A short time after escaping Luvia’s grasp, Luka regrouped with the other members at the base of the mountain. What faced them was a craggy climb with rough, sharp rocks and sudden inclines that could spell danger for the inexperienced.

"We don’t need to scale the mountain fully, do you see that ledge?" Luka pointed to a stone ledge roughly a few hundred metres away.

The group followed Luka’s gaze, eyes tracking the jagged line he indicated. The ledge jutted from the mountainside like a fractured shelf, partially obscured by drifting mist and loose scree that shimmered faintly in the light.

It wasn’t impossible to reach.

Behind them, the path they cleared grew more defined, revealing that, despite how vast the eastern forest was, it still led to the same point.

"We will climb in stages and groups." Luka continued with a steady voice, despite the visible strain from everyone watching him. "Since we aren’t skilled climbers, we will avoid a direct ascent and use the natural breaks in the rocks to climb. If we try to go straight up, we will lose people for sure."

Thanks to the minerals and specific makeup of Hammerfell Mountain, the stone was far denser than a normal mountain or rock wall.

’Even Oblivion might struggle to damage these stones, infused with Miasma, Mana.’

One of the hunters glanced upward, swallowing hard as a small cascade of pebbles skittered down from higher up the slope, disappearing into the void below.

"C-can we trust the mountain so easily?" someone muttered.

"Of course we can," Luka replied.

He adjusted himself, testing the first handhold with deliberate care. The rock felt cold and uneven beneath his fingers, an unforgiving but stable start.

"Stay close to your partners, watch each other’s footing, and don’t look down for too long."

With those words, he ignored their questioning gazes and started climbing.

For a brief moment, the group hesitated, glancing at each other with silent questions and unspoken doubts, like the very air that curled the cliffside above.

First was Brea. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

She jumped and grabbed the second ledge Luka took, her muscles tightening as she lifted herself into the air.

"Wow!"

"She’s so strong..."

Luvia followed as if competing with her, using a more delicate style, her hips swaying slightly as she hopped from one outcrop to the next.

"Damn slut..." Vaun muttered.

Thanks to this, the others followed one by one.

Boots scraped against stone as they committed to the ascent, each person choosing a partner instinctively, falling into pairs under pressure rather than a conscious choice.

The mountain immediately punished hesitation.

Loose grit shifted under the weight, forcing quick corrections and tighter grips.

Luka moved with a careful yet deliberately swift pace, his hand held a ledge, then he used his foot to transfer weight, leaping to the next.

’This increase in dexterity... It’s amazing!’

At first, he believed this attribute to be useless, something for archers or assassins, but with the boosted dynamic vision and flexibility. He could scale the wall as if he were a seasoned climber, instinctively knowing which rocks would be dangerous.

Above them, the ledge looked no closer than before.

Below them, the ground was already beginning to feel distant. Their sense of bravado and confidence faded as they watched the Vaun, Luvia, and Brea race to catch up to Luka. The ordinary men could only struggle at a slower, more maddening pace.

"Keep your eyes forward, focus on the rocks, not our asses!" Luka called back without turning. "Don’t chase blindly after my hips, and focus on your balance and safety."

He spoke directly to the three women who were almost out of control.

"Tsk, what ass..." Brea muttered before taking a glance. "Hmph! So what... if it’s perky!"

Luvia and Vaun’s cheeks turned slightly pink, but they didn’t speak or complain, as both wanted to be second. To reach the pinnacle beside Luka.

"Brace yourselves!" He cried.

The wind shifted suddenly, pressing against the rock face, with a cold snap that bit through their leather and fur armours like a sabertooth’s fangs. For a second, the mountain felt less like a terrain and more like a monster testing them for their folly.

"Ahhhh!"

A hunter slipped, his scream leaking before a firm hand grasped his rope.

"Don’t worry brother, I got you!"

Zack’s muscles popped from his sleeves as he held the fallen man with one arm and, with a low grunt, dragged him up. The veins in his neck bulged as all his entire body tightened. It was a display of pure strength.

Luka peeked down, hanging from just below the cliff’s face.

"Good, it was a smart idea to have them bring only leather and light metal armour."

The hunter clung to Zack with tears in his eyes.

"Thank you, Sir Knight, thank you so much!"

"Don’t call me that, you can use my name. We’re all here to serve the Lord, right?"

"I... I’ll definitely buy you a pint after we return!"

The hunter slowly adjusted himself and resumed climbing.

It was an event that exhausted him, but the surrounding morale exploded as the pairs began to climb together, helping each other choose better footholds. Zack followed behind them, at the very bottom, with eyes like a hawk.

