Chapter 473: What about you?

It was a peaceful morning, much like any other, and Kyle was climbing one of the tallest mountains in the No Mana land.

He clutched onto one of the many gray-hued plants cascading down from the mountain's peak as he made his way towards the summit.

However, the more he climbed upward, the intense the pressure on his body became, as if numerous giant rocks were pressing on his shoulders, making it hard to maintain his balance.

Kyle was always grateful that his body was colder than usual due to his bloodline, making it rare for him to sweat.

But he couldn't help but furrow his brows because right now, his entire body was soaked in sweat.

Not to mention, the uncomfortable sensation of sweat beads trickling down his face and seeping into his shirt.

The same light blue shirt he wore over the dark trousers he was too exhausted to change in the morning, thinking he would finally get a day of rest because Hubert had to go check on the village after the old man received news that many manaless beasts were suddenly appearing in the forest surrounding the village.

But just who could have guessed that before the old man left, he would gesture towards a distant mountain and ask Kyle to ascend to the peak and meditate there for an entire day because the gravitational pull on the mountain grew stronger as one climbed higher, putting more pressure on the climber's body the further they ascended.

Kyle winced as he lost his footing while trying to maintain his balance by placing his foot into a narrow space.

Immediately, his body slid down dangerously, but fortunately, before he could plummet further, he quickly grabbed onto a jutting rock with a curse.

"Damn... I'm only halfway, and I already feel crushed. How the hell am I gonna make it to the top and spend a whole day there when the pressure might double or even triple from what I'm feeling now..."

It has been three months since he began training under Hubert. He has been through a lot, like chasing wild goats to match their agility until his whole body screamed with exhaustion and dragging massive boulders up the mountain, only to watch as the old man then threw them down in front of his very eyes and told him to drag them back up again.

Let's not forget the time when the old man threw him into a narrow, deep underground tunnel where he couldn't even see the end and asked him to climb out without anything to hold onto.

It was the toughest challenge Kyle had ever faced because the sand was wet, causing him to slide down repeatedly. He even got hungry in the middle because the air lacks mana... but he somehow succeeded in climbing out after two days and three nights of struggle.

"Ah... Hubert told me he wants to see me use a weapon and watch me fight."

"I'm sure it's going to be even harder because the old man enjoys hitting me on the head whenever he pleases just because I am not good at cooking. But... it's good I remember to write down my sword art in the notebook on time so even if I forgot it, I could recall just by reading the text."

Kyle let out a sigh. He gazed at the clear sky and reached for another spot to climb when suddenly his eyes spotted a familiar figure, and a vein immediately throbbed on his forehead.

It was Aze, dressed in a neat set of dark clothes, strolling casually towards Kyle from below, with a face that appeared completely unfazed by the pressure. The same pressure that made Kyle sweat buckets of water.

Aze would always disappear without a sound the moment Kyle turned around only to show up for a few hours after weeks, and Kyle was sure the man came back just to see him suffer!

Also, even though Aze never did anything wrong, the man somehow just increased the hardships Kyle had to go through just by his presence alone. It was as if Kyle's luck took a U-turn whenever this man appeared before him.

'He just had to show up again. I feel like I might drop down the mountain if I even engage in conversation with him.'

'So, let's just ignore him.'

Kyle took a deep breath and continued his journey without paying much attention to the presence that drew closer to him with each passing second. His caution around Aze had diminished significantly compared to when they first met, perhaps because the man never attempted to harm him... but it was strange because Aze never made an effort to help him either. The man would simply observe silently from the sidelines with a face devoid of any emotion.

In that moment, a familiar voice echoed in Kyle's ears, and he lifted his head to look at the pair of purple eyes staring down at him with emptiness.

"How have you been?"

Kyle wasn't even startled this time because he had become used to this and simply changed his path.

Azazeal watched the silver-haired human who altered his path by leaping in another direction without acknowledging his presence.

"Hmm?"

He blinked and followed suit quietly as Kyle climbed the mountain. He watched as Kyle lost his footing and barely clung to a rock to maintain his balance.

A curse slipped from the silver-haired human's lips as he tried to climb up, but his hands were too clammy with sweat, so he couldn't properly grab onto something.

Immediately, a thought emerged in Azazeal's mind as he watched Kyle.

'Oh, he's going to drop down.'

Then, he stared down to see just how far the silver-haired human would drop if he lost his balance now.

Kyle's eyes accidentally caught sight of the man in the distance counting who knows what on his finger while staring down toward the base of the mountain.

'This bastard... Don't tell me he thinks I am going to drop down!? Just like always, he's going to watch! Ugh, sometimes I hope his presence wasn't so frustrating.'

He groaned and with all his strength punched the layer of earth in front of him to dig a space to hold onto before stabilizing his footing.

Kyle wiped his forehead and let out an exhausted sigh. He saw Aze staring at him with a flicker of surprise and let out a scoff.

"What, feeling bad because I didn't lose my balance?"

Kyle's eyes saw red when the man actually replied to his words.

"What a pity."

He gritted his teeth and used his anger to climb the mountain even faster because the last time he tried to fight Aze, he couldn't even land a single hit on the man who just stared at him quietly throughout the whole exchange.

'I wish I could punch him just once.'

It was already late in the afternoon when Kyle reached the mountain top, but he couldn't stand due to the overwhelming pressure. Therefore, he crawled to sit in the middle of the uneven land in front of him to endure the pressure for a day so he could go back to hunt a monster and eat something before Hubert returned and assigned him another task.

He crossed his legs, but then a sudden thought appeared in his head. Immediately, he spread out his scent perception skill in the surrounding area and noticed that the area the skill could cover had decreased compared to before.

"Is it because of the pressure?"

Kyle was surprised because the more he tried to spread the skill under pressure, the harder it became for him to maintain it. Moreover, it was very faint, almost nonexistent, but he could sense his skill was getting stronger.... He also tried to spread out his fear skill, but this time nothing happened.

"I think it's because the fear skill impacts the opponent's mind more than the space around me..."

He sighed and observed as Aze also sat down at a distance from him. The man stared into the space opposite him as if searching for something. Kyle placed his palm beneath his chin and followed his gaze but saw nothing because the space opposite them had nothing except some clouds. He blinked when Aze started speaking on his own.

"It's amazing how time passes without a pause, just like a breeze."

Kyle rubbed his eyes and collapsed backward onto the ground with a heavy sigh, allowing the pressure to descend on his body.

"It is... I didn't even notice, and three months have passed. I don't know how many people I have forgotten and how many I will forget as I try my best to leave this place. But I always wonder how they are doing..."

He glanced at Aze from the corners of his eyes, and despite the possibility of not getting an answer, he began asking questions.

"What about you? You are strong... and I have a feeling you can leave this land whenever you want."

"So why are you here? I wonder... Are you searching for treasures hidden in this mana-deprived land? Whatever it may be, is there no one out there waiting for you?"