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Chapter 980: Reaching The Cauldron

It was an inspiring sight, even when interlaced with the winding path of cobblestone and wooden rails that led toward the forest. On the backsplash of this decor, they could see that same wooden railing snake up the side of the mountain, climbing the side of the volcano.

The forest, although not too long and a few hundred meters ahead of them, was filled with distinct Korean Pine trees, all of which had been trimmed at the base, to both keep people from climbing them, but also to allow a nice breathable path through.

Walking the distance between the building and the forest proceeded smoothly, and the group only fell on high alert once the trees covered the sky overhead. From this point on, their

visibility was reduced enough for it to be a risk.

At least, it would have been for normal people.

Immediately as they lost visual of the sky, mana sense waves blasted out, covering an array of distances, and with it, the area was completely under their purview again. But they didn\'t relax just yet.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Starting here, I think it would be best we rearm ourselves," Alex pointed out.

They had all thought it would have to wait for them to be at the top of the volcano, since they thought they would get escorted. But since they were left to their own devices, thanks to Kary\'s quick thinking and heavy greasing of paws, they could do so freely right now, where people couldn\'t see them.

With but a thought from Violette and Jonathan, the orb that contained their gear was brought back down from the sky, the cloud appearance on it quickly fading away as they brought it down blazingly fast.

A bit of frost had started forming on the orb, given the height at which they had kept it hovering, but it was no issue for Violette, who melted it without a second glance before dispelling the water and laying their gear down.

Everyone quickly put the armour over their clothes, Kary quickly jumping in to help Winston with his, since the plating armour required a bit of finesse and some extra hands to strap correctly.

Over the course of the next five minutes, everyone prepared themselves as much as they could, both physically and mentally, and Liu Yan watched them hype each other up like a sports team getting ready to head into the field.

It was a reassuring sight, given their lives would soon be in danger, to see them treat this as a normal occurrence.

Even the ones that had yet to hunt with the group felt at ease with each other.

Once everyone was equipped, armed, and mentally ready, Alex took point, with Winston at his side, and David and Jonathan right behind them, putting the mages in the middle of their group, Jin-Sil and Aapo following closely behind, and Cory closing the march with Killian.

The path was narrow, only allowing two people to march side by side if they left enough room for them to wield their weapons, so they formed two lines of six, walking at a slower pace than before.

The trek through the relatively short forest felt like an eternity, since they kept their senses on high alert, and walked at a crawling pace, but once at the foot of the volcano, the actual danger started.

From here on out, the path became narrower, only allowing one person at a time if they wanted enough room to wield weapons, so they had to stretch out into a longer single file. But that was only the start of the risks involved.

Since they were on a staircase that was maintained, yes, but still relatively old, any abrupt change in weight, or slamming force into the staircase, would put them at risk of it collapsing.

And since they were dealing with flying enemies, the possibility of being ambushed on this mountain flank was incredibly high. If a harpy slammed into the path, trying to catch them, would it give in under their combined weight?

Already, nervousness started to rise in the ranks, regardless of Alex trying his best to exude confidence.

Even he was starting to feel the mounting pressure. And it would only get worse from here. Slowly trudging their way up, keeping their eyes above, under, and around them, everyone\'s head on a swivel, the party took an hour just to reach the top, which was double the time it would normally take.

The sight that greeted them, once they all arrived at the top, was breath-taking.

On one side, the island and its many colourful roofs and walls, and on the other, the enormous volcanic plateau, forming an almost perfect bowl, with green grass and the occasional bamboo tree.

It was an amazing sight, especially when compared to the eternal blue backdrop of the ocean beyond it.

Now that they were outside the forest, and over the looming mountainside, the sounds of lapping waves started reaching their ears from the proximity of the ocean.

The chants of seagulls, although weak, given their low numbers, interlaced with the wind that

was now rushing past their face, bringing in the salty smell of the sea.

"Man... This would have been an amazing moment, had we not been in danger..." Alex said, looking over the horizon.

"I mean, we could take a break and enjoy the scenery for a moment. No?" Killian asked, looking at the scene with nostalgia.

This sight wasn\'t too uncommon to him, who lived on the hilly sea sides of England.

But Alex shook his head.

"I\'m afraid we won\'t get that leisure. The harpies started getting agitated over the southeast lip. I think they felt our presence," Alex declared, pointing his sword over to the other side of

the volcano.

Already, piercing screeches started echoing in the wind, sending the very few seagulls flying away in panic.

They couldn\'t see the enemies yet, but those with mana senses reaching further started feeling their presence.

"We better get off this ledge as fast as we can, lest we get thrown off mid fight. The way down won\'t be forgiving for anyone falling down," Alex said, starting to jog and slide his way down the rocky ridge after jumping the small barrier in place.

They needed to have solid ground around them if they wanted to reduce that kind of possibility. Harpies were well known for taking their prey high and dropping them off cliffs,

after all.

"Come on! What are you waiting for!" he shouted, as he slid down a steeper slope.

Already, dark spots appeared over the opposite side of the volcano cauldron.

Battle was imminent.