Chapter 518 - Birth of the Sunlight Warriors (1/2)

Chapter 518: Birth of the Sunlight Warriors

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

It was four in the morning, and the morning light outside was still dim.

Allen had woken up half an hour earlier. He had been sleeping on a wide bed with the other Warriors. He looked around him and saw that the others had woken up as well.

With a mission and the pressure of a face-to-face meeting with the lord himself hanging over them, no one managed to sleep at all.

The door slammed open. It was Marshal Jacker standing in the threshold. He barked, “Everyone up, we’ll be heading off soon!”

As soon as he finished, there was an instant commotion in the room. Everyone got out of the bed at the same time. All of them were all dressed up and ready for their orders, including Allen.

“Good!” Jacker looked at his soldiers with a satisfied air. “Now, go out on the courtyard and stand in four groups!”

In no more than five seconds, all one hundred of them arrived at the courtyard and stood in four neat rows. Other than the sound of their footsteps, the Warriors made not a sound as they stood in place.

When Jacker got to the courtyard, he waved a hand at them. “Let’s go!”

The dawn sky was still dark, and they could barely see signs of human life on the streets. With soft, hurried steps, the troop of Warriors headed towards the looming Mage Tower in the distance.

Even after having undergone expansion, the Scorched Ridge was still no more than 500 square feet. The procession of Warriors managed to reach one of the doorways on the side of the Mage Tower.

Jacker knocked on the door, which evaporated into points of light.

“Follow me.” Jacker beckoned at his troop, who all obeyed his command.

Behind the door was a wide pathway. On both sides of the pathway stood two rows of magic lights, which illuminated their surroundings. The walls around the pathway were arranged neatly, its material soothing to the eye and beautiful like jade. The Warriors looked around them in awe and reverence as they walked along the pathway.

Allen too had the same reaction as the others. He also sensed that the pathway would turn once after walking a certain distance. When they had turned a third time on the pathway, Allen calculated the total distance they had traveled and came to a conclusion. We’ve been going up a slope on a square pathway.

When they had walked for a few more minutes, Allen grew more confused. The Mage Tower should only be ten or so acres wide and a hundred feet tall, he thought. But we’ve been walking on this road for more than a few thousand feet, and there’s still no end in sight.

The other Warriors were also visibly perplexed by this, as they began to feel that something odd was going on.

However, not a word came from Jacker. He remained unfazed by the seemingly endless journey. The Warriors had no choice but to keep their confusion to themselves and obediently march on behind Jacker.

Just like that, the group of Warriors marched on upslope for 20 miles along the illuminated pathway. Some of the Warriors were already sweating profusely and gasping for air.

Allen sensed that he could not take much of the exertion any longer. For some reason, he felt that his body was somewhat heavier than usual. His feet sank heavy on the ground with each step he took as if they were made out of lead. Allen would have been fine walking for 20 miles through the mountains without feeling any strain on his lungs. However, the path they were on at the moment did not seem like an ordinary mountain trek.

A few Warriors had already collapsed to the ground, continuing the rest of their journey on all fours. This was really tiring.

“Marshal, are we there yet?” one of the Warriors blurted out.

Marshal Jacker still seemed undaunted. His answer was the same as before. “We’re almost there. Just hold on for a bit.”

The Warriors were left with no other option than to gnash their teeth and soldier on.

They continued on for ten more miles. The pathway seemed almost endless. Completely spent at this point, most of the Warriors had simply given up walking on two legs and now crawled on all fours.

If it were not for the fact that they had been given good food and sufficient training every day, these Warriors would have been lying motionless on the ground a long time ago.

Sweat dripped from Allen like rain. He was the youngest in his group. Though the others were around 20 years of age, he had reached Level-4 power, making him one of the more powerful Warriors in his squadron. He was also considerably strong. There were few among his peers who could rival him in terms of strength. He was especially gifted in the art of combat. How else was he able to slay more than 20 Undead Warriors in Girvent Forest without a scratch on him?

At this point, out of the hundred Warriors in his squadron, he was the only one left standing. However, he was now gnashing his teeth as he took each step with apparent difficulty.

I need to keep on standing. I’m the strongest one here, I need to keep on going! screamed Allen’s mind.

As they continued on up the pathway, some of the Warriors had already lagged behind Allen. These Warriors now lay on the ground motionless, taking in huge gulps of air like fish out of water. Their bodies had all but failed them completely, and their minds were already floating in and out of consciousness.

White light enveloped their bodies. The next moment, they had completely vanished.

The other Warriors were oblivious to their compatriots’ vanishing act. They were all too focused on marching forward to worry about anyone else.

There still seemed to be no end to the path ahead of them. One by one, the Warriors began dropping out of the group, their number steadily declining.

Sweat flowed from Allen’s forehead, blurring his vision. However, he did not wipe it out of his eyes. His hands dangled heavily beside him, and he was too tired to raise them up to his face. Allen could only blink away the sweat that had dripped down his face as he resolutely continued his journey.

HIs lungs were now on fire. His heart beat like tambourines, which sent shockwaves through every blood vessel in his body. His legs had gone numb from the climb for some time now. They ground torturously against their hip joints with each step he made.

Still, he pressed on. Instead of crawling on the ground or leaning against the walls on both sides of the pathway, he resolutely kept pace with Marshal Jacker’s gait in front of him.

After what seemed like an eternity, Marshal Jacker finally stopped. Sweat had now glistened on his forehead, and he was also slightly panting for breath. He turned around at Allen with a weary smile. “You’re quite the sturdy one, aren’t you?”