r18novel Page 246
Page 246
“Then you must remember,” the skeleton said slowly.
"The purpose of climbing is simply to climb; only in this way can you truly reach the summit."
"...How do they manage to be so pretentious with every word they say?!" Latis clenched his fists silently, muttering to himself with tears in his eyes.
"Coach, I want to learn this too!"
"Oh, by the way, there's one more thing."
The skeleton suddenly came to his senses, rubbed his beard, and said:
“I’ve always felt that my ointment is probably at that peak. If you are lucky enough to see my ointment, please be sure to bring it down. I really need it.”
"peak?"
Latis pondered for a moment, and a thought full of complaints suddenly popped into his mind:
"Could the demon that the ape-like creature spoke of be the embodiment of this skeleton's ointment?! Huh? The ointment city wall?"
Chapter 251 The sun is rising from the foot of Mount Amadeus
You informed Artur of your conversation with the skeleton, and after a moment's hesitation, Artur expressed his regret.
[You're a little curious. Artur seems to be both an acquaintance and an adversary of the Skeletons. He seems completely unsupportive of the Skeletons, yet he's also very concerned about their situation.]
However, these are just ordinary gossip to you; you're more concerned about whether you can successfully climb the mountain.
Artur gave you the reward he promised: a small hang glider, mounted on your back and horse's back, which could be deployed and retracted at any time via a mechanism connected to your elbow.
[On the bone fragment connecting the hang glider, there's a sentence written intermittently: "Only when you know the end of the journey can you understand the beginning." Looking at it, I think it looks pretty cool with that text after the hang glider is deployed.]
According to him, the momentum of the climb creates an updraft along the mountainside, and with this hang glider, one can occasionally use this updraft to leap over difficult-to-climb rocks at opposite angles, glide across broken gullies, or save oneself in time if one slips and falls off the path.
As you listen to Artur's reasoned explanation of the mountain trails, you realize that he himself has done in-depth research on how to climb Mount Amadeus, but you wonder why he seems to be so pessimistic about the outcome.
You inquired about this with some curiosity with Artur, and as expected, received a riddle-like reply. He told you that both life and death ultimately return to nothingness, and the struggle in the process is the source of present suffering, and so on. After thinking for a long time, you finally managed to say, "You're right."
However, after saying so much, Artur's attitude softened somewhat. He thought for a moment and offered his blessings for your journey ahead. And like Mr. "The Sun," he also asked you to tell him what you saw and heard after you reached the summit.
You asked him why he didn't listen to the stories of the challengers at the gathering about their experiences at the summit, instead choosing to ask an adventurer who had just arrived and was making his first climb. Artur pondered for a moment and told you that he felt your goal wasn't just the summit, so even if that goal didn't meet your expectations, you wouldn't fall into delusion.
Okay, you admit he has a point. The person you're referring to is indeed a very rational, emotionally and intellectually intelligent, and extremely serious role model.
Now that you understand the basic situation, you plan to begin your ascent. Before Star Sea Day arrives, scout out the best route, collect as many soul bones as possible in the remaining time, and then make a final push to break out of Star Sea. That's your plan.
You arrive at the foot of Mount Amadeus, gazing up at its summit that seems to disappear into the clouds, and a surge of immense pride wells up within you.
No matter what demons or monsters lie atop the summit, no matter what walls stand in your way, you will break through them without hesitation!
This is the legendary Niu Ge's brilliance, this is your moment to shine, and even the vast sky is destined to be pierced by you!
……
"Everyone, I plan to start climbing from this giant rock diagonally opposite the town."
Latis held up a slab of rock, drew a line on it with a piece of sand, and said to Seren, Haiyue'er, and the dazed Bluebell:
"After circling Mount Amadeus, I believe this route is the most suitable as our starting point."
"First of all, this boulder is high enough that, apart from someone with my exceptional jumping ability, it would be difficult for an ordinary challenger to leap onto it."
He drew a My Little Pony above the slab rock to represent himself, and continued:
"After jumping up, there are three consecutive protrusions around the mountain wall, which are not difficult. After that, there are two paths: one is a slightly downward platform, and the other is a small path that merges into the normal mountain road."
Latis stroked his chin, exchanged glances with the spirit maidens, and seeing them nod, he took a deep breath as if making a decision, and said:
"We're heading down to the platform. At the end of the platform, there's a vertical ravine that curves inward. It's about fifty meters up, and you can jump up by doing a backflip... It's very risky, but we can give it a try."
