Chapter 264: Wind-carved Fissure

Chapter 264: Chapter 264: Wind-carved Fissure

Seraphina Sinclair lightly tapped her finger on the [Yes] option.

The composite tool in her hand suddenly glowed faintly. The needle on the Compass began to spin wildly before finally settling, pointing steadily in a single direction.

At almost the same moment, she felt an extremely faint vibration from beneath her feet, as if a slumbering behemoth had been awakened.

Her mobile cabin had started moving again, and without using any sunshine.

Seraphina Sinclair walked to the window. The once-still, thick fog outside had begun to recede slowly as the mobile cabin advanced at a steady speed, heading in the direction indicated by the Navigation Card.

"This really is fully automatic navigation..."

Seraphina Sinclair murmured to herself, her gaze fixed on the view outside.

Taking advantage of the travel time, she carefully reread the note left by 001.

[Notes on the Wind-carved Fissure]

[1. Wind Blade Strength: The Wind Blades on the fissure’s periphery are equivalent to a full-force strike from an F-level monster. Their intensity increases progressively toward the center. The strength of the Wind Blades in the core area is unknown (it is advised that those with insufficient strength not venture deep).]

[2. Safe Duration: This depends on your personal Constitution and Speed Attributes. Initial recommendation: for those with a Speed Attribute below 15 points, a single stay should not exceed 10 minutes! Those with a Speed Attribute above 20 points can attempt to endure for 30 minutes. You must closely monitor your condition. If you experience dizziness, physical fatigue, or slowed reflexes, leave the danger zone immediately!]

[3. Unknown Dangers: The airflow within the fissure is chaotic. There may be invisible vortexes and turbulence that can impede movement or even drag a person into the hazardous core area. Furthermore, the possibility of monsters adapted to or inhabiting this environment cannot be ruled out!]

[Train with caution. One wrong move could be your last!]

Seraphina Sinclair stared at the last line, which felt like both a taunt and a warning, and tapped her finger lightly on the note.

’The strength of a full-force strike from an F-level monster, huh...’

She sized up her own abilities.

’First, I need to be careful about my positioning. I’m not here to train my Constitution, so I have to avoid these Wind Blades as much as possible. But they’re bound to be flying all over the place. There will be times when they’re unavoidable, so I should still be prepared to take a hit.’

As Seraphina Sinclair mulled it over, the longsword appeared in her hand before she even realized it.

She raised her arm and gave it a tentative swing.

’Wind Blades aren’t physical attacks. The chances of blocking them with a longsword are slim.’

’If I get hurt...’

Seraphina Sinclair’s brow furrowed, a thousand thoughts racing through her mind. In the end, they all boiled down to one thing: ’Whatever, I have an Advanced Medical Kit anyway.’

’For the me of right now,’ she thought, ’trading a few minor injuries for a boost in Speed is a pretty good deal!’

’The key is whether training my Speed with these Wind Blades is really as effective as 001 claimed. If it’s not...’

’There’s always tomorrow. I’ll find a time when that guy is alone.’

The mobile cabin traveled steadily through the fog. After about half an hour, the mist outside seemed to thin, and a sharp, whining sound began to permeate the air, like the lament of wind being forced through a narrow gap.

Just as Seraphina Sinclair was wondering about it, a notification panel suddenly popped up before her:

[Approaching Destination: Wind-carved Fissure.]

The flashing point of light on the Navigation Card had nearly merged with the marker representing Seraphina Sinclair’s current position.

Seraphina Sinclair put away the note and the composite tool. She tightened her grip on her longsword and took a deep breath, bracing herself for whatever came next.

She stared intently out the window as the thick fog completely dissipated, revealing a wide-open vista—

It was an incredibly desolate, rocky wasteland.

The ground was a dull, reddish-brown, riddled with gullies of varying depths.

In the center of this wasteland, a massive black fissure tore menacingly through the earth, as if the land had been cleaved by an invisible giant’s axe. It stretched as far as the eye could see.

The fissure wasn’t pitch-black inside; instead, it churned with visible, pale-green currents of air.

These currents darted and collided at high speed within the fissure, like schools of living fish, letting out ear-piercing shrieks.

Every so often, a current would break away from the main flow, coalescing into a crescent-shaped, translucent Wind Blade. It would shoot out from the fissure with a scream, striking the surrounding rocks and either carving deep gashes into them or blasting apart a spray of gravel.

And the mobile cabin came to a steady halt right in front of this chasm.

Seraphina Sinclair pulled open the cabin door.

Merely standing in the doorway of the mobile cabin, even at a distance, she could feel the sharp force of the wind rushing toward her. Her skin seemed to sting from it.

"So this is the Wind-carved Fissure..." she murmured, her eyes lighting up.

’An environment like this looks incredibly special! Maybe it really does have the effect 001 mentioned!’

Seraphina Sinclair wasn’t a reckless person. Especially when the danger was so plainly visible, she wasn’t about to charge in without knowing the first thing about it.

The platform just outside the mobile cabin’s door was a good spot. Standing there put her in a relatively safe position where she could clearly observe the activity at the fissure’s edge.

She put on her Single Lens and focused, observing the Wind Blades that shot out from the chasm.

Their trajectories were erratic and their speed was immense, but they weren’t completely without a pattern.

Under the gaze of the Single Lens, however, this pattern became exceptionally clear.

Most of the Wind Blades would gradually lose power after traveling a certain distance from the edge, eventually dissipating into the air.

Only a few, exceptionally condensed ones, could fly farther.

And what Seraphina Sinclair had to do was avoid those solid-looking Wind Blades!

’The outer edge... I’ll start here.’

Seraphina Sinclair selected an area where the ground was relatively flat. It was scattered with several large boulders that were riddled with cuts from the Wind Blades, which could serve as temporary cover.

She stowed her longsword, preparing to travel light.

She took a deep breath, her eyes narrowed, and she shot out of the mobile cabin!

The instant she set foot in the area, a pale-green Wind Blade shot toward her, like a shark that had scented blood. It screamed through the air, aimed right at her waist!

’This is wrong! It’s completely different from what I saw from the outside!’

No time for thoughts. Seraphina Sinclair’s body had already reacted on instinct. She pushed off her feet, dodging sharply to the side.

ZZZT—!

The Wind Blade grazed the hem of her clothes and struck a boulder behind her, carving a gash an inch deep.

’So fast!’ Seraphina’s heart tightened. This was just the outermost perimeter, yet the speed and sharpness of the Wind Blades were not to be underestimated.

She didn’t dare let her guard down for an instant. Her mind was focused, her senses scanning in every direction.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

One wave of attacks came right after another!

Three more Wind Blades shot toward her in a triangular formation, cutting off her escape to the left, right, and front.

Seraphina Sinclair bent backward at the waist, narrowly avoiding the one coming from the front. Simultaneously, she shuffled her feet in a near-gliding motion, slipping through the minuscule gap between the two side blades!

The movement was fluid, possessing a kind of breathtaking beauty.

’I can feel it,’ she thought. ’Under this life-or-death pressure, my body’s instincts are being pushed to their absolute limit. This will definitely train my Speed!’

’Even if my body isn’t getting faster, reaction time is a kind of Speed too, right?’