Published at 16th of September 2026 6:56 am

Chapter 2022: Beyond the Mountains

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A group of seven adventurers rapidly made their way through the dark woods, leaping from branch to branch with ease.

Luca led from the front, his figure swiftly moving through the dense canopy. Leah, Michael, Darren, Dell, and Meji remained in the center, maintaining a fluid formation as they traveled.

Meanwhile, Adam brought up the rear, his gaze constantly sweeping over the surroundings while, at the same time, maintaining the concealment spell on the whole group.

With a Mana Seed Magus and a Templar Paladin accompanying them, the group crossed vast distances in remarkably short time.

The scenery changed constantly as they journeyed deeper into the wilderness. Monsters occasionally emerged. Some were dealt with by Luca before the others could react. Others simply ignored them due to the invisibility.

For the five adventurers traveling in the center, the journey had been a strange and unsettling experience.

They knew that this mission was important. They knew that whatever City Hall had planned required secrecy and enough firepower to include two councilors traveling alongside them.

But beyond that, they knew almost nothing.

Why were the two Rank 2 powerhouses accompanying them?

Why were they heading toward the Lamiyan Mountains?

Why had the original four councilors so easily agreed to this deployment?

What exactly could be so important that City Hall was willing to send a Mana Seed Magus and a Templar Paladin into a dangerous region rarely explored by the adventurers?

None of them dared ask too many questions. The five adventurers were already intimidated by Luca’s presence. Even more unsettling was the man’s elder brother, who always seemed to have a smile on his face.

Leah and her team had been told the same thing before departing: that this mission was vital to the future of City Hall. That alone was enough to make them understand the gravity of the situation.

And so, they followed.

Day after day, the group continued their journey, crossing vast distances while dealing with whatever monsters happened to stand in their path. In less than a month, the seven adventurers finally arrived near the mountains.

The dense forest thinned before giving way to rocky lands blanketed by a thick layer of snow. The temperature fell drastically, and biting winds swept through the lands.

Towering peaks stretched endlessly before them, their jagged silhouettes disappearing into the clouds. A broad path could be seen winding its way through the towering peaks.

The group of seven came to a stop, their gazes locked onto the grand mountain range before them.

"Ever crossed the mountains?" Adam casually asked, speaking to no one in particular.

Leah turned to him, and a feeling of foreboding slowly gripped her heart. Still, she answered respectfully, "No, my lord. Very few people have journeyed beyond the mountains. Almost none of them have ever returned."

"Is that so?" Adam murmured, twirling a few strands of hair with his finger. "What do you know about the lands beyond the mountains?"

Leah and her group began to realize that their destination might very well be beyond the Lamiyan Mountain Range. Still, they could do nothing about it. They had to follow orders, especially when two beings at the Mana Seed/Templar Rank were accompanying them.

"...Just that those lands are inhabited by vampires," Leah said after a long moment of silence.

She paused for a moment, then asked the dreadful question gnawing at her heart.

"My lord, are we... are we to travel beyond the mountains?"

Adam watched her with his deep grey eyes. His lips curled into a smile as he said:

"Where your fear is, there is your task, Paladin."

Following that, he plucked a handful of strands of hair.

His hands weaved through a series of complex seals while his eyes gleamed with a mysterious light. Before the strands of hair could fall to the ground, they had already transformed into slender serpents.

The tiny creatures slithered swiftly toward the mountains, their scales blending into the shadows. Within moments, they disappeared into the broad path cutting through the mountains ahead.

"Hmm." Adam stroked his thick beard and murmured, "Let my little friends scout the lands ahead while we rest."

His words confirmed Leah and her party’s fears.

Michael had tried his best not to look at Adam during the past month of traveling. But seeing what they were about to embark on, he finally gathered the courage and spoke through gritted teeth:

"It is suicide, my lord! The lands beyond are brimming with man-eating vampires!"

Adam turned to Michael and displayed the same playful smile. The latter felt goosebumps crawling over his skin when he saw it. It appeared predatory to him.

But still, he gritted his teeth harder and added, "Please, reconsider—"

"Hmph!" Darren cut him off coldly. "If you’re that afraid, you shouldn’t have come!"

He then turned to Adam and spoke righteously, "I believe in you, my lord. I know this mission is for a righteous cause, and so I shall follow you without hesitation!"

