28 Spatial Bridges

Like the other muddleheaded youths, James voraciously devoured the sumptuous dish in front of him while reading this system's message. His screams of pain earlier and his soot covered body was a ruse to hide the fact he received the foreign Mana attribute. And since the system warned him about Piri, he disabled his sense of hearing while asking the system to convert spoken words to readable words through the Skill-Mana Manipulation. Although things worked out for him, James knew he made a risky gamble which could have left him handicapped for life. However, if given the choice again, he would still make the same decision. Why? Because, he could not quell the hunch he would live in regret if he missed the chance, and something the system said earlier piqued his interest. Especially when he observed the magnificent dragon carving, however, James did not know how his gamble would turn out.

With no words shared, the children continued to make merry while a sonorous music played within the room. Piri and some caretakers on the dais stared at the hundreds of children with cheerful smiles on their faces while they drank a fruity red wine which had an uncanny red glow. Although, Piri said nothing, the caretakers actively discussed and laughed with each other in a soft voice.

"What do you think of the latest batch? I don't think they're too bad."

"Hmm… They are not special. I've seen better selections. To be honest, 90% of them won't survive the first three months. Hahaha…"

"Hahaha… True… True. It doesn't matter though. Although it is already the tenth month of the year, we can always restock when the supply is low."

"That reminds me… I wonder if any of them received a blessing."

"Nah. I don't think so. From my calculations, among those who opened the doors, 80 died while only ten survived. And judging from their appearance, they are all lucky to be alive. It's unlikely they received anything. If they had, you know what would have happened."

"Hahaha… you can say that these little bastards still have a little luck on their side. Too bad it ends soon. I hope they enjoy themselves tonight, it going to…" before the smiling caretaker could finish his statement, Piri's gaze fell on him as she wagged her index finger. With a gentle bow, the discussing caretakers spoke no further but continued to enjoy the festivities.

Meanwhile, James who was seated at the other end of the room had his brows furrowed while several thoughts raced through his mind. With his Skill-Mana Manipulation, he heard the subtle discussion between the caretakers.

'What?! Tenth month already? When I left the Tiodon Kingdom, there was three weeks left until the start of the tenth month. Does that mean it took three weeks to travel from the Tiodon Kingdom to this godforsaken place? I'm tired of this crap. Give me a break already! Something pops up every damn time!'

Although he did not know the exact details, it only made him more apprehensive and further solidified his resolve to escape. Although he had the urge to use the system to scan a 1km radius around him, he could still remember its stern warnings that he would be exposed if he did so. With this thought in mind, James calmed his nerves while stuffing his face.

…

Three hours later, the sumptuous dishes on the trestle-tables had all disappeared. If not for its lingering aroma in the room, nobody would know such a feast decorated the tables. Stuffed and relaxed, the youths reclined on their seats while still under the control of Piri's voice. Unlike before, they looked energetic and full of life. Because, the masked figures healed those who had nasty looking injuries on their bodies. However, their healing abilities did not regenerate the lost limbs of those disabled.

Although he still wore his tattered robes, they healed all the injuries on James's body while using a strange deep blue orb to clean the soot on his body. Since James did not lose his mind like the others, he could respond to their healing magic as he commanded the system to deactivate certain aspects of his Mana Manipulation. Meanwhile, Piri and the caretakers left the massive room two hours earlier, leaving the masked figures to their duties.

A few minutes later, the last of the robed figures focused on healing a nasty sword wound on the back of a frail-looking Forest-Elf who sat opposite James's table. James could not believe that the feeble female Elf could survive such an injury. In fact, he doubted if he would survive if their fates was reversed. Because, asides the continuous flow of fresh blood, he could see her bone through the opened wound.

'Elves are wonderful creatures. She probably survived because of her race innate healing abilities,' James mused as he stared at the healing process.

'Hmmm… I should add the bloodline of the Elves to Vault when it becomes accessible. Maybe I'll mix it the bloodlines of some of the others here. I wonder what kind of unique bloodline I'll get then. Hahaha… Disaster and fortune come in pairs. I can't wait,' James mused as his lips subconsciously curved into a brilliant smile. With Blay De Tovar's knowledge, he would not be out of his depths when the time came to form a new bloodline or assimilate a chosen bloodline.

Since the injury on the back of the Forest-Elf was grave, the masked figure spent thirty minutes healing her. However, the moment he left, James could not believe that the mangled piece of flesh had returned to that of a beautiful young maiden. The healing was so perfect that James could not spot a scar, if not that he was pretending to be hypnotized he would have killed the masked figure and extract his soul. With the sole purpose of assimilating his knowledge and skills.

With his duties completed, the masked figure took hurried steps as he exited the room via an underground pathway, covered by a circular latch on the dais. Just as he left, the sound of several wind chimes echoed in the room, and a chilling breeze whistled through the spacious room. At that moment, the bodies of the hypnotized youths jilted slight, removing the fog of uncertainty clouding their eyes.

Awake, before they could react, a familiar angelic voice echoed in the room. However, this angelic voice only made the hearts of these sink in despair, because they knew it only brought pain and sufferings.

"Children, now that you have enjoyed your meals, it is time to begin your journey in Kynar. There From all of us here in Kynar, we can't wait to see your rebirth."

