Crimson Wasteland, Lost Path.
A group of seven was marching along the rough mountain path.
This area's climate was quite lukewarm, but they could already see a few snowy mountains in the distance.
The people in the team were already familiar with the Lost Path, so they wouldn't go the wrong way.
For an important road like the Withered Leaf Promenade, Human forces would always clear away monsters at fixed times, and thus there weren't many monsters on the path. Those few monsters wouldn't dare to provoke a group with six Legends in it.
Among the seven people, there was a team of four that seemed to have come from the same place and had adventured together for a while.
As for the other three, they consisted of Marvin, a Paladin, and a seemingly weak girl.
The Paladin class was usually very sensitive in the Crimson Wasteland.
Because a Paladin's strength originated from their belief in a God, they mostly needed the support of their God's Divine Spells, although they could also improve their strength to some extent through training. The Gods' goals were something that numerous forces paid attention to in the Crimson Wasteland.
Thus, before inviting this Paladin to join to the ranks, the four original members already investigated the Paladin's background.
They were shocked by what they found out about him after asking around.
This was a follower of the God of Truth!
It had to be known that after the God of Truth's fall, most of his Priests, Clerics, and Paladins were unable to obtain any information about it. Even though the God of Truth left behind the [Eternal Scale] as his Divine Vessel before his fall and placed his Divine Fire in it, most people no longer followed the God of Truth.
After all, the Gods were sure that the Ancient God of Truth had already truly died. What his followers now believed in was only a mechanical law, nothing more.
Paladins that still believed in the God of Truth were very rare.
What was even more shocking was that he still managed to become a Legend and come to the Crimson Wasteland.
Marvin was very interested in him. But it was hard to interact with him because he remained silent after joining the group.
The small girl on his back remained asleep all the time, and an aura of wickedness seemed to emanate from her. Even when they were resting, he was cold and silent. Marvin didn't know how to get information from him as he was so unapproachable.
He only managed to learn some information about him from the other members of the group. The young girl was afflicted with a very malicious curse.
This kind of curse could only be removed by a Divine Servant of a powerful God.
Of course, if the God of Truth were still alive, the Paladin might have been able to remove the curse himself… But the God he believed in had already died, so no matter how firm his belief was, his God wouldn't be able to grant him the Divine Spell needed to save the little girl from the curse.
That might be the saddest part about their situation.
Aside from the Paladin and the small girl, the other four said that they were going to Holy Light City to meet with some old friends.
As for the specific reason, they didn't explain any further. After all, they were only travel companions.
In the Crimson Wasteland, they would travel together because it was safer together and they were all Humans. But they wouldn't take the initiative to give out information about themselves.
Even Marvin found an excuse to hold back information from them.
He carefully observed everyone and noticed that this small team of four had outstanding fighting strength. The group consisted of two men and two women. The two men fought in melee, while one woman seemed to be a Cleric and the other one was clearly a Legend Wizard.
Within the group, that Legend Wizard's status was clearly higher than that of the others.
She was likely the most powerful member of their group overall.
The others all seemed to be about the same, roughly level 3 Legends, which was higher than Marvin, who had become a Legend fairly recently.
But Marvin didn't reveal his real class after joining.
In fact, since he had the Greyhawk Staff, he could easily change his role to an entirely different one.
He presented himself as a Legend Druid.
He was now riding on a fine horse that he summoned with his staff and was following behind the rest at a leisurely pace.
He wore a thick cloak while holding the Greyhawk Staff. People who didn't know him would really think he was a caster.
The Lost Path wasn't considered very long. According to the calculations of [Hunter] Fenno, the team's captain, they would arrive at the foot of the mountain before dark at their current rate.
At that time, they might face a serious ordeal. It was still calm for now.
The atmosphere in the group wasn't too bad. Fenno's speech was very charismatic, and he often told some jokes. Even that stiff Paladin would show some expressions as Fenno animated the group.
It looked like that group of four had a tacit understanding. The two women seemed to be doing nothing, but the Legend Wizard's pet, a crow, was flying around in the surroundings. The crow's eyes were gloomy and it seemed to have an ability that allowed it to see through solid objects and also detect those that were invisible.
