The Lone Wanderer

Chapter 646 – Spiralis B-3

A runic circle with a diameter of over a hundred metres lit up in the middle of the arena, slightly offset from the spot where the participants were standing. Kassorith didn’t seem to know what he was supposed to do with it, but he joined the others when they decided to walk inside the geometrical shape.

Percy was a little annoyed that the event had been scheduled to begin so soon after their most recent match, as a couple of hours had barely been enough time to recover, and only due to how easily they had defeated their latest opponent.

The poor Aflegian might have not recovered completely though, despite the abundance of healing resources participants were provided with after their fights. Alas, there wasn’t much that could be done about that. The moss-bearded man was unlikely to qualify for the next round anyway.

The enchantment shone brightly beneath Kassorith’s tail, and then Percy’s surroundings shifted in a manner similar to every other time he’d used a teleportation platform. Finding himself in free fall, he quickly wrapped his domain around his host’s body to stabilize his descent.

‘Was it too difficult to explain what the special event involves before sending us here?’ Micky asked through their spectral bond, probably not expecting an answer.

Strong, frigid winds assaulted them from every direction, though the lower temperature was more of an annoyance than a genuine threat given the Thess’kalan’s grade and physique. The relative lack of oxygen was far more troublesome as it made the scaled man lightheaded, yet there was enough that he wouldn’t suffocate anytime soon. They were obviously located quite far from the ground, so the air would likely not be as thin when they landed.

Percy’s Sage’s Pond unfolded in every direction, though he failed to find anything solid within his range. Kassorith had clearly been separated from the other contestants during the teleportation. For now, Percy had no choice but to scan the area with his regular eyesight.

‘It looks like we’ve been sent to a different planet,’ he concluded after a cursory examination.

Gone was the impressive patchwork of green continents and deep blue oceans that he’d learned to associate with Marador Prime, replaced by a world that didn’t seem to contain nearly as much water.

There was only a single landmass that spanned the entire globe – or at least as much of the planet as Percy could see from his current vantage point. The ground sported an atypical golden colour, though Percy was unable to tell if it consisted of actual gold dust, regular sand, or something else entirely from this distance.

A series of long, wide rivers flowed across the planet’s surface. However, they weren’t arranged randomly. There appeared to only be about a dozen watery lines that spiralled around the entire globe, converging toward a huge ring-shaped river near the equator.

Percy didn’t know whether there was an actual ocean or another circular body of water on the other side, but he doubted that he’d have enough time to circumnavigate the planet anyway, so it didn’t really matter.

The cyclical river was even thicker than its offshoots, surrounding a central patch of land large enough to easily house an entire nation or two, making the whole planet resemble one massive eyeball. Percy found the geography somewhat unsettling, thinking for a moment that the world itself was staring right at his host. On closer inspection, he realized that Kassorith was hovering over the outskirts of the circular plane – not its centre.

Either way, Percy forced himself to calm down, knowing that this was all just a part of the event.

“Welcome to Spiralis B-3,” the cold, automatic voice from the arena said. Its volume had been amplified dozens of times, probably to ensure that the participants heard it even if they’d ventured far from its source.

Speaking of that, Kassorith lifted his gaze, spotting a metallic disk that was wider than a person was tall, hovering a couple of kilometres above his head. Clearly, it was where the teleportation had spat him out, and also where the voice was coming from, though their omnidirectional vision hadn’t unfolded fast enough to locate it earlier.

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“This is a barren world that has been under the Void Hand’s control for a very long time. As you have probably deduced, this is going to be the location of the fifth group’s first special event,” the voice continued, oblivious to anyone’s thoughts. “Up until this point, we have only evaluated your strength under conditions of single combat. While a mage’s might is admittedly an extremely important quality, it is not the only one that our alliance values.”

‘Thank goodness for that.’ Percy couldn’t help but exhale in relief, fully aware that he and his host had already fallen somewhat short in that department. Perking up, he waited with bated breath for the details of the assignment.

