Published: July 4, 2025
A towering range of gigantic mountains stood before Ryo and Abel.
When Ryo first saw it, he thought it was the Himalayan Mountain Range.
A ridge that separates the Indian subcontinent from the Eurasian Continent. The world's highest peak, Mount Everest, known locally as Chomolungma, the mountain of the gods.
There, if it were Earth, they planned to attempt a terrifyingly difficult ascent without oxygen.
Moreover, without any proper equipment.
However, even on Earth, a high monk from Nepal stayed at the summit of Everest for thirty-two hours, spending eleven of those hours without an oxygen tank.
If that's the case... a person trained in Fai should not find an ascent without oxygen difficult... probably.
Abel had a strange feeling.
It was Ryo's stamina.
Abel was a b-rank adventurer and swordsman.
There was no doubt that his endurance, including stamina, was among the top classes in all of humanity.
And yet, Ryo, keeping up with him without any issues, was a mage.
While it can't be said universally, mages generally lack physical strength.
If they are adventurers, they might have more stamina than ordinary people, but even so, they are considerably weaker compared to swordsmen.
In fact, one of Abel's party members, the wind attribute mage Lin, was in terrible shape.
Especially her low endurance was incredibly poor compared to the priests in the same party.
And yet, here was Ryo.
Despite that, on this day, he effortlessly kept pace with Abel's movements without breaking a sweat. Even when they entered combat, there were no issues whatsoever.
As a mage, it could be said that this was, in some sense, abnormal.
"Hey, Ryo."
"What is it, Abel?"
They were still at an altitude that could be called 'the foothills'. There was no need to conserve oxygen by reducing conversation.
"You have a lot of stamina for a mage."
Upon hearing this, Ryo replied with a fearless smile, "Hehe, you noticed, Abel. During the time I lived alone, I built up quite a bit of endurance. I should have no problem handling continuous battles for about five hours."
"No, you'll run out of magical power."
Abel interjected, reminding him that he was a mage.
"Well, Iām confident in my stamina, so please feel free to proceed at your pace, Abel."
"Wow, that's some confidence you've got there."
"Of course. Those b-rank adventurer swordsmen are no match for me."
For some reason, Ryo was provoking him.
"Interesting! I'll take you on if it's a fight!"
Abel took the bait and responded.
"Hehe, even if you threaten me with dried meat in both hands, Iām not scared at all."
"Isn't that the same for you?!"
While exchanging such silly banter, the two walked towards the mountain.
As the sun approached its zenith, they suddenly felt an unusual pressure.
"What is it?"
Abel looked around.
But then, 'it' descended from above before them.
"A griffin..."
That was all Abel could say as he completely froze.
Ryo, too, was paralyzed by the griffin's intimidation, or rather, its presence.
The griffin.
The ruler of the skies, the reaper of the vast heavens, the one who governs the air... a creature with many titles, the master of the skies.
If the behemoth reigns on the ground, then the griffin can be said to rule the air.
A fearsome monster with the wings and upper body of an eagle and the lower body of a lion.
Such a monster had descended before them, staring intently at both.
After about twenty seconds, Ryo finally regained his senses.
And somewhat instinctively, he slowly tossed the dried meat he was holding in his right hand towards the griffin.
Snap!
The griffin brilliantly caught the flying dried meat with its beak and skillfully began to eat.
At that moment, Abel also snapped back to reality.
Ryo then tossed the dried meat he was holding in his left hand in a similar manner toward the griffin.
This time, it opened its mouth and easily caught it inside, chewing it up.
Once it had finished eating, the griffin's gaze clearly turned towards the dried meat held by Abel.
"Abel, the dried meat."
Ryo whispered in a voice just loud enough for Abel to hear.