Chapter 598: Chapter 598: Experience

This is an access pod for regular human body sizes, and there are also some access pods for those of unconventional sizes.

Because there are quite a few Bloodline Mages among the Wizards, or due to other reasons they have modified their bodies, this kind of regular access pod is not suitable for them.

The Seville Empire naturally considered this point and specifically researched some unconventional types of access pods, enabling the majority of Wizards to use them, but such types are considerably more expensive.

Duke stepped into the access pod, and the door closed behind him.

Following the simple instructions displayed on the light screen beside him, he sat on the seat and put on the crystal crown.

The crystal filaments on the crown seemed to possess life, automatically adjusting their position, lightly fitting his head.

“Consciousness connection initializing… Environment loading… Intensity setting: Level 1 Six Star…” a cold synthetic voice sounded inside the pod.

Duke felt a slight dizziness, as if his soul was gently tugged.

In the next moment, the scene before his eyes abruptly changed.

A surge of scorching, dry air, mixed with a thick sulfurous stench, rushed toward him, almost suffocating him.

He found himself standing on the edge of a massive, dark red lava lake constantly bubbling, on black reefs.

A searing sensation came from his feet, the high temperatures capable of melting steel felt even through his boot soles.

The sky was an oppressive murky yellow, with no sun or moon in sight, only continuously falling ash and the eerie red glow reflecting from distant volcanic eruptions, permeating the air with a vibe of destruction and frenzy.

“Gulp… Gulp…”

The center of the lava lake churned violently, and three gigantic figures slowly rose.

They were Magma Giant Beasts, composed of cooled black lava and flowing hot magma within, standing over five meters tall, with terrifying orange-red light shining through the cracks on their rough surfaces.

They had no distinct facial features, only two burning hollows at the head position, locking onto Duke, the uninvited guest.

One of them raised its massive, boulder-like arm, slamming it fiercely towards the reef where Duke stood.

Rubble scattered as Duke had already stepped back onto the yellow sand, the previous spot he stood on had turned to dust, and magma crept up through the cracks.

Another Magma Giant Beast opened its colossal mouth, not to roar but to spew forth a dense stream of magma, exuding extreme heat, sweeping towards him like a waterfall.

The heat wave was intense, the air warped, and Duke felt the fibers of his robe’s hem curling and blackening from the high temperature.

Yellow sand automatically appeared, blocking the extreme heat of the incoming magma.

Where the yellow sand touched the magma, a vast amount of energy was absorbed, yet much of the yellow sand was roasted to a bright red by the intense heat.

It was evident that this magma was not ordinary in nature, but a product infused with some peculiar energy.

Before he could catch his breath, the third Magma Giant Beast slammed its arms into the surface of the magma lake, hurling not lava, but countless high-temperature missiles forming a swarm, tracking automatically like living creatures, blanketing Duke.

At the same time, the shadow beneath his feet wriggled suddenly.

Several shadow tentacles, pure in form and jagged along the edges, broke through the hard reef, coiling snake-like around his ankles, delivering an ice-cold, bone-chilling sensation that pierced his soul, creating a stark contrast with the surrounding heat.

High temperatures, physical pounding, energy barrages, shadow restraints… Attacks came from all directions, leaving virtually no room for evasion.

The difficulty of Level 1 Six Star was already showing its menacing side.

Duke remained calm under pressure, his Spiritual Power highly concentrated.

His feet stepped onto the yellow sand, his form darting ghost-like across the limited reefs, narrowly avoiding the heavy punches and most missiles of the Magma Giant Beasts, while using the powerful force of metallic yellow sand to shatter the shadow tentacles coiling around his ankles.

He seized the opening amidst the Magma Giant Beast’s attack, launching a precise Ray of Light that hit the core crack in one beast’s chest, visibly dulling and weakening the previously robust rocky shell.

Duke also approximately understood the weak points of this Magma Giant Beast; knowing these made handling them much easier.

He was like dancing on the edge of a blade, each move precise and efficient, utilizing the environment and the enemy’s attack rhythm, seeking that slim chance of survival in the stormy offensive and delivering a fatal counterattack.

The oppression of combat felt unbelievably real, with sweat evaporating from his forehead upon emergence, his lungs subtly aching from inhaling the scorching air, his mind needing to stay constantly tense, predicting attacks from different dimensions and attributes.

During this process, Duke tried to use those not max-leveled spells as much as possible for offense or defense.

Of course, not only these spells were used, as in actual combat, you couldn’t rely solely on a few spells, increasing real combat experience was also one of the purposes of coming here.

…

After dealing with dozens of Demons here, the scene abruptly shifted.

The cold void, fragmented floating isles, soundless desolation.

This was the Star Realm’s remnants, the enemy being the void whisperers, formless and intangible, able to attack the Spiritual Origin directly.

No earth-shattering explosions, only shrill cries and psychic shocks acting directly on the consciousness as if billions of ice needles pierced into the soul.

Duke felt the sea of knowledge tumultuous, twisted hallucinations even appeared before his eyes.

He had to guard his spirit with all his might while dealing with the half-transparent phantoms flickering in the void, trying to devour his Life Energy.

Next up was a dark, damp underground thicket filled with giant fungi and glowing spores.

Here, the threat wasn’t from ferocious beasts, but from omnipresent spore clouds, some causing hallucinations, some highly toxic, some even capable of corroding energy shields.

Lurking predators camouflaged as the environment struck deadly ambushes, with their viscous tentacles bearing potent paralyzing toxins.

Every scene was incredibly real, every kind of creature possessed a unique and troublesome mode of attack.

The extreme environmental changes, the physical feedback from monster attacks, and spiritual shocks were all simulated vividly as if he was really struggling for survival in those perilous Other Planes.

“Training time is up. Energy connection severed…”

The prompt sound pulled Duke back to reality.

He opened his eyes, exhaling a deep breath, as if expelling the residual sulfur smell and mental pressure from the simulated battlefield altogether.

Although he successfully coped with it, the intensity of Level 1 Six Star indeed gave him a slight pressure, but nothing more, far from his limit.

He pushed open the pod door, heading straight back to the service desk.

“Level 1 Six Star’s intensity is not enough,” Duke succinctly said to the female attendant with mechanical eyes.

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