HP: The Arcane Thief
chapter-205

Kyrin, Akiko, Estris, Willis, Sylthia. There was not one of them who had expected that the space whales would Target Axel.

"What the—"

Everything happened so fast that they couldn't do anything to prevent it.

The space whales are peaceful creatures, and they had just finished a difficult fight, so their guards had been lowered. But their surprise could be imagined when Axel was suddenly lifted off the ground. The next thing they knew, he had already reached right in front of the whales.

Space whales had the ability to travel 'through' the space. That's why, even though they move slowly, but the distance they travel is huge. The same magic was used on Axel, summoning him right into their mouths.

"Stop—!"

"Axel!"

It was only then that Kyrin realized that Axel was in danger. Even as she used shadow travel, she knew that she might be too late.

*Snap*

Somehow, Axel disappeared at the last moment, preventing himself from becoming space food.

?!

The whole field came to a standstill as everyone tried looking for Axel.

"What...?"

Akiko, still not knowing the situation, tried to follow, but Kyrin held her back, knowing what had happened.

"Aki! Stop! Axel used Teleportation!" She said, trying her best to stop her.

As explained, Teleportation magic in this place is a big no, what with the space being so unstable. If you use it, there is no guarantee where you might end up. Since Axel had used it, his location is now unknown.

Realizing Akiko's struggles ceased as her eyes became momentarily unfocused. "Then... what do we do?"

Akiko was shaking. There was real panic in her eyes this time. Because she was beginning to understand.

Just how screwed up Axel's situation was right now.

Axel's location is unknown. And he has no knowledge and training of navigating this place! Kyrin has always told her about the dangers of this place. It was unfortunate enough that they ended up this deep without training. But to be alone here with no knowledge?

She cast a hopeful glance towards Kyrin, who had yet to answer her question. Maybe, it's not too late. Maybe there's something they can do.

But Kyrin's face was even more contorted than hers. "Fuck... he's fucked."

...

*Snap*

The space rippled, and a figured emerged, spinning uncontrollably due to distortion of space. Not even given the chance to be relieved, the figure plummeted to the ground as if being pulled down something powerful.

*BAAM*

All the breath escaped Axel's lungs as frowned at the sheer impact of the fall. ".... Ouch...."

'Two ribs and ankle.' He thought. Analyzing the damage. Axel tried getting up and was surprised to find it comparatively difficult to do so. 'What the hell?'

"System, where am I?" He asked, even as he surveyed his surroundings for immediate threats. This place was weird. First of all, the ground was hard. Too hard. As if specifically compressed. And the next, moving was extremely difficult here. Each movement was causing his bones to creak.

[You're in the deep layer of the Altina Trench. This area is called the gravitational field. The gravitational force here is times higher compared to Earth.]

'Figures.'

Axel realized why he couldn't stabilize himself while falling and why he's having such difficulty moving. There is a huge downward force here, hindering all of his movements.

'And the ground…'

The reason the ground is hard might be because it has been compressed due to the sheer amount of gravitational force in this place. That's why he broke a few of his bones despite an exoskeleton that has been strengthened to an abnormal degree by the system's training.

*Crack*

Axel snapped his ankle into place and used [Heal] a few times, making it as good as new. He did the same with his ribs and the rest of the throbbing parts.

'Now, what the hell do I do?'

That was the problem. He had only come here thinking he'd kill some time and be back in a day for his rewarding ceremony. But somehow, it seems that the situation keeps getting worse and worse.

'Idiot.'

He was an idiot to ever think this trip could be resolved early. He should have never listened to Kyrin's assurances. When has that woman ever been reliable? More importantly, when has lady luck ever been kind to him?

So now he is stuck here in the middle of nowhere with no idea what to do. Axel let out a sigh. He was actually looking forward to getting rewarded. His merit this time was huge and there was a chance he could have gotten a relic this time.

He's really regretting it now. Why?

'Because I'm still weak.'

That's right. Turns out, he's still not strong enough to overcome the gap created by the artifacts called the Relics.

Relics. They're incredible items which can bring immense powers to the users. Until now, he has only encountered a few relic users, but each of them have displayed shocking might.

To be honest, he is no longer confident to win against Relic Wielders anymore. Theron and Nerio never really fought him at full strength. He defeated both of them by surprise attack and by taking advantage of their weaknesses before they felt the need to attack him with the intent to kill.

But still, it was at a manageable level. Because he thought that the rest of the members won't be much better. But after arriving here, he realized that they were only at the bottom of the barrel. He encountered much stronger relic wielders. Each of them is extremely dangerous in their specialized field. Under unfavorable circumstances, he could actually end up losing.

Furthermore, there's another thing that Kyrin had told him.

The members of Kraken become much more dangerous in the trench. In this place, due to the closeness with the Entity, they can temporarily borrow a minute fraction of the entity's power, even though it brings severe harm to their bodies. That means, when in a tight spot, they can actually power-up and defeat their opponents, or at least create a chance to escape.

And if that isn't enough, there's also a relic weilder which Axel is realizing could be quite dangerous. 'The Space Relic wielder.'

The threat level of that guy has been dramatically increased after what just happened.

Axel recalled the earlier moment. 'I was completely helpless.'

