Chapter 121.1
Kugugugugu!
The ground shook with a deafening sound.
Along with the distortion of the mana flow, the sky in Zone 3 split apart, revealing a pitch-black fissure—the Abyss Rift.
"Whew."
Deflyn exhaled the breath she had been holding while calming her ragged breathing and wiping the beads of sweat from her brow.
It was understandable.
Creating the Abyss rift consumed considerable concentration and mana, leaving her exhausted. As she caught her breath to recover,
"Hm?"
She suddenly sensed an unfamiliar gaze; as if she was being watched.
She looked around.
And soon her eyes widened, realizing the source of the gaze.
"『Eyes of the Watcher』"
An orb radiating light in the void.
The moment she recognized it, she had already completed her magic spell — Ice shards, emanating a chilling aura, materialized before her — and in the blink of an eye, five shards, guided by her will, shot forth at lightning speed.
Fwoosh!
They struck their target with pinpoint accuracy.
The 『Eyes of the Watcher』 exploded in the void, vanishing without a trace. Narrowing her eyes as she watched, Deflyn murmured, "Hmm, who could have used it?"
The 『Eyes of the Watcher』 was a high-rank spell.
Only masters who had reached the realm of advanced-level mages and beyond could use it. The candidates naturally narrowed to two.
Dilia Arpen.
Count Demuel Ron Dermore.
Of the two, the Count was the more likely culprit.
As he led the Imperial Investigation Team.
Therefore, it made sense that he would use the 『Eyes of the Watcher』 to scout the Zone 3.
"Ugh, what should I do?"
Should she confront him?
Her violet eyes flashed coldly.
But only for a moment. She grumbled, her expression now one of indifference, "Ah, never mind. There's no evidence anyway."
The 『Eyes of the Watcher』 had no recording function.
It was simply used to share the view of distant locations.
And even if her actions were discovered, it wouldn't be a big deal.
"I'll just flee then."
She had no attachment to the academy; that's why she was always prepared to flee if she ever found herself in a corner.
"But more importantly..."
There was something else that bothered her.
The Abyss Rift. Frowning, she gazed quietly at the tear in the void.
"Why is there no reaction?"
The Abyss Rift was far too quiet.
No monsters emerged, and not even a single demon, a common sight in such places, was in sight.
This was a stark contrast from last time.
What could be the issue?
As she pondered with a puzzled look,
"Ah."
Suddenly something caught her eye — an object she hadn't used last month.
The black pendant the Abyss Worshipper Estelle had asked her to use as a sacrifice.
"Could it be because of that?"
Last time, Professor Dirac had been the sacrifice instead of the pendant. Comparing then and now, this was the only difference.
"In that case..."
Maybe it's worth a try?
Deflyn immediately strode over.
She picked up the pendant, which was placed in the center of the magic circle, and threw it outside.
And in that instant,
The Abyss Rift began to tremble violently.
Kururururur!
A strange sound echoed through the air.
It sounded like a dam breaking, releasing a torrent of water.
"As I thought, this was the answer."
Deflyn smiled faintly.
The monsters that hadn't been able to come out were likely trying to rush out all at once.
Anticipating the chaos, she stepped back; but she couldn't move.
"Huh?"
Her feet wouldn't budge; as if held in place.
What's going on?
She looked down at the ground, and immediately realized why she couldn't move her feet.
"A swamp?"
A pitch-black swamp, dark as the abyss itself.
The highly viscous swamp had already risen up to her knees. Her feet were firmly stuck, refusing to come loose no matter how much she tried.
As she frowned, an unexpected incident occurred.
Kwagagagagaga!
An immense amount of mud gushed out from beyond the Abyss Rift. The pitch-black mud quickly mixed with the swamp, raging like rapids.
The water level rapidly rose and Deflyn's expression froze.
"...!"
She instinctively sensed it.
The current situation was extremely dangerous.
Right after realizing this,
She cast her spell without hesitation. And just before her whole body was swallowed by the swamp,
Fwooosh!
Her body soared into the air.
The effect of using the levitation spell, one of the advanced-level spells. Having narrowly avoided sinking into the swamp, she finally felt relieved.
"Haah."
I almost got buried alive.
As she sighed in relief again, a new phenomenon caught her eye.
"Hm? That is..."
The swamp, which now covered the entire Zone 3, began to writhe like a living creature, eventually splitting into countless lumps.
And these lumps quickly took form.
An appearance like the mud monsters sometimes found in swamplands; a staggering number exceeding a hundred.
As she watched this scene, suddenly all the mud monsters' gazes turned in the same direction — toward the black pendant she had tossed away earlier.
The monsters fixated solely on the pendant, causing her to furrow her brow.
"...Just what is that?"
While the identity of the monsters intrigued her, the pendant was more concerning. But she couldn't muster the courage to descend and retrieve it.
Her instincts were raising warnings.
Absolutely do not approach.
"Fine. I'll ask about it later," she muttered, dismissing her curiosity about the pendant. She grabbed her staff, deciding to leave before the situation worsened. While part of her wanted to observe the Abyss Rift further, she had no intention of risking danger just to linger.
'And one more thing.'
Something seemed ominous.
The black smoke billowing from the pendant was staining the surroundings pitch-black.
The encroaching darkness spreading, its identity unknown, but it too felt like something to avoid getting close to.
"I should return quickly."
At any rate, she had achieved my goal.
Deflyn promptly waved her staff.
Fwooosh!
Her body was enveloped in an azure light, then faded away as if melting into the air — the return spell transporting her back to the academy's gates.
Some time after Deflyn vanished,
Shhhhhhhh!
Black rain began to fall in Zone 3; the entire place steeped in darkness in an instant.
Amidst this, a peculiarly white mist dripped down from the boundary fog.
A mist emanating a faint glow.
The one solitary source of light in the pitch-black world, it looked like a star shining alone in the night sky.
Slither! Slither!
The mist gradually took form, revealing a wolf with four legs, a bushy tail, white fur, and red eyes—Bai Lang, to be precise.
[.....]
The wolf that appeared stared intently in the direction Deflyn had vanished. Then it licked its lips, as if imagining something tasty.
But that was brief.
But then its gaze shifted to where Deflyn had been moments ago—the spot with the mud monsters, the black pendant, and the Abyss Rift.
[Grrrrr!]
Eyes filled with rage, hostility, and caution.
Its crimson eyes refused to leave the Abyss Rift. Yet it dared not approach recklessly.
Not just because of the surrounding mud monsters, but also due to the Abyss' mana overflowing from the rift.
As the wolf continued to watch, its ears suddenly perked up.
Moments later, it turned its gaze beyond the mist — toward Zone 2, shrouded in inky blackness from the downpour.
[Grrrrrowl!]
Its white tail swished as it sensed a familiar presence—someone who could resolve the issues of the Abyss Rift and the mud monsters. Thinking of this person, the wolf dissolved into mist.
Some time later,
The mist flowed toward Zone 2.
Translator’s Notes :-
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