Chapter 142: Herb on the Cliff (3)
It was a beast.
A huge body the size of a tiger and pitch-black fur as if it embodied darkness itself.
And powerful fangs that looked like they could bite a person to death in an instant.
They gleamed with a jet-black color like obsidian.
<Searching for monster information…….>
<Search complete. Displaying monster information, including data analyzed on the spot.>
As Teemo spoke, an information status window popped up in front of Kyung-joon’s eyes.
[Black Leopard]
▶A puma-type named monster that resides near the tail of Whale Forest. It performs long-range magic attacks by shooting black lightning through its black fangs. At the same time, it possesses excellent senses, making it difficult to ambush.
▶Level: Lv.217
▶Attribute: Darkness
▶Characteristics: Named monster, Black Lightning, Senses
Honestly, it was a level that Kyung-joon could easily defeat in a fight.
Even though he didn’t know exactly what the Black Lightning and Senses characteristics were, he judged that they wouldn’t be too threatening.
“Sniff, Grrr…….”
The Black Leopard sniffed and looked around.
It seemed to sense some kind of discomfort, but it couldn’t seem to spot Kyung-joon and Ceram in the tree.
‘Huh……? Now that I look closely, its body is covered in wounds?’
The Black Leopard’s entire body was covered in dark red cuts and lacerations.
It seemed to have survived with its seemingly strong vitality, but if left alone, it seemed likely to die soon.
‘If I treat it, would it be like the other monsters….?’
Kyung-joon tried to act as he always had.
He communicates with the monsters and maintains a good relationship with them by giving them silver.
Although he had never tried it on a beast before, this would be his first attempt.
But as if Ceram had already sensed Kyung-joon’s intentions, he shook his head quietly.
It meant ‘Don’t’.
“…….”
“…….”
“Growl….. Grrr…….”
The Black Leopard, which had been tilting its head, eventually gave up on finding the source of its discomfort and returned to the bushes where it had appeared and disappeared.
They stayed hidden for another 10 minutes.
When they were finally certain that the Black Leopard had completely left, the two came down from the tree.
Thud. Thump.
As they brushed the dirt off their shoulders and bodies with their hands, Kyung-joon was the first to speak.
“Why not the Black Leopard?”
Ceram answered immediately without hesitation.
“Black Leopards are very different from the other residents of the forest. They are demonic creatures that were once called the pets of the demons.”
“You can’t communicate with demons?”
“You can’t even get a word in before they attack.”
“Hmm.”
Demons and monsters.
These two seemed to be different beings.
“We shouldn’t delay any longer, so I’ll resume guiding you.”
Ceram started walking quickly again, passing by Kyung-joon who was deep in thought.
“Yes, let’s hurry.”
And Kyung-joon also took a step forward to follow Ceram.
🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷
Ceram and Kyung-joon went this way and that, pushing through the bushes, passing trees, and crossing valleys.
The place we finally arrived at after such a long and arduous journey.
It was at the very bottom of a cliff.
A cliff that pierced the sky.
Kyung-joon looked at Ceram, his jaw dropped open, then closed it again.
With a slightly stiff expression.
“Haha. Mr. Ceram. You don’t mean to say we’re going up there, do you?”
“Huhu…… Don’t worry, we’re almost there. Once we get over this, we’re there.”
With that, Ceram started to climb the cliff without even giving him time to answer.
He seemed very familiar with it, as if he had climbed it dozens of times before.
“Hahaha……”
“Kyung-joon-nim?”
Ceram, hanging from the cliff, looked down at Kyung-joon below and urged him on.
He probably meant for Kyung-joon to climb the cliff as well.
“Haha, have a good time. I’ll be here studying and waiting for you.”
Thump!
Kyung-joon plopped down on the ground.
And at the same time, he opened a book.
However, Ceram did not just leave, but came closer and grabbed Kyung-joon’s clothes.
