Far over the mountains

"Aim for the eyes! Cyclops greatest weakness are the eyes!"

"NO! Those plants are poisonous! Oh… Adaline took care of them!"

"CRAP! A HORDE OF ORCS! Um… I guess randomly shooting them is a good strategy."

Jasmine helped Will kill the many monsters that appeared before them. When they faced a cyclops or more, Jasmine would fly up and provide support and use herself as bait. That moment Adaline and Will would kill them as quickly as possible.

Orcs are also dangerous, because they travel in groups which is troublesome. They are huge, grey, and are strong. Most of them carry heavy blunt objects which can easily break Will's energy shield.

The plant monsters that they faced were mostly taken care of by Adaline. Will even collected those plants for himself, since they could be useful potions somehow.

"Why haven't we seen any goblins here?" Asked Will.

"Goblins used to live in the south, but with so many powerful monsters living here goblins would get killed or eaten, so they naturally migrated to the west and east."

"What about slimes?" Will remembered he once got killed by an ice slime.

"Slimes? I'm surprised you don't know that, they're extinct." Jasmine responded.

"Extinct? How?"

Apart from goblins, slimes are one of the most common type monsters in video games that are used to level up the MC early on in the game.

"Because of humans, but mostly heroes. Slimes were one of the easiest monsters to kill and provide experience when killing them. But, after killing them so many times, they vanished from the face of the planet."

"So, it's as dead as a dodo." Will didn't believe that they were actually extinct, after all the first time he came to this world he encountered one.

"Dodo?"

"Never mind. So why do people kill monsters? Is there something I don't know?" Will asked.

"You're an expert blacksmith and you don't know?"

"What does being a blacksmith have to do with it?"

"I'll tell you, but it's not just being a blacksmith but it also affects potion-makers. We use the corpse of monsters to suck out their 'essence' which in turn can be used to transform a magical item."

"Monster corpses can be used like that?" It's the first time hearing this so it surprised him.

"Indeed, but it's a long and expensive process. Like that bracelet you're wearing, it's a magical bracelet that is used to place stuff inside, right?"

"Uh huh."

"That bracelet is made from monster parts. But the process is random."

"What do you mean?"

"Simple. Let's say you take out 10 different cyclop essence and make 10 magical items with it. Chances are that those 10 magical items will be different from each other."

"Oh, so it's by chance." Will understood.

"Exactly. It's the same for enchanting."

Will frowned once again. Luck isn't his greatest strength especially when it comes to these sort of things.

Like in video games, some 'luck' mechanism exists like unlocking that Special. Super Ultra Rare, Mega, Limited, Overpowered, Platinum SSS-rank waifu hero.

Will is one of those guys who will spend 100 dollars on a game like that, and would be lucky to get the highest ranked summon 1 time, rather than 20 or more times like normal people unless it was guaranteed.

It's not like he's super unlucky as sometimes he gets lucky, but he has learned to never rely on his luck in these kinds of situations.

"What about potion-makers? What does harvesting a monster's essence have to do?"

"Simple, they can make-"

*ROAR*

A dragon flew above them and let out a loud roar.

Adaline quickly camouflaged herself and hid Jasmine and Will.

"That dragon." Jasmine whispered. "It's on the 2nd layer. We can't fight it."

Will also thought the same.

{Dragon}

{HP: 15,000,000/15,000,000}

He remembered that he once saw a dragon during the black sun, but it was only 1 million HP. This dragon however was not only much bigger, stronger, but tankier. Will didn't think that even if he used his modified gun in this situation he'll be able to kill that dragon.

"We should go." Jasmine said.

"Agreed."

As they were headed back, another dragon with the same size as the other one clashed and started fighting. The destruction these two dragons caused was massive.

"Fall back. If we're caught in the middle of their fight we will die." Jasmine said. They didn't expect two dragons to appear above them.

Adaline quickly ran as far as she could.

Will felt very afraid of those dragons. Who wouldn't in this kind of situation?

As they ran away, they noticed that the dragon's seemed to follow them.

"Are they following us?" Will asked.

"No, they're still fighting. They're dragging the fight our way."

"Adaline, run in another direction!"

Adaline did as she was told, but it didn't seem to do much. No matter what the dragons did they kept going in their direction.

