Chapter 126

“Kugugugu!”

The ground shook with a loud noise.

With the flow of magic twisting in strange ways, the air of Zone 3 split in two.

Then, a pitch-black rift appeared.

It was none other than the Abyssal Rift.

“Hoo.”

Diplyn exhaled a breath she had been holding.

She caught her breath, wiping the beads of sweat off her forehead.

It was only natural.

Creating an Abyssal Rift requires intense concentration and spiritual energy. Just as she took a breather to recover her stamina—

“Huh?”

Suddenly, she felt an unexplained gaze.

It was as if she were being watched.

Diplyn glanced around.

Then her eyes widened in realization as she figured out the source of the stare.

“…Eye of the Watcher?”

A sphere scattering light in the air.

At that moment, Diplyn had already finished the incantation.

Ice spears, scattering coldness.

In the blink of an eye, five spears appeared and shot forth at high speed, according to her will.

Fwoosh!

And they hit dead on.

The Eye of the Watcher exploded in the air. Watching it vanish without a trace, Diplyn narrowed her eyes.

“Hmm, who used that?”

The Eye of the Watcher was a high-tier spell.

Only someone who had achieved the rank of High-ranking Mage or higher could use it. Naturally, the candidates narrowed down to two.

Delia Arpen.

Count D’muehl Ron Dermore.

The latter was the more likely candidate.

Since the count was leading the Empire’s investigation team.

If he intended to use the Eye of the Watcher to scout Zone 3, then it made sense.

“Ugh, what to do?”

Should she take action?

Her violet eyes glinted coldly.

But momentarily, Diplyn shrugged her shoulders, looking bored.

“Eh, forget it. There probably isn’t enough evidence anyway.”

The Eye of the Watcher had no recording function.

It simply shared the distant scenery. And even if her actions were discovered now, it wouldn’t really matter.

“Then I might as well just run away.”

Diplyn had no attachment to the Academy.

That’s why she was always ready to escape whenever she found herself cornered.

“More importantly…”

What worried her was the Abyssal Rift. Frowning, she gazed intently at the opening in the air.

“Why is it so quiet?”

The Abyssal Rift was eerily silent.

No monsters were pouring out, and not even any wandering creatures were in sight.

This was a completely different response from last time.

What could be the problem?

As she tilted her head in confusion.

“Ah.”

Something suddenly caught her eye.

A strange object she hadn’t used last month.

The black pendant that the Abyss Worshiper, Estelle, had asked her to use as a sacrifice.

“Could it be because of that?”

Last time, it was Professor Dirck who was sacrificed instead of the pendant. When comparing the two situations, this was the only thing that had changed.

“If that’s the case…”

Maybe it was worth trying.

Diplyn stepped forward immediately.

She picked up the pendant from the center of the magic circle and threw it outside the circle.

Then, at that moment—

The Abyssal Rift began to shake violently.

Grrr!

A bizarre sound followed.

It sounded like a dam bursting and floodwaters spilling over.

“Looks like I got it right.”

Diplyn smiled brightly.

Probably a slew of monsters that had been unable to come out until now were trying to break free all at once. Guessing the source of the noise, she stepped back.

But then she realized she couldn’t move.

“Huh?”

Her feet wouldn’t budge.

It felt like she was stuck in something.

What was happening?

Diplyn looked down at the ground. She soon understood why she couldn’t move her feet.

“A swamp?”

A dark swamp as black as the Abyss.

The thick swamp had risen to her knees. Stuck pretty tight, her feet wouldn’t come out easily.

Just as she was frowning about it—

Something unexpected happened.

Kwa-gagagagaga!

A tremendous amount of mud poured out from beyond the Abyssal Rift. The pitch-black mud quickly mixed with the swamp, swirling like a torrent.

The water level rose rapidly.

Diplyn’s expression hardened.

“……!”

She instinctively sensed that the situation was extremely dangerous.

Realizing this, Diplyn immediately began to cast magic. Just as her body was about to be swallowed by the swamp—

Vwoom!

Her body shot into the air.

This was the effect of Levitation Magic, one of the higher-ranked spells. Barely escaped from the swamp, Diplyn finally sighed in relief.

“Ha.”

That was a close call.

As she let out a relieved sigh, a new phenomenon caught her eye.

“Huh? What’s that…?”

The swamp engulfed Zone 3.

It began to squirm as if it were alive, and soon after, split into numerous chunks.

Then it quickly began to take shape.

It resembled the mud monsters occasionally found in swampy areas.

There were more than a hundred of them.

As she watched this scene, suddenly all the mud monsters turned their gazes in the same direction. Directly towards the black pendant Diplyn had tossed earlier.

The sight of the monsters staring intently at just the pendant made Diplyn furrow her brows.

“…What on earth is that?”

She was curious about the identity of the monsters, but what concerned her more was the existence of the pendant. However, she couldn’t bring herself to go back down and retrieve it.

Her instincts were warning her.

