Chapter 175: Veteran

Compass Carburettor peered out the window of the taxi, looking at the changing scenery. Thanks to Grisha's intervention, he dropped out of both his part-time jobs. Even though he wished to continue with the job at the café to gather more Mental Energy, he understood that the apocalypse was accelerating,

So, he couldn't waste so much time on a job. Besides, his absence caused quite a lot of customers to think about him. That generated enough Mental Energy for the time being. This situation would last for at least a week or two.

That was enough for him. Beyond that, he would figure out something else to gather Mental Energy.

There was a distance of 120 kilometres to be travelled from Feora City to reach the foot of Mount Craire. A small town was situated there which was his current destination.

He would meet up with the rest of the trekking group there. And, they would set off early in the morning of the next day. The plan was to return before nightfall since the mountain areas became dangerous by then.

There was also one another reason he had selected Mount Craire other than the fact that it wasn't as dangerous. It was the sole mountain in the Eastern Range that was bereft of leeches. The remaining mountains was a disaster to trek upon since the leeches would constantly try to get into their shoes and suck their blood.

And as things were changing too much now, Compass Carburettor didn't wish to take unnecessary risks.

Two hours of journey later, he arrived at the small town, getting off from the taxi as he entered the hotel he had booked. All the members of the trekking group had booked at the same hotel.

It was where the trekking members constantly stayed and had purchased membership. Since his rooms were booked through the group, he too obtained the benefit.

Upon entering, Compass Carburettor looked at the lobby, nodding that it had a rather pleasant atmosphere. Placed in the centre was a shallow, circular pool with a statue standing in its centre.

The statue was a model of Mount Craire as water constantly poured out from its peak. It did create great aesthetic to the scene and helped enliven the place.

He then approached the counter, saying, "I have booked a room by the name of Compass."

"Sure, that'll be 500 Paise." The receptionist lady said in response, receiving the money he handed over. The booking only registered their name. They had to respectively pay for the rooms once they arrived.

After all, not everyone among the trekking group were familiar with one another. So, this was the safest means to proceed with.

Receiving the room key, Compass Carburettor headed towards his respective room, one that was situated on the second floor. It wasn't anything special. A room spanning a length of 10 feet and a breadth of 8 feet. It had an attached bathroom.

There was a small shelf in which he placed his luggage, sitting on the bed as he frowned, noticing that it was mildly dusty. "We'll it's a cheap room. Can't expect much."

He then made a call, informing of his arrival to the group leader before spending the next couple of hours meditating.

In the afternoon, he met with the group leader to have lunch together, also getting accustomed with the members that had arrived by now.

"The rest would be arriving tonight." The group leader, a middle-aged man named Schlovk said. He had a bald head and a bulbous nose, sporting large eyes with a bushy eyebrow. His face was pretty unique that none might forget it even after a glance.

Compass Carburettor looked around, greeting everyone that introduced themselves to him, observing through a casual glance that all of them were pretty fit, 'As expected of trekking enthusiasts.'

'But…' He subtly frowned, gazing at the final member, 'This guy has some other purpose for this trip.'

He then introduced himself to the other party, "Hello there, I'm Compass. You seem like a veteran."

"You can me Krager," The man in his early thirties introduced himself, "I'm pretty much an enthusiast here. I trek every weekend."

Krager sported a signature wavy moustache, painting him a masculine feeling thanks to his wide facial features. He had shaved his beard, and adding onto his crewcut hair, he seemed like a military veteran.

His bulging muscles were the most pronounced among everyone at the place, apparent that he trained a lot. After all, his muscles weren't a product of gym but one obtained from action on the battlefield.

They were akin to muscular cannons, the power held in them was staggering. The reason Compass Carburettor focused attention on Krager was because he noticed subtle fluctuations in the other party's gaze.

It didn't belong to someone that had come for relaxing trekking trip. But rather, it was of someone who had prepared to scout or figure out something, 'Is he also here for the same objective as me?'

"This is pretty much my first time trekking, haha." Compass Carburettor smiled wryly, putting on a sheepish expression as he said, "If I make any mistakes, feel free to correct me."

"Sure, as long as you don't mind me giving advice." Krager smiled politely. From the start, he was polite, carefully conversing with everyone. As the rest of the group were just regular people, they conversed casually.

After completing their lunch, Compass Carburettor returned to his room, continuing to meditate as he opened his bag, looking at the two Armaments placed within. He had made a lot of preparations as he gazed out the window, looking at the mountain spanning across, majestic in view.

'This'll be somewhat troubling.'

Dinner time, everyone from the trekking group had reached by now and had freshened up. There were twenty people in total as Compass Carburettor introduced himself with the rest of the group, making conversations with them one by one.

As there was a buffet system installed in the hotel, it allowed them to converse with each other while eating. Pretty much filling his plate with food, Compass Carburettor tackled the amount expertly, quickly eating enough before switching onto deserts.

He then approached the members one after another, joking at times, exchanging pleasantries before finally approaching the youth that seemed pretty popular with everyone, extending his hand, "Hello there, I'm Compass."

"That's a pretty unique name you have there." The youth smiled in response, shaking hands, "You can call me Rhizen."