Wizard Alchemist

Chapter 648 Going Astray (2-in-1)

"I've long heard that the abyss has been constantly eroding the material world..."

Whenever a new world comes under His rule, the abyss gains another 'layer'...

Besides the thousands of ancient levels, countless other planes and worlds were later devoured!

Roy tried to use his mental energy to investigate, but felt as if he had been swallowed up out of thin air.

The human body is insignificant compared to planes and worlds.

What we used to be so proud of as strength now seems to be nothing more than a drop in the ocean.

However, just as Roy himself couldn't help but feel a little depressed, he looked at Alice sitting quietly beside him with full confidence.

"Ordinary abyssal erosion wouldn't so easily bring forth legendary-level enemies..."

Alice should be able to handle it!

Just then, a warning came from ahead from Wallace and the others.

"Watch out, something's changed around us!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the dark cave became a little brighter.

A distinct feeling arose, as if crossing a certain "boundary".

The demonic energy surrounding them grew even denser and more chaotic.

"From a cosmological perspective, we can actually say that we have already gone beyond space."

However, the magical universe does not have a true vacuum, and mana, which all living things depend on, is widely distributed in various places.

Even in a place that was originally empty, as long as a soul sets foot there, it can illuminate that place.

Because the soul is the only true origin of all things in this world...

Is this somewhat similar to the observer effect?

Roy reached out and felt the empty, silent surroundings.

There was no wind.

But there still seemed to be air.

Soon after, everyone lit their lanterns or cast "illumination spells".

This also confirmed his guess.

Surprisingly, rock walls actually appeared all around, like abandoned ancient ruins.

But this is not because they happened to arrive at an underground palace in the material world, but because their spirit and soul entered the void and, by their own will, temporarily created a "small world"!
This is also why Roy just thought of the "observer effect".

This "little world"...

It was generated temporarily!

When everyone leaves, it will become a silent and empty place again!
Of course, this does not mean that you can change your surroundings as you would in a dream.

Because the will of the abyss has corrupted this place and plays a dominant role.

We must ultimately follow the laws of the abyss.

……

"Lord Roy, we have already set up the necessary anchor points around the area. From now on, we must keep moving forward until we find the source of the abyssal demonic energy..."

While Roy was observing his surroundings, Wallace and the others had already begun to get busy.

A moment later, someone came over and reminded him.

As soon as he finished speaking, the void trembled, and a roar like that of a wild beast resounded.

Immediately afterwards, beams of red light appeared ahead—the eyes of the abyssal demons.

"Be careful, it's the will of the abyss..."

"He has noticed us!"

Countless monsters surged forward and attacked everyone present without warning.

This is not the material world, and the monsters are no longer purely physical entities, but have become beings similar to shadowy monsters.

Their bodies are composed of dense shadows, possessing characteristics that lie between spirit and matter.

On the surface, it looked as if a thick layer of black smoke had appeared, and its figure also had a slightly translucent, phantom-like quality.

But the harm they cause to everyone is very real.

Its sharp claws and teeth are more than enough to easily tear any low-level adventurer who strays into its clutches to shreds.

Fortunately, the warriors that Walladena brought were very elite, including more than a dozen first-level experts. He himself was also a second-level expert, and he used a peculiar power similar to battle qi.

Whenever he activated his powers, his body was enveloped in flames. He swung his swords and slashed, the crimson flames burning fiercely, easily slaying demons.

During this time, the monster corpses did not pile up, but quickly dispersed.

Pranz and Nisa noticed that these monsters seemed to vanish like phantoms, turning into a cloud of black smoke and disappearing instantly.

This is not a real death, but rather an alternative form of rebirth.

These monsters...

Immortal and indestructible!

Even in this place which is not inside the abyss, the will of the abyss can still continuously create all kinds of monsters by infiltrating it!

"Everyone, maintain formation! A new wave of attacks is coming!"

"war!"

Ahead, roars echoed, the battle raging on.

