76

Falling Thunder Valley

"Hello, I'd like to rent a swamp behemoth," Forseti approached the attendant in the warehouse, a mortal from Vanaheim.

The attendant, recognizing his Asgardian accent, responded respectfully, "Honorable Aesir, how long do you plan to rent it?"

"For... seven days," Forseti replied after a brief consideration.

"Would you like a beast tamer to accompany you?" the attendant inquired further.

"Beast tamer?"

Explaining patiently, the attendant said, "They're experts in handling swamp behemoths. Despite nose rings and feed, these creatures can still be unpredictable. Having a tamer with you will make your journey smoother and provide assistance if other troubles arise."

"If you choose to have a tamer accompany you, there's no need for a deposit on the swamp behemoth. You'll only need to pay three runes per day."

Forseti asked, "How much is the deposit?"

"Five hundred runes," replied the attendant.

Five hundred runes! Forseti hadn't brought that much with him. "Alright, arrange for a tamer to accompany me."

After a short wait, a burly middle-aged beast tamer approached with the swamp beast. "Hello, I'm your beast tamer. I'll accompany you on your journey for the next seven days. Where are we headed?"

"The Valley of Falling Thunder."

"Ah, a splendid place for sightseeing," the beast tamer remarked casually, giving a slight shake of the chain attached to the swamp beast's nose ring. The creature immediately lowered itself submissively.

"Get on."

A simple log cabin was mounted on the back of the swamp beast, providing shelter from wind and rain. The beast tamer climbed aboard first and settled into the cabin.

Forseti followed suit, squeezing into the cabin on the back of the colossal beast, looking around with curiosity.

"First time riding a swamp beast?" the tamer asked.

"Yes."

The tamer smiled, advising, "Then hold on tight."

With a tug on the chain, he commanded, "Go!"

"Roar—"

The swamp beast roared and leaped, covering a hundred meters in a single bound, swiftly departing from the Garkan Warehouse.

Forseti was startled, quickly gripping the armrest beside him, feeling his heart race.

The swamp beast's movement reminded him of the Hulk's sheer power.

Thus, like a giant leaping Hulk, the swamp behemoth charged forward at incredible speed, disregarding the terrain's roughness, maintaining a straight path.

Despite the inevitable bumps at full speed, Forseti, accustomed to such travel, gazed out the window at the rolling landscape.

Two days passed.

"Is that the Valley of Falling Thunder?" Forseti extended his hand as the swamp beast continued to leap and gallop.

In the distant horizon, dark clouds gathered, resembling a mountain suspended in the sky, thunderbolts shooting forth toward the earth.

The distant rumbling of thunder reached them.

"Yes," the beast tamer confirmed. "Soon, you'll witness a spectacle unlike any other."

Forseti: "..."

With the swamp beast's rapid stride, the two finally arrived at their destination: one of Vanaheim's most renowned marvels, the Valley of Falling Thunder.

The valley was flanked by Luolei Mountains, their peaks towering over 10,000 meters, majestic against the cloudy sky.

The valley floor and mountain slopes were a pale yellow, devoid of vegetation, their sharp lines carved by thunder's relentless force.

"Crackle—"

"Boom—"

Thunderbolts struck just a few hundred meters away, pounding the valley floor.

Further off, the thunderbolts were denser, fixed in place like towering plants stretching from valley to sky.

It was a breathtaking sight, one Forseti had never witnessed in this or any other lifetime, leaving him awestruck.

"Roar-roar—" Confronted by the torrent of thunderbolts, the swamp beast grew uneasy, roaring and stepping back.

Quickly calming the creature, the beast tamer tossed what looked like sugarcane—its food. Seeing this, the swamp beast settled down to eat, visibly calmer.

"We're getting closer. This isn't the best viewpoint. I know of a mountain—"

"No, this spot is perfect," Forseti interrupted.

"What are you planning?" The beast tamer looked puzzled, then seemed to recall something. "You're going in?"

"Yes," Forseti affirmed firmly.

"Are you serious? The Valley of Thunder is considered one of Vanaheim's three forbidden areas. Even for us gods, it's potentially deadly."

"My goal is to find the Thunderbolt Fruit in the Valley of Falling Thunder. I must go in," Forseti declared.

"Thunderbolt Fruit?" The beast tamer was taken aback, then shook his head. "Very well... I wish you luck."

Just as Forseti was about to dismount the swamp beast, he hesitated. "Wait!"

Turning back, Forseti asked suspiciously, "What is it?"

The beast tamer looked somewhat embarrassed and coughed, "Um... could you pay in advance?"

Forseti sighed inwardly, paid the fee, then dismounted the swamp beast, heading straight into the Valley of Falling Thunder.

The valley's edge was distinct from the outer world. Outside, the terrain was normal, but inside, scorched earth indicated long-term lightning strikes.

Approaching the edge, Forseti hesitated briefly before stepping in.

"Snap—"

A bolt of lightning struck directly overhead.

Fortunately, it was not too powerful; Forseti felt momentarily numb but suffered no serious harm.

Nonetheless, he activated a protective spell, a holy light enveloping his entire body.

After a brief hesitation, Forseti decided to use a fragment of the Holy Light Shield. Summoning the spell in his mind, a large shield of holy light materialized, raised overhead to fend off the lightning.

With the valley as the epicenter, ominous clouds covered a radius of hundreds of miles, blocking out the sun.

Forseti also cast the Holy Light Illumination with his free hand.

In this moment, he felt as if he were a protagonist in an epic tale.

Indeed, outside the valley, the beast tamer sat atop the swamp beast's head, observing with awe. "Wow, this guy's really something!"

Suddenly, the sky churned with dark clouds, unleashing a massive lightning bolt akin to a dragon's wrath, crashing down directly toward Forseti!

"Boom!"

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