The closer I get to the rift, the more Demonic Energy fills the air nearby. It's all coming from a single area near the furthest point in the dungeon where the guard previously warned me not to enter.
Even the minotaurs steer clear of this area, and the lush green grass doesn't glow as bright. The closer we get to the source, the more dull the dungeon mass around us becomes. Less and less trees grow and the mana in the air gets much thinner as well.
Finally, as we fly over a small hill and look down, the rift comes into view. My eyes open wide at the sight of it.
"This isn't what I expected to see at all..."
What seems to be a large tear in space itself ominously floats right above the ground. It's jet-black in color and looks like someone tore a hole in the open air with a massive knife. It's nearly 3 meters wide and over 10 meters tall.
The top and bottom edges narrow in to make points and the middle is the widest. Small amounts of raw demonic energy leak out from its edges, and it gives off a pressure unlike anything I've ever felt before.
It's similar to the abyss, but sends chills down my spine with every step closer I take.
Ember stops in place as he touches down about 40 or so meters away from the tear in space. He opens up his link.
"I won't be following you through the first time. It would be wise to leave that Dagger behind as well. We don't know how strong the monsters in that rift are yet. Demonic Realms can be very unpredictable and volatile, so it's best not to go in with anything you don't want to lose."
The Midnight Dagger is the one item in my item storage that doesn't duplicate when I create a body double. It also isn't affected by the sparks produced from the mana on demonic energy reaction. I haven't done enough tests yet to understand why either of these phenomena occur, but now isn't the time to test it out.
I reply while throwing the dagger into the dungeon floor by Ember's side.
"Understood, I'll leave it behind."
While continuing to take steps forward closer to the rift, the pressure it gives off increases. It feels similar to the thickness in the air I felt while in the Abyss, but with every step, it's becoming multiple times greater; like boulders are being stacked on my shoulders.
"Is there anything specific I should be looking for, or any important details I should know before entering this realm? Although this is just a test with a body double, all the information I can get would be a great help."
Ember immediately replies through the link.
"Refrain from using any mana-based skills when you first enter. Depending on the rift strength, even the simple use of a buff could cause a problem. The first thing you should do is get a feel for the terrain and scope out the average level of monster inside. Once you do this, report back and I can give you more instructions on what to do and what kind of Demonic Realm we're dealing with..."
I take another step and the pressure intensifies even more.
My heart rate increases, and a grin that only comes across my face in the heat of a life-or-death battle creeps upon my lips.
"Finally, something really interesting."
I take another step forward, coming within 10 meters of the black tear in the open air with my eyes practically sparkling. I deactivate all my mana-based skills, just like Ember said to before taking a moment to stare into the darkness.
Then, after taking a deep breath in and out, I sprint forward and take a leap through into the rift.
My vision goes black, and the immense pressure around me increases even more. My head starts to ache with all the pressure, and I tighten both my fists while the feeling of weightlessness takes over.
I float in a sea of darkness for a few seconds as the pressure continues to grow in my head, and compress all parts of my body. Eventually, the weightless feeling turns into the sensation of falling, and my vision slowly returns. Purple and Black energy swirls around and I brace for impact as my feet hit the solid ground.
A loud crunch follows, but surprisingly it's the rock beneath my feet that breaks, not my bones.
Although the invisible pressure that pushes down on me is intense, the raw Demonic Energy in the air is so abundant it feels like mana in a regular dungeon. Without wasting even a second, I begin absorbing as much as I can, maxing out my core at just over 50 units.
With no reason to hold back, I let the energy flow through my pathways while constantly absorbing more. At full core and pathway saturation, letting the energy seep from my pores to power my footsteps and extra Demonic Senses feels like second nature.
After doing this, my vision adjusts to the landscape, and I'm equally surprised at what I see.
The raw energy in the air swirls around me in all directions, limiting my range of vision to a few dozen meters ahead. It's like a very foggy morning mist covering everything in sight. That mist just happens to be purple and black.
The ground is made of what feels like hard rugged stone but its covered with wet shrubbery that's tinted red and purple. The sound of light trickling and dripping water is nearby in every direction, and my footsteps echo making it seem like I'm in some kind of vast cave system.
The ground below my feet rises up and down in jagged and uneven pathways with awkward sharp pillars of stone-like stalactites jutting up from the ground and down from a ceiling far above me in random places. They range in size from my own height to the size of multiple-story buildings as the cave structure expands outward.
Through the mist, I can make out small streams of what i can only assume to be water, and the smell of iron fills my nose and lungs. The surroundings are so odd and foreign, that it's difficult to even walk straight. If I don't take careful steps, I could easily pierce myself with something sharp, step into a pool of mystery liquid, or fall headfirst into a ravine.
Even with the odd environment, my curiosity of this new world has my eyes wide and senses on full alert. The only real goal of my venture in here is to find out as much information about this realm as possible before coming back to Ember. I'd also like to know what treasures it potentially hides.
At the thought, I turn around and my heart skips a beat when the rift I entered to get here is completely gone.
Boss rooms in mana-based dungeons work in a very specific way. Once a hunter enters, they need to kill the boss before the transfer magic activates. This is the only way to get out. My guess is this rift works in a similar fashion... Some kind of condition needs to be met before I can escape.
I let out a sigh and begin walking forward while expanding my Demonic Energy senses.
The dense swirling energy in this cave makes it very hard to see what's in front of me, but I can tell there's an opening and a pocket of much less dense air nearby.
I carefully walk forward to search for this opening.
Although I'm able to feel every bit of raw energy around me for almost a kilometer on every side due to my skill, the atmosphere is so dense with it that it's difficult to tell if there are monsters nearby or if they're just thick pockets of energy.
I continue up and down small hills and pathways within the cavern, dodging spiked pillars of jagged stone, and making sure not to touch the streams of running liquid to try and get a better view of what's at the end.
Once I finally reach what feels like the exit, I step through a final layer of mist into the outside world and stare down into a valley while taking in a breath of fresh air. The exit of the cave leaves me stranded on the side of a tall mountain's cliffside, looking down into a shadowy world below.
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chaser15851· Dec 14, 2023
Tftc!
