Secret World of Occultists-Chapter 17: Anomalous Dimension

Luke didn't even have the time to look around him, or his state as he entered the flames.

The first thing that caught his sight was one of the pilgrims before him consumed by fire, writhing in agony.

His screams were heart-wrenching as the fire viciously enveloped him, burning his skin and bones. Before long, the man's screams ended and he tumbled to the ground, convulsing in absolute pain.

A few moments later, all his actions ceased and he was burned to mere ashes.

Luke's eyes widened in shock and terror.

What the fuck is happening?! Didn't that guy say the moon will protect us?! What kind of protection is this?!

As if answering his questions, the bearded man whom Luke had first met loudly proclaimed, "The faithless will be the first to burn! Keep your heart steady and continue to move forward!"

Luke froze amidst the flames.

A man was just burned to death in front of everyone, yet the rest of the pilgrims didn't even bat an eye, and continued moving ahead.

These heartless monsters!

When he looked at himself covered in flames, nothing happened to him. Even his clothes didn't burn.

Even though the tongues of flames reached till his calves, the only thing he felt was a slight prickling sensation on his feet.

He was stunned by how these mystical flames operated. They burned a man to ashes in mere moments, yet to him and the rest of the pilgrims nothing happened.

Luke turned around and saw a wall of pitch-black nothingness. The place they had earlier set camp was now nowhere to be seen.

He gulped nervously, thinking to himself, Just what kind of place is the Spirit Crucible? It's similar to virtual reality in my past life...

The youth turned back around and walked slowly, one step at a time. Although the flames didn't burn him, he felt something else burn inside of him.

It was a strange feeling. An instinct, perhaps. But he knew he wasn't entirely wrong.

Fire represented destruction, but also purification!

Such was the symbolism behind the First Trial of Ascension - burn away the unnecessary to reveal the truth.

As Luke made his way through the flames, his gaze was drawn to the little silver-haired girl from earlier. Her face was twisted in pain, yet she was forcefully made to walk through the inferno.

Damn it! At this rate, won't she burn to death? He thought to himself in distress.

He hurriedly caught up to the woman who was dragging her, and asked, "Hey, didn't you say the girl was a sacrifice to the moon? What happens if she's burned by the flames? Won't the moon... be angry?"

Indirectly, he was hinting at the woman to carry the girl. He couldn't see the little one being tortured like that. Yet, at the same time, he also didn't want his actions to affect the trial.

This was a serious dilemma.

The woman looked at Luke and angrily spat, "Why don't you worry about yourself?! Dead or alive, a sacrifice is still a sacrifice. Hmph!"

Luke tried to protest, "But the girl—"

However, he was ruthlessly interrupted by the woman, "If you're so bothered by it, why don't you carry this girl on your shoulders?"

Seeing the youth turn silent, the woman sneered, "That's what I thought! Hypocrite!"

With that said, she stomped forward, mercilessly dragging the girl behind her.

Luke remained standing in one spot, his head hung low in shame. He gritted his teeth and admonished himself, "That's right... I'm a hypocrite!"

The true test of the Spirit Crucible had only just begun.

...

As the group of pilgrims made their way up the mountain, the sun continued to shift through the crimson sky.

At midday, the flames on the mountain had increased in intensity. The plumes of fire now reached Luke's face.

His heart was gripped by immense terror and panic. Even though the fire physically didn't do as much damage, just seeing them consume him whole made him think that he was truly burning away.

But in reality, the only damage he ever received was the blisters on his feet. Yet, his mind kept telling him that he was receiving damage all over his body.

Just... what the hell is this trial?!

Luke found himself unable to calm down. He could now no longer see the rest of the pilgrims in front of him. He didn't know if they were still alive or burned to ashes.

Fuck it, just close my eyes and keep moving forward, he screamed inwardly.

One step.

Two steps.

Ten steps.

He didn't know how long had passed. He tightly closed his eyes and continued to walk ahead, one step at a time.

Unbeknownst to him, the sun was now getting closer to the horizon, and the intense feeling of heat that he felt all around him was suddenly being replaced by a cool breeze.

"Huh?" He opened his eyes and saw that the flames that reached till his head earlier, had now died down and only reached up till his knees. Moreover, they were decreasing in intensity at a speed visible to the naked eye.

In front of him, he saw the group of pilgrims. There were ten of them now. No one else had died except for that one person in the beginning.

"What's happening?" Luke muttered in confusion, his gaze drawn to the horizon.

The sky had turned darker, and the sun was almost about to set. A cold chill began to permeate the mountainous terrain.

The concept of time is so bizarre here, he thought in amazement. And so is the concept of space.

When he looked behind, he noticed that the group had covered far more ground than it should have been possible.

It felt like forever, yet it also felt like a couple of minutes. And before he knew it, twilight had already arrived.

He looked at the rest of the people in the group. All of them seemed normal and healthy, except for their scorched feet. He noticed that his feet were no different from theirs.

Before he could think further about this abnormal situation, the bearded middle-aged man—who seemed to be the leader of the pilgrims—spoke in an urgent tone, "Everyone gather, quick! We must set camp and light the torches! Hurry!"

Something about the man's tone caused Luke's expression to turn grave. Why is he in such a hurry? Is something going to happen?

Everyone in the group gathered together in haste, lighting their wooden torches one by one.

Read lat𝙚st chapters at fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓ Only.

As the sun finally set below the horizon, the world was enveloped in cold winds. One moment everything was burning, the next the ground was starting to be covered in black frost.

At this point, Luke was slowly getting used to this anomalous dimension. Nothing here followed the natural laws of the world!

The group of pilgrims soon set up camp, making sure that they weren't far from each other. The boundary of the camp was marked by the wooden torches that had pierced the ground and reinforced by the frost that had covered its base.

Despite the strong, cold winds, the flame from the torches strangely didn't die out.

As the bearded man handed Luke a set of warm clothes and a blanket, the latter couldn't help but state, "I can only assume that it's going to get colder as the night progresses."

He pointed at all the erect torches and asked, "Do you think those will be enough to keep us warm?"

The man's eyes flashed with horror when he heard that question.

He looked at Luke and spoke in a hushed voice, his tone laced with fear, "These torches aren't meant to provide us warmth, lad."

Luke suddenly felt an extremely foreboding feeling grip his heart. "W-What is that supposed to mean?"

The man remained silent for a long time, carefully weighing his words.

"These torches... they are the only thing keeping us safe from the monster that lurks within this mountain!"