NOVEL WEB Chapter 238: Hazan Windswept Mountain
Hal and Loki hunted four Ironskull Hogs and Bluehide Boars, roasted one of them whole, one in parts, and kept the other two raw for the wolf companion's meals.
While the pup also liked seasoned, roasted meat, Loki began liking raw meat a bit more lately, as per Helena.
The two then proceeded to cross the vast river after a nice lunch by the riverside.
Hal simply used [Mana Flight], keeping watch while airborne as his wolf companion jumped from boulder to boulder, sometimes on smaller, lower, and more dangerous rocks.
He wasn't too worried, though.
If he knew there was danger beneath the flowing waters, Hal was certain that Loki did, too, and whenever the pup would look up at him, he would summon an [Earthen Pillar] Loki could use to cross safely.
It was unwise and difficult to battle aquatic beasts and monsters in their habitat, after all.
Ultimately, the two were able to cross with relative ease, managing to avoid the creatures lurking beneath the waters, though Hal doubted there would be a high-ranking beast or monster in this area.
The more dangerous aquatic creatures usually lived in at least an old and huge lake, but mostly in larger bodies of water like seas or oceans.
After crossing, the terrain became even more rocky, and the air a bit tempestuous as the foot of the towering mountain, whose peak was hidden in the clouds, stood dauntingly in front of the two.
They've arrived at the Hazan Windswept Mountain.
Hal, after his experience working with Hao, now values information far more than he did before.
There were a lot of times when the bespectacled shorty's knowledge saved them.
So, he headed to the Aeloria Public Library first to research his destination, gulping in nervousness upon discovering that an S-ranked beast, the Jadescale Wyrm, inhabited the higher levels of the mountain.
High-ranked wizards of the Imperial Wizard Guild also reported that they spotted the nest of an A-ranked Galewing Roc at one of the natural caves close to the peak.
Additionally, there was a lucky party of elite wizards that somehow managed to spot a monster of the same rank, the Cragstalker, before it sensed them, allowing the party to barely escape the horrifying, certain-death encounter.
Those were the tales of those who lived.
There wasn't much for the master wizards to gain by going into this mountain, so the top predators were able to thrive without much competition.
S-ranked beasts and monsters were a different story, however, as even master wizards would find it difficult to take one down, and there was a high chance of them falling prey to the creatures instead.
Perhaps only the mighty Magnas would be able to take these mighty beasts down reliably.
But of course, like the fell and the human races, the beasts and monsters have their mightiest: The Megala Deoras.
There were ten Megala Deoras at present, each ruling their own domains.
While these beasts with mana cores rarely left their territories, one did in the past after a certain hot-headed and overconfident Flame Magna provoked it to test her strength, ultimately leading to the destruction of an entire city and three Magnas working together to repel it.
Even then, the mighty beast lived and managed to flee back to its domain in the Great Grandall Mountain Range, located in the far west of Maegrath.
Challenging the Deoras is now strictly prohibited because of this, and those who provoked them or entered their domains without permission from the empire would be labeled a criminal, and Magnas are no exception to this rule.
Luckily for Hal, massive as the Hazan Windswept Mountain was, it wasn't a comfortable place to live in, which was why only a rare few types of beasts and monsters lived here.
He and Loki would be safe as long as they carefully avoided the known top predators.
While Hal wanted to test his strength against the A-ranked beasts, he decided against it, especially since he still didn't have even basic Aethersight.
It would be unwise to fight such mighty creatures without the said vision enhancement attribute.
…Time marched ever forward as one man and one wolf traversed the rocky terrain.
Soon, they arrived at the foot of the massive mountain.
Hal stopped and looked around.
Despite the rocky location and the thin soil, a few special flora thrived.
There were Stonebirches, strange beige mosses, dwarfshrubs, and stonecrops, making the location a bit less suffocating in Hal's eyes.
A little higher swayed the leaves of Bristlecone Pines and Windspine Firs, with the occasional Edelweiss rooted on the seemingly dry ground.
The higher levels of the mountain were hidden in the clouds, so unfortunately, Hal could only ponder:
'Can trees still survive up there?'
He didn't know, and now was not the time to know. He would be toying with his life if he attempted.
As his eyes descended to the lower levels, Hal noticed a trail, his brows raising in surprise and astonishment.
It seemed that quite a number of wizards still dared venture here, despite the high-risk, low-reward dynamics of the location.
There really wasn't much to be gained here.
If the materials for one of the easiest [Rare]-tier artifacts one could make weren't here, Hal wouldn't have risked his life and invested his time.
In the next moment, Hal vanished, and a tiny sparrow appeared.
The pup was already used to this sequence. So, Loki kept watch, senses on high as his master surveyed the surroundings.
The [Spirit Sparrow] flew higher and higher, vanishing as Hal activated the invisibility.
With its now sharper and clearer vision, Hal easily spotted a few creatures, most of which were in camouflage mode, with only a few others grazing off the dry plants.
'Aihh…I guess I would have to go higher, then…' Hal sighed, disappointed to find that only low-ranked creatures lived at the foot of the mountain.
The materials he needed were probably in the middle ridges…
Hal temporarily dismissed the sparrow and emerged from invisibility, turning to his companion:
"Let's go, Loki."