Chapter 33: The Path Toward the Ashen Mountains
The moment the words left Kael's mouth—
"A dead Monarch is often more dangerous than a living one."
—the atmosphere grew heavy.
No one spoke.
No one moved.
Even the wind seemed reluctant to disturb the silence.
Far in the distance, the Ashen Mountains continued to tremble.
Black lightning flashed through the clouds above them.
Each flash illuminated enormous cracks spreading across the mountain peaks.
Something was awakening.
Something ancient.
And everyone present could feel it.
---
Jay stared at the mountains.
His original goal had never changed.
The Blue Essence Flower.
His mother's cure.
Everything else—
the Veil, the Monarchs, the memories—
had appeared afterward.
But now all those paths were converging at a single destination.
The Ashen Mountains.
---
📜 SYSTEM QUEST UPDATED
Primary Mission: Obtain the Blue Essence Flower
Secondary Mission: Investigate the Ashen Mountains Disturbance
Danger Level: SS-Rank
Warning: Survival Probability Unknown
Reward: ???
---
Jay closed the screen.
Unknown survival probability.
The System rarely displayed such warnings.
That alone revealed how serious the situation had become.
---
Kael stepped forward.
"The Veil will move immediately."
Jay looked at him.
"To stop the awakening?"
Kael nodded.
"If we're not already too late."
---
The armored giant finally spoke.
"If that corpse awakens, can it really destroy kingdoms?"
Kael's expression remained grim.
"Kingdoms?"
He shook his head.
"A true Monarch can erase continents."
Silence followed.
No one doubted him.
Not anymore.
---
Jay suddenly remembered something.
"You said the corpse belongs to a Monarch."
Kael nodded.
"Yes."
"Do you know which one?"
For a brief moment—
Kael hesitated.
That hesitation alone was enough to make everyone nervous.
Finally he answered.
"We aren't certain."
"But there are signs."
"What signs?"
Kael slowly looked toward the distant mountains.
"The corruption."
"The black storms."
"The decaying mana."
His voice lowered.
"If our theories are correct..."
Even Kael seemed reluctant to finish the sentence.
Then finally—
"...it may belong to the Monarch of Ruin."
---
The name itself felt wrong.
Heavy.
Ancient.
Dangerous.
---
Lira visibly paled.
Even Elara's face changed.
Jay noticed immediately.
"You know that name?"
Elara nodded slowly.
"Ancient texts mention him."
"Very few survived."
Her voice trembled slightly.
"They called him the End-Bringer."
---
The wind suddenly grew stronger.
Almost as if the world disliked hearing the name.
---
Kael folded his arms.
"The records claim he died during the Monarch War."
"But if his corpse was sealed beneath these mountains..."
He didn't finish.
He didn't need to.
Everyone understood.
---
Jay's eyes narrowed.
"Then we go there."
---
The Veil members looked at him.
The giant almost laughed.
"You say that as if we're taking a walk."
---
Jay remained expressionless.
"I need the flower."
---
Kael stared at him for several seconds.
Then unexpectedly—
he smiled.
A small smile.
The first genuine smile anyone had seen from him.
---
"Good."
---
Jay raised an eyebrow.
---
Kael continued.
"If you had chosen to run, I would have been disappointed."
---
The ground trembled again.
This time stronger.
A loud rumbling echoed across the mountains.
Dust clouds rose into the sky.
Something beneath the earth was moving.
---
📜 SYSTEM ALERT
New Region Unlocked
Ashen Mountains Outer Zone
Threat Level: Extreme
Recommended Level: Insufficient
---
Jay ignored the warning.
---
For his entire life—
both lives—
danger had never been a reason to retreat.
---
The group began moving.
Not as allies.
Not yet.
But not as enemies either.
A temporary truce had formed.
One built entirely upon necessity.
---
Hours passed.
The ruined battlefield disappeared behind them.
The landscape slowly changed.
Trees became sparse.
The air grew colder.
And the mountains grew larger.
Much larger.
---
Soon—
they reached the edge of the mountain region.
Everyone stopped.
---
Before them stood a massive stone pathway leading upward into the mountains.
Ancient stairs.
Worn by time.
Covered in cracks.
---
But that wasn't what drew their attention.
---
The bodies did.
---
Hundreds of them.
---
Human skeletons.
Monster bones.
Broken weapons.
Ancient armor.
---
Everywhere.
---
Lira covered her mouth.
Elara frowned deeply.
Even the Veil members became silent.
---
It looked less like a pathway.
And more like a graveyard.
---
Kael slowly examined the remains.
His expression darkened.
"These aren't recent."
---
Jay crouched beside one skeleton.
The armor was unfamiliar.
Ancient.
Older than any kingdom he knew.
---
Then he noticed something.
---
A symbol.
---
Carved onto the chestplate.
---
A black crown surrounded by shadows.
---
The moment Jay touched it—
pain exploded inside his head.
---
A memory.
---
A battlefield.
Countless soldiers kneeling.
A banner carrying the exact same symbol.
---
And a voice.
---
Deep.
Ancient.
Powerful.
---
"My King..."
---
The vision vanished instantly.
---
Jay staggered slightly.
---
📜 MEMORY FRAGMENT RECOVERED
Shadow Monarch Memory: 2%
---
His breathing became heavier.
---
Kael immediately noticed.
"You saw something."
---
Jay remained silent.
---
Kael's eyes narrowed.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
---
The Shadow Monarch's memories were awakening faster than expected.
---
Suddenly—
a scream echoed through the mountains.
---
Everyone froze.
---
The sound came from higher up.
---
Another scream followed.
Then another.
---
And then—
silence.
---
A terrible silence.
---
Jay immediately stood.
His hand moved toward his weapon.
---
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
---
The giant gripped his axe.
The assassin vanished into the shadows.
Elara prepared her magic.
---
Everyone became alert.
---
Then—
footsteps.
---
Slow footsteps.
---
Coming down the ancient stairs.
---
One figure appeared.
---
A man.
---
At least—
he had once been a man.
---
His skin was gray.
His eyes completely black.
Dark energy leaked from cracks across his body.
---
And his movements were unnatural.
Jerky.
Broken.
---
Like a corpse being controlled by invisible strings.
---
Lira whispered.
"...Undead."
---
Kael's expression immediately hardened.
---
"No."
---
The figure slowly raised its head.
---
And smiled.
---
A smile far too wide for any human face.
---
Then it spoke.
---
"Another..."
---
Its voice sounded broken.
As if dozens of voices spoke at once.
---
"Another servant..."
---
The corpse suddenly pointed directly at Jay.
---
And the smile widened further.
---
"The King..."
---
Everyone froze.
---
Even Jay's eyes widened slightly.
---
The corpse took another step forward.
---
Then dropped to one knee.
---
And bowed.
---
"The King has returned."
---
Silence.
---
Absolute silence.
---
And somewhere deep beneath the Ashen Mountains—
something enormous opened its eyes.
---
🔥⚔️👑 To Be Continued...