Free Web NovelChapter 282: Chapter 270: Anomaly
Roland’s brow furrowed as he stared at the silent portal that had opened before him.
His keen Perception Power spread out, carefully investigating the surroundings. Only after confirming that the energy fluctuations from the portal were extremely restrained, almost perfectly concealed, did he let out a sigh of relief.
He then bent down, picked up a stone, and tossed it at the shimmering curtain of light.
"HISS!"
It made a soft sound, as if piercing a film of water.
The stone vanished as if dropped into an absolutely still pond, kicking up a few barely-visible ripples before disappearing entirely.
Roland didn’t stop.
He picked up a few other things from nearby—a dry twig, some dirt—and tossed them one by one into the curtain of light.
Only after confirming there were no signs of danger or any abnormal reactions did his tense nerves relax slightly.
Then, he slowly extended a finger, tentatively touching the mysterious curtain of light.
His fingertip felt a smooth, gentle sensation, like passing through a layer of warm water.
Roland immediately gathered his Spiritual Power, extending his Perception along his fingertip and into the portal.
His spiritual vision was a field of chaos, but he detected no signs of life or fluctuations of consciousness.
Taking a deep breath, he hesitated no longer and stepped through the curtain of light.
After a moment of weightlessness, Roland found himself in a place of absolute darkness.
It was as if this place had swallowed all light; the thick, inky blackness felt tangible.
Strangely, however, his vision was completely unimpeded in this extreme darkness. Everything within the space was clearly visible to him.
Floating in the small space were a few items: a dagger, an ancient scroll, and...
not far away, the dark red organ of some unknown creature, still pulsing slowly and rhythmically.
Each was imprisoned by an invisible force within its own small Magic Barrier, none interfering with the others.
Roland’s eyebrow twitched as he looked at the squirming organ.
’So... the so-called Secret Imprisonment Dice is actually...’
He surveyed his surroundings, weighing his words before finally reaching a conclusion.
’A magical container that can open a separate dimensional space for storing items?’
With that in mind, Roland slowly walked forward to carefully observe the items sealed within this space.
He first approached the strangely shaped dagger.
Its dark metallic luster seemed to absorb light, and a sinister chill emanated from its edge.
Roland tentatively reached out, but his fingertips were stopped about an inch from the barrier by a gentle yet incredibly tough force.
The force wasn’t a rigid recoil, but more like a flexible, impenetrable wall made of pure energy.
No matter how hard he pushed, his fingertips couldn’t advance another fraction of an inch. When he tried to force his way through, he even felt a faint, searing pain.
Roland’s gaze hardened, but he wasn’t discouraged.
Instead, he mobilized the Magic Power in his body, concentrating it into a pure stream of energy and carefully probing the barrier.
However, the stream of energy disappeared without a trace the instant it touched the invisible barrier, failing to create even a single ripple.
Next, he condensed his Spiritual Power into an intangible probe, attempting to analyze the barrier’s structure or find a weak point.
But in his spiritual vision, the barrier enveloping the item was a seamless whole. Its internal structure was complex and profound, far beyond his current ability to analyze.
Forcing the probe made him feel dizzy and disoriented, as if he were staring into a distorted abyss.
Shaking his head lightly, he followed the same procedure, trying to touch the ancient scroll wrapped in dim threads of light and the pulsing, dark red organ.
The results were identical.
Every attempt—be it physical contact, an Energy Shock, or a spiritual probe—was, without exception, perfectly blocked and neutralized by the invisible force.
’It seems that with my current level of power, I can’t break through these mysterious barriers guarding the items.’
After reaching this conclusion, Roland didn’t feel the slightest bit of disappointment.
After all, the Secret Imprisonment Dice was something he had acquired by chance, and he hadn’t had high expectations for it in the first place.
Besides, even if he couldn’t obtain the sealed items, the Secret Imprisonment Dice was far from useless to him.
After roughly estimating the size of this independent space, Roland nodded lightly.
’It’s not huge, but it’s big enough to store plenty of things.’
’This way, I won’t have to hire hands or a carriage for long journeys in the future. It’ll be much more convenient.’
With that thought, Roland stepped out of the dark space.
"Whew..."
Watching the portal slowly close and seeing the cave unchanged from before he left, Roland let out a long breath. He then took the Secret Imprisonment Dice in his palm to examine it closely.
Perhaps because this place was so far from the River Domain Kings’ Capitals, he no longer felt a connection being established with the Demon Well in the core area of the Royal Capital, even when the die’s faint blue glow filled his entire palm.
Shaking his head slightly, Roland didn’t dwell on the matter.
He deactivated the Secret Imprisonment Dice, placed it in his waist pouch, and walked out of the cave.
Then he mounted his horse and left the secluded spot.
Noticing the gradually dimming sky, he didn’t rush back to the Royal Capital but found a nearby town to settle in for the night.
After a hearty meal, he made his way to the local Adventurer’s Guild.
Roland still clearly remembered the "choose your own reward" quests mentioned at the Adventurer’s Guild by that important figure named Lilith.
Of course, he had no intention of taking on a quest of that danger level right now.
The previous commission to subjugate the Wolf King alone was enough to give him a glimpse of how arduous such quests could be.
But since he had nothing better to do at the moment, he figured he might as well try his luck.
Even if there were no suitable quests, he could still stop by to gather some information.
Although Roland still had no concrete understanding of the powers behind the Adventurer’s Guild, he had a high regard for its ability to gather information.
With this in mind, he stepped into the Adventurer’s Guild.
After presenting his A Level Adventurer Group credentials, he was separated from the ordinary Adventurers and Mercenaries and respectfully invited into a private room.
In the quiet atmosphere, he carefully browsed the latest list of commissions.
Treasure hunting, escort missions, exterminating Demons...
Most were mundane and ordinary.
But then, a few new commissions caught his eye.
[Widespread crop failure in the East of the Golden Valley Kingdom. Soil has an oily sheen. Unknown black crystals found at the roots. Nearby Adventurers requested to investigate.]
[Abnormal cold light and unidentified whispers reported in the deep mine shafts of Stone Furnace Castle. Those exposed are in an abnormal mental state. Adventurers with relevant experience requested to assist in the investigation.]
[Anomalous tides at the coastal outpost of the Black Reef Duchy. Abnormal shadows have appeared on the tidal flats after the ebb tide. Those who come into contact with them are left in a daze. Investigators wanted.]
