The northern part of the Eastern continent.
There was a mountain range here that blocked the cold air that came down all year long from the tip of the northern region that was covered in ice.
"...F*ck."
The Mercenary King who was climbing the tallest mountain in that mountain range could not help but swear.
The White Star's second secret base would appear once they climbed over this mountain.
So, why were they walking so slowly?
Bud Illis was slowly climbing the mountain at a speed that he thought was too slow.
An Elf walked up next to him and started to speak.
"Please be patient."
"...I need to be patient, but it is frustrating."
It was at that moment.
Shaaaaaaaaaaa-
A light breeze brushed past him.
Both Bud and the Elf next to him stopped moving.
The breeze stopped next to the Elf.
"The thirty-first message."
Swooooooosh-
The Wind Elemental delivered a message to its contracted Elf. The Elf then immediately relayed the message to Bud.
"Squad leader Sorros in the west. No abnormalities discovered. No life forms discovered."
The Elf raised his hand.
Rustle. Rustle.
Leaves fluttered in the air. Bud observed what was going on.
There were still a lot of trees around them as they had not reached the snowy portions.
Numerous pairs of eyes started to appear and look at Bud.
Blink.
As all pairs of eyes blinked once...
The Elf next to Bud started to speak.
"Everything seems normal."
There were Elves surrounding the mountain from East to West as they climbed the mountain together.
They were looking for traces of the 1,001 Ranger Brigade and the enemies.
"Haaaaa."
Bud subconsciously let out a sigh.
'It's too slow.'
He was wrong.
It was not slow at all.
They had already reached the middle of the mountain that the Ranger Brigade had climbed.
They would soon arrive at the spot that they believed the Ranger Brigade was located before they lost contact.
However, their movements just felt as slow as a turtle to Bud.
Pound. Pound.
He pounded his chest in frustration.
It might take months if he tried to investigate with just the people from the Mercenaries Guild.
Of course, it would not take very long if they charged straight into Arm's second secret base.
However, 1,001 people had instantly disappeared without a trace.
He needed to figure out what happened.
He couldn't save them otherwise.
However, he had a bad feeling that the chances of the Ranger Brigade members being alive decreased the longer they took.
He was starting to get anxious.
'...Glenn will soon come to the north.'
Highest-grade mage Glenn Poeff was Bud's close friend and one of the core members of the Mercenaries Guild.
He would soon come with the core members of the Mercenaries Guild. They would wait for the Mercenary King's orders to save their peers and get revenge.
Some people might find it weird that mercenaries were taking action for their peers, but they believed in friendship as well.
This was especially true for the guild's core members who knew the importance of the Ranger Brigade for the Mercenaries Guild's future.
That was why they could not just do nothing.
