Chapter 31: Act 23 – Dawn, Mountain Path
Brendel set down his sword.
“It’s too dark; choosing to come out for a stroll at this time doesn’t seem like a good idea.” He smiled and glanced at the crowd, effortlessly making his way through the more than twenty people.
The young members of the guard instinctively parted to make way. Brensen tightly gripped his sword, glaring darkly at Brendel, but he restrained himself, understanding that any move would inevitably draw attention to this area. Someone next to him tried to rush forward but was stopped by his hand.
Tension hung thickly in the small grove.
But Brendel continued walking until he reached the edge of the forest and stopped, saying, “Brensen, is what you learned in the guard the art of defying military orders? And your plan is so terrible. You should know Captain Marden’s temperament; you actually thought to coerce him into agreeing to your demands? If it were me, I would have snuck out with my people directly, leaving just one person to inform him—”
Everyone fell silent.
Brensen made a small movement with his hand on the sword handle, a flicker of doubt crossing his eyes as he couldn’t help but wonder what this guy was trying to do and what his intentions were.
“Tell me, when are you planning to attack so I can decide when to set off.”
“Before dawn.”
The young deputy commander of the guard pondered for a moment. Though he had his doubts about Brendel’s motives, the other’s plan indeed sounded more tempting and feasible compared to their original one.
“Then you’d better hide somewhere near the Fox Woods; that area should be the safest locations closest to Madara’s Undead Army. Also, I’ll pick up a note and deliver it to Marden so he knows you’ll be launching the attack around the time of the Crimson Star’s disappearance, right?”
“……”
“Additionally, be mindful when dealing with Necromancers; concentrate, for their spells only affect those with weak willpower!”
“Brendel, what do you want? How did you find Zeta and the others? Where did you learn your swordsmanship?” Brensen finally released his grip from the sword, his face somber.
“Alright, after we part ways here, I may never see you again, whether as enemies or just mutual disdain, perhaps it’ll all just be memories. After all, we are all subjects of Erluin. Good luck.”
Brendel waved his hand dismissively, indicating that his plans were nothing to mention.
Brensen fell silent.
……
Not to mention Brensen’s unilaterally irritating Marden, over there Freya had assembled the militia squad, yet found herself with nowhere to go. Reluctantly, the veteran from the November War had to allow her to reassemble a self-defense team with some villagers and prepare to break through to the north at the Dagger River embankment.
Meanwhile, the one-armed Joson and Little Finnis were sending Brendel and Romaine off. Little Finnis was ordered to leave the militia by Freya due to his young age, which left him quite disgruntled. However, being a boy, after Brendel complimented him a couple of times, he bounced back and insisted on joining the adventure to Ridenburg.
This obviously couldn’t be agreed to; otherwise, by the time they got to Anzek, Freya would likely run him through with her sword. Although Brendel did need a helper, Little Finnis was too young and unsuitable.
He patted the boy’s head.
Joson stood by, hesitating to speak; he looked at Brendel with a face filled with shame. He knew he had survived because of this young man, but he couldn’t blame anyone else, only himself for being too timid back then.
“Sorry… Brendel. Thank you for saving me back then.”
“It’s alright; everyone has their moments of confusion. Joson, everyone is willing to bring you along because they trust you to return to them. Now, keep your spirits up. Don’t let others look down on you.”
“Thank you.”
Brendel nodded. He took a glance at the sky—the stars were fading away, signaling the coming dawn. But because of the loss of the starlight and moonlight, this would be the darkest moment for the earth. However, it was fine, as the morning light was just over the distant mountains.
Retrieving his gaze from the dark mountain shadows on the horizon, he and Romaine lit torches. Though lighting torches in the dark wasn’t particularly wise, they were heading away from Madara’s army’s control area. Even if there were wild beasts occasionally, Brendel thought the greatest threat in the Beledor Forest was nothing more than wolves—at most three to five, which he could easily handle.
Moreover, wild beasts inherently feared fire.
The two traveled south through the dense forest, the torchlight shining upon the common black pine forests of the Golan region, with occasional fleeting shadows of animals. They crossed one or two peaks, gradually noticing the terrain becoming rugged. What was strange was that the surrounding trees seemed to begin withering, sharp stones protruding from the ground, especially in the valley below, where scattered rocks were everywhere.
“Brendel?” Romaine spoke up, the suddenly changed environment made him somewhat fearful.
“Mm, it’s nothing. Stay close to me.”
Seeing this scene, Brendel knew they were getting closer to their destination.
He had been to the Xavier Mountain Path in the game; it was a renowned locale, with dangers that truly could spell doom for characters below level twenty. But Brendel knew of one exception.