He wiped the sweat from his right palm, put down the slab, and laughed.
"From now on, just follow your intuition and instincts. There's something Artur said that I initially thought was nonsense, but now I feel there's some truth to it."
“The clearer the road ahead, the more hesitant and timid one becomes,” Latis nodded and said.
"I don't need to know exactly what's ahead, I just need to charge forward headfirst. And coincidentally, someone I'm close to is the best at charging forward."
……
After completing the pre-battle mobilization, you made one last trip to the town for necessary resupply.
After some bartering, you successfully acquired several Snickers bars to replenish bone mass, disposable grappling hooks for vertical climbing when you reach a dead end, and some bone fiber masks to filter exhaust fumes.
In exchange, you gave away a massive bone spear. That's how simple and brutal bartering is for people with soul bones.
[Bluebell, unusually, was pulled out by Haiyue'er and sat on your horse for a long time, observing the village. As you stepped out of the village, she suddenly asked, "Captain Latis, are we about to embark on a journey again?"]
You turned to look at Lanling in surprise, only to see her give you a hesitant smile. A longbow formed from soul power slowly appeared in her hand, the bowstring vibrating slightly, as if it were ready to be released.
[Just as you were about to answer, you suddenly sensed something and immediately turned to look at the ridge. There stood the imposing skeleton "Sun," hands on hips, grinning with his skeletal face, giving you a thumbs-up.]
[Haiyue'er and Saileng appeared beside you without you noticing. You looked around at your teammates who had accompanied you for hundreds of thousands of miles, and a sudden feeling of emotion welled up inside you. You were never fighting alone!]
Suddenly, a wisp of gray hair appeared at the village entrance. You and Artur, his brow furrowed, exchanged a glance, and you vaguely understood the faint glimmer of hope in his eyes.
You didn't greet them again, but instead looked up at the vast sky, grinned, and answered Bluebell's question loudly.
"Our journey has only just begun!"
……
boom!
With a sudden burst of dust, Latis vanished from the spot.
The sporadic hoofbeats only lasted two or three times before turning into a powerful thud. Under his strong hooves, the scattered white sand seemed to twitch like a taut bowstring, producing a chilling impact.
The centaur, which had vanished without a trace, had already disappeared into the jagged rocks like an arrow released from a bow.
"Sun" lowered its head, exchanged a distant glance with Artur, then put its hands on its hips again and looked up at the sky.
……
Before embarking on your journey, you might think your planned route is extremely risky. But once you start running, those uncertainties and impending challenges instantly transform into a surge of vitality in your blood. They roar and shout through your veins, rushing straight into your mind.
Your muscles tremble, even your very bones are burning with unstoppable passion—they are your body, and even more so, the embodiment of your spirit! Your eyes are clear and sharp, your will soaring to the point of near trance! Those pre-planned destinations are no longer your concerns; your spirit has already reached the clouds… You are fiercely confronting the “demon”!
At this moment, you seem to sense from an unknown place the powerful, taut tail of a mermaid as she leaps into the air, then bursts open like lightning and the crack of a whip; the devastating collapse of the windmill as the knight and his horse charge towards it, and the deafening sound of his lance exploding...
All these intertwined images flood your mind from the girls' memories. At this moment, what you see is what they see, what you perceive is what they perceive. They are already a part of your soul, so why be stingy in sharing this invincible fighting spirit!
Golden light suddenly shone down as you leaped towards the boulder, and in that instant, you cried out in sudden clarity.
"I am the sun!"
……
When you come to your senses, you've already traversed the routes you planned so meticulously. Once the massive "Mount Amadeus" enters your adventure, it no longer seems complicated; as far as the eye can see, there is the path ahead.
You deploy your hang glider, glide sideways across a slanted cliff face, and take the opportunity to glance down at the scenery below.
The undulating Bone Spirit Realm is filled with thin rivers, and skeletons of different forms have shrunk to indistinct white dots. The farther away from the town, the fewer these white dots there are, until in the distance beyond sight, it seems to return to deathly silence.
You look away, close your hang glider, and land back on the mountain path. You can feel an airflow growing stronger as you run, and it seems the faster you run, the faster the airflow moves. It feels like the airflow is driven by your movement, and then, when you need it, it drives you in turn.
