Chapter 1034 – Chungso

000

The route to the top of the mountain with Yuni was quite difficult for Cleon, who was clearly not prepared to climb the mountain.

When she had to pass through an extremely narrow road, there were times when the three swords hanging at her waist got in her way.

There were times when she had to climb up places that were close to cliffs, so now that she couldn’t use flight magic, she had to move her body with even more care than usual.

＂Wow! Awesome! I certainly chose a path that humans could pass by, but I can’t believe you were able to follow it this far without any problems!”

Uni said this in a voice that seemed admiring and praised Cleon.

And, actually, Cleon…

＂Haa… Haa… Uh, right…? Let’s go to the top like this…”

She was lying face down with her hands on the ground, panting, and giving Yuni a rotten smile.

The course that Yuni spoke of was a road that even a human being could pass if he or she made the effort to move to the point of death.

Walking on an extremely unstable path like the one mentioned above, where if you take one wrong step you could tumble straight into hell, not only your physical strength but also your nerves were worn down, so you had no choice but to ask for a break, even if it was only for a moment.

Nevertheless, seeing as she pretends to be strong with her mouth, Galatea speaks from her waist.

[Don’t act strong, isn’t it better to just say let’s take a break?]

“I didn’t act strong at all…?”

Cleon did not give in to Galatea’s words and maintained his attitude.

Then, Uni looks at Cleon for a moment and then…

＂Ah, ah~ I think I picked up the pace a little because Human followed along well! If it’s okay, can we take a little break?!”

When I raise my voice and suggest a break as if on purpose, Cleon says nothing for a moment and then-

“Well, there’s nothing we can do about it… Let’s take a little rest.”

…, She accepted her offer.

Of course, her unicorn, Uniga, couldn’t have been that tired, and she was only showing her good-natured consideration for Cleon.

Anyway, even on the rough road to the summit, the two sit down and take a break on a flat place where they can relax a little.

No, is it accurate to say that it is one person and one animal?

What Cleon felt as he chased after Yuni was that she wasn’t really human, and that she didn’t have much stamina, stamina, or agility, and most of all, her incredible dexterity.

All of this proves that she is not a human, but a ‘unicorn’ like a horse.

She has the appearance of a human and has the same physical abilities as a demonic unicorn, so her movements were at a level that humans who did not use her magical power could not match.

Not only that, but he is also very strong, so he can remove huge rocks with incredible strength.

For example, he casually carries the three swords that Cleon was holding and moves around.

Of course, the fact that her Klengon cannot properly use her magic power is one of the reasons why she feels the gap between herself and her,

“… By the way, is it always possible for the magic of this place to be disturbed?”

“Most of them are like that. Among the mountains of the Sarong Mountain Range, especially here… Chukryong Mountain.”

Cleon tilted her head at Uni’s words.

Does ‘Chuknyongsan Mountain’ refer to the name of the mountain they are currently sitting on?

[Cleon, Lila explained it to you. Did you forget?]

Galatea, who read Cleon’s thoughts, left a comment of her own.

＂Lila… Was that it?＂

Actually, Cleon didn’t seem to remember properly.

Then, she was voiced by Caliburn on behalf of Galatea.

[Cheonryongsan Mountain, Inryongsan Mountain, Naryongsan Mountain, Chukyongsan Mountain, Gwiryongsan Mountain, and Jaderyongsan Mountain. It is said that the mountains are located one after another at the entrance of the mountain.]

“So, this is the fourth mountain. … Huh? For a moment. So, does this mean that if you wait at Jade Dragon Mountain, you can join the group on the way to Jade Dragon Mountain?”

Naturally, thinking that way, Galatea’s sigh came out once again.

[There is not one route from Cheonryongsan Mountain to Jaderyongsan Mountain. This is also a story told by Lila, but…]

[So, I don’t know if I will pass Chukyongsan Mountain on the way~.]

Cleon thinks quietly.

Come to think of it, I think he said something like that…

Either way, it was Cleon’s fault for not listening properly.

