Chapter 229: Climbing into the Jarkalon Abyss

"So, this the Jarkalon Abyss," Howard took a deep breath and looked up ahead of him.

There was what appeared to be a mountain so tall that its height simply couldn't be measured by normal standards. Compared to the tallest Mountains on the Surface, it was probably 30 to 50 times greater in size.

The great explorers on the surface once talked about a 100 kilometer mountain tall mountain that took the best climbers 3 months to climb. It was called Sacred Mountain, and was in a distant continent on the surface. However, the Jarkalon Abyss, clearly put that to shame. When Howard looked up, all he saw was what appeared to be an abyss extending into the sky! He almost instantly understood why they gave a mountain such a strange name! Just looking at it made you feel like you were falling!

'I heard from Waxel you just have to climb to the top of the mountain before you can actually enter into the first nation that's part of the Jarkalon Abyss. There are 5 major nations in the abyss, and over 20 smaller nations.'

'The smaller nations are mostly not talked about.' Howard said, nodding his head. 'Those smaller nations are usually forced to do the bidding of the larger nations. However, I'm excited! I'm finally here!'

Howard took a deep breath and bent his knees before he looked up. He figured he should at least be able to jump up a third of the mountain.

Boom!

Stepping off his back foot, he turned into a bullet that shot up nearly 5 kilometers in an instant. Activating Fire King's Sillhouette, he grabbed onto a hand of one of his duplicates, and had it toss him higher!

Swoosh!

He repeated this several times before he went up almost 100 kilometers! If the best climbers from the surface were here, not only would they be terrified, but they'd feel like fools! Howard did in less than a minute what took them three months!

However, as he reached another series of ridges on the mountains, full of abundant plants of various types, that were green and verdant, he couldn't help but here a small girl screaming.

"No! Please! Get your hands off me!"

Howard stopped almost instantly while shooting up the abyss before he looked forward and saw three fury men surrounding a young teenage girl. Howard couldn't help but land on the ridge, and look at the small woman in her tattered clothes. She had dark black hair with a white and brown dress that seemed to have been torn over and over again by viscioius claws. Howard, seeing this, instantly made an abrupt turn.

'I-I know Waxel told me to not stand out, but this is ridiculous! Fire King Sprint!'

Swoosh!

Howard appeared right in front of the girl, and instantly held out his arms while a claw slashed towards her face. Holding up his wrist, he almost instantly stopped the attack.

Boom!

The furry armed male looked forward in shock at Howard before he felt a terrifying pain travel up his wrist. What the hell had happened? Where the hell did this boy come from?

"AH! He broke my wrist!" The Grey Neck Warrior dropped down and screamed.

The Grey Neck Warriors were one of the weaker nations in the Jarkalon Abyss, but were nonetheless roughly equal in strength to the Aresoul. In fact, they might even be a little stronger. They grew fur on their bodies that got sharper and more dangerous when they got stronger. 

In many ways, they were like the Mocralin, and used Ki to strengthen their bodies. However, unlike the Mocralin, they looked like werewolves instead of human beings when they hunted. Seeing Howard stopping them from killing a girl that had happened to get lost in their territory, they almost instantly grew enraged.

Their hair grew out of their bodies before they slashed down at Howard with all their might.

"You-you shall pay!"

"Hmph, like I'd bother fighting you," Howard spun his back foot and instantly kicked the nearest Grey Neck Warrior in the chest before he shot into a nearby ridge. The next moment, Howard stepped down on his foot and shot once again into the sky.

The girl, he'd rescued, was completely caught in his grasp. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry or smile or what! Howard had just come out of nowhere and stole her from the other men! Not only that, but he was even stronger!

"I'm not going to hurt you!" Howard smiled and looked into the girls pretty eyes. "I-I just couldn't take hearing such a pretty girl scream. Do-do you understand me by the way?"

"I-I'm educated in the common tongue." The girl shivered while she realized Howard's arm was around her waist. "However, you-you better let me go! If-if my father find you, he's going to kill you! He-he's terrifyingly strong!"

"Can I meet him? I need a place to stay." Howard landed on another ridge and looked around. There was even more plants which confused him even more. There were various types of fruit growing, and lots of strange trees that looked almost dangerous. "I-I'm new here. Haha, how about, in exchange for saving you, you take me to see your father?"

"Hmph, let go of my waist, and maybe I'll take you to him!" The girl named Lasinda looked down at Howard's hand, gently hiking up her white dress and blushed. It was an accident, but because of the holes from the Grey Neck Warriors, she was afraid her clothes might tear completely. "However, first! First go wait behind a tree! I need to change! I-I can't believe it. Those men. I-I just told them I got lost, and they attacked me! Father will declare war on the Grey Neck Nation! Hmph, just wait till I get back!"

"You-you were lost?" Howard sighed and looked around. "Fine, go get changed." Howard looked around him and walked a few steps forward. "Ugh, why do you worry me. You sure we can find your father?"

"Promise!" Lasinda said, nodding her head while she took a long sleeve shirt out of a bag she had on her arm. All the important stuff had gotten taken by the Grey Neck Warriors, including some of the Ki Minerals she found, but it was fine! She-she at least still had her shirt. "Now-give-give me just a second okay! And don't you dare stare! I-I'm stronger than I look when I'm angry."

'Oh brother. What a start to the Jarkalon Abyss,' Howard looked at the endless mountains and crossed his arms. 'Oh well, at least she can probably keep me company at night. I was worried about that, haha. Now, what the hell is around here?' Howard walked over to a large plant that slowly moved as he approached. 'So strange. It's almost like the plants are paying attention to me.'