ARC 2: Granuex Portal

It was evening, and Yuje had climbed half of the latter part of the Twin Mountain. The three crimson moons above were completely covered by the clouds, and the eerily echoing sounds of the unknowns kept reverberating. The grey eyed man have just one target—the absurdly large birds that lived on top of the mountain. If he was able to successfully tame the beasts, then going to the north in half the expected time would no longer be a pipe dream.

Just a bit more.

Yuje kept moving upwards the ragged terrain at a frightening speed. Time was of essence, and every seconds that ticked by could mean the life or death of his friend. Surprisingly, unlike the mountain before, the latter half of the Twin Mountain was less infested by monsters. The more he went up, the lesser were the monsters that blocked his path.

~Slash

He split a grey-black golem that blocked his way. It towered a height of ten meters, but in front of his blood sword, it was decapitated like butter. Without bothering to halt, he kept going upwards at a constant speed. After two hours, he had finally reached his desired destination.

A large nest that spanned several kilometers covered the mountain top. Numerous gargantuan creatures were nestled inside, and all tilted their heads towards the grey eyed man’s direction the moment he had stepped foot inside their territory.

Without notice, five large birds that spanned fifty meters large flew above the sky. The clouds that blocked the three mons above has dispersed, and the five looming figures created large moving shadows upon the ground.

~Shhrrriieeeek!

Upon reaching the clouds, two of the creatures dived towards Yuje. Their diving speed was comparable to the speed of sound, and each of them created large gusts of wind in their wake. With their beaks closed tight, they approached their target with blatantly emitted killing intent. Without a doubt, the creatures were not pleased of the appearance of an intruder.

~Bag!

One of the creatures landed on the spot where Yuje stood at with a loud ~bag! sound. Its striped talons pierced through the ground, and it menacingly snarled when it realized that it hit nothing but plain ground.

“I’m not here to fight with you,” Yuje calmly said. He stood beside the absurdly large and thick leg of the beast. He stared at the pack of birds, his body partially shrouded by the dust of smoke made by the impact.

~Shrieeeek!

The large bird on top of him removed its talon from the ground, raised it over Yuje’s head, and plunged its sharp weapon downward. Another deafening sound was created which was immediately followed by a cloud of dust.

Just like before, the attack had hit nothing but the after image of the sole survivor of the Gashka clan. He was still standing there motionless. His eyes were calm yet intimidating. It was only after the third strike from the bird that the whole pack realized that the man was no ordinary mortal.

~SHRRRIIEEEK!

The entire pack felt restless from the apparition in front of them. The bird that stood on top of Yuje slightly bent its feet, and flew up into the air. It hovered above the mountain along with four others. This time, five of them dived towards the grey eyed man, all were cruising downwards at an impossible speed.

~Halt

Suddenly, a bloodlust so extreme made the five of them abruptly stop in midair. Large gusts of wind brushed against the mountain top as the creatures abruptly spread their wings in their attempt to stop their momentum. The entire pack stood up from their snuggled position, and with vigilant eyes, stared at the intruder.

“Who are you?” A voice spoke. “What do you want with us Gryphons?”

Yuje looked towards the direction of the voice. The creature had the same appearance as the rest save its color. Unlike the yellow-black creatures, the owner of the voice was cladded in pure silver. Its snow-colored beak glimmered underneath the clear night sky. Its golden eyes were calm as it gazed at Yuje.

“Yuje,” He walked towards the owner of the voice. The Gryphons that blocked his way immediately parted as he approached. Still, all were glaring at him with murderous eyes. “I need help from you guys.”

“Help?” The silver Gryphon tilted its head.

“I need a ride to the north.” Yuje stated as a matter of fact.

~SHRRRUUUAAAKK!!

All of the creatures roared after the statement. Everyone found it preposterous that a mere human wanted to use such creatures as a method of transportation.

“FOOLISH HUMAN! YOU DARE!!”

“TO TREAT DIVINE CREATURES LIKE US THE SAME AS LAMBARDS AND HORSES!”

Ferocious snarls and roars were heard one after another. Suddenly, everyone’s outrage came to a stop when a surreal scenario unfolded before them. The peculiar human was bowing. He was bowing down till his waist.

“Please,” Yuje pleaded.

The divine creatures known as Gryphons knew that the man was no mere mortal. Just from the exuded pressure alone, they knew that he had the capability of fighting against multiple Gryphons at once. Though they were unable to fully measure the man’s potential from just that. Still, it had never occurred to them that such an almighty being would bow down his head to others. The prideful creatures’ eyes widened in surprise. The deafening roars from before were now replaced by absolute silence.

“For such a human like you to bow his head down to others—” The silver Gryphon spoke. “It means only one thing. You are doing this for someone—correct?”

Yuje paused for a while before he replied. He was still bowing his head down. “Yes.”

