Dragon Monarch System

Chapter 926:- Second Day; Illusion Orb

Aditya silently sat in front of the campfire. He sat there looking dazed.

Laura quickly finished the last few bites of her meal and then set the bowl down.

”What are you thinking?”

”I am thinking about our journey ahead.”

”Go to sleep! I will stay awake and keep an eye on our surroundings.” Aditya did not want to relax inside a Scattered Zone. Who knows what unexpected surprise might come to visit them when they are sleeping?

A cultivator is most vulnerable when he is sleeping.

”Alright! But wake me up a few hours later. Then I will stay awake, and you can sleep.” Aditya nodded, but he had no intention of doing this. She was exhausted and needed this whole night to rest and recover. As for him, even if he did not sleep for the whole night or multiple nights, nothing much would happen to him.

Laura looked at Aditya, feeling that he was lying. She looked at the few remaining undead and thought to herself.

ʼIt is possible that the Zone might throw some unexpected surprise in the middle of the night. So itʼs better for one of us to stay awake.ʼ But she also felt that the probability of this happening was very low, and he was being overly cautious.

Still, she said nothing. She knew she needed this rest very much at the moment.

That night, Aditya did not wake her up. He spent the whole night sitting in front of the campfire.

He spent the first few hours reading, but once he got bored, he started working on making new Artefacts.

Every time Aditya made an artefact, at the end, he always felt that there was room for improvement. But he isnʼt able to implement these changes mainly due to his level. A five-star Rune Master can do things that he canʼt do in his current Rank. And on top of that, recently, he felt like he had stopped making any progress towards 5 5-star rank.

No matter what he did, it barely gave him any Progress.

He knew that he was stuck and needed guidance.

Laura had planned to wake up in the middle of the night, but she had seriously underestimated just how tired her body was. She slept for the whole night.

The next morning, after heading breakfast, Aditya destroyed the few undead skeletons and freed them of their misery. Not that they can feel any emotions.

Once thrown out of the Scattered Zone, they were back in the scorching hot desert.

Immediately, Aditya felt his throat, lips, and mouth drying.

”I want to go back to the Scattered Zone already.” This heat and the weather in this desert were just too unbearable.

The good thing was that Ancient Crawler was no longer around. As far as their eyes went, everything appeared to be extremely calm and silent. There was no sign of activity around them.

Just like before, they began to glide on the sand and travel on the borders of the Scattered Zones and continued advancing forward.

Compared to yesterday, their journey was a lot faster since they were gliding on the sand. This was way more efficient than walking on the sand.

Time passed, and without them realising it, the whole day very quickly passed. The duo endured the great discomfort and continued advancing forward for the whole day. The whole day, they did not meet anyone.

The only other being that they saw was a few Komodo Crawlers out in the distance. Since neither party had any interest in the other, both of them just looked at each other for a few seconds before continuing on their own path.

By the time they considered stopping to search for a cave or any place to use as shelter, the sun was already dipping below the horizon. Travelling during the night wasnʼt an option in this desert.

”Today, we have covered nearly twice the distance that we initially covered yesterday.” Laura was very happy with their progress. At this rate, by tomorrow, they should reach their destination if nothing unexpected happens.

”Yes! Yesterday, we made a lot of mistakes and getting chased by that thing wasted a lot of our time and effort.” Not to mention, they spent more than half a day walking in the desert, which significantly slowed down their speed.

”We canʼt travel in the darkness. Letʼs find a cave or something similar. If we canʼt, then we will need to get ourselves trapped inside one of the Scattered Zones.” As for sleeping under the sky, in the desert, that was out of consideration. This option was just too dangerous.

The Scattered Zone was their second and last option since entering that place meant they would instantly lose half of their Mana. It was better to find a cave to spend the night.

Additionally, during the nighttime, the feeling of extreme thirst subsides.

And one might ask, why not travel during the nighttime, under the light of the beautiful moon and clear sky?

”Aditya, can you see that faint orb shining in the distance?” Laura stopped and asked him.

It looked like it was the light from a campfire. In normal cases, this would be a sign of human or intelligent racesʼ activity.

When he looked at the light, the clarity in his eyes dimmed. He started walking in the direction of the orb.

”Letʼs follow that orb.” Aditya murmured in a low tone, but his eyes looked unfocused. He began walking in that direction without waiting for Laura.

