The monsters filled the entire world, drifting through the desolate landscape like the ethereal, restless dwellers of this forgotten zone.

William watched them closely from the shadows. He knew they looked fierce, all jagged silhouettes and shifting, smoky limbs, but he also knew the secret to surviving them.

As long as he and any others in his vicinity refrained from circulating or using their spirit powers, the creatures would remain entirely harmless. To them, an invisible spirit master was just another lifeless piece of the environment.

Yet, remaining undetectable did not mean he could afford to relax. William had to tread with absolute caution, navigating the treacherous terrain carefully to ensure he didn’t accidentally bump into any of them. Physical contact could trigger an unpredictable reaction, and out here, a single mistake could prove fatal.

According to his knowledge, the best way to locate the hidden ore mine was by actively seeking out the spots where the highest concentrations of these shadow monsters gathered.

The reasoning was simple: the dense, unrefined ore veins buried beneath the earth would naturally emanate massive amounts of raw spirit power into the surroundings. This ambient energy acted like a beacon, irresistibly attracting the monsters.

In fact, the draw was so potent that the creatures would often break out into violent skirmishes, fighting viciously among themselves just to claim a spot closer to the scarce, leaking spirit power.

However, because this spirit power was merely dissipating into the open air without a physical core or fleshly vessel to reside in, the monsters couldn’t actually absorb or benefit from it. They were chasing a phantom high, unable to truly consume the energy they craved.

This biological quirk created a bizarre, almost funny scene: thousands of monsters would tightly surround the perimeter of the mine in a chaotic, teeming mass, while on top of the mine itself, the exact epicentre of the energy leak, not a single monster would be present.

The concentration of raw spirit power directly above the vein was likely too volatile or fundamentally ungraspable, leaving a stark, empty void in the dead centre of the horde.

William knew that locating the mine was merely the first step. It was the first problem in a painfully long list of steps, challenges, and dangerous obstacles he needed to solve before this mission could be called a success.

Yet, he didn’t allow even a shred of doubt to creep into his mind. He never questioned his ability to pull off this monumental feat. To him, failure wasn’t an option; this was an absolute must-do mission, and he would see it through to the end. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

It took him less than an hour of careful scouting to finally find the exact phenomenon he was looking for. To his surprise, the mine wasn’t situated beneath a prominent hill or a towering mountain as he had initially expected.

Instead, it was a deep, jagged ridge plunging into the ground, a massive fissure that looked as if some ancient, primordial giant had swung a colossal sword and cleanly cleaved the earth in two at this very point.

"This is it," William muttered, his eyes shining brightly with renewed determination. "This is the right ore mine."

He didn’t need to risk descending into the chasm to inspect the rocks firsthand to verify his find. The sheer, overwhelming scale of the shadow monsters surrounding the area was proof enough. From his vantage point, he spotted overlapping circles of hundreds, even thousands, of those dark entities swirling restlessly around the edges of the ridge like a black, churning whirlpool.

To confirm his theory, he scanned the nearby terrain for a raised area that could grant him a better view. Spotting a massive, weathered boulder at a safe distance, he carefully scaled its rough surface.

Once he reached the peak and looked down upon the epicentre of the horde, his hypothesis was validated: the absolute centre of the chaotic gathering was a dead zone, completely void of any monsters.

As he looked out over the expanse, a wave of frustration washed over him. He bitterly had to deal with the absence of his spirit sense, a vital ability that, in the past, could have easily covered a large area for him in seconds, mapping out the terrain and effortlessly confirming everything he needed to know. Losing that expansive perception was a heavy blow, but this was his new reality, and he had to adapt.

Climbing onto the high rock wasn’t just for a better view, however. Once he stabilised his footing, William reached into his storage and took out a sturdy bow along with a few of his specialised explosive arrows.

After ascending to this realm, every single weapon, tool, and gadget he had painstakingly brought with him from the lower realm had undergone a massive, brutal demotion. The fundamental laws of this higher plane were entirely different, rendering his old gear far too weak and fragile to be effectively used in the upper realm.

They were little more than toys here. And yet, William had still decided to bring along the explosive arrows for this specific task.

"The bow and arrow’s most basic mechanical features won’t get affected by the laws of ascension," he muttered to himself, his fingers gripping the bowstring. He hesitated for a moment, trying to gauge his altered body weight and estimate exactly how much physical power he should expend to launch the projectile. "I just hope I’m not so incredibly weak now that I can’t even send it over to the right spot..."

Drawing the string back with a strained breath, he aimed high into the air.

FWOOSH!

He released the tension, launching the arrow forward. He prayed that his current, severely diminished strength would be enough to send the projectile flying for the hundreds of meters required to clear the horde.

If he were back in the lower realm, a shot of this distance wouldn’t have even crossed his mind as a challenge; he could have cleared it with a casual flick of his wrist.