Atmosphere

Natan City, a city built on the outskirts of the Youquan Mountain Range.

Because of its unique location, large numbers of adventurers entered the city every day to rest and resupply. They had either just emerged from the Youquan Mountain Range or were waiting to enter it.

That evening, Leian finally arrived outside Natan City.

Not far from the city gates, Leian watched adventurers riding magical beasts line up to enter Natan City, and an inexplicable sense of reflection rose within him.

There were others like him who traveled on foot, but most of them were adventurers at levels five or six. Nearly everyone with strength at level seven or above had a magical beast for transportation. This was especially true for those flashy, well-dressed mages—their mounts were each more massive and imposing than the last.

A few days earlier, Leian had even seen an eighth-level magical beast, a Dragon-Tooth Elephant. It had belonged to an eighth-level Archmage.

Dragon-Tooth Elephants were renowned for their enormous size. Their bodies rivaled three- or four-story stone buildings, and when they ran, the ground itself trembled slightly. Anyone who saw one had to give it a wide berth.

"What, jealous? With your strength, finding a magical beast to ride would be a piece of cake!"

Beside Leian, a burly blond man disdainfully glanced at the finely dressed youths riding magical beasts. Then he patted Leian on the shoulder and spoke with a grin.

Leian turned and smiled, but said nothing.

The man's name was Derrick, a rare eighth-level warrior without a magical beast for transportation. Perhaps because he had noticed Leian's unusual strength during their journey, he had deliberately befriended him. The two could now be considered friends.

Derrick greatly despised those noble youths surrounded by attendants. In his view, they were not entering the Youquan Mountain Range to train themselves at all, but merely to have fun.

Seeing that Leian remained silent, Derrick did not mind and instead asked, "Planning to enter the city?"

Leian glanced at the sky. Nightfall was not far off, and for someone entering the Youquan Mountain Range for the first time, this was hardly an ideal time. With that in mind, he casually asked,

"If I'm not entering the city, do you have somewhere else to go?"

Derrick chuckled. "Of course. True ascetics sleep wherever they happen to be."

As he spoke, he turned and headed toward the Youquan Mountain Range. "Come with me. I'll let you get a taste of the Youquan Mountain Range's nighttime atmosphere first."

Though he did not say it outright, with Derrick's wealth of experience, how could he fail to see that Leian was a greenhorn fresh out of the gate?

Leian did not entirely trust Derrick, but seeing that others were also headed in the same direction, he followed with long strides.

The two walked one behind the other, and before long, they reached a sparse stretch of woods. Entering the forest meant truly entering the Youquan Mountain Range.

By then, quite a few people had gathered at the edge of the woods. Some sat in circles of three or five, while others sat alone with their legs crossed.

Perhaps because they were still outside the Youquan Mountain Range, many had lit campfires, roasting food while speaking in hushed voices.

The firelight illuminated face after face, allowing Leian to see clearly that most of them were seasoned adventurers. Only a few wore expressions of unease mixed with anticipation.

Derrick casually gathered several pieces of wood, walked to an unoccupied spot, and sat down cross-legged. He lit a small fire, then took out a piece of dried meat from the leather pack on his back and began roasting it over the flames.

Watching Derrick's movements, Leian also picked up some dry branches and logs before sitting opposite him.

Imitating Derrick, he took out a piece of fully cooked dried meat from the pack on his back and slowly warmed it over the fire.

Although he had an Interspatial Ring, Leian still carried a leather pack as a disguise, just to be safe.

After that, the two chewed on dried meat as they spoke softly. Most of the time, Derrick did the talking, mainly recounting some of his past experiences.

Leian occasionally responded with a word or two, but his mind was occupied with the goals of this journey.

First, he needed to find magical beasts of comparable strength to spar with, hone his combat skills, and deepen his understanding of the realm of "momentum."

Second, he needed to hunt some magic crystal cores so that, upon returning, he could buy a house of his own in the imperial capital.

Finally, he needed to contract at least two ninth-level magical beasts—one as transportation, and another to remain in the imperial capital to protect Barry and the other two.

Thinking of contracted magical beasts, Leian's thoughts drifted even further as he began considering what kinds of magical beasts would suit his needs.

Time passed bit by bit, and before long, darkness enveloped the land.

Under the cover of night, the Youquan Mountain Range no longer felt as desolate as it did during the day. From deep within the mountains came occasional beast roars that sent chills down one's spine.

At that moment, the surrounding conversations suddenly quieted, until only the occasional whisper remained.

Derrick also stopped talking. He sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, and it was impossible to tell whether he was resting or cultivating.

Was this what Derrick meant by the "nighttime atmosphere of the Youquan Mountain Range"?

Leian glanced at Derrick, gathered his thoughts, and closed his eyes. His entire being merged with nature as he sensed the changes around him.

The night grew deeper. Perhaps having gradually become accustomed to those eerie roars, some people nearby had already begun to sleep.

At some unknown moment, a faint discord in the natural surroundings suddenly reached Leian's awareness. His heart stirred, and he abruptly opened his eyes, staring deep into the woods.

Several breaths later, a faint voice drifted over.

"Quick, we're almost out, pant, out of the mountains! Everyone, pant... hold on a little longer!"

The voice came in broken fragments, accompanied by obvious panting. Clearly, the speaker had been running for quite some distance.

As the disturbance reached them, the people nearby gradually woke. They opened their eyes and stared intently toward the woods, while a few even drew their weapons.

Not long afterward, six people emerged from the forest.

All six were in terrible condition. Their bodies were covered in blood, and they supported one another as they staggered forward. One of them had even lost an arm. The wound had not been bandaged, and the broken bone was clearly visible.

Seeing the miserable state of the six, some remained unmoved, while others were terrified, their faces filled with horror.

Although they had successfully emerged from the Youquan Mountain Range, the wariness on the six faces did not lessen in the slightest. Especially when facing those around them, their gazes remained cold.

At the same time, they showed no intention of stopping to rest and continued stubbornly toward Natan City.

"Not very lucky, are they?"

Just as Leian watched the six leave, Derrick's faint sigh reached his ears. Leian turned to glance at him, only to see Derrick narrowing his eyes as he stared into the woods. He could not tell whether Derrick's remark had been directed at those six people or something else.

After such an incident, most people present had lost any desire to sleep. They began quietly chatting again.

In the blink of an eye, it was the latter half of the night. Dawn was not far away when another disturbance suddenly arose from deep within the forest.

"Quick, quick!"

"Ah—"

Panicked cries rose and fell one after another. Clearly, this disturbance was far greater than the one from earlier that night.

Then, suddenly—

"Roar!"

A terrifying roar abruptly drowned out the screams and rang in everyone's ears.