Published at 6th of January 2026 8:50 am

Chapter 1393: Aura of Dread

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Adam’s back turned cold.

The ravings attacked him relentlessly, trying to induce madness in him. But the lotus kept the mental corruption at bay.

Until now, he had only read about it in the founder’s journal. But now, he truly felt it. The source of the corruption was within his reach. All he needed to do was descend into the cavern below.

But unsurprisingly, he found himself unable to. Despite clearing his mind of the fog of fear, he still couldn’t stop the sheer dread from seeping into his bones. His legs constantly trembled in horror.

Yet, he did not step back. Even though he was afraid, he stood his ground. His hand around the Staff of Calamity tightened as he thought to himself:

So this is it!

Upon setting foot inside the skull tomb, he realized a few things.

Firstly, he learned why he felt the familiar air of the spirit world in this valley. It turned out... that the cavern below him was deeply connected to that mystical realm.

So much so that parts of it had already merged with the spirit world!

Adam had never been to a place where the material world and the spirit world had fused. Usually, when inhabitants of either world wished to travel to the other, they did so through portals.

But what Adam was witnessing right now was a complete anomaly!

He couldn’t help but nervously gulp as he thought:

No wonder the laws of time and space are so erratic in this valley.

It’s because this place underneath the skull tomb has merged with the spirit world.

Then... does that mean that this abomination is from the spirit world?

Secondly, he learned that one of the magical abilities of the abomination was the aura of dread that it radiated. If it were any regular Magus, they would have been completely paralysed the moment they felt it.

Moreover, this feeling of dread... it felt raw and otherworldly.

But no matter how strange its abilities are, I’m certain that this abomination is not that strong. And it definitely cannot leave the cavern below.

Otherwise, it would have attacked me the moment I was paralysed by fear!

That line of reasoning made Adam think of one very crucial question.

Why can’t the abomination leave the cavern? Is it imprisoned there? Or is the reason something else entirely?

There was only one way to find out.

But before descending, Adam first had to get accustomed to the aura of dread that radiated from the abomination. Or else, at a critical moment during battle, it would be the death of him.

It’s a good thing that I dealt with the army of corrupted monsters outside, he thought.

And since you can’t move from your spot for whatever reason, I’ll take my sweet time getting accustomed to your foul magical ability!

And so Adam stood there, his feet trembling and his heart beating wildly, as he tried his best to get used to this otherworldly horror.

He had to admit that this was a handy ability to possess. In crucial times, such an ability could create a lapse of judgment in the best-case scenario. And worst-case... the victim would be frozen still.

The raven-haired youth didn’t know how long he stood there. It could have been weeks. It could have even been months. During this time, several other corrupted creatures had arrived outside the skull tomb.

But none of them dared enter. It was as if that very act was utterly blasphemous to them. Either way, it made things easier for Adam.

At long last, his figure finally stopped trembling. And even though his heart continued to pound from the weight of dread, he was now ready for battle.

He inhaled deeply, then finally began his descent.

As he moved deeper, the air grew heavy and stale. It carried a stench of something... ancient, rotten, and wrong. Every step echoed unnaturally, like it reverberated in different points in time.

The atmosphere around him constantly shifted. Sometimes, it was pitch black. While at other times, multicoloured hues came to life. If Adam still had his eyesight, he would immediately be able to tell that the myriad colors around him were reminiscent of the spirit world.

At last, he arrived at a vast, cavernous space.

But strangely enough, the cavern was... empty.

What? Adam was perplexed.

Despite having his Sphere of Resonance working on overdrive, he sensed nothing and nobody around him. Just a vast, empty cavern.

A spell that focused on invisibility should have radiated mana fluctuations, at the very least. Yet, he sensed nothing. Nothing at all.

This wasn’t an illusion either.

Neither was he in a dream.

So then what was going on?

Despite the abnormality, Adam didn’t let down his guard. His hands were still clasped tightly around the Staff of Calamity, and he was ready to fight at any moment.

But still...

Doubt crept into his heart.

Where is the abomination?

He gulped nervously and took a step forward, planning to head deeper into the cavern.

BAM!!!

Suddenly, out of nowhere, he was viciously struck down. Adam felt like he was hit by a mountain. Blood sprayed from his mouth, and several of his ribs cracked from the impact as he was sent hurling backward.

With a thunderous sound, his back hit the cavern wall, nearly knocking him out. Before collapsing to the ground, however, he quickly steadied himself and landed on his feet instead.

His breathing grew heavy. His heart pounded wildly. His grip around the staff tightened.

Adam honed in on the Sphere of Resonance before him, to the spot where he had just been assaulted.

But still...

Nothing.

Nothing at all.

He couldn’t sense anything!

He couldn’t sense anyone!

Fear slowly consumed his being. He was fighting an enemy that even the Sphere of Resonance could not sense.

He remained standing with his back against the wall. No more follow-up attacks came. Everything was dead silent.

Just now, he had been attacked when he moved deeper into the cave.

Could it be...

A thought took root in his mind.

The next moment, he pointed one end of the staff before him and whispered:

"Expand."

The Staff of Calamity shot forward with astonishing speed. But the instant it crossed a certain point in the cavern, it was violently deflected aside.

In that fleeting moment when the staff was deflected, Adam’s Sphere of Resonance finally registered what had struck it.

And what he perceived made his blood run cold...

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