Morning arrived swiftly over the barren plain, the sun hung in the sky, bathing the earth in its radiant glow.
At the encampment, the corpses of hundreds of corrupted creatures slain last night by the hero had already vanished with the first light of the day.
At present, the few soldiers left could be seen sitting solemnly around a small campfire. Their faces were devoid of joy as they heated their breakfast, not a single discussion was held among them.
Not so far away from the campfire, Alister and Theobald could be seen swinging their swords in unison, tracing the same pattern and creating a harmonious sword dance.
Theobald perspired profusely as he had been swinging his sword nonstop for more than four hours now. Though worn out, he refused to give up the only chance he had at improving his sword technique beyond its current level.
On the other hand, Alister was the exact opposite — the hero appeared as though he had just begun training, not a single drop of sweat could be seen on his body, and he even appeared extremely energized, a deep contrast to the captain.
Theobald could not help but admire the endurance of the young hero.
Their training continued for the next two hours until Theobald collapsed to the ground from overworking his body.
Alister stored his sword back in his inventory, and turned to the captain who was panting nonstop, capturing as much oxygen as he could.
"That would be all for today."
Theobald nodded his head and performed a quick bow from his seated position to show his sincere appreciation. In the few hours he had trained with Alister, his swordsmanship had already reached a new level.
"I am extremely grateful to you. When our mission is over, I would make sure to spread your name across the world."
Alister only nodded with a smile. He left the Captain and went to join the few soldiers remaining who were still sitting beside the campfire, solemnly.
"Good morning, hero!"
They forced a smile and greeted. Alister only waved back and found a spot to sit.
His breakfast was served immediately, it consisted of a big piece of meat and a freshly cooked vegetable soup with a mouthwatering aroma. Alister took the food, thanked the server and began devouring it hungrily.
After he finished eating, Alister made his way to the royal chamber, where the king and the wizard were deep in discussion about the unfolding crisis. They both looked up, invited him to sit, and then proceeded with the discussion once again.
King Julian leaned forward, his voice tight with worry. "I fear our mission is compromised now that the cult knows we're here. Catching them off-guard was our only chance to rescue our people and dismantle them from within with minimal losses. At this rate, I'm not even sure we'll make it past the Mountain of Skulls alive."
Alister nodded in agreement. Their crew was already reduced to fewer than ten soldiers—a force far too small to confront the horrors lurking on the mountain, let alone infiltrate the dark island and complete their objective.
"What's our next move?" the king asked, rubbing his temples. "Advancing means almost certain death, but retreating would render all sacrifices meaningless. If we turn back, the people of Muzez will lose faith and trust in their king. Knowing that the cult still stands, life would indeed become extremely hectic for them. I'm caught between two equally grim choices."
The chamber fell silent as each weighed the impossible decision.
"I can face the abnormalities at the mountain of skull alone."
Alister spoke after a few seconds, causing the king and the wizard to look in his direction.
"My strength has grown and would continue to grow the more abnormalities I slay. With my current strength, unless the abnormalities at the mountain of skull are at an annoying level, I would be able to take them down alone."
Why Alister came up with such a suggestion was simple — taking care of the abnormalities alone means more experience points and faster level ups.
King Julian and Osborne had noticed the growth of the hero in the past few days. They had witnessed him struggle against a corrupted human at first, then easily slaughter a couple of powerful corrupted beasts recently.
His power was a mystery to everyone, especially how he appears to be growing stronger after every single fight.
It did not take both of them much time to agree to his suggestion. They even made further suggestions to make the journey through the mountain of skull safer for everyone.
Alister inquired about the kind of abnormalities that existed in the mountain of skull and was met with a ten minutes-long full narration from the wizard about the kind of abnormalities reported in that region.
There were different names of wild beasts that only existed in the mountain of skull as well as a feared creature known as the Mayhem Skull. The description and stories about the mayhem skull were scary, it was a creature that even Alister did not wish to fight against.
'An undead boss monster that oversees the entire mountain of skull, would I be able to defeat such a monstrosity?' Alister wondered.
Osborne also briefly discussed certain other abnormalities, but Alister was more concerned about the Mayhem Skull.
The discussion between the three lasted for another one hour before it concluded. The journey towards the mountain of skull would begin in a few hours.
Alister returned to his tent to interact with his system, it was time to allocate his unassigned points to the right stats.
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