Hawa didn’t climb the mountain immediately but instead guided the search party into the canyon. After wandering through the maze-like canyon for a while, they reached a dried-up valley and scaled the cliff between it and another valley. Thus commenced the arduous climb. The mountain was very steep and rugged. There was moss all over the rock; they could slip and fall from the slightest misstep. Chi-Woo had to heighten his senses and place great care in every step he took. Although Chi-Woo hadn’t expected to walk through a nice, well-established path, he hadn’t expected the path to be so harsh.

As expected of heroes that awakened their powers, the Ru siblings didn’t have much trouble climbing. Hawa also had little trouble since she had been trained since her youth, and she swiftly climbed the wall like a resilient bouncing spring. The only two people having problems were Eshnunna and Chi-Woo. Every time they had to go over a rock on a slope, they tensed up first. Still, the Ru siblings were always there to help them up. Before they knew it, everyone had stopped talking. Although they couldn’t be sure of it yet, they could be infiltrating into an enemy’s camp base, so everyone had been focusing only on climbing the mountain with their mouths firmly shut.

A long time passed. Climbing was difficult work, and they soon became fatigued due to their prolonged anxiety. Their hair and entire body were soaked in sweat, and their mouth started to taste sweet. 

‘How much longer do we have to go?’ Chi-Woo...