Chapter 8 : Trail of Death

Translated by: AnmesicCat, CrimsonScholar, Haikai, Kirito, Ohio

Proofread by: DarkD, Risuke.

"Now, what should we do?"

Pale looked at Weed. Weed didn't have anything special to say so he talked about general things.

"We should buy the supplies needed for the trip and go to the Horom Mountain. What else do we need?"

"Snacks! We should buy lots of snacks."

Geomchi made an opinion, and that was soon made into a consensus. Irene and Surka missed Weed's cooking skills so much.

"It's been awhile since Weed cooked for us."

"That's right. I want to eat Weed's delicious food."

"Wouldn't eating meat in the mountains be the best?"

Zephyr's appet.i.te grew larger. Then, Geomchi3 tapped his shoulder.

"Huh huh, It seems like you know the taste of meat very well."

"Yes, of course. Doesn't meat taste better in a wide open environment rather than eating at home alone?"

"Right, right! That's true."

Zephyr and Geomchi agreed on eating.

Former fisherman Zephyr! In fact, you can only become a fisher if you are not lazy.

You had to sit in one place and enjoy fis.h.i.+ng while eating fish dishes!

Zephyr remembered every dish Weed made.

Weed decided to follow the aggressive opinions of the party.

"Then I will simply buy condiments and cooking tools."

"I'll guide you."

Mapan accurately remembered the vendors of the Dark Elf Castle. As a merchant, it was a necessary skill.

Weed and Mapan circled the Dark Elf Castle once. The purchases were usually some spices and condiments. They bought twice the amount of a day's worth of groceries.

"We can find meat there so we should buy roughly. Fresh meat is good."

It was Geomchis' opinion. Weed also didn't buy ingredients from stores often.

"Then should we do it like that?"

Weed and the party left the Dark Elf Castle as if they were on a light picnic.

"Now, let's go."

"Wa, it's mountain hiking!"

"Let's go! We should go and eat grill meat!"

The party excitedly headed towards the direction where Horom Mountain is said to be located.

It was really enjoyable to climb up the mountain. The gentle breeze was cool, flowers bloomed everywhere. b.u.t.terflies flew, birds chirped.

"It feels like we really came here to play."

Hwaryeong was very happy. The feeling of strolling in the mountains like this was the best.

Walking along the path made in between the trees carefully, following the person in front. Telling stories while walking, seemed like it was going to be a great memory.

Everyone else felt the same way.

'Who knew there was a peaceful place like this?'

'We only tried to level up so far so we lived too deserted.'

'We should have times like this.'

'Walking while gaining fame and information, it's not too bad.'

Then Surka was impressed when she saw a deep hole in the ground.

"Wow! It's amazing! How can a big hole be in a mountain like this?"

Weed replied casually.

"They are the footprints of a monster."

"Th, This is a footprint?"

"Yes."

When they travelled a little further, trees were scattered everywhere.

"It's the mysteries of nature. I wonder if a tempest came."

Weed glanced and identified the situation. It was a familiar terrain.

"It looks like the monsters fought here."

"A Monsters fight?"

"The damage indicates a fight between mid-level monsters."

"Hiccup"

The party then noticed the seriousness of the situation a little bit.

'The place we are in is the Yuroki Mountain range'

The Rosenheim Kingdom is a relatively safe place. At least there is a low chance of dying there. However, in the Yuroki Mountain range, you have to risk your life.

"I will look around."

Pale headed first, Zephyr and Surka also went into the surrounding range. So when a monster appears, they can perform their best. Geomchis also took out their swords.

Weed didn't find it necessary to do that, but he didn't stop the party from doing so. In the territory of the Dark Elves and the Orcs, there was not that many strong monsters. Strong monsters only appear in the far and outlying park of the mountain range.

Really dangerous monsters lived in the red forests or gorges.

While hunting with the Orcs, Weed knew well about the dangers of the Yuroki Mountains. There were a lot of places he hasn't been, but he at least recognized the types of the monsters residing in it.

'They say the Yetis live in the Horom Mountain. We have faced Yetis before.'

The Elder of Orcs did not ever talk about the Horom Mountain. They said that the trail was a little harsh, and monsters did not reside much.

'Yeah, Yetis are no big deal.'

Weed could move freely because he acquired a lot of information about the Horom Mountain.

You could easily find the Horom Mountain due to the many mysterious trees and rock.

The movement of the party resembled a light walk!

They thought of the Horom Mountain as a simple neighbourhood hill. But when they saw the actual mountain, the height was enormous.

They tilted their head way back, but they still couldn't see the top. It was covered entirely by clouds.

"It's pretty high."

The slope was fairly dangerous. It almost looked as if they were climbing stairs. It's like a mountain with more rocks than trees.

"Wow! If we make it up to the top of the mountain, the view is going to be great."

Everybody agreed with Hwaryeong.

'We will be able to see the view on our way up.'

'The sun is hot but the wind is fresh, it is the best weather for mountain climbing.'

The party started climbing.

It's been 2 hours since they entered the mountain!

The monsters are nowhere to be found, they only repeated climbing flatly.

Geomchi stretched and spoke looking bored.

"Weed."

"Yes."

"Shouldn't we eat since we've climbed so far? We were going to eat at the top......"

"Should we?"

Weed looked around. The everyone seemed hungry so as soon as he said it, they sat with a plop.

"Then we should eat here."

