Chapter 523: Time to get to work!
Chapter 523
In a few hours, by noon, Grey was done crafting pills from the cores Dame had brought. He handed him a pouch filled with fifty purple pills and fifty blue pills.
The moment Dame peeked inside, money signs practically appeared in his eyes. He knew immediately that these pills would sell for a fortune. Taking the pouch with a grin he could barely hide, the weary warrior walked out, leaving Grey and Thalos alone in the room.
"So what now?" Thalos asked after a long silence, his golden eyes narrowing as he noticed Grey crouching down on the floor. The Supreme Magus had already pulled out one of his magic books and, without hesitation, began drawing intricate magic circles with precise strokes.
Before completing the first, Grey stood up, summoned his purple robe, and draped it over his shoulders. He then pulled his mask into place before crouching back down to continue working on the circles.
"It’s time for me to regain my lightning magic," Grey replied calmly, his voice muffled yet sharp through the mask. "Once I do, that’s when I’ll be ready for the Aetherian tournament coming up." His hands moved steadily, eyes scanning every curve of the circle to ensure no detail was missed.
"So how does drawing a magic circle help with that? Where exactly are you headed?" Thalos asked again.
"You mean, where are we headed?" Grey tilted his head slightly, flashing a hidden smile beneath his mask.
"Tch. I want no part in this," Thalos scoffed with a hard glare.
"Too bad. You’re already knee deep in it." Grey chuckled softly and returned to his work.
"So then... where will this circle take us?" the gargoyle pressed, folding his arms.
"I don’t know." Grey shrugged as though the answer carried no weight. "I can’t return to that cave. It’s too valuable and it remains our only ticket back home.
I won’t risk destroying it. And I can’t try in that world either. We already scarred it enough and it needs time to heal. That’s why I’m drawing a circle that will take us to another world entirely. Hopefully one with plenty of beasts so I can practice properly."
"That is reckless, you realize that? What if the world you step into is far worse than you expect?" Thalos’ brow furrowed.
"That’s why I have you." Grey smirked beneath his mask and pressed the final line into the circle. With a smooth motion, he placed a beast core at its center.
The circle flared to life instantly, igniting as if hungry for the energy fed into it. Mana surged along the etched lines, connecting them one by one until the room pulsed with violet and silver light.
In seconds, the circle illuminated half the chamber before tearing open a portal in front of them, a swirling vortex of power that hummed with unstable force.
Thalos sighed heavily, already feeling the weight of what was about to happen. He picked up his dagger and walked toward Grey with reluctant steps.
"If anything attacks you, you’re on your own. I want no part in this," the gargoyle grumbled.
Grey didn’t answer. He only pulled his hood over his head and stepped toward the glow. "Hopefully, nothing attacks us," he said simply before vanishing into the portal.
Thalos stood still for a heartbeat longer, his expression grim, before finally following. The moment he crossed, the swirling vortex sealed itself shut with a low hiss, leaving the room empty once again.
---
Far away, in a world unknown, something was stirring.
This new land was strange to behold, unlike anything that could ever be mistaken for human territory.
The terrain stretched endlessly, jagged and uneven, as if the earth itself had been scarred by countless battles. Cracks split across the land like veins, and stubborn patches of grass fought to survive between the stone, swaying against the odds.
The air carried a restless breeze that never truly settled. It wasn’t violent, but it had a way of unsettling the senses, whispering faintly as it tugged on the grass in rolling waves.
In the distance stood a mountain so massive it dwarfed the rest of the land. Its peak vanished into storm clouds that never parted.
Bolts of lightning constantly tore through the sky, striking down upon its slopes and ridges, lighting the towering giant with brief, furious flashes. Each thunderclap rattled the ground beneath, reminding all who saw it that this was no ordinary mountain but a place of unrestrained power.
Yet, curiously, the plains stretching out from its base remained calm. The skies there were clear, dry, and almost deceptively peaceful. Only the distant rumbles carried across the land, a constant reminder of the storm brewing above.
Beasts moved across the rugged landscape, their silhouettes shifting like shadows among the jagged rocks and swaying grass.
Some were small, blending seamlessly into the background, while others loomed larger, their hulking forms catching the brief flashes of light from the far-off storm. To human eyes, the place felt alien and dangerous, a world that demanded respect from any who dared to step within it.
And now, Grey and Thalos had arrived.
And in the very center of this strange new world, a swirling portal suddenly split open. The portal glowed pure white, its edges crackling like shattered glass reforming itself, before yawning wide into existence.
The moment it appeared, every beast within sight froze. Their heads snapped in the portal’s direction, bodies tense, claws digging into the cracked earth.
A ripple of instinctual fear passed through them, and without hesitation, they hurriedly darted between jagged rocks and outcroppings, their glowing eyes peering from the shadows to watch what would emerge.
They did not have to wait long.
From the blinding light stepped two figures. Two humans, cloaked and armed, the sight alone alien to this rugged world. The instant they set foot on the rocky ground, the portal snapped shut behind them, leaving nothing but the echo of its swirling hum.
The hooded figure wasted no time. He immediately crouched low, pulling a stick of charred wood from his robe, and began etching into the soil.
Strange lines and geometric shapes spread outward, forming markings that hummed faintly with mana. For several minutes he worked without pause, his focus unwavering, before finally lifting his head, satisfied with the circle he had drawn.
"So this is where you dragged us, huh?" Thalos sighed, his gravelly voice carrying irritation as he scanned the alien terrain. His golden eyes flicked briefly to the distant, storm-wrapped mountain before narrowing back to the plains.
"Now," Grey muttered as he rose to his feet, pulling his hood tighter over his mask, "where are the damned beasts?!" His voice carried loudly across the stony expanse, uncaring of what might be lurking in the shadows.
The sound seemed to break the tension. The moment the hidden creatures realized the intruders weren’t towering apex predators, they began to emerge. Slowly at first, then in numbers.
The beasts of this rocky world looked as if they had been sculpted by the land itself. Their bodies were lean yet heavily muscled, built to endure the jagged terrain.
Most bore thick, stony hides mottled with earthy tones—grays, browns, and deep greens that allowed them to blend seamlessly into the rocks.
Their long, powerful legs ended in claws sharp enough to pierce stone for grip, while ridges of bony spikes and hardened plates jutted from their backs, making their silhouettes look jagged and menacing.
Their eyes glowed faintly in hues of amber, pale blue, or burning red, betraying a savage intelligence that lingered just behind their animalistic stares.
Some had crescent-shaped horns that curved upward like blades ready to pierce the sky.
Others carried tusks jutting from their lower jaws, their snarls vibrating low and guttural across the rocky plains. Each sound rolled like thunder on the wind, a reminder that these were not prey—but predators in their own right.
And yet, despite their feral aura, there was method in the way they moved. They did not rush recklessly but spread across the terrain with practiced caution.
These creatures weren’t mere mindless predators. They were survivors, forged by the cruelty of this world, as much a part of the rocky plains as the lightning-mountain looming in the distance.
Grey’s eyes gleamed behind the mask as he slowly drew his sword, the blade whispering free of its sheath. His smirk widened at the sight of the gathering horde.
"Time to get to work."