"To think it would open like this...
I had considered the entrance might be in the air, but I never imagined it would be so high!
This is truly..."
In the sky, a strong wind blew against his face, but a strange force enveloped the surroundings, like an invisible telekinetic energy wrapping around him, lifting him higher and higher.
Roy's expression couldn't help but become somewhat complex.
He then remembered that he too had the opportunity to master the art of flight.
After manifesting the 24 Willpower Runes, the Source of Magic began to condense, allowing him to lift himself using telekinetic methods.
With only mental strength and no Source of Magic, the mind had no leverage, like trying to lift oneself by pulling on one's own hair—it wouldn't work.
But once there was a point of leverage, a mere hundred or so pounds of weight was nothing.
This was the secret to flying through the air!
Before long, the Void Rift in the sky, resembling the Devil's Eye, was right before them. Sophia led Roy and Celine straight into it.
Instantly, it felt as though they were traveling through a strange tunnel, dark on both sides but lit by numerous lamps, creating a kaleidoscope of colors.
The speed increased rapidly, the surroundings whizzing past, gradually turning into streaks of light.
After an unknown number of twists and flashes, a massive white gap appeared ahead.
Light, endless light...
poured in.
Moments later, they had entered a completely different world.
...
"Is this Chalkland?"
Not long after, Roy stood in a vast, boundless wasteland, a look of confusion on his face.
The sky in this Small World was dim, as if shrouded by a thick haze.
It was an illusion created by Wizardry Energy.
Under this sky-obscuring gloom, the naked eye could see the vast, flat expanse around them.
But eerily, it wasn't the dazzling golden hue of a desert, nor was it the chalky white ground they had anticipated. Instead, it was an endless gray.
All colors seemed to have been stripped away, leaving the vast wasteland with a strange monotony and lifelessness.
This entire world exuded an inexplicable sense of desolation.
Moments later, Olen, Balu, Melina, and others appeared one after another.
Roy observed them carefully and was surprised to find that behind them were sharp-eared elven maidens, humanoid mantis-like insectoids, and beast-eared beastmen—various Otherworldly races.
These were their respective followers or enslaved creatures, not native to this land but from the Otherworld.
For this expedition, these Elite Apprentices had essentially pulled out all their hidden treasures.
Even for people like them, maintaining these followers was no small burden.
Seeing this, Olen and the others all showed looks of surprise.
"Such a space...
It's completely different from what we've seen before!"
"Can we figure out the exact location?"
"Who knows what dangers might lurk here..."
Sophia said softly, "It's still unclear exactly where...
Chalkland was originally a paradise created by the Great Wizards using divine power, a realm equivalent to a divine kingdom. The previous Forbidden Experiment must have reset the terrain."
Resetting the terrain...
It sounded like playing a sandbox game.
But if it was a Box Garden World crafted by the gods, a promised land for the Chalk Folk, then it made sense.
As Roy pondered this, the Elite Apprentices began to converse among themselves.
"Let's proceed as previously agreed, split up and conduct our initial investigations separately.
If we encounter any significant obstacles that require our combined efforts to overcome, we'll send a signal and regroup."
As Olen spoke, he rubbed his ring, summoning a scroll of parchment and a floating quill that began to automatically record.
It was a magical tool capable of automatic mapping and recording, something Roy could neither craft nor afford, leaving him with nothing but envy.
"I'll take the lead then."
Melina murmured softly, reciting a summoning incantation.
The glow of a magic circle shone ahead, transforming into an inverted pentagram of hell.
A massive, ferocious hellhound several meters long appeared out of thin air, growling menacingly at the group.
Melina leaped onto the hound's back and quickly rode off with her otherworldly slaves in tow.
"Let's go as well."
Sophia called out to Celine.
Since the terrain here was still unknown, the group decided to randomly choose a direction and start exploring.
Seeing this, Roy also selected a direction and sped off.
Unlike the others who often traveled with followers or rode on automata, he was alone, even his mount was rented.
A large undead warhorse, crammed into a spatial ring, had been sulkingly curled up.
Only now was it finally taken out.
...
Under the dim sky, the passage of time was indiscernible.
The pervasive smoke obscured Roy's vision, making it difficult to see the surroundings clearly.
To avoid getting lost, he moved slowly, occasionally leaving arcane imprints along the way.
After a long while, having traveled over a hundred kilometers, the surroundings were still the desolate Faded Desert—a name they had given it.
"Could the entire place have been leveled?"
Roy felt no unusual activity on his alchemy talent panel and couldn't help but express some concern.
But after some thought, he felt it probably wasn't the case.
"The entrance we're at is likely at a weak edge.
This place was originally a barren demiplane, transformed with boundary walls to protect against the erosion of the abyss and hell, isolating and preserving the environment within the paradise.
The actual experimental area is only a small part at the center, surrounded by what was originally desert."
Before entering, everyone had done their homework.
Suddenly, ahead in the thick fog, a massive object loomed hidden within.
Roy felt a slight sting between his eyebrows and immediately realized, "That thing seems strange!"
He quickly urged his undead warhorse towards it.
Soon, a house-sized, slug-like mass of flesh appeared before him, its pale color finally standing out against the monotonous gray!
"So big, so much meat!"
Roy was astonished, then greatly delighted.
"This is a creature made of chalk soil! It seems to have been given intelligence by wizardry, turning into a low-intelligence insectoid monster!
This thing must have at least peak first-level vitality, possibly even second-level!"
This mass of flesh was much larger than a stitched monster the size of an elephant.
It must be at least the size of seven or eight elephants piled together, weighing several tens of thousands of pounds!
The translucent, illusory panel of his alchemy talent was stimulated and floated out.
[Alchemy Talent Acquiring (91%)]
However, it seemed that because the other par
ty already possessed intelligence, it was interfering with the absorption of the Inherent Essence, and there was no progress at all.
"Could it be that I need to dig it out like I did with the Thunder Demon Eye?"
Roy pondered.
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