"This..." Allen was at a loss for words, frozen in astonishment.
He couldn't comprehend what exactly was happening in this mysterious scene, so he couldn't help but feel on guard as he continued to gaze at the lake.
However, after waiting for a few minutes, nothing suspicious or monstrous emerged, and he heaved a sigh of relief.
Nonetheless, this only fueled his curiosity further, and his desire to dive into the depths of the lake intensified.
"It seems I must dive into this lake and discover what's hidden inside," Allen pondered, gradually descending a little closer to the surface of the calm waters.
Immediately, he put his hands together and began chanting an incantation.
"Water Magic: Water Protection!" Suddenly, the water in the lake lifted slightly, forming a bubble shield around him as if protecting him from all sides.
Allen, seeing the bubble shield manifest, smiled slightly and then canceled his levitation magic, allowing himself to gently descend into the lake.
Thanks to the water shield surrounding him, the lake water did not touch him at all.
"Alright, time to see what's inside," Allen muttered to himself as he ventured into the calm lake.
Unbeknownst to him, among the large and lush trees, a colossal figure was watching him with bright red eyes, filled with anger and murderous intent, as he descended to the bottom of the lake.
"Sssshhhht!"
...
Meanwhile, Allen skillfully swam towards the depths of the lake, which were gradually becoming darker.
"I didn't expect this lake to be so deep," Allen mused, pausing for a moment to gaze down at the pitch-black bottom.
The lake was quite expansive, and numerous fish-like creatures were swimming around.
However, Allen noticed that the size of these fish was larger than what he considered normal, further solidifying his belief that something was concealed at the lake's bottom, causing all these anomalies.
Without hesitation, he reached into the bag on his waist and retrieved a palm-sized pearl.
"With this, it should be easier to find the way forward," Allen thought, pointing the pearl ahead and channeling his mana into it.
Suddenly, the pearl emitted a bright blue light that could be seen from a hundred meters away.
"Alright, let's continue!" Allen exclaimed excitedly and resumed his dive into the lake.
During his descent, he encountered large limestone rocks and small caves where various animals and fish sought refuge.
Unperturbed, he continued diving deeper until the light of the pearl illuminated a plain, which appeared to be the center of the lake bed.
Allen swam to the lake bottom and came to a stop, mesmerized by the sight before him.
Pointing the pearl in his hand forward, he noticed crystals attached to the limestone rocks, reflecting the light from the pearl and creating a dazzling display of radiance.
As if triggered by the light from the pearl, the crystals emitted a brilliant blue glow, illuminating their surroundings.
"What a beautiful sight!" Allen gasped in amazement.
The stunning scenery around him, once pitch black, now revealed its splendor as the crystal light illuminated the lake's depths.
However, he suddenly felt a sense of intrigue as he noticed a road stretching around the blue crystals.
Out of curiosity, he swam in the direction of the path until it seemed to subtly stop at a giant rock.
Allen observed the enormous stone and discovered a peculiar painting on its surface.
"What does this mean?" He frowned in confusion as he gazed at the highly unusual painting.
Throughout his two lifetimes, he had never seen artwork like this before.
The painting depicted eight figures, three women and five men, lined up in a row.
However, the white chalk medium obscured their faces and identities, leaving Allen unable to recognize any of the figures.
Despite this, an inexplicable sense of familiarity washed over him, causing his heart to race.
"Why do I feel like I know this painting?" Allen puzzled himself, holding his chest with a perplexed expression.
Suddenly, as he lightly shifted his hand on the painting, his palm pressed down on a concealed lever.
Realizing the peculiarity of the situation, Allen quickly stepped back.
To his surprise, the stone with the painting shook abruptly.
"Boom!"
The stone subtly shifted at a remarkable speed, revealing a dark room behind it, akin to a door sliding open swiftly.
"A cave?!" Allen exclaimed in amazement at the scene in front of him.
However, he quickly regained his composure, carefully observing the direction of the cave.
"It seems that everything happening in this lake is connected to this cave," Allen pondered for a moment before deciding to venture inside.
After all, he had come this far and found nothing but this mysterious cave ahead of him.
As he entered the cave, Allen observed an invisible barrier holding back the water from the lake, preventing it from flowing inside.
Even the bubble of the shield surrounding him suddenly shattered, as if the entrance of the cave did not permit any form of water to enter.
"Magic?" Allen was quite surprised, and to confirm his suspicion, he stretched out his hand towards the outside.
His hand indeed got wet, and he immediately pulled it back.
"Space magic, huh?" Allen was amazed, his blood boiling with astonishment.
As the name suggests, space magic is a type of magic possessed by individuals with an affinity beyond the four basic elements, known as space affinity.
Throughout his life, Allen had never heard of the existence of a space magic user, not even in historical records.
It was possible that space magic users existed, but their knowledge might have been intentionally omitted from history books.
His understanding of space magic came from his previous life, when he diligently researched various forms of magic, including space affinity.
Although he hadn't fully grasped the intricacies of space magic during his previous life, he had managed to gain some understanding of it.
So, when he realized that this cave seemed to be connected to a space magic user, he couldn't help but feel overwhelming excitement.
"It looks like this cave holds many hidden secrets." A faint smile formed on his lips as he ventured deeper into its depths.
The cave door gradually closed on its own, and the glowing crystal dimmed and lost its light, plunging the bottom of the lake back into pitch-black darkness.
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It's very tiring to update three chapters at a time~
However, no problem! Continue to support me and stay tuned!