Seven and Rolanda spent the night on the peak of the first mountain in the mid territory. It was flat as well, which enabled them to have a comfortable sleep.
Seven decided to pull his shirt again to assist the other clothes, and he had no issues doing this. He really was willing to make Rolanda as comfortable as possible.
She deserved it.
Rolanda succumbed to sleep immediately after they settled on the peak, but Seven only stayed awake until his eyelids could no longer hold up. However, it was almost morning at that time, leaving him with less time to sleep.
He was only confident that he had watched safely and hoped that no enemy would come.
When it was bright enough, Seven and Rolanda continued their journey.
"The Mid Territory could be more dangerous, surely. We have to be more vigilant here," Seven notified.
"I know," Rolanda smiled.
Seven nodded and continued walking.
They decided to let their Vessels out again to hunt for small creatures, but this time, they urged them to hunt very closely and carefully as most creatures in the Mid Territory are Star-3 to Star-5 Vessels.
Whisky and Zara were still Starless Vessels, but there was a possibility of meeting their match anyway. Although the mid territory contains mid-level Vessels, that doesn't mean that low-level Vessels couldn't be spotted by chance.
After quite a long walk, Whisky and Zara found nothing to eat. Seven and Rolanda were already starving, too, as they hadn't eaten anything since their secret adventure began.
"My stomach is groaning. We need to find something edible to eat," Rolanda complained.
"We've been trying you know? It's just that we haven't seen anything edible yet. I regret not taking some Buffalo meat after we slayed them... It was the only edible food we could've got," Seven regretted.
"The approaching students caused that. Well, we just have to keep searching," Rolanda said.
The duo progressed further with aching stomachs, thanks to the Evo Units which gave some strength. This was one of the advantages of gaining Evo Units apart from pursuing evolution. It also enhances one's attributes.
At one point, when it was pretty afternoon, Seven and Rolanda reached a scene that almost stunned them to death.
"WHAT?! I thought they said there are no water bodies in Sagemount?!"
Seven eyes widened as they spotted a blue river in the distance.
"Is this real or am I just seeing things? Does this mean the Adventurers lied to us?" Rolanda asked.
The belief of Sagemount not having any water body was invoked by some Vanquishers who specifically focused on discovery and adventures. These people claimed to have explored the entire Sagemount and saw no water body, which was believed by everyone.
However, Seven and Rolanda just discovered what had proven them wrong.
"So unfortunate that we have no cameras with us. Fuck!" Seven cursed.
"No worries. I have a small water can with me. We should fetch some as proof," Rolanda suddenly made Seven smile.
With a nod, Seven and Rolanda quickly rushed to the river. Getting to the blue vast river, they filled up the can and drank as well.
"I have been tasty. I hope drinking this wouldn't cause a problem in my gut," Rolanda feared.
"Same here," Seven gulped even more, regardless.
*ROAR!!!*
That instant, Seven didn't know when the water can fell from his grip. His heart almost skipped the moment the storming sound of a familiar voice was heard.
"The Kong! I... I heard it clearly. It came from... That direction!"
Seven eyes dilated as he pointed through the blue river.
"I heard it too. But there is no way a Kong would live inside a river. Wrong observation, maybe," Rolanda bit her lips.
"No, there must be land somehow, somewhere," Seven believed.
"How?"
Rolanda was pretty confused as she only ended up seeing the river no matter how far she looked. There was no sign of land.
"Look."
However, Seven smirked and pointed at a flat stone in the shape of a bed.
"What did you notice?" He asked.
Rolanda observed the stone for a while and was stunned upon realization.
"They... They are floating on water!"
"Absolutely. If we get on these floating stones, we could actually find land somewhere through it. My observation can't fail me, and I believe we could find the Kong through this river," Seven explained.
Rolanda couldn't help but agree. After all, she had no choice. Her only fear was stepping on the floating stone and sinking right after.
There was nothing as tragic as that...
It wasn't as if she knew how to swim.
"You go first. I'll be behind you," Rolanda said.
Seven nodded in agreement and walked over to the floating stone.
"We need a rod to sail or else it wouldn't move," Seven thought about this and returned.
He found a small tree somewhere around, which possessed a straight branch. He then decided to use the Refuge Lightning Shield to cut it off, mainly to test what rate of damage it could make.
*Slash!*
The lightning shield clashed against the extreme of the branch, cutting it in an easy, fast instant.
"Cool," Rolanda remarked.
"Thanks," Seven walked back to the shore after clearing the small branches and leaves lurking on it.
Then, he stepped on the floating stone... Nothing actually happened. It didn't sink.
Noticing this, Rolanda followed suit and stepped on as well. It was still safe and strong. There was no sign of sinking or suffering from overweight.
"Good to go!" Seven shouted in excitement as he sailed with the stick.
Slowly, they progressed through the river with a smile of hope on their faces. They had come this far and wouldn't hope to lose; they had to achieve their goal.
No matter what.
[Due to using your Skill, Refuge on the Melania Tree, you have gained 10% progression.]
[Refuge skill Progression: 100%.]
[Congratulations, you have successfully upgraded your Skill, Refuge from C-level to B-level.]
[Refuge: B-level.]
This was the notification Seven got from the Ultimate Evolution System while they sailed, causing a smile on his face.
'Yes!!'
However, the next moment before he could spot what was ongoing, a huge unknown creature suddenly came hitting the floating stone from inside the blue river.
Seven and Rolanda could only notice themselves falling into the large waters, even before remembering to panic.
Soon...
Even in the river, they clearly saw what had caused them this misfortune.
"A... A Shark?"
"What the heck is a shark doing inside a river?!!
They panicked inwardly.
[First System Quest (Must be accomplished): Slay the Armed Extra Life Shark.]
[Reward: 5000 Ultima Coins.]
[Failure to succeed (penalty): 20 Evo Units would be extracted.]
Now, Seven was beaten with a sudden quest that he must accomplish.
In the process of finding the Kong, he just had to go through so many trials.
But he was ready... Relentless!
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[A/N: Thanks for your support. We need Power Stones support.]