"They're doing it on purpose!" Will shouted annoyingly. It seemed like they were fighting each other while tailing them.

As their thunderous roars echoed, fire spread out, their clashes were shaking the forest, it was all affecting Will and the others.

"Will, as long as we can shoot one of their wings it'll take away their ability to fly."

"Good idea. Switch places with me." Will teleported behind Jasmine very carefully and aimed his gun at the dragon's wings.

He got a little too trigger happy and blasted the dragon's right wing. It didn't expect somebody to shoot it and it crashed in the forest. The other dragon took this moment to bite on its neck and tear it's head off using his mouth alone.

Adaline successfully managed to get away. She didn't stop until she ran out of breath.

"Jesus, that was terrifying." Will said while wiping off the sweat with his arm.

"It was. I have never seen a dragon that close, not to mention 2 dragons on the second layer."

"Where are we anyway?" Will didn't recognize the area, it was just a thick forest that seemed uninhabited by men.

"Lost, most likely." Jasmine said.

Will shook his head because he can't get lost, not as long as he had his super map with him.

Taking out the map, he saw himself on the map. And his heart sank.

"Jasmine, just to be sure, the south is home to the most terrifying monsters, right?"

"Yes."

"Then we better get out of here."

"What do you… oh no."

"What?"

Jasmine didn't answer, but pointed at a certain area.

The place where she pointed were extremely tall mountains, that are black, sharp, pointy, shiny, it went all the way up further above the clouds. It was far away that merely it's figure could barely be seen from a distance.

"The black mountains!" Jasmine said fearfully.

Even though it appeared far away it wasn't some place where they would ever want to go or see.

*ROAR*

Dragons were flying everywhere on the black mountains, they merely looked like small flies. They were all on the apex layer and the third layer, which is the lowest. The south was home to the monsters, but the black mountains are home to all the dragons.

Not far away, were cyclops fighting against the dragons, all of them were as big as the dragons. Even more clashes could be heard as faint rumbling shook their very bones.

"Will… whatever you do... do not… freak out." Jasmine slowly and calmly said. Her years of training required her to always remain calm. It was like a bomb squad unit who's been trained to remain calm no matter what.

Will nodded slowly but was still afraid. The monsters in this world shouldn't even exist by their health bars alone. One of his greatest fears are gigantic monsters, especially underwater monsters. Thanks to subnautica he has feared those terrifying things.

There were many dragons and cyclops, but two stood out the most. A dragon that was literally golden.

{Dragon: Mutant}

{HP: 900,000,000/900,000,000}

The other monster that stood out was a cyclops that had three heads, 4 legs, 6 arms. Two of the heads were large in size, but the head in the middle was smaller than it's hand. Each head and eyeball wielded a different special ability.

{Cyclops: Mutant}

{HP: 860,000,000/860,000,000}

Mutants are another type of monster, it varies from each monster. Like the Apex dragon before it could turn itself into a loli. There were different types of mutants for monsters.

Those two appeared to be the leaders of their group, clashing and trying to kill each other. For some reason, their HP did not diminish.

*ROAR*

Another dragon flew above them and joined its flock. It was the same dragon from before. It had long noticed Will and the others, but since they were so weak, he treated them like ants, not even sparing a single glance their way.

"Adaline, get us out of here."

No matter what it didn't seem like he would be getting a dragon's heart today. Although he only killed 2 cyclops at the third layer, it was enough for today.

Adaline both of them back while avoiding any other monsters on the way.

Hours of running away, Adaline was dead tired from all the running and dropped herself on the floor.

Jasmine and Will both sat down and sighed in relief. They were mere spectators, but this scene was probably their scariest experience yet.

"I've heard how the black mountains were terrifying… I didn't think there could be that many dragons in one place. No wonder even heroes cannot exterminate that place." Jasmine said softly.

In the past, a hero's greatest achievements were either killing fearsome monsters, or saving the lives of people. But, the one achievement they all yearned to get, is to fully conquer the black mountains. No one has ever been able to come close to this.

The Great Sage said he could try, but didn't want to.

The reason is because the black mountains are home to the most powerful monsters, especially dragons. If they were to get rid of their homes, the dragons would migrate to other places owned by humans, and they would all face a major catastrophe.

It was better to keep those dragons in one spot rather than having them spread out all over the world.

