Ark Undead

Therefore, steep slopes became their routes of movement.

The two did not slow down despite the difficult terrain. The Undead had traversed countless roads, jungles, and cliffs. Skadi, as a bounty hunter, had naturally been to countless places as well.

The mountain road was no challenge for the two of them.

At this time, the dark clouds in the sky began to shed light snow. As usual, the weather became erratic in the afternoon, and after a while, the snowstorm would arrive.

We had traveled for another stretch of road, and were now halfway up the mountain path. The sky had completely darkened, sinking into the starlight.

Yes, although you can't see any stars in Shelag, it's all clouds and snow.

Enya gritted her teeth as she struggled against the raging blizzard.

Starting at dusk, the heavy snow, like a wild horse, rushed recklessly towards the sacred mountain and forest with the fierce wind.

Enya, walking on the mountain path, had to face the endless wind and snow head-on.

This is a necessary step to becoming a saintess; she cannot escape it, nor can she escape it.

At the same time, Enya could also vaguely see some already rotting bodies appearing from time to time on both sides of the road.

They either lay fallen on either side of the mountain road or sat cross-legged against the trees.

She knew in her heart that these people were all former chosen saints.

The path to becoming a saintess can be described as extremely dangerous.

Those who give up usually don't persevere to this point; they turn back before even reaching the foot of the mountain, abandoning their chance to become saints.

Those who persevere will brave the wind and snow to advance towards the sacred abode at the summit.

Some of them will successfully see the divine abode, while others will collapse by the roadside due to exhaustion and inability to withstand the wind and snow.

Even if they wanted to rest by the tree for a while, they would gradually lose their mind and strength due to the extremely low temperature, becoming one of the losers.

In other words, once you've reached this point, there's no turning back. You either move forward and gamble on your hope of becoming a saint, or you die and become part of the sacred mountain of Kalan.

However, as night fell, the long night had only just begun, and the most difficult moment was already upon Enya.

She had to keep walking through the long night until dawn broke and the storm subsided.

Ding-a-ling—

The bell rang from Enya's hand, and even the storm could not stop its clear sound from spreading.

She struggled to lift her head and look towards the summit of the sacred mountain.

Snowflakes mixed with tiny ice crystals stung her face, causing a sharp, cutting pain.

Immediately afterwards, Enya lowered her head again and resolutely took a step forward.

She didn't become a saint for her own sake, but for her family and for her brother's goals.

Although becoming a saint meant she could never set foot in the Shivaesh family again, she still chose her own path.

Where Enya couldn't see, two eyes were staring at her frail body.

"She...is very strong."

Skadi had just spoken with the Undead and learned about what the girl had gone through, as well as the source of her efforts.

"As expected of Sherag, the wind and snow have forged his resilient body and indomitable spirit."

Skadi exclaimed in admiration, amazed that Enya, who had never received any systematic mountaineering training, could still achieve what she had.

It's important to know that this route is not easy to traverse; even professional mountaineers would not choose to continue climbing the mountain after nightfall.

For a normal person, that would be tantamount to courting death.

The immortal, however, used his blank gaze to pierce through the wind and snow and clearly see the girl's walking figure.

Although his legs were still moving forward, his hunched body and heavy breathing told a different story.

Undoubtedly, she had lost most of her physical strength, and it was uncertain whether she could hold on through the wind and snow that night.

"Let's go."

The Undead patted Skadi on the shoulder, braced himself against the large steps in front of him, and leaped up.

He still had at least two injections on him that could help the chosen saintess.

But the Undead won't help her until she's completely defeated.

This is a trial, the most rigorous selection process for the chosen ones.

At the same time, after nightfall, in Shiva's home, SilverAsh was reading the last batch of documents by the dim light.

A dazzling blue light flashed on the virtual screen in front of him, and text appeared before his eyes, listing matters related to Victoria.

Nevertheless, the head of the Shivaish family, who was always aloof, seemed somewhat distracted.

He was listening to the bells ringing from the holy mountain.

