I Became a Ruined Character in a Dark Fantasy-Chapter 632

Even beyond the Wall, in the frontier, there had been boulders floating high in the sky like that. Though, of course, the ones he’d seen back then had been far larger than these.

—The laws of this side and that side must’ve tangled together in unstable ways. You might even call it stability within instability.

Walking toward the rift and the high-floating fragments, Ian said, "So you’re saying this didn’t happen the instant the rift appeared."

For it to grow influential enough to interfere with this world's laws, it would have needed a catalyst and time.

—That’s right. The formation of a demonic realm alone wouldn’t cause that. This isn't a new law being added or changed; it's a collision and entanglement.

Yog’s answer came easily.

—Which means this might be a lot more recent than it looks.

Ian nodded. Of course, he had no interest in the principles behind the phenomenon. Not only did he not care, but even if someone explained it in detail, he doubted he’d understand, just like with how magic worked.

So this was a quest that only unlocked once the frontier regions became more corrupted... or after the Black Wall collapsed.

He just wanted to confirm whether this phenomenon was related to the quest he had to complete.

The surrounding trees were becoming sparse. In place of the jungle, a dry, ashen wasteland stretched out. Just as Yog had said, there seemed to be no living thing here besides them.

—Quite a sight...

Thanks to that, the rift stretching across the sky and the fragments floating beneath it, defying gravity, were now fully visible. It was like being on a different planet. That this had been completely invisible from the outside no longer surprised him.

Rumble... Rumble...

As he neared the rift, the resonance of the essence bead grew sharper. Ian’s heartbeat quickened—not from fear or unease, but because his body was resonating with it.

However, that wasn't why Ian's eyes narrowed. The countless fragments, rising like a giant barrier, were moving.

Roooaaar—

They hadn't been completely still before, but now they were spinning like a vortex. The fragments at the edges were spiraling upward and downward, forming a massive whirlwind of earth and stone.

—Looks like it’s reacting to you, my friend. We’ve definitely come to the right place.

Yog whispered, its voice laced with laughter.

Ian, still walking, muttered, "Sounds more like that so-called stability is falling apart."

—If the rift’s expanding, that could be it. If the laws completely collapse and a few right conditions fall into place, then maybe a new Wall could—

Yog suddenly let out a chuckle.

—Honestly, I have no idea what I’m even talking about. Do you understand any of this?

Ian didn’t bother to answer. He had no interest in whatever Yog was trying to say. He just slowed his pace slightly, carefully scanning the floating fragments that had turned into a tornado.

Gwoooo—

As Yog said, it seemed the rift was reacting to him—and to Ian, that meant one thing: the way to complete his quest was somewhere inside it.

The clue wasn’t hard to find. His eyes followed the vortex of fragments until they caught on the peak, where a faint current of chaos power pulsed outward like a shimmering barrier. It radiated from the topmost cluster of fragments, spinning in place.

It was a large piece, as though torn from the earth’s surface itself. Then, as the fragments shifted aside, a ruin hidden in their midst was revealed—an upside-down, half-destroyed mansion.

"No way." Ian’s brow furrowed.

Some instinct told him that was where he needed to go. It looked unmistakably like the White Mage’s final hideout.

—Hmm... so that’s how it is?

Yog’s laughter-laced whisper followed. There was no need to ask what it meant. As he took another step forward, he felt his body growing lighter. Either gravity was weakening, or a new pulling force was originating from above. To Ian, it felt like the latter.

—Careful now, Friend. Get too close to that cliff, and we might get sucked right up there ourselves. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

At that, Ian finally looked down at the ground ahead. Not far ahead, a deep canyon stretched wide. Ian easily recognized that its shape was similar to the rift in the sky.

"So it formed as the rift expanded," Ian muttered.

This whole area must have originally been buried in a mess. Otherwise, the dragons would never have failed to find the White Mage's mansion. Of course, it was also possible they didn't approach because of the rift. Dragons, after all, were especially wary of anything that could taint them into madness.

Crumble... Rumble—

Just then, a part of the opposite cliff broke off. However, instead of falling into the canyon, the debris slowly rose, drawn upward into the vortex of floating fragments.

"Ha..." A dry laugh escaped Ian's lips as he watched.

Up close, the whirling fragments moved much faster than they had from afar, and the gaps between them weren’t exactly narrow either.

—Guess we’ll have to do the same soon, won’t we?

As Ian shifted sideways to gauge his position, Yog’s voice came, tinged with strange anticipation.

"You already know the answer," Ian muttered dryly, clicking his tongue without taking his eyes off the vortex.

—Let’s be careful, though. I’ve got a feeling that getting sucked straight into that rift won’t end well.

