After tying up all the surrendered mercenaries, Victor and the players had the opportunity to survey the encampment with clarity. Most of the tents had been destroyed by the ensuing chaos, and the only one barely standing was the notably large one at the center.
The next step was obviously to search for valuables. And who would be more proficient in this matter than his players?
After receiving the previous order of gathering the loot, the eyes of each player were glowing in the midst of the dark night sky, and they rushed ahead without a single second of delay. Not to mention the items inside the tents, even the corpses of the mercenaries would not be left untouched!
“What’s this inside his pocket? A dirty cloth? Collectibles?” One player, discovering a grimy cloth in a pocket, took a sniff and immediately winced. “Yikes! this smells as bad as my dad’s socks that have been left unwashed for weeks!”
Even more bizarre, another player stripped a deceased mercenary and was surprised by what he found. “What the… this guy’s got women’s undies on!”
“Damn, that’s kinky.”
Amid the oddities, some players struck gold, literally. One jubilantly uncovered a pouch brimming with coins. “What kind of coins are these?”
“Let me see!” A player beside him snatched the pouch and inspected the coins inside it. “Wow, these coins are made of copper, silver, and even gold! Haha, I’M RICH!”
“Hey, they’re mine!”
“I recall seeing these somewhere on the official website. If I’m not wrong, they are currencies NPCs use… I wonder if we’ll get to use them for transactions eventually.”
Victor paid little heed to the players engrossed in their looting spree and instead focused his attention on the aftermath. A total of thirty-five mercenaries had been captured in this battle, twelve of which were seriously injured. Without receiving any healing magic, they most likely would not be able to survive tonight. Adding to the ones he captured in the valley, there were exactly eighty-one captured mercenaries in total. That was quite a large sum of people that could potentially be transformed into mindless NPCs to work the mines or something.
Victor dismissed the thought for now and muttered, “Whatever. Let’s get to the next step of the plan.” He approached the edge of the seemingly bottomless chasm devoid of light.
Gazing at the supposed entrance to the pocket dimension, he was hit with mixed feelings. This place was the beginning and the main reason he was granted the System to summon players. Now, he was finally going to venture inside and claim what was rightfully his. Additionally, there was also a personal grudge that had to be resolved at all costs.
After reveling in the moment for a bit more time, Victor retrieved a peculiar white mask from his interspatial ring. The mask bore a striking resemblance to the iconic “Anonymous mask” used by a certain hacker on Earth, just boxier.
Mask of Impersonation
This item’s origin is pretty mysterious, as little is known about its creation or purpose, but it grants its wearer the ability to assume the guise of any individual through powerful illusion magic. It holds a power that transcends ordinary illusion magic that not even an official Magus could detect any anomaly, making it a coveted treasure for countless mages.
This was the item that Victor had acquired from the free gacha reward. The use of this mask was pretty self-explanatory — it would serve as his disguise, transforming him into an unassuming mercenary to infiltrate Graviel’s cronies. This strategy would allow him to bide his time until the perfect moment arose to enact his vengeance from within their midst. Truly a fitting way to settle his scores.
Despite that, Victor actually harbored a slight doubt about this mask because of its familiar appearance. He hoped that by wearing it, it wouldn’t turn him into a monster like in a certain game, and he would be able to take it off.
Putting this digressing thought aside, Victor chanted, “{Warpblade}.” In response, a long purple blade, forged from the very essence of space, materialized in his grasp. Normally, this spell was used to unleash a volley of ethereal blades against foes, but it was also possible to use it this way.
With a deft motion, he sliced through the fabric of space above the chasm, prying open the sealed entrance to the pocket dimension. Though {Warpblade}, as a Bet-tier spell, was tens of times more potent than the average Aleph-tier spell, it would ordinarily stand no chance against the immutable void. Yet, breaking open a small hole into a pocket dimension that had been recently accessed was no trouble at all.
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In fact, this was the source of Victor’s confidence in exploring the pocket dimension. If there were a threat that he couldn’t solve with his power, he could escape unscathed with this spell. He just had to know when that time came.
When he was on the verge of stepping through the portal into the pocket dimension, Victor felt a gentle nudge at his side. Turning around, he found Lumen there, eyeing him and the portal with unwavering focus. It was unmistakably clear to him: She wanted to accompany him into the unknown.
“You sure about this, bud? This might be more dangerous than anything we’ve faced so far,” Victor warned — his hand affectionately resting on the creature’s side. Lumen, however, responded with a gentle but firm nuzzle, as if to say, “Where you go, I go.”
Understanding the resolve in the silvery wolf’s eyes, Victor could not help but feel a bit touched. “Very well, we’ll face this together,” he conceded with a nod.