The bells held by the chosen ones are engraved with Originium Arts, which can amplify the sound's penetration when shaken, spreading it throughout the entire snowy landscape.

People can also tell whether a candidate has stopped by whether the bell stops ringing.

Even now, the ringtone can still reach SilverAsh's ears, which means that his sister is still moving forward.

The ringing reached SilverAsh's ears, and also the ears of everyone in the Shivaesh household.

The girl poked her head out of the darkened window and threw a rope down.

She was on the third floor and was going to jump out of the window using a rope.

Just as she fell from the rope and regained her footing on the ground, a shadow loomed over her.

The girl slowly raised her head, and standing in front of her was a man from the Fengti tribe.

"Miss."

Horn Peak stood in front of the girl, blocking her way.

"Let's go back inside, it's cold outside."

"Horn peak".

Encia steadied the backpack on her back; she hadn't expected that Horn Peak would be guarding this place.

Was this also arranged by his brother? He realized that he was going to find his sister.

"What about brother?"

"The master is still dealing with paperwork and can't get away."

Horn Peak could only say this much, but when he saw Encia's resolute eyes, he couldn't help but soften.

"Miss Encia, let's go back."

He paused for a moment before speaking.

"There's no need to worry about Miss. Master has already arranged for people to protect her safety."

"?" Encia was stunned for a moment, and even the hand holding the rope loosened its grip a little.

Horn Peak continued to speak.

"It's that knight from Kazimierz. With him here, Miss will be fine."

"That one, the War Knight?"

Encia hesitated for a moment, but in the end she put the rope away and placed it in her backpack.

Horn Peak breathed a sigh of relief, finally having accomplished a major task.

Miss Enya's situation was already difficult to resolve. If Miss Enya were to secretly go to the Holy Mountain again, it would be fine if nothing happened, but if something did, it would be disastrous.

"Horn Peak, do you think my sister will really come back safely?"

Before returning to her room, Encia turned back to look at Horn Peak.

"Can she become a saint, a symbol of Sherag?"

Horn Peak nodded, his attitude very firm.

"Absolutely! Miss will definitely become a saint!"

She is the eldest daughter of the Shivaesh family, and also a strong girl.

Therefore, since it is something Enya promised to do, she will definitely succeed.

Both Horn and SilverAsh firmly believed in this.

From the Holy Mountain to the Town of Dark Springs, everyone in the entire Snowfield knows that there is a god on the Holy Mountain of Shelag.

This deity protects all the people of Sherag, shielding them from natural disasters and granting them the ability to survive even in the snowy landscape.

But almost no one has ever seen that god.

Whether in the present or in history, there are very few records about gods. Even when they are mentioned, they are mostly mentioned together with the saintess who was renowned in the Snow Realm.

However, both Manjuin and the Saintess herself, who is the spokesperson for the god, insist that there is such a god who bestows power upon the Saintess, and the Saintess uses the god's power to make contributions to people.

No one knows what gods look like, and no one knows why gods protect them.

They simply believed that there was a god who lived on the highest peak of Shelag.

The Holy Maiden resides in the divine abode on Mount Kalan, the place closest to the gods.

In tradition, the first step for a saint to go through trials is to reach the abode of the gods.

As for whether she can truly become a saint, she still needs to hang the bell in her hand on the bell rack.

This step may seem simple, but it is the most crucial one.

If the chosen one is unable to hang the bell on the shelf, it means that the gods have rejected the saint.

Historically, these chosen ones were often involved in cheating, while others were unable to become saints due to their poor moral character.

But who can truly prove that these saintesses cheated?

No one, the adults at Manju Academy, simply considered cheating as a reason why one could not become a saint.

Now, Enya walks on the main road, her steps are difficult, and she has to grit her teeth to move her almost frozen body even if she takes another step.

The mountain path was getting steeper and steeper; sometimes, just one step required a stride that was longer than knee-length.

This means that Enya is getting closer and closer to the divine abode at the top of the mountain.