Chapter 35: Unraveling the Threads

Looking into the distance, they could see snow-capped peaks shrouded in mist, as if the whole scene had been plucked from a celestial realm. For a moment, everyone was so captivated by the breathtaking beauty that longing flickered in their eyes.

"It's so beautiful..." Bai Coco hugged her spiked mace in awe, her voice full of wonder.

Lu Kuan chuckled at her words. "It's even more stunning at the summit. There's a unique, unparalleled view up on the Frostfire Mountains. Personally, I think it's one of the most beautiful places in the whole game."

"Seriously? All the monsters here are at least level fifteen—how would you even know?" Akui pursed her lips, skepticism written all over her face.

Qingyi, however, turned her head, her dark, luminous eyes resting on Lu Kuan with a glimmer of interest, as if his words had piqued her curiosity.

"If we get the chance, I'll take you all up there sometime," Lu Kuan replied with a grin.

The scenic wonders of the Frostfire Mountains would later be named one of the top hundred sights in "Echoes of the Gods" by the player community—a distinction well earned.

The carriage soon arrived at the small town. Lu Kuan took a brief stroll around, then wasted no time heading up the mountain. Few players had made it out this far yet, so the mountain paths were quiet and serene, like a hidden paradise.

A thin blanket of snow still lingered on the slopes; during this season, only the Frostfire Mountains held any trace of snow.

After half an hour, they reached their destination. On the hillside stood a massive boulder, dozens of meters across, jutting askew into the mountain itself. Behind the rock, the hunter’s cabin could be seen, dilapidated and decayed from a distance.

Lu Kuan walked around inside and out, discovering that everything in the cabin was blanketed in dust—the hunting bows and daily utensils all rotted nearly beyond recognition, cloaked in an unbroken layer of moss.

Behind the cabin, an artificial trench cut through the clearing, evidence that the nearby stream had once been diverted there. Now the trench was bone dry, its surrounding earth crisscrossed with a chaos of footprints.

"These footprints were already here the first time we came," Akui explained, noticing Lu Kuan’s interest. She walked over to join him.

Lu Kuan bent down, studying the marks for a moment before standing up. "These are frostland cave-dweller tracks. There are two hunting hounds mixed in as well. It’s probably a small cave-dweller hunting party—no more than five in number."

The three girls stared at him as if he were speaking another language. From that jumble of footprints, he could tell all that?

Lu Kuan turned to see the trio staring at him in unison and scratched his cheek with a smile. "What is it? Do I have flowers growing on my face?"

"Are you messing with us?" Akui blurted out, unable to contain her curiosity.

Lu Kuan laughed. "Why would I make that up? Unless our enemies are geniuses who deliberately fake their tracks, but that's pretty unlikely."

The three girls still looked bewildered—this was beyond anything their gaming experience had prepared them for. Lu Kuan couldn’t help but ask, "None of you have learned any scouting skills?"

All three shook their heads in perfect synchrony. Bai Coco asked innocently, "What kind of skill is that? Can it kill monsters?"

Lu Kuan was speechless.

"Simply put, it lets you notice details you’d otherwise miss. The higher your skill level, the more information you uncover," he explained briefly, pointing to the disorganized tracks. "My scouting skill is level three. When I examine those marks, the system automatically displays hidden information based on my skill."

"Seriously?" The three exchanged looks of disbelief, as if they'd just heard something impossible. For a moment, it even felt like they were playing a different game than Lu Kuan.

"You put all your points into combat skills, didn't you?" Lu Kuan guessed, reading the expressions on their faces.

They all nodded. Qingyi was a warrior, Bai Coco a priest, and Akui a mage. So far, all their points had gone into their own class skills.

That was the common choice among players; after all, it ensured basic combat effectiveness. Few, like Lu Kuan, would raise scouting to level three before even reaching level ten.

Lu Kuan smiled easily. "Never mind, it’s not a big deal. We can talk as we go."

With Lu Kuan leading the way, they left the hunter’s cabin and headed west.

Qingyi, usually quiet, finally spoke as she saw how confidently Lu Kuan navigated the wilds. "You know where the frostland cave-dwellers are?"

He nodded. "They should be to the west. There was a warning notice posted in town about frequent cave-dweller activity in that direction."

Qingyi’s eyes lit up, her gaze suddenly clear and direct. "So you walked around the town earlier—was that for clues? Did you already guess there’d be information there?"

Hearing this, Akui and Bai Coco exchanged surprised glances. They’d thought Lu Kuan had just been sightseeing, drawn by the town’s picturesque scenery. Had he really been searching for clues all along?

Lu Kuan grinned. "Come on, I’m not that clever. But high-difficulty quests always leave players some kind of hint. Sometimes you just get lucky and stumble across them."

Lu Kuan spoke lightly, but the girls felt the opposite—he seemed preternaturally sharp, noticing things most people would never consider.

Setting their astonishment aside, the group pressed westward, climbing higher and higher. The altitude sapped their strength, forcing them to stop for frequent rests. During these breaks, Lu Kuan took the chance to explain skill point allocation.

"Echoes of the Gods" featured a vast array of skills, divided into class skills, life skills, and universal skills. The first two were self-explanatory; universal skills could be learned by any class.

For example, Lu Kuan’s scouting and listening skills, or sailor training, climbing expertise, and swimming proficiency—all were universal.

"In theory, players are free to choose whatever they like. But there are hidden rules: say you’re an orc warrior who puts every point into strength, but insists on learning climbing. Even if your skill is high, you’ll never climb as well as a rogue," he explained.

Beneath a giant fir tree, sunlight split into shafts by the dense canopy, the three girls sat among the gnarled roots, listening intently.

"So what’s the use of scouting? For most quests, we’ve never needed it," Bai Coco wondered aloud.

Lu Kuan laughed. "You’ll see its value when you take on advanced quests."

Akui let out an exaggerated sigh and gave Lu Kuan a big thumbs-up. "That was some masterful humble-bragging. I’d give you ninety-nine points, and I’m only holding back one so you don’t get too cocky."

Lu Kuan couldn’t help but chuckle, and Qingyi and Bai Coco burst out laughing as well.