[Entering Abyss 58th Floor]
A vivid message flickered across my vision as it went pitch black.
While my consciousness felt like it was repeatedly scattering and regrouping, I suddenly felt my feet touch the ground.
It was a familiar sensation.
I had crossed through the Gate and arrived at a space within the Abyss.
[Skill: Celestial has been activated]
The moment I felt my surroundings, I activated the skill Celestial.
My vision and other senses hadn’t fully returned yet, but I had already been briefed on the nature of the 58th Floor.
I needed to clear out the toxic fog, which was exactly why I had volunteered to enter first.
Before long, my sight returned.
The scene before my eyes was already bathed in a golden radiance.
Having expanded the area as much as possible, the domain of Celestial was wide enough to accommodate the entire expeditionary force.
Beyond the golden boundary, a thick, ash-colored fog loomed.
It swirled slowly and densely, staring into the domain as if waiting for the golden light to fade.
“It is indeed a thick, toxic fog, just as I heard. I can almost smell the stench from here.”
As I looked around, a voice suddenly drifted from right beside me.
Vitalianus Mahel had entered the floor almost simultaneously with me.
“Had you not been here, we would have had to prepare hundreds of anti-poison artifacts.”
“You’ve called in the High Priests of Lipuae and even the Holy Maiden, so stop exaggerating.”
“No matter how faithful they are, do you truly believe they could create a scene like this?”
Vitalianus took a quick look around.
The golden radiance filling the area resembled hands—the hands of a goddess reaching down from the highest heavens.
It was a miraculous touch that offered warmth just by standing within it.
“Magician, you surely foresaw all of this.”
“Foresee… what?”
“You do not need to play dumb with me. When was the first time you, who had been hiding your power, revealed it before me? Was it not to save a single girl from the streets whom no one else cared about?”
Come to think of it, I first met Vitalianus while chasing traces of Heuka to save Irina.
And now, that same Irina had returned as a Holy Maiden respected by all.
“You also helped the Imperial Princess, whom everyone else ignored at the time, and eventually placed her upon the throne. Thanks to that, the Empire now has the strength to fight as one.”
“I was just lucky.”
“And the fact that the girl from the streets was actually a woman chosen by God? Are you going to call that luck as well?”
Vitalianus spoke with such conviction that I didn’t bother replying.
It really was just luck, but he wouldn’t believe me even if I told him.
In times like these, keeping my mouth shut was the best option.
“Thanks to that, the Holy Kingdom gained a central figure, and we obtained a powerful divinity that can stand against that sinister energy.”
“Well, things turned out for the best.”
“Is that all? You still have one more arrangement left, do you not?”
“One more?”
While I was bewildered, wondering what on earth he was talking about, Vitalianus burst into a hearty laugh.
“You’re playing dumb until the very end. I am talking about our recruit. I heard you personally recommended that child to the Imperial Academy after recognizing his talent?”
“That’s…”
That was only because he threw a tantrum saying he wanted to go.
I knew his talent wasn’t bad, but I hadn’t expected it to reach this level.
“I suppose that’s true.”
I started to offer an excuse but ended up just nodding.
Let’s just go with that.
No matter what I said, Vitalianus wouldn’t believe me anyway.
“I knew it. I am curious about what kind of future you saw through that child, but I will not ask for now, for the sake of future enjoyment.”
Vitalianus laughed again, looking like he had expected as much.
‘Since I was used to this by now, I simply nodded and scanned the area. Enough time had passed that it was about time for the other troops to start entering through the Gate.’
With that thought, I tried to expand the domain of Celestial even a little further.
“Thank you, Magician. I am truly glad you are here.”
Suddenly, a cringeworthy compliment reached my ears.
I tried to brush it off with a dry cough, but Vitalianus’s voice turned solemn before I could.
“However, you seem to have a lot on your mind. It seems you have yet to find your path.”
“If you’re talking about Intent, you’re right. You’re as quick-witted as ever.”
“I have seen countless people standing at a similar crossroads as you.
Every single one of them had a dead-serious look in their eyes, just like you, lost in deep thought.”
Vitalianus’s voice was heavy, but it didn’t sink.
Even though his words carried weight, they didn’t weigh one down; instead, they seemed to lift others up.
“There is no need to be so serious. The answer will likely be closer and simpler than you think.”
“Closer and simpler…”
“Yes.
