Kenneth scooped up a pot of water from the mountain stream, tilting his head back to guzzle it down greedily. Wiping his mouth, he dipped the leather water bottle back into the stream, spitting out in disdain:


    “What a cursed place! Even in the height of summer, the water’s still freezing cold!”


    “Stop dawdling! Move faster!”


    Someone yelled from above. Kenneth quickly sealed the water bottle and started climbing up. In his haste, he missed a step and tumbled down the slope, half his body plunging into the stream. After a struggle to stand and climb back up the ridge, he was stunned on the spot:


    The entire squad, except for him, eleven in total, lay dead.


    “There’s another one here!”


    Someone shouted from behind. Kenneth turned sharply, only to be confronted by the glint of a blade.


    The Radiant Church had dispatched more than just Archbishop Jeroni’s team for this royal selection battle.


    At the Archbishop’s disposal was a tribunal action team and two teams disguised as merchant guards. They hadn’t merged with the delegation but were operating in various capacities around the royal court and its vicinity. Additionally, there was a barbarian squad and an orc squad, ready to act as long as the payment was made.


    Even further away, several exploration teams roamed the vast wilderness, ready to be called upon. The Archbishop knew of a formidable team in the northern part of the Black Gate Mountain Range, composed of level 10 knights and a level 15 ascetic monk at the helm.


    Of course, this team wasn’t assembled for the Dwarf Kingdom but to seize the opportunity of the royal selection to undertake a special mission while the kingdom’s attention was focused on the court. If absolutely necessary, the Archbishop could call upon them for assistance...


    But it wasn’t yet time for desperate measures. Archbishop Jeroni simply ordered the three teams near the royal court to move closer to the Dwarf Sacred Mountain. They were to conceal their movements and, if possible, create some mishaps for their adversaries.


    —Certainly, the Magic Council didn’t leave Archmage Serrano and his team to fend for themselves. As Garrett rode stiffly on a goat towards the peak, he was unaware of the many people fighting, lurking, and scouting around the Sacred Mountain for his safety...


    In fact, just keeping up with the team was already a herculean effort for Garrett.


    “Ow... it hurts so much...”


    He crawled out of the tent, slowly standing up in the sunlight, pounding on his back, waist, and legs. After a day stiffened on the back of a goat, there wasn’t a spot on his body that wasn’t aching!


    The dwarves looked on with sideways glances. Gavin couldn’t hold back and exclaimed:


    “Weren’t you riding a goat up here?”


    That goat was the only one in the squad with a saddle! And with Bernard constantly holding onto the goat’s horns, Garrett hardly had to exert any control!


    Garrett bit his lip, unable to retort. Faelmor was silent, Hanna busied with packing, and Jenna sighed after a long silence:


    “I remember you rode goats into the royal court, didn’t you?”


    “But it wasn’t this steep all the way!” Garrett grimaced, pounding on his thigh. There were women present, so he couldn’t very well massage the inner part of his thigh, where the soreness was the worst—


    “When we entered the royal court, at least there was a path!”


    Unlike here, where it was all ridges and stones, without any path in sight!


    The slopes on either side of the ridge had gradients exceeding 60 degrees!


    “...You’re just too tense.” Prince Rothgar came over to help him sit. Watching Garrett gasp for air, his face twisted in discomfort, he couldn’t help but advise: ??


    “Relax your spine, follow the goat’s steps, and sway with it. If you’re really scared of falling, just hold onto its horns, don’t tense your back or clamp your legs around its belly...”


    Garrett nodded miserably. Jenna and Gavin squatted far away, whispering and casting glances:


    “Ah, humans.”


    “I can’t put my finger on it, but something’s not right. Boss, keep your protective spells up at all times!”


    Garrett hadn’t noticed anything amiss, but seeing Bernard so serious, he refreshed his Mage Armor and cast it around him. His left hand slipped into his pocket, silently gripping a vial of oxygen.


    Meanwhile, the dwarves also drew their weapons, holding them at the ready. Bernard, with one hand on the goat’s horns and the other holding a large bone club, moved through the team with a formidable presence.


    In the distance, a figure in grey lay down behind a rock, pulling up his hood to cover his face. As the clouds shifted, his figure blended into the rocks, becoming indistinguishable.


    From morning till noon, and from noon till afternoon, no incidents occurred. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Prince Rothgar turned to Garrett, seated on the goat, and said:


    “Today, we’ll reach the Sacred Mountain, stopping below the snow line. The goats can’t climb any higher, so we’ll need to find a place to secure them. We’ll climb on foot tomorrow. There’s a place to tie the goats ahead, but it hasn’t been used in a long time and some stones may have collapsed. We’re the first to arrive, so we’ll need to do some repairs...”


    As the sun began to set, Bernard was already looking around for a place to camp for the night. Suddenly, the team’s goats became restless!


    “Meh—”


    The lead goat cried out. Before Garrett could react, he was nearly thrown off his mount. In a critical moment, Bernard’s grip on the goat’s horns tightened, pressing down:


    “Hey!”


    Garrett barely managed to stay seated. The other dwarves weren


    ’t so lucky; their mounts turned and fled. The goats disregarded even the lead goat, rushing away in a frenzy. The dwarves shouted desperately:


    “Stop, stop—control the goats, don’t let them jump off the cliffs—run along the ridge, along the ridge—”


    What had happened? Garrett didn’t have time to ask, as he immediately began casting protective spells on himself. Just after casting the second spell, a piercing screech sounded overhead, and a massive sense of dread plummeted down. Before it even came into view, the pressure was overwhelming—


    Garrett looked up sharply. The sky was filled with swirling white mist and snow dust, bearing down like a wall!


    “Avalanche!” Garrett yelled. Suddenly, he felt lighter as Bernard lifted him up. The lead goat bleated mournfully, turning to flee, taking a few steps before a figure flashed by, Bernard, holding Garrett by the waist belt, outpaced even the lead goat!


    Run!


    Run!


    Keep running!


    Garrett didn’t have time to cast protective spells on himself, instead, he continuously slapped enhancement spells on Bernard. 【Cat’s Grace】! 【Bear’s Endurance】! 【Bull’s Strength】! 【Shield】! 【Mage Armor】!


    The snow wave surged behind them. Garrett dared not look back, only hearing the thunderous noise drawing closer, the snow mist already splashing onto Bernard’s shoes. Suddenly, a loud crash sounded ahead, a massive object fell from the sky, blocking their path—


    The two were caught by the snow wave, unable to stop, and crashed into it. In a critical moment, Bernard lifted Garrett, using the bone club to push off forcefully, jumping onto the object, then leaping down from the other side.


    The snow wave rolled and lifted high, but finally, it stopped on that object, not extending any further.


    “Huff, huff, huff...”


    Garrett leaned on his knees, gasping for air. He turned around, looking at the massive entity that had fallen from the sky, backing away, then looking again, backing away further...


    “It’s actually a dragon!—Weren’t the dragons supposed to be hundreds of miles away?”


    ---------------


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