Akhil flew swiftly towards the Dark Mountains. As he moved, he caught a distant sight of the orc reconstruction camp. He could see Aria, Nibo, and even the formidable Ryan still helping in the rebuilding of the village.

'I shouldn't head in that direction, I should leave them to focus on the reconstruction for now,' Akhil thought, about to take a slight detour to avoid distracting the camp.

But just then, with his sharp eyes, he caught sight of a group of figures leaving the camp and heading directly for the Dark Mountains.

Akhil raised a brow in surprise. It wasn't just one orc; it was a small group of them.

'Where are they going?' Akhil quickly altered his course, flying silently in their direction. As he got closer, he caught a clear look at the hunched figure leading the group.

It was Gon, the old orc, clutching a staff in his hands, leading the group sneakily out of the camp and toward the daunting peaks.

"If y'all help me get the Emblem, then we don't have to worry about getting killed. We'll be completely safe," Gon muttered, his voice barely a rasp. "Who knows when the humans can attack again." He increased his pacing, delving deeper into the forest fringe that bordered the mountains.

"Yeah, we don't know who can become a threat... This way, we can be safe," one of the accompanying orcs nodded in blind agreement.

Akhil, who flew silently above the group using Air Walk, didn't know whether to laugh at the idiocy or sigh in frustration. 'These idiots will only get themselves killed at this point,' Akhil thought with a disappointed look on his face. 'Entering the King's Selection competition with stats like that?' It was truly pitiful.

He wasn't surprised to see Gon leading the charge; sometimes, the old orc could be exceptionally selfish, and Akhil was certain he had once again used his manipulative charisma to convince the weaker orcs to help him. 'I should stop them.' Akhil thought, about to move, but then another thought came in, 'No, this will be a good lesson for that old orc'

Akhil knew that going into the Dark Mountains with their current stats—which were adequate for skirmishes but not for high-level dungeon zones—they wouldn't even last. Not only were their opponents too strong, but the system had neglected to mention a crucial detail.

'Asides from the fact they would have to fight amongst themselves, they would also have to face beasts and traps set up by the system,' Akhil recalled from the game's brutal mechanics.

'I guess I'll just use them to see what traps are within the place...' Akhil could only let out a tired sigh as he continued following silently behind the group. At this point, he didn't want to bother with them anymore. He had far more important things to worry about than a handful of ill-prepared orcs.

Soon, they reached the front of the Dark Mountains. The dense, cold fogs silently moved around the area as though alive with a mind of its own, swallowing the daylight.

Just as they stepped into the designated area for the scenario, a notification from the system popped up in front of all participants.

{Welcome participants! You have entered King's Landing}

{Current participants present: 9}

Along with the notification, they all got a basic map added to their system screen, clearly highlighting the path and the estimated location where the Emblem was etched.

"Damn! We got a map as well!" one of the orcs said with a surprised voice, instantly giddy.

"This is going to be really easy with the map!" another agreed immediately, their caution evaporating.

Gon stood thoughtfully for a moment. He was a rather cautious person and not as blindly optimistic as the others, so he took a moment to see the notification from the system, reading through it again.

"We have to be careful. There are only seven of us here... so that means two other people are here with us, and they might cause us trouble," Gon whispered, his voice tight. "We only have to get to the Emblem first."

Akhil, who was flying above with the Air Walk skill, had already received the exact same information from the system. Nine participants, meaning seven orcs and two unknowns.

'One more person has already entered the area? Who will that be?' Akhil narrowed his eyes, immediately dismissing the possibility of it being Seth or Langdon. It had to be one of the powerful competitors he had been warned about—perhaps a Bureau agent or a high-level mercenary. The race was on.

Akhil already knew about the traps within the mountains, so he wasn't as excited as the orcs cause of the map, that was only a method to deceive them into thinking the scenario was an easy one. They would only realise the closer they got to the emblem, but he still knew the work wouldn't be easy at all.

However, right now, he was more interested in the person that just entered the forest.

Several thoughts ran through Akhil's mind in an instant, trying to unravel the identity of the person, but he was brought back to present as Gons cracked voice echoed.

"Let's get going, we don't have much time!" Gon said confidently, his cautious moment gone, replaced by focused greed. He led the small group of seven orcs, holding his staff and relying heavily on the map that now glowed faintly on his system screen.

Akhil didn't join them immediately. He floated silently, suspended by Air Walk, taking a moment to scan the surrounding area. The Dark Mountains were vast, offering multiple potential entrances, and he had to make sure no one else was trailing behind their group. He scanned the tree line, his eyes focusing on minute details, but found no immediate threats. He allowed the orcs to proceed deeper, effectively using them as a rudimentary, expendable scouting party.

Meanwhile, coming from a completely different direction of the dark forest bordering the mountains, a lady could be seen threading through the dense terrain at a blinding speed.

The ancient, dark trees blurred past her as she moved, her long, silver hair flying right behind her like a banner.

Following right by her side was a magnificent, massive black wolf, its lean, muscular body moving with incredible grace and power, its speed perfectly matching her own. This was Lyla, one of the district's recognized top-tier adventurers.

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