Chapter 84
Chapter 84
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 84
Chapter Title: Myriad Phenomena Dragon
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“Urghhh...!”
“Master!”
“Eeeek!”
Fragmented scenes flicker into view. The sounds reaching my ears cut off irregularly as well. It was because the visual information pouring through my eyes was far too immense.
Am I spinning right now? Am I hurtling through the air? Where's right? Where's left? Can I even tell day from night? Light? Where are the sounds coming from?
It's not just sight. Hearing, touch, smell—even taste. The boundaries of every sense I can feel crumble, everything mixing into a dizzying chaos. Yet the reason I can ultimately maintain awareness of myself is thanks to the four rings embedded in my heart.
The heart's mystery provides a firm foundation for my very being. Mana spreading throughout my body reestablishes my physical senses. I can move my hands and breathe again. The moment I blink and regain all my senses, a massive wave of information crashes in.
My brain, pushed beyond its limits, heats up scorching hot. The information from the world my eyes behold flows into my mind. The gestures of colossal lifeforms, waves rippling out in pitch-black space, frozen earth surging upward in a spin, an unidentified mineral expanse stretching endlessly.
A different dimension. Or a place called another world. That's what I'm seeing right now. The moment I realize this, I vaguely guess where I am.
A facet of the world, a kind of passage where countless worlds tangle chaotically. A path created for gigantic beings to traverse. Leaving behind the forms of colossal species crossing between worlds, my body flies onward endlessly.
What went wrong? For what reason were my disciples and I drawn to this place? I didn't activate the altar. A problem with the magic? It was a place with an existing path. The ancient dwarves had prepared it through some method to commune with colossal species, so perhaps the boundary between worlds was thin there. Did it get destroyed by coincidence?
The chain of questions snaps off. From the end of the passage, a massive light reveals itself at an incredibly fast speed. The instant I perceive its existence, my body is already engulfed in light.
Fwaaash—!
I clutched my throbbing forehead and rose to my feet. As my dormant physical senses awoke, forgotten memories surged back in an instant. Amid the jumbled chaos of memories, the final scene was perceiving that light.
And now.
I sat dazed on a vast plain.
“Hah...”
A strange sigh escaped my lips, carried away on the wind. It was the moment I regained my wits—Arcana had automatically activated.
What I was seeing now wasn't an ordinary landscape. A world filled with blue light. The density of mana flowing through nature was excessively high. It wasn't just a specific area; everywhere I looked around me was the same.
Simply put, four times—no, five times as much, maybe. The mana absorbed through my heart's circles was the same. The excessive density even caused a stinging pain. Arcana's output had increased, and the domain of Gentle Wind had expanded without conscious effort.
This wasn't the place I knew. It was another world.
I stood and properly surveyed my surroundings. My possessions were intact. But everything else was gone. Durel, Simo, Olbern—not even the turtle golem was anywhere to be seen.
It was an open plain with nothing obstructing the view. They weren't visible. Even expanding Gentle Wind's detection range yielded no sign of my disciples.
“Durel! Simo! Olbern!”
Even shouting at the top of my lungs brought no reply.
This wasn't a normal passage opening. Something had gone wrong, most likely. But they probably hadn't been scattered to entirely different worlds. The passage connected in a straight line. I could easily recall that a massive mystery enveloped it, preventing exit to the outside or entry from it.
A way back...
Should I erect an altar and activate the rune letters? Or unleash magic into the air and aim for the same phenomenon as before? I didn't deliberate long. Finding my missing disciples took priority over finding a way home.
I had no idea what dangers those young ones might be facing.
They were the children I had taken in. The responsibility lay with me.
The glider...
The moment I pulled the rod from my back and pressed the button. With a click, the wings unfurled and fell to my feet. It seemed only the exterior looked fine. Apparently, it had collided with something upon arriving here.
At least my body was unscathed—that was fortunate. I tossed aside the glider in my hand. No need to carry broken junk. Without the glider, I could just envelop myself in Gentle Wind.
It would be much slower than riding the glider, but still far better than walking.
Pah—!
The instant I kicked off the ground, my small body soared into the air.
The height...
Both height and speed were abnormal. Likely due to the dense mana. I had momentarily failed to account for the boosted magic output. But soon, a gentle wind blew in, correcting my off-balance center of gravity.
Whoooosh—!
The moment I ascended into the sky. A vast field and the currents of wind flowing over it. The dense mana settling blue sparkled like starlight. At the horizon where the blue sky met the verdant field, a massive being swam through the clouds and vanished.
A colossal species...
Could that be the Rem Drain—or Myriad Phenomena Dragon—the dwarves spoke of? For a brief moment, I was overwhelmed by the enormous mystery. Snapping out of it belatedly, I glided forward on the wind.
Whoooosh—!
The weather was clear. On an ordinary day, I would have offered my small master a sweet drink. But I couldn't. My legs had to keep moving without rest, and harsh breaths burst from my mouth.
“Don't stopppp!”
“Simo! Shut your mouth and run! Talking makes it harder!”
“Master! Save us!”
Durel frowned and glanced back. Grotesquely formed wolves were chasing them. They resembled wolves in shape but were covered head to tail in scales. And they emanated mana, so rather than clash, they chose flight.
Could those even be called wolves? The monster's unfamiliar form instilled an unknown fear.
It had been right after they fell into this unidentified forest. He, Simo, and Olbern had landed together, but their master was nowhere. Worry gnawed at him endlessly. And to make matters worse, they were now fleeing from forest monsters.
“I can't run anymore!”
“Simo!”
Simo, who had been leading by a step, halted in place. Red blood welled up from his roughly raised arms, enveloping them entirely.
“What the...!”
The moment bewilderment crossed Simo's face. The massive wolf, arriving even faster, lunged its maw toward him.
In that gap, Simo thought.
His body felt lighter than usual. His blood magic's output had more than doubled. Without conscious effort, his body moved first, smashing his fist into the wolf's head.
Bam—!
Bam...?
The instant they collided, a blood-red explosion erupted from his fist's tip. His blood magic was advancing to the next stage. Simo instinctively realized this.
That moment. As another wolf stealthily approached and bared its fangs at Simo, a massive blade flew in, piercing the wolf's maw.
Krunch—!
Startled by the sudden resistance, perhaps? The pack's rapid advance hesitated for a beat. Simo quickly turned to Durel.
“Hey, this...”
“The magic's power has increased...”
Durel nodded as he spoke. A realization come late. Magic output had risen. Even without conscious effort, even with the usual mana allocation, the power had grown. The dense mana was pushing out the existing mana, filling his body.
“Wha...? Magic power increased?”
From the rear, Olbern riding the Wolf Queen yelped in surprise.
It didn't matter. Simo grinned, slapping his arms hard. The clash of his fists rang out like striking iron.
“These bastards are all dead.”
-Grrrrr...
Ten wolves. He could take five, and Durel the rest. The moment their eyes met, Simo kicked off the ground and charged.
Faster and lighter than usual. The moment his thrusting fist struck the wolf's body, a small explosion sent it flying. Power surged through his entire body. The blood flowing beneath his skin burned hot, and with each pounding heartbeat, a strange euphoria pierced his mind.
One, two, three.
In the midst of mercilessly grabbing, throwing, and pummeling the wolves, drunk on strength.
Suddenly.
Simo realized his right leg was also covered in crimson bloodlight.
“What is this...!”
Bam—!
Right after his straight-thrust leg crushed a wolf's head. Simo panted raggedly, looking around. The fight was over. Then he staggered and collapsed. Anemia.
“Simo!”
“Hah... Senior!”