Now, here we were, facing a towering mountain. Other players were already preparing to climb the rocky slopes.
Although there was a safer route, it was a longer path that would likely end the game before we reached our destination.
Our only option was the dangerous route. At first, the path was only steep, but as we progressed, it became increasingly challenging, almost like climbing.
Our basket was securely tied on our armpit with the tendrils of a tree we had discovered, yes it was hell, making the move even more harder. Likewise, our bodies were connected to one another, creating a lifeline of sorts.
If one of us were to fall, there was a glimmer of hope that these tendrils would catch us and buy some time for the fallen one to regain their footing. It was a precarious situation, but the only option we had.
"Damn it! I hate this kind of terrain," I grumbled, clutching onto the rocky surface for dear life.
"This place is scorching hot. I can barely stand it," complained Matthias, who was surprisingly agile despite being a mage.
"Hold on, everyone. Just follow my step." Arnold was in front of Matthias. He led the way, checking the stability of each foothold to ensure our safety.
As we climbed, Matthias accidentally sent some rock fragments in my direction. "Hey! Careful," I protested as it hit my face.
"Sorry," he chuckled nervously, realizing his mistake.
To make matters worse, I witnessed a group not far from us start to fall off the cliff. It began with one person losing their footing, setting off a chain reaction as the ground crumbled beneath them.
They tumbled down like a row of falling dominoes, intensifying my nausea.
"Fuck!" Matthias cursed, his gaze fixed on the group that had fallen.
"Stay focused, Matthias. Try not to think about it," I urged him, attempting to keep both of us composed.
Matthias was directly ahead of me in our precarious ascent. If he faltered, it would set off a chain reaction, causing me to lose my footing too. It was a nerve-wracking situation, and I had to keep him from making any mistakes.
After what felt like an eternity – even though we'd only been climbing for about 10 minutes – we discovered a cave where we could take a break. I welcomed the chance to rest, as the sight of the group falling earlier still made me queasy.
Fuck man, I couldn't stand it anymore. I hated high places! Looking below, I felt an irrational urge to jump. But the fear of plummeting to my death and being crushed kept me tethered.
It was really different when I used flying skill, at least I know I won't fall with that skill activated.
Arnold, ever the voice of reason, sat beside me, his glasses perched firmly on his nose. "I believe we're on the right path and getting closer to the peak," he reassured me.
"Yeah, you're right," I agreed. It was unusual for Matthias to be so quiet, and I have a bad feeling about this.
My unease was justified when Matthias suddenly presented a dinosaur egg. It was purple, and I felt my temples throbbing. I had assumed it was only The Prince of Chaos that made him act recklessly, but that didn't seem to be the case.
"What the hell, Matthias! Put that egg down!" I scolded, approaching him to take the egg away.
Matthias refused to relinquish the egg and wrestled it back from me. "Why not? The mother isn't here anyway."
"Are you fucking dumb!?" I couldn't contain my frustration. "The mother of that egg can probably fly. We're literally on the side of a mountain. If she comes after us, I'll be the first to cut these tendrils!"
"Well, that's fine by me!" Matthias responded, continuing to collect the eggs.
I no longer cared. I was exhausted from the ongoing chaos, and it had made me cranky. Maybe I'd always been this way, or perhaps it was the stress getting to me. Whatever the reason, I couldn't stand Matthias anymore.
If we were on stable ground in the forest, I'd probably have knocked him out by now. But right now, I considered pushing him off this cave.
I started to contemplate it, but then Arnold intervened. "You two, don't fight. We need to complete this game first, okay? You can settle your score afterward."
Arnold was right. Arguing wouldn't get us anywhere. I simply shrugged and settled back, trying to regain my energy as quickly as possible.
After resting for about fifteen minutes, we resumed our climb. The situation seemed strangely calm, which only made me more uneasy.
It's always a bad sign when things get too peaceful – like the calm before a storm.
And my gut feeling was right. I soon heard the sounds of nearby dinosaurs and the only ones that could cause such a ruckus were flying ones.
How were we supposed to take them down on this unstable ground? It felt impossible.
I should've definitely pushed Matthias out of that cave while I had the chance because this was turning into a living nightmare.
The dinosaurs started roaring, their shadows looming closer. I was sweating buckets, my short sword at the ready, prepared to cut the tendrils tying us to Matthias.