Ian knew that perfectly well. That strange pull was coming from the rift itself. And though waves of chaotic energy rippled before it like a curtain, there was no telling whether they would stop a physical fall.

If I get pulled in by bad luck... then death would be the better outcome.

It wouldn't be strange to be flung alive into the void or to fall into a crevice. Despite the ominous thoughts, Ian stopped. He tracked the fragments' movements, then took a few steps back.

Honestly, I’d rather have something to fight.

Contrary to his thoughts, Ian dashed toward the canyon. The pull of the rift seemed to lift him, his steps light and quick. As the cliff drew near, he pushed off the ground with all his strength.

Swoosh—

He arced high over the darkness of the canyon below. In the next moment, it felt as though the world had turned upside down. The pull from above had intensified, reversing gravity itself.

Shhhk—

Even though the sensation felt more like falling than rising, Ian didn’t panic. He twisted midair, flipping once. The ashen ground and the darkness of the canyon below now spread overhead like an inverted sky. But Ian focused his gaze downward, toward the oncoming rock below.

Whoosh—

He landed in a crouch atop a spiraling slab of stone, gray dust rippling out in waves. Staying low, he braced himself, ready in case the inverted pull tried to hurl him off again. The impact wasn’t too harsh, probably because the reversed gravity wasn’t as powerful as normal.

Is this what it feels like to be on the moon?

Even that idle thought didn’t stop him from scanning his surroundings. Perhaps because of his impact, the fragment beneath him was now spinning at an angle. In truth, it was still rising, but to Ian it felt like it was falling.

Soon, fragments of floating debris revealed themselves beneath his feet. He had only a moment to observe the large and small shards drifting about.

Tap, tap, tap!

Ian dashed forward and hurled himself into the air. His slanted trajectory toward the ground drew closer to another fragment spinning in circles.

Clang—

He lowered his stance and landed on the shard, sliding across its surface. His gloved left hand scraped along the fragment, embedding itself for balance.

—That was close, Friend.

Yog whispered, sounding genuinely delighted now, as if the danger thrilled it. Of course, Ian didn’t respond. His eyes were already tracking the movement of the other fragments.

These movement sections were always my most hated part of the game.

The fragments near the center rotated in layers, while those surrounding them circled like satellites. Beyond that, spiral-shaped shards drifted up and down in motion. He had to navigate through them to get down without being flung out or falling into the gaps.

Swish—

Fortunately, Ian possessed the strength, reflexes, and balance to do just that. Of course, his Intuition and Concentration stats were also helping.

Whoosh, thud!

Ian steadily moved from fragment to fragment, descending step by step. The larger fragments moved slower but were far more stable, while the smaller ones twisted unpredictably from the impact of each landing.

—You adapt very quickly, my friend. Very stable.

Yog laughed, seemingly entertained by Ian's acrobatics.

Ian didn’t have the luxury to respond. It wasn’t only because the fragments were thinning out and moving faster as he went lower.

Thump... Thump...

His heartbeat was growing louder, faster. The resonance of the essence bead matched its rhythm, each pulse making it harder to breathe.

Nothing is ever easy, is it?

Clicking his tongue inwardly, Ian navigated the fragments, moving downward. He had to be extra sharp, as the fragments were noticeably decreasing in number. If he fell through a gap, he would pass through the chaotic waves below and be sucked into the rift. Of course, that didn't happen.

Tap!

Ian leaped from a spiraling fragment and landed on an orbiting one. His eyes, looking down, gleamed.

The deepest fragment at the center had finally revealed itself. Beneath that slowly rotating piece of land, the chaotic waves spread outward in concentric rings, forming a shimmering curtain.

However, Ian had no interest in the chaotic curtain. His gaze was scanning the ruin that was slowly spinning in the middle of the fragment.

Pretty big for a hideout.

It was half-destroyed, but it was a fairly decent mansion. Then again, it was a space provided by the ancient fairies, so perhaps that was natural. Fairies weren't exactly known for being frugal. It wouldn't be surprising if it originally had a fancy garden, though no trace of it remained now.

Whoosh, Boom—

Ian threw himself in the same direction as the rotation and landed on a corner of the fragment. Dirt and dust billowed, and the surface trembled. Ian staggered as he stood up.

Thump... Thump...

His heartbeat reverberated through him, heat rising within. The chaotic waves pulsing around the fragment were now undulating in time with his pulse.

Suppressing his ragged breath, Ian's gaze turned to the half-destroyed mansion. Completely faded, the mansion looked old and precarious, as if it could collapse at any moment. Yet, even after the shock of his landing, it stood firm without the slightest sway.

—Well then, shall we go?

Always so impatient.

Ian snorted softly and took a step forward.