“It can’t be helped. I said I had prior knowledge before going, but I prepared a 300-page manual and lectured for 6 hours… I was a teacher at the academy, not a student.”

Cleon tries to make an excuse.

I guess they meant that classes where you sit down do not suit Cleon’s personality.

Upon hearing Cleon’s excuse, Galatea sighed inwardly.

“Is Cleon headed to ‘Jade Dragon Mountain’?”

As Cleon was making excuses to Galatea, Yuni spoke up next to him.

Although she could not hear Galatea’s voice, it was not difficult for her to figure out Cleon’s destination, even from the fragments of information she heard.

“Ah. The original destination of my colleagues and I was to enter the underground ruins through the cave there.”

As Cleon said that, he suddenly realized one thing.

That is, if your colleague’s destination has already been decided-

“… Then maybe it would be right for me to aim for Jade Dragon Mountain. In the end, I might be able to join there.”

Of course, aiming for the summit may have been the safest way a while ago, when we didn’t know the exact location or which way to get to Jade Dragon Mountain.

Uni was with Cleon now.

“… I made a mistake. It might have been better to have said from the beginning that we would go to Jade Dragon Mountain.”

If you ask her, she probably knows how to get to Jade Dragon Mountain.

When Cleon looked at Uni with that thought in mind, Uni read that expression and returned the answer to Cleon.

“It’s okay, Cleon. In order to get to Jaderyongsan Mountain, you have to pass through the top of Chukyongsan Mountain anyway.”

“I see, that’s good. I don’t think I was in vain.”

Since you went through a hard time getting here, you might feel a little sad when you hear, “The road to Jade Dragon Mountain is the opposite way!”

“Well… The road from one mountain to another is rough, which is a characteristic of this mountain range. It’s as if the connection between mountains has been severed…”

Yuni once again tells the uncomfortable truth to Cleon, who is at ease.

＂There are several routes to Jade Dragon Mountain. In particular, if you start moving from the first mountain, Cheonryongsan Mountain, the safe routes that humans can pass through are limited.”

“Is it such a dangerous place?”

“It’s not just monsters and vicious beasts that are dangerous. This is the natural environment of the mountain itself. For example, the ground is prone to collapsing, or poisonous plants are blocking the path. If you are not careful enough when moving, there is a high chance that you will fall off the cliff below the mountain range.”

I didn’t mean to scare you, I was just stating the truth, but when Cleon heard that story, he couldn’t help but think of his companions encountering such obstacles.

“… I was starting to get a little worried.”

Uni, who saw Cleon’s face so dark, spoke with a little embarrassment.

“Ha, but it’s okay! If you have a good nose or ears, you will be able to tell whether the road is dangerous or not.”

“… I see. Fortunately, there is one such colleague.”

Cleon answered, thinking of Sasha, a girl he could trust with the safety of the group.

“The only problem is, if you try to figure out the route to Mt. Six Dragons while avoiding all of those dangerous paths, it will take quite a long time… Depending on the number of people and the speed of movement, it may take several months. ＂

[Several months? That’s a bit…]

No matter how much Galatea heard such a distant story, she sighed unconsciously, perhaps feeling dizzy.

Cleon is silent for a moment at Uni’s words and then asks a question.

“It’s quite specific. Have you ever seen a person exploring the Sarong Mountains before?”

“Yes? Ah… So…”

Uni reacted a little embarrassed to Cleon’s question, but then sighed and nodded.

“… Yes. I have lived in these mountains for quite a long time. Being able to speak human words like this. “I learned it by secretly following people who were exploring the mountain range for a long time.”

“I see. It’s amazing.”

The fact that she was able to learn people’s language and use it skillfully just by following them was proof that her intelligence was quite high.

“But… I didn’t really want to talk about those people. People who explore the Four Dragon Mountains either give up midway or return in despair.”

As Yuni said that, she squeezed the hand that was placed on her lap, even if it was just a little.

＂Ugh. The people who go back might actually be a better group. Most people lose their lives due to the harsh environment of these mountains, or their whereabouts are unknown due to disaster caused by excessive confidence.”