“You will find countless Green beasts scattered across the surface of the planet, carefully bred for this year’s competition. The creatures are not inherently special, but you are to treat them as if they were. For the purposes of this test, you should imagine that every species on Spiralis B-3 is capable of producing some invaluable resource, such as a form of stable beast mana that is suitable for core-cleansing.

“More importantly, we have allowed a mild demonic infestation to propagate across the planet. It is not powerful enough to directly influence Blue sapients such as yourselves – at least not merely by being here – but the unintelligent Green wildlife is a different story. Keep in mind that you will encounter circumstances during the event that will render you more susceptible to corruption, though any lingering influence will be cleansed from your bodies and minds upon its conclusion. The infestation falls within the dominion of Wrath, so expect every creature to attack on sight, regardless of how suicidal that choice may be.”

Percy gasped in awe of the alliance’s means. Leaving aside how unsettling it was to be deliberately sent to an infected world, he understood that the Void Hand wasn’t going to allow any real danger to befall their elites.

He was honestly quite impressed by the lengths the alliance had gone to, just for the sake of a limited competition. Judging from the relative scarcity of water and complete absence of flora on the planet, its ecosystem shouldn’t be able to support many Green beasts by itself.

In other words, the organizers had artificially created this environment either by importing countless creatures from other worlds, or enough resources to feed those already here. It reminded Percy of the Thirsty Valley, though the sheer size and scope of Spiralis B-3 was incomparable to Kronos’ Decree.

‘That still doesn’t tell us what we’re supposed to do,’ Micky complained again, focusing more on the competition itself than the environment.

As if on cue, the amethyst emblem pinned on Kassorith’s tunic began flashing rhythmically, indicating that it would play some important role in the upcoming contest. The emotionless voice spoke again, soon confirming Percy’s assumptions.

“You are advised to keep your badges on your person at all times. You will not be disqualified directly if you lose them, but it will be difficult to award you the points you have earned if you are not under surveillance, potentially leading to a lower final score than expected. It will also be harder to extract you from the planet in case you find yourselves in mortal danger.

“Your objective is to cleanse Spiralis B-3 of its infestation in any way you deem appropriate. The exact manner in which you choose to contribute is up to you, but a variable amount of points will be awarded depending on how effective your actions are.”

“Interesting,” Percy muttered.

He still wasn’t sure if he and his host would do well enough in this event to reach their goals, but he didn’t exactly mind an opportunity to learn more about demonic infestations.

Even if he failed to acquire the Void Decree in the end, this would be valuable knowledge for his future travels. He’d already encountered three different infestations, and he’d been mostly powerless against each of them. This wouldn’t do if he ever wanted to help Marnok or all the other innocent people suffering from the cosmic cancers.

The cold voice wasn’t done, however.

“Directly attacking other participants will result in immediate disqualification, but subtler forms of sabotage are allowed. Do note, however, that assisting or inhibiting other contestants may be rewarded or penalized, depending on what broader impact your actions have on the planet’s purification. The event will last for two Maradorian days and nights, after which you will be extracted back to the stadium. May you compete with honour and diligence.”

With the conclusion of the instructions, the amethyst badge projected a small screen about a metre away from Kassorith’s chest, listing eighteen names alongside their current scores.

Based on what Percy could tell about the Void Hand’s language – due to his connection to Kassorith – the participants were listed in alphabetical order, though he guessed that that was temporary. They were all currently tied at first place with zero points, but that would probably change as soon as the contestants landed and began interacting with the infected fauna.

‘I suppose this is a separate ranking unique to the special event,’ the Thess’kalan said. ‘We’ll probably receive a certain number of points in the main ranking depending on our performance here.’

‘Indeed,’ Percy agreed with a mental nod. ‘Come on then; clock’s already ticking. Let’s figure out how to win this thing.’