Chapter 1061: Shadow of the Star (7)
To head for Kundara, they needed to twist the veil using Celestial Spellcraft.
However, the Harvester Spell Master directly ‘cut’ the veil, creating a path to the spacetime beyond.
“This is…”
Crackle, crackle…!!
A sharp gash was etched across the veil, stretching to the horizon.
It was as if a transparent curtain, through which one could glimpse what lay beyond, had been cut open, and a completely different landscape had spilled out.
Literally, cutting the hidden spacetime behind the veil and exposing it.
If an Imaginary Dimension, which theoretically shouldn’t exist, were forcibly pulled into reality, would it feel like this?
Whoosh!
A magnificent mountain range enveloped in thick fog. Rugged peaks stretched out in winding curves.
The sound of a waterfall echoed from the valley. The whisper of lotus leaves brushing against each other around a pond.
Birdsong and wind intertwined, gently caressing the serene mountain range.
The true nature of the landscape was entirely different from what was glimpsed through the rift in the veil.
“This way, Van.”
The Harvester Spell Master, who had already stepped into the rift, stood at the end of the misty path, looking back at Lennok.
“Let’s hurry. We have work to do to cross this spacetime beyond the veil and reach Kundara.”
“Instead of twisting the veil, you cut it directly to open a path to the other side.”
Whoosh!!
Lennok, stepping onto the foggy path behind the Harvester Spell Master, asked.
“Can we reach Kundara using a method like this?”
If he wanted to confirm whether Lennok possessed Celestial Spellcraft, there would be no reason to open the spacetime beyond the veil in this manner first.
Yet, it was also clear that the Alliance Leader suspected Lennok.
Did the Harvester Spell Master have other intentions, or did his views on Celestial Spellcraft differ from the Alliance Leader’s?
Just as Lennok, contemplating various possibilities, was exercising caution.
“It’s more akin to avoiding a troublesome issue by using a slight workaround,” the Harvester Spell Master said with a smile, shaking his head.
“What workaround are you talking about?”
“The Long-lived Beings of the Outer Tribulation City have hidden their city in a very secretive way,” the Harvester Spell Master replied to Lennok.
“Hidden behind the Shadow of the Star, it’s impossible to reach Kundara by normal means without aligning with a specific Orbital Cycle.”
“…”
“However, merely entering the spacetime beyond the veil where Kundara is located, that much is possible using my spellcraft.”
The Harvester Spell Master said with a smile.
“That is precisely why I stepped forward to assist you, Van, in this matter.”
“In short, we’ve arrived at the spacetime beyond the veil, essentially lost.”
Whoosh!!
Olivera, who had followed Lennok into the magnificent paradise, spoke.
“So, you prioritized arriving not at Kundara itself, but at the ‘space’ that is the spacetime beyond the veil where the city is hidden?”
“Indeed, you grasp things quickly.”
The Harvester Spell Master nodded with a smile.
“Kundara is hidden somewhere within this spacetime beyond the veil, and I know the way. My guidance pertains precisely to that.”
“…”
“Now, please follow me.”
The moment the Spell Master turned his back, the Corpse Ghost Spell Master, looking pale, dropped onto the spot where he had been standing.
Had the Corpse Ghost Spell Master also rushed into the spacetime beyond the veil upon seeing the rift in the veil close?
Thud!
“Oh, oh dear…”
The Corpse Ghost Spell Master, stumbling as she landed, looked up at Lennok with a blank expression.
“N-now that I think about it, maybe I-I should have just run away alone…”
“…”
“A half-dead corpse making such interesting remarks,” Olivera said, contrary to Lennok, observing her with interest.
Her Mystic Eye gleamed from behind her veil.
“Neither alive nor dead, yet you toy with your own life on the boundary of life and death.”
“Y-yes, yes…?”
“Even setting aside the Root Mindscape, a spellcaster who can wield unique spellcraft like that is rare indeed…”
Olivera let out a strange smile.
“The Watcher of the Glass Garden has acquired an interesting tool.”
“N-no, I’m… I’m not that kind of person…”
The Corpse Ghost Spell Master, looking scared, hurried past Olivera towards the Harvester Spell Master.
