Gacha System: Reborn In The Hardest World
Chapter 34: Hycarian Valley

Chapter 34: Hycarian Valley

"I did it," Gael remarked, looking at it. "That’s weird."

Of course, the development brought the inquisitive adventurer taking another page of notes. Gael focused on the sphere of blood, imagining a different shape as it morphed itself into another form: a miniature sword.

"Oh? Blood magic is quite the rare magecraft, select to only isolated clans. They’d throw a fit if they saw you," Blythe observed from her chair.

Like a child’s toy, he tampered with the blood, changing it from the shape of a sword, to a dog, even to the capybara.

"I wouldn’t say this is inherently the work of magecraft. It’s a biological alteration—a physical ability," Matteo observed, writing into his journal further.

Blythe seemed equally intrigued, "Such is the power of a system. It’s the power of Outlanders, that which frightens Mastorn."

Clenching his own veins, he forced the blood back through the laceration. To some degree, he was able to force the wound shut, though it still stung.

"What else do you think I can do with this?" Gael asked, looking over at the curious adventure.

Matteo adjusted his glasses with a smirk, "The sky is the limit, Master."

—

As the next day came with a night of plentiful rest for once, he was summoned into the Monarch’s chambers again.

"It seems you command loyal servants of your own. If I had known that, I would’ve allowed them to fight alongside you in our little bout," the Monarch remarked with a confident smile from his throne.

As he stood there, he heard the inquisitive man rapidly scribbling notes while Florentine gawked.

"Look at that big kitty...!" The warrior woman said, clutching her hands together as she gasped.

Matteo mumbled while aggressively writing in his journal, "A species of lion larger than even some dragons...Intriguing!"

Gael addressed the sovereign’s remark lightly, "Well...I’m glad they didn’t join that fight. Anyway, do you have something for us to do?"

While a part of him believed a forward way of addressing the absolute ruler would lead to a swift death, that same forwardness seemed to please him.

The Monarch laughed, snapping his fingers as the bearded man in silver robes by his side descended the throne.

"I am Vedrin, Chancellor of Galios," the bearded man introduced himself with a slight bow before handing a document to the Outlander.

Gael accepted the unknown letter, "What’s this?—"

The Monarch answered from his throne, "That is the trial set for you if you wish to become a functional member of Galios. That is, you will be inducted as an official adventurer."

Blythe stepped forward, speaking up, "The agreement was that Gael would become a Heavenly King should he—"

"Yes, yes," the Monarch interrupted with a wave of his hand. "That has not changed. However, he will earn his position. The Heavenly Kings have a reputation to uphold—the strongest fighting force of Galios."

While he didn’t quite understand the context of what the two discussed, he felt more inclined to the Monarch’s path. That is, the idea of being thrown to the top didn’t sound pleasant.

"That’s fine with me," Gael accepted.

As he spoke up, the paper was taken out of his hands, watching as Blythe unraveled and read it over.

She read it off, "...In the Hycarian Valley, slay Blair, one of the Four Calamitous Beasts of The Sky. Rank: S."

"Rank S?" Gael repeated.

Blythe ignored his question as she folded the document up, immediately shooting a glare at the man in the throne, "This is not an induction quest for a rookie. A target of this rank is meant for a party of elite adventurers."

The Monarch’s pleased smile didn’t fade as he leaned back in his throne, stroking the fur of the black lion, "I am granting the Outlander the choice to prove himself. That is, if he performs well enough, he will be given the proper rank. This is not a normal induction, I assure you."

"—" Blythe fell quiet, seeming to accept those terms.

"You do not need to accept this condition, however–should you decline this opportunity, you will not be welcome into Galios’ ranks," the Monarch claimed. "In any case, you will be sent into the giants’ wildlands."

The conditions hardly seemed fair, though it seemed unreasonable to expect fairness from the ruler who valued strength above all.

"If that is all, I suggest you move with haste," the Monarch advised with a wave of his hand.

—

There wasn’t much time taken before he found himself riding in the back of a carriage, venturing past the walls.

As he listened to the wheels rolling over the dirt road, hitting bumps every now and then, he looked around.

Florentine was in her own world, snacking on a drumstick of meat; Matteo lounged near the carriage window, taking notes of everything he saw.