...

Luka dragged himself atop the deep mountain path. This huge craggy overhang would wrap around the Hammerfell Mountains, reaching the narrow blockade and hanging over the eastern wall of Amol Village.

"Well, this was the hardest part..." He regretted taking more than an hour to climb the wall, but that was the price for his men’s safety. "Or so I thought."

He glanced at the distant rocky terrain to find a goblin scout.

The goblin turned towards him.

Luka jumped behind a rock, his heart racing.

’When did they send people to the walls?!’

From the report Iris made, the goblins wouldn’t have worried about their revenge.

However, from the looks of things, the Goblin Shaman wasn’t something to be trifled with. It clearly sent goblins to scout, defend and keep watch over the mountains.

His heart thumped against his chest.

The spike in his pulse accelerated the swish of Miasma inside him.

He peeked over the boulder, narrowing his eyes to scan for anything else to ensure there was a single scout or several.

Beneath the wall, most of the hunters barely surpassed the halfway point. Brea, Vaun and Luvia would reach the clifftop in a few minutes at most.

"I have to take action now!"

Luka jumped from the rock, his fingertip pointed at the goblin as a magenta swirl manifested into three small bolts.

Da-Da-Dan!

He shot three hellfire bolts at the goblin.

Without caring about the cost or wasted power.

’The accuracy of my spells and the circulation of my Miasma have improved with the boosted dexterity...’

[Miasma -15]

[You Absorbed A Tier 1 Goblin Soul]

[EXP: +10]

[Desire: +10]

"Tier 1?"

Luka crouched beside the goblin’s body for a brief moment, confirming the kill out of sheer habit now. Only once he was satisfied did he haul it under the shadow of the rock outcrop, out of immediate sightline from the path they’d taken.

Then gouged its Mana Crystal.

This high in the sky, the air was thinner, making everything more difficult.

But from a distance, the scent of damp stone and old wood that didn’t belong on the mountainside.

That’s when he noticed it.

A few hundred metres away, close to their target.

Partially embedded into the mountain wall, almost disguised by the natural rock folds, was a small wooden outpost.

Weathered beams reinforced with crude iron brackets formed a narrow structure that clung stubbornly to the cliff face. It wasn’t grand or well-fortified, but it was functional and rather impressive to see.

’How have they learned Dwarven crafting?!’

A sudden thought grew.

’Have the dwarves surrendered already?"

Luka shook his head.

He couldn’t dwell on these things.

Instead, he took another look at the distant outpost.

A narrow walkway extended from the fortification, blending into a faintly worn trail that must have connected down toward the village below and up into the mountain routes above.

A logistical point.

There were clearly things at play beyond a mere Goblin Shaman.

Luka’s eyes narrowed slightly.

The mountain wasn’t as empty as it looked.

He shifted his grip on his weapon and took a slow step closer, listening for any voices or movement. All he heard was the soft creak of timber adjusting to the wind.

But that was the biggest issue.

Someone had been here.

And it wasn’t long enough to be abandoned or created by accident.

"This is bad..." Luka glanced to the west, his heart thumping much faster. "If the goblins could think this far, then it’s highly likely they have found the underground passage."

When Brea, Vaun and Luvia climbed onto the shelf, he glanced at them from the shadows, quickly beckoning them over.

"Quick! Come here."

The women looked confused until they saw the larger goblin corpse. Unlike the small orange and red wild goblins, it was a familiar green goblin.

Brea rushed to his side the fastest.

"Luka, it seems the enemy has already taken these mountains!"

She grabbed his gambeson and pushed him against the wall, making him grunt as the sharp rocks stabbed through his gambeson and light armour.

His eyes narrowed.

"Do you think I cannot see that!?"

He slipped free of her grasp and slammed her against the stone with a strength far greater than she might have expected.

Then he squeezed around her throat, a dark magenta mist flowing around him.

"How about you calm your temper, woman?!"

"Ugh.... Ack....!"

"Luka!?"

"Master!"

Luvia and Vaun didn’t react as strongly as Brea, instead focusing on whether there were other goblins nearby. So when they turned to find Luka raising Brea from the floor and choking the Templar, it was a shock.

"Tsk!" He clicked his tongue, letting the large woman drop to her ass.

"Never forget, Templar. I am not the one who fled Amol Village like a coward."

"!!!!"

He ignored her sharp, tearful glare and walked away.

There were more important things than dealing with drama.

"Vaun, Luvia. We have goblins to slay."