"Irene, Hwaryeong. Please prepare to grill meat. Mapan please collected some firewood, Zephyr pa.s.s out the plates. It would be great if Pale would light up the fire."

"Yes!"

Everyone hurried to make preparations to dine.

The bonfire was made, dishes and the meat from the Dark Elf Castle were soon prepared. Surka spoke as if something was missing.

Everyone hurried to make preparations to eat.

"By the way, are we only having meat?"

"No. Since we came all the way to the mountain we have to eat noodles!"

"Noodles? Where can we get them?"

"Wait a moment. I will make it quick."

Weed added the wild greens and meat into the pot and boiled them. He was making a broth.

Then, relentlessly pounded the kneaded flour.

*Tata Tak!*

Touch of Weed pounding the flour!

The flour mixed into the water was kneaded. When the batter was nearly completed, he spun it around and lengthened the noodles.

He made Ramen noodles.

The handcrafted noodles were tangy and they were overflowing with richness. Weed added the Suta noodles into the boiling soup and waited a little longer.

"Now, eat before it is completely cooked."

"Wow! It looks delicious."

It was when Surka quickly tried to put in her eating utensils. The Geomchis put in their whole bowl into the soup.

"This is the best."

"We have to have ramen in the mountains."

"Yes sir! What would be better than grilling meat in the mountains and eating ramen."

"So refres.h.i.+ng. Cool!"

Weed's popular food!

In the mountains, ramen with meat and refres.h.i.+ng soup is the best.

"Zzup zzup, but master."

"What's wrong, Geomchi2."

"At this rate, we are going to eat all the food supplies."

For Geomchis who ate all the Barley bread and starved, they were always sensitive to the amount of food."

"It's okay. We have Weed."

"That's right."

"Let's eat without worrying."

"Yes! Master!"

Shamelessly, the Geomchis ate all the food.

The other companions also ate two or three more times the usual amount. They were in a picnic, hence they ate more.

"I ate well. Kkeueuk!"

With their bellies filled, the party felt satisfied.

"So should we start climbing again?"

Geomchi stood up taking the lead.

At this time, the tension around Weed and his companions lessened. It was a mountain. They climbed step by step and will soon reach the top.

Suddenly a thick fog began to cover the area. It wasn't long, when clouds were in view.

"Its damp."

Hwaryeong opened both her arms.

"It's refres.h.i.+ng."

Zephyr wiped his forehead. It wasn't sweat, but moisture from the high atmosphere.

"The water is cold and refres.h.i.+ng. If I came here with Maylon, it would've been great."

Pale spoke with a feeling of loss.

The foggy area stimulated a mystical feeling. If you came with your lover, it will be one of the best memories.

They pa.s.sed the foggy area, and the view became clear again.

Weed glanced towards the top.

"We're are almost at the top...Keuk!"

Everyone thought that they had reached the top, but no matter how much they looked up, they could not see the summit.

The clouds were blocking the view!

The people saw a breathtaking view of the mountain appearing on top of the clouds.

Even though they had walked for a long time, some might say that it was impossible to reach the top of the mountain.. At the snowcovered area, the Yeti was there.

A steep cliff!

The slope of the mountain was sharp and steep!

And there in the middle of road Yetis were living there. Because the Yetis were here, they could not advance any further.

'This is why we haven't seen any monsters so far.'

The gigantic Yeti monsters, with white fur, were ready to face their opponents.

"From here on lets get ready to fight."

Weed received the party's equipment and clothes.

Swords were sharpened, armor was cleaned and ironed.

The Handicraft Skill enhanced his abilities.

Since they had already eaten, their strength and stamina were perfect for the situation.

"Ok, Irene, please bless us. Pale will distract them with his arrows. When we break up, fight them accordingly."

The battle soon began!

Pale shot some arrows and as it descended, 3 Yetis were provoked.

"Kuwuuhhhh!"

"KulukKuluk!"

Level 340 Yeti monster!

But it was different from the monsters he hunted with Seoyoon.

"KyaoKyao!"

With his sword, Weed blocked the white furred Yetis' attack. But chilling hex was pa.s.sed on to him.

Your body is freezing.

Your strength has been reduced.

Your attack and movement speed have been slowed.

Addition effects:

You are more likely to catch a cold.

In severe cases, you can freeze to death.

High level Yeti monsters each had the special ability to deliver coldness. Indeed, this is really Yetis' breeding ground! The climate is warm, but with the elevation of the Horom Mountains, the Yetis ability to deliver coldness proved to be effective.

*JjeoJeoJeok!*

Weed's sword which b.u.mped into the Yetis' claws, turned into ice.

"Beware of the Yetis claws!"

Even without warning them, the rest of his party members were already having enough trouble.

Whenever Yetis attacked, extremely cold temperature could be felt. The ice damage attack was horribly frightening, it immediately damages their vitality, strength, and slows down their movement speed.

"Bless!"

"Why is it so cold."

"However, it's refres.h.i.+ng."

Although they were also cold, the Geomchis felt glad about it.

On the other side of the Continent of Versailles, across the Plains of Despair, people had to endure the scorching weather. But depending on the person, attacking while sweating profusely, could also feel good.

*Grin!*

Geomchi3 and Geomchi5's eyes met. Over the years, they were able to understand each others' thoughts.

'I'll take the front.'

'Then, I'll take the back.'

