100\% DROP RATE : Why is My Inventory Always so Full? Chapter 527 - Hidden World

Lucien and Seran wasted no time. Seran had already established a pocket dimension in the void near their destination, ready as a transit point. The instant Lucien reached the Liberator Headquarters, they exchanged brief words and began their journey. There was no need for delay. Secluded worlds often held hidden treasures. If Lucien's intuition was correct, this was no mere goblin encampment on pilfered territory. Could it possibly contain another fragment of the Tree of Creation? The mere thought ignited a fire within him. Shortly after, the two initiated their transit. The teleportation disc hummed to life, space warped, and a dimly lit, unstable corridor opened before them. The journey felt unnaturally long, a clear indication of the world's immense distance from their current one. As they traveled, Seran spoke, his voice calm yet betraying an underlying curiosity. "It was well-concealed," Seran remarked. "Better than the others." Lucien flicked a glance at him. "That bad?" Seran gave a single nod. "The barrier wasn't just for hiding; it was woven with illusory emptiness, creating a void that actively repelled detection." He paused before adding, "It took effort to penetrate." This revelation spoke volumes about the goblins' capabilities. Their knack for squalor was rivaled only by their tenacity for survival. Tucking his arms, Lucien inquired, "And what did you find after you breached it?" Seran’s gaze sharpened as a recollection surfaced. "I employed Reflection to glimpse beyond the veil." Lucien waited expectantly. "There are Black Mass entities within," Seran stated. "Numerous. Goblins, certainly. Possibly others, though goblins are the predominant presence." "That much was anticipated." "Indeed," Seran affirmed. "But the world itself was not." Lucien's interest surged. Seran allowed a moment of silence to stretch before continuing. "It should not exist in its current state." Seran then conjured a visual representation of the world. The world’s very foundation was peculiar. It lacked a conventional sky; instead, the inner expanse curved like the interior of a colossal hollow sphere, as if the world had been fractured and then sealed from the inside. Enormous, root-like structures of pale material and wood snaked across the upper regions, resembling frozen lightning. These formations crisscrossed the firmament in branching patterns, radiating a gentle, warm light. No sun was visible. Yet, the world emanated its own glow. Lucien observed the projection with increasing fascination. Seran elaborated, "The world sustains its luminosity through these upper root-systems and the ground below. Warm vents are present everywhere, as if the entire realm is nourished from within." Lucien's eyes sparked with excitement. "And the miasma?" "That is the peculiar aspect," Seran's lips curved into a faint smile. "The monsters are present. The Black Mass crowds the interior. Yet, the world itself resists corruption." That was all the confirmation Lucien needed. "Yes," he murmured softly. "That sounds precisely like a bark." Seran met his gaze and nodded in agreement. "Yes. That was my conclusion as well." The transit corridor carried them forward in silence. Lucien's anticipation grew with each passing moment. The more peculiar a world, the greater the likelihood of discovering something extraordinary within. And the more diligently the goblins concealed it, the more valuable it was likely to be. ••• They first arrived at the pre-arranged sanctuary world. It was a small, solitary sphere drifting in the emptiness. Neither of them lingered to contemplate the void. They departed immediately. Seran took the lead this time. It was then that Lucien witnessed anew the sheer, almost unreasonable power of the Law of Reflection in the hands of a skilled practitioner. Seran raised a hand, and the space before them warped. The distant void ahead contracted, drawing impossibly near. One moment, they occupied a patch of darkness; the next, they had traversed an unimaginable distance. Then, another leap. And another. Lucien was thoroughly impressed. "You wield your law with exquisite mastery," he commented. Seran smiled, unburdened by modesty. "It is a result of diligent practice." Both were clad in dark robes, designed to obscure their presence. Soon, their surroundings shifted dramatically. The faint lights of distant stars receded, becoming theoretical rather than tangible. The region of the void grew so dim that even Lucien’s senses found it uncomfortable. Currents of dark matter flowed in silent, expansive bands. Shattered rock, remnants of ancient vessels, mineral ice, and the dessicated husks of forgotten entities drifted through the area like the discarded debris of cosmic ideas. It was not empty. But it felt utterly abandoned by light. Even Lucien squinted as he surveyed their surroundings. "There is nothing here." "Precisely," Seran stated. "That is the objective."

A smile touched his lips as he conjured a shimmering panel into the void before them. It floated, resembling a polished fragment of utterly still water.

He gestured towards a specific direction.

The panel shifted its display.

Shortly thereafter, a response emerged.

