Chapter 85

At this moment, Sain was standing in the center of a shattered magic altar.

This shattered magic altar was the very one Sain had passed through when he entered the Yellow Sand World years ago.

Fortunately, the altar was not completely destroyed and still had some operational capacity; otherwise, Sain would not have been able to return.

It was only after discovering the magic altar beneath his feet that Sain realized he was now in the Shadow Valley.

The once brightly lit Shadow Valley, which had been like daylight, was now shrouded in darkness, seemingly confirming its name.

Because he had survived for too long in the scorching and blinding environment of the Yellow Sand World, Sain's night vision had not yet recovered upon his return to the dark region.

The loss of the pale mask was also a significant one.

Despite its small size and low-level magic item status, Sain, who had grown accustomed to it, believed its value was no less than that of a typical mid-level magic item.

In addition to finding a way to repair it in the future, Sain could use his alchemy skills to add more functions to it, enhancing its quality.

Equipment is also a part of one's strength.

If Sain had as much equipment as his senior brother Zorro or his senior sister Phyllis when he was in the Yellow Sand World, he probably would not have wandered and wasted two years there.

As Sain gradually adapted to the darkness, he finally saw the situation around him clearly.

What he saw was a scene of ruins and debris.

The entire valley of Shadow Valley, under the impact of indescribable great power, had turned into a small basin.

The collapsed magic towers and the crisscrossed ground marked the intensity of the battles that had taken place here.

Sain did not see any dead bodies.

It was likely that if there were any bodies, they had either been collected by the warring parties or digested by the ecosystem of the underground world.

In the dark region, there were always "scavengers" available.

The only area that had not been significantly affected by the battle was the magic altar where Sain was standing.

This was a stroke of luck amidst the misfortune. Apart from a few cracks running across the altar, the entire altar had not collapsed or sunken.

This was the reason the altar could still function and bring Sain back.

"What happened here?"

"How are my mentor and Lina now?" Sain was startled as he took in the situation.

He did not care about the excitement of returning to the wizard world or the joy of his sudden increase in mental power.

After realizing that this Shadow Valley had no more information to offer, Sain looked into the darkness and resolutely headed forward.

...

Shadow Valley was far from Muzobura City.

When Sain had taken an airship, it had taken a week to reach the city. Now, on foot, the journey would obviously take much longer.

The lack of a clear route also meant that Sain's return to Muzobura City would be significantly delayed.

But Sain did not care about the time it would take.

He had endured more than two years in the Yellow Sand World; he was not afraid of this final stretch.

Muzobura City was the most likely place where his mentor and Lina could be.

If the surface Holy Tower organization had even captured that city, it was likely that the entire dark region would have no place for black mages to hide.

"Please don't let anything happen!" Sain silently prayed as he hurried toward Muzobura City.

To save time, Sain paid little attention to his diet.

After eating mushroom soup for more than two years, he continued to eat it upon returning to the dark region.

Apart from killing a low-level monster, the salamander lizard, for a change, he mainly gathered some edible underground plants to use as seasoning.

Interestingly, perhaps due to the different world, Sain found the monotonous elemental mushrooms to be somewhat more palatable.

A month later, Sain finally reached the border area of Muzobura City.

It was only when he passed through a small sub-human tribe that Sain learned it had been four years since he left Muzobura City.

Apart from the two and a half years he spent in the Yellow Sand World, the remaining year and a few months were likely due to the time consumption during the spatial passage, as his senior brother Zorro had mentioned.

Especially when Sain returned, the rough method of crossing the spatial passage had only made him unconscious and then wake up, but who knew how much time had actually been lost.

Four years... which meant Sain was now twenty-four years old.

After tidying up his beard and hair, Sain no longer looked like a wild man.

His deep, calm eyes and golden hair made him stand out, even though he was wearing a common and cheap black moss cloak from the underground world. His noble mage aura was hard to conceal.

Moreover, Sain had matured compared to the past.

When Sain reached the border area of Muzobura City, a loud and intense magical explosion suddenly sounded!

The battle in Muzobura City was still ongoing!

The ongoing battle meant that the city of black mages had not fallen, and it also meant that his mentor and Lina might still be there!

Upon learning this, Sain immediately headed toward the center of Muzobura City.

However, when he could see the towering city walls of Muzobura City in the distance, he was startled.

The once majestic city walls and sturdy fortifications had collapsed under the impact of some unknown great force!

It was more accurate to say that the black mages of Muzobura City were struggling to defend against the attacks of the surface Holy Tower mages and were making their final stand.

The explosion had likely occurred at the central Black Magic Academy of Muzobura City.

Thick black smoke billowed from the city.

Surprisingly, Muzobura City itself was not in great chaos.

Sain even saw civilians in the city maintaining basic order under the protection of some armored human warriors, gradually leaving the increasingly chaotic city.

These armored humans had no elemental fluctuations, but their aura and subtle threat made Sain feel the pressure of facing a formal black mage.

These were beings with strength comparable to formal mages; they were... knights?

The numerous fallen minotaur corpses and the torn remains of dark creatures marked the likely killers as these knights, who wielded sharp weapons and wore armor.

Just by staring at one of the knights for a moment, Sain felt a slight pain in his eyes.

Suddenly, "Clang!" a spear pierced the air and accurately struck the dark corner where Sain was hiding.

"Who's there?!" a voice demanded at the same time.