Seeker 147

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Chapter 147. Path Along The Cliff

Exiting the cave, we found ourselves in a place resembling a broad rocky ledge on the mountainside.

In front of us lay a precipice that would send anyone tumbling headlong if they misstepped. 

To the left, a towering cliff formed an impassable dead end. 

On the right, a steep uphill path continued along the edge of the sheer cliffs.

"Whoooa... Th-this is high... If we fell from here, even we adventurers would be in trouble." 

Yuzuki, peering over the cliff's edge and voicing her fear.

I peered too, and the height stirred a genuine sense of dread within me. 

I didn't want to imagine what would happen if someone fell from here.

"Yuzuki, don't even think about jokingly pushing me."

"Y-Yeah, got it! What do you take me for, senpai?"

"Hmm, a trickster who'd stop at nothing to liven up the situation?"

"Your accuracy makes it hard to deny. But I do choose my methods, you know."

"Okay then, how about this? To add an element of surprise, I shove Daichi-kun over the edge?"

"Kazane-san, aiming for a surprise at the cost of my life isn't a great idea."

"Um... Can we start moving forward now?"

"""Oh, yes. Sorry about that."""

 We began ascending the path along the cliff's edge to the right with a gentle reprimand from Aria-san.

"Our final destination should be at the end of this path."

"That's where the medicinal herbs for the antidote are, right?"

"And also where the Aerial Dragon resides... We won't lose, will we, Daichi-kun?"

"I've made all the preparations I could. Judging from our stats, we can probably win in a straightforward brawl... But the main issue is Aerial Dragon's agility."

Wyvern we fought earlier displayed quite swift movements, and had an agility of 35. 

In contrast, Aerial Dragon had an agility of 50. 

Even against Wyvern, I missed an attack once. 

It would be unwise to be too optimistic about that aspect.

"If only we had a way to immobilize it somehow."

"That would make things so much easier."

"Like using a rope to tie it up... Hmm, that might be even harder than hitting it with weapons or magic."

"True. And if we were in a situation where that's possible, it would probably be quicker to launch a full-on attack."

"Well, I guess we can't take the easy way out. We'll have to go all out."

"We can win. - Father, please wait for me. I'll be back soon with the medicinal herbs."

We continued up the gradual uphill path with determined steps. However...

"Huh...?"

Aria-sab was speechless by the sight that greeted her on the path ahead.

The path we were supposed to use got cut off midway. It seemed either a landslide or some other event had caused a disruption.

A portion of the path was missing, creating a conspicuous gap. 

On the other side of this gap, the path continued.

The distance of the gap was about 4 meters.

"Oh, dear. This is..."

Kazane-san reached the spot where the path was interrupted and peered down.

I also looked, and naturally, if you were to fall from here, you'd plummet straight down into the valley below.

Nevertheless...

"But with this distance, I think we can jump over."

"Yeah, you're right. Kazane-san-san, you seem pretty confident, don't you?"

"Well, yeah. I don't think I'd have any trouble jumping this."

"It's a bit scary, but we have no choice but to do it."

Back in high school during the long jump, I remember I couldn't reach a distance of 4 meters.

If I still had that level of physical ability, there's no way I'd consider jumping off a cliff like this.

But now, I possess the abilities of a seeker, and my physical capabilities are beyond those of an average person. 

The same goes for Kazane-san, Yuzuki, and Aria-san.

"Here goes!"

First, Kazane-san, who had the highest agility and seemed the most at ease, took a running start and leaped. 

She executed a graceful backflip jump and landed on the other side without any trouble.

Then, Yuzuki, Aria-san, and I followed suit.

While our jumping distances weren't as impressive as Kazane-san's, all three of us managed to leap without any issues.

Once we did it, it didn't seem so daunting.

With courage and skill, most things are manageable.

Afterward, we continued smoothly along the uphill path...

Finally, we reached our destination, the innermost part of Dragon Valley, atop the cliff.

There, we were met by a colossal monster with dull green scales.