The Cleric would use a Detection ability on the ground from time to time, to prevent a surprise attack from underground.
The two casters were working together, and this kind of scouting synergy was very high. Rarely would an enemy be able to ambush them.
In the beginning, Marvin used Earth Perception from time to time, but later on, he found out that his actions were superfluous.
Sure enough, he could save his strength by travelling in a group.
Time passed as they journeyed on. Marvin would occasionally chat with Fenno to relieve his boredom.
As the bloody light in the sky gradually darkened, they reached the bottom of the snowy mountain.
A sign was set up on the road ahead. It was made of Magic Wood. It was shaped like an arrowhead with the words [Torch Valley (to Holy Light City)] on it.
"After leaving the road, we will be outside the protective boundary of the Lost Path," Fenno said solemnly. "Last time we encountered an avalanche not far in, so pay attention."
Everyone nodded silently.
People who were able to survive in the Crimson Wasteland weren't novices. They knew when to relax and when to stay on guard.
The group followed the direction of the sign.
Sure enough, after a short time, Marvin felt a chill.
It was the feeling of entering a very cold area from a warm area.
This was a huge drop in temperature, to the point that it woke up the little girl on the Paladin's back.
"Where are we? Uncle Griffin?"
The young girl's voice was very weak, it looked like every word was exhausting her strength.
"We are getting close to our destination."
This was Marvin's first time hearing the Paladin talk. His voice was steady and forceful, carrying a hint of Faith Power.
"Close your eyes. Regardless of what you hear, don't open them. I'll protect you."
"Yes." The little girl had a lot of trust in the Paladin and obediently closed her eyes.
The others didn't pay much attention to the discussion between the two. Their expressions were very solemn. The two melee fighters gripped their weapons tightly.
The exaggerated greataxe and the slender sword were very rare weapons. The former didn't seem suitable for a Human to use, while the latter seemed excessively fancy, like a decorative item. But there was no need to doubt their strength. Marvin could feel the power bursting from within their bodies.
'They might not be just Humans.'
Marvin watched silently.
With his sword in hand, Fenno moved very gracefully, looking sort of like a Human with an Elven bloodline. The other man was relatively rough. The axe in his hands didn't fit his build, but he was able to lift it easily.
The terrain ahead suddenly changed, a great amount of snow covered the ground.
The originally clear road was buried under the snow, slowing the speed of their progress.
Marvin felt as if something was spying on him.
But this wasn't unexpected.
Before they set off, he had heard that the snow storms might have been man-made. If it was a Legend Wizard with enough Magic Power for that, he would definitely be able to monitor the area too. And it would be even easier for a Divine Servant supported by a God's Divine Power.
Regardless of who blocked the path, Marvin only thought of one thing: rushing past!
He wanted to find Minsk and no one could stop him from reaching Holy Light City.
He was still grasping that Greyhawk Staff and was supporting his teammates with a few Nature halos looking completely like a Druid.
But in fact, his left hand was on the Azure Leaf at his waist.
If there was a sign of activity, he would immediately change from a Great Druid to a cold-blooded assassin.
But what surprised Marvin was that this feeling that had just appeared soon vanished.
They smoothly went through the mountain without meeting any obstructions.
"Torch Valley is ahead."
Fenno showed a happy expression, seeming relieved.
The four of them had already made the trip four times, so they shouldn't be wrong about it.
Like the Lost Path, Torch Valley was also within a protected boundary. The difference was that the Lost Path was protected by Black Swan Hill while Torch Valley was protected by Holy Light City.
After reaching Torch Valley, they wouldn't need to fear snow storms and other problems anymore.
But at that time, the Cleric Nolane suddenly issued a warning:
"Careful! There is something under the snow!"
At that instant, the color of her detection spell changed from gold to red!
The red radiance suddenly formed itself into a pattern.
Everyone could see that the vast field of snow covered a hole!
That hole was a nest.
A large amount of Ice Worms rushed out from the nest!
"Get ready for battle!" Fenno shouted.
The sword in his hand slashed the ground, sending a broad spray of blood and snow flying out!