Simply put, it's somewhat like a hybrid electric vehicle...
"This is probably why the Bone Control Competition exists, right? Only by riding this kind of airflow can one finally break free from the mountain and rush towards the sea of stars. Otherwise, everyone would just go up the mountain early and wait for the Star Sea Day to arrive," you thought.
[You experimented with various running speeds, eventually settling on a pace that resonated with the airflow, thus stabilizing your forward momentum.]
[Serleng begins to take over the auxiliary control, while you turn your attention to controlling your body and leg strength. In such a long journey, it is crucial to make good use of every bit of strength.]
Fortunately, you've gradually adapted to this kind of road. Compared to the various rally races of your previous life, this track only has a few more challenging sections like cliffs over ten meters high, multiple rock jumps, V-shaped longitudinal drifts, and sliding tackles in narrow areas.
Although you didn't watch much racing or parkour in your past life, you were a hardcore racing enthusiast and enjoyed watching intense competitions like boys and girls racing forward. Therefore, your imagination for these tracks should help you overcome many difficulties.
Just when you thought you could easily reach the summit in one go, something unexpected happened.
Suddenly, a large cluster of bone spurs burst open in the road ahead, startling you so much that you had no time to dodge and crashed straight into it.
[With a series of cracking sounds, your bone armor suffered severe wear and tear. Weak points such as the joints shattered, sharp bone spurs tore through your skin, and blood spurted out.]
In a moment of desperation, you generated two sets of armor in quick succession, managing to prevent yourself from being riddled with thorns.
This unexpected turn of events startled you. You were unsure what had happened and couldn't stop to look back. Fortunately, Bluebell acted swiftly. A sharp whistling sound followed by the cracking of bone echoed from the spot where you had just passed.
"It's... a wanderer? No, it's a skeleton with a soul!"
[Saileng instantly sensed what Lanling's soul power had touched, and she was immediately surprised. She had only been observing the competition on Mount Augusta from afar and was unaware that a battle might be taking place on the mountain!]
However, she quickly figured out what was going on and swiftly explained her guess to you.
[It turns out that many skeletons and bone spirits die along the way during the climb to the summit. These challengers are not permanently dead; they will be resurrected when the White Moon arrives.]
The skeletons, crushed to pieces, though resurrected, may not regain their ability to move. They remain stagnant along the mountain path, attacking and cursing any challengers who come after them. The longer this continues, the more traps will appear.
You realize that you've passed the initial, peaceful phase of the race. Along the way, more and more predecessors will fall, once ambitious challengers who have now become stumbling blocks for newcomers.
As you spoke, you leaped over a boulder, and upon landing, your front foot accidentally stepped on a piece of dead wood.
[Bang! A grayish-white whirlwind suddenly swept into your body, causing you to freeze instantly. Your four legs came to a halt, and you were about to fall down the mountain.]
[At this critical moment, Sai Leng immediately took control of your body. Your front leg slammed onto the edge of the mountain path, and your body twisted violently like a towel, performing a front flip to throw your hindquarters back onto the road.]
At the same time, the sound of arrows piercing the air rang out like a machine gun firing in rapid succession, and you heard a high-pitched song that cleansed the soul instantly begin, with Hai Yue'er's angry shouts resounding through the sky.
"You bastard, get off my Mr. Latis!"
take a day off
I haven't been out for a long time, so I'm going out for a walk to relax. I'm going to Guangzhou tonight to see Vitas's concert.
This guy was really handsome when he was young, but unfortunately time waits for no one, and Vitas has become Uitas.
Sigh, thinking about it, I'm getting old. Twenty years ago, I was just an innocent young man, and now I'm a fifty-year-old single mother with two kids. I really hope some rich woman can see through my stubbornness and just give me a V50. By the way, Crazy Thursday is going crazy for two days straight now, come and enjoy some delicious fried chicken!
Chapter 252 When you pass by everyone, everyone also passes by you
The bone spirit that tried to board the train without a ticket was quickly driven out by the three soul maidens within you, howling like a dog that had been kicked all the way, as it fell off the cliff.
[For a bone spirit that failed in the previous White Moon event, unless it goes down the mountain to recuperate for several White Moons, the remaining soul power in its body will almost certainly make it impossible to control the skeleton vehicle to compete again. It can only forcibly sneak in, and challengers who cannot expel it will have no choice but to carry it along.]