132 Chapter 132: Mountain Trail

"Are you sure this is the right place?" I asked skeptically. It was only natural. Troy had led us to what looked like a remote mountain range. My dark-skinned friend turned to me with a confident smile, his eyes gleaming with assurance.

"Trust me. The trail leads here."

"I believe you. But…" I glanced around the mountains. "I just find it weird that the kidnappers would bring their hostage all the way to a place like this."

The remote area was bereft of anything remotely resembling human civilization. There was nothing but wilderness and rock out here, and we had even run into a few monsters. Fortunately, low ranking monsters were no match for our skills. I didn't even need to summon anything. Both Troy and Kureha dispatched them effortlessly before I could even blink.

"Why would they bring Kurenai to the middle of nowhere?" Kureha wondered out loud, just as doubtful as I was. "There's nothing out here."

"We can ask them when we find them," Troy replied with a shrug. He gestured toward one of the mountains. "The trail leads up there. Looks like we've to climb."

We stumbled upon what seemed like a manmade path when we reached the foot of the particular mountain he indicated. I held my hand up to stop us.

"Allow me."

Summoning a flock of Corvus, I unleashed them upon the mountain, allowing them to fly everywhere for reconnaissance. Unfortunately, the distance they could stay within before they flew out of my summoning range remained at about one hundred meters, but it was still better than nothing. Soaring high into the air, they flew up the mountain to survey what was ahead of us.

"Nothing." I frowned as I peered through several of my Corvus's eyes. "I don't see anything at all. At least not for the first hundred meters. Not even monsters."

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"What about the peak of the mountain?" Troy asked. I shook my head.

"My Corvus haven't reached there yet," I admitted. "They'll disappear if they fly beyond my summoning range. Shall we proceed? I'll notify you if my Corvus spot anything."

And so we proceeded, with my flock of Corvus scouting ahead and relaying information to me. I spotted a few monsters on the way up, mostly Mountain Trolls. Low-mid level humanoid monsters with bulging muscles and lopsided figures, their right arms swelled to several times the size of their left, resembling clubs or hammers more than limbs. They ignored my Corvus as the crows soared above them, seeming to argue and fight among themselves.

"They are only rank D monsters," Troy declared confidently when I shared the intelligence with my party members. "We can take care of them easily."

Kureha nodded. "But it makes no sense. If the kidnappers really came through here, how did they get past those Mountain Trolls?"

"We'll find out," Troy replied, giving no sign that he was worried about leading us on a wild goose chase. Kureha and I exchanged glances, but I merely continued forward. Troy was a good friend of mine, so I trusted him.

"They're close," I warned once we drew nearer to the Mountain Trolls. The monsters had stopped their squabbling and were sniffing the air. They began lumbering in our direction, following the winding mountain trail we were traversing. As this was the only route up the mountain, we had no alternate path to escape to, and no way of avoiding an encounter with them.

Troy grinned in anticipation as he began generating mana between his hands. The ground beneath his feet trembled as gravity began increasing rapidly from his presence. Dark energy wreathed his hands.

"Let them come. I'll destroy them."

Kureha nodded in agreement as she drew her sword from her scabbard once again.

However, I shook my head and raised my hand to wave them back. A smile crept across my face as I focused my eyes on the trail. Around the corner, the first of the Mountain Trolls had just came to view.

"No. You guys have been fighting this entire time. It's my turn now."

Ever since my Corvus had spotted the Mountain Trolls, I had already begun casting a summoning spell. As such, the moment we established contact, I was ready to unleash my Constellation spirit upon the poor dudes.

"Capricorn!"

The giant sea goat burst from the side of the mountain, sending a shower of rocks flying outward and smacking into the vanguard of the Mountain Trolls. The first three shrieked as the boulders struck them, the impact knocking them off the trail and sending them plummeting down into the valley below. At this height of about two or three hundred meters, even monsters like them wouldn't be able to survive. Not unless they possessed the ability to fly, and I knew for sure that Mountain Trolls couldn't.

Before the rest could react, Capricon was already barreling into the horde of Mountain Trolls and throwing them off the mountain path. His horns slammed into them mercilessly and he grunted as he tossed them off the trail, sending them falling to their deaths below, or pulverizing them into bloody pulp with his majestic horns.

Once his job was done, I recalled Capricorn. My Constellation spirit nodded at me before he vanished, and I proceeded to the front cautiously while relying on my Corvus above to keep an eye out on the path ahead, to ensure that it was clear.

