Two days!
It took Lyle a full two days to leave that active volcanic region and reach the outer area.
*Gulp~ Gulp~*
Lyle, dressed in loose black clothing with cinched cuffs and ankles, sat on the sandy ground as if no one else were around, gulping water from a waterskin.
This was the suit he usually wore, just without the white priest robe over it.
"Phew~"
After several large gulps, Lyle finally let out a breath, looked up, and gazed at the endless Gobi desert before him.
The temperature was high, the air was dry, and the surface was covered in earthy-brown gravel; as far as the eye could see, there was nothing but uneven terrain eroded by the wind, without even a single decent plant.
There were only sparse, low shrubs and some cactus-like plants.
"Is this the region connected to that natural portal deep within the magma sea of the 'Lava Zone'?" Lyle muttered to himself after a long silence, his expression solemn and strange.
Back in the Lava Zone, facing the magic released by the Ancient Red Dragon, Lyle knew he couldn't block it. He could only rely on the small anglerfish that the Solar Anglerfish had accidentally brought out from the magma.
After forcibly crushing it to death, he used some of its materials to activate his "Wild Shape" ability, which allowed him to avoid the scorching heat of the magma.
Only after entering the magma did Lyle discover that the reason the Ancient Red Dragon had entered was precisely to use the energy within the magma to recover from its injuries.
And as the "Ruler of Lava," the Solar Anglerfish actually allowed the Ancient Red Dragon to heal in its own territory...
Realizing something was wrong while still in the enemy's territory...
Lyle's own magic power was exhausted, and the skills of [Valkyrie] had also been depleted during the brief, intense clash. He could only choose to temporarily avoid the brunt of the attack and intended to dive into the depths of the magma.
He originally wanted to recover his magic power while evading the search of the Solar Anglerfish and the Ancient Red Dragon!
As a result, deep in the magma, he was inexplicably sucked in by a force. By the time Lyle emerged from the magma again, he had already arrived in this region.
"So, this godforsaken place couldn't have already left the northwest corner of the continent where humans live far behind, could it?" Lyle squeezed the waterskin in his hand, his eyes flickering.
He was absolutely certain that no such large-scale volcanic group existed within the area inhabited by humans.
Furthermore!
He could no longer accurately sense the location of the Magic Mark he had left on the Twin Witches.
If the power of magic is related to the base value of the magical attack, then the effect of the magic is related to the level of the caster.
Lyle's magic power system caster level, combined with the newly acquired [Warlock] Base Class, had reached Level 50, equivalent to the level of using eighth-tier magic power system spells.
For a caster level of this Rank to be unable to sense the location of the Magic Mark meant that the distance between the two parties was already too great.
With a flip of his palm, Lyle took out a roasted wild boar leg from his Item Box and began to eat heartily.
He always carried enough food with him just to prepare for special circumstances.
"I have two choices next."
Lyle's cheeks bulged slightly as he chewed the wild boar meat, a thoughtful look on his face.
The first choice: wait until his magic power was fully recovered, then use the "Wild Shape" ability to return to the Angelic Mountain Range through the natural portal deep in the magma.
He had already confirmed the time; seven days had passed since he left, which wasn't long.
The reason he could determine the number of days was actually thanks to his own slow magic recovery speed; it wasn't difficult to calculate the time based on the duration of magic recovery.
The second choice: take the opportunity to explore this unknown region. It had to be said, this was quite a risky endeavor.
An unknown continental zone meant completely unknown risks, completely unknown information, and completely unknown enemies.
*Whoosh!*
In the sky, a goshawk with blackish-gray feathers and a wingspan of one meter began a rapid dive from the air, flying toward Lyle's direction.
Just as it was about to reach Lyle.
The goshawk folded its wings, its body twisted in mid-air, rapidly expanding and transforming into a Ghost Hound, landing on the ground.
*Thud!*
The Ghost Hound's four limbs stepped onto the ground, and it ran excitedly to Lyle, nuzzling his shoulder with its head.
"Thanks for your hard work."
A smile appeared on Lyle's face. He reached out to pat the Ghost Hound's head, then took another wild boar leg from his Item Box and threw it to the Ghost Hound.
Yesterday, he had already used resurrection magic to revive the Ghost Hound and re-established a connection with it using "Partner Contract I."