Geomchi5 and Geomchi3 focused on 1 Yeti.

One person jumped out from the front, and the other one at the back. Avoiding the Yetis claws, Geomchi5 and Geomchi3 attacked mercilessly, and killed the Yeti.

A method of fighting that risked their lives!

Geomchi3 was directly in front of the Yeti, attacking its large stature while moving his body to avoid its claws. Inevitably using his sword to attack at an angle while reducing the damage taken.

Anyone would be surprised if they saw this.

With the Yetis big stature, Geomchi3 had to avoid its attack and counterattack with a margin of a needle hole!

One critical attack, and he'll die instantly. The act was dangerous and similar to tightrope walking.

However, every time Geomchi3 landed a hit, everyone applaud.

"Wow! That is really cool."

Geomchi3 became tolerable and immune to pain!

If you receive a direct attack in Royal Road, you'll also feel the pain. Although the maximum pain you receive is only 20% the original, it was enough to make to sting and someone sore.

Because of Geomchi3's real world experience of getting beaten up, he was able to laugh off the pain.

Geomchi was also attacking the Yeti eagerly.

"Slash, Slash, Stab!"

He targeted only the fatal vital parts.

Such as parts of the spine, and near the top of its head!

Geomchi enthusiastically wielded his sword. The power of his attacks became even stronger.

"This is fun"

"We should fight too!"

After they saw that, Geomchi2 and Geomchi4 went behind the Yeti.

Geomchi3 resentfully exclaimed.

"If you're going to help me, you should attack the front!"

"Sorry, attacking from behind seemed more fun"

"You are doing a good job, so we thought that you didn't need our help. We thought you could easily beat that monster."

"Of course."

Geomchi2, Geomchi4, Geomchi5 violently attacked the Yeti's back. The angry Yeti changed his plan. When they attacked, it would turn its back.

Geomchi3 switched into a defense position and caught the Yeti's attention. Doing so, his health was slowly draining away. The sword and his feet became frozen. Thus, even a little damage would result in a significant injury.

If it weren't for Irene's blessing and Weed's armor polis.h.i.+ng skills, he would've died ages ago.

It was Geomchi3's battle of life and death with the Yeti!

Geomchi2, Geomchi4, and Geomchi5's amazing strength and their hitting the same spot at the same time eventually killed the Yeti.

*Kuuung!*

The sluggish body fell to the ground.

"Wow! We won!"

For Geomchi3, the ice reached the scabbard of this sword. He was frozen up to the leg and was unable to move.

While they were fighting one Yeti, Weed and Geomchis were also fighting, using the same strategy the Geomchi's used.

"Me, I'll take the front."

"Well, do as you please."

Weed's endurance level surpa.s.sed 400; it was unparallel to none other. Even though the Yeti hit him multiple times, the endurance level was high enough so that it barely scratched him.

Weed had already seen the attack movements of the Yeti while traveling with Seoyoon. It was dangerous, but he was able to attack the Yetis one at a time. All he had to do was take care of the cold and he would be fine.

Whenever Weed was attacking the Yeti, Geomchi also took out his sword and attacked the same place.

Instead of weak, successive attacks, the Yeti would attack Weed and hit a very strong attack. At this time, Geomchi attacked the head and the Yeti lost all its health.

Weed also defended and counter-attacked so the 2 of them were able to beat the Yeti.

For the last Yeti, Zephyr took the damage while Pale, Romuna, Hwayoung, and Surka attacked it.

The Yeti was a strong monster so it was able to withstand much damage, Hwaryeong's dance did not affect it. Thus killing the Yeti took quite awhile.

But slowly, the Yeti began to lost health; eventually it died. All 3 Yeti's were killed!

We won!

Difficult monsters seized!

Powerful monsters have been slain!

Such strong monsters, if they did not combine their strengths, it would have been impossible to kill the Yetis.

Mapan lifted his head.

'Of course as a merchant I can't do anything, so I avoid all fights.'

While watching Weed fight, it was impossible not to be amazed.

The way he was able to handle 3 Yetis all at once was overwhelming.

Even for Weed, fighting Yetis were a difficult task. Even with Irene's blessing, Weed's HP bar was slowly decreasing. However, the Yeti's health disappeared first.

If other Yeti's rushed to attack Weed while he was fighting, Hwaryeong and Pale would finish off the monsters.

However, Geomchi3, Weed, and Zephyr split the 3 Yetis. They had to fight each of the strong monsters individually. With quick wits and speed, these were attributes that no one else had. If one did not have complete faith in themselves, fighting the Yetis was an impossible task.

In these types of emergency situation, the competence of the party can be measured by how well they can adapt to the circ.u.mstances.

"The experience is no joke."

Irene called out for her character information window and smiled. Although it was difficult to killed them, the Yetis gave tremendous amount of experience. From the dead Yetis, they were able to acquire a large stick and some ores.

Mapan took the j.a.ptem first, and placed it in his bag.

"Now, lets take on the next Yeti."

When Pale said that, Weed discouraged the idea.

"Wait a minute Pale, there's something I must do first."

"Something you must to do?"

"We gotta take care of the loot"

Weed took out the Engraving Knife.

*SagakSagak!*

From the Yeti's corpse, he extracted leather and meat. He then separated the bones according to its cla.s.sification.

It was only through luck that meat or leathers would dropped, but with intermediate sewing and cooking skills, he was able to extract them.

