NOVEL NEXT Chapter 249:
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*Flash!*
*Rumbles!* *Crack!* *Crack!*
Thunder Mountain, as its name suggests, was a mountain constantly battered by thunder and lightning.
Even before the climb had officially begun, lightning was relentlessly striking from the middle of the mountain.
That’s why it was impossible to ride a wyvern to the top of Thunder Mountain.
Flying through a sky constantly struck by lightning was extremely dangerous and practically suicidal.
No matter how strong a wyvern was, if it got struck by lightning, it would at least be knocked unconscious, and in the worst-case scenario, it could die instantly.
That's why Otto and his group had to climb Thunder Mountain by foot.
The climb itself was not difficult.Thunder Mountain wasn’t very tall, nor was its terrain particularly rugged.
Moreover, the slope of the mountain was manageable, so it wasn’t a significant strain on their stamina.
Of course, the lack of a clear trail made the climb quite challenging, but for Otto and his group, that wasn't a major issue.
Otto and his group were strong individuals beyond the category of ordinary people. Whether or not there was a trail was not a factor.
The only reason the hike was difficult was because of the lightning.
*Flash!*
*BANG!*
As Otto and his team began to advance up the mountain, lightning struck right in front of them.
*Zap!*
*Thud!*
A large old tree split in half and burst into flames.
"…..!"
"…..!"
"…..!"
The group was startled.
True to the name "Thunder Mountain," they hadn't expected lightning to strike right in front of them as soon as they started the climb.
The problem was that they were still only at the base of the mountain.
Even though they hadn't yet reached the middle of the mountain, lightning was already striking nearby.
*Rumbles!*
*Flash!* *BANG!*
But that was just the beginning.
After taking a few more steps, lightning struck again, splitting a large, thick tree in half.
“Everyone, put on your cloaks, your cloaks. Don't be afraid.
Otto was the first to put on the [Rubber Cloak] and then started walking forward.
Just then.
*Flash!*
*BANG!*
Once again, lightning struck and hit Otto.
“Ugh!”
Otto staggered slightly and felt a bit dizzy, but he wasn't severely injured.
Despite being struck by lightning, it felt as if he had only been lightly hit with a rubber hammer.
"See? It's fine if you wear the cloak. It only hurts a little, but it's not that bad. Unless you're hit with lightning continuously for about a hundred times, it won’t be a problem."
Otto shrugged it off as if it were no big deal.
“Ooooh!”
“Oooh!”
“Chwik!!"
His companions were in awe as Otto showed them how the cloak performed.
They had never expected that the cloak would actually protect them from lightning.
Indeed, no matter how excellent the armor, it was not easy to remain unscathed after being struck by lightning.
The Rubber Cloak, made using the sap of the Enchantment Tree, had resistance not only to lightning but also to all electric-related attack magic.
Otto didn't endure the disgust of harvesting Enchantment Tree sap for nothing before his assault on Thunder Mountain.
“Everyone, move with ease of mind. If you get struck by lightning, don't panic, and just regain your bearings quickly.”
With that, Otto marched ahead of the group.
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Thanks to the Rubber Cloak, Otto and his group's climb was very smooth.
*Flash!*
*Rumbles…* *Bang!*
Despite the relentless thunder and lightning, none of Otto's group were injured.
Occasionally, someone would be stunned or feel dazed from a lightning strike, but thanks to the Rubber Cloak, everyone remained safe.
By the time they reached the middle of the mountain.
*Flash!* *Flash!* *Bang!* *Bang!* *Bang!* *Bang!*
The amount of lightning pouring down had increased at least tenfold.
True to its name, Thunder Mountain, the higher they climbed, the more lightning there was.
That wasn't all.
An enormous moose appeared and snorted at Otto's group.
Thunderhorn Moose.
These mutated deer, which only inhabit Thunder Mountain, were not only stronger than most predators but also extremely aggressive monsters.
Moreover, their size exceeded that of ordinary deer, being almost as massive as buffaloes.
While their physical specs were already enough to overpower bears, the real reason the Thunderhorn Moose were truly terrifying was something something else.
*Bzzt!*
*Crackle* *Bzzt!*
The Thunderhorn Moose unleashed an electric current at Otto and the others.
The electric currents emitted from the moose’s antlers were as powerful as lightning… or so it seemed.
“It tickles.”
Otto didn't even flinch as he was struck by the electric current from the Thunderhorn Moose.
Because he was wearing the Rubber Cloak, he was virtually immune to electricity-based attacks.
“Moo-oo-oo-oo!"
“Grrrr!"
Enraged, the lightning-antlered moose charged at Otto and his group, snorting as they advanced.
“Hmm~ So slow~”
Otto smoothly avoided the charge of the Thunderhorn Moose and swung his sword.
*Swish!*
One of the Thunderhorn Moose' horns was severed.
“Baaah? Mooo!!!”
The Thunderhorn Moose with its horn severed fled in terror.
"There’s no need to kill them. Just cut off the antlers and collect them. They’re valuable materials."
As Otto said, the severed antlers of the Thunderhorn Moose were very rare and valuable materials.
*Bzztt!*
*Bzztt!*
Even though it had been cut off, the antlers of the Thunderhorn Moose continued to emit electric currents.
[Thunderhorn Moose's Antler]
An antler of the Thunderhorn Moose, which inhabits only Thunder Mountain.
The antler contains the full power of the lightning striking Thunder Mountain, allowing it to emit electric currents almost permanently.
As a very rare material, it is used in the crafting of various items.
Seeing Otto harvesting the Thunderhorn Moose's antlers, the others immediately pounced on the moose.
“Huff? Mooo?"
“Grr, Grrrrr!"
The Thunderhorn Moose were very flustered but helpless to do anything.