After Piri's declaration, the chiming of the wind chimes disappeared, and a loud rumbling sound replaced it. Startled, the youths could see the walls of the room distorting and morphing into a strange black hole. As it appeared, the temperature in the room further decreased causing the youths to see their condensed breaths as they backed away from the eerie-looking portal. A few seconds after the wall distorted, the other three walls also distorted and morphed into a black hole. At this point, the youths gathered themselves at the center of the massive room. They could feel four divergent weather from the four black holes. The first blew a chilling breeze while the second emitted a scorching heat. They could hear the violent sounds of thunder and lightning from the third, and drizzles of rainwater sprinkled on the marbled floor of the room. Meanwhile, a humid breeze blew from the fourth black hole, but the youths could hear the occasion howls and growls of what sounded like savage wild beasts.

Petrified, most of them did not have the courage to approach or investigate these ominous manifestations. Instead, they cowered in fear while observing and hoping someone would sacrifice himself for the others.

"System, what's happening?" James asked with his brows furrowed. Like most of the youths he had never seen such a phenomenon.

<Ding! >

Scanning…

Scanning Completed!

Four Spatial Bridge Detected!

Characteristics of Potential Locations; The first Spatial Bridge leads to a snowy mountain close a frozen tundra. The second Spatial Bridge leads to a vast desert with a scorching heat. The third Spatial Bridge leads to Rocky Mountain range besieged by frequent lightning strikes and acidic rain. The last Spatial Bridge leads to an enormous forest dominated by gigantic trees and savage wild beasts.

Calculating the level of danger of the four Spatial Bridges to the user…

Calculation completed!

All bridges will not harm the user when entering!

First Bridge–40% odds of survival.

Second Bridge–45% odds of survival.

Third Bridge–30% odds of survival.

Forth Bridge–10% odds of survival.

System's Recommendation; the user should take the Forth Bridge!

<Ding! >

James swallowed a mouthful of saliva as he heard the system's response. In fact, the corners of his eyes involuntary twitched while his lips trembled in surprise.

"System, why did you recommend the Fourth Spatial Bridge? It has the lowest odds of survival, or are you finally revealing your true colors?" James retorted. Although he had no proof, James felt the system was not just a voice in his head. However, it was only a hunch made from his experience.

Like he expected, silence greeted his question. Not prepared to give up, James was about to ask another question, but a system message appeared in his mind like a ringing alarm.

<Ding! >

Warning! Warning! Warning!

Spatial Bridges will become unstable in the next 30 seconds!

<Ding! >

"Well, who the hell cares? Is that a good thing for all us," James said with scepticism.

<Ding! >

Once destroyed, the user and those remaining in the room will sink into a Void Barrier!

Odds of the user surviving; 0.00%

<Ding! >

"What?!" James blurted out.

His loud shout drew the attention of those around him, however, before they could react to his sudden words, they could hear loud cracking noises in the room. Which originated from the marbled floors splitting like match sticks while a faint but corporeal blackish wisp seeped through the cracks. Since the cracks started at the center of the room, it tripled the weight of the unsuspecting youths.

Panic-stricken, the other quickly distanced themselves from the web-like cracks. However, others made beeline movements towards the Spatial Bridges which had reduced in size. A few seconds later, a stampede followed. Those unlucky to fall where buried under a sea of feet which ruthlessly stumped the life of them while the blackish wisp from the floor ensured they would never rise again.

Meanwhile, James raced with the quickest speed he could muster as he approached the fourth Spatial Bridge. Although it was not his ideal choice since he did not completely trust the system, the timing of the cracks and his standing position kept him at a disadvantage from his preferred Spatial Bridge-The first one. Once again, he could only blame his rotten luck.

Although James was the first person to approach the fourth Spatial Bridge, several others overtook him in the race for survival. Some he had never seen before, while a few he was familiar with.

However, the person who piqued his interest was the crazy redhead. Because, the moment she overtook him, she turned her delicate head while having a beautiful smile on her face. Before James could react, she mouthed the words, "You have been pretending all along. You even reacted before me. Hahaha… see you on the other side."

If there was one person James did not want to notice him, it was the young psycho. However, it was already too later to change his destination. Less than 15 seconds remained before the room sinks into the Void Barrier. Although he did not know what it meant or its location, from his odds of survival there, James had no intentions of visiting.

With the system counting down in his mind, James jumped into the Spatial Bridge with five seconds to spare. At that point, it had shrunk to the size of a normal door and continued to shrink rapidly. But, its size did not matter. Because, even when it shrank to the size of a pinhole, it sucked those who were fortunate enough to touch it.

At the 30 second mark, those left behind watch in despair as the four Spatial Bridges collapsed. However, their despair lasted a short while because the blackish glow covered the entire fractured room. The youths did not even have time to scream or cry before it turned them to nothing. It did not leave behind dust or the ashes of its victims, nothingness had claimed it all.

In the blink of an eye, the nothingness which covered the room reverted to the previous beautiful spacious room, completed with all its accessories. However, it lacked a single living being. Within the deafening silence, a purple damned soul hovered above the trestle-tables. But this damned soul looked scared out of his mind as it screamed in agony, "Have mercy! Have mercy! I'm a lowly being, I did not mean to intrude!"

While its crazed shout echoed, it shattered into stardust which trickled on the marbled floor of the room. Once again, silence dominated the deserted hall.