"Calm down, everyone. We can get through this," Arnold tried to reassure us.
But even Arnold's words sounded unreasonable to me.
"Matthias, if you don't toss away those eggs, I'm cutting these tendrils!" I screamed at him, hoping to make him understand how dire our situation was.
"Fine, but I don't know which one is it!" he said, frantically searching for the eggs he'd taken from the cave. He looked pale, and his hands trembled. I just rolled my eyes; this was all his fault.
"Throw them all away!" I snapped as I heard the dinosaur approaching, its roars growing louder.
It was colossal and circling us like we were its next meal. I had zero intention of being snatched by those claws and flown off to who knows where, or worse, dropped from this height.
"No way! I'm not doing that!" Matthias stubbornly protested.
Suddenly, I saw the dinosaur – it had long wings, like a massive bat, with a beak full of serrated teeth. It was like a gigantic pelican.
With one swift motion, it seized him. I moved as quickly as I could and sliced the tendrils connecting us.
Arnold was the exception; he didn't want to sever his connection to us and was carried away by the dinosaur along with Matthias.
Matthias could only scream since he couldn't materialize his staff. I mean, trying to do that mid-air would've only ended with him dropping like a rock.
"HELP ME!" he cried out to me in sheer desperation. "I WILL GIVE YOU ALL THE EGGS IF YOU HELP ME, SETH!"
But what could I do? I couldn't just shoot the damn thing, even if he offered me all the eggs in the world. It didn't matter since I didn't have any skill to use to help him.
"Don't worry, Matthias, I'm coming with you," Arnold declared while dangling below Matthias.
The tendrils turned out to be stronger than I'd imagined, but it was evident that Arnold wouldn't last much longer.
"I SWEAR TO GOD, SETH! JUST SHOOT THIS DAMN PTEROSAUR! And, by the way, this thing isn't a dinosaur; it's a flying reptile!"
Seriously, how did he still have the presence of mind to spew out fun facts at a time like this?
"If I shoot it, you'll plummet to your death!" I yelled back at him, trying to make his pea-sized brain comprehend the gravity of the situation.
"FUCK YOU, SETH!"
The dinosaur flew off with Matthias's screams filling the air. I prayed for both of them to land safely, and I knew I'd never forget Arnold's heroism. He was one of the best men I'd ever met.
And fuck you too, Matthias.
Then, the system's notifications popped up, as usual:
[The Prince of Chaos activated]
[Your damage increased by 80%, and chaos will spread throughout the island]
Shit! Matthias had been snatched by a flying dinosaur, and Arnold was dangling below him. What was so chaotic about that?
Now I felt like the system just wanted to mess up with me or maybe because I was indeed having bad luck today. I should have just stayed in the cottage.
AARGH
I didn't have a choice but to press on. I took a deep breath, tried to stay focused, and prayed that nothing would go wrong up here.
I mean, who could possibly sneak up on me in this high place, right? The dinosaurs seemed relatively chill, and the only time they got angry was when I encroached on their territory or nabbed their eggs.
So, I should be safe now, right? Right!?
I hoped so, but about ten minutes later, something entirely unexpected happened. A bullet whizzed by my face, leaving me in shock.
I looked below to find someone under me, gun in hand, ready to take me down. It was the same man who had tried to steal me and Matthias eggs at the waterfall – that damned guy!
Where the hell did this guy come from? I couldn't sense his presence before!
"What the fuck are you doing!?" I panicked as I saw him climbing up toward me.
"I'm here for payback. You piece of shit!" the man shouted as he grabbed my leg and tried to throw me off balance.
He succeeded in making me lose my footing, and as I looked up, the man had a sinister grin on his face and his gun aimed at me.
Damn it! This was because of The Prince of Chaos. That cursed title was going to be the end of me! But not today – I would do whatever it took to survive today. For the sake of proving Matthias and his absurd superstition wrong.
I summoned my gun and shot the man's legs, causing him to scream and lose his grip. I fired again, this time aiming for his shoulder, leaving him in even worse shape.
Now, he was tumbling off the cliff, and I didn't enjoy doing this, but my life was far more valuable. I hoped he'd hit a tree or something and survive.
But a couple of minutes later, a notification popped up on my screen:
[You receive 5000 killing points and 250 EXP for eliminating a player]
[Player killing count: 1 player]
[Kill as many players as you can to receive hidden rewards]
Fucking hell!