SL: Chapter 759 – Day 28,328 – Flying Over Emptiness

I was flying East first and I had left right at dawn, so I had the Light Source up above me to work with in determining my direction. Air Burst.

The biggest risk was my altitude. Whatever the inky blackness was at the bottom of the Systemic Lands, it made me incredibly worried. I didn’t dare get close. I had spent the previous day testing how my senses reacted to the stuff at different altitudes, so I had some idea how close I was to danger. Air Burst.

The turbulence from the ambient energy, wind were horrible. I was burning energy at a rapid rate, but I was regenerating it just as quickly as long as I didn’t have to fight. Going too high would trigger higher level flying monsters, that was managing my altitude was critical. Air Burst.

If this place was a box or sphere, the edge of the East should be the closest. I had chosen the northern most point I could, just East of the 40th tower. Or at least where the tower had been. Air Burst.

If I reached an edge, I would follow the edge to the North. That was the best strategy for mapping out the edge of the Systemic Lands. I had my hands in front of me ready to brace for an impact. Air Burst.

The reason I hadn’t purchased an airship and wrecked it, was because I wanted to do this myself. I had more than enough energy and it was confirmation that I could fly for as long as I needed to. The ground would hold no more dominion over me if I didn’t want it to. Air Burst.

While I needed less food and sleep, I was still constrained. I hadn’t eliminated the need for such things even with my increase in stats over the decades. But I could go for a very long time if I wanted to. I preferred to have a regular sleep schedule if possible so I didn’t overly stress myself while fighting for years on end. Air Burst.

The bottom was a dangerous inky void. I wasn’t sure if it was liquid or not. I got that feeling, but it was hard to tell. There was a ceiling. Now I would see if there were walls and check the corners. Air Burst.

The first one was I going to make a triangle out of my path, since I wanted to find one edge first before trying to figure out where the other edge might be. Then I would return diagonally seeing if there were any points of interest. I could cross the length of a zone fairly quickly, about a zone every half an hour. Air Burst.

It was from the use of my skill every second and precise control with it. I was like a missile rocketing to the edge, my hands holding a Magnite poll out in front of me. The other end was offset from my body so I wouldn’t skewer myself. Air Burst.

I would also try cutting through the edge of this place. Maybe there was some kind of control structure behind the holodeck wall. Or I could fail completely. I would learn  some new things regardless of the outcome. Air Burst.

One zone length had been crossed, no impact. The timing wasn’t precise, but I could make general estimates. I had to be ready for an impact at any time. No clue if the edge of this place conformed to the zone grid. Air Burst.

Flying over the void was boring besides having to adjust for the energy turbulence. My control was just too good at this point. I could have done this years ago. I felt incredibly overpowered for this expedition. Air Burst.

There had to be something in the Northwest, that was without question in my mind. With the way everything else was shaped, there was probably some sort of island zones, zones that were separated by the void from the rest of the Systemic Lands. Air Burst.

I had talked about this with Clarissa, and we had agreed it was likely. The suspense was interesting to a certain extent. What would I encounter? Some sort of super boss? A control room? The Almighty System? Or more disappointment? Air Burst.

That should have been what I had named this place instead of Systemic Lands. Disappointment was a much more profound name, since that was all that I had found so far. Air Burst.

It was perhaps wrong of me to think this, but the every piece of information felt like pulling teeth. From the Guidebook to the vote. There was enough to keep things interesting, but no hard answers. Air Burst.

What was truly unforgivable about the Avatar wasn’t her attitude. That was an issue. Or her smugness. Or her actions. While I didn’t forgive her, those were no worse than anything else that others had done to me. No, what was truly unforgivable was not giving out information about this place. Air Burst.

Everything had to be struggle. Everything had to be as painful as pulling teeth one by one. Well, I was done messing about and grinding. I was going to get answers even if I had to break this place open like an egg. Air Burst.

I was constantly on edge waiting for an impact. It could happen at any moment and there was no way to know when it would happen. It could happen now. Now. Maybe now. Air Burst.

Still nothing. I guess it wasn’t going to happen-

AIR BURST! AIR BURST! AIR BURST!

The poll crumpled under my grip, and I rapidly used my skill to slow down. Manipualting the force my body took with my Body stat. I slammed into a wall. Air Burst. I used my skill again to keep me in the air and not get too low or high.

