The group could be seen heading towards the mountains, with David''s glowing orb brightening their path.


    "Artifact of the Apex Mutant? What do you mean by that?" Ss inquired as he kept walking forward, carrying heavy bags behind him.


    "You see, kid, the Apex Mutant isn''t like the rest of the mutants. He was like a god in the mutant realm. When the rift tore open and mutants flooded Earth, the Apex Mutant stayed in his realm because he saw no reason to dominate Earth when he already ruled his own realm. However, during our research after the war, we found out that the Apex Mutant had died.


    But before he died, he transferred all his power into a single artifact. Whoever finds the artifact first and is chosen by the Apex Mutant will inherit all his abilities," David exined while moving forward.


    Ss remained silent for several minutes, digesting David''s words.


    After a few moments, Ss raised a question.


    "How are you sure the artifact is in this realm?"


    "Because we scanned the realm, and it shows a powerful energy source around here. It''s far more powerful than anything we''ve ever seen before, so it can only be the artifact," David responded.


    Ss nodded and refrained from asking further questions. He could sense how the rest of the group was secretly ring at him in disdain for asking so many questions, so he thought it best to stop.


    As the group advanced, they suddenly halted as a loud cracking sound echoed from behind. Everyone shifted their gaze backward and saw Ss stepping on a dry bone.


    The moment his boot touched it, the bone shattered, and the sound tore through the quiet area, attracting the attention of the Death Bats flying overhead.


    "You''ve got to be kidding me!" David muttered with a frown as he unsheathed his giant de, gripping it firmly with both hands.


    "Can''t you watch where you''re going?!" Aisha chimed in, readying her bow and arrow.


    The rest of the group also prepared their weapons, their gazes locked on the Death Bats flying toward them at incredible speed.


    "Stay behind us, Ss!" David ordered in an authoritative tone as he took a battle stance. Two Death Bats swooped in within striking distance, but before they could attack, David swung his de and decapitated them.


    Green blood sttered as the bats'' heads hit the ground.


    Aisha quickly ced three arrows in her bow, pulled the string back, and released them. The arrows shot through the air at lightning speed, piercing three Death Bats in the head. They let out a deafening screech before falling dead.


    David charged forward, leaping into the air. He swung his de effortlessly, beheading four more bats with a single sh.


    Another man from the group also leaped up, splitting a bat in half with his battle axe.


    Ss stood a few feet away, watching the battle between his group and the Death Bats.


    "They''re well organized. They''re not even using their mutant abilities, yet they''re able to take down those Death Bats," Ss thought, awe-struck as David killed five more bats with his de and Aisha shot down four more with her arrows.


    A few minutester, the ground was littered with the corpses of Death Bats. The group wiped the blood off their weapons.


    "Ss,e carve out the bats'' wings and fangs," David ordered. Ss nodded, retrieving a dagger from David and dropping to his knees to carve out the wings and fangs.


    "And hurry up. Those bats travel in groups, so more are probably on their way. I can''t afford to be exhausted before we encounter the god of this realm," David added.


    Ss chopped off the wings and carved out the fangs, cing them in a bag.


    "All done," Ss said as he stood up.


    "That was quick," Aishamented.


    "I''ve worked with different groups in the past to earn a few tokens, so I have some experience," Ss replied.


    Aisha nodded, then turned and began to walk away with the rest of the group. Ss slung the bag over his shoulder and hurried to catch up.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    They walked for a few moments before arriving at the foot of a mountain.


    "We''re going to climb to the top, guys. The god''s castle is up there," David informed them. "The mountain''s surface is rough, so it should be easier to climb."


    Aisha stepped forward, cing her hands on the mountain. She gripped a rock and slowly began to climb. The rest of the group followed suit.


    "How do they expect me to climb this mountain with these bags?" Ss muttered as he nced up. He couldn''t even see the top because of how tall it was.


    "I guess I don''t have a choice," he mused as he began to climb, gripping the rocks firmly. His pace was much slower than the rest of the group due to the weight of the bags he was carrying.


    It felt like he was hauling gym weights behind him, and he couldn''t use his hands to support the bags since they were already upied with climbing.


    An hour passed, and the group was now halfway up the mountain. Ss''s face was drenched in sweat, his palms red, and his whole body trembling.