Rogue Villain-Chapter 372: So Hot You Can Feel it

Ackster sat on the floor and concentrated.

One of the many criteria he had somehow managed to fulfill in order to reach the bottom of the Alchemaze and inherit it was his affinity for space. With his connection to the Nomi, that affinity had resulted in a seemingly endless Inventory.

But when it came to the Alchemaze, Ackster discovered more and more why he needed an unparalleled affinity for space whenever he tried to do something. The entire Alchemaze hinged on space magic. Space magic, so subtle that Ackster only noticed after inheriting the Alchemaze, filled every nook and cranny of the Alchemaze.

It was what made the Alchemaze go around, exist, and maintain such a surprisingly good condition even after all these years. Space magic separated the Alchemaze, most of it, at least, from the wear and tear of time. Space magic also prevented anything but the entrances from being discovered, no matter how much people mined and dug through the ground.

But all of that was the basics of the Alchemaze’s operations. It didn’t need Ackster’s affinity to continue, even after he became the Alchemaze’s owner.

Ackster’s sense for space came into play when he controlled the Alchemaze. The time he sent all the witnesses back to the surface was a freebie stored in the central command token. After that, he had to learn how to do it on his own through the Alchemaze’s foundations. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

But once he did, he could freely teleport himself and others around the Alchemaze. He could also restructure it and make new pathways and tunnels. The only crux was that he didn’t alter the overall structure too much, or if he did, he reverted any changes.

However, shuffling around the Alchemaze’s insides was a tedious task that required delicate control.

However, with almost all of his senses, except the ones for space and mana, sealed, Ackster found it surprisingly easy. When he could see or sense nothing else in the world except the world itself, the Alchemaze’s magic, and the mana all around him, it wasn’t that hard learning to control it.

So, before long, Ackster managed to deduce and create a path leading straight to the center of the world.

Ackster took one last deep breath, which he didn’t even sense since he had sealed his perception of mortal sensations like those. He dropped the floor and descended like he was riding a high-speed elevator.

At least, that’s what he hoped it was like. He had sealed most of his senses. All he could tell was that he was moving quickly by analyzing the feel of space and mana around him.

After a while, Ackster read the space and sensations from the Alchemaze, and he could tell that he had arrived. He had no idea how long it had taken. His perception of time had joined the rest of his senses in the shadow realm a little while ago.

Ackster got up and started walking forward. It was like he had guessed. The Creator had been at the center of the world before and made it so it would be easy to walk around and get close to the blindingly dense ball of mana that was bigger than a mountain.

The concentration of mana was something Ackster had never seen before. He could tell there was fire mana mixed in, but that was the limit. There was enough to make him doubt whether he had accidentally sealed his mana sense.

It was to the point where Ackster wondered if Ichor really was superior to mana when mana could reach a state like this.

Ackster put idle thoughts aside as he advanced.

He couldn’t feel his body or anything related to it. But he could instinctively tell that he was melting. It made controlling his body a little more difficult. But he had learned to move as naturally as ever when he had no feedback to any of his actions. And he had almost spent as much time moving around with a broken body as he had with an intact one.

Ackster approached the mountainous ball of mana and fire.

He wasn’t sure about how to do this. But if he got too close without being prepared, he would die.

Ackster had to be careful.

He was in the most dangerous place he had ever set foot in and had sealed almost all of his strength with more Covenants than he could count since he had given up that ability, too.

Still, even in such a complicated state, Ackster had to find a way to retrieve a sliver of the bumbling mass of mana and fire and put it into his Smelting Furnace.

Ackster slumped to the ground, unable to walk further. He could tell that barely a fraction of the Core’s heat leaked out of it. But even that was enough to reduce his body to a molten puddle.

Ackster created a long spoon out of his Ichor. After all of his studying with Mastrax and the training he had done, his Ichor had become noticeably better and higher-grade than before he acquired the Alchemaze.

’I’ll have to be quick.’

It was probably the only thing he had that could withstand the searing heat from the Core for more than an instant.

Ackster controlled his Ichor to fly into the Core with the tip. Through his Ichor’s reaction, he could tell that it was already burning and about to melt. He hurriedly retracted the spoon and shoved it down what remained of his throat, incinerating it but, at the same time, eating the flames that had clung to his Ichor on the way out.

The heat raged through his body, not that Ackster could feel it. But it was powerful enough for him to imagine what his body was going through as the singular tongue of flame slipped into his Smelting Furnace and immediately kicked up a fuss.

Smelting Furnace had already devoured the blue sun a long time ago, and with the Sun God Token’s help, it had reached an infernal heat. It was enough to begin softening the flexible core of the broken trident poking out at the split.

It couldn’t compare to the single flame from the Core.

Instantly, the temperature inside Smelting Furnace skyrocketed. The Core’s flame fought for dominance as soon as it entered.