Sovereign of the Ashes

At this moment, an immense white chasm lay before Sein.

It was as if a crack had ruptured the world before him. The white chasm was likely the very space-time rift that Master Morsidor and the others had been talking about.

As expected, Sein recognized a multitude of alchemy equipment surrounding the space-time rift.

Most of them were from the laboratory of their faction. Sein had even handled and participated in the construction of a few among them.

There was no sight of Master Morsidor, or even any black mages he was acquainted with around the space-time rift, save for a bald man dressed in a white robe.

In Mystralora City, black mages typically favored black robes or other dark-colored clothes, but there were exceptions, such as Sein’s mentor, who stood out in a golden robe.

However, the bald man before him was an exception among exceptions.

Whether it was Sein or any of the other intermediate initiates who had arrived here, they could not help but tremble in the presence of this bald mage.

They were overwhelmed by the sheer aura of this higher-ranked mage!

The bald mage far surpassed Vice Dean Dedaelon in terms of strength!

The bald mage introduced himself, “I am your vice dean, Martin. In a moment, each of you will enter the space-time rift one by one. The small red beads that have appeared in front of you are crucial mission items for your journey.”

“Form a group as large as possible when you venture into the other plane, and pass these elemental beads to the strongest among you. If the exploration of the other plane proceeds smoothly this time, you will not only receive the rewards that come with the exploration but also three hundred academy merit points and three thousand autrum each. The only condition is that you return alive,” he explained.

“Now, go!” Vice Dean Martin gestured with his left hand.

The initiates at the front were propelled forward by an irresistible force, taking hesitant steps toward the space-time rift.

Sein, who stood toward the back of the line, remained composed, unlike the anxious initiates at the front.

He shifted his attention to inspect the thumb-sized red bead that had appeared in his hand.

“Elemental bead? What is this for?” Just as this question formed in Sein’s mind, he heard Master Morsidor’s voice in his head again.

“Collect as many of these elemental beads as you can. They may prove useful to you.”

Before Sein could seek further clarification, the compelling force coming from Vice Dean Martin suddenly descended upon him.

Like the other initiates, Sein was pushed into the space-time rift and eventually vanished from view.

***

Ouch!

Unrelenting pain wracked every inch of Sein’s body!

It was a searing agony, akin to someone ruthlessly striking his head with a sledgehammer.

The moment Sein entered the space-time rift, his consciousness swiftly faded.

All that remained was the excruciating pain etched deeply into his memory.

Among the fragmented images in his memory, Sein seemed to see nothing but a narrow and cramped inverted triangular rift passage, barely half the height of a man, leading to a radiant yellow portal.

Strangely, that inverted triangular rift passage reminded him of the cramped rock shelter he had once concealed himself in during an academy quest a few years back.

Both were so narrow that only a person of his physique and strength could squeeze through.

The moment Sein’s body passed through the yellow portal, he experienced a far more intense discomfort and disorientation than he had ever encountered while walking through the passage within the magic altar.

He felt like a fish, accustomed to living in water all year-round, suddenly thrust onto dry land.

The suffocating sensation and the overwhelming rejection of his entire surroundings were all unequivocal signs that he did not belong in this place.

***

The scorching sun seared Sein’s skin.

The blistering yellow sand surrounding him made it feel as though he were inside a sizzling pan.

When he finally roused from his unconscious state, he found that most of his body was buried deep in the sand.

Sein possessed a robust physique among the initiates. When combined with the focus level of intermediate initiates, which far exceeded those of ordinary humans, it granted him remarkable resilience and willpower.

This explained why the academy had chosen initiates like them to lead the way and placed their hopes in the hands of the senior initiates and Quasi Mages.

If it had been the junior or fresh initiates or regular humans who had arrived here, they might not have withstood the excruciating pain of crossing the space-time rift, let alone endure the harsh environment they now found themselves in.

The tingling in his shoulder area compelled the weakened Sein to twist his head for a look.

Cuts and wounds covered every inch of his skin there, but most of them had already scabbed over. Sein had no idea how long he had been unconscious.

The thin air was one of the main factors contributing to his weakening.

Thankfully, he still had control over his upper body. After expending some mana to activate his space ring, a basic healing potion materialized in his hand.

Sein’s injuries were not severe. The scars on his body were merely superficial wounds.

His weakness primarily resulted from the harsh environment and the effects of traversing the space-time rift.

After careful consideration, Sein decided not to consume an intermediate healing potion. He had only three of those, as opposed to the dozen or so basic healing potions, as well as a few basic and intermediate rejuvenation potions and antidotes in his possession.

All of them were gifts from Marie.

Fortunately, Sein’s lower body was not trapped in quicksand, so he could extricate himself after regaining some of his strength.

By casting a basic magic spell, Lightfoot, on himself, he sped up the process of freeing himself.

When they entered the space-time rift, all forty initiates had proceeded in an orderly sequence. As Sein gazed into the distance, there was no sign of any other initiates around him.

Instead, endless yellow sand filled his view.

In stark contrast to the perpetual darkness of the Underworld, the Sand World was incredibly bright.

The brilliance was nearly blinding, and Sein hesitated to look up at the sky due to the scorching heat and intense glare that stung his eyes.

Perhaps, once he adapted to the environment of the Sand World, he would be able to confirm whether the sky resembled the one from his childhood memories.

With unsteady steps, Sein ventured in a specific direction.

In the Sand World, not only was the air incredibly thin, but the gravitational pull seemed different from that of Gloomhaven.

Sein suspected he could leap higher, but his weakened state and the scalding yellow sand dissuaded him from testing this hypothesis.

“Where could the others be?”

After traversing a considerable distance, Sein could not help but ponder this question as he scanned the unchanging landscape around him.