Chapter 218: Encroaching Evil (2)

Kyran stared at the magic array with a thoughtful expression. He appeared somewhat calm, but his emotions were in complete disarray internally.

Knowing that the magic array was made by his predecessor, some of the questions he had from the moment he arrived in this place flashed in his mind:

'What is this place?'

'Is it a place the tower 'created' or somewhere else?'

'If it is somewhere else, where exactly?'

Now, there were additional questions added to these, and they were:

How did an array his predecessor created be in this place? How did he make a magic array that functioned similarly to an array formation? If the tower created this place, did it mean his predecessor also went there and was transported here to train? If this place was somewhere else, how did his predecessor end up here?

Kyran closed his eyes before rubbing the bridge of his nose.

All these questions were giving him a headache. He had not fully recovered from overusing his mental strength during his encounter with the worm-like beast, and now it was getting bombarded with all these questions that he knew would not have an answer soon.

He suddenly thought of how his predecessor appeared in his sea of consciousness after what happened outside the Chaos Palace.

If Kyran returned to that place, would his predecessor appear again? It would be good if he could. When that happened, he would ask him all the questions that had piled up in his mental list.

After a few minutes, Kyran finally stood up before looking at the black obelisk.

It already stopped absorbing the grayish mist from the organ he brought. Although it was still pulsating, it had calmed down.

The magic array was still lit on the ground. Now that the obelisk was charged up, the magic array nourished the magic energies within its area of effect.

Shifting his attention to the obelisk, Kyran walked up to it.

He was no longer wary of the obelisk after understanding the magic array. Aside from this, after he used his magic sense to learn the array, he was recognized by it as an 'authorized' person. If Kyran wanted, he could even change the calculations of the magic array. He would not do it, of course. Not because he did not want to disrupt its purpose, but because his knowledge in Void runes was limited to what he learned from the magic array.

After arriving in front of the obelisk, while also ignoring the foul stench that lingered in the air, Kyran scrutinized it for a few seconds.

The black obelisk had a depth and width of more than a meter and a height of around thirty meters. 

Placing his hand on the obelisk's surface, Kyran used his magic sense to probe inside. Information about the obelisk's components and structure entered his mind.

After a few minutes, his eyes contracted as his expression turned grim.

'This...'

From the outside, the obelisk looked nothing extraordinary. Yes, it appeared a little daunting because it stood tall and unwavering amidst a desolate place full of beast carcasses. But looking at its components and structure, even if others did think it was special, it was still an understatement.

This obelisk was something that not anyone could fully understand just by looking at it. Some might even have trouble comprehending it after countless inspections using magic sense or other special means. Because the component of the obelisk was specially made and its structure was too complex than others, apart from Kyran, would never fully understand.

The reason why Kyran was an exception was simple; the obelisk was made out of Void.

This truth somehow made Kyran feel insignificant.

How high was the previous Void Master's magic attainment that he could create something out of the Void?

"I hope you will find that Void magic is not all about destruction."

The previous Void Master's words repeated itself in Kyran's mind. He thought he already understood what he meant after hearing Zephyr's remark about an ancient record on the power of nothingness. But it appeared his understanding was only the tip of the iceberg.

It felt as if the more he found new things about Void magic, the more he realized he never knew anything.

Kyran took a deep breath. He needed to broaden his mind when understanding his Void magic from now on. If not, he would miss a number of things.

Keeping this thought in mind, he pulled back his magic sense and lowered his hand from the obelisk before looking at the red-blood tower ahead.

After learning the components of the obelisk, Kyran now had a vague idea of its purpose.

In the Regis Family's secret record, the record he found in his space storage where the method of creating a transmission scroll was also written, he remembered reading about a device with the same components as the obelisk.

Though this obelisk was made out of the Void, it could still be constructed using normal materials. These materials could even be purchased, albeit at a very high price, because of their rarity. And because of its rarity, it confirmed how high-level the device would be once constructed. As to what the device could do was riveting in Kyran's opinion. It said that if the devices were used with the right array formulas and the calculations were done correctly, it could harness the same capability of creation magic.

However, Kyran also read that such an array was difficult to make. Creating one such device was already expensive; what more if it needed five? That was right; to ensure the array would function correctly, it needed to be supported by five devices. Each of these devices would then focus on absorbing one type of magic. The magic these devices would absorb should also complement each other, forming a cycle. If even one device absorbed the wrong magic, it would disrupt the flow of the array, resulting in harnessing not the capability of creation but destruction.

Of course, Kyran had yet to confirm whether this obelisk functioned the same way as the devices he read. However, the simple fact that the area around the obelisk was able to generate rich magic energies when this place had was already a big clue.

Kyran looked at the patch of land behind where he came.

'I need to check the previous two obelisks,' he decided, his eyes glinted with determination.

His knowledge on which magic complements each other was limited to what he had memorized from the Regis Family's secret record. So he would have to rely on that to understand whether the previous two obelisks did absorb a different type of magic and if it did if it complemented one another to form a cycle.

To be honest, Kyran was not optimistic about it. But he did not want to jump to conclusions, especially since he had not yet answered some of his doubts.

'The obelisk here absorbs metal magic,' Kyran noted as he made his way out the obelisk's area of effect.

His magic reserves had already been replenished while he was inside, so he did not hesitate to go back. If he met beasts along the way, he would still avoid them, but if he could kill them, then he would.

Taking the items he left outside the obelisk's area of effect, Kyran left at once.

'If I remember correctly, there is a five-element cycle that includes metal magic. The flow that influences creation is arranged as fire, earth, metal, water, then last wood. There are five obelisks. The same number of devices needed in the array from my family's secret record,' Kyran pondered.

A thought flashed through his mind, which made him smile wryly.

'Don't tell me my predecessor was the one who taught my ancestors about such an array, and since they can't use Void magic, they tried to find an alternative material in creating the device.'

Somehow, this idea seemed possible.

'Anyway, the last obelisk should absorb earth with the order of creation. Unless the starting point was from the inside going outward, then it should be water.'

After more than two hours, Kyran finally found the obelisk before the black one.

The color of this obelisk was gray.

Without bothering to look for an offering, as Kyran remembered the carcasses here was missing their stomach organ, he left his things outside the border of the gray obelisk's area and went straight in.

Since Kyran had been recognized as an authorized person, he was no longer afraid of the hidden magic array's barrier. Of course, he still had to leave his things behind. Who knew if they would be destroyed since they were not exactly 'part' of him.

Kyran examined the gray obelisk, and a frown immediately appeared on his face.

The obelisk was inactive.

However, he confirmed that this obelisk was supposed to absorb earth magic.

'The black obelisk was still active even before I gave an offering. How come this one seemed... dead?'

Kyran looked at the decaying organs near the obelisk.

'Should I get one?'

Just thinking about finding another beast to kill made Kyran's expression turn grim. Still, even though he was against it, he did not have a choice. In order to confirm his theory, he had to find a stomach and let the obelisk absorb it.

If the obelisk absorbed magic in the stomach, it meant the stomach corresponded to earth magic.

Taking a deep breath, Kyran made his way back to his things. At least his magic energy was back to 100%. It would be easier for him to do a pre-emptive move against a beast.

"So here you are. I've been looking for you everywhere."

A raspy male voice suddenly spoke from behind.

Kyran immediately froze in his tracks. He failed to sense the person's arrival until he had spoken!