The destination was not challenging to find, considering the exaggerated size of the mountain, and with the help of Old Bolt, Atlas reached the base of the Mountain of Emerald Leaf after a half day's ride.
The young man's dumb luck had presented itself again, ensuring him an uneventful journey, and the few problems encountered were quickly solved by the horse's portentous agility.
The long journey had exhausted the old horse, but Atlas knew well how to reward his new friend.
Indeed, he pulled out a small item from the space bag, a juicy apple picked from one of the many fruit trees that surrounded Flare's opulent palace.
Of course, the apple in his hands was not a simple fruit but one with unique properties.
Or at least that is what the young man had deduced after devouring a few of them in his later years.
The shape was that characteristic of a very simple apple. Still, there was something about the soil that had made each fruit among those lush tops unique and had given an exceptionally bright red color to the skin and a warm turgidity to the core.
Ever since he was a child, he used to eat these fruits and enjoy their beneficial effects, one of which was precisely that of invigorating the body of a living being and chasing away the diseases that afflicted his mortal body from time to time.
Moreover, in the iciest winters, it allowed him to endure long training sessions with his grandfather without batting an eyelid.
The young man had as many as 20 in his space bag, more than enough supply for one of his many trips.
In fact, it was one of many sources of food Atlas had decided to store previously, even in the space bag.
Atlas placed the Flaming Apple in front of Bolt's snout.
The creature sniffed the fruit a couple of times and then began to bite the apple voraciously as if that was one of the best foods in his life.
Noting the satisfied expression in the horse's eyes, Atlas stroked his mane, "Hehe... they're good, aren't they? When we get back to town, I'll reward you with two more..."
Bolt was really enjoying that apple, first of all, because it tasted delicious... actually divine. Then, he also sensed a strange power slowly flowing through his body. It was a force so pure that something in his body began to awaken.
Even if only slightly, somehow, the old Bolt had changed.
But Atlas was oblivious that his simple gest had triggered a marvelous effect on the creature because all his attention was focused on that majestic mountain with its summit hidden by snow-white clouds.
The more time passed, the more his heart quivered because in a few hours, just when the full moon would be at its peak, Atlas would get a unique opportunity to change his destiny.
The young man breathed profoundly, and with his hands still trembling with excitement, he observed the palm of his right hand.
He was waiting for a sign to reassure him that he was in the right place.
Fortunately, he did not have to wait long.
In fact, the symbol on his palm glowed for a fraction of a second, but it was more than enough to appease his restless soul.
"This is it... I'm in the right place. Now, all I have to do is find the mouth of the mountain. Hmm..."
Indeed, the being's words had been vague, but more was needed to shake his fearless heart.
"Hmm... Let yourself be devoured by its stony mouth because the answers dwell in its heart... what the heck does that mean?" Atlas repeated the exact words in his mind repeatedly while observing the surrounding area for a sign.
Unfortunately, there was nothing before, or rather, something was there, but it was only ordinary rock. That damn rock was everywhere... heck, the first thought that went through his mind was to take his faithful companion and crush every stone in the surroundings.
And that absurd thought somehow provided him with the first clue.
"Surely that being is well aware of the condition of my body... it is well aware that it would be impossible for me to climb a mountain of such size... Perhaps... Perhaps the answer has always been before me..."
Atlas reasoned about it for a while, and at that very moment, his eyes rested on a particular pile of rocks.
"Can it be so trivial? Maybe... it meant that there is a hidden entrance somewhere."
From what he understood, the being could somehow communicate with him, so even though somewhat puzzled by the absurd situation, he focused on the four-leaf clover, and surprisingly, the symbol vibrated intensely.
Atlas was carried away by the sensation, and there, among the tiny cracks in the rocks, he noticed something interesting.
He approached slowly, and what he had seen became clearer.
Hidden by boulders the size of a person, Atlas could see a faint blue light.
"So... there really is a hidden entrance...incredible there is a passage beyond these rocks..." Atlas was amazed, but without wasting time, he began to crush the stone with his faithful pickaxe.
In some ways, this was his real first adventure. Although there were no monsters to fight, Atlas's heart did not stop beating frantically from the excitement.
"HAHAHA... Louder... Astra, shatter these stupid stones!" Atlas shouted with satisfaction, hurling the pickaxe hard at the rocks.
"We are almost there...I can smell it already...this is the scent of a cave filled with treasures...HAHAHA."
Atlas struck with all his might for one last time and...
The stone in front of him split in two, finally revealing the blue light coming from the cave...
"HAHAHA... I did it!" Atlas breathed deeply of the air filled with mystery from the cavern and stared ardently into its depths in search of answers.
The gap created was wide enough for all the equipment to pass through, so Atlas threw everything inside and, without a thought, leaped into the ravenous clutches of the beast.
As the young man vanished from the outside world, the previously shattered rock slowly began to reassemble.
Small and large fragments began to float toward the crevice, repositioning themselves exactly as they originally were.
The horse, ruminating on the grass dozens of meters away from the mountain, was attracted by this, and curiosity slowly approached the rocks.
However, just as the mound had finally returned to its original form, that so-called mouth disappeared, replaced by a clean and old stone wall.
It was as if the entrance was simply an illusion...