But Olivera, seemingly uninterested in the Corpse Ghost Spell Master’s reaction, simply turned away.
“Let us move. If we lose our way here, it will be difficult to regain our bearings.”
“…”
With several idiosyncratic and self-willed individuals gathered, it was impossible to predict where anyone might stray.
Lennok sighed and followed Olivera, who was walking ahead in the fog.
Whoosh!
The deeper they walked, the thicker the fog became, making it impossible to see even an inch ahead.
The Harvester Spell Master, who had disappeared into the fog earlier, was long out of sight.
Even using Lennok’s Mana Perception, the surrounding geographical features remained indistinct.
It was as if the environment itself was scattering like fog and then reconfiguring.
Only Olivera, walking beside him, remained in his field of vision.
Everything else, including the Corpse Ghost Spell Master, was blurring into a hazy indistinctness and vanishing.
It wasn’t that Lennok’s mind was being invaded, but that the surrounding environment was genuinely blurring and dissolving.
“The fog is so thick, it’s difficult to see an inch ahead,” Olivera, walking beside him, remarked in a peculiar tone.
“Following the path he took has its limits, wouldn’t you agree?”
“…No.”
At that moment, Lennok, sensing something off in Olivera’s words, raised his gaze.
“This isn’t just excessively thick fog; it’s…”
[Adamant Thunder. Don’t answer, just listen.]
Olivera transmitted her thoughts telepathically, vibrating her mana.
[The Harvester Spell Master just vanished. Even the occasional glimpses we caught of him in front have completely disappeared.]
“…”
[He’s probably secretly observing us from somewhere.]
Was she pretending not to see him while keeping an eye on the Harvester Spell Master through her Mystic Eye in the fog?
Lennok, realizing that Olivera had used him to provoke the Harvester Spell Master’s actions, lowered his gaze profoundly.
Olivera, arms crossed, spoke with a hint of amusement in her telepathic transmission.
[He’s using the fog spread across the spacetime beyond the veil. As expected, he never intended to take us to the Outer Tribulation City from the start.]
“…”
Indeed, the Harvester Spell Master was prioritizing the verification of Celestial Spellcraft over guiding Lennok.
Cutting the veil to enter the other side might have been to create a situation convenient for the Spell Master himself.
The fact that even the Corpse Ghost Spell Master’s presence couldn’t be detected—was it because the Harvester Spell Master had drawn her along with him, increasing the distance?
[To get our bearings and find our way in this space, you’ll have to twist the veil once again using Celestial Spellcraft.]
Olivera glanced at Lennok from behind her veil.
[And it’s highly likely that’s what that Spell Master is aiming for.]
“…”
[As much as I’d like to capture him right here and tear him limb from limb…]
Olivera’s telepathic transmission, whispering to Lennok, turned infinitely cold.
[The subject of this journey must, after all, be you, so make your own decision.]
Olivera’s explanation made it seem like she had instantly recognized the Harvester Spell Master’s intentions, yet she left the decision to Lennok.
Was it a delusion to think that Olivera’s competence shone more brightly than the Spell Master’s trickery with the spacetime beyond the veil?
But instead of replying to Olivera’s words, Lennok took out a small brooch from his pocket.
The moment the Nyx Badge, embedded with a dark jewel, activated, an intangible barrier unfolded around the two of them.
“There are a few methods we could try.”
Lennok turned his gaze to Olivera and spoke.
“However, both of us will have to take on some risks.”
[…You.]
Olivera stared at the Nyx Badge as if dumbfounded, then spoke.
[An artifact that conceals the wearer’s presence. Are you only bringing out such an item now?]
“If what you said is true, the Harvester Spell Master is watching us from somewhere in this fog right now.”
Lennok said, hands in his coat pockets.
“But that also means the Harvester Spell Master isn’t the only one who can see us right now, isn’t it?”
[That’s…]
“If we draw attention here, some of the Long-lived Beings might notice our presence.”
[You intend to directly summon the Long-lived Beings of Kundara, not the Harvester Spell Master?]
Olivera, understanding Lennok’s words, retorted incredulously.
[This isn’t just ‘taking on risks.’ They might label us as intruders and try to kill us.]
