Infinite Mage [Remake]

Shirone facing the trial again..

The only thing he could do was pray for this massive current to end quickly and hope that it wouldn't scatter into nothingness.

"Uwaaaaaah!"

As if vomiting out his very life, he let out a powerful shout, and in that instant, the eight spatial dimensions of Miro shone brilliantly.

Eight beams of light shot toward Shirone, forming a radiant white sphere centered around him.

The sphere of light grew larger and larger. And when it finally engulfed the entire altar—

"Huff!"

Shirone shuddered at the overwhelming sense of deprivation.

It was a sensation eerily similar to when he had first opened the Immortal Function.

"O-Ohhh!"

The natives, their eyes wide with astonishment, cried out as they watched Shirone enveloped in light.

Shirone was floating up, rising all the way to the ceiling.

"..."

What was he seeing?

Though his eyelids did not even flicker, his pupils trembled violently from the shock.

The man with white tattoos shivered.

'Has he arrived?'

The space-time of Miro, absorbing the mental power of the Immortal Function, transmitted information through its energy.

What that information was, even he did not know. But whatever the eight spheres revealed when filled to their absolute limit—be it a scene, an event—there was no doubt that it was of great significance.

The natives shouted at the top of their lungs.

"Ra! Anke! Ra!"

Simultaneously, an explosion of light as blinding as the sun filled the entire altar chamber.

The natives turned their heads away, shutting their eyes tightly.

And when the light finally subsided, Shirone had somehow returned to the altar, gasping for breath.

"Huff! Huff!"

Everything was still a whirlwind of confusion. He couldn't even tell where he was anymore.

'What… What was that?'

What exactly had he seen? Did such a place truly exist?

'An illusion? Or reality? I have no idea. How is this related to the Immortal Function?'

Sensing movement, Shirone quickly turned his head.

The natives, who had gathered around the altar, knelt on one knee, bowing their heads.

"W-What are you all doing?"

He waved his hands in panic, but the natives remained as still as statues, maintaining their posture of devotion.

The man with white tattoos lifted his head.

"Deliver unto us the will of Ra, messenger of the gods."

Amy and her group, having sent Shirone to the Chamber of Accomplishment and Sacrifice, arrived at the eastern altar.

When Jis presented the pass, the natives opened the stone gate for them.

Jis translated the words of the native, who mentioned the arrival of the mining cart.

Amy's group nodded, though Canis and Arin seemed uninterested.

Thanks to Arin's telepathic abilities, one of her mental resonance skills, they had already understood what the native had said.

The underground area wasn't too deep, as it was primarily used for operating mining carts.

Rails had been laid along the soil covered in volcanic ash, and a native, chewing gum, welcomed them as they approached the waiting cart.

Though his expression was mild, the sharp and intense gaze characteristic of Kergon was still there—so much so that it almost felt like someone else's eyes had been implanted into him.

Jis also felt an eerie sensation. However, as a professional broker, he approached with a smile.

Extending his hand, he offered a handshake, which the native accepted.

"The loop handler has changed. I'm Jis, the new contact."

"Jis? You don't seem like the type to be involved in something like this."

The Kergon native assessed his nature at a glance. Loop smuggling was a serious crime that could result in a death sentence, and Jis didn't have the demeanor of a hardened trafficker.

"Where's Falcoa? He always came in person to pick it up."

"Ah, that guy? He's dead."

"Dead? As in, deceased?"

Jis nodded as the native made a slicing gesture across his neck.

The native's face twisted with disbelief. Falcoa was strong and had a personality similar to that of Kergon people. The idea that someone like him had been replaced by Jis made him skeptical.

"You have the pass, right?"

"Of course. Here, take a look."

The native's expression lost its warmth as he snatched the pass from Jis.

Amy's group tensed instinctively. They had assumed that presenting the pass would be enough, but the level of scrutiny was higher than expected.

Moreover, they weren't actually here to purchase Loop.

Falcoa was dead, and there would be no more Loop transactions. If the native learned of this fact, the consequences would be obvious.

The pass was genuine.

Even with his suspicions, the native couldn't argue against solid proof.

He led them to the mining cart.

It was large enough to fit six people comfortably. A seesaw mechanism was installed to push the cart forward using leverage.

The native gripped the seesaw and began moving the cart.

Since it was originally a two-person task, Rian moved to assist, but the native glared at him, forcing Rian to awkwardly step back.

The sheer strength needed to operate the cart was impressive. However, the journey to Toa Mountain was over twenty kilometers. If the native exerted himself the entire way, he would be exhausted before they even arrived.

As the rails sloped downward, the speed of the cart increased. A sensation like their stomachs dropping filled their bodies.

Though the path eventually leveled out, the speed did not slow. The tracks had been subtly inclined to continuously harness gravity.

Given this principle, it was clear they could reach the autonomous district faster than by carriage.

"Ugh! This thing is insanely fast!"

"Yeah. Better hold on tight."

The cart shook violently. If it tipped over while at full speed, survival was not guaranteed.

Amy's group instinctively crouched lower. Seeing this, the native smirked and muttered something under his breath.

Though the noise made it impossible to hear, it was clear that it wasn't anything pleasant.

As the cart took a turn, one of its wheels lifted slightly. Though it wasn't an extremely sharp curve, the acceleration made it feel dangerous.

Arin grabbed the edge of the cart and pulled Canis's collar with her other hand. Then, as they entered a straight path, she asked Jis,

"How much longer until we arrive?"

"Not sure. Probably another twenty minutes. This is my first time here, too."

"But you must have at least heard about it, right?"

"Not at all. Like I said earlier, this route was so secretive that only Falcoa used it. Even most higher-ups don't know much about it."

Arin estimated they had about twenty minutes before arriving at Toa Mountain. They needed time to discuss their plan.

Telepathy magic was a fine line between eavesdropping and forced confession.

Directly influencing someone's mind would allow access to their inner thoughts, but it risked exposure.

With high-level mental mages, once their ability was revealed, it became harder to infiltrate thoughts effectively.

Thus, the best approach was to send only the faintest of psychic waves to pick up surface thoughts without detection.

Extending her Spirit Zone, Arin infiltrated the native's shadow and then spread five additional strands to connect with the rest of the group, excluding Jis.

With the preparations complete, she turned to the native and asked,

"How much longer until we arrive?"