"Why were those cyclops and dragons fighting each other?" Will asked after recollecting his thoughts.

"Cyclops and dragons are natural born enemies. Aside from that, they want to claim the black mountains as their own." Jasmine responded.

"Why is that?"

"Beats me. Maybe because it's a mountain the cyclops want what's inside? No one really knows for sure."

"Well there is no way that we are ever going back south ever again. At least until I'm more confident in my strength." Will looked at his modified gun.

This modified pistol is by far his best weapon, even so it was nowhere near enough to kill those dragons before they could kill him. And his 1000 HP is only laughable compared to those monsters.

In the beginning of Terraria, players would often face powerful monsters that they could only hope to kill. But, after grinding, repeating, and planning it out, they can easily kill those monsters that they had trouble with before.

"That's the spirit, Will. I'm hungry. Let's go eat." Jasmine said and got on Adaline.

"I thought this would scare you a little bit." Will said.

"It was scary. But my training is paying off. Besides, it's not the first time I've seen an Apex dragon. But, I am surprised too. Most people right now would be shaking in fear, but you don't seem affected. Must because of the mask that I cannot see your expression."

"No, I am afraid too." Will looked at Adaline and patted her. He was indeed afraid of dragons, but what he feared most was losing Adaline.

It's not the first time he's encountered a dragon, he got eaten by one in the beginning.

'I gotta make sure to never bring her back here ever again.' Will thought.

Now that he knew the dangers of travelling to the south, he needed to find a way to travel back here alone without using Adaline.

They got on Adaline and went to the nearest village.

"Will, I've been meaning to ask you, where are you from?" Jasmine asked. She did not know where Will lived, if he had any family, nothing at all. It was like he appeared out of thin air.

"Somewhere far away."

"Being mysterious I see. Where do you live?"

"On the deserted lands with Adaline."

"Sure." Jasmine didn't believe him. Organic creatures cannot live without water, just like any other living creature. She knew he would never put Adaline through such dangers.

Only a fool with nowhere else to live or go would live in the deserted lands. And she knew for a fact that Will had places to stay.

"Why did you ask for my help?" Asked Jasmine.

"Because you owe me two. But now I guess you owe me one favour."

"No, not that. I meant you could have sent out a letter asking the black tower for help from other experienced and powerful sorcerers."

"I can do that?" Asked Will.

The black tower is built inside the kingdom of Reyes. It is the place where the Great Sage lives. It is also the place where sorcerers go to earn money when people send requests to them. It was like a guild but such thing doesn't exist in this world.

The Great Sage built this tower so sorcerers can do good in this world. It's been going on like this for nearly 300 years.

"Yes, how do you not know that?" Jasmine was starting to get suspicious of Will. He doesn't even know basic information which even kids know.

Heroes are also like this since they came from another world, it was only natural that they would be ignorant of their world.

"I… forgot." Will realized he has messed up. He was indeed ignorant of this world and doesn't know much yet.

'I need to learn more about this world. Or else people will figure out my hero identity.' thought Will.

"I've been meaning to ask you, are you a hero?" Jasmine asked very seriously.

Will's heart skipped a beat. He needed to come up with a plan.

"If I said yes, would you fall in love with me?" Will said smoothly. But he immediately cringed because this is the first thing that came to his mind.

"Um… what?" Jasmine felt creeped out all of a sudden.

"I mean, you're attractive. But I know that you and Jack are a couple so there is no way that I can ever do that to him. Sorry to say this but I am not a hero."

'What the hell am I even saying?! Whatever, as long as it avoids the topic of me being a hero.'

"I am not… Jack and I aren't…" Jasmine blushed at the thought of that.

Will's eye shined behind the mask of his. It worked? He didn't have much hope at first but it seems his gamble paid off.

"So you aren't together? But I can tell that you like him, right?"

"I don't have to tell you anything." Jasmine resumed to her normal expression but was still blushing.

"Okay, but I can help you two get together if that is what you two want."

"How?" Jasmine immediately blushed further, she basically just admitted to liking Jack.

"I may not look like it but I have experience in being in a relationship."

"You do?" Jasmine found that hard to believe. When she met him she thought he was a lucky loser. But now he seemed more competent because he had grown the past month.

"Of course. It lasted 3-4 years though."

"Lasted? So you aren't in a relationship anymore."

