[Salvos] 773. Descending Astros Mountain

773. Descending Astros Mountain

As a [Hero] from another world, Daniel could never become a Greater God. Sure, he could obtain Divine Essence— maybe even become a Lesser God if he reached Level 200. But he could never become a Greater God.

Not on his own. 

To become a Greater God, Daniel would have to meet with the Arcraem— the only True God of the Nexeus.

That was why he had to venture down the labyrinth. That was why he had to fight through those unkillable creatures which lurked below. That was why he had to meet with Hark-Oth the Old God of Undeath.

But wait…

“Can I even become a Greater God at my level?”

Daniel Song frowned as he met the gaze of the man sitting across from him. Yves Virgil, also known as the Watcher… also known as the Elfslayer… also known as the strongest of the Human Lands, tapped a finger on his chin curiously. 

“That’s a very good question…”

“...what do you mean by that?”

Yves’ response made Daniel pause. Here they were, at the very top of Astros Mountain— the highest point in all of Secely— far from any civilization. From here, if they looked outside, they could see the remnants of the Old Gods of the Nexeus trailing overhead, making up the stars that speckled the night sky.

The group had come here because of Yves. 

…well, that wasn’t exactly true. It wasn’t exactly Yves, but his alter ego, Ivonne— or was it an alter ego? 

Back in Daniel’s world, he was sure that Yves would be considered a deadname, and she’d just be called Ivonne. But things didn’t exactly work that way in this world. Not only did Yves himself want to separate the two identities for now, he also only swapped between the two identities with a Potion of True Transformation.

However, while the two of them were distinct, they were also essentially the same person.

So it could be said that it was Yves who brought them here, just back then as Ivonne. And sure, it was because they had been chased by a group of powerful Elves who had been hoping to get rid of Daniel Song.

And it was only thanks to Ivonne transforming back to Yves were they able to defeat those Elves.

Daniel should have been grateful— in fact, he was grateful. But he had assumed that they would descend from Astros Mountain afterwards.

Instead, Yves had made the [Hero] stay up here to train. To become stronger.

To become a [Hero] that could even rival the great [Heroes] of the past like Alexander the Immortal King, Melissa the Oracle of Light, or Zacharius the Quisling.

But why did Daniel need to remain up here to be trained by Yves?

Well, that was because there was a Dungeon beneath Astros Mountain. It was beneath a labyrinth of tunnels that made its way down the inside of the mountain. There, Hark-Oth The Old Of Undeath lay.

Still alive.

But, apparently, in slumber. Protected by his undying worshipers who prevented anyone from even getting close to the Dungeon.

That was right. Daniel hadn’t even gotten to the Dungeon yet.

It was supposedly a labyrinth. Which wasn’t actually where the young man from Earth had been to yet. The place he had been fighting was just a maze of tunnels that had been carved out long ago by the inhabitants of this place back when there were still people living here.

Anyway, as Daniel was just told, the reason why he needed to meet with Hark-Oth was because it was the only being in the Nexeus that could lead him to the Arcraem so that he could become a Greater God himself.

Except… Yves wasn’t even certain if this was possible right now.

“So why exactly am I here now if I can’t even become a Greater God right now? Wouldn’t it be better for me to come back after I’m level 200? I mean, there’s just so much else going on in the world, is it ok for me to waste time here?”

Daniel narrowed his eyes at the Watcher. 

“Hey— that’s not true.”

Yves crossed his arms in response.

“We don’t know for sure that you can’t become a Greater God right now.”

“But you don’t know whether I can.”

Daniel stared flatly at the other man. 

“...that’s true.”

Yves sheepishly admitted, before throwing his hands in the air.

“Look, I just assumed you’d probably be Level 200 by the time you get to the bottom. So I didn’t think it would be a big deal.”

“You can’t be serious, right?”

Daniel’s head spun at what he heard. However, for whatever reason, Yves didn’t seem to understand why exactly the [Hero] was reacting this way.

“I mean, you’re already Level 181, aren’t you? You’re one of the highest leveled individuals in the world at this point. And it’s only been a few months.”

“That’s exactly the problem!”

Daniel exclaimed. Yves tilted his head. And Kacey, who was the only other person present here in Astros Mountain and had just been watching from the side silently, cleared her throat.

“Apologies for the interruption, Sir Virgil. But I believe I understand Daniel Song’s issue.”

“And what is the issue?”

Yves asked curiously. Kacey explained simply.

“The issue is that there is a war still going on— a war that Daniel Song had temporarily abandoned, but promised he would return to. A war waged by Elvenkind against us. And while it would truly be beneficial for us all for Daniel Song to return to the battlefield as a true [Hero] from legend. Right now, we don’t even know if we’re winning this war…”

The [Crusader] trailed off. She had accompanied Daniel from the battlefield all the way to the border city of Soros. Well, she hadn’t exactly accompanied him. She had followed him despite him ignoring her. But she had been pleading for him to return.

To continue fighting against the Elves.

Of course, he had intended to return to the fighting. But he had just wanted to repair his Primordial Longsword— the very same weapon that Salvos had given him a long time ago.

Unfortunately, the [Blacksmith] he had sought out at Soros hadn’t been able to repair it. But Yves— as Ivonne— had told him she could repair it. 

Sure enough, Yves had helped Daniel repair the weapon up here in Astros Mountain. But since the [Hero] was now undergoing this brutal training, he had never descended back down the mountain for months. Except…

“Right, I forgot there was a war going on. Oops, that’s my bad.”

Yves said as he scratched the back of his head. 

“But, I mean, that doesn’t mean we are wasting time here. You’ve already gotten to Level 181, Daniel. And at this rate—”

“At this rate, I’ll get to Level 200 in a year… at the very least. And who knows how long it’ll take me to get to Hark-Oth?”

Daniel said as he shook his head. He rose to his feet as he met Yves’ gaze.

“That’s not to mention that even if I speak with Hark-Oth before I reach Level 200, it may be utterly pointless. So I think I’m done here.”

The Watcher stared at Daniel who shook his head.

“You told me you’d train me, and you did. I’m stronger now. That’s all that matters. I may not be a Greater God, but I am at least strong enough to make a difference in the war against the Elves.”

Kacey piped up as she nodded at the [Hero].

“I apologize, Sir Virgil. But I agree with Daniel Song. He needs to return to the battlefield immediately. The fate of the Human Lands could be at stake.” 

Yves glanced between them.

“The both of you do realize that there is more at stake than just a war between Elvenkind and Humankind, right? There is a reason why I believe it is of utmost importance for Daniel Song to become a Greater God and be a [Hero] equal to the Immortal King Alexander.”

“You’re right.”

Daniel said as he closed his eyes. He thought about the Demon King’s attempted invasion of the Mortal Realm. He thought about the end of the world that the Kobolds proclaimed— the corruption which Salvos mentioned.

“There is so much more at stake than just this petty war. However, that doesn’t mean I can ignore this when I know I can do something about it.”

As he finished, Daniel turned away from Yves. 

“So I will be leaving Astros Mountain now. Thank you for the training…”

The Watcher just stared at Daniel’s back for a moment, before sighing.

“Fine.”

Yves said as he rose to his feet as well. Daniel glanced back for only a moment as the Watcher stepped forward.

“If you really insist on going, then I cannot stop you. But…”

Daniel raised a brow as Yves just grinned.

“I am not going to let you go alone.”

And hearing that, the young man from Earth just blinked.

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