“We are currently in a tug-of-war not just with the Harvester Spell Master, but directly with the Order Alliance Leader as well.”
Lennok said, his gaze fixed coldly on the other side of the fog.
“As you said, the important thing is not to move according to the Harvester Spell Master’s intentions.”
“…”
“Even if I were to use Celestial Spellcraft in front of the Harvester Spell Master, it must only happen under circumstances that I initiate.”
The Harvester Spell Master was trying to confirm Lennok’s Celestial Spellcraft in the process of guiding him to Kundara.
Lennok’s task was to safely enter Kundara with the Spell Master’s guidance, while avoiding the Alliance Leader’s suspicions.
He hadn’t expected the trickery to start so soon, but precisely because of that, he couldn’t reveal his Celestial Spellcraft at this juncture.
[If that is your will, then so be it.]
Olivera clicked her tongue and asked.
[So, how do you intend to summon the Long-lived Beings of Kundara right here?]
“Well, there are about five methods I can think of…”
[…Five methods?]
“For now, I’m thinking of trying the method that relies most on luck.”
Ignoring Olivera’s shock, Lennok reached into his pocket.
“There’s one method that the Harvester Spell Master would least expect, yet could yield a meaningful result.”
It was no coincidence that he had checked all the artifacts in his possession before embarking on this journey.
Because Lennok believed that on a journey to the city of Long-lived Beings, he too needed to establish various means to deal with different situations.
And in a situation free from interference like this, there was one method worth attempting, relying on luck.
Click!!
In Lennok’s hand was a fist-sized, jet-black cube.
From within the cube, multi-faceted cuboids continuously sprang forth, as if blooming like a flower.
A bizarre form that seemed to constantly seek change, alone in an empty three-dimensional spacetime.
[I thought it was some kind of illusion, but it’s a substance whose form and structure aren’t fixed to begin with.]
Olivera, gazing intently at the cube, asked.
[What is that?]
“It’s called the Penteract.”
Lennok, gripping the cube, replied.
“It’s an artifact that materializes a 5-dimensional figure in reality, and when mana is injected, it has the ability to randomly reproduce outcomes from different spatial axes.”
The Penteract, an Old World artifact that Myeong had gifted Lennok long ago.
The moment mana was injected, it transformed randomly, reproducing matter from a different spatial axis.
[An artifact that randomly projects and reproduces matter unrelated to this spacetime, then. Interesting.]
Olivera, who had easily understood Lennok’s succinct explanation, her eyes gleamed with interest.
[From experience, artifacts with such abilities usually didn’t operate truly ‘randomly.’ Are you counting on that as well?]
Olivera’s words were not wrong.
Based on Lennok’s several uses of the Penteract, an object completely unrelated to the current situation had never appeared.
When he had used the Penteract at the Guido Cult’s Far Eastern Branch, Lennok had obtained an alibi necessary to impersonate an Apostle of the cult.
Thanks to it, he had been able to infiltrate the Far Eastern Branch relatively easily before confronting the Apostle Selection Ritual.
If luck was on their side, perhaps the Penteract’s existence could become a variable outside the Harvester Spell Master’s expectations.
[It’s intriguing, but it doesn’t quite suit you.]
Olivera, perhaps feeling a similar impression, shook her head, her robe fluttering.
[You may be good at creating variables, but you weren’t usually one to deliberately introduce uncontrollable ones first.]
“You’re not wrong.”
Lennok retorted, lifting the Penteract.
“But the person who gave me this artifact might have thought even such uncertainties were necessary for me.”
“…”
Lennok, gripping the Penteract tightly, said as he drew up mana.
“If that’s the case, I’m willing to verify it myself, as many times as it takes.”
[You…]
Was she surprised by the fact that Lennok had someone he trusted so deeply?
The moment Olivera called Lennok’s name with a strange inflection, Lennok poured mana into the Penteract he held.
Grrr…!!!
Instantly, the cuboid in his hand began to rotate violently, transforming into entirely different shapes.
It flickered between forms unrelated to a cube—scales, a name tag, a pen, a flagpole. It violently thrashed, as if about to leap from his hand.
The moment Lennok, without resisting its movements, threw the Penteract at his feet.