“Kyung-joon-nim, you can’t just study all day long. Sometimes you need to push through the bushes like this, cross rivers, and climb cliffs. Otherwise, your body will stiffen up.”
“I think climbing that tree and moving around until now is enough.”
“You climbed the tree easily, so the cliff will be a piece of cake.”
At his words, Kyung-joon looked up at the cliff again.
He saw clouds.
He looked down again at Ceram.
“You can’t compare it to a tree.”
“I know an easy path that Cat Monkeys often take.”
“But……”
A few minutes of bickering between the two.
Kyung-joon gave up first.
“Fine. Let’s go, let’s go.”
And so it was that he came to climb the cliff.
About three hours had passed.
Kyung-joon was still climbing the cliff.
“Huff… Huff…”
He stopped halfway up the cliff to take a break and looked down.
Wheezing~!
All he could see was the biting wind as if it would throw him down at any moment.
“Oh, even though this is a virtual reality game, this is a bit……”
Determined never to look down again, he looked up.
Ceram was already far up ahead.
From time to time, he seemed to be looking down and shouting something, but he couldn’t hear him well because of the wind.
“I can’t back down now…… I have no choice but to go up……!”
🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷
[Your Strength permanently increases by 1 due to the arduous cliff climb.]
[Your Strength permanently increases by 1 due to the arduous cliff climb.]
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．
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“Gasp…… Huff……!”
“Your hand! Grab my hand!”
“Huff, huff…… Thank you…….”
Thud!
He finally succeeded in climbing to the top of the cliff, grabbing onto the calloused hand of Ceram.
The moment Kyung-joon stepped on the ground and collapsed, a notification window popped up in front of him, along with the clear blue sky.
[You are the first player to successfully climb the Sky Cliff.]
[Hidden Piece is activated.]
[You have acquired the Unique Title 『Climber of the Sky Cliff』.]
“Oh…… Hidden Piece…….”
It was worth the effort to climb the Sky Cliff.
Kyung-joon asked Ceram for a moment to rest and checked the effect of the title.
[Climber of the Sky Cliff]
▶A title given only to those who have climbed the Sky Cliff using only their physical strength. Can only be received if the level is below 200.
▶Unlocks 『Eyes of the Sky Cliff (Lv.1)』 skill and 『Sky Cliff Parkour (Lv.1)』 skill.
▶Title Type: Special
▶Title Grade: Unique
The title of the Sky Cliff unlocked two new skills.
Kyung-joon clicked on the skill names of the title to bring up the description window for both.
[Sky Cliff Parkour]
▶Despite your lacking physique, you have managed to climb to the top of the Sky Cliff.
▶Become adept at overcoming and climbing various obstacles, including cliffs, trees, and more.
▶Skill Level: Lv.1
▶Skill Type: Passive
▶Skill Rank: Unique
[Eyes of the Sky Cliff Lv.1]
▶Eyes that have witnessed everything from atop the cliff, piercing through the sky.
▶Enables you to see distant objects much more clearly. Effect enhanced when looking down from a high place.
▶Skill Level: Lv.1
▶Skill Type: Passive
▶Skill Rank: Unique
Both had decent effects.
Especially with 『Sky Cliff Parkour』, he no longer had to struggle as much when climbing cliffs.
As the description suggested, Eyes of the Sky Cliff would improve his eyesight.
He wondered how things would look if he looked down with this skill.
“Ugh. “
Kyung-joon got up from his seat after catching his breath.
The sight that unfolded before his eyes on top of the cliff left him speechless.
“Wow…… This is…….”
The Sky Cliff of Whale Forest.
The view from its summit was truly spectacular.
Sky-blue grass spread out over the gray cliff.
And at the end of it, the orange sun began to disappear.
The boundary between the two skies.
Kyung-joon stood on that boundary line.
It was a sight that wasn’t even marked on the minimap and had never been seen before in the community where pictures of the World were often uploaded.