Through the power of reflected recovery.

And then, Lucien beheld it.

A world, concealed from outward view.

Yet undeniably present for those who possessed the knowledge to perceive it.

It drifted within the lightless expanse like a hidden warmth, shielded by denial. This world emanated its own gentle luminescence, insufficient to pierce the surrounding darkness but demonstrative that life within was not reliant on any external celestial body.

Its surface faintly gleamed beneath its guise, the very same warm, root-like light Seran had described pulsing across its concealed form.

Lucien gazed in astonishment.

"It truly sustains itself."

"Indeed," he confirmed.

Now, the sole significant obstacle remained.

How to infiltrate without immediately revealing their presence.

However, Lucien had already devised a solution.

He retrieved the Covenant of Pathless Sovereignty.

The chapel's energy-collection array had amply replenished it, and the stored power within was now more than adequate to breach a sealed domain with a precise jump, provided the coordinates were exact.

Lucien turned his gaze to Seran.

"Locate a secluded spot for me."

Seran's demeanor shifted instantly.

All trace of amusement had vanished. He closed his eyes, focusing his entire perceptive reflection upon the world.

Employing his unique ability, he observed without direct contact, scanned patterns without full immersion, and sought a nexus where their transition would be least intrusive and most clandestine.

Lucien patiently awaited.

Then, Seran's eyes fluttered open once more.

"Found it."

He provided the necessary coordinates.

Lucien activated the artifact.

Reality itself warped.

The pair vanished from the dim sector of the void—

and materialized within the confines of the sealed world.

The instant Lucien entered, his heart began to race.

There it was.

That profound, inexplicable sensation.

Another rumble.

He was now completely certain.

The location of their arrival was a fractured highland situated beneath one of the world's suspended mountain roots.

Pale light suffused the upper vascular channels like circulation within a slumbering deity's veins. Far below, silvery mist pooled in the valleys, while towers forged from goblin iron and eerie green-lit bone ascended in scattered formations across the intermediate distance.

This world was not merely populated.

It had been subjugated.

Illegitimately.

Lucien's expression intensified.

Seran closed his eyes once more, reflecting the world through his extraordinary perception. His sight swept outwards with astonishing velocity, traversing landscapes, examining fortress designs, mapping patrol routes, identifying goblin strongholds, pinpointing structural vulnerabilities, and discerning the deeper migratory patterns of the Black Mass entities dispersed throughout the world.

Then, a change came over Seran's face.

He grew pale.

Lucien observed this immediately.

"What is it?"

Seran opened his eyes.

"There is a goblin Monster Emperor present here."

Lucien's own eyes narrowed.

Seran then divulged the entity's title.

"The Covenant-Breaker."

Lucien remained motionless for a mere fraction of a second.

Then, he uttered a curse.

"A damned one."

Seran regarded him.

While Lucien's composure remained outwardly intact, the patience had clearly evaporated from his countenance.

"We encountered and vanquished one previously," Lucien stated. "Therefore, another iteration was stationed here. This signifies that this world is not merely defended; it is a priority."

This was unfavorable news.

Then, Seran's expression shifted once more.

This time, not with alarm, but with the immediate realization of a transgression already committed.

"Crap," he muttered.

Lucien turned to face him.

"What happened?"

Seran's smile had become one of evident pain.

"I've been detected."

Lucien exhaled slowly through his nose.

He then nodded in understanding.

"No wonder. That devious fiend possessed exceptionally keen instincts."

This implied that the phase of covert infiltration had concluded.

Lucien surveyed the peculiar, luminous panorama of the concealed world, directing his gaze towards distant goblin structures that had not yet visibly reacted but undoubtedly would imminently.

Then, he reached a resolution.

"In that case, we shall cease our concealment efforts."

Seran looked at him for a single moment.

Then, a grin unfurled across his features.

"That," he declared, "is precisely what I was about to suggest."

Excellent.

That was one of the primary reasons Lucien valued their collaboration.

No wasted deliberation once subtlety ceased to be advantageous.

The two advanced in unison beneath the self-illuminating canopy of roots and suspended mountains. Their cloaks billowed gently in the peculiar, warm atmosphere of the hidden realm.

Ahead of them lay the anticipation of a goblin Monster Emperor, an infiltrated and corrupted occupation force, and something sequestered within the world's core that was almost certainly of immense value.

To the guardians of this world, they were invaders.

To Lucien and Seran—

this represented sustenance, opportunity, and a reclamation of plundered assets.