"Yeah, but that was my fault entirely."

"What happened?"

"Not important. So listen, I may not know Jack as long as you, but I can be your guys's wingman."

"Wingman?"

"A guy who helps a lonely pair hook up when the time is perfect."

Will smiled as he thought of Alex. Alex was his wingman which is how he managed to have a girlfriend who was out of his league.

It may be weird, but Jasmine was getting too curious and suspected him of being a hero. She still has doubts because what are the odds of meeting the 100th hero? No one knows.

If she went back to the Great Sage and he reads her mind, he'll find out that he's the 100th hero, and many problems are gonna head his way.

Meanwhile…

"Where could it be?"

Rias was mining the entire cave without rest. Her puny arms and lack of arm strength didn't let her make much progress.

Grace stood by the side while leaning on a pickaxe.

"Maybe we can accept the fact that Will is a hero and nothing else. If he did find the cave we would have already known." Grace said.

"We can never lose hope!"

Grace found it weird that Rias was looking for something that may not be there, as if it depended on her life.

This went on for a while until Rias accidentally let go of the pickaxe, her arms were trembling with pain.

"Why do you want to find it? Even if what you're saying is true why do you need it?" Asked Grace.

"It's… personal. Please understand, Princess, only I know. And I need to find it!" Rias picked up the pickaxe and continued mining.

"Now that I think about it, he did appear out of nowhere last night. Right about… here." Grace pointed to the wall. She did find it weird that Will appeared in front of this wall.

They knew of his teleporting item, but it had its own limits. She never thought about it much until recently.

Grace began mining that wall. Her strength cannot be compared to others, especially Will who could mine this wall down in seconds thanks to his system. But she was making steady progress.

Seeing Rias's determination to find something made Grace want to help out her own kind. If it wasn't there it would put Rias's mind at ease. If it was there, then that would change everything.

Hours of mining made a ton of progress.

Grace pierced through the granite, and there was a blue light that came out of a small hole.

"Did you find it?" Rias asked after noticing the blue glow illuminating the cave.

"I don't know. But the light seems familiar. Help me out."

Both of the elves mined the wall down. What they saw were a bunch of exotic trees, in the center was a small blue-purple glowing flower.

"What?" Grace didn't believe it. For a moment she thought her eyes were playing tricks with her.

"What are exotic trees doing here? This doesn't make sense." Grace was trying to figure out what was going on.

"Nice trees. You think that this could be the source of his powers?"

Rias walked slowly towards the flower.

She has never heard or seen the exotic trees or seed, Silvas made sure to keep it as secretive as he could even from his own elves, as to not give him a chance to exploit the exotic seed's weaknesses and strengths. Rias had no clue what it was.

"Wait, if these are exotic trees and that's the exotic flower… RIAS! DON'T GET CLOSE TO IT!" Grace yelled but it was too late.

One of the exotic trees sensed immediate danger and whipped one of it's branches at Rias cutting a bit of her shoulder.

"AOW!" Rias screamed in pain.

Grace pulled her over before the trees could finish her off.

An exotic tree's only purpose is to protect any intruders from the seed. If it senses hostile intentions, it will kill. If a wandering fool comes close with no mal intentions, it attacks them but does not kill them, it was more like a warning sign for them.

"Stay here, fortunately the cut isn't too deep. I remember we brought Will some healing herbs. I'll go get some for you." Grace ran up the cave and came back down shortly afterwards.

Rias groaned in pain but it was later gone.

"Thanks, Grace." Rias looked at the exotic trees a bit fearful.

"Better now. Whatever we do, we do not go near those trees." Grace said seriously.

"You know what they are?"

"I do. But I don't know why Will has it."

"What is it?"

"I cannot say either. Like you have your own reasons to not tell me, I have my own reason as well. For now, help me cover this up and any holes you might've made. We need to wait until my dad comes back."

Grace started collecting the granite from the ground and started covering up the holes that they made. It wasn't gonna be perfect at all, but they needed to stall for time.

Rias looked at the exotic trees and softly said "dammit, it's not here." Rias cried a little bit and helped out Grace cover the holes.

Meanwhile…

Will and Jasmine were peacefully eating something inside a village, mostly meat.

Adaline, who was lazing around, felt the exotic seed being disturbed despite the large distance between them.