On his own lap, the capybara slept, snoring quietly as it laid on its back.

"An S-rank quest...That sounds pretty hardcore, when I think about it. Think the Monarch wants me to die or something?" He asked out loud, scratching the capybara’s fur.

"It seems like he doesn’t care one way or the other, if I’m being honest," Matteo answered.

Across from him, Blythe sat with the book on her lap, still entrenched in whatever was written in the pages.

Gael stared at her, "What is it exactly you’re reading?"

"A grimoire," Blythe said without looking up from the pages.

"That totally answers my question..." He mumbled to himself before glancing down at his clothes.

Despite being placed in the faraway, fantastical world, he was still in his basic hoodie and sweatpants. Compared to those around him, he felt like he was at a convention.

"Shouldn’t I have armor or something? We’re heading towards some legendary beast. I’m practically naked against something like that," he wondered, tugging on the front of his hoodie.

Matteo laughed, using his quill as a bookmark before shutting his journal, "I believe any armor you could buy would be no more protective than paper against a beast of this caliber."

"He’s right," Blythe confirmed. "If this is an S-rank beast, you’re better off protecting yourself with magic."

"Right. Well, that isn’t very reassuring," he sighed.

It was only a couple hours within the carriage before it came to a stop, not exactly reaching the destination.

"We’re stopped?" He questioned.

Hopping out of the back, he found himself surrounded by larger than life trees, thicker and taller than skyscrapers.

As the others followed him out, he walked up to the front where the carriage driver sat.

The old man tipped his hat, "This is as far as I go. Past here is the territory of giants and beasts."

"That’s fine. Thanks," Gael said.

As the carriage took its leave, he looked around at the forest larger in scale than any other he’d seen. He felt like a mouse in a landscape that dwarfed him in all aspects, even finding flowers towering over him.

"Giant territory? Sounds fun," Florentine claimed with a smirk, leaning her hammer against her shoulder.

"I don’t really understand how your brain works," Gael remarked as he slowly followed along the trail.

Matteo didn’t waste any time inspecting one of the colossal trees, tapping at the ancient bark before scribbling into his journal.

"If this is giant territory, I’d rather not encounter too many of those guys," Gael sighed at the idea.

Blythe closed her book, brushing her silken hair behind her hair, "I’ll cast a cloak spell for us. At the very least, we can prevent fiends from spotting us from afar."

There was an elegance to the way she used her magecraft, closing her eyes as her fluffy eyelashes fluttered, holding her hand up gracefully.

"Shroud us from the prying eyes of those unfamiliar."

From the invocation, a subtle pulse hummed through the air.

A light hum emitted, like the buzz of a fly by his ear as he glanced around, "What did that do?"

Blythe walked along, "To eyes more than five meters away from my position, we’re unseen."

"That’s handy," he muttered, following beside her. "I’m surprised you came with us."

"You expected me to stay at the keep?" Blythe asked while following the trail. "Well, I’m not the type."

"I can see that," Gael said.

As he hiked through the forest, he looked up, finding it both beautiful and unsettling how high the trees reached. It seemed like they reached past the clouds, impossibly high, only letting through sparse sunlight into the dim forest.

"The land of giants...If the trees are big as well, I wonder if every creature born to this land is the same," Matteo theorized.

"If that’s true, it makes it harder to imagine how Galios conquered this land," Gael remarked.

Blythe chimed in, "They haven’t conquered it at all. Made their place, yes, but it’s a constant battle here."

"Sounds like paradise to me. A never-ending source of fun!" Florentine laughed.

"Yeah, don’t know about that one..." Gael sighed.

As he walked beside Blythe, he looked to the right into the parade of colossal trees. A creature that resembled a squirrel, only the size of a grown man, held a giant acorn in its hands.

While it was adorable at a glance, the goliath rodent’s size and twitching made it an unsettling presence.

"Can’t see us, can it?" Gael wondered.

"It can’t hear us, either," Blythe confirmed, not sparing it a glance.

Following the obscure trail far enough, it led through the other end of the forest—

"Woah."

The scenery waiting sprawled into a valley of stone; towering pillars with branches like that of trees, bare mountains that loomed.

"This is Hycarian Valley," Blythe claimed. "They say it’s the corpse of what was once the most luscious valley in the continent."