one high peak and had started climbing another, yet he still hadn't managed to leave this endless sea of trees.
Lush, multicolored leaves formed a canopy that blotted out the sky and shrouded the entire area.
After walking for a while, Gelman was fairly sure he was still in the Treacherous Mountains. He just didn't know where the others were.
The Sacred Moonlight Greatsword was too cumbersome for the narrow paths in the Treacherous Mountains, so Gelman had replaced it with the more manageable Spiral Cane.
It served much the same purpose as a walking stick, making it easier for Gelman to get around.
There was one thing he couldn't change, however—or rather, one thing he couldn't dismiss at will: his Contempt Armor.
Based on past experience, the longer he fought while wearing the Contempt Armor, the longer it took to remove.
Gelman would probably need to stay out of combat for over an hour before the Contempt Armor could be removed.
But in a dangerous place like the Treacherous Mountains, it was almost impossible to go more than an hour without fighting.
Sure enough, he hadn't gone far before clusters of devil's ivy wrapped around his legs, forcing him to cut them apart with his Spiral Cane.
That counted as triggering the Contempt Armor again.
As long as he was actively attacking or defending himself, Gelman wasn't