The level of his dexterity and the level mastery of his skills attributed to how much of each loot he could extract.

"I understand why you are collecting the meat, but the leather?"

Hwayoung asked, taking a seat next to Weed.

But Weed did not stop his knife.

"It's cold around the Horom Mountains. You would never know when they would become useful. And bones could be used to brew refreshments."

Weed was extracting meat, leather, and bones

There was nothing thrown away from the corpse of the Yeti. At that very instant, the Yetis' big corpse was disa.s.sembled.

Whenever Weed fought the Yetis, he collected the leather.

A hunt overflowing with thrills and suspense!

With just a small mistake, the party could be entirely wiped out. So the party was forced to focus solely on the hunt.

As often as possible, Pale would try to attract the attention of 4 or 5 Yetis all at once, but sometimes a few would try to attack Pale. When that happens, Hwaryeong would help out. She would use her special confusion skill, a technique that would put the Yetis to sleep.

"Enchanting Dance!"

An immense offensive attack!

It was foolish to dance in front of the Yeti, knowing that there is a high risk of losing her life.

Geomchi's eye lit up.

"The young lady is awesome. Her movements are very flexible."

Geomchi2 said.

"Do you think so too, Master? There's no unusual movements of the ankles and waist."

"You're right. It's a very cool dance. It seems to be at an advanced level. It cannot be learned within a day or two."

The Geomchis were a.n.a.lyzing Hwaryeong's movements. To the Geomchis, the body is inscribed as second to none!

However their concentration only lasted 10 seconds.

While watching Hwaryeong's dance, the Geomchis' mouth got wider little by little, and finally, they started salivating profusely.

"Heh."

"That's so cool!"

The Geomchis were not interested in the fight, but rather Hwayoung's dance!

Fortunately, at that moment, the party's great crisis came to an end, and Hwaryeong's dance concluded.

The Yetis who watched the Enchanting Dance all fell asleep with their faces flushed.

"Keuheoheom!"

The Geomchis killed every Yeti that were not affected by Hwayoung's dance.

Although Geomchi5 also thought of the situation the same way, he did not show his agreement to the same degree as Geomchi2, Geomchi3, Geomchi4, and Geomchi.

"It is an honor to die by my sword."

"Let's get married!"

"You must not be greedy. Young Lady, how about you try being my girlfriend just once!"

Geomchi, Geomchi2, Geomchi3, and Geomchi4, were in their fighting spirits, and the party were able to hunt the Yeti safely.

Weed was extracting leather and meat, Geomchi2, Geomchi3, and Geomchi went up to Pale.

"Pale-nim."

"Ye-Yes!"

Pale's attention quickly diverted.

Geomchi2 and Geomchi3 looked like thugs and criminals because of their faces and their muscular bodies. The normally gentle demeanour was nowhere to be seen, and the color of their eyes were different.

The impregnable fortress which is said to hinder other people's combative spirit to the degree of no return. Something that is only attainable to normal people by going through extreme training.

Then Geomchi2 and Geomchi3 approached with a rigid face.

Geomchi5's face was flushed.

"Next time, can you bring as much as 5 Yetis?"

Geomchi3 saw Hwayoung and broadened his shoulders.

"6 is fine too."

Geomchi2 wrapped both his hands around his face like a shy boy.

"No, you can call 7. Its not like we wanted to see Hwayoung dance."

"......"

* * *

They ascended high up the Horom Mountains and the party was feeling extremely cold.

The soil ground was covered up in snow up to their knees. A sharp wind came blowing in, penetrating their necks.

"The wind is cold."

Surka s.h.i.+vered.

"Winds such as that will give us the cold."

Pale's body was all curled up while walking.

Coldness, compared to the rest of Versailles continent, felt like another dimension! With the immense cold, while standing still, you could turn into ice.

The Yetis intensified the cold even more.

Pale recently pulled 3 Yetis, 2 of them were put to sleep by Hwaryeong, and 1 was safely secured.

"Its cold here."

"I'd like to go to a warmer place quickly."

The party was getting tired of the cold and wanted to leave.

Geomchi then looked up at the peak of the mountains. They had walked for quite a while, and yet the peak was still not visible. It was getting increasingly colder, and the trail was becoming steeper.

"Its really amazing that the mountain is this tall."

Geomchi has traveled to a lot of mountains around the country.

Among those who took the path of a Martial Artist, there were quite a few people who deliberately seclude themselves in high steep mountains. And from his experience of his retreats, proves that Horom Mountain is formidable.

You can feel the severe coldness, and in more extreme cases, stats relating to combat—stamina, vitality, strength, and agility—decreases.

"Achoo!"

Surka sneezed then.

Finally, the initial symptoms of the common cold.

You have caught a cold

Physical strength is decreased by 20%

Skill effectiveness is decreased by 30%

A cold can then lead to other complications.

Maximum health and mana has been reduced.

The use of combat skills are likely to fail because of the cold.

"Although it's summer, I caught a cold. *Sniffle*!"

While sneezing Surka was seriously suffering.

The party was not capable to go any further.

Because of the cold, Yetis became considerably harder to handle, you'll catch a cold, and then lose all combat capability because of it.

Weed took out a needle and a thread, and then got to work.

He took out the leather from the Yeti that he packed before, and started cutting to make clothes.

"It doesn't need a design. Just make us warm clothes."

