Chapter 6: The Golden Mountain
The presence behind him was heavy. Not like the Fallen Wolf, and not like any monster. It was something calmer, but at the same time more dangerous.
Lian turned slowly, and then for a moment his eyebrows pulled together a little.
A girl was standing there.
Her height was almost the same as his, maybe a little shorter. She wore light armor of a dark silver color, parts of it covered in dried blood.
A short, torn cape hung from her shoulder. A long sword was in her right hand. A sword that still had fresh blood dripping from its edge.
But what made the space around her feel colder was her face.
She was too young. She looked the same age as Lian, maybe even one or two years younger. And that made her more terrifying.
Because there was only one truth. This girl, according to her own words, was the one who had brought the Fallen Wolf to the edge of death.
The girl’s cold eyes fell on the huge wolf corpse.
Then her gaze slowly moved over the fallen rocks, the huge bone stuck in the monster’s body, and finally the hole on Lian’s clothes.
A cold, emotionless light shone in her pupils for a moment.
Lian frowned, and his body unconsciously tightened a little. He was sure the girl was extremely powerful. But he was not afraid. If needed, he would fight.
He had not had the chance to check his new stats yet. But according to the Butcher skill’s description, he should have absorbed one percent of that wolf’s power.
And if that monster really was a level ten Fallen Wolf, his current stats should not be weak.
The girl was quiet for a few seconds. Then the cold light in her eyes slowly faded.
"Whatever." Then she turned and started walking away from there, as if she really did not care.
Lian was surprised for a moment. He had not expected such a reaction. This girl was either too confident, or she did not consider him a threat at all.
He did not know if he should be happy or unhappy about this situation. But he also preferred not to get into a fight at this point.
Seeing that the girl was really leaving the valley, he suddenly said,
"Wait."
The girl stopped.
"..."
"What is the environment like up there? Mountainous or forest?" Lian asked without moving from his spot.
"A mountain range in the middle of a forest." The girl thought for a moment and finally decided to answer.
’So it counts as mountainous,’ Lian thought to himself, and felt a little relieved. Finding keys in mountainous areas was easier than in forests.
"Up there, on your way, did you see a mountain with a golden peak?"
"Why?"
Lian blinked. Really? He did not expect someone not to know what a golden mountain meant.
Even high school students knew that. Or at least... they should know.
For a moment he wondered if the girl was pretending not to know. The problem was that this was not something that needed to be hidden.
But when his gaze fell on her calm profile, he realized, no, she really did not know. And this was strange.
Very strange.
"For the key." Lian finally said.
The girl turned her head a little.
"Key? A key for what?"
This time Lian was really surprised. From her tone, it was clear she was not lying. Had this girl lived her whole life in a cave?
"The key to exit the realm."
A few seconds of silence passed.
"So we don’t have to kill all the monsters to leave?" The girl’s face was still cold, but surprise could be felt in her tone.
Lian stared at her.
And the girl continued.
"I thought all the monsters in this world had to be killed for the exit to open."
"No, that is really not necessary."
The girl was quiet for a few moments.
"That is easier." Then she said very quietly.
Lian really did not know how to react. Where had this girl come from? She did not even know the most basic information about the realms.
But instead, she could slaughter a Fallen Wolf to the edge of death.
"So you did not see a golden mountain?"
"No." The girl thought a little and answered.
And then after a short pause, she continued.
"But I saw a very tall mountain. Much bigger than the others."
Lian’s eyes lit up a little. That was probably it. According to public information, keys usually appeared in places with the highest energy concentration. And in ruined realms, that place was often the highest point.
"Which direction?"
The girl, without a word, pointed her hand toward the north of the valley. Lian held the direction for a few seconds, then nodded.
"Thanks."
"And I did not want to kill that monster. It attacked me, and I almost died." Then he paused for a moment and said,
The girl finally turned and looked directly at him.
"I noticed." Her gaze fixed on Lian’s torn clothes. More precisely... on the hole in the middle of his chest.
"The middle of your clothes has a hole, but your body does not look like that." Her voice was quiet and completely calm.
"That wolf should have pierced your body."
Lian said nothing.
"That is why I did not kill you." The girl then completed her sentence, and with cold eyes continued,
"Otherwise, because you took my prey, you would have had to die."
A few seconds of silence passed.
And then Lian laughed. It was a short laugh, but not from mockery. It was from the sudden understanding that this girl was not stupid. She just did not know a lot of things.
But instead, her ability to analyze was terrifying. With only a few looks, she had understood almost everything that had happened.
Lian nodded.
"Have a good journey."
Then he went toward the wolf corpse. After all, this was not just a normal monster. It was a Fallen Wolf. Even its skin could be extremely valuable.
Lian sat next to the corpse and started removing the valuable parts of the monster’s body.
Claws, teeth, bones, and finally its thick, bloody skin.
The more he worked, the more he realized the insane value of that monster. If he could take these things to the real world, he would become rich!
After some time, he finally put his hand on the corpse. The space around the corpse pulsed for a moment.
And the huge wolf body disappeared into the Storage Space. One of the basic abilities of all Awakened. A dimensional space given to them by the system.
Lian took a quiet breath and turned. But then he paused. The girl was still standing there. She had not left.
"...Can I help you?" A slight frown appeared on his face.
The girl looked at him in silence.
"Do you have a question?"
Again silence.
"I thought you wanted to go." Lian spoke again.
The girl said nothing for a few seconds. As if she was not sure how to say what she wanted. And this, for the first time, made her look a little like her actual age.
But only for a short moment.
"You are going to go toward that key, right?" She finally said.
"Yes."
"Then I am coming with you." The girl nodded and added. Her tone was more of an order than a request.
As if she was saying, do not even think about refusing.
-----
(A/N : If you have been satisfied with the novel so far, I would be happy to receive feedback so I can know whether the novel has been good or not :) ]