Fortunately, those appearing at this time were mostly clueless and muddle-headed fodder.

Soon, they were wiped out once again.

The group successfully arrived at a key location.

Just like going down the throat, that's where the stomach is!
The vast space ahead was their true destination.

"Is that the abyssal nodule we've been looking for?"

Roy looked up and immediately saw it: in mid-air, a giant's heart-like fleshy organ was suspended there as if entwined with vines.

The Eye of Hermes can only reflect a large mass of black mist, making it impossible to see its true nature.

However, his past knowledge told him that this was the abyssal tumor he was looking for.

This is a place where demonic energy condenses. The power of the abyss is originally a chaotic and disordered existence that leans towards the spiritual realm.

Occasionally, a portion of it intertwines with and collides with the laws of the material plane, giving rise to a material existence.

This will form something that resembles a heart.

At first glance, it looks somewhat like the already formed organs and hair inside a deformed stillborn fetus!

Beside this heart-shaped object, enormous black crystals condensed.

There are also some creature-like egg sacs scattered around, some of which have even begun to hatch, creating certain monsters with physical forms.

Below, in the large pit, there were piles of all sorts of severed limbs and rotting flesh.

The scene of mountains of corpses and seas of blood created an exceptionally terrifying spectacle, possessing a deterrent effect similar to that of a "horror totem."

Ordinary people would be terrified if they encountered such a scene.

Fortunately, everyone was either an experienced warrior or a formally ranked individual, and they had prepared mental spells to dispel fear and boost morale, which allowed them to gain a foothold.

However, soon, black smoke began to emerge from it, creating even more monsters.

Thousands more Quassai demons, Fro demons, and Horned demons attacked.

Dealing with these demons was not Roy's responsibility. Under the protection of the others, he began to discuss with other spellcasters in the team how to find the nodes in their space.

These people are wizards from another world, similar to figures like Mogos.

Although not a direct descendant, those who have reached level one or above possess considerable knowledge and abilities.

******
Several more hours passed quickly.

In the dark cave, silver light appeared, and strands of silk intertwined, condensing into a tangible mark in the air.

Several vassal wizards stepped forward and carefully placed the ether bomb that Roy had specially crafted inside.

Then came the simple detonation of the witch array.

Various black runes intertwined in the air, forming a structure resembling chains.

With the help of the girl's skull, Roy quickly calculated one node after another.

Then, he directed everyone to continue installing the ether bombs.

Pranje and Nisa, standing behind, saw that these formations were densely distributed on the walls of the cave entrance, forming a huge "net".

The grid of this network is not uniform, but is precisely calculated through a special method.

The purpose was to achieve a greater effect with the same number of ether bombs. "Given the vastness of this space, no amount of ether bombs would be enough..."

It is impossible to destroy the entire void.

However, blocking the entrance and creating even more barriers that make it harder to reopen it is more than enough.

The better it is performed, the fewer potential risks there will be.

This is thinking about the future.

The two of them vaguely understood something.

"That's good. I have more than 200 bombs on hand now, which should be enough to exceed the mission target."

But since we've accepted the commission, let's do the job well!

Roy explained as he worked.

During this process, he was pleasantly surprised to find that the girl's head had indeed become much smarter.

This girl's skull was originally Celine's split brain.

Due to the limitations of the container space, what it can actually hold is only equivalent to level zero...

The brains of elite apprentices, even advanced apprentices.

In other words, this brain capacity, approximately 1350 ml, can only provide a maximum of 5 to 10 units of mental energy!
This data is consistent with the limits of ordinary human beings.

Even biological brains must adhere to this standard.

However, at this moment, the girl's skull, having consumed the juice of the second-grade rare fruit "sweet lemon," has visibly had its brain capacity limitations lifted.

It has already ascended like a formal wizard, possessing more than 10 points of spiritual power.

This represents the potential to develop to level two or higher, independent of the original entity.

