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'It's huge.'

Standing just a few metres away from the mountain, Sato exclaimed at the size and height of the entity. While it was indeed massive from afar, Sato never expected it to be this big. Just the base of the mountain alone took up more than 6 kilometres worth of land. Even the width of the largest stadium on earth would only be able to occupy two-thirds of the entire base.

From the angle Sato stood at, the mountain seemed to be segmented into 3 parts. 

The first section began from the mountain's base all the way up to the waist, just a few metres from the centre. While it looked to be a few metres from Sato's position, the true distance could be up to a 100 metres till 2 km, based on the absurd size of the mountain. The most notable feature of this section was the 'baldness' of the land. Half of the region was devoid of any vegetation, being clearly visible and vulnerable to the weather. The stony brown ground was a bit eye-catching as not even a single leaf of grass was present. As for the other half, there were barely any plants or trees, with the very few present being spaced far apart. But unlike the other half, there was at least a small layer of grass on the ground, giving the terrain a bit of green.

The second section, which began right where the first ended till the point that was shielded by the clouds, was a lot better than the first, in the sense that the vegetation present was much more. Like the average forests on Earth, the second section had a tree every 2 or 3 metres. The large amounts of trees and leaves gave the mountain a fascinating outlook to any passerby. By distance alone, the second section was much larger than the first section. It was at least 3 km long whereas the first section was longer than 1 km but smaller than 2 km. 

The third section was the part of the mountain hidden in the clouds. As it wasn't visible from below, Sato didn't know what was there neither could he guess what could be there.

The 3 different sections when viewed as a whole, gave the mountain an eye-catching yet eccentric sense of beauty. Sadly, Sato wasn't here to admire such wonderful work of nature.

'Is the goal supposed to be located at the top or am I just supposed to climb up to the top?' Sato wondered as he approached the mountain.

'I hope it's that easy and not a silly task as to find something in here.' 

The mountain was very large such that if Sato was given a week to comb through it, he would not be able to pull it off. If exploring the entirety of the mountain was that difficult, one can only wonder how long it would take to look for an object in there. That wouldn't be a mission anymore but punishment.

"Challenger, welcome to the Staircase to Zolstice." 

Just as Sato was bout to take his first step up the mountain, a booming voice resounded from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. It had no obvious origin so it was impossible to discover where it came from.

[[System notification :

You have discovered [Staircase to Zolstice]

No reward is given for this discovery.

]]

"Staircase?" Sato thought out loud. Saimon had previously informed him that with each challenge he faced, unless the challenge was similar to the one he faced at the entry trial -which needed him to be dependent on his will and determination to pass-, Sato would be notified of what to do. So Sato wasn't particularly surprised by the voice but paid attention to its words.

"Challenger, you are required to reach the designated spot on the staircase within 48 hours but not limited to it. The higher you go, the greater your rewards. Failure to reach the designated spot equates to failing the challenge."

"Designated spot?" As Sato said this, a red marker line suddenly appeared within his vision. It circled round the mountain like an elastic hair band and was located at the mountain's waist, just a bit into the second section.

'Saimon said that the test doesn't focus solely on one's strength but also potential. While I haven't figured out the goal of this test, it doesn't seem to be strength-inclined. To have selected the second zone as my test goal and giving me a 2-days limit to do so obviously means that climbing this mountain wouldn't be a walk in the park.' Sato thought as he glanced at the red line in his field of vision.

'It would be nice if I could actually reach the top…' Sato's eyes wandered all the way to the peak of the mountain. Sadly, as it was shielded by the red 'flames' high up in the air.

Without further ado, Sato took his first step up the mountain, officially starting his challenge. 

"Hmm?" Sato raised an eyebrow right after he made that first step. He had suddenly felt a daunting pressure lock onto him. This pressure made it difficult for him to move his body as freely as he usually did. 

Luckily, the pressure wasn't that much so all Sato felt was an uncomfortable feeling on his back; similar to having walked half a kilometre with a 10kg backpack.

While it sounds difficult, for someone who has worked out for a majority of his life, this wasn't a problem. Also, Sato's avatar's stats were much better than his real body so this much weight was pretty much nothing.

'However, I doubt it would remain the same as I progress up the mountain.' Sato thought.

Nevertheless, Sato kept walking forward. He had already began the journey so turning back was dumb and pointless. The penalties for failure were unknown but considering that this was an A rated mission, they would in no way be so simple as a single deduction in level.

. . .

. . .

. . .

150 metres in, and Sato had yet to encounter any other life-form apart from himself. There was not even a single trace of green on the barren floor.

Unlike with the plains, Sato didn't walk at a relaxed pace but walked much faster. At times, he even ran so as to cover up more ground. It wasn't that Sato was underestimating the danger of the environment but more like he had a bit of confidence in himself. The entire place was barren of any plant or vegetation and apart from the very few boulders scattered all over, there were no obstacles that hindered Sato's vision. In such a simple setting, it would be quite difficult for Sato to suffer an ambush. Nonetheless, Sato's guard was never down throughout the journey. The worst mistake of anyone, whether expert or noob, would be to underestimate the opponent, whether animate or inanimate. In this case, Sato's opponent was the inanimate mountain that contained hidden dangers unknown to him.

*Shee* *Shee*

Overhearing strange sounds from behind a boulder a few metres away, Sato suddenly stopped running and swiftly unsheathed his sword, preparing to face whatever it was that hid there.

"Hmm? You're?!"