A Sorcerer’s Journey

Three months later.

“The Narrow World?”

Beneath the Mask of Truth, Grimm’s eyes flickered with excitement while staring at the magic teapot. The little boy looked on with a childlike curiosity on his face while working on the experiment instructed by the Dwarf Tinman.

“Just mind your own business!”

Myna sternly reprimanded the little boy. He dawdled on the laboratory countertops with his chest puffed out while he fixed his eyes on the poor lad. He seemed to enjoy acting all high and mighty.

The little boy kept his head down and continued his work in silence. Luckily for him, he had gotten used to Myna’s ill-temper over the past three months.

“It was my master who named the foreign world inside this magic teapot,” Dwarf Tinman nodded. “The master before him discovered it on a battlefield full of celestial-craters.”

Dwarf Tinman paused for a while, reminiscing the past.

“According to the research conducted by my great master, an ancient Stigmata Sorcerer incidentally discovered a World-Core Fragment separated from the Foreign Worlds. Then, he created this magic teapot with the fragment.”

Speaking of this, Dwarf Tinman could not help but heave a deep sigh of regret. She would not have died and reincarnated in the last Shadow World Expedition if she could have used this magic teapot; it was rendered dysfunctional by the Despair Breath.

A feeling of jealousy suddenly emerged from within Grimm.

Even though a World-Core Fragment was not amongst the legendary magic tools, its powers were so great it would be enough to amaze even the likes of a Stigmata Sorcerer. Nevertheless, its exact value had to be determined only by measuring the elemental attribution within the sealed dimension.

The battlefield where the Celestial Sorcerers have fought on would be undoubtedly severe. It remained unknown of how many impact craters made by the Stigmata Sorcerers were buried beneath one celestial-crater.

Being the place where this magic tool was found covered in celestial-craters, the brutality of Sorcerer World’s Second Civilization War must have been unimaginable. Fortunately, the Sorcerer World was robust enough to withstand the brunt from the wars and battles of these powerful beings.

Grimm pondered for a moment. “So, is there anything I need to be aware of after I enter the Narrow World?

“Yes, keep in mind that my master’s body had undergone numerous extreme experiments and modifications when he was alive. His physical strength was heavily augmented and his body cells were infused with powerful Instinct Sorceries of the Black Sorcerers.”

Dwarf Tinman explained with an uneasy expression on her face.

“After turning into an undead, he had completely lost his intelligence and the ability to perform advanced-level sorcery. However, he’s still a force to be reckoned with.”

“Take a look at this.”

A projection was cast from the crystal ball in Dwarf Tinman’s hand. It was an introduction to the many Instinct Sorceries his master possessed.

Apparently, Dwarf Tinman attempted to kill her master before he was reincarnated, but he was no match for the monster his master had become.

The creature in the projection was completely deformed to the point that not a single human feature was distinguishable from it. It had become a monster so twisted that it acted only by instinct.

“Bear in mind that you’re forbidden to use space sorcery inside the Narrow World. Besides, the natural rules are different from those of the Material World. You’ll experience the specifics first-hand when you’re inside.”

“I’ll assist you from the outside when necessary.” Dwarf Tinman handed Grimm a red gem. He took it and slightly nodded in relief.

Judging from the projection, the hideous monster looked undoubtedly powerful, but its combat abilities were only that of a Dark Demon-Hunter’s. Coupled with the fact that the monster had lost all intelligence, its threat was not really serious. Victory was only a matter of time for Grimm even if he were forced to fight it with wits alone.

Apparently, there was indeed a wide gap between the Bright Sorcerer and the Dark Sorcerer in terms of combat abilities.

Three days later.

Grimm snapped his fingers. “Go play outside, Myna.”

“Caw?” Myna did not seem to expect Grimm to say this.

“I’ll wait for you here then,” he sluggishly replied.

Dwarf Tinman had mentioned he could pull Grimm out of the Narrow World at any time through the red gem. As a Dark Sorcerer, however, Grimm would not put all his hopes on others.

Grimm nodded slightly, indicating that he was ready.

Dwarf Tinman cast a spell, after which a great attraction force came pouring out from the teapot spout. Grimm felt as if he was being pulled into a noodle. Without resisting, Grimm was sucked into a distorted dimension.

Whoosh!

