NOVEL NEXT Chapter 218: The Hunt Begins (1)
There were three islands on the ocean Kyle and his team had arrived on. Each island was as large as the other and they each bore a large glowing sign that displayed the mages required there.
As expected, they had landed on the island for the Beginner Mages without question, but as they walked through the island, Kyle couldn't help but wonder after noticing the large number of mages present there.
'What's stopping an Advanced Mage from sneaking onto the Beginner Mage island? There's no way that they could track the mana of all these people all at once, right?"
He glanced at Riya, but before he could voice his thoughts, he shook his head and muttered to himself, "That's not my problem. There's probably some kind of safeguard in place. There has to be."
Riya interrupted his musings by pointing toward a large glowing sign near the center of the island. Beneath it, a massive countdown timer displayed the remaining time until the Tower's opening:
[07 : 31 :43]
From the last number there that continuously reduced, it was quite obvious for them to realize that it was a timer, perhaps one representing the Tower's opening.
"Damn, Seven hours? Guess we'll just be sitting here doing nothing for a while," Kyle said with a frown.
Void remembered something Kyle had once told him before and decided to use his chance.
"Patience isn't one of your virtues, huh?"
Kyle ignored him and scanned the area for a suitable spot to rest. They eventually found a shaded corner under a massive tree. After settling down, he tried to sleep, but the noise of the crowd and his restless mind wouldn't let him.
Frustrated, he shifted into a cross-legged position and began cultivating instead. He continued cultivating and stopped only when he was just about to breakthrough.
[EXP: 39,930/40,500] Explore hidden tales at empire
He didn't stop entirely though, as he began re-directing the mana into his Chaos mana core.
Soon, Kyle's concentration was shattered by a loud, resounding thud that rippled through the air like a shockwave. Gasps and murmurs erupted around the island as everyone turned toward the source of the sound. Kyle opened his eyes and followed their gazes toward the island's perimeter.
A man on a massive, winged beast was sprawled on the surface of the sea, groaning in pain. His mount, a scaled creature with glowing blue wings, struggled to regain its footing in the water.
It was clear what had happened; the man and his beast had been violently rebounded by an invisible barrier surrounding the island, sending them flying backward.
Kyle furrowed his brow as the crowd around him murmured in speculation.
"Must've been a high tier trying to sneak onto the Beginner island," someone said.
"That's quite stupid of him, but he decided to be the example," another said.
"Looks like the barrier isn't just for show," Riya said, glancing at Kyle.
'A barrier, huh? Makes sense. Still… I wonder how something of this fashion was made.'
He didn't dwell on the thought for long and soon returned to his cultivation.
Hours passed as he continued adding mana into his Chaos core, until finally, as the countdown reached its last moments, a deep vibration resonated across the island.
[0: 00: 03]
[0: 00: 02]
[0: 00: 01]
Immediately the glowing timer reached zero, the entire island fell into a heavy silence. The energy that had filled the air moments ago seemed to condense into a single point at the center of the island. All eyes turned to the spot, where the ground had began to quake.
A swirling black vortex materialized and from within the vortex emerged a towering figure, shrouded in shadows that danced and flickered like living flames.
The being resembled a demon as it had curved horns and crimson eyes. Its body was also composed of smoky tendrils that coiled and shifted ceaselessly.
The crowd collectively froze on seeing him, as their breaths were caught in their throats.
"Climbers, prepare for your Ascension."
The spirit finally said, in a voice that sent a ripple through the gathering. They all straightened their postures and their expressions were filled with anticipation.
"Summon all your required weapons. Runes, potions, and special artifacts are not permitted."
Everyone kicked into action the moment the spirit announced. Some participants looked worried, as they weren't prepared for such strict restrictions, but they moved quickly, summoning their weapons without arguing.
Kyle was a little bit sad that he couldn't use the special runes that he had prepared for this occasion, but he brought out the [Aurora Fang] eitherways. He was more than comfortable as long as he could use his trusty katana.
Riya, meanwhile, brought out the bow Kyle had given her and a quiver of arrows that contained many arrows, along with the ten special ones.
It was only Void that didn't bring out any weapon, as he had none and didn't require any even.
The spirit remained stationary for several minutes and only when it confirmed that everyone had summoned an item did its eyes glowed more red.
Suddenly, hundreds of participants across the island began to glow red as well. The glowing individuals froze and their faces turned into panic and confusion.
"What's happening?" a young mage cried out, clutching his glowing hands.
"Why am I glowing?!" another shouted.
Kyle was surprised when he saw the glowing people. He had a clue of what was happening, and it was only after the spirit spoke were his thoughts confirmed.
"Disobedience will not be tolerated."
The glowing mages barely had time to react before they vanished in an instant, along with the gear they had tried to sneak past the restrictions. Gasps of shock rippled through the remaining crowd.
The others that were teleported out were thrown into the sea, and they hurriedly tried to not drown, by various means.
Kyle was stunned as he tried to comprehend what happened. 'How can so many people be mass teleported away against their will. That's scary!'
His mind came up with various instances of how this ability would be invaluable in a battle, making him to wish for it too.
The spirit didn't give the crowd time to dwell on the fate of the disqualified. Its deep voice boomed once more, drawing everyone's attention.
"You are required to obtain an orb. These orbs are scattered amongst beasts you'll encounter."
A glowing hologram appeared above the spirit, displaying an image of the orb. It was small, no larger than a fist, and it emitted a soft golden glow.
"Secure your orb and channel your mana through it to gain access to your ascension."
The spirit paused briefly before continuing.
"Stealing and killing of other participants are strictly forbidden. Violators will face immediate removal."
Kyle absorbed the rules and studied the hologram of the orb carefully, committing its appearance to his memory.
The task seemed straightforward, but he knew better than to underestimate anything.
The spirit's glowing eyes brightened momentarily as it spoke again and its voice carried a strange, almost encouraging tone.
"May your strength guide you, your wits sharpen your path, and your resolve carry you to Ascension. The Hunt begins."
As its final words echoed through the island, the ground began to shake violently. Kyle's eyes widened as the serene landscape around them began to shift rapidly.