"Phew..." Caius let out a long breath, nodding as he surveyed the Mushroom Forest, where the ground was covered in red mushrooms. Steam rose from his body.
Running for an hour, covering over 160 kilometers—this speed was acceptable.
And that was while carrying a heavy hammer, a bag full of gear, and a little Catgirl.
If he traveled light, he could be even faster.
It was still early in the afternoon, plenty of time left.
Luckily, he'd had the foresight to buy some stamina potions.
After drinking one to replenish his strength, Caius took out three bottles from his bag.
The mission required three pounds of dragonkin insects.
Each of these insects was only slightly larger than a soybean, making it quite a challenge to collect enough.
Fortunately, Kiki was incredibly useful this time.
The Mushroom Forest was full of fungi, and Caius had learned from Yvlan beforehand that dragonkin insects favored a type of mushroom called Azure-Eye Mushroom.
These mushrooms were blue, with circular rings, making them easy to spot.
Find the Azure-Eye Mushrooms, and you'd find the dragonkin insects.
And Kiki, being quick and agile, found catching insects both fun and easy.
She crouched on all fours, eyes scanning the ground. The moment she spotted a blue mushroom, she leaped forward and pinched it.
"Got five, Meow!" Kiki said as she placed five dragonkin insects, which had been munching on the mushroom, into a bottle.
"Nice work. Keep it up," Caius praised.
Encouraged, Kiki became even more motivated, catching insects at a much faster rate than Caius.
"While you're at it, keep an eye out for Purplecap Mushrooms—we need thirty," Caius instructed. He had intentionally picked a similar task to complete both at once, maximizing efficiency.
"Got it, Meow!" Kiki replied.
After spending over an hour, the two of them finally filled three large bottles with dragonkin insects and collected thirty Purplecap Mushrooms.
"Alright, next destination—Aronas Mountain!"
Hearing this, Kiki quickly clung to Caius. In the next instant, he shot forward like an arrow, dashing straight toward Aronas Mountain.
This time, it took an hour and a half to reach the base of the mountain. One was south of Grilla City, while the other was west, meaning they had traveled nearly 200 kilometers.
By the time they arrived, it was around four or five in the afternoon.
After drinking another stamina potion, Caius packed the other mission materials securely and hid them in a tree. Then, carrying only his heavy hammer and the little Catgirl, he began scaling the mountain with his bare hands.
He chose this approach because he needed to descend quickly later, and he didn’t want to risk shattering the bottles filled with collected materials. The last thing he wanted was to crawl around picking up scattered mushrooms and dragonkin insects.
High Mountain White Peach Blossoms, as the name suggested, grew at high altitudes, often clinging to steep cliffs. The only way to gather them was by free climbing.
Aronas Mountain stood over 6,000 meters tall, with snow appearing around the 4,000-meter mark. The temperature was noticeably colder.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Kiki trembled from the chill.
Dressed in a short-sleeved shirt and shorts, she had little resistance to the cold.
Seeing this, Caius activated his vital energy, warming his body. Only then did Kiki feel better.
This time, Kiki’s job was to act as Caius’ eyes.
With strong winds blowing and his large frame catching the gusts, Caius had to focus entirely on climbing.
Meanwhile, Kiki, clinging to his back, was responsible for spotting their target.
"I see one! There's a white peach blossom tree up to the left, Meow!"
"Got it. Hold on tight!" Caius said, tightening his grip. His muscles tensed, revealing well-defined contours.
Kiki could feel his muscles shifting beneath her.
With a burst of strength, Caius launched himself upward, his fingers digging into the mountainside like iron claws. He clung to the rock like a gecko, swiftly making his way toward Kiki’s indicated direction.
Before long, he had harvested an entire white peach blossom tree.
Thirty-two High Mountain White Peach Blossoms.
Caius picked up the pace.
Thanks to Kiki’s guidance, they managed to collect two hundred High Mountain White Peach Blossoms in just over an hour.
The mission only required a hundred, but Caius had other plans for the extra ones.