Grimm gushed out of a wall like a wave. He tried to steady his body as he was stunned and greatly staggering by the vigorous movement.

“Whoa, what in the world?”

There was nothing beneath Grimm’s feet, not even ground to stand. There was no sky above him too.

This Foreign World was a dimension intertwined with reality and illusion. There was no sky, no ground, and no gravity.

The distant space was dimly obscured by disrupted energy waves. They overlapped each other, making irregular ripples like ribbons.

Grimm had not conducted any in-depth studies of this Foreign World before. But with his Perceptive Instinct of Life Consciousness, he could tell that the actual mass of this dimension was comparable to that of a Demon-Hunter Castle’s World-Core Fragment. The actual mass of a dimension was not determined by its area or volume, but by the Endless World’ laws.

Grimm felt as if he was trapped in a cage.

Without the elements of sky, earth, and gravity, any living thing would lose its sense of direction; it would even be problematic to just move forward.

That being said, for a sorcerer like Grimm who had absolute control of Natural Energy, maneuvering in this dimension was merely a walk in the park.

Grimm turned to observe the wall behind him—it was actually a materialized energy layer. It had a diameter of about twenty meters and no actual mass. This energy wall seemed to be the only point of reference in this strange dimension.

Harnessing Natural Energy was based on the fundamental laws of the Endless World but was not subject to the internal laws of a certain foreign world. As such, any action in the Sorcerer World was relative to the Endless World in general.

However, the energy wall suddenly changed its direction and angle in accordance with the internal laws of this dimension.

Grimm frowned as he was taken by surprise.

“This World-Core Fragment is making irregular rotations by itself?”

Grimm analyzed the situation rationally while casting Repulsive and Attractive Forces. He could not sense the Terran Stream’s laws. He could only use himself as the point of origin coordinate.

Grimm calmed himself down and took out the red jewel. He could faintly feel the coordinates of the Dwarf Tinman, whereas the original relative coordinates of Grimm and Myna coincided…

“Damn, it doesn’t work!” Grimm cursed in frustration.

It appeared that the biggest illusion in the Narrow World was its visitor’s disorientation, as it had no reference coordinates and was constantly rotating in irregular patterns. It was a mystery which Unknown World this World-Core Fragment was separated from.

Grimm had no other options but to fly toward a random direction.

If Grimm were to give this World-Core Fragment a name, it would most likely be “Lost World”.

After half an hourglass, Grimm reached an area with ribbon-shaped chaotic energy waves. Beyond the boundary was complete darkness, the coldest and cruelest place of the Endless World.

“Hmmm, is this the edge of this world already? It seems too small to be called Lost World after all,” Grimm mumbled in disbelief.

The vision and perception of a sorcerer were extraordinary compared to normal beings.

Grimm could feel the chaotic energy waves as he was looking at the World’s Laws from the perspective of a high-class sorcerer. If other beings without special perception were to enter this world, all they could see was total darkness. Unlike the boundless real world, a World-Core Fragment had its boundary.

As one of the Material World fragments, the boundary of the Demon-Hunter Castle World-Core Fragment was supported by the energy layer of the Holy Tower of Seven Rings. Beyond the boundary was a Void World filled with void creatures and void energy.

On the other hand, beyond the boundary of a Spectral World fragment like the Narrow World would be a world of darkness, governed by basic Balance Law.

As the World-Core Fragment had a boundary, as long as Grimm kept moving forward, he would eventually find the Metal-Castle Laboratory that Dwarf Tinman mentioned.

Just when Grimm was about to search in another direction, he suddenly felt something from the Dark Hollow World. He stopped in his tracks to discern the source.

He sensed spiral-like waves coming from within the abyss of the Dark Hollow World, and the ripples spread to the edge of this World-Core Fragment. The waves of ripples appeared to originate from a remote, unknown source. An unidentified “black hole” was moving at extremely high speed in the Dark Hollow World.

The edge of the Narrow World gradually calmed again.

Grimm was perplexed.

What he felt just now was either a natural phenomenon or an unknown powerful life-form. It caused the ripples of the Balance Law to spread to the edge of this World-Core Fragment.

Fwoosh!

All of a sudden, a vast ray of light emitted from the darkness and blasted into the distant space. The ephemeral radiance only lasted a few seconds. What remained was endless darkness of despair.