The thought of being the first to come to a place where other players hadn’t been made him feel even stranger.
“Kyung-joon-nim. This is what Kyung-joon-nim was looking for.”
Perhaps it was because of the magnificent sunset that cleared his mind, but what lay beneath it was also important.
Clear sky-colored grass.
Kyung-joon had seen it before.
[Sky Cliff Mint]
▶Mint that grows on the Sky Cliff, enduring strong winds. It has a strong scent.
▶Item Grade: Rare
One of the weeds, or rather, herbs, that Cat Monkey had been picking up for him, saying he liked them.
It was time to find out where it came from.
“Now I can boil and drink it to my heart’s content.”
The ability of Ceram-style Four-Color Herbal Tea, which Ceram and Kyung-joon had finally managed to brew after several failed attempts.
Although it was limited to 60 seconds per day and had severe side effects, it increased all stats by 2% per second.
Moreover, it had the fraudulent ability to increase concentration and memory by 50%.
It was perfect for drinking when faced with difficult problems or content that was difficult to memorize.
Thinking about it made him want to go and pick a lot of mint right away, but there was something he had to do before that.
Something you always have to do when you climb to a high place.
Kyung-joon cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted.
“Yahoo~!”
“Yahoo?”
Ceram looked at Kyung-joon with a puzzled expression.
He seemed to have no idea why he was shouting “Yahoo~!”.
“This is what you do when you climb up to a place like this.”
“Is it similar to wolves howling ‘Aooo~’ when they climb to a high place in the dead of night?”
“Haha, I guess so. It does sound a bit like that when you compare it to wolves.”
The reason why wolves howl ‘Aooo~’.
It is commonly known that they do this to make their location known or to find other wolves.
“Ah, but you know what, it might be a bit similar.”
“Hmm? You mean the wolves?”
“Yeah. But it’s not just about shouting yahoo…….”
Actually.
Wolves howl as an expression of affection for the wolves around them.
Scientists at the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna conducted an experiment on nine wolves.
First.
They chose one wolf and separated it from the pack.
Naturally, the wolves that remained in the pack howled in unison.
Interestingly, they howled longer when a wolf they were close to left.
The wolves’ howling was not just for practical purposes or a stress response.
It was an expression of sadness at being separated from someone and a hope for reunion.
Kyung-joon suddenly thought that humans might be similar.
“You know…… when we climb up to a high place like this, we shout out all the things we couldn’t say before, the things we wanted to say but couldn’t bring ourselves to say.”
In dramas, there are often scenes where people pour out their hearts, saying embarrassing things while thinking of their lost lovers.
“Maybe it’s a baseless belief that it will reach someone? Maybe that’s why they shout out something, anything. Who knows? Maybe that person will hear them.”
At Kyung-joon’s rather serious words, Ceram seemed to recall something and his expression darkened slightly.
Then he asked Kyung-joon.
“……Is that why Kyung-joon-nim shouted ‘yahoo’? “
“No? I just shouted because I was excited?”
“…….”
Ceram looked slightly dumbfounded.
Regardless, Kyung-joon shouted yahoo again.
“Yahoo~!”
Kyung-joon’s voice echoed through the sky.
Then he turned to Ceram and suggested he do the same.
“Why don’t you give it a try, Ceram? It’s a good stress reliever.”
“Hmm…….”
Ceram hesitated for a moment before making up his mind.
“I’m good.”
As he said that, Ceram’s eyes were fixed on a forest somewhere.
For some reason, it looked a little sad.
🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷
After finishing their business at the Sky Cliff, he came back down with Ceram.
This time, unlike when he climbed up, he was able to come down much more leisurely thanks to 『Sky Cliff Parkour』.
It was so comfortable that he could even enjoy the surrounding scenery while descending the cliff.
This was thanks to the effect of 『Eyes of the Sky Cliff』.
He saw many things beyond the scenery.
Many wondrous sights that he could never see in Study Villa.
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