Victor then secured the mask over his face. Although he had to take away a mercenary’s place first in order to infiltrate Graviel’s group, wearing it now would act as a precaution to ensure he wouldn’t forget to assume his disguise later. Luckily, it fit just perfectly, adhering to his features as if it were a second skin.
With one last look at the world behind him, Victor mounted Lumen, holding onto her tightly. He had already directed the players to return to the academy once the cleanup was done, tying up any potential loose ends. Sensing his intention, Lumen jumped into the portal, and as it happened, the fabric of space enveloped them, sending them to a different location.
***
After entering the pocket dimension, Graviel’s group was sent to an unfamiliar plot of land. The transition through the portal was disorienting, inducing a sensation akin to millions of bees buzzing all around them. Even for a bunch of acolytes and Ki-Warriors, their faces contorted, almost puking. Under such extreme conditions, ordinary people would have fainted, or worse.
“Ugh, I can’t get used to crossing through the void,” Jared complained, slapping his forehead. “Shit, this is even rougher than entering my family’s pocket dimension.”
Looking not much better, Dorian massaged his head as he surveyed their new surroundings with a raised eyebrow. “So, this is what the inside of an ancient Magus force’s pocket dimension looks like, huh?”
As for the ten mercenaries, although they were surprised, they kept discipline in silence. They were, after all, elites who had been sent by their families and were loyal to the death. Graviel had chosen them for that exact reason.
“Stay on guard. This is no ordinary pocket dimension.” Graviel scanned the landscape, searching for any point of interest.
What entered his sight was an expansive meadow that stretched in all directions as far as he could see, shimmered by the midday sun. Dotted in the distance were small trees and shrubs, among which several fruit-bearing trees stood out. On them were purple-red fruits, which appeared to be slightly hairy to the touch. Beyond this verdant expanse, a tall mechanical tower loomed, piercing the sky and disappearing into the clouds.
The mechanical tower was an architecture only seen in the era long gone, with gears adorning the tower’s sides. To discover it caused Graviel to be internally excited for what was to come.
“We await your orders, sir,” Rowan announced from behind.
“Let’s check the plants ahead first. After that, we’ll head toward that mechanical tower.” Graviel eyed the distant structure with a mix of interest and caution. He motioned for the mercenaries to take the lead.
A pocket dimension, as Graviel knew, was a magically created space or plane used by magicians to protect their laboratories and store valuable resources. Such dimensions were forged through powerful spells, anchoring them to specific regions of the outside world. Larger pocket dimensions often served as bases or strongholds for Magus forces, offering a secluded and secure environment for their operations.
Extra caution had to be exercised when exploring a pocket dimension like this one. Unknown dangers might present themselves when they least expected them. Even an innocuous rock could be a lethal magical trap that could kill them.
Moments later, the group reached the cluster of trees and shrubbery. The first type they approached was the trees that bore the purple-red fruits.
Graviel turned to Elara and asked, “These fruits seem to be magical fruits. Can you identify them?”
“Yes.” Elara nodded, flipping open a book that she had taken out from her bag before explaining, “They are called Twilight Apples. They are useful for their healing properties and ability to restore mana. It is exceedingly rare to see them in the outside world, and each one could fetch at least five novice-grade mana crystals.”
“Are you serious?! But there are hundreds of such fruits on just this one tree!” Jared exclaimed in shock and greed along with the other people around.
That was the truth. There were hundreds of such fruits on one tree, and they stood before dozens of such trees. A quick estimate suggested the presence of over ten-thousand mana crystals’ worth of these fruits. It was simply mind-boggling!
For Graviel, it might not worth that much, but it was enough for him to expand his forces and influence further.
But still, even the outskirts of the pocket dimension was filled with treasures. What marvels could the inner area hold?
But before they could even pluck a fruit, their joy was cut brief as a pack of a dozen or so shadowy creatures resembling wolves emerged from behind the shrubberies. From the mana fluctuations emanating from these creatures, Graviel could determine that their strength was at least on par with first-stage Initiate Attunement acolyte.
“Great, just as things were looking up,” Jared muttered through clenched teeth in frustration.
Dorian, on the other hand, shrugged his shoulders. “Guess we must have triggered some sort of alarm upon entering the pocket dimension.”
“U-Um, should we try to avoid them?” Elara inquired, but it was soon proven clear that the situation escalated beyond the point of avoidance.
The shadowy wolves bared their razor-sharp fangs at their group, locking their gaze on the group as if they were mere prey. In an instant, they charged at them with astonishing speed.
“Brace yourselves! These creatures won’t let us get away unimpeded.” Graviel prepared to cast a spell as the others braced themselves similarly.