It was a request from Hwaryeong who is unusually exposed to enjoying different types of clothes. Irene and Romuna just wanted something warm to wear.

"Please wait a bit."

The first clothing that Weed produced was given to Surka. The Yeti's leather was absurdly big and durable. The first part of the leather was completely cut out because it was too thick and hard, therefore the material was not appropriate clothing.

For sewing, the lighter the fabric, the more luxurious the clothing. Thus, making clothes out of rabbit or deer leather was a much better option.

Weed's sewing skills were still insufficient to sew clothings out of rustic brute leather.

'Although it looks shabby, it'll still gives some warmth.'

The clothing Weed made out of Yeti Leather had basic designs. There were three layers added to the leather, it was thick and durable, and was made to withstand the cold outdoors.

The Yeti fur was attached separately, which gave it the finis.h.i.+ng touches to the clothes. It looked like a white fur coat, made to withstand even the cold from the North Pole.

'Fur clothing is good for cold climates.'

Weed completed the clothing.

*Ttiring!*

Clothes made from Yeti Leather:

Durability: 60/60.

Defense: 25.

Yeti leather were cut, altered, and attached to make the clothing.

Clothes were made with a delicate touch.

It prevents the coldness and the chilly winds from sipping through.

The white fur attached to the clothing will help maintain body temperature.

Requirements:

Level 150.

Strength 600

Options:

Cold Resistance 40%

When dressed in this clothing, all Yetis will be hostile.

Because of the weight, vitality decreases.

Agility 80 reduction.

If you look at the defense or the options of the clothing, it might seem useless but it was enough to keep warm.

Weed created Yeti leather boots, gloves, and hats, and handed them out to the party.

"Thank you, Weed-nim!"

Surka bowed and nodded.

Irene and Hwaryeong said their thanks and grat.i.tudes with a big smile on their faces.

"Wow! Thank you so much. Now I think I'll live."

"It was nothing. It's only natural that I would do so."

Weed said words of humility, but deep down, he thought differently.

He had already experience the miserable cold from provinces such as Morata and it plagued him. Catching a common cold because of lower temperatures, cold winds blew throughout the night. When the snow storm came, all he could do was moan and grunt from sickness!

He barely had the courage to beat the cold by creating a statue. He was lucky a few times thanks to his sewing skills, if not, he'd already have frozen to death several times over.

If he had frozen to death under any circ.u.mstances, there would not have been any possibility of winning the battle against the Vampires.

Because he had already experienced it before, he already knew that the coldness in Horom Mountains will get worse, little by little.

When he made the right clothing, the party could not possibly feel the coldness anymore.

Drastic and freezing temperatures!

There was no need to fear the cold wind, or fear catching a cold!

Weed deliberately made the clothes for that reason.

The party did not know how warm the clothes could be if made with sewing skills. Granted, if he had made those clothes the moment they entered the Horom Mountains.

If it was a little uncomfortable, his insufficient sewing skill is to blame.

When hungry, any food served would taste delicious and be appreciated.

"I'll wear it well."

Weed evenly distributed the clothing he made to the party.

Geomchi 3 and Geomchi4 wore the clothing made out of Yeti leather and were amazed at its quality.

"After wearing these clothes, it's not cold anymore."

"Master, these are really warm!"

The Geomchis were wearing white fur clothing.

Weed and his entire party wore thick white fur clothes. At first glance they could be mistaken as a Polar Bear.

The Geomchis' body recovered from the cold, and their strength returned.

"Then, let's continue the climb."

Geomchi2 vigorously replied.

"Master, shouldn't we fight first and the climb?"

"Good. It's a start."

The Geomchis went running up the mountain eagerly. It was possible without any Yetis around.

Weed and the rest of the party were hesitant to follow the Geomchis, but they eventually ascended after a short while.

Geomchi5 suddenly looked down at the bottom of the mountain.

'A world covered in clouds.'

The clouds flew by depending on the movements of the wind.

They were at a place much higher than the alt.i.tude of castle of the Dark Elves. Lands and blue clouds stretches far and wide.

Geomchi5's bosom was filled with great morale. So in the spur of the moment, without being conscious of it, he cried out.

"Yahoo! I made it!"

From the top of the mountain, with a loud voice, sounds of screaming cheers!

"YaYaYaYa!"

"HoHoHoHoHo!"

The echo of the screams could be heard.

It was exactly what Geomchi5 had pictured in his mind. The sounds of the echo gradually got louder.

And then.....

*Kureureureureureureung!*

*Ujikkeun!* *Kw.a.n.gkw.a.n.g!*

Suddenly, an audible roaring sound can be heard.

Geomchi5 turned around and looked at the summit of the mountain and his face went pale.

Not too far away, the snow that were piled up was destroyed. The crumbling snow came rolling further down.

A tremendous amount of snow has been swept away. An Avalanche occurred.

Weed and Pale quickly hid behind some rocks to avoid it.

The ground clattered and trembled, they felt like an uncouth outrageous power had struck them.

Long after the Avalanche ended, the Geomchis were nowhere to be found. They had lost their lives to the Avalanche.

Weed and the rest of his party members inevitably had to stay and hunt the Yetis that were there.

Because of the cold climate of the Horom Mountains, they had been looking for a good place to hunt, but they could not do so until the Geomchis come back.

Normally the others would not touch anything and wait for Weed's order, but now it was a little different.