Adam’s grey eyes gleamed momentarily as he turned to Darren. "Follow me without hesitation, eh?"

Darren suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. Yet he nodded nevertheless. "O-Of course, my lord!"

"Very well." Adam walked past him, patting his shoulder. "I expect great things from you, Paladin."

Darren stood straighter, while Michael and the two elves, Dell and Meji, cast looks of displeasure toward him. Having spent so much time together, they naturally knew of Darren’s nature.

Even Leah couldn’t help but cast him a scornful look. If all five of them had perhaps tried to convince Adam not to venture beyond the mountains, maybe the Magus would have listened to their plight. But there was no chance now.

In the end, Leah and her group could only reluctantly follow Adam’s orders. They retreated to a nearby cave, where they would rest for the night.

Once Adam’s scouts sent back enough information, they would venture into the unknown and dangerous lands beyond the mountains.

It was a mission fraught with peril. None of them knew what awaited them beyond the mountains, nor whether they would even live long enough to return and tell the tale.

But what choice did they have?

They were adventurers. And more importantly, they had been given orders.

All they could do was follow them.

Within the next hour, the group arrived at a familiar cave. This was the very one Adam, Genevieve, and Luca had taken refuge in before that fateful night.

As he arrived at the entrance of the cave, Adam stopped momentarily and simply stared at it. The corners of his lips involuntarily curled upward as he recalled what had happened that night.

Two things from that night had left a deep impression in Adam’s heart.

The first was Valerian being beaten to within an inch of his life, and the second was Genevieve’s abduction.

Adam still couldn’t fully understand his feelings for her. If not for the rational part of himself constantly keeping his emotions in check, he would have long since abandoned all his plans and rushed to the other side of the mountains to rescue her.

The thought surprised him greatly.

He had never felt like this before. For as long as he could remember, Adam had always placed reason above emotion. He weighed the consequences of his actions and rarely allowed feelings to cloud his judgment.

Yet whenever he thought of Genevieve trapped in the clutches of the Vampire King, a strange sense of urgency rose within his heart.

It was an unfamiliar feeling. And perhaps that was what unsettled him the most.

Seeing him stand still like that, the rest of the adventurers naturally stopped behind him, wondering what was going on in Adam’s mind.

Luca arrived at his side and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "She’s going to be all right."

"...Yeah."

That was all Adam said before entering the cave and beginning to form rune magic for protection and concealment.

She?

Leah, Michael, and the rest thought simultaneously. They exchanged subtle glances, but none of them dared to voice their thoughts.

Who was this woman?

And more importantly, what was Adam’s true motive for leading them toward the Lamiyan Mountains?

Until now, they had assumed that this mission was solely related to the survival of City Hall. But after witnessing Adam’s reaction and hearing Luca’s words, they could not help but wonder if there was something more behind this journey. Perhaps something personal.

They entered the cave, and Adam quickly finished establishing layers of rune magic. With nothing else to do while they waited, Leah and her team took the opportunity to explain their abilities to Adam and Luca.

Since neither of the two had ever fought alongside them before, they carefully went over their strengths and weaknesses, preferred methods of combat, and the roles they usually assumed within a team.

Adam and Luca listened quietly, occasionally asking questions. Adam already knew much about Michael and Darren, so he was just playing along.

All the while, Adam’s scouts continued their journey through the dangerous lands beyond the Lamiyan Mountains.

Michael initially assumed that they would only need to rest for a single night before continuing their journey, but the scouts did not return the next day. Nor did they return the day after that.

It was only three days later that Adam finally felt their presence approaching.

Of the five black serpents Adam had sent into the mountains, only three returned. They silently slithered into the cave and made their way toward Adam before coiling at his feet.

Luca and the others watched with curiosity.

Adam formed a simple hand seal. Following that, the three serpents shuddered and rapidly shrank. Their bodies unraveled until they transformed back into ordinary strands of hair.

Then, under everyone’s surprised gaze, tiny white and translucent maggots emerged from the strands.

They were [Adam’s Spirit Parasites]!

The strange creatures wriggled across his palm before dissolving into wisps of ethereal light and entering his body. The moment they returned to his mind, information flooded into Adam’s consciousness.

Everything the parasites had seen, every detail they had gathered during their journey beyond the mountains, was absorbed by Adam as he closed his eyes.

When he finally opened them again, his expression had turned rather peculiar...

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