He glanced at the horizon.
The sun was beginning to set.
A golden glow bathed the sky in hues of orange and red, while the clouds resembled flames, as if half the sky was ablaze.
Watching the sunset from atop the mountain was truly a special experience.
But now was not the time for sightseeing.
"Time to go down!" Caius announced.
With that, he released his grip on the mountainside, letting himself free fall.
Kiki’s pupils shrank in terror. She clung to Caius’ neck and let out a piercing scream.
"We're falling, we're falling!"
"Hahaha!" Caius laughed heartily, spreading his limbs to stabilize his descent.
As he neared the rock face, his legs moved at high speed, and in an instant, he began running down the near-vertical mountainside. At the same time, he scooped Kiki into his arms to shield her.
Speeding downward, he reached the base of the mountain in no time.
Just before impact, he raised his heavy hammer and slammed it into the mountainside.
BOOM!
The force sent him rebounding backward, reducing the impact of his fall.
A thunderous crash followed as he landed, the ground trembling beneath him. He crouched, hammer in hand, cracks spreading from the point of impact.
His legs were slightly numb from the shock, but otherwise, he was fine. He stood up as if nothing had happened.
In his arms, Kiki was curled up, still trembling.
He had held her tightly to prevent her from being flung away mid-fall.
"You can open your eyes now," Caius said.
Kiki hesitantly opened her eyes.
"Are we dead?" she asked, her voice trembling.
"Nope," Caius replied, setting her down. "Now pull yourself together—we're heading back."
Kiki’s legs were still wobbly, but after a short rest, she recovered.
Retrieving their hidden materials, Caius packed everything up and set off back to Ocean City, carrying Kiki once again.
They ran the whole way back.
By the time they arrived, Caius had downed five of his ten stamina potions, and even Kiki had drunk one. Only four remained, showing just how much energy they had burned through.
Even with stamina potions, exhaustion was inevitable.
Drinking so many in such a short time had weakened their effects, so by the time Caius returned to the Hailan No. 11 Tavern, his eyelids were already drooping.
He was exhausted—after all, he had stayed up all night doing missions as well.
Around 10 p.m., at Hailan No. 11.
"Back already?" Yvlan looked surprised upon seeing them.
Caius didn’t say much. He simply dumped the mission materials on the floor and yawned. "Check them quickly—I’m about to pass out."
Noting his exhaustion, Yvlan immediately had someone verify the materials.
Then she was stunned.
The two Silver-ranked missions, both of which should have taken a long time, were already completed!
And in just half a day. That efficiency was insane!
"Didn’t you say you’d turn in the missions in Grilla City?" Yvlan asked, puzzled.
"Changed my mind. I was in a hurry, so I just came straight back..." Caius yawned again.
"The carriage was that fast?" Yvlan pressed.
"Didn’t take a carriage. I ran." Caius smirked. "Are we done here?"
"Yes... all done..." Yvlan was still in shock.
He ran?!
Considering the distance for both tasks and the round trip, didn’t Caius just run eight or nine hundred kilometers in half a day?!
Good heavens, what kind of monster is he?!
But Caius clearly had no time for chit-chat. After collecting his reward, he carried the already sleeping Kiki upstairs.
"He must be exhausted..." Yvlan chuckled, shaking her head.
Yet, just as Caius reached the top of the stairs, he came back down and gestured for Yvlan to come over.
"What is it?" Yvlan asked as she approached.
Caius didn’t say a word. He simply extended his hand, and a High Mountain White Peach Blossom appeared, which he gently tucked behind Yvlan’s ear.
Yvlan was stunned. She stared blankly at the towering figure before her, clearly exhausted, and for a moment, she didn’t know what to say.
"Stay beautiful," Caius grinned before heading back upstairs, yawning.
"Even when he’s that tired, he still has the energy to flirt with me… Seriously..." Yvlan muttered, unsure whether to be annoyed or amused.
She then took the High Mountain White Peach Blossom from her ear, examined it for a moment, and then put it back.
"Maybe I should buy a white dress..."
