Chapter 101: Chapter101-Above the Clouds
"John, you make it sound easy, but who knows how big this world really is? If we don't find them, it's a real waste of time."
"So for now, let's focus on hunting dragons. If we encounter S.'s team, we'll stick to them! If we're unlucky and don't find them, we'll just do our best."
The reason for the explosive increase in S.'s team's hunting points is simply because most players haven't noticed this loophole in the rules and thus haven't been too cautious.
Once players realize that their hunting points are increasing suspiciously fast, they'll naturally become more vigilant.
Unfortunately, after John switched to the Alchemist class, one of his biggest regrets was losing the unique thief class skill [Blood Trail] that allowed for long-distance enemy tracking.
This was something even alchemy couldn't make up for.
Although the bird could also track targets by their scent, there were some unavoidable usage limitations.
For someone like S., whom John had never interacted with since his resurrection, using the bird for tracking was obviously unrealistic.
As for Seraphina...
Since the major event required entering the rift, John couldn't be sure if it would affect Seraphina, so he sent her back to Adela Village before the event started.
Moreover, Seraphina was currently in a state of slumber.
Otherwise, if she were awake, John might have been able to ask for her opinion.
As thoughts churned in his mind, John suddenly felt the ground disappear beneath his feet.
If it weren't for Exiled Immortal's quick reflexes, grabbing him just in time, John would have fallen into the abyss!
"John! Stop daydreaming! I even reminded you, and you almost scared me to death!"
Still shaken, John peeked over the edge.
Below him was a bottomless chasm, its depths shrouded in mystery.
But John knew what awaited him if he fell.
He'd definitely end up as a splattered mess on the ground, impossible to scrape off.
At the edge of the cliff, John finally took in the full view of this world.
Red-brown peaks stood tall, and if you looked closely, you could see other players atop the mountain summits.
"I'll go down and take a look. Wait for me here," Exiled Immortal said, taking a deep breath.
He walked to the edge and leaped into the abyss.
Seeing this, John wanted to stop him but thought better of it.
With Exiled Immortal's talents, he shouldn't get hurt, but John was still worried about potential dangers below.
He watched as Exiled Immortal's figure disappeared from view, descending further and further.
"If it's really dangerous down there, should we return the way we came?" Qing asked, scratching his head in confusion.
"No, returning the way we came would be pointless. If there's nothing down there, we'll have Exiled Immortal take us to the peak across the chasm," John replied.
Unlike his previous life, where John started the dragon hunt event on an endless plain that he couldn't escape after six days, this time they were on a mountain.
His luck had been poor back then.
About ten minutes later, Exiled Immortal soared back up from the chasm, landing gently in front of the group.
John immediately went up to him and asked, "Are you hurt?"
"No, I'm fine. I just looked around a bit and came back."
"What did you see down there?"
"I'm not sure how to describe it... it was like a graveyard. There were countless dragon carcasses scattered everywhere. I even saw dragons that were barely alive, lying by the road, waiting for death. There didn't seem to be much worth exploring, so I came back quickly."
"Was there nothing else of note?" John asked.
Exiled Immortal frowned and thought for a moment before his eyes lit up. "Actually, there was one strange thing! I saw many massive skeletons down there, with the flesh rotted away, leaving only a pile of bones."
"However, those bones are way too large. They're at least five times bigger than the dragons we've seen. Are there really such massive creatures here? And it's not just one or two."
"Perhaps what we've encountered so far aren't true dragons. They might be juveniles or hybrids with mixed dragon blood."
This matched John's memories, particularly the giant dragon that hatched from the egg Helena obtained in his previous life.
It was so massive it could be considered a small mountain!
Moreover, after maturing, the dragon gained combat power equivalent to a level 60 player and continued to grow, becoming an indispensable part of Helena's path to conquest.
"So, what do we do now? Head to the peak across the chasm?"
"Let me think... John, can you take Helena and fly up high to scout the area? Look for any particularly tall mountains or plains nearby. We can't stay here; it's a waste of time."
"Understood."
"One more thing: if you see other players, keep your distance. Don't get close, to avoid encountering S.'s team and getting hurt."
"Don't worry, John. If we run into them, I'll scatter them with a single sword strike!"
Exiled Immortal pounded his chest confidently, making John sigh.
"The strength of the thief class lies in their mastery of various killing techniques.
Unlike monsters, humans think and strategize. So, if you encounter them, don't engage. Return to us immediately, got it?"
"Yeah, yeah, got it, John. If we see them, we'll come back and get reinforcements, right?"
Exiled Immortal waved his hand dismissively, gathering a breeze that gently lifted Helena by the waist, and the two of them soared into the sky.
Wearing the goblin eye, Exiled Immortal's field of vision expanded by 40%.
He and Helena scanned the surrounding environment, but apart from the varied mountain peaks, they couldn't spot any plains.
"This place is just a pile of rocks. Don't those earth dragons need to eat? There's nothing here that could possibly fill their bellies."
Aside from the scattered rocks, there wasn't a single plant or tree in sight.
In such a barren world, how did those dragons survive?
Lost in thought, Exiled Immortal noticed Helena gazing in a particular direction out of the corner of his eye and asked, "Big sis, what are you looking at?"
"Look above the clouds. There's a shadow moving quickly."
Following Helena's pointed finger, Exiled Immortal indeed saw something moving rapidly above the clouds.
"Why worry about it? Let's just fly up and see. Clear away the clouds to reveal the truth."
With a thought, Exiled Immortal increased their altitude, ascending until they plunged into the clouds, leaving a trail behind.
"Let's see... this direction, right? The fog is obstructing our view, making it hard to discern the way."
Exiled Immortal manipulated the wind, blowing away the clouds around them.
And then, Exiled Immortal found himself staring into a pair of golden vertical pupils.
Right in front of them was a massive head, just like the dragons described in myths—hard scales, menacing teeth, a gigantic body, and fleshy wings that spread out, blocking out the sky!
With just one look, Exiled Immortal was instantly paralyzed, as if his blood had frozen in that gaze.
"Big, big sis, that's a dragon, isn't it?"
"Run!"
Almost colliding head-on with the massive creature, Exiled Immortal noticed the dragon, and naturally, the dragon noticed them too.
In those massive pupils, a playful glint appeared as the dragon flapped its wings and rapidly approached Exiled Immortal and Helena!
Seeing this, Exiled Immortal panicked.
Forgetting about scouting, he dispelled the wind around him and grabbed Helena, plunging downwards at full speed!
The dragon followed closely behind!
"Damn it! I should never have rushed up there. Curiosity killed the cat!"
"I thought there were no real dragons in this world! What's going on?"
Helena looked back to see the dragon's mouth glowing with a clear light.
In the next moment, flames burst out, nearly engulfing them in an instant!
"It's breathing fire! Dodge!"
"It's so hot! We're in big trouble now, thanks to John!"