“Human,” The Gryphon walked towards Yuje, revealing its scar-filled neck. “The north is something even us Gryphons can’t traverse. We cannot take you there.”

“Why?” Yuje asked. He now stared directly at the Gryphon that seemed to be the leader of the pack.

“We are bound to this mountain.” The gryphon glanced at the top of the first half of the Twin Mountain, and Yuje immediately understood the words behind it. It was the place where the statue of Emperor Mithra stood at. It seemed that all of the creatures residing in Twin Mountain worshipped the silver statue, and the divine Gryphons were no exception. Yuje lowered his eyes in response to the words spoken by the divine creature. It seemed that his plan for a shortcut was a failure.

“We cannot take you there directly, but we can show you a shorter path towards the north,” The silver Gryphon said. “Just follow the path where the statue of Emperor Mithra was looking at, and you will find a vast desert. By human standard, it should take about a month to reach the place, but if it’s you—”

Yuje glanced towards his right. It was where the gaze of the silver statue was directed at. Beyond it was a large mountain range that encompassed everything as far as the eyes can see. The desert the Gryphon had mentioned was nowhere in sight.

“The desert is underneath the ground. Inside the Loema Forest—just right before the great mountain range, a large hole is located. Jump through it, and you will find yourself underneath the ground—you will find the hidden desert. A week of travel should lead you to an ancient city. At the center of the city is a dome-shaped altar. Inside it is a warp portal—you can teleport towards anywhere as long as the amount of mana in your body permits it.”

The Gryphon looked towards the moons hovering above. “Though I must warn you—the warp portal is owned by the Emperor of the South. It is created by him. Using it will definitely incur the beast’s wrath.”

“I see.” Yuje said. He was still gazing at the place where the statue pointed at. “To think that there is a faster way towards the north—I don’t even need to go through Kulaima. Thank you.”

“Young man. This is the second time I have encountered such a strong human. Just like him, you are also very interesting.”

“…………….”

“It happened a very long time ago, back when I was still young. A very interesting human indeed. The very same human had even fought on par with one of the Emperors of that time. The human known as Arthur Poleshka.” The Gryphon’s eyes slightly twinkled after such words. A gentle smile was plastered on the creatures face after its mention of the name. “How many years has it been? Five centuries? Probably. Humans are creatures with short lives. That interesting man must be dead by now.”

The name uttered by the Gryphon seemed familiar to Yuje. After a few more thoughts, he had finally realized why. It was the name of the founder of Grimfort Academy. It was the very same man that created the Great Barrier that served as solace for the humans during the Great War 300 years ago.

So that guy's been to this place too huh?

Yuje lightly bowed for the last time, and turned around. He had not taken a rest since he had separated with Taki and the rest of the group. Still, he was determined to continue with his journey. He was about to jump off the mountain when he heard the Gryphon speak.

“The warp portal consumes large amounts of mana. If not used correctly, it could lead to your death.”

Without turning back, he dashed forward, and just like the previous part of Twin Mountain, he jumped off from the top. The sound of the piercing wind reverberated inside his ears, and his garb fluttered violently. The gargantuan nest disappeared in the blink of an eye, and everything passed by in a blur.

[I’m telling this to you now. Judging by your current state, you will most likely lose consciousness if you use that warp portal.]

The voice of Gashka resounded inside his mind. Yuje was well aware of the risks. Still, he was intent on using it. It was the fastest route available.

Yuje summoned his blood sword slashed at the ground. The impact from the strike created an opposing force that slowed down his fall. And again, he landed smoothly upon the fissured ground. From a rubble ground, everything had transitioned into soft peaty one. Sea of forests greeted his eyes upon landing, and the sounds of chirping nocturnal birds enveloped the area. The canopy of leaves flickered against each other, and Yuje unhesitatingly dashed forward. From the Gryphon’s words, the hidden entrance to the dessert was a month of travel from the Twin Mountain.

~Slash

Yuje slashed at a Trent that furiously swiped at him. It was thrice the size of a normal tree, and surprisingly, it was capable of running after its prey. Its speed was mediocre, but when coupled with its large steps, it was actually a formidable hindrance to normal humans. Innumerable Trents kept assaulting the grey eyed man one after another. A large branch cruised towards Yuje, and he dodged by an inch. Another Trent swiped at him, and this time, multiple branches were used simultaneously—he dodged each and every strike with the least amount of movements needed. Sharp sounds of winds reverberated through the previously silent forest, and the chilly wind brushed against Yuje’s pale skin.

The Demon of Grimfort continued to dash forward, all the while dodging the furious strikes of the moving sea of trees. It was a place literally impossible to pass through for other people. But for Yuje, it was something as simple as breathing. His decade of search for Obsidian Marifei at the continent of Ruan had led him into many places resembling that one.

