Chapter 183: Corrupt Core
The three days passed slowly.
During that time, Priam devoted himself to brewing the potions for the six hundred people who still hadn’t received them.
After finishing everything, he handed them over to Dandara, instructing her to distribute them little by little, giving them enough time to identify and purge every hidden traitor.
Unfortunately, Priam didn’t have enough time to study and try producing the other kinds of potions.
But at least the potion that every type of Mage could use—something that previously only a small, privileged group could obtain—would now benefit his entire faction.
Over those three months, they would completely consolidate their strength.
In the next competition, which would be genuinely dangerous, they would surely shock the entire sect with the power they displayed.
At that moment, it was already late afternoon when Priam stepped out of the cave.
"Oh, what a turnout! You all came here to see me off?" Priam laughed when he saw his entire faction waiting for him outside.
"You all look a little gloomy. Where’s the music and the drinks? If you were partying while shouting my name, this farewell would’ve been a lot more memorable."
Everyone clenched their fists, convinced he was only pretending not to be worried and talking nonsense.
After all, he was heading down a path that almost certainly led to death.
The fact that he’d chosen to walk it was proof enough of his courage.
Flaris walked over to Priam with an indescribably worried look.
She was clearly making a tremendous effort to hold herself together.
Shione, meanwhile, turned her face away so he wouldn’t see her expression.
Beside her, Lumiere let out a quiet sigh while gently supporting his sister.
"Cousin, stay safe. With your senses, you’ll be able to move around unnoticed. Don’t worry about coming back quickly. Just keep moving carefully until you find your way home."
Priam gave a slight nod.
"Relax, Cousin. I promise I’ll come back alive sooner than you think."
"Fine. Then I’ll trust you. But if you break that promise, I’ll hate you forever," Flaris said seriously.
"Boss, you absolutely have to come back."
Dandara also stepped forward, wearing a reluctant expression at the thought of being separated from him.
"Here, make a proper promise to me!"
Without hesitating, she reached out and grabbed Priam’s hand.
He almost took a step back on instinct.
But...
He stopped halfway through the motion when he saw the worried look on her face.
Then he realized...
The disgust he used to feel wasn’t nearly as overwhelming anymore.
The urge to pull away was still there, but it was much weaker than usual.
It was as if, little by little, Dandara’s presence was easing something deep inside him.
Without hesitation, Dandara firmly squeezed Priam’s hand.
Among Mages, that was a common way of sealing a promise, and it finally put her somewhat at ease.
She knew Priam was someone who always kept his word.
Suddenly, everyone felt a different kind of energy appear in the sky.
Looking up, they saw an Elder floating above them with a calm expression.
"The time has come. Say your final goodbye to your friends," he said to Priam.
"There’s no need for goodbyes. We’ll see each other again."
Priam shook his head with a faint smile.
Then, looking at everyone, he added,
"Alright, go back and train hard. I’m just going out for a little trip."
The Elder made a small gesture with his hand.
At that instant, Priam felt a mysterious, invisible force—with no visible manifestation whatsoever—appear around him and gently lift him into the sky.
As soon as he reached the Elder’s side, the two of them shot off without delay, disappearing from everyone’s sight in an instant.
...
Priam watched the planet fade into the distance as they reached the emptiness of space.
The next moment, the Elder made another gesture, and the surrounding space began to distort in a way that was far, far more powerful and chaotic than anything Priam had ever witnessed.
Shortly afterward, Priam felt as though he were traveling through a terrifying, chaotic tunnel alongside the Elder.
This wasn’t a simple, instant teleportation.
It required immense power to activate.
"Do you have any regrets?" the Elder asked, breaking the silence.
"No. Even if I had to do it all over again, I’d make the exact same choices."
Priam shook his head.
"If I’d endured that kind of betrayal without doing anything, a shadow would’ve settled in my soul forever. I’d probably never be able to trust people again. My philosophy in life is very simple: live to the fullest without worrying about tomorrow. I should do today what I truly want, because my future has never been guaranteed."
The Elder looked at Priam with a mixture of admiration and pity.
"The young really do have the best part of life. Looking at you reminds me of myself when I first joined the sect. Haha... the years passed in the blink of an eye. My insight and unwavering courage disappeared a long time ago."
Priam smiled to himself but said nothing.
Considering the memories he still retained from his two past lives, he was probably older than that Elder.
So this wasn’t a matter of age.
After that, the Elder explained where they were going.
Throughout the sect’s outer territory, there were countless dangerous planets constantly attacked by the Sorcerers in search of the abundant resources they contained.
Among those planets, some were considered special for various reasons.
Priam was being sent to one of them.
However, that particular planet had no Sorcerers.
It was a world almost completely overrun by Corrupted Beasts.
It was the first time Priam had ever heard that name.
The Elder explained. Basically, they were ordinary Beasts that had undergone horrifying mutations through the corrupting power of the Sorcerers.
Corrupted Beasts were like the Sorcerers’ army of disposable soldiers. They lost almost all of their vitality, and even the strongest of them lived for no more than a hundred years. They also lost the ability to reproduce, while their intelligence was reduced to the bare minimum.
In exchange, they became slaves that obeyed the Sorcerers’ orders without any possibility of rebellion. And their power... even though they had originally been nothing more than ordinary Beasts, some of them reached a level of strength capable of killing a Sage with ease.
Corrupted Beasts were truly terrifying, and the Sorcerers could create them in massive numbers.
Back to the exile planet...
Thousands of years ago, that planet was known for its lush nature, with countless races living there. One branch of the outer sect protected the place, and many high-level resources could be found throughout that world.
But then, something inexplicable happened.
The planet’s Beasts slowly began turning into Corrupted Beasts.
Every branch of the outer sect was alerted. Thousands of Sages traveled to the planet to investigate. Every inch of that world was searched thoroughly, but... nothing was found.
The Corrupted Beasts just kept appearing out of nowhere without any explanation.
Since they couldn’t reproduce and no one understood the source of the phenomenon, it was decided that the planet would be completely sealed. That way, the sect could continue investigating it and might one day uncover the truth behind it.
No outside force would be able to enter, and no one inside would be able to leave without permission.
As time passed, every Beast on that world would eventually become corrupted, and in the end, they would all die naturally. So there wasn’t any great long-term danger.
But of course... the sect simply sacrificed every form of life on that planet and every Beast race without the slightest mercy. Ordinary Beasts were truly worthless in their eyes.
"Right now, it’s estimated that more than 95% of the planet’s Beasts have already been corrupted. It’ll probably take a few thousand more years before they all die," the Elder explained calmly. "You’ll be sent there, and you’ll have to make your way alone to the core of the sealing formation if you want to leave the planet."
"The Corrupted Beasts on that planet are only around the middle tier in strength. Even so, it would still be an almost certain death sentence for an early-stage Sage, let alone a Mage Disciple. That’s why this is a true punishment. You’ll have to prove your worth through your own strength. If you manage to return alive, your crimes will be forgiven."
Priam listened carefully and nodded thoughtfully.
Suddenly, the space around them stabilized once again.
A colossal planet appeared before them.
Priam felt like it was the size of Jupiter... or maybe even larger. Even so, its appearance resembled Earth, with half a dozen continents, vast oceans, and every biome imaginable.
He let out a sigh.
[01: Special Mission Available!]
[Destroy the planet’s Corrupted Core]
The moment the green screen appeared before his eyes, Priam’s heart started racing. He had been right to think this exile would benefit him. Danger always meant profit!
At last...
He had received another Special Mission!
If he completed it, he would once again earn an enormous amount of points.