"Looks like they're all gone," I told my comrades.

"You really have diversified your summoning, haven't you?" Troy remarked, sounding impressed. "I've never heard of someone having as many different soul beasts as you."

Kureha raised an eyebrow. "Just how many do you have? I remember that goat from earlier. You summoned him along with a bull, a ram and a tiger yesterday, and now you're also summoning a flock of crows."

"That's a secret," I replied mischievously. Then I paused and frowned. Turning to Troy, I chewed my lip nervously. "Are you sure this is the place?"

"Sure as sure, bro." Troy knelt down and sifted through the earth. "I can guarantee that they came through this way. Their footsteps are fresh."

"Yeah, well…I hope they didn't get eaten."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kureha demanded. I swallowed and pointed upward nervously.

"I've just caught a glimpse of the top of the mountain. Seems like there's a dragon's nest up there."

"The fuck?! Why the hell did they go to a dragon's nest?" Troy's mouth was hanging open in a comical manner.

"You tell me!" Kureha snapped. "You're the one who said they came this way!"

"Yeah, they really did!"

Taking a deep breath, I ignored the squabbling between my teammates and proceeded upward. Something struck me as odd. The titanic, dark shape of the dragon was soaring away from the peak of the mountain, presumably to hunt for food.

Dragons were rank A monsters, even more powerful than the Crastrates I had fought over a month ago. They possessed enough power to level whole cities. Even a veteran squad of mages would find it difficult to fight them. Normally, I wouldn't dare to approach anywhere near them either, but that particular dragon's presence intrigued me.

What was a rank A monster doing in this mountain range, which was relatively close to Jing Tian City? Granted, this was quite some distance away from the city, and could count as deep wilderness, but Jing Tian Forest and its surrounding areas were known for being mild in comparison to other areas. It was hard to believe that a rank A monster like a dragon would take up residence here without anyone noticing. The city council would dispatch an army of mages to quickly eliminate the dragon before it could turn its attention toward our city.

"Hey! Richie! Where are you going?" Troy had noticed that I was going on ahead and hurried after me.

"To check out the dragon's nest. I want to know why it's here. There's no way a rank A monster would have gotten this close to the city without anyone noticing."

"We are quite far from the city, though," Troy pointed out. "About twenty miles or so away. Of course…"

He paused, the same thought that had crossed my mind also occurring to him.

"We should have a surveillance team stationed somewhere here to pick up incidents like this. Why didn't they…?"

"That's exactly what I intend to find out," I responded grimly. "Now's the best chance to do it. The dragon's leaving its nest."

As if on cue, the massive shadow of the dragon covered us in darkness.

"That's…"

Kureha's jaw dropped as she saw the legendary monster glide past, its figure a black silhouette against the glare of the sun. And then it was gone, disappearing into the distance as it took off at hypersonic speeds, leaving sonic booms in its wake.

"We can't fight something like that…!"

"That's why we're going in when it leaves its nest," I replied. Frowning as I considered several possibilities in my mind, I decided to share some of my doubts. "I might be mistaken, but there's a chance the dragon's presence has something to do with human intervention. Like the Transdimensional Key they used to artificially trigger an Emergence event."

"…and those people might be the same people who kidnapped Kureha's sister," Troy continued for me. "After abducting her, they brought her here while carrying out experiments or…their mission might be to summon the dragon from the start."

"Damn it!" Kureha clenched her fists angrily. "Just what are they planning?!"

"Let's find out," Troy suggested darkly as he followed me. As for me, I was so absorbed in seeing through Corvus's eyes that I wasn't paying much attention to their conversation. Hastening my pace, I tried to reach within hundred meters of the mountaintop as soon as possible, so as to satisfy my curiosity.

"…!"

I suddenly stopped. Troy grabbed my shoulder in an attempt to prevent himself from colliding into me.

"What is it?!"

"You're right, Troy. They're there." I pause for a moment, my brow furrowing. "Honestly, I don't know if they are the same people who kidnapped Kurenai, but there is indeed a base camp set up near the dragon's nest. It's hidden inside a cave, but I can see equipment and human silhouettes moving around inside."

"We need to get closer!" Kureha urged us impatiently.

"Yeah." I nodded and began formulating a strategy. "It doesn't seem like they've noticed us. I say we take them by surprise."

"Fine by me." Troy grinned and cracked his knuckles. "I'm going to make them pay dearly for kidnapping innocent children from their homes."