As Ery stepped through the portal, an electrifying wave coursed through his body before he found himself standing in an awe-inspiring realm. Above him stretched an endless sky of deep violet, where streams of ethereal light drifted like constellations co alive. Luminous clouds floated lazily, pulsating with a rhythm that cast a serene, otherworldly glow over the landscape.
The air itself felt alive, saturated with potent spirit energy so thick it seed to hum against his skin. Ery inhaled deeply, feeling a rush of vitality. Towering trees with translucent, shimring leaves lood above, their trunks laced with veins of radiant silver. The ground was a living tapestry of bioluminescent moss that glowed faintly underfoot, creating a soft, magical light with every step. Flowers with shifting, opalescent petals dotted the terrain, exuding faint trails of sparkling mist into the air.
Beside him, Grand Magus Soltz and Livi stood in silence, their eyes wide as they absorbed the majesty of the surroundings. Even the usually composed Soltz seed montarily overwheld by the grandeur of the realm.
Ery closed his eyes briefly, extending his divine sense to gauge the environnt. To his surprise, his abilities felt constrained here, only stretching a hundred miles. Within that range, he detected no other participants. The competition had apparently scattered them to distant corners of the realm. However, his senses quickly picked up sothing else—powerful auras lurking in the distance. Beasts of imnse strength, so of them emanating godly-level energy, road the lands.
After confirming that there was no imdiate danger, Ery turned his attention to his surroundings. His eyes widened with excitent as he spotted multiple dium-grade materials—tier 3 and tier 4 ingredients—scattered abundantly within his vicinity.
"What a fascinating place,"
Ery wished he could gather every precious material in sight, but the Skyroot faction's strict rules for the competition lood over him. Each participant had been provided with a special pouch, an advanced magical container capable of perfectly preserving the quality of the materials stored within it. However, this pouch ca with two key limitations: first, it could only store items found within the realm, and second, its capacity was restricted to ten cubic ters.
The rules ensured that only its contents could be used for the final assignnt. Attempting to smuggle materials outside the pouch or introducing items from external sources would result in imdiate disqualification. Worse, offenders would face steep penalties, potentially owing reparations to the Skyroot faction. This ant Ery had to be selective—he couldn't simply gather everything he encountered. Instead, he needed to focus on collecting the most valuable and versatile ingredients.
There was an additional rule to consider: participants were forbidden from harvesting newly grown materials. While Ery doubted the Skyroot faction could enforce this across the entire realm, he suspected they had thods to monitor the participants. It wasn't worth the risk to test their vigilance.
Livi broke the silence, pulling the pouch closer to inspect it. "Ten cubic ters isn't much..."
"Indeed"
Ery scanned the surroundings once more, his eyes glinting with determination. His divine sense couldn't penetrate the full extent of the realm, but even within the limited range, he spotted an abundance of materials waiting to be claid. "Alright," he said, clenching his fists. "We have twelve hours. Let's start searching" The search for the finest ingredients was what separated a true apothecary master from the rest. Identifying a material's tier was one thing, but recognizing its true potential? That required a keen eye and deep understanding. A slight variation in color, an extra set of leaves, a faint shimr along its stem—these were the details that determined whether an ingredient was ordinary or extraordinary.
Unfortunately, neither Livi nor Grand Magus Soltz possessed the expertise to assist him. Had this event taken place in the Magus Realm, Ery would have brought Cedric or Karin, both of whom had an eye for rare and valuable materials. But here, in this unknown realm, he had to rely on his own knowledge and skills.
Thankfully, he had sothing far more valuable than re experience—his [Nature Grasp] technique.
Selecting a spot within a particularly lush section of the forest, Ery instructed the two to keep watch while he fully imrsed himself in the energies of the realm. Taking a deep breath, he extended his divine sense, allowing himself to beco one with his surroundings.
Instantly, the world opened up to him. Every shimring leaf, every glowing mushroom nestled against tree roots, even the bioluminescent moss lining the ponds—he could feel them as if they were extensions of his own body. His awareness stretched further, sinking deep into the earth, where thick veins of spirit-rich minerals pulsed beneath the surface.
The deeper he searched, the more amazed he beca. Nearly one in every three plants he detected was unknown to the Magus database. He had to cross-reference each one with VIA's celestial database, yet even then, so remained entirely undocunted.
His heart raced as he discovered a patch of Moonveil Ferns, their translucent leaves shimring with soft silver hues. Nearby, clusters of Emberroot Tubers pulsed with a fiery glow, exuding warmth even from a distance. And then there was the Luminis Bloom, a delicate flower with petals that constantly shifted between colors, brimming with potent light energy.
When he sensed particularly high-grade ingredients—so reaching tier 6 or even tier 7—he made sure to examine them personally. Carefully, he harvested each one, ensuring their integrity before storing them in the enchanted pouch.
"Alright, onto the next location," he murmured, satisfaction evident in his tone.
At the second site, and then the third, the process repeated. His pouch steadily filled with exceptional finds, the competition already proving to be a rewarding venture.
However, upon reaching the fourth location, he halted. His divine sense picked up sothing unusual—voices.
Two groups of participants were locked in an argunt, their heated discussion revolving around a particular plant. Probing further, Ery identified the object of their dispute—a rare Netherglow Cap, a tier 8 mushroom with imnse alchemical potential. Such an ingredient could be a ga-changer in this competition.
His eyes narrowed as he considered his options.
"Hmm… should I get involved in this?"
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