Seeing him walk past her, Laura immediately grabbed his wrist.

”Not good! He is under control.” She created a water orb above her other palm.

Splash!!

Getting hit by the fresh cold water caused him to regain focus.

”What was I even doing?” Aditya was on his guard and looked very alert. For a second, he felt like he had lost control of his mind. He could see and react to everything like normal, but it felt as if his mind was shrouded in dense mist. And his body was moving on its own.

”Donʼt look at that shining orb.” She immediately warned in a strict tone.

”This is why no one travels during the nighttime.” Aditya was aware of that Shiny glowing orb in the distance, but didnʼt expect to fall under its control the moment he looked at it.

She nodded her head.

”This thing appears all over the desert during the nighttime, but itʼs not uncommon for it to sometimes appear during the sunset or later in the evening.”

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”That orb is very dangerous. People call it the Illusion Orb. This orb is only found in this desert.” Aditya quietly listened. He always believed he was cautious enough not to fall for traps, but just now, he had almost walked straight into one without realising it.

Laura continued. ”The Illusion Orb doesnʼt engage in direct attacks, chase, or fight; instead, it uses deception to lure its targets. It appears when travellers are tired, lost, or looking for water. From far away, it looks like a campfire. Sometimes like a glowing lantern or a warm light… something that gives hope to the travellers.”

”It always stays at a distance. It waits until someone notices it. And once someone stares at it for too long… the mind becomes foggy. The body starts to follow it on its own. And the worst part? You donʼt even feel like youʼre being forced. You feel like you are the one making the choice.” Aditya nodded. He almost made the same mistake.

Aditya slowly looked in the direction the orb had disappeared.

”Where does it lead people?” he asked, even though he already had a bad feeling.

”To the Scattered Zone!” Laura answered without hesitation. The mind of the travellers is so affected that sometimes they donʼt realise where they are stepping and get themselves stuck inside the Scattered Zone. Not everyone has the pleasant experience inside the Scattered Zones like Aditya and Laura.

Because Aditya is too strong that he can comfortably take cultivators above his cultivation, the Scattered Zone wasnʼt a threat to him. But not everyone is like that.

”The Illusion Orb leads people into the far distance if some lucky people donʼt fall into the Scattered Zones. It makes them believe thereʼs an oasis waiting ahead. Shade, water, even the sound of flowing rivers. Some say it can even make you hear the voice of someone you love. But all of it is fake. A lie.”

”Once someone keeps following the orb for too long, their strength starts to fade. Their will gets weaker. And eventually… they either collapse from exhaustion or vanish completely. Some are never found. Others are found after days… their bodies dried up by the desert wind. Their eyes were wide open. Their hands still reaching toward the sand. As if they died still chasing the illusion.”

”This is why no one travels in the desert after sunset. Because once the Illusion Orb appears, it becomes harder to resist it the longer you stay exposed.”

Aditya thought of the strange feeling just minutes ago.

”…It felt like I was awake, but not in control,” he finally muttered. ”I could see you. I could see the sand… but it was like something else was making me walk.”

Aditya turned his gaze back to her. ”Is there any way to fight it?”

”Not really! But once you resist its power, it will vanish.” The Orb had long vanished.

”But this isnʼt the end. Throughout the whole night, it will use all kinds of means to achieve its purpose. It will take various shapes and light forms. Sometimes, even the illusion of a star in the night sky. All in an attempt to confuse the traveller and make them get lost in this desert.”

”Why are you not affected?” Aditya couldnʼt help but ask. He considered himself to be mentally tough, but even he was affected.

”I am the Goddess of Wisdom.” Her answer left him speechless.

”True....!!”

By now, it was completely dark outside. Under the clear sky and the moonlight, they could see their surrounding. There was nothing that could be used as a shelter.

”Letʼs use one of the Scattered Zones.” He grabbed her hand and landed in the middle of a Scattered Zone.

And just like before, they got pulled inside a Scattered Zone.

After conquering a scattered Zone, the Zone does not activate for the people who got trapped in it. However, this is only temporary, lasting for a few hours, after which everything returns to normal.

This, a few hours, allows the Traveller to get out of the Scattered Zone. Otherwise, this would be one long continuous loop.

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