Secrets of the Abyss

Benjamin made a rather nerve-racking attempt.

Since becoming a mage, his control over magic had reached a truly terrifying level. Using magic for soundproofing was also a technique he had employed for a long time. But... whether it could block out that sound capable of inducing hallucinations, he was still not entirely certain.

Not to mention doing it within a single second.

In that brief instant, Benjamin closed his eyes, calming his mind like a diver in the moments before stepping onto the board. Then, he had the system activate Void State for that final second, while he desperately controlled the bubble of water surrounding them.

"What... what exactly are you doing?"

Meanwhile, Dick, who had watched the entire process, had remained utterly bewildered.

Already half-frozen to death, he felt as though his ability to think was beginning to deteriorate. Yet after hovering in midair for quite a while, Benjamin neither continued flying nor turned back the way they had come, leaving him completely unable to make sense of the situation.

He simply watched Benjamin stand there in a daze, suddenly summon a water bubble to enclose them, and then continue staring blankly.

He could not help suspecting that this guy had been frozen stupid.

Dick had thought the decision to cross the Skyver Mountains was wildly unreliable from the start—was something from legend really something they could meddle with so casually? But because he was living under someone else's roof, he had never dared voice his opposition outright, and could only swallow all those thoughts.

But... just look at them now! What had they been reduced to?

Dick was seething with resentment.

Clearly not capable enough, yet he had insisted on choosing the hardest path. Ever since becoming a mage, Benjamin had become more and more swollen with arrogance.