Still, I cannot bring myself to tell you to let go of your impatience.
The burden you carry seems heavier than I can imagine.
However, make sure to look around you.
Those who only run toward the future lose their peripheral vision.
They are prone to missing the present.
The present becomes the past in a mere blink of an eye.
That is why you must frequently look around at the things you hold dear.
“I’ll take the advice to heart. Thank you.”
Vitalianus patted my shoulder with a relaxed smile.
“Why the formality? As you once said, are we not friends? Though I am much older than you, of course.”
I let out a small chuckle and nodded as well.
“We were. Both then and now.”
“I have not said it before, but I rely on you quite a bit. So, feel free to rely on me a little as well. Use me as much as you need for the sake of the future you foresee.”
“That’s…”
“It is fine. Is that not what friends are for?”
Vitalianus’s expression was bright as he spoke, but I didn’t miss the regret hidden within.
I could guess what it was.
These were words he had likely never been able to say to his old friend.
Perhaps he feared it would be a burden.
Perhaps he feared his words would be seen as mockery.
A regret born from simply watching from afar.
Vitalianus was a man who did his best to live in the present and look around his surroundings so that he would never regret anything again.
‘Since I sensed that, how could I shake my head?’
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
The moment I nodded, flecks of light began to appear one by one around us.
The few specks of light quickly grew to over ten, then dozens.
Eventually, they multiplied into the hundreds.
Soon, these lights began to take shape.
“It seems they have finally started to enter.”
The expeditionary force, having judged that enough time had passed for me to drive away the surrounding toxicity, was entering the floor.
Hundreds of lights took on human forms.
Among them, the light appearing next to Vitalianus and me was the first to solidify.
The familiar man who gradually took shape was the strongest among the Possessors, excluding myself.
Antiphus Praman.
“I just said it earlier. I have seen countless people wandering because they could not find their path.”
Vitalianus slowly opened his lips while looking at him.
“Similarly, I have seen many who fall into despair when they cannot find the road leading to their goal, even after yearning for it for a very long time.”
As the light vanished, Antiphus was fully formed.
However, his eyes were still closed, as if his senses hadn’t quite returned yet.
“Every one of them looks at the world with empty eyes.”
Antiphus slowly began to open his eyes.
I watched him.
His light-brown eyes found me and met mine.
They were eyes that seemed unable to focus.
Like a man who had lost his dreams.
“Those are dangerous eyes.”
Empty eyes.
All members of the expeditionary force safely entered the floor under the protection of Celestial.
Since Celestial had been used multiple times on previous floors, the members entered without much agitation.
Only the newly joined High Priests caused a bit of a stir, marveling at the abundant Holy Power and calling me a saint or something similar.
“Are the priests ready?”
“Yes. We are ready.”
***
After the minor commotion subsided and the priests calmed down, Vitalianus asked, and the prepared priests signaled back.
This signal meant I could now cancel the skill Celestial.
Since I couldn’t keep Celestial active indefinitely due to the heavy consumption of mana and Holy Power, the High Priests were going to take over its role.
[Skill: Celestial has been canceled]
The golden baptism pouring from the sky abruptly stopped.
As the supply of Holy Power and mana was cut off, the domain of Celestial began to fade.
“Cast the Spells of Barrier and Protection!”
Before the entire domain could vanish, the priests of Lipuae cast their holy arts.
If they had tried to cast holy arts in a toxin-filled area from the start, they would have had to worry about purification and securing territory, which would have been complex and costly in terms of Holy Power.
But thanks to my skill, the area was already clean.
Thus, they only needed to cast the spells for barrier and protection.
“O Liphyue of Hope. We pray that you protect us from the wicked power…”
With the prayer, a pure white light spread out.
The golden radiance receded, and the white light formed by Holy Power took its place.
“Advance!”
The expeditionary force only began to move forward after the holy arts were fully deployed.
The formation was somewhat unique.
Fifteen priests were distributed at regular intervals along the perimeter of the force, with knights surrounding and protecting them.
At the very center was Holy Maiden Irina.
Seeing the light spreading out from her, it seemed she was coordinating the overall barrier and Holy Power.
The most important thing was ensuring the priests’ holy arts spread evenly across the entire force.
The second most important thing was making sure the holy arts weren’t broken, which led to this specific formation.
Thanks to that, the problem of the poison was solved.
However, outside the barrier, a thick fog that negated search skills still lingered.
