Chapter 461 - 454. Across the Valley
Down, down, down they go along the hills, entering the woods and crossing ravines.
The guides thought it was already hard enough before, but this time, it got even harder. There was no easy path or an established one. They couldn’t rely on the warriors to open a wide path like the first day, due to the uneven terrain. The ground was hard and filled with boulders, and they had to constantly go up and down.
Even then, Ron said it was the best path he could find. The other would be too steep or too dense--which wasn’t a problem for the warriors, but would be too much for the supports and the guides.
"We don’t have time to make a path now with this things keep coming at us," Bassena said while slicing the air with his hand, sending several dark scythes to the incoming screeching birds. "Once we make our base, we can level the land more leisurely with the equipment the following group would bring."
That was the decision made after knowing the new route took longer than the original. After all, the underground path only followed an underground river--kind of like a highway, ironically enough. But this time, they had to go through hills and valleys, down the cliff, and jump over a ravine. All while getting attacked left and right by the beasts that originally dwelled in their path.
"But at least there’s no worm here! Hahahaha!" Han Shin was the happiest among these people. He rarely needed to heal since everyone was excellent, and even if he had to, it was only for a few nicks and bruises. He was basically the most relaxed of them all.
"Why is this place full of beasts anyway?" Naoya muttered as he took a little rest after letting out endless mana arrows.
"No idea," Ron shook his head--even the scout had to take part in the battle this time. "The last time we’re here, it’s not like this."
"So...what? Five months ago?" Bassena tilted his head. "Could it be they felt traces of human and came here to check?"
"In that case, would there be any need for them to stay for months after finding there’s nothing here?" Kei frowned while kept giving her visions to Naoya, who was ready to shoot again.
Zein narrowed his eyes at those words. "It’s not like...there’s nothing here, isn’t it?"