Boom!!!
Smoke thicker than the fog itself billowed up, surging before Lennok’s eyes.
Growing in size within the smoke, a massive altar-like shape rose before Lennok.
“This is…?”
“…”
A vast altar, shaped like an exquisitely precise heptagram (seven-pointed star).
Inside the heptagram, jet-black energy twisted like fine capillaries, writhing like worms.
At a glance, the ominous shape of the altar made Lennok’s expression harden.
“What is this?”
The grotesque altar radiated an aura not just ominous, but chillingly sinister, merely by looking at it.
He knew he had to rely on luck when using the Penteract, but he hadn’t expected such a monstrosity.
Olivera let out a short laugh, turning her gaze to Lennok.
[It’s not an unreasonable outcome. You were never a wizard born with great fortune, after all.]
“…”
[Isn’t it fitting karma for a wizard who only relies on luck when it’s convenient?]
“…If you put it that way, I have nothing to say.”
Lennok grimaced at Olivera’s caustic remark.
Was it possible that if one was not just unlucky, but extremely unlucky, such a cursed object would appear?
Or perhaps, the assumption that an object related to the current situation would appear was mistaken from the start.
“Let’s… just get rid of this and think of another method.”
The moment a slightly dejected Lennok raised his hand and drew up mana to destroy the altar.
=Oh dear.
A greasy voice echoed from within the gigantic heptagram.
=It seems my appearance has unintentionally caused you disappointment.
“!!”
Thwack!!
A crimson-black hand shot out from within the heptagram, surging up before Lennok’s eyes.
The hand, emerging from the altar, slowly waved in the air, then began to speak to Lennok.
=But please understand. I simply couldn’t restrain myself while watching.
Crackle, crackle…!!!
A hand, entirely covered in crimson-black skin, slowly swayed above the altar.
With seven fingers, it didn’t look like a human hand, but rather a small starfish.
=Pleased to meet you. It’s our first time seeing each other face to face, isn’t it?
“…Who are you?”
Lennok asked, narrowing his eyes.
“Are you a being transformed by the Penteract? No, if the artifact had sentience, it wouldn’t have remained unresponsive until now—”
=Not at all. This artifact merely transformed temporarily into an altar to summon me.
The ‘something’ skillfully rubbed its hand together and grinned.
=You possess quite an interesting item. Thanks to it, I’ve managed to seize this opportunity to speak with you.
“…”
A monster that extended only a single crimson-black hand, conversing through eyes and a mouth on it.
Its emergence via the Penteract was absurd enough, but it possessed such a strange aura that it rendered that fact almost negligible.
The aura itself was somewhat familiar, yet it was something so alien that even Lennok found it difficult to guess its lineage or origin.
=Let’s make a deal.
The starfish-hand raised a finger.
=There’s a Long-lived Being I know nearby. He could get you into the Outer Tribulation City.
“…”
=I will guide you to him. What do you say?
“You appear suddenly and spout nothing but suspicious nonsense.”
Lennok narrowed his eyes.
“What do you want?”
=I understand. You may be seeing me for the first time, but I am not seeing you for the first time.
The monster said with a smile.
=However, this is the first time so many of my contractors have died in such a short period, so I couldn’t help but find out.
“…Contractors?”
A large number of contractors dead in a short period. And someone deeply entangled with Lennok.
The moment his thoughts reached that point, Lennok realized who his interlocutor was and his mouth tightened.
The strong, ugly, even grotesque sense of déjà vu emanating from the altar.
Because he finally understood that it felt like the monsters he had faced on the Western Front, compressed tens of thousands of times over.
[Surely not…]
Olivera, too, seemed to instinctively grasp its identity from that single word, and her Mystic Eye furrowed.
Lennok stared at the altar with a bewildered expression and muttered.
“So, the one who corrupted the Headro Warlords, he’s here himself right now?”
The master of the forbidden ritual that transformed the entire Headro Warlords into monsters.
The moment he realized his opponent was the mastermind behind the corruption of the entire Headro Warlords, and the very head of it.
The crimson-black monster elegantly extended its hand toward Lennok.
=I’m interested in your astonishingly excellent skill in killing. Would you care to do some business with me?