Normally, we would have had to advance cautiously, one step at a time.
“It is still fine, so continue advancing like this.”
However, the expeditionary force had an outstanding hero named Vitalianus Mahel.
Even in a fog that numbed the senses and blocked exploration, Vitalianus could see at least several hundred meters ahead.
After advancing like that for about 30 minutes without any incidents.
“Stop.”
Something finally entered his senses.
Of course, the others couldn’t see anything because of the thick fog, but Vitalianus felt something and gave the order.
“There is something.
Advance slowly again.”
The expeditionary force slowed down and moved cautiously.
Before long, a shape began to appear in their vision as well.
“That is…”
“A building?”
Gray buildings began to appear sporadically through the ash-colored fog.
As we drew closer, there wasn’t just one or two.
Countless buildings were clustered together like a town—no, like a giant city.
“Why is it so dilapidated?”
The buildings were so worn that stone dust would crumble away at a mere touch.
A thick layer of ash-colored fog and countless buildings on the verge of collapse.
It was a city made of such things.
No place could better fit the name Ghost City.
“I sense quite a few presences inside.”
“By presences, you mean…”
“Monsters, most likely.”
At Vitalianus’s words, I looked toward the center of the Ghost City in the distance.
If this was indeed the Floor of Control, the core related to the control would be inside the city.
If we found and destroyed it, or found another way to control it, the fog—the biggest obstacle—would also disappear.
That was my current assumption.
The problem was…
“Of all things, a city.”
It wasn’t a wide plain, but urban terrain.
And that city was so large it couldn’t be taken in at a single glance.
‘Why was that a problem?’
For starters, the narrow alleys and old buildings meant we couldn’t maintain the formation.
This meant we would have to split the personnel, which would increase the risk and decrease the efficiency of the priests’ holy arts.
Furthermore, finding the core in such a complex city wouldn’t be easy, and it would be easy for the Abyss Monsters to launch ambushes.
Everything about it was problematic.
“What will you do?”
Vitalianus turned his head and asked me.
I fell into thought for a moment.
There was a way.
An incredibly easy way.
It was a method I had hinted at only to Vitalianus and Sylvia before the raid began.
Vitalianus was asking if I was going to execute it.
“Hmm…”
The method was simple.
‘Wouldn’t it be enough to just cleanly blow away that city surrounded by fog?’
It would be great if I could clear all that nasty toxic fog while I was at it.
However, Vitalianus couldn’t do it with his strength alone.
No matter how much of a superhuman or 8th-tier knight he was, his essence was ultimately that of a swordsman.
‘Erasing an entire city using Sword Aura?’
That would be incredibly inefficient.
Thus, it was only right to leave such work to a professional Magician.
“Let me think for a moment.”
Of course, it wasn’t easy for me either.
I could summon Nkingki and spam 5th Circle magic, but that came with the risk of not being able to use other skills, would take too long, and wouldn’t be clean.
I could use Flame of the Blue Sky, but to burn down this entire massive city, I would have to pour in all my mana.
The Domain of the Void was also too small for such a wide terrain.
‘If so, what method was left?’
There was one spell that could solve this cleanly with a small amount of mana, without having to exert such effort.
As I thought, it seemed best to just do it.
“…I’ll do it.”
The preparation was done.
I had already sought permission.
I had even told them to be ready since they would be going out into the world soon.
There was no reason to hesitate.
It was a bit earlier than expected, but it would be an incomparable debut stage.
“Good. I shall prepare.”
At my nod, Vitalianus nodded back and suddenly turned around to issue an order.
“Fall back and secure a space!”
The expeditionary force quickly retreated despite not knowing the purpose of the order, simply because it was Vitalianus’s command.
In the wide space secured in an instant, the expressions of the expedition members were filled with undeniable doubt.
Retreating to create space when they should be advancing.
For what purpose were they securing such a large area?
“Then, let’s begin.”
Ignoring those doubts, I walked toward the center of the newly formed space.
Those faces filled with questions would soon turn into horror and shock.
After all, the magic I was about to cast was something no one in this era could even imagine.
It was a magic that could sweep away the sprawling buildings in an instant and erase a massive city, yet it was actually quite a simple spell.
A being now forgotten and remembered only in legend.
The green guardian who presided over the wind.
“I summon the dragon.”
A Magic Circle began to be drawn in the wide clearing with bright light.
A light-green wind began to blow.