'One person alive, counts as one life saved...'

Geomchi5 could be said to the the prime culprit of the situation, now it's the rest of the party who would suffer the consequences.

Weed spent his time diligently hunting Yetis.

Geomchi had a much harder time hunting, but it was just that much more rewarding.

All except for 2 or 3 people, who were level-cautious, ran up the Horom Mountains right after Weed.

Weed could only fill about 30% of his EXP. At level 306, the experience was very difficult to obtain. Although the hunt would go on smoother with a party, the experience was less than what he would get by soloing.

When Weed was taking on the formidable Vampire Lord, Tori, he was forced to hunt to gain experience and level.

'I'll take care of these guys just like I did with the Death Knight.'

And Vampire Tori.

Although he might not like others to know, he could create a useful subordinate with a sculpture and then give it life. But because he would have to pay with his experience, there was no need to constantly use it.

Also, recklessly summoning the Vampire Lord Tori was also not a possibility because a supply of blood from living create must be continuously given to him.

Although to Weed, the desire was not completely abandoned.

'Without a doubt, it was related to his quest.'

The Fargo's crown and the Helaine's Grail lead to the Legions of the Undead Quest!

He intuitively knew that the Vampire Lord Tori, and the Death Knight, Van Hawk, will be a.s.sociated in his end quest.

In six days time, the Geomchis were back in the Versailles continent.

In exactly 24 hours from their time of death, they logged back in.

With his head bowed bow, Geomchi5 said.

"I'm so sorry. It's my fault that our time was delayed."

The Yeti with his waist bent, walked toward the party. Geomchi5 and Hwaryeong greeted him with a dance and a Sword.

"It's alright. You don't need to be so sorry. However apologizing is really masculine."

"Yes?"

"It is really a macho apology. It is great to honestly apologize for what happened."

"Hwayreong-nim"

Geumchi5's eyes were bloodshot.

With Hwaryeong's gorgeous appearance and perfect body, there wasn't a possibility of not believing her words. Hwaryeong was so beautiful that they would not dare talk to her.

The Geomchi2 quickly bowed.

"I'm sorry. Since I like eating, until now, I have eaten more than everyone else."

Geomchi3 bowed respectfully.

"Please accept my sincerest apologies. While you will preparing the meals, I was being lazy."

Geomchi3 was demonstrating a manly apology to Geomchi2!

The young Pale and Zephyr's eyes saw something that wasn't pleasant, they seemed desperate.

'To try and capture a woman's hand is in a far distant world.'

'Should I tell them that a woman's hand feels like a wooden sword? It felt similar to the the feel of the master's sword.'

They apologized desperately hoping that they would be able to hold Hwaryeong's hand

Hwaryeong liked it nevertheless. Irene, Romuna, everyone welcomed her.

Then Hwaryeong and the others looked in surprise. They didn't know that the many Geomchi and Geomchi3 were like this.

Plus, the very noticing Geomchi4 climbed on top of a rock and yelled.

"Yaaaaaaaaho!"

Ashamed, Geomchi2, Geomchi3, and Geomchi4 started to climb the mountain with Weed and the party.

Thanks to the Avalanche, most of the snow were swept now, and the soil can now be seen.

Arctic plants grew underneath the rocks!

Weed diligently dug out the plants and used them as ingredients. They were tired of constantly eating Yeti meat.

As they ascended, it was not easy to find Yetis. The terrain was probably too difficult for the Yetis to live in.

The party only knew that they lived in high mountainous places.

Their only memorial of the Yuroki Mountains, is climbing it. Nothing more, nothing less.

However, the higher they climbed, the more they felt they had reached their limits.

A human being in Mother Nature's vastness!

A strong wind blew, it was almost enough to cause their bodies to fly off the mountain, but they endured it until it subsided.

With their stamina almost depleted, each step taken was more laborious than the next.

They climbed the mountain on foot, but the moment they turned their heads, another world unfolded. They finally reached the summit.

*Ttiring!*

You are first to climb to the peak of Horom Mountain! The highest mountain in the Yuroki Mountains!

Fame : 150 increase

Earth affinity increased by 1 %

Luck raised by 3

Because they were tired, the party found some rocks over the valley and laid down on them.

"Uwaahhh!"

"Ahhhh, it hurts!"

Their stamina was almost depleted and their legs were throbbing with exhaustion, but they endured the journey.

It was obvious that the acrophobic Surka would not have been able to climb the mountain without help.

The higher up the mountain they went, the greater their sense of accomplishment was. Thus, not a single one of them complained.

Pale said.

"Our fame increased."

Surka checked as well and nodded her head.

"It has increased by a fairly large amount."

It wasn't easy for them to raise their fame. It was only possible by doing quests and fighting very strong monsters.

However, the quests that could raise their fame only raised it by a marginal amounts.

Pale gruelingly said

"At first, we only climbed the mountain for the fame, but it was a great idea that we climbed it. It was indeed a rewarding experience."

Although none of the other party members voiced their feelings out loud, they all agreed with Pale.

Weed and the rest of the party took a break and laid there on the summit for a long time and rested. They looked at the scenery around them.

A lot of mountains in the Yuroki Mountains were all spread out.

The clouds and the mountains, and even the plains far away, they were all part of nature.

"This place is amazing."

Hwaryeong's eyes turned red.

The sight provided by nature was amazing.