He was completely helpless against the space whales. Those gigantic creatures had absolute dominance over the space, and there was little he could do in the limited time. Axel recalled the total restriction he had felt when being bound by space itself. It was definitely quite difficult to break through.

Other elements, he could still handle. But space is something that feels a level higher, and a tad bit more dangerous.

So, it would have been a great help if he had a relic.

*Ding*

While he was lost in thought, the system notification woke him up.

[Conditions are optimal. Main Mission generated.]

[Mission Objective:

1) The Rightful Owner: Through numerous sacrifices, the Kraken managed to forcefully awaken the Royal Relic. As the rightful owners, retrieve the Royal Relic.

2) Do not Interfere: The Seal is getting weaker and weaker, thus increasing the threat of the Organisation. In order to eliminate the Organisation, you must first decrease the influence of the Entity. Go to the Depths and Reinforce the Aetherian Seal entrapping the Entity.]

[Accept/ Reject]

Axel blankly looked at the quest that had just popped up in front of him. Sometimes, he wonders if he actually has a choice. Because most of the missions that the system generates… the consequences of not accepting the missions are usually unacceptable.

For instance, if he didn't accept the mission of Hogwarts being under attack, there would have been a massacre at Hogwarts. Rejecting the quest of eliminating the Organisation would just result in them continuing to send their forces after him. Similarly, if he rejects this mission, that fake host wielding the Royal Relic would continue to rampage and the entity's increasing power would increase the Kraken's powers, just making it even more difficult for him to eliminate it.

Most importantly, the Royal Relic…

Axel's mouth began salivating. Is it possible to actually wield it? Heck yes, he's definitely doing that part of the mission. In short, it's an unavoidable mission.

'I will accept. But how the hell am I supposed to Reinforce the Seal? I have no idea.'

[You can do it by following the instructions that will be provided.

Axel sighed. "Alright, where do I go?"

[Start moving 42% to your left.]

Turning in the direction, Axel took a step forward, but immediately faltered. 'Damn it, gravity.' Even standing straight here was only possible because he had an extremely strong body. After taking a few he quickly found out that this was not a feasible method.

It felt like he was walking through dense mud. It would take a long time if he kept moving like this, not to mention the energy and stamina consumption it'll cause.

'I need another method.'

He looked up at the ocean(?) above him. As explained, this dimension is a weird place with different laws. Instead of the sky, there is a vast ocean above which doesn't fall down for some reason.

'What was it? Two way Gravitation or something.'

Axel figured that moving through water would be a better choice. That's why, he took out his broomstick and tried to fly straight up towards the water.

It wasn't a good idea.

The resistance kept increasing as he flew upwards, until the broom could no longer take it.

Snap

It broke apart, and the gravity pulled him to the ground like a yandere starved for affection. 'Shit!' This was dangerous! If he keeps falling at this acceleration, he would be a pancake by the time he reaches the ground.

Axel quickly took out his wand.

"Arresto Momentum!"

At the same time, he concentrated a lot of magic on his hands and feet. [Launching Boom}

Somehow, he managed to avoid making a smashed patti of himself, but once again, there were injuries. Arresto Momentum wasn't powerful enough.

Sigh…

Axel looked at the wand in his hand. 'As expected, it's not as good.'

This wasn't his Main wand. It was the one he had gotten from Martina as a substitute when his main wand was damaged in the Demogorgon fight. It was good, but as expected, it couldn't be compared to the main wand, which was custom made by the Valentinos with light and dark dual cores.

Due to unavoidable circumstances, he has left his main wand in Britain. Axel closed his eyes and concentrated. Even in this place, he could feel the presence of his wand, which was stuck in the middle of a giant ritual circle in Hogwarts. It was angry at being left alone. Magical power was radiating from it, being transferred to him through the bond which had strengthened considerably.

'Summon me!' It seemed to say.

Axel sighed and shook his head. Not yet. The purpose of leaving it behind was still unfulfilled.

Axel turned his focus back on the mission. He had to quickly get that relic, so that the absence of his wand can no longer be a problem.

Step— Step— Step—

Axel began walking through the tough gravity, making use of his high physical strength. His pace slowly quickened, until he was running.

Boom Boom Boom

Due to the Gravity, his steps were falling on the ground with such force that it was leaving footprints on the vast desert.

His eyes glowed blue, and the water answered his call, coming down like a puppy running to his owner. Though it was a bit more straining due to the increased Gravitational force, Axel was still able to control water with no difficulty.

As he ran, the water slowly began to submerge him, filling him with strength. Axel jumped, and his feet didn't come down again. He was riding the water wave like a surfer. The water quickly engulfed him, erasing all the strain his body was feeling due to gravity.

'Faster.' The water around him turned into a shape similar to an icicle, and—

ZOOM

The speed increased to that of a flying broomstick. Axel stopped increasing the speed. Because the amount of energy spent on maintaining this form was equal to his rate of recovery due to the water surrounding him.

After flying for a while, he realized one thing. This place was huge. He was still in the Gravitational zone. And this is just one of the danger zones in the place.

!!!

After a few more minutes, Axel had to abruptly stop. Because up ahead, he could see the sight of a fight taking place.