He couldn’t help but recall some memories about that place:
The Xavier Mountain Path lay in the southern part of the Beledor Forest, crossing through the Yusong Valley where timber was once transported downstream. The reason for opening this path was to deliver lumber, but as Madara’s power expanded, these lumber mills mostly dwindled.
Thus, the Xavier Mountain Path fell into decline, becoming a passage for smugglers avoiding checkpoints. Later, a Golden Magic Tree took root there, drawing nutrients from the earth, causing the surrounding forests to wither, killing anything that inadvertently trespassed. Gradually, the Xavier Mountain Path transformed into a forbidden zone of death.
The level 31 Golden Magic Tree Boss had awakened its second-level power, rivaling that of Iron-rank swordsmen and intermediate wizards, making it a tricky enemy that even regular troops would not easily provoke. Moreover, it hadn’t disrupted the communication between Ridenburg and Buche, and the kingdom’s knights had long since lost interest.
In the game, this was a famous instance of a boss area, with the Golden Magic Tree boss reigning supreme for the first three years of gameplay. The NPC response was simply to place a wooden board at the entrance, inscribed in Dwarven, Elvish, and Cruz common tongue:
“Danger! Those who enter here should abandon all hopes!”
Of course, at first, there were some nearsighted players eager to test themselves, but those who ventured in were unable to even catch a glimpse of the Golden Magic Tree. It was only about a year after the game began that players started going in groups to explore, but most only managed to reach the Yusong Valley area, before being forced to retreat.
Even in the second half of the following year, news of entire player teams being wiped out frequently circulated in local taverns, becoming topics of casual conversation. Then came the period of the Second Black Rose War, during which expeditions into the Xavier Mountain Path grew fewer but became more professional.
Brendel recalled that he was among those who ventured into the valley during this era; his experiences in the game were rather ordinary—not too aggressive, nor overly cautious. He remembered that they managed to reach the Yusong shoals, where they could even gaze across the South Bank and the vast, dense Black Forest and the shadowy mountains.
However, what left him with the deepest impression from that adventure wasn’t the stunning scenery along the route contrasting sharply with Buche, but rather the strength and frequency of encounters with monsters within the dungeon. Overall, the party’s state of exhaustion was nearly at its limit each day, and they ultimately could not hold on and had to withdraw.
Just two months later, a guild called ‘Mudian’ completely resolved the troubles in that region. The guild garnered significant fame for a time, but later on, it became clear they were not particularly strong, having merely stumbled upon a unique strategy. This method was later shared online, giving rise to a wave of solo players hunting the Golden Magic Tree.
Back then, to farm a Golden Tree Heart, Brendel happened to be one of the beneficiaries of that video.
At that time, Buche’s average level was twenty-seven, and Brendel remembered he entered that dungeon at level twenty-seven as well. However, fortunately, this time he only needed to pass through the Xavier Mountain Path, rather than defeat the Golden Magic Tree boss, and he had Queen Wind’s Ring and the Light Piercer, which had substantial lethality against dark beings, or else he would have been quite at a loss.
Thinking back, it felt quite nostalgic. The prices of magical equipment in the game remained high until the end of the first year, and when entering the Xavier Mountain Path, there was no way to even think about equipment with power exceeding 10oz. As for items like Queen Wind’s Ring and Light Piercer, they were like clouds drifting past.
Yet in this life, due to his foresight, he had already possessed both items from the start, making him feel a bit unreal. If he could escape this calamity, thinking about his future development made Brendel feel a surge of excitement.
But because of this, he ought to cherish the present opportunity even more. He tightened his grip on the sword in his hand, calling Romaine to stay close. The future Merchant Miss seemed to have some adventurous talent, as she deftly leapt from rock to rock in the rugged gully, progressing remarkably agile.
Dawn finally arrived; the stars faded, and darkness engulfed the surroundings, leaving only the flickering of torches, their wavering light revealing deep grooves and shadows on the stacked rocks.
From a distance, it looked like two sparks amidst the forest.
Brendel remembered there was a place in the mountains that could block the wind; entering the Xavier Mountain Path at this time was too dangerous. He decided it would still be safer to travel during the day, especially since they nearly avoided the operational range of Madara’s Undead Army.
Historically, the first Madara troops to reach Ridenburg were the Cabais regiment, and that was on the morning of the third day. This meant he still had a whole day to organize his plans, more than enough time.
He lifted his head and vaguely saw a road sign up ahead.
……
(PS: Today is the birthday of the author of “Rebirth of the Demon Hunter,” classmate Depressed. Tomorrow is his day for receiving guests, seemingly predicting some good omen. Students with monthly tickets, remember to support Depressed tomorrow as a belated birthday gift. As for recommendation tickets, of course, leave those for me.
Reserve tomorrow’s tickets, preparing to climb the new book ranking; things feel a bit bleak, and some people have already predicted this book will flop. I ask for everyone’s strong support to break this misconception.)