Since Otto and his group were so powerful, simply relying on size and strength was not enough.
A powerful electric current from their horns would have been a different story, but alas, the rubber cloaks Otto and his companions wore provided them with protection.
For the Thunderhorn Moose, it was essentially like being struck by a bolt from the blue.
The result.
"Mo… Moooooo!"
“Hufff!”
The Thunderhorn Moose that charged at Otto and his group were only able to flee after their antlers were severed or snapped off.
In fact, it was a stroke of immense luck that they managed to escape at all.
If the antlers, as well as their hide and meat, had been useful, the Thunderhorn Moose would never have made it out alive.
Why?
If that were the case, Otto certainly wouldn’t have passed up the opportunity to collect the skin and meat.
The Thunderhorn Moose had to be grateful that their hide and meat were of little use.
Of course, the Thunderhorn Moose had no way of knowing this.
‘Anyway, Bagram is just awesome.'
Otto watched the Thunderhorn Moose fleeing in a panic and smiled broadly.
The main storyline of Bagram was closer to a spy thriller.
But the journey from the Bizarre Forest to Thunder Mountain was more about personal growth through leveling up.
And the focus was on crafting various items using materials obtained from farming the special items of the Bizarre Forest and Thunder Mountain.
‘The story is interesting, the leveling segments are clear, and there's the fun of item farming. Bagram is indeed enjoyable.'
Otto could fully understand why Bagram was among the more popular main characters in the Territory Wars games.
“Come on.”
Otto urged his companions.
“Since it's expected to be smooth all the way to the top, let's not get too nervous and just climb up there.”
With the Rubber Rubber Cloak, the climb of Thunder Mountain was a piece of cake, so Otto continued the ascent with a brisk pace.
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While Otto and his group were heading toward the summit of Thunder Mountain, the situation on the Uruk Plains suddenly changed dramatically.
Several Orc clans living on the Uruk Plains suddenly started a war and began attacking the surrounding human territories.
“I-It's an Orc attack!”
"The Orcs have invaded!"
The fortresses on the Uruk Plains were suddenly attacked by the Orcs and quickly collapsed in the blink of an eye.
After all, the Orcs in this world were inherently a strong and formidable species in combat.
Even an ordinary Orc, not a warrior, had combat abilities comparable to a human knight, and a warrior-class Orc was 2-3 times stronger than that.
With Orcs of such strength launching a sudden attack, the fall of human fortresses was only a matter of time.
Furthermore, because the Orcs hadn't stepped foot outside the Uruk Plains for the past 10 years, the humans had let their guard down.
As a result, the small kingdoms that had their fortresses fallen to the Orcs immediately went into battle readiness and had no choice but to divert their attention from the assassination attempt on Archduke Wazir.
Even though the failed assassination attempt on Archduke Wazir was significant, there was no time to worry about it when their immediate crisis was at hand.
That wasn't all.
The [Raging Wolf Clan], one of the two largest clans in the Urk Plains, was on the move, and the smaller nations around them were on edge.
Moreover, the Raging Wolf clan had three times as many members as the Thunderhoof clan, making it the largest single faction in terms of warriors.
If the Raging Wolf clan invaded, the smaller kingdoms would have to fight for their very survival.
Given the situation, the neighboring countries to the south began to keep a wary eye on the Kingdom of Erzsebet.
Due to the conflict with the Kingdom of Lota and the assassination attempt on Archduke Wazir, the neighboring kingdoms had been considering turning their backs on the Kingdom of Erzsebet. However, when the Orcs invaded, they changed their stance.
It was an unavoidable situation.
If the Raging Wolf clan were to launch a large-scale invasion, they would never be able to fend it off without the help of the Erzsebet Kingdom.
“Continue to direct the orcs to attack.”
Bathory, receiving updates on the situation in real time, manipulated the Orcs' movements from behind the scenes.
It was the way of the Erzsebet Kingdom, and it was the tactic Bathory excelled at.
Bathory was known for her exceptional skill in balancing the dynamics between the Kingdom of Erzsebet, the neighboring kingdoms, and the Orcs of the Uruk Plains.
In fact, it would not be an exaggeration to say that Bathory was behind almost all the major and minor battles occurring in the southern region of the Erzsebet Kingdom.
"Press them even harder until those ungrateful wretches are so terrified that they come crawling to me, kneeling and begging for mercy."
“Yes, Your Majesty, however….”
“……?”
“I regret to report, Your Majesty, that the Thunderhoof Clan in the southern Uruk Plains has not moved.”
“What?”
Bathory frowned.
The Thunderhoof Clan was the second largest faction in the Uruk Plains, and naturally, it was deeply infiltrated with Orcus, the spies of the Erzsebet Kingdom.
As such, Bathory could manipulate the Thunderhoof Clan any time she pleased.
Several of the Thunderhoof's most respected elders were Orcus, so she could easily grill the chieftain.
“It would take some time.”
Bathory dismissed it.
“Bagram is the most intelligent and rational of all the chieftains, and he will not be easily moved. So we'll have to be patient.”
She only considered Bagram a difficult opponent to manipulate and could not even imagine that the existence of the Orcus had been discovered.
It was impossible to send human spies to the Uruk Plains, so news often arrived slowly and with inaccuracies.
It was due to the excessively insular nature of the Uruk Plains.
“And.”
Bathory added.
“Once this operation is over, eliminate Bagram. He is difficult to control and cannot be moved as quickly.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Although there was some risk involved, Bathory believed it was a maneuver worth pursuing.
Historically, there had been instances where a mutated Orc known as Orcus had become a Chieftain.
** ** **
TL/N:
Anon Q: Why is it called Thunder Mountain and not Lightning Mountain due to the severe lightning?
A: 천둥산에 = Thunder Mountain