Versailles Continent's naturally fickle climate! But because of the amazing sight, they can't be blamed for dismissing the thought.

Walking up here was more emotional than simply looking at the mountains.

The Geomchis took out their swords. They began to write on the rocks next to them.

Geomchi were here.

Without fail, Geomchi2, Geomchi3, Geomchi4, and Geomchi5 also wrote on rocks. It was a Korean tradition to mark their accomplishment every time they reach a new level.

"That seems fun."

"Shall we do it too?"

Pale and Surka laughed and wrote a message.

I want Maylon to see this. Next time, let's come here, just the two of us.

Surka was here and left!

The party realized that they were uselessly wasting their time so they descended down the mountains.

Compared to the strength used to go up, going down was much easier. Then the party logged off one by one to take a break.

They were all mentally fatigued from climbing the Horom Mountains.

*Sweeeeeeakkkkk*

The wind blew like knives in the Horom Mountains!

Weed wore his thick Yeti fur coat, and traveled back up again. He had a purpose.

'Making a sculpture of nature here would increase my skill greatly.'

An act of creating blooming art in any gloomy places.

It was hard to breathe at the top of Horom Mountain due to the coldness and severe wind. If that can be overcome, it will be the a place with an amazing, incomparable scenery.

Weed took out the Zahab Engraving Knife.

'If I were to build a sculpture here, maybe it'll turn out to be a Masterpiece.'

Weed went to find some big rocks at the summit.

It was currently night time. The night sky, without pollution, the stars were s.h.i.+ning brightly.

He had to sculpt, relying on the light of the night sky.

The wind was too harsh to light a torch. In fact, the main problem was the darkness, not the cold strong winds.

The winds were so strong that it would blow you away. The winds were so strong it would freeze the sculpture.

Thankfully, he was certain that he could make the sculpture.

'If I carve Seeyoon, I would definitely get a masterpiece.'

But Weed decided he wouldn't sculpt Seoyoon here

He had no intention of being apologetic if he coincidentally meets up with Seoyoon. He no longer wanted to be frightened of her.

He wanted to created some other sculpture this time.

"Grandmother, Hye Yeon, me. I want to make a sculpture of my family."

The fact that he never sculpted this always stayed on his mind.

Although, he promised not to sculpt his family until he raised his sculpting level. He began to cut the rock and began sculpting.

In the past, life was hard right after his parents died. He had to raise his younger sister which requires money. Although he had nothing, he always promised to take care of his sister.

The lighting was horrible and the air was musty and it was damp in the bas.e.m.e.nt. It was his biggest dream to live in an elevated housing.

"Its high up here. You can see the sun rise and the mouse walk everyday."

To depict life's wisdom was hard, but Weed tried his best to not think of his story.

In the wrinkled hands were anxiety and pain.

Weed looked directly and began to reminisce as he moved his Engraving Knife.

When he was carving his Grandmother's eyes, he paused for a moment. It was overflowing with emotions that he didn't know where to begin.

"But, I should do this before it gets too late."

Weed moved his Engraving Knife diligently.

Eventually, after cutting the statue, a shape began to form.

From afar, the sun began to rise.

The sunlight shone on the sculpture and its surrounding.

The dense fog began to disappear, along with the dark features of the night sky. The sky began to lighten up, it was yet another mysteries of nature.

Weed was so focused on finis.h.i.+ng his sculpture, that he did not realised that the sun had risen. It was different from the time when he was able to leisurely carve Wyverns. But when it's completed, the results of the advanced sculpting should grant similar rewards.

'Looking at the sunrise will not give me a single penny.'

Perfect sense of impoverishment!

When Weed sculpts, he tries to forget his sense of time to help him concentrate.

To sculpt, he needed to gather rocks, which took up a lot of time.

While carving, he had to watch every stone he carved with his knife, and think about the sculpture. What he should created that would show emotion.

The statue of Grandma, her form was sculpted without taking any breaks.

He did not think more about the finesse details of sculpture representation. It was bound to be insufficient compared to a Professional Sculptor.

Weed included it in his thoughts. Carving until emotions could be felt. As he carved, in his mind, he started imagining and a perfect sculpture unfolded.

The Sculptor of Royal Road!

The profession of a Sculptor differs from a typical artisan profession.

Blacksmith melt ores such as iron in the hearth, and then uses molten metal to create weapons and armors.

Chefs knew recipes to some extent, but if their cooking skills were polished, they can roughly figure out what kind of dishes to cook based on the ingredients.

With Tailoring, you only need to know the basics such as cutting and st.i.tching clothes, so it is not difficult.

The people from the Arts Profession had to work firsthand.

Only if you produced Great Works or Masterpieces, will you obtain increase in skills, which is impractical. This is the desecration of art.

A Sculptor must first draw a picture, and then carve it out to complete the artwork.

When Weed first started out, during his break times from his battles, he would spend most of it carving. He would always crave out dozens of basic artwork a day, while learning the basic fundamentals of sculpting.

Near Serabourg Castle, he carved popular sculptures such as Rabbits and Foxes, and sold them to the public, but soon after, he started carving more diverse monsters from different kinds of wood to gain more experience.

Therefore it was rare for someone to choose Sculptor as their profession unless they've gone totally insane.

*Clang Clang*

Grandmother's body, including her face was almost complete. But both her hand parts was deliberately connected to the other rock.

Followed by the creation of his sister's statue.