Cleon, who had walked these mountains with Yuni, could understand that what she was talking about was not fuss or exaggeration.

It seemed that this mountain and this land itself were refusing to visit people.

And the reason was not difficult to guess.

‘Leviathan… I guess that’s why it’s so dangerous. So that it never falls into human hands again.’

If you think about it, the story goes that it was humans who created such a dangerous and gigantic object, and it was also humans who hid it in these mountain ranges.

Looking at the cruel reality of the final war of the original world, it was not incomprehensible, but…

‘Well… The question will be answered to some extent once we enter the ruins.’

Thinking so, Cleon nodded and stood up from her seat.

“Thank you, I was able to rest thanks to you.”

“No, I just wanted to take a break!”

After Uni responded to Cleon’s gratitude, she stood up and followed him.

001

And, soon enough, the two were able to reach a place where they were close to the summit.

However, just as Uni had expected, Cleon stopped in her tracks and said nothing for a moment.

[Wow…]

Should I say instead, Galatea, who was hanging around her waist, gave a reaction.

Unlike the road that has been followed until now, the road itself was not that rough.

The only problem is the black swamp blocking the two people’s path.

The swamp was so deep that it was impossible to tell how deep it was, and its surface was constantly moving, standing tall and blocking the steps of everyone who tried to pass through it.

Cleon had to think hard when he saw that such a swamp was blocking all routes to the summit.

However, the reason Cleon and Galatea were embarrassed when they saw him was probably because of the existence of the ‘guys’ that made up the swamp.

As you get closer to the swamp, you can hear the sound of something passing by.

It was an unpleasant and disgusting sound they made every time their antennae, wings, and legs moved while in close contact.

Those guys who can easily crawl on the ground, fly in the sky, and climb up walls.

“… This is a swamp of poisonous insects called ‘Chungso’. It has a poison so strong that it eats away and melts everything that enters it.”

As she says this, she picks up a rock off the ground and simply throws it toward the swamp.

Originally, it would have been normal for insects to dodge when such a stone was thrown, but perhaps because they were so tightly packed together, the insects that could not dodge properly had no choice but to stay where they were.

However, they did not give in to that.

No, rather, just before the stone fell, poison was sprayed into the sky and hit the flying stone.

If you think that the black liquid was flying, the stone that hit it was corroding at a high rate on the spot, and had already turned into smoke and disappeared just before it hit the ground, that is, the swamp.

What does this mean…

“Even if you try to jump over it, you’ll get hit with poison and melt…?”

At Cleon’s words, Uni nodded her head.

“Yes. That’s right. First, their poison has a distance limit, so you can jump higher than that… But it’s impossible for the human body.”

… So, unless you have strong physical abilities like Yuni, it would be difficult to reach the top.

“If you don’t get over this swamp, you can’t reach the top of the mountain. And… If you don’t reach the top.”

“They say it’s impossible to go over to another mountain.”

At Cleon’s confirmation, Yuni nodded her head.

“… Mr. Cleon, there is a way to get over this swamp. Do you have it?”

Cleon seems to think about her question for a moment, then pulls Galatea out of his belt.

＂…＂

And Cleon looks at it blankly.

[… Cleon, wait a minute. Surely?]

“Let’s just check.”

[No, no, no no!]

The moment when Galatea reacted coldly after understanding Cleon’s intentions.

Cleon, with a swish, tried to throw Galatea so that her blades got caught in the swamp.

[Gyaaaaa!! Cleo On!!!]

＂Phew…＂

Cleon let out a small sigh as he watched Galatea fly away.

[Cleon?]

And Caliburn, who remains on his belt, speaks.

[Aren’t you angry because Galatea teased you earlier?]

Silence.

＂… No way.＂

[… You know I’ve never made fun of you, right?]

“Huh. Of course.”

As Cleon said that, he crossed her arms and saw Galatea’s sword body hanging over the swamp.

[Cleon! Take it out! This hurts! It’s tingling!!]

Galatea’s scream rang out, but only Cleon and Caliburn could hear it, the two who did not move.