Pioneering the Apocalyptic World - Chapter 140
Sorry for the missing posts last week Windows update completely broke 2 of my hds.
Chapter 10: A distant sky and a distant goal
“Oooooh, we’re flying!”
Regulus’s scream was sucked into the blue sky.
Riding on Jizu’s wind, we emerged from the gaping hole above the cave. But it didn’t stop there, and we kept flying upwards.
“At this rate, won’t we continue flying like this forever?” I felt anxious for a moment, but it turned out that was not the case, and the speed of our ascent gradually slowed down. Well, it’s already high enough at this point.
As I looked down, I was filled with a different kind of excitement than when I obtained new materials, (Although some of the mountain peaks are higher than our current position) I saw a mountain range spreading out below my feet, shifting my gaze. I could see the land stretching far into the distance.
“Woah… That’s amazing…”
I couldn’t help but let out a cry of admiration at the bird’s-eye view, which I couldn’t get on my own no matter how hard I tried. And before I noticed, both Regulus and Liese were having a lot of fun, finding things here and there and pointing at them.
And Fricka is… On the contrary, being extremely quiet. Uru, who had been sent flying nearby, grabbed her arm and seemed to be talking to her, but their voice was too small to hear.
Ah, it’s a waste to just stare. I have to collect more information.
Most of the west side is wilderness, but there also seem to be grasslands and wetlands here and there. Unfortunately, I can’t find anything particularly interesting, such as ruins or large holes that looks like a dungeon.
Ah, but there are some places where I didn’t pass through that is overflowing with miasma… I have to go there, but… Should I ask the people of Bartle Village? If I give them purification items they might go in my place, calling it a training like Regulus did. Well, I’d like to think that a strong monster like Zephyros won’t be spawning anytime soon.
As for the east side.
“Ah……”
In short words, it’s even rougher than the Wind god’s realm.
I don’t know if it was originally like this, or if it was because the earth god couldn’t manage it, but it was manly made up of rocky areas and deserts. There are some green areas scattered around, so it may have some oasis around, but… Those are just small pieces of the land.
And the problem is that there are more miasma than green. The earth god told me that her realm was in a bad state, but I guess this is what she meant…
On the sand where at a glance seemed to be nothing, near a group of dilapidated buildings that looked like ruins or an abandoned village, and several other places that were too far away to make out clearly. It’s annoying that each spot is far apart, but I need to memorize the route now so I can make as few trips as possible.
Also, I would like to find a village… But I wonder where there’s one…
And, just as I was paying attention to the terrain, Uru asked me.
“… By the way, how are we going to land?”
–Ah.
As if that was a signal, our bodies, which had been suspended in the air, began to fall.
We are now flying over the mountains. The height is easily over a kilometer.
What will happen if someone fall from this height? It’s so obvious that you don’t even need to think.
No, no, we have substitute accessories. They are not as elaborate as the one I gave to Uru, but I’ve already given some to Regulus and Liese, so the fall won’t kill us.
So, it’s okay… It’s okay, but.
Being dropped from such a height is still scary! !
Feeling like I was being forced to do bungee hump without rope, I squeezed my eyes shut in fear of the approaching ground.
“… Ah, what?”
The speed of the fall decreased little by little, and eventually we land like a feather.
… A-As expected from Jizu, the aftercare is perfect…? But the lack of explanation part is not!
As soon as we realized that our feet were on the ground, everyone except Uru collapsed and breathed a huge sigh of relief without saying a word.
With Fricka’s small voice “… I can’t stand up…” as a sign, I decided that’s time for a break. Well, even if without that, we should probably take a break. Even though there hasn’t been any battles since entering the dungeon, we have been walking all this time, and we are also mentally tired because of the intense encounter with Jizu and the forced air travel.
After cutting out a hole in the mountain to block the wind, setting out a table and tea set, and drinking hot tea, I finally felt relaxed. Everyone who had been laying face down at the table began to move.
After talking for a while about the once-in-a-lifetime surprising experience of flying through the air and the terrifying experience of falling, we moved on to Jizu.
“I mean, why is Rion okay? When I first saw that thing, I thought, ‘Oh, I’m dead…'”
“I’m the same, I too scared to even try to run away…”
Hmm. Just I was finding it strange how quiet they were at that time, it seems that they were overwhelmed by Jizu’s presence.
Well, I was like that at first too, but after Jizu relaxed, I didn’t felt that anymore. When I told that, the three people except Uru inclined their heads in confusion.
Huh…? Is because there is a difference in level? Even if I am like this I am a miko, after all.
“You guys don’t have enough training.”
Uru folded her arms and looked smug, but it would be harsh to compare them with our Hyper Uru-san. If we compare ourselves to her, I’ll be on the same level as flea.
However, I want everyone to overcome this.
Fortunately, I was able to avoid the battle with Jizu, but Behemoth and Leviathan, who are on the same level, don’t necessarily will overlook me. Furthermore, there is the Ouroboros Dragon above them, and my ultimate goal, the God of Destruction, is probably a being above the clouds.
It’s hard to just say ‘be strong enough to fight them’, but if they just get scared and can’t even run away from an unexpected encounter, they’ll be in trouble in the future.
“If possible, I don’t want to encounter them…”
Regulus was lying face down. It’s rare for even him, who loves training, to do this. I guess it was too much of a shock.
… Well, I don’t think they’ll necessarily follow me that far. It’s probably not a good idea to ask for too much.
As if I could see through my thoughts, Fricka, who was sitting next to me, slowly lifted her trembling hand and placed it gently on top of my hand.
“… But, I’ll do, my best.”
The hand that touched me was still cold even though she had been drinking hot tea. I can see that today’s matter was quite tough for her.
Still, even though she looked pale, she still expressed her intentions to be together, of course I was worried about her health, but even more than that, I felt happy.
Uru also tapped me on the back from the other side.
“You should rely on me more too.”
Even though I have relied on her a lot up until now, she still seems to like being relied on. There’s no limits on how reliable Uru can be.
Thanks to the two, I feel like my heart was warmed even more than drinking tea could do.
And when I was felling warm.
“… Hey, Regulus-nii, if we retreat here, wouldn’t it be a loss?”
“Gunnu… That’s right, let’s do our best too…!”
Regulus was roused by Liese’s encouragement.
I don’t know to what’s he would lose, but I can’t help but chuckle at his typical words and actions.
Yeah, I’ll try harder too.
“Hmm, although we were swept a little to the east, it’s still a long way from the foot of the mountain. I wish I could have flown that far.”
As I head down the mountain, I look ahead and grumble… I know it’s a luxury, okay?
People often think that going down is easier than going up, but that’s actually not the case. Well, it might be easy to say it’s easy, but descending puts more stress on the legs and hips. And is dangerous if I got carried away and fell, so I wanted to take a shortcut.
“There’s nothing we can do complaining about… Now then, let’s go.”
“Umu.”
We set out to descend the mountain.