The next morning, I awoke to a jump scare with Venus' eye sockets staring straight into my eyes beside me on the bed. "YAHH!...ahem...sorry Virgo I'm not used to it yet..."
Watching Sagi still sound asleep on the other side, I flipped Venus' skeletal body to face Sagi while waiting for her to wake up...
Three hours later while I was large felling rock trees barehanded using God Strength.... in the quiet tranquil forest... one cry was heard loud and clear, "YAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH..." followed by a muted ..."Sorry Virgo...."
A little while later, we packed up some supplies and began trekking up the mountain to the large deposit of monster graveyard. Three of us waving goodbye to the reanimated Venus, acting like a housewife saying farewells at the door.
Taking short breaks as we made our way up, we finally reached at the crystalline tree formation indicating that we were nearly there.
Watching as a random wild, Hornet Falcon zoomed past in the air above us, 20 crystalline trees exploded with branches of piercing crystal branches. Skewering he hornet falcon from 20 different directions before pulling it apart to revitalize its roots with its nutritional blood.
These crystalline trees are pretty useful as an anti-air deterrence, with this many they should be able to even handle ancient class monsters at the minimum.
Asking Sagi and Virgo to stay back, I knocked onto the trunk gently to test for a reaction...but nothing, seems they're only hunting and reacting to what's above them. Placing my left hand onto its thick trunk, "Infinite storage, store the entire grove of crystalline trees..."
"World System - displacing 2000 crystalline trees into compact crystalline seeds within infinite storage under category materials. Notice - The trees will enter a stage of dormancy and only rejuvenate if planted in soil."
With the rest of the path cleared free of uneven ground from the tree roots, and obstruction from the thick tree trunks, we ascended quickly.
Reaching the mountain top was a wide plateau, the land stretching far and over its edge was the sky.
Virgo warns us, "The Athenians do no travel here anymore as it is extremely dangerous and basically a barren land very inconvenient for housing or trade, another reason is due to its primal aura.
The ancient carvings on the mountain wall that you've observed ascending is read as Thanatos, the personification of death. Mysteriously a myriad of monsters makes the same arduous climb to the top and challenges the reigning King of the Thanatos Mountain, in a battle to the death.
They treat this primal land as their pride rock the seat of the King, there were stories in Athens how they had observed Legendary classed monsters ascend this mountain so focused that they completely ignore the humans and demi humans.
In my mind I called out, Goddess of wisdom Athena please grant me knowledge on this ancestral land...
"This mountain plateau is rich in demonic energy due to events from a time long passed."
"5000 years ago, a God classed Crystalline Frost Bear was on the hunt, and in its endeavor, it tracked a simple superior classed Mountain Ibex up the mountain Plateau, as it went for the kill with an Icicle claw swipe, an extremely unlikely event happened, another God class Andean Condor appears swooping in for the kill."
"Both extremely powerful beasts eviscerated the Ibex. Powerful monsters have extremely high ego, unwilling the share the kill. Both contested in a battle of strength and wits to decide who is the Alpha, and in that the rights to claim the meal."
"A fierce battle ensued, knowing not to underestimate the enemy the Crystalline Frost Bear released its skill, Frost Bide an environmental skill which absorbs all the surround heat, creating a 10 Kilometer radius of frigid air, all the hidden monsters below Legend class were instantly flash frozen, severely reducing the speed of the Andean Condor."
"Gaining a substantial edge over its enemy, an endless fury of strikes connecting and ripping into the Andean Condor. In the frigid cold it wished for heat, its powerful skill tempest, where its power is equivalent to its extremely high speed was negated by the Crystalline bear."
"While the Crystalline frost bear got even stronger by the minute due to the skill Frost Bide which increased his power the longer it stays in a freezing environment, it eventually overwhelmed the Andean Condor and tore it to pieces."
"In its miserable death, it wished for more, more power and became the first monster to ascend and achieved the powers of an Overlord, its scattered body burned intensely with divine flames and in its ashes a chick appeared."
"Chirping with the power of rebirth and its grasp on death, it had been reborn into a whole new being, a whirlwind of flames burst and surrounded the chick, growing it into a Primordial Phoenix, scarlet flamed feathers and eyes deep black, with dragon scales on its chest."
"Now twice the size of the massive Crystalline frost bear, although the skill Frost Bide was still in effect, the simple presence and anger of the Primordial Phoenix generated so much it became as dry and hot as the desert, burning all the wildlife and trees making it a barren wasteland."
"It flapped its massive wings taking into the sky, each flap generating a massive heat wave enough to cause an immediate heat stroke."
"High up in the sky eclipsing the Sun, it rained down its new magic, "Divine Flames of Prometheus - Fire Curtain...""
"A curtain of fire came crashing down, incinerating the Crystalline frost bear leaving only its crystalline skeleton, before subsequently shattering from the intense heat into powder."
"Satisfied over its newfound powers and thoroughly exerted its dominance as the true Alpha, it took off vanishing into the heat wave."
"The hatred for the newly rebirthed condor was ingrained in every cell of the Crystalline Frost Bear, so much so that its powdered skeletons grew into crystalline Trees, only aiming at the sky above them."
"The power of rebirth into a higher class from the ashes of the Primordial Phoenix, as well as the death of the Crystalline Frost bear soaked the land in divine magic. Ever since then, monsters who seek greater strength battle atop this plateau and in their victory, a 1 out of 10,000 chance of class ascension was possible. A higher odd than through natural ascension."
"Till this date only 3 demonic beasts in the world including the Primordial Phoenix have ascended into the overlord ranks. The successful ascension into God class thus far is a total of 25. While there has been a creation of over 350 legend ranks all over the world."
Pandora chiming in my mind, "Master I can feel the raw primordial powers emanating from this land, please give me the opportunity to battle the reigning king, I wish to ascend to be more powerful and reliable as your familiar."
Feeling conflicted..."Pandora the reason we are going on this rumor quest is the attain the mythical grapes with powers said to ascend a superior class into legend rank... so you should not have the need to risk your life for this."
"Although at the same time I am unsure if it has the powers to promote a legend rank even higher..."
"Goddess Athena, do you have any knowledge on this?"
"Apologies but this knowledge is unavailable, it is an unknown variable that has yet to be discovered."
"Yuujiro, your accumulation of this knowledge on this would greatly please me, send me an offering once you have succeeded."
I guess even google doesn't have all the answers until someone discovers, investigates and creates an entry...
"Alright Pandora I promise to let you battle the reigning king if I encounter it..."
"Yuujiro? you alright you seem to be in a daze." My mind focusing back, as Sagi and Virgo visibly worried looking at me with concern.
"Sorry girls yes let's go to the center of the Plateau, I'm sure Virgo can get some really good monsters to reanimate."