After experiencing it for only a few moments, the members of the Dragon Ride Adventure Team each wore a look of wild elation on their faces.
"It's real! That oppressive pressure really has disappeared!"
"Boss, if we could rest here all the time, we wouldn't even need to go back to Dragon Heart City to recover. We could just stay in the Earth Heart Mountains and grind nonstop — I bet we could surpass the eight great adventure teams under Sky's Edge in less than ten days to half a month."
Before this, they had been indifferent about the Northern Fortress. After all, they had visited the Thirteen Royal Courts' fortresses before and knew full well what fortresses were about.
A fortress, at the end of the day, was nothing more than a temporary rest stop — a place to recover stamina and mental energy, resupply, and repair weapons and equipment.
But arriving at the Northern Fortress had completely overturned their understanding.
Setting aside the incredibly abundant mana that allowed them to store double the experience points, simply making the ever-present oppressive pressure of the Earth Heart Mountains vanish was enough to fill them with comfort. They wouldn't need to return to Dragon Heart City just to relax anymore.
This omnipresent pressure wasn't strong on its own, and its effect on them was minimal. But over long periods, the pressure accumulated into mental fatigue — and especially during grueling battles against monsters, it became like the last straw that broke the camel's back, making things unbearably difficult.
So even when they could rest inside a fortress, they would still head back to Dragon Heart City within four or five days to release that built-up stress.
They had already spent three days in the Earth Heart Mountains. Now, upon entering the Northern Fortress with every trace of that pressure gone, the sheer comfort was something they usually only felt after returning to Dragon Heart City.
If entering the Northern Fortress could purge all that stress, then they wouldn't need to go back to Dragon Heart City at all. They could remain in the Earth Heart Mountains indefinitely — leveling up faster, gathering more resources, and saving on both the travel fees to and from the World Tower and the time spent making the trip.
Dragon Soar Under Heaven was equally ecstatic.
The benefit might seem insignificant at first glance, but drip by drip, water wears away stone. As long as they leveraged the Northern Fortress's capabilities, the Dragon Ride Adventure Team could gradually widen the gap between themselves and the other major adventure teams in Dragon Heart City. Surpassing the eight great teams under Sky's Edge would be effortless.
Just as the Dragon Ride Adventure Team members were savoring the pressure-free environment and strolling through the Northern Fortress, a sudden cry rang out in the team chat.
"Boss, get over here quick! I found something amazing!" the Level 87 Half-Tiger-Man Shield Warrior shouted excitedly.
"What's so amazing that you're making such a commotion?" Dragon Soar Under Heaven said, exasperated.
The Dragon Ride Adventure Team was, after all, a well-known adventure team on Dragon Heart Island. Making a scene like this right in front of the Dragon and Phoenix Pavilion and Zero Wing players upon entering the Northern Fortress — he didn't even know what to say.
"Boss, it's a teleportation magic scroll for the fortress! There are fortress return scrolls being sold at the defensive magic tower!" the Half-Tiger-Man Shield Warrior exclaimed.
"What? Return scrolls?" Dragon Soar Under Heaven's breathing grew heavier the moment he heard.
Return scrolls, which could be used freely in the outside world, were like an oasis in a desert when it came to a place like the Earth Heart Mountains — far more precious than even that metaphor suggested.
The Earth Heart Mountains were far too dangerous. Combined with the omnipresent pressure, one could slip into an irreversible, desperate situation before even realizing it. Sure, you might use a teleportation scroll to escape for the time being, but the return journey was fraught with countless hazards.
If they had return scrolls, it was essentially like gaining an extra life.
And with return scrolls in hand, they wouldn't need to hold back stamina and mental energy for the trip home — the range they could explore would effectively double.