The following day, Wain strolled through the bustling streets of Blackridge Town. The town had undergone significant expansion under the leadership of Luarin and Old Potato. The streets were now full of various monsters and colorful stalls, each offering their own unique wares.
But despite the frantic activity, the townsfolk made way for Wain wherever he went, bowing in deep respect, aware of the fate if they offended the formidable lord of the Barestone Mountains.
After finishing his dealings with Kadden, Wain turned his attention back to the pursuit of his own strength. He had amassed a considerable number of 2nd-grade mana cores, and though they were not as beneficial to his growth as before, they still held the potential to propel him into the middle realm of 3rd-grade.
Wain also accumulated over five thousand Chaos Points, so he browsed through the Chaos Shop, searching for usable spells or other items. Unfortunately, there weren't many items that could significantly improve his strength, but he still found a few spells and a new robe, one that was more fitting to the ruler of the Barestone Mountains.
[Nocturnal Robe] (artifact, 4th-grade)
All attributes +15%
Resistance from all sources +10%
[Nocturnal Hunter] (passive skill)
Description: Significantly enhances all attacks and spells during the night, up to half a grade, based on the surrounding darkness.
Limit: 5th-grade
[Lord of the Night] (passive skill)
Description: Exudes an intimidating aura, lowering the strength of all within a 300-meter radius by up to half a grade, depending on the difference in strength between the wearer and the target.
[Shroud of Void] (Ollios enchant)
Description: Conceals all information regarding the wearer.
Not constrained by the artifact's grade
Price: 3,000 Chaos Points
Wain carefully selected the [Nocturnal Robe] after much consideration. He had little use for activatable skills, given the vast selection available in the Chaos Shop, so his main focus was solely on passive abilities, which could increase his strength further..
The enhancement offered by [Nocturnal Hunter], raising his strength by half a grade during the night, was especially great skill. Wain was convinced such a robe didn't exist outside of Chaos Shop.
Meanwhile, the [Lord of the Night] was a great skill for large scale battles. Although it wouldn't lower the strength of enemies on the same grade by more than one-tenth, it was still plenty useful as everyone below 2nd-grade would experience a significant drop in strength, when confronted by this intimidating aura.
Wain took his time to study the effects of the robe before he began absorbing the prepared mana cores. It was time for him to break through!
…
Several days passed until a message popped out before him.
"System: Congratulations, you have reached the middle realm of 3rd-grade!"
"Finally," Wain looked at the notification. Breaking through has become a normal event for Wain and he was very familiar with the process. The only hurdle holding him back was the scarcity of resources.
Regrettably, Chaos Shop didn't offer mana cores for purchase, which left Wain reliant on what he could hunt. He suspected that Ollios had intended it that way, otherwise Wain wouldn't leave the mountains until he surpassed everyone else in strength.
Though he was aware of the availability of violet mana crystals in the shop, which were comparable to a 3rd-grade mana core, each was priced at thousand Chaos Points and Wain didn't deem them cost-effective.
There were definitely better ways to utilize Chaos Points and he also needed to save some for potential emergencies instead of spending for a slight improvements
Wain approached a window and marveled at the sight of the town's completion. It now stood encircled by formidable, twenty-meter-tall walls, which appeared sturdy and unyielding. While inside the town's protective embrace, there were enough buildings to accommodate thousands of residents, enough the entire population of monsters.
"System: Progress of destroying the World of Drifting Realm: 0.00%"
"System: Progress of destroying the Southern Mountain: 0.02%"
Several notifications were constantly appearing, but Wain paid tem little attention. They were caused by the ceaseless mining activities of the Deep Gnomes within the mountain.
In the beginning, Wain had fantasies of destroying the World of Drifting Realm, however, the more he learned, the more impossible the task seemed to be.
He obviously didn't plan to give up, but his current strength was lacking and he was too vulnerable. There existed many powerful entities within this world and Wain understood that many of them could kill him without even trying.
He would like to remain hidden within the mountains, but the time limit for his quest was slowly running out, and he had only ten days left at the moment.
It was time to get his forces moving.
As he readied to leave his room, the ground beneath him abruptly shook in a violent motion.
What is that? Wain instinctively sought cover behind a piece of furniture, relying on his mana senses to pinpoint the cause. However, he found no immediate source, and the phenomenon did not appear to be mana-related.
Considering his options, Wain thought about whether to flee. Whatever entity had caused this ground-shaking event had to be of immense power, and Wain didn't consider confronting it.
Just as he contemplated his next move, Luarin's knocking at his door interrupted his thoughts. She spoke urgently, "Wain, a massive chasm has opened near the town."
Upon learning it was a geological event, Wain's tension eased. "I'm on my way," he replied, swiftly gathering his belongings before departing to investigate the unusual occurrence.
…
Soon, Wain arrived in front of the town, where a colossal chasm appeared out of nowhere, stretching for over a kilometer!
The sheer size and depth of the chasm struck fear into the hearts of all the monsters in the vicinity. None dared to approach it, choosing instead to hide deep within the town, seeking shelter from the unsettling pressure emanating from the gaping abyss.
Even Luarin didn't dare to come close, hovering in a safe distance from the chasm. However, even with her superior eyesight, she wasn't able to discern the bottom of the abyss.
She didn't know what caused the chasm to form, but they definitely surely couldn't remain in this town if it persisted
Frustration gnawed at her, especially considering the chasm appeared right after they finished the construction of the town. But her thoughts quickly shifted, when she noticed Wain approaching the ominous chasm, a sight that left her astounded.
During her time she spent in Blackridge Town, she had come to understand that Wain was not known for his boldness. His every move was made after careful calculations. So, she couldn't help but wonder what had driven Wain to approach such a dangerous place.
Luarin wanted to approach him and ask, but her body refused to go any closer to the chasm, so she only watched as Wain jumped inside of the chasm, leaving her confused.
…
Wain was falling through the darkness for a while now. The chasm's depth was staggering, yet the longer he fell, the more certain he became about the sensations that had gripped him.
In comparison to others, Wain's understanding of mana was on another level and he could sense a dense mana filled with chaos element from the depth of the chasm. This was the first time he had sensed the chaos element since entering this world!
The possibilities of what could produce such a dense chaos mana were plenty, including the potential presence of various artifacts. If Wain were to find one, it could prove immensely advantageous to him.
However, he hadn't entered the chasm without any countermeasures. Before descending, he had casted the [Phantom Anchor] spell, allowing him to instantly return to his previous location within a minute, and he remained ever-prepared to trigger it.
When Wain noticed the outline of the bottom of the chasm's bottom with his senses, he activated the [Hover] spell, initiating a slow descent.
The mana density pressing upon him was now extreme, comparable to the force of a 4th-grade spell assaulting him. But Wain was somehow able to withstand this oppressive energy with his superior mana control and resistance.
In the profound darkness, Wain couldn't even see his own hands, so he created a small ball of Chaos Flame to light the space, but even then, the cave walls remained shrouded in darkness.
He scanned his surroundings, and suddenly, a potent wave of mana swept over his back. He swiftly turned around, where he was met with the sight of two colossal eyes gazing at him.
[Keteres, Protector of the Mountain] (Earth Dragon, middle 8th-grade)
Level 1,216
Hp 486,442,576 / 486,442,576
In the following moment, Wain reappeared above the chasm as he triggered the [Phantom Anchor] instinctively.