Chapter 76: Simulated Space

"Let's go, toward the source of the sound."

Lin Wei paid no heed to the presence of Kaivilin behind him, striding swiftly southward. His pace was brisk but restrained, his gaze vigilant, surveying the surroundings with care, wary of any sudden change.

Kaivilin followed at his heels, her hand clutched tightly around the hilt of the cruciform sword at her waist, as if the touch lent her a sense of safety.

"Hmm?" Abruptly, Lin Wei halted and looked up at the sky.

Kaivilin, startled by his sudden movement, asked anxiously, "Sir, what is it?"

Lin Wei did not respond, but continued to stare into the night sky, his eyes edged with an austere seriousness.

Kaivilin quickly followed his gaze, her delicate features paling.

The sky, once thick with stars, had disappeared without notice; the rolling tide of clouds had also scattered and vanished. It was as though a black curtain had been drawn over the night, enveloping the entire village.

A strange, uneasy silence settled over the scene.

Lin Wei hesitated, weighing whether to continue, when another shriek tore through the night.

It was exactly the same as before—Orion’s voice, but more chilling, more sinister.

"This time... it’s from the west."

Lin Wei turned his gaze toward the western side of the village.

He took two quick steps, then stopped abruptly. Kaivilin, caught unawares, collided into his back.

"This is..." Even Lin Wei’s expression was now frosted with coldness.

Orion’s scream echoed again, but this time, Lin Wei could no longer discern its origin—for the sound now came from all directions, surrounding them.

"Teacher... Teacher..." Kaivilin’s eyes welled with terror, her hands gripping the cruciform sword so tightly her whole body trembled violently.

In the next instant, all the screams vanished.

Tap, tap, tap...

Lin Wei listened intently. Suddenly, he heard a multitude of footsteps, dense and approaching from every side, as if a horde was closing in to encircle him and Kaivilin.

The footsteps grew clearer, and even Kaivilin could hear them now.

The village, bereft of starlight, was plunged into complete darkness. Even as a knight’s squire, Kaivilin could scarcely make out Lin Wei before her.

"Ah!"

Kaivilin screamed.

Tap, tap, tap...

Countless red points of light drew closer from all sides, eerily vivid in the darkness.

Lin Wei tilted his head, biting gently at his teeth. "Zombies? No... In this world, you should be called the undead! There must be... hundreds of you? Are you the village’s original inhabitants?"

Kaivilin could not see clearly, but Lin Wei saw it all.

Rotting corpses crept toward them, faces riddled with maggots, flesh curling grotesquely, making one’s skin crawl.

"Undead?" Kaivilin struggled to comprehend. All she saw were clusters of red lights drawing near.

Lin Wei replied, "Yes, what you see as red dots are their eyes."

Kaivilin’s grip on the sword tightened, her knuckles whitening with strain.

"But..." Lin Wei suddenly smiled. "They don’t seem very strong!"

In the next moment, Lin Wei swept his wizard’s robe sleeve, sending a swarm of black shadows whirring forth.

Book beetles!

"Sparks burning in darkness shine brightest!"

Lin Wei murmured.

Whir!

The beetles' wings trembled and scattered, darting toward each rotting corpse.

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!

One by one, the book beetles ignited—first a flicker, then a blaze.

Corpses began to burn; their already grotesque faces twisted further under the flames, bodies trembling, unable to advance. They seemed to share a sensation, but lacking vocal cords, could not make a sound.

Firelight flickered, and Kaivilin finally saw everything before her.

Her stomach churned.

Kaivilin fought the nausea and instinctively glanced at Lin Wei.

He... was smiling?

Lin Wei was watching the burning corpses from all sides, smiling?

A chill ran down Kaivilin’s spine; her gaze toward Lin Wei grew fearful—once again, the uncanny nature of a wizard struck her heart.

"Power beyond the ordinary world is truly intoxicating!" Lin Wei was indeed smiling, with a hint of delight in his expression. "I didn’t expect to encounter such things..."

"I always thought the simulated spaces described in books had vanished into the river of history, yet today I am experiencing it firsthand!"

Lin Wei seemed to have discovered a treasure envied by all.

When darkness first fell, Lin Wei had ordered the core orb to search the knowledge vault for the cause of the scene before him. As he waited for results, just moments ago, the intelligent orb had provided the answer.

Simulated space!

A term lost in wizard history.

"Many years ago, shortly after the Wizard Academy Alliance was founded, simulated space technology emerged," Lin Wei murmured. "Wizards accidentally discovered that when an elemental force reached its pinnacle, it could affect space and time. Some wizards, obsessed with this revelation, began creating alternate spaces independent of reality... But since such spaces required constant wizardry to maintain, once abandoned, they would gradually collapse. Some wizards tried to preserve simulated spaces eternally, but all failed..."

"Moreover, as research continued, it seems those studying simulated spaces suffered grave setbacks and obstacles. Over time, simulated spaces faded from history..."

Lin Wei gazed at the burning flames and the pitch-black sky.

"Who would have thought that such relics, abandoned by time, would appear before me again—and trap me within..."

His eyes narrowed.

"But fortunately, though this space is stable..."

"It’s incredibly fragile!"

Suddenly, Lin Wei burst out laughing. He closed his eyes, spread his arms wide, as if to embrace the darkness before him.

Grains of pitch-black sand materialized before him, floating silently.

Sizzle!

At that moment, the space behind Lin Wei tore open as if a curtain were ripped apart.

A sharp white bone spike thrust straight toward the back of Lin Wei’s head.