NOVEL WEB Chapter 58: Snowy Cliff
Gabby didn't dare to move. Even the slightest motion could alert the King of Thrixell. The King was extremely sensitive to movement.
Suddenly, the cub wriggled, trying to escape Gabby's grasp.
Gabby slowly crouched down and let the cub go.
He thought to himself, "This cub doesn't sense danger. If it wants to die, it can die alone."
The Marshbear cub ran off, and the King of Thrixell noticed it.
It lunged forward at full speed.
Just as the King bared its fangs and charged at the cub, a powerful claw struck from the side. It was Mother Marshbear.
Gabby thought, "Of course. The cub sensed its mother nearby. And judging by the mother's condition, she's unharmed. That must mean the Cliff Widow ran away from their fight."
The King of Thrixell had incredible reflexes. It managed to dodge the claw and quickly backed away to a safe distance.
Both monsters locked eyes, each giving the other a hostile, predatory glare. They roared at each other, and the air and the hill shook from their might. Neither of them backed down.
Gabby didn't waste any time. He quietly moved toward Maya's location, picked her up, and carried her on his back.
He thought, "A fight between a wounded dungeon King and a protective Marshbear mother is about to begin. I'm not helping either of them. They're monsters. If they get the chance, they'll kill me."
With a deep breath, Gabby whispered, "Secret Sword Art: Heavenly Swordstyle, First Form: Godspeed."
He thought to himself, "I don't plan to fight them. I can't afford to waste more aura. Running away at full speed is my best option."
In an instant, Gabby vanished. He moved so fast that the naked eye couldn't track him.
He muttered, "Full speed. I've reached one hundred seventy meters per second. That's about Mach 0.5. I'm sure I could go even faster. If I wasn't carrying Maya, if I wasn't sick from the cold, and if I poured more aura into my speed."
Maya slowly opened her eyes and whispered, "Gabby…"
Gabby thought to himself, "I don't know if she's fully aware of her surroundings…"
Then she spoke again, her voice faint, "You're still alive… What happened to everyone?"
Gabby thought, "Even after using up all her divine energy, she's still worried about others more than herself."
He replied in a calm voice, "They're gone. We're the only ones left."
She began to cry. Of course she would.
He added gently, "You should rest, Maya."
"I'm sorry," she said softly.
Gabby responded almost immediately, "Why are you apologizing to me?"
She shook her head and murmured, "If I had been stronger from the start… maybe I could've stopped all this."
Maya looked miserable, blaming herself for something beyond her control.
Gabby thought, "Even if she had the power to save everyone, they were still just pawns—bait for the monsters. Without them, I wouldn't have survived this hellish exam."
He said, "You don't have to blame yourself, Maya. Von wouldn't want to hear you say that. Honestly, I don't even know if the two of us can survive this exam. But for now, just rest."
She cried again and held onto his arm even tighter.
"I'll take full responsibility… if we make it out of this," she whispered.
Then Maya lost consciousness once more.
Gabby thought to himself:
"If Maya hadn't woken up, I would've left her behind and let the Memory Fiend finish her. But surviving alone would cause a huge backlash. They'd start questioning my true identity. If they discover that I'm a wielder of the Heavenly Sword technique, my future would be ruined. Or worst if the Academy discovered that I am the assassin who killed Sarah of the south.
Being the sole wielder of a dragon's sword style puts me in a dangerous position."
Luckily, I still remember the geography of this area. I memorized the map Von showed me. Up ahead is a snowy cliff."
Gabby had started walking. He stumbled to the ground multiple times, but each time, he used his strength to make sure Maya wasn't hurt in the fall. The slope of the cliff was steep, and carrying someone in his arms made it nearly impossible to keep his balance. He didn't even know how many hours had passed.
He thought to himself, "I've lost count of how many times I've fallen. The cold is unbearable, and my sickness is making it worse. This is too much even for me. Maybe it's time I stop conserving my energy."
Gabby released a portion of his green aura, letting it flow gently around Maya to protect her from the cold.
Gabby thought to himself:
"Aura can act like an internal heat source. By circulating it through the body or extending it around someone else. I can maintain a stable, warm temperature that shields against freezing conditions.
But this requires precise control and a steady supply of aura. One wrong move, and I could drain my aura and stamina completely."
Gabby's boots sank deep into the thick snow with every step, the icy flakes clinging to the cloak and weighing him down. But none of it mattered. He had Maya secured on his back, her body was limp and fragile, and he pressed forward without hesitation.
Snowflakes gathered on her mantle, slowly covering her like a blanket. His aura kept her warm, regulating her body temperature, but it couldn't shield her from the physical object. Aura could protect against the cold, but not from the snow itself.
Gabby stumbled again, his knees hitting the frozen ground. He gritted his teeth, twisting his body mid-fall to keep Maya from harm. The slope of the cliff was unforgiving, steep, slick, and treacherous. Carrying someone made it nearly impossible to keep his balance.
No monster had dared to follow Gabby.
The reason was simple. Gabby still smelled like the Marshbear cub. The smell was strong, musky, and hard to ignore. In the world of monsters, that smell was a warning. It meant a powerful creature was nearby, and most monsters didn't want to take the risk.
He had walked nearly one league through the snowy cliffside.
As Gabby reached the summit of the snow-covered cliff, his breath was shallow and his body trembling, his eyes widened at the sight before him.
He muttered, "Finally, a teleportation portal."
With slow, heavy steps, Gabby walked into the portal.