It was dawn when he had finally arrived at a large body of water—a lake. It spanned several kilometers in diameter, and from the distance, numerous schools of fish was seen swimming underneath. The sun was soon to hover above the heavens, and its early seeping rays gave the unmoving water a regal glimmer. Beside the lake was a grass-covered land. The wind was blowing eastward, and the blade of leaves moved along with it. The smell of fresh water lingered in the air.

I probably need to rest for a few minutes

Yuje felt fatigue kick in. He knew from experience that overtaxing his body was not a good thing. Doing so may repeat the previous instance when he had lost consciousness—it was the very same moment when Lord Aldrich Rein found him lying on the road, body tattered and unconscious.

He took out slab of dried Flashkin Tuna from the pocket inside his tattered cloak, and ate it. Afterwards, he took a sip of water from the river. The school of fishes moved about, and their shadows filled the body of water with life. Yuje smiled at the imagery before him. It had been a while since he had seen something so peaceful and serene.

After a few more moments of gazing at the lake, he stood up and continued his journey. He resumed his previous speed, and pierced through Loema Forest. It took him another five days until he had reached the large hole the Gryphon talked about. The entrance was around seventy meters in diameter, and judging by the eerie echo that seeped through inside it, its depth was indefinite.

Finally.

Without hesitation, Yuje jumped into the abysmal hole, and after almost a minute of free fall, he was greeted by asphalt-like ground. An arched path was seen beyond him, and words written in Deman was embedded on the silver-sienna wall. He entered through the arched path, and after an hour of walk, the view of a sea of sand greeted him. Surprisingly, although located underground, the hidden desert was amply illuminated. It was as though a sun was hovering directly above.

Yuje glanced towards the ceiling and saw the reason for such peculiar illumination. The roots from the trees of Loema Forest threaded deep underground, and it pierced through until the hidden desert. The roots were glowing—it absorbed the rays of the sun above and reflected it underground.

From his distance, he could make out the blurry image of the ancient city. Yuje immediately dashed towards it. His feet sank a good two inches into the sand dunes with his each and every step. Dusts speckled on his skin and his garb, and the stale air from the hidden city embraced his body. After a day, the Demon of Grimfort had finally arrived at the ancient city.

The ancient city was in ruins, and not a single structure had retained its former glory. Yuje kept traversing the desolated path, and he halted after he saw a cenotaph-like structure. Unlike the black-brown appearance of the ruined city, the cenotaph-like structure seemed fairly new. Words written in Deman were imprinted, and after determining that he was unable to properly read it, Yuje resumed his journey.

Eventually, he arrived at the center of the city, and just like what the Gryphon said, a warp portal was imprinted on the ground next to an altar. The pedestal was adorned with cracks, but it was definitely intact. Two circles were drawn on the ground, and five stars were crisscrossed with each other, forming a larger one.

Yuje walked towards the center of the twenty meters large circle. Suddenly, Gashka spoke inside his head.

[Hey… This is no ordinary warp portal kid. This one’s made using Gods’ Magic. There are only two Gods capable of creating such a thing—and the Gryphon from before said that the Emperor of the South created it? A mortal? Preposterous!]

“What do you mean?” Yuje asked. He was in a hurry, but somehow he felt that he needed to listen to the words of the perverted God.

[This is a Granuex Portal. Next to the Merlenia Portal, this one’s of the highest grade. It is capable of teleporting a creature as far as the Valhalla Continent as long as their mana permits it. Get what I mean kid? Teleportation to Valhalla is practically impossible, but a Granuex Portal is able to bypass such boundaries. There is no way a mere mortal will be able to create this one.]

“Does it matter who created it?” Yuje began channeling his mana into the magic circle. His mind was focused on his destination—the royal capital of the north. “As long as it’s capable of instantly moving me towards the north, then I don’t care who made it.”

[Hmmm… you’re right. Still, there is something wrong with the story of the Gryphon. Or maybe I’m just overthinking things. God Auborn and God Nereus are the only ones capable of creating this. Nereus is out of the question since she practically does not leave her domain. Heck, she hardly even participated in my banishment. That leaves us with God Auborn… hmm….]

“............................."

Without waiting for Gashka to spout another word, he activated the warp portal. His body was sucked in, and from a barren desert, the imagery instantly changed to a dried up and lifeless city. Silver trees were seen glimmering from a distance in the mountain range that surrounded everything the eyes can see. Yuje felt his strength leave him, and his knees kissed the ground. Surrounding him were innumerable decaying corpses of beast men and humans alike.

My mana’s depleted from that single instance of warp portal huh? Damn it.

Yuje eyes felt droopy, and his body slumped towards the rubble-ridden ground, and he lost consciousness. Unbeknownst to him, peering eyes were vigilantly gazing at him from a distance.