Don’t approach it.

“Forget it. I’ll just ask later.”

After putting away her curiosity about the pendant.

She grasped her staff tightly.

While she wanted to observe the Abyssal Rift a bit longer, she had no intention of risking it.

‘And one more thing.’

A troubling fact was that the black smoke billowing from the pendant was ominously darkening the surroundings.

The spreading darkness.

Though she didn’t know its true nature, it felt like something she shouldn’t get close to either.

“Let’s hurry back.”

Anyway, she had achieved her goal.

Diplyn waved her staff.

Vwoom!

Her body was enveloped in blue light and quickly vanished, as she used the return magic to the Academy’s main gate.

Not long after Diplyn disappeared.

Swishhhh!

Zone 3 was also shrouded in black rain.

In the blink of an eye, the place turned to darkness.

During this time, from the mist of surveillance, a particularly white mist abruptly detached.

A mist radiating a soft light.

In a pitch-black world, it stood out like the only shining star in the night sky.

Swish! Swoosh!

Then, the mist gradually began to take shape.

Four legs and a fluffy tail. A wolf with white fur and red eyes.

It was the White Wolf.

[…….]

The suddenly appeared creature gazed in the direction Diplyn had vanished. It seemed to be remembering something tasty, smacking its lips.

But that was just for a moment.

The White Wolf’s gaze shifted towards the place where Diplyn had just been. Where the mud monsters, the black pendant, and the Abyssal Rift were located.

[Grrr!]

Eyes filled with fury and hostility.
The red eyes refused to leave the Abyssal Rift. Yet it couldn’t dare to approach.

This was partly due to the surrounding mud monsters, and partly because of the power of the Abyss pouring out from the rift.

As it glared for some time.

Suddenly, the Wolf’s ears perked up.

Shortly after, it turned its gaze towards the mist. The area of Zone 2, shrouded in darkness.

[Grrrrrrr!]

At that moment, its white tail flicked.

It sensed a familiar presence.

Someone who could resolve the troubles of the Abyssal Rift and the mud monsters. Remembering that individual, the White Wolf quickly turned into mist and scattered away.

A little while later.

The mist flowed into Zone 2.

7.

Meanwhile, at that moment.

Just after the darkness swallowed Zone 2.

Noa blinked her eyes.

Having lost the presence of her comrades who had been with her until just now.

“This is…”

It felt like she had been thrown into darkness all alone.

But that wasn’t the only anomaly. Even when she opened her eyes wide and looked around, all she could see was darkness.

It was no different from when she had closed her eyes, and she sighed.

“…So it’s the Abyss Erosion, huh.”

Abyss Erosion is one of the phenomena that occur when the Abyssal Rift opens, transforming the surrounding environment into something reminiscent of the Abyss.

There are two causes for the occurrence of erosion.

First, the build-up of magic inside the Abyssal Rift being released externally, naturally causing erosion.

‘And the other one…’

Is when it’s artificially triggered.

When the Abyss Worshipers conduct their rituals.

The ultimate goal of the worshipers was to change this world into one resembling the Abyss.

‘In that sense, it’s reasonable to deduce that this erosion was caused by the latter.’

Noa recalled Delia’s words.

Everything was now adding up: seeing Diplyn in Zone 3 and her opening the Abyssal Rift.

From this synthesis of information, the following conclusion was drawn.

「Diplyn Cernio is an Abyss Worshiper.」

Noa’s eyes trembled with agitation.

It was only normal.

In the original work, Diplyn Cernio had a minor role, merely known as a famous High Mage, nothing more.

‘But she was an Abyss Worshiper?’

That was a new discovery for her.

There was no mention of Diplyn being an Abyss Worshiper in the Arsen Continent Chronicles strategy board either.

It felt as if the information she had once regarded as the only truth about the original work was shaking entirely. Noa’s gaze wavered in tandem.

Just then.

“Cough, cough!”

Suddenly, she coughed up blood.

Upon realizing this, Noa remembered one of the characteristics regarding the Abyss.

‘…The Abyss is like a poison pit.’

Just being in an area eroded by the Abyss causes loss of magic and vitality. To put it accurately, it’s more like being gnawed away by the Abyss.

In other words, staying here for too long would be tantamount to being poisoned. Hence, escaping quickly was her top priority.

‘But first, there’s something I need to do.’

And that was to reunite with her scattered companions.

At present, her group had become scattered due to the twisting of space caused by the Abyss Erosion.

The absence of any presence around was proof of that.

‘So then…’

She should reunite with her companions first.

They likely didn’t realize they had to escape from this area.

Noa promptly took out a talisman.

She intended to cast a spell to create light to illuminate the darkness.

However, the spell didn’t activate.

“Huh, what?”

As she spoke in a flustered tone, a message suddenly appeared in front of her. It was content visible only to Noa.

Upon reading the message, her eyes widened.

“Ah, right. I remember now.”