I couldn’t see anything, but it was solid. I created a platform of energy under my feet and stood with my hands on the wall. There was a lot of energy and wind shooting up from below me. Even without the platform I might be able to float if I spread my body out and was wearing some kind of flight suit.

I triggered an annihilation slice. No reaction from the wall. Completely and utterly blocked. Whatever it was made out of, was beyond my ability to damage. That was both incredibly scary and impressive at the same time.

With my level of control and precision, which should have left a mark regardless. I created a bigger annihilation attack running parallel to the surface of the wall. No damage, no discernable marks. Not even a flicker.

“Tough,” I muttered. My statement wasn’t audible over the roar of the wind past my ears. Perfectly smooth, nothing that I could grip on either. Like a pane of unbreakable glass. The Light Source was beyond it, but I couldn’t reach it. A fake wall, but also impossibly strong to what I knew of.

Those annihilation attacks would have hurt the sphere, which was the hardest thing I knew of. Here they did nothing. Air Burst.

I flew along the edge of the wall. My right hand lightly touched it looking for any imperfections as I flew, while my left one held out another rod I had purchased. Air Burst.

The edge of the Systemic Lands was about two zones from the edge of the farthest East zone that I knew of. That meant the edge to the North should be six zones away based on my knowledge of the farthest zone to the North. About three hours, but I wouldn’t let myself relax just yet. Air Burst.

I could impact a wall at anytime and if my right hand touched some kind of imperfection or crease, I would explore it closely. I didn’t think that I would be able to find an exit hatch. This place was too big to search the entirety of the outer wall. Air Burst.

But there was an outer wall. That was now confirmed. A ceiling, a dangerous floor, and the East wall. Only three walls and four corners left to check. Air Burst.

The Southeast would be quite a distance. I would probably travel diagonally from either the position of the 35th or 39th tower. No need to go in a straight line and make a triangle out of the trip with the other corners. Air Burst.

While I had quite a bit of patience, I wasn’t going to make busy work for no reason at this point. I had said what I needed to, along with my goodbyes. If this place was failing and if there was something beyond, I wanted to know. Air Burst.

I had always believed in being proactive instead of sitting around. It was better to take the initiative so I would have some control instead of waiting passively for another disaster to strike. Air Burst.

Another reason I wanted to do all this alone, was that I would do what was best for me and use my judgement. Clarissa was competent, but I was the only remaining individual that was truly qualified to make decisions. Air Burst.

It was conceited, but absolutely true since I was the one who had earned so many stats and spent decades increasing my strength. No one else had put in the time and effort that I had. For that reason alone, I was the only one that would make a decision. Air Burst.

I wouldn’t throw everyone away, but my life was far more important than anyone else’s life. If they wanted to make decisions, they should have put in more effort. Grinding like their life depended on it, since it did. Air Burst.

There might not be a decision of some kind to make, but I had feeling in my gut there would be something. Some kind of structure or something annoying to deal with. It was the pattern of this place. Being annoying as possible while presenting choices that were meant to confuse. Air Burst.

Perhaps I could break the wall with a more powerful attack. I would try that at the corner. If there was going to be a weak point, that was probably going to be it, or the upper or bottom corner where all three sides met. Air Burst.

The wall was a perfect line as well. No deviation, no curve. I had referenced the light source and my own judgement. It was a perfect alien structure. Perfect in the sense of being straight and indestructible. Air Burst.

I wondered if I could make a big enough bomb that it might do something. Probably not, since my annihilation attacks didn’t even leave a scratch. Air Burst.

At least I had more answers and more knowledge now. I brought out my right hand and slammed it into the wall. Nothing, just completely solid as I flew along. Air Burst.

I hadn’t been expecting anything, but it had been interesting to try. Perhaps it wasn’t a wall, but a field of some kind. Who knows how aliens built this place. But some kind of forcefield would make sense. Not that I was able to tell the difference. If that forcefield could contain all the energy at the edge of this place, then to overwhelm it, I would probably need a much bigger attack. Air Burst.

Or it could impact some kind of generator and hitting the wall, wore it out quicker. There was no way to know and breaking the wall wasn’t a smart move after I had failed already. I would try once more at the corner and that was it. Air Burst.