'From here on, there shouldn't be any mistakes.'

After his Grandmother's statue, Weed began working on his younger sister's statue.

Rather than a photo, in his mind, he recalled an image of a perfect family!

When he got hungry, he ate Yeti's dried meat because did didn't want to take time to eat a proper meal, just to finish his work.

When creating a sculpture, it was important to retain one's sensibility.

Weed concentrated all his efforts to create the statue of the family, and nothing else.

The statue of the family were holding hands firmly. His Grandmother's statue, she was wearing a fine dress. Thanks to his sewing skills, it wasn't hard for him to create clothing for the statue he had made.

Once he finished sculpting the statue of his Grandmother and his siter, it exudes a subtle radiance.

An Advance Effect of Sculpting!

All statues with an Advance Sculpting Effect all had different distinctive radiance depending on the climate of the statues' surroundings, and the type of materials that was used.

Weed got another piece of rock and placed it on the other side of his Grandmother. He has to now create a statue of himself.

Gracious, fine elderly Grandmother and beautiful sister!

And a statue of Weed, himself!

Creating a statue of himself was something he didn't like.

'My eyes are originally not this small.'

Weed's statue had significantly large eyes.

'In fact, the nose should be a little straighter, and the forehead, shouldn't it be slightly wider on this side? Yeah, that's right. And it should be taller!'

Weed had a height of an average Korean person, and had a rather ordinary look. However, self satisfaction was carved into the statue.

The overall composition of his statue's image was a Hottie. Almost at the level of Celebrity hotties!

"Yeah. That's me alright! The equally freakish me. Boohoohoo."

Weed laughed with delight as he completed his statue.

*Ttiring!*

Right when the sculpture was finished, a message popped up in front of Weed.

Please set a name for the finished sculpture.

A precaution was given. Last time when he made a sculpture of Seoyoon, there was also a message that asked for a name.

When a sculpture is made and the creator is asked to give it a name, it was one of the greatest honors for a sculptor. Weed paused for a moment and said.

"Harmonious Family."

Is Harmonious Family correct?

"Yes"

Grand Masterpiece! You have completed the Harmonious Family!

The Horom Mountains can be called the world's roof!

At a colossal height, the glorious work of a sculptor was added.

Because it was created regardless of all adversities, the delicate statue shows the creativity of the Sculptor, and it is valued even more.

Artistic value : 9,400

Special option :

Those who see the Harmonious Family will have health and mana regeneration increased by 30% for a day.

Taking a break near the sculpture will recover stamina and health very quickly.

Pa.s.sing through rough terrain consumes less stamina.

Cold resistance increase by 50%

Resistance to ice magic.

All stats increase by 25

Three attributes increase by 24%

These attribute bonuses will last for a whole day.

It stacks with other blessings.

Does not stack with other sculptures.

Up till now, the number of Grand Masterpiece complete : 2

Sculpting skill has improved.

Sculpture understanding skill has increased by 1.

Advance handicraft skill reached level 3. Efficiency of using any handicraft skill is increased by 8%. It will have various effects.

Fame increased by 40.

Because the statue was made out of basic materials such as rocks and trees, although it is an advanced statue, the amount of fame awarded was not large.

Art stat increase by 34

Fort.i.tue increased by 9

Endurance increased by 4

All rights to the sculpture is given to Master Weed. If this sculpture is given life, it will be loyal to him.

For creating a masterpiece, all stats increase by 3

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Weed burst into joyous laughter. Laughing at the summit of the Horom Mountains.

"Grand Masterpiece!"

Although he has yet to master Moonlight Sculpting, he could still be able to produce some great works. He felt really good after completing the statue of his family.

It would only caused troubles if he gave life to all three of the statues.

When the 3 statues are given life, they would be hand in hand, and their efficiency level will decrease.

He has already decided not to give life to the statues. He will only give life to statues when they serve him purpose. He had only created this statue to commemorate the occasion.

'I've seen the sunset, sunrise, and many rain clouds pa.s.sing by the mountains.'

* * *

Hwaryeong logged in earlier than usual and waited for the rest of the party. She had longed to see the view from the summit of the Horom Mountain.

"How will I get back? It'll also be hard to get back down."

Hwaryeong climbed the mountain alone.

Soon, she was not far away from the place where the Avalanche occurred. Because she had experience of the climb, it was difficult to climb back up.

Hwaryeong reached the summit and found a statue that was not previously there.

"It's beautiful!"

Hwaryeong couldn't stop admiring it sincerely.

The statue stood still and quiet on the summit of Horom Mountains.

It seemed like warmth was wrapped its surroundings in the world's highest summit. To add to the mystery, there was a light surrounding it. It was no doubt that the light came from the Advanced Sculpting Effect.

The statues made from ordinary rocks showed off their beauty like gems.

"It's awesome."

Hwaryeong guessed that the person who created the sculptures was Weed.

"This is a genuine statue."

Besides the Pyramid and the statue of the Lion Monster, this was the one of the first statue she had seen made by Weed.

"What a marvelous sculpture."

Hwaryeong slowly viewed the sculptures.

The grandma and younger sister statue was overflowing with liveliness.

"The guy is so handsome."

Hwaryeong's eyes shone as she saw the statue of the tall man.

Because she sees Celebrities considerably often, she appraised its appearance to be fairly pa.s.sable. But of course, when she looked at the statue, she would imagine it to be Weed.