End Online: Volume 4 Read Online Free

simply
a quirk of the designer.
    We walk over those hills
in a straight line to the West. It turns out that the reason the path avoids
the tops of the hills is that each tree here houses scores of dark grey
vultures. Each vulture is around level 100 and will only attack once we pass
underneath their tree.
    Battling them isn’t very
difficult. We rely on Mason’s archery and Fen’s ice bolts to take them down in
swarms. It is only too bad that doesn’t leave much experience for the rest of
us.
    After a day of travelling,
a large mountain range comes into view on the horizon. The mountain peaks
pierce the clouds and a hint of snow can be seen on the caps.
    “Hmm, that’s odd. Why is
that one mountain peak flat? Almost like it has been cut off,” I say aloud.
    “Battle Peak,” Mason
replies. “At least, that’s what people call it. There are rumors that it used
to be the tallest mountain in the range before the devil-king Asmodeus cleaved
a third of it off. It was later turned into a battle arena where only the
bravest can challenge the darkest incarnations of the underworld.
Unfortunately, nobody knows how to get there.”
    He sighs dramatically,
clearly wanting to go up there.
    “How do you know all this
stuff?” I ask him sincerely.
    “I read a lot of books in
the library back in Grenton,” he shrugs his shoulders indifferently.
    Three more days pass
before the distant mountain range starts to loom over us. The sheer size of the
range is stupefying. Even in the real world, there isn’t a range as enormous as
this.
    “I understand what you
mean by nobody knowing how to get up there,” I murmur to Mason, who is
unsurprised at the sight before him.
    There is no possible way
for someone to climb this mountain. The only way up would be with special gear
and infinite stamina, or the ability to fly.
    “Well, enough of that.
Maybe someone will discover a way up there in the future. We are at our dungeon
now, though.” He points toward two large doors built into the mountain wall.
The doors are easily fifteen meters tall, and covered in carvings of ancient
battles and gods.
    The doors are slightly
ajar, wide enough to allow two people to enter at a time.
    “It’s kind of hard to
miss. Isn’t it?” I laugh while looking at the massive entrance in front of me.
    “It is also the passage from
one side of the mountain range to the next. As you can imagine, it is naturally
always packed full of players.” Mason explains with modesty.
    “If it is so busy, how are
we going to secure a hunting spot? There will be lines of people waiting
inside.”
    “That is only on the first
few floors. It is supposed to be this game’s biggest dungeon, so there should
still be lots of room on the lower levels. Besides, with that skill that causes
all enemies within range to come under your aggro we have no need to secure a
spot; we will just steal everyone else’s prey.”
    “That’s not funny Mason,
players get incredibly irritated over that. I have enough trouble as it is.” I
reply sincerely only to have him laugh in return.
    We all enter through the
large double doors, arriving in a large corridor, about twenty meters in width.
The grey stone walls are lined with wide, three-pronged candelabras which
flicker every time a gust of wind comes in from outside.
    The pathway is well lit,
but the numerous candles cause numerous shadows to form, creating a moderately
spooky atmosphere. We walk in silence, waiting for a group of monsters to
appear at any time.
    “Haha, no need to worry,”
Mason laughs, creating multiple echoes in the distance. “The first floor is
mostly a passage between the two sides of the mountain. There aren’t many
monsters, and those that do appear are only around level 100.”
    We all breathe sighs of
relief. Our caution level is currently at its highest, considering we are
venturing into a dungeon that we have never been in before. Carelessness will
easily lead to death.
    After ten minutes of
walking,