Excluding the effects of physical transformation and knowledge acquisition, the mental attribute alone has the potential to reach over 100!
Celine's core follows a hardware stacking model where one brain is like a building.

It is undoubtedly a "super brain".

And the girl's skull.

It may have already embarked on its own independent path.

Just then, with his task nearing completion, Roy turned his attention to the battlefield ahead.

"How's it going? Is it finished?"

Wallace and the others had just wiped out another wave of attacking monsters and were preparing to attack the heart.

Seeing Roy looking over, he gave him a questioning look.

"Already done."

Roy replied.

"There's no time to lose, let's get started!"

Wallace said immediately.

"Wait a mininute!"

Roy stopped them, and then, amidst the puzzled looks of the crowd, took advantage of a lull in the monster's attack to reach the wall.

What appeared before me was a columnar crystal shaped like an obelisk, with the appearance of natural glass resembling obsidian.

He had been busy with his work and hadn't had a chance to look at this kind of thing properly.

"Those are abyssal magic stones commonly found in this space..."

It contains some mana crystals, but they are of little value.

Wallace thought he was interested in this kind of thing and reminded him.

"I know."

Roy nodded.

How could an alchemist not know?

"This thing is the famous Abyss Magic Stone. In theory, it is the same as the obsidian produced in those magic crystal mines."

If one spares no expense in refining it, it is possible to separate clean magic stones and pure demonic energy.

but……

The cost is too high!
Even if it were turned into a pollutant and used as a bullet to inflict damage on an enemy...

It's not pure enough!

That's its downside.

But this did not stop Roy from collecting a few pieces and storing them in a separate space, preparing to take them back for some research.

To store these separately and avoid contaminating his spatial ring, he used a new storage device made from small pieces of ether.

More than a dozen decaying egg sacs were also collected from the side.

Anyway, it's all something that comes easily.

"Alright, let's begin!"

After returning to a safe position, Roy nodded to Wallace and the others.

So, at a command, everyone attacked at once.

The violent explosion shattered the "heart" in the air.

Like a tattered sack being blown open, a large amount of thick, foul-smelling liquid gushed out and poured onto the pile of corpses below.

Instantly, black smoke filled the air, and thousands upon thousands of monsters were about to be created.

Everyone quickly retreated to the rear and detonated the bombs.

Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!

After a series of deafening roars, the void collapsed, caved inwards from the vast area in front, and swept away a large number of demons.

Immediately following this, a series of explosions occurred.

The precisely calculated nodes shattered the void like glass.

Vast expanses of space were plunged into boundless darkness, as if they had vanished into thin air.

The Earth's crustal layers, representing the true material world, were exposed, and then disappeared from view.

Roy and the others retreated quickly, feeling the tremors behind them as a series of explosions once again engulfed a large area of ​​emptiness.

The crack in this abyss has been temporarily sealed.

……

A moment later, the group emerged from the Zabiro Rift Valley and saw the sky again.

By this time, it was already night.

A bright moon shone in the sky, its pure light like a silver veil.

Before he could appreciate it for long, Wallace was slightly taken aback.

"What's going on? This isn't Torrad?"

"what?"

Everyone was surprised.

They quickly took to the sky and looked around.

The result was that they found themselves on a floating island that resembled a shattered continent.

All around was a vast, boundless black fog, as black as ink, filling the entire universe.

"Could it be that we went astray when we retreated?"

"Waldner said in a cold voice."

This is not normal, absolutely not normal!

Roy also frowned.

This is indeed a bit strange.

Even if the path to the abyss is a mental space reflected by the mind, it should still be a straight, one-way passage if one does not delve into it.

How could you possibly go to the wrong place for no reason?

"Could it be that someone is secretly sabotaging us?"

Someone secretly altered our spatial perception, leading us here!

The moment I thought of this, an ominous premonition arose.

He suddenly thought of someone.

That level two mage, Fassus, who was defeated by him twice in a row!
(End of this chapter)