One month later.
A knock sounded at the door of the tree house.
"Ethan Leo."
Ethan opened his eyes, stood up, and opened the door.
A Treant stood at the entrance, its emerald-green leaves swaying slightly.
"Ethan Leo, the War Fortress has arrived outside Amons World. Please proceed to the command center immediately."
The scene inside the fortress was completely different from a month ago.
Treants in a constant hurry bustled along the stone paths.
Beyond the protective shield overhead, a massive pale blue world bubble occupied the entire field of vision.
That was Amons World.
Fine blue patterns flowed across the surface of the world bubble, and the outlines of continents were vaguely visible within. It rotated slowly, each turn stirring a faint ripple in the Void.
The War Fortress hovered outside the world bubble like a bacterium clinging to a giant beast.
A lethal bacterium.
It was the same room, and Wizard Sunny Rain was there again.
Atherton, Vera, Cole, and Marcus had arrived earlier than Ethan.
"Alright, everyone is here. Let's not waste any more words."
With a swipe of Wizard Sunny Rain's hand, five palm-sized objects materialized and floated in mid-air.
They were five small boats.
Each hull was about the size of an adult's palm, constructed entirely from a dark silver metal with dense runic patterns flowing across the surface. The bow was a sharp spindle, the stern tapered into a cone, and there were three keel-like protrusions on the bottom. The entire vessel was seamless, with no visible joins.
"These are World-Breach Shuttles," Wizard Sunny Rain explained. "Second-Tier Wizardry Tools that can help you break through the world barrier."
He tapped his finger in the air, and the five World-Breach Shuttles drifted toward each of them.
Ethan reached out and caught one. It felt slightly heavy, weighing about two or three pounds.
The dark silver hull was cool and smooth to the touch. The runic patterns on the surface lit up briefly the moment his fingertips touched them, then dimmed again.
"The usage is simple. Before you go in, insert ten magic stones into the slot at the bow. The World-Breach Shuttle will automatically enlarge. Once you're inside, use your mental power to activate the runic array on the hull. The shuttle will automatically carry you through the world barrier and land you at a random location in Amons World."
He paused, his blue-green gaze scanning the five of them.
"Remember, put the shuttle away immediately after landing and leave the landing site as fast as possible. The World Consciousness will detect an anomaly the moment you penetrate the world barrier. Although your concealment Wizardry Tools will mask your aura, the World Consciousness will mark the area within a hundred-mile radius of the landing site. If you don't want to die, run fast."
Ethan looked down at the World-Breach Shuttle in his hand.
As expected, there was a thumb-sized slot at the bow, with fine runic patterns engraved at the bottom.
"The mission duration is one year, calculated from the moment you land."
He swiped his right hand in front of him again, and five thumb-sized transparent crystals appeared.
"These are concealment Wizardry Tools. Wearing them close to your body will mask your aura fluctuations, making it impossible for the World Consciousness to pinpoint your location."
The five crystals drifted toward them.
Ethan took his crystal.
There were no runic patterns on its surface; it looked like an ordinary piece of clear crystal.
He tucked it into his robes.
"Depart now."
Wizard Sunny Rain turned and walked toward a corridor at the side of the command center.
"Follow me."
After walking for about fifteen minutes, the space ahead suddenly opened up.
It was a circular hall.
The vaulted ceiling was high, at least thirty or forty meters up. The walls were made of a pale blue wood-like material with dense runic patterns flowing over them. In the center of the hall was a teleportation array about ten meters in diameter, its base constructed from a dark gray stone covered in complex runic arrays.
Twelve Treants stood around the edge of the teleportation array.
Unlike those in the corridors, these twelve Treants were each about three meters tall, with faint dark-gold patterns flowing over their wooden bodies. The leaves on their heads were not emerald-green, but a deep green that was almost black.
Wizard Sunny Rain stopped before the teleportation array and turned, his blue-green gaze sweeping over the five of them.
"Get in."
The five of them stepped onto the teleportation array.
Ethan took ten magic stones from his storage ring and inserted them into the slot at the bow of the World-Breach Shuttle.
The moment the magic stones fell in, the runic patterns at the bottom of the slot lit up. A pale golden light spread from the slot across the entire hull, and the previously dim runes lit up one by one.
The World-Breach Shuttle began to enlarge.
It grew from palm-sized to the length of an arm, then to the height of a person. After a few breaths, a spindle-shaped shuttle about four meters long and one and a half meters wide hovered steadily half a meter off the ground.
The dark silver hull gleamed coldly under the eerie green light of the teleportation array, and the runic patterns on the hull were all lit, flowing slowly.
The five of them boarded their respective World-Breach Shuttles.
Ethan stepped into the cabin and sat in the recessed seat that fit exactly one person.
The interior space of the World-Breach Shuttle wasn't large, but it had everything necessary. In front of the seat was a palm-sized crystal display showing the shuttle's current status. On either side of the hull were rows of fine runic arrays for controlling direction and speed.
Atherton and the other three also sat in their shuttles.
Wizard Sunny Rain raised his right hand.
The twelve Treants at the edge of the teleportation array moved simultaneously. They raised their slender arms and pressed their wooden palms into the slots at the edge of the array.
Emerald-green light gushed from their palms, spreading toward the center along the array's runic patterns.
The teleportation array lit up.
Eerie green light shone from every line on the base, growing brighter and more blinding.
Wizard Sunny Rain's voice came from beyond the light.
"Remember, leave immediately after landing."
As the words fell, the light of the teleportation array suddenly erupted.
Ethan felt a flash of green before his eyes, and his body was enveloped by a gentle yet irresistible force. A feeling of weightlessness rose from the soles of his feet, and the surrounding scenery began to twist and spin.
This process lasted for about three seconds.
When the light dissipated, the scene before him had completely changed.
The Void.
Pure, absolute darkness rushed in from all directions.
The World-Breach Shuttle hovered in the Void, the runic patterns on its hull emitting a faint golden glow that illuminated a small area around it.
Ethan looked out through the translucent cabin wall.
The War Fortress was not far behind.
The massive castle floated in the Void, the eerie green light of its protective shield particularly prominent in the darkness.
Compared to the fortress, the five World-Breach Shuttles were not even as significant as dust.
At that moment, an invisible pressure surged from all directions.
The pressure was formless and intangible, yet it truly existed.
It squeezed in from every direction in the Void, as if the entire world was rejecting him.
Ethan frowned.
It was a very uncomfortable feeling.
Without hesitation, he extended his mental power into the crystal display at the front of the shuttle.
The World-Breach Shuttle vibrated slightly.
The runic patterns on the hull suddenly flared, the pale golden light becoming several times brighter than before.
The hull began to move forward, its speed increasing rapidly.
The five World-Breach Shuttles started simultaneously, flying toward the distant world bubble.
The shuttle's speed grew faster and faster.
The hull began to vibrate slightly, and the light of the runic patterns flickered more frequently.
Ethan could feel the World-Breach Shuttle adjusting its own energy frequency to match the world barrier of Amons World.
The moment it penetrated the world barrier, the shuttle jolted violently.
The moment it penetrated the world barrier, the shuttle jolted violently.
The runic patterns on the hull simultaneously erupted with blinding light, illuminating the entire cabin.
An intense feeling of weightlessness hit him, ten times stronger than during the teleportation.
The vibration lasted for about five seconds.
Then, everything returned to calm.
The World-Breach Shuttle had broken through.
Rate on N.U.