She belatedly remembered that it was impossible to create flames or light in the Abyss. This was another characteristic of the Abyss.

Of course, there were exceptions.

Those who could generate light from their own bodies didn’t lose their light in the Abyss.

For instance, spirits or ethereal beings.

‘But…’

If she didn’t have any next to her, it was pointless.

Letting out a sigh, Noa gazed glumly at the pitch-black Abyss.

“Ugh, what do I do?”

In a darkness where she couldn’t see a step ahead, asking to find her companions without any light was nearly impossible. With a blank expression, Noa paced back and forth.

“I wish someone would come find me…”

But it was a futile hope.

All of her party members were likely in the same situation as Noa. Just as she sighed in exasperation.

“Noa.”

“……!?”

Someone suddenly called her name.

A voice that came without warning. Startled, Noa took a step back.

“Uagh!”

Just when she thought she was about to fall back.

Bam!

Someone grabbed her.

It was an arm like a rock, solid and muscular.

As soon as she realized this, Noa figured out who was holding her.

“U-Ulan? Is that you?”

“Yeah, it’s me.”

A nonchalant reply came back.

Noa let out a sigh of relief. After calming her startled heart, she couldn’t help but notice Ulan’s puzzled expression.

“Why are you so surprised?”

“Well, anyone would be startled to be suddenly spoken to in such a dark place!”

After responding with an incredulous face.

Noa regained her composure. At that moment, she voiced her curiosity.

“But how did you find me? I can’t see anything at all…”

“I used a search technique.”

“Huh? Search technique?”

“I activated my Spirit to extend my senses to the limit and find the target.”

He provided a detailed explanation.

Meanwhile, Noa narrowed her eyes.

Of course. As far as she knew, the ‘search technique’ wasn’t originally Ulan’s.

‘Sven Isaac.’

The sniper from the Hero Party.

Ulan had independently created this technique by adapting Sven’s tracking skills. It was a power usually employed in the later parts of the original work.

In other words, it was a skill he shouldn’t have been able to use right now, especially not knowing about Sven’s existence.

‘As expected, Ulan…’

Noa’s gaze deepened.

When her sky-blue eyes lit up with conviction.

Ulan spoke again.

“By the way, are you okay?”

“…Huh? What do you mean?”

“I smell blood.”

Oh, she understood what he meant.

It was probably because she had coughed up blood earlier. Waving her hand as if to assure him, she answered.

“It’s fine; it’s just blood mixed in with the cough.”

“Is that something to consider fine?”

“Ahaha, it’s just a normal occurrence for me.”

It was the truth. Noa often coughed up blood as a result of the penalties she faced.

After exchanging a forced smile, Noa shifted the topic.

“Anyway, let’s go find the others.”

“Alright. Follow me.”

Ulan turned around immediately.

Noa, on the other hand, looked a bit flustered.

It was only natural; she couldn’t see where Ulan was at all. An urgent shout escaped her.

“Wait a second! I can’t see where you are right now…! Eek!”

Noa let out a short scream.

She suddenly found herself floating.

“Is this better?”

Ulan’s voice brushed her ear.

The distance was close enough to feel his breath.

Realizing he had lifted her up, Noa blushed surprisedly and began flailing her arms.

“P-put me down.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s embarrassing!”

“But you can’t see, right?”

“Well, that’s true. But still, there’s no need to carry me. You can just hold my hand.”

“Hmm, okay. I’ll do that.”

Ulan nodded.

Then he set her down and took her hand, just as he had with Delia earlier.

And so they resumed walking.

In a world completely filled with darkness.

Only the sound of their footsteps echoed in the eerily silent area. As they walked for some time, a thought crossed Noa’s mind.

‘Speaking of which…’

It’s been a while since it was just the two of them.

Back when they were heading to the Academy from the prairie, they had often been alone together.

However, that was definitely not the case recently, especially with Ivella and Delia joining them.

‘Then…’

This could be an opportunity.

No, it was certainly a great chance.

To have a conversation that only the two of them could share. A topic she didn’t want to discuss with the others.

Realizing this, Noa wore a determined expression.

“You know, Ulan.”

“……?”

“There’s something I want to tell you.”

His sky-blue eyes sparkled with seriousness.

As if he were about to hear something important.

It truly was important. At least for Noa, it was a chance to clear up questions that had been on her mind for a long time.

“I actually heard it from Laurea.”

“About what?”

“About your secret.”

After finishing her statement, Noa took a deep breath.

Then, she looked at Ulan.

Imagining what expression might be hidden on his face in the darkness.

“…Ulan.”

In a heavy voice.

Noa asked with conviction.

“You remember your past life, don’t you?”

With that question, Ulan halted his steps.

Then, an overwhelming silence surrounded them.

It was a silence heavier than any that had come before.

[Notification]

*Skill shortcut 6 activated

*Low-level Sorcery: 【Dance of the Fireflies】

―The spell has been canceled.

―You cannot use any skills that produce light in the Abyss.

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