Chapter 2016 Sphere Creature <TOC> Chapter 2018 Ifig
Translator: SumTLMan
In the vision of the Eye of Nalda, the gate in front of him, with an archaic taste, is made of an alloy that possesses both spatial stability and the capacity to carry runes. This alloy, identical to the one used in the gate of the ruins where Angel resides, is particularly memorable to him due to the inclusion of some unfamiliar magic metals.
Although it may seem presumptuous to connect the two based solely on the similarity of their primary materials, the rarity of this alloy begs consideration. How could one not ponder the connection when such an uncommon alloy is used in two closely situated ruins? Coupled with previous clues, Angel grows increasingly convinced of a link between this ruin and the one he inhabits.
“I didn’t pay attention to the material last time I was here, but now that you confirm it’s the same, these two ruins are becoming even more intriguing,” said Rhine, a flicker of enigmatic light passing through his eyes. “We can investigate the material back in your ruins. For now, let’s look at the runes behind this gate.”
Nodding, Angel prepares to push the gate open, needing to see behind it to confirm the presence of runes. However, Rhine steps forward with a short staff, blocking Angel’s hand.
Previously, when Rhine had arrived at the passage, he had pushed the gate open, and nothing unusual had occurred. Nonetheless, he decides to push it himself as a precaution.
The gate is unlocked, and with a dull “creak,” it slowly opens from both sides.
At the same time, a faint light emanated from the crack of the gate, indicating that there was light behind it.
Because Rhine was positioned directly facing the gate crack, Angel closely observed Rhine’s expression, hoping to deduce any changes in the situation behind the gate.
Fortunately, as the gate crack widened, Rhine’s expression remained steady without any fluctuation.
When the gate was fully opened, Angel peered inside.
Behind the gate was a corridor, with a wall candle holder on each side. The flame was weak but sufficient to dispel some of the surrounding darkness, offering a slight sense of reassurance.
The corridor extended less than ten meters before turning at almost a right angle, so their view was limited to a short ten meters. However, within this stretch, there were no creatures.
“It seems we’re in luck,” Rhine exhaled slightly and looked at Angel: “It’s your turn now. Remember not to step inside the gate. Try observing beyond the gate with your mental power.”
Despite the oppressive environment of the ruins limiting their mental power, a simple survey of their immediate surroundings was still feasible.
Angel nodded, understanding that stepping into the gate meant truly entering the ruins, and the outcome was uncertain, so it was best to avoid it if possible.
Angel closed his eyes, slowly extending his mental power beyond his body.
Just as Angel was about to send his mental power through the gate, a rustling sound came from behind. Upon checking with his mental power, he saw a creature stitched together from various colors of skin, with a swollen belly, emerging from the darkness behind them.
“A Stitched Corpse Creature?” Rhine identified the creature, but as it was recognized, his brows furrowed slightly.
The Stitched Corpse Creature is a type of magic creature born from a corpse tainted with negative energy, mostly arising by happenstance. However, a “Stitched Corpse Creature” is an artificially created being by a group of wizards who delve into obscure and sinister magic. They achieve this by reassembling organs through surgery and stitching skin, allowing the corpse creature to accumulate greater resentment and thus, attain more formidable strength.
Therefore, if Rhine had seen just an ordinary corpse creature, it might have been fine, but the sight of this particular Stitched Corpse Creature furrowed his brow. Does this mean there might be an intelligent life form behind this creature, one who performed artificial modifications on it?
“I’ll handle this, Sanders. You continue to guard Angel,” Rhine said, standing up with a grave expression and approaching the Stitched Corpse Creature.
Assessing the strength of a Stitched Corpse Creature depends on the organs sewn inside it and the skill level of the manipulator behind it. This one, at first glance, seems to have skin composed of very ordinary magic creature hide, lacking in top-tier defense, which usually indicates the creature’s strength isn’t very high. However, there are those extreme cases of Stitched Corpse Creatures that appear weak externally but harbor… exceptionally strong internal organs, a deliberate deception. But, such cases are rare, as balancing external defense with internal organ strength is not easy.
This particular creature in front of Rhine was not one of those exceptions.
Its external defense was weak, and its internal organs were not strong either. Rhine disposed of it quite effortlessly.
However, after dealing with the Stitched Corpse Creature, Rhine didn’t show any signs of relief. Instead, he continued to look into the deep darkness. Although he couldn’t sense emotions as clearly as Angel could, he felt a hidden restlessness lurking deep within the seemingly calm dark.
Meanwhile, Angel extended his mental tendrils toward the gate.
The moment his mental tendrils entered the gate, he felt a slight resistance, as if passing through a layer of film and entering a different spatial dimension.
At the same time, an even more intense force was exerted upon his mental tendrils, making the manipulation and movement of them increasingly difficult.
Angel then had a realization as to why one should avoid entering the gate if possible because the world inside the ruins is absolutely distinct from the world outside. He suspected that perhaps the inside of the ruins might already be part of a half-plane.
This speculation caused Angel some unease. If the interior of the ruins indeed belongs to a half-plane, then the mental tendrils he extended into it might have already been detected.
This is because a half-plane is somewhat similar to the Wilderness of Dreams, already possessing the rudiments of laws.
Just like when Angel entered the half-plane of Sleepless City, the creatures controlling the laws of the half-plane in the Nightmare Plane would detect him immediately.
However, now that Angel has extended his investigation into it, he has no choice but to brace himself, speed up, and quickly investigate the rune situation behind the gate.
With this in mind, Angel cautiously manipulated his mental power towards the gate. However, what troubled him was that perhaps because the mental tendrils were traversing between the half-plane and reality, coupled with some suppressive aura within the half-plane, his mental tendrils moved very slowly.
They could only move a few centimeters per second, and it would take at least two minutes to investigate what lies behind the gate!
And with additional observation time needed after reaching behind the gate, it could take even longer. This made Angel increasingly anxious, and his expression grew more solemn.