Four days after Laxus returned to the guild, Lin Yuan completed a raid request.
The location of the mission was Pine Needle Mountain, northeast of Magnolia. The two fanged bears that attacked the herbalist had been dealt with. Lin Yuan handed the bear carcasses over to the village at the foot of the mountain for disposal and returned alone along the forest road.
When he reached the halfway point of the mountain, he suddenly stopped.
There seemed to be nothing unusual ahead. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, a few gray birds perched on the bushes, and the sound of felling trees could be heard in the distance.
However, the distance between Lin Yuan's location and the broken pine tree in front of him is missing a piece.
It wasn't that the road had shortened, but rather that a small section of space in the middle was not properly connected to the surrounding area. When the Space God-Slaying Magic Power came into contact with the vicinity of the broken pine tree, the perception felt like probing into an endless void, unable to find a landing point on the other side.
Lin Yuan left the mountain path and followed the unusual path into the woods.
After passing two rows of pine trees, a black crack appeared in front of the rock wall. The crack was about two meters long and wide enough for a person to pass through at its widest point, with tiny silver specks constantly appearing at its edges.
Lin Yuan did not approach the front of the crack.
He picked up a branch from the ground, left a spatial mark at the end of the branch, and then threw the branch at the side into the crack.
The moment the tip of the branch touched the black edge, the entire branch vanished silently.
The spatial marker Lin Yuan left on the tree branch also disappeared from his perception. He couldn't confirm whether the branch had been destroyed or sent to an untraceable location.
He had crossed the boundary between Aincrad and Fairy Tail before, and thus remembered the unique spatial fluctuations on the Reverse Side of the World. The black rift before him led to another world, but there were no discernible coordinates.
The crack suddenly expanded outward by half an inch on the right side.
A piece of gravel on the rock face was grazed by a black edge; instead of falling off, it appeared as if a corner of it had been directly scooped away.
Lin Yuan immediately drew Nameless.
Black and silver spatial magic spread along the sword's edge. He first cut eight short spatial marks around the crack, then connected the eight locations in sequence to form a closed boundary.
" Space Lockdown."
The expanding black edge stopped.
The cracks were still undulating slightly, and each collision with the sealing boundary consumed the magic power Lin Yuan had left in the eight spatial traces. At the current rate, the seal could only last until noon the next day at most.
Footsteps could be heard from further away.
Two villagers carrying ropes and axes came from the other side of the woods. One of them saw Lin Yuan and raised his hand to greet him.
"Mr. Mage, has the Fanged Bear been dealt with?"
"The problem has been solved, but you cannot proceed further."
Lin Yuan raised his hand and erected a spatial barrier, blocking the two's path to the rock wall.
"A dangerous spatial rift has appeared in front of the rock face. Anything that touches the rift may disappear. Immediately notify the villagers not to enter Pine Needle Mountain today."
The two villagers looked over his shoulder and saw the black crevice hanging in front of the rock wall; their expressions changed simultaneously.
"There are still three herb-gathering teams on the mountain."
Where did they each go?
The villagers suggested three routes for gathering herbs. Lin Yuan confirmed that none of the routes passed near the crevice, but still ordered the two men to immediately recall all those who had gone into the mountains.
He followed the villagers back to the village at the foot of the mountain and drew the location of the crack on the map that the village chief had brought.
"Block the roads on the north and west sides," Lin Yuan said, pointing to two small paths leading into the woods. "Don't let anyone cross the warning line, and don't leave anyone near the crack to observe. If the sealed space changes, the black and silver markings on the ground will glow. At that time, immediately send someone to Fairy Tail to report."
The village chief immediately organized the villagers to move the wooden fence. The hunters rode into other mountain paths to recall the herbalists and woodcutters who had not yet returned.
Lin Yuan went up the mountain again and set up spatial barriers at the entrances of the two paths. Ordinary people could not pass through the barriers, and even if someone accidentally entered, they would only be pushed back to their original position.
By the time the last herb-gathering team left Pine Needle Mountain, the sun had already begun to set.
Lin Yuan stood at a distance and reconfirmed the eight spatial traces. The black cracks had not continued to expand, but the other end remained undetectable.
Unlike the passage opened by the moving castle, the black rift did not lock onto Lin Yuan, nor did it pull him inward.
If Lin Yuan is willing, he can go in on his own.
Lin Yuan did not try it immediately.
He gave the path leading to the rock face one last check, then continued his trek, making his way back to Magnolia before nightfall.
The guild hall was still very noisy. Natsu and Gray were fighting over a quest, while Mira stood behind the bar tidying up the glasses. When Lin Yuan pushed open the door, Makarov was sitting next to the quest board checking the accounts.
Lin Yuan walked straight up to the president.
A spatial rift has appeared in Pine Needle Mountain.
Makarov stopped writing.
"The other side of that rift is not in this world."