The Unlimited Ascension: Reborn as an Extra

Chapter 128: The Golden Expanse

The beautiful shining corridor stretched endlessly as Lyris walked continuously. Her senses remained active, and she maintained her vigilance as she explored.

Every step she took was carefully measured. She couldn’t help but feel a sense of awe at the corridor. There were no visible lights or magical artifacts present anywhere in the hall, yet the corridor was still illuminated by a warm glow that she could clearly see.

There were many beautiful paintings hanging along the walls as she walked. Some contained pictures of vast, lush forests, while others showcased a sparkling sea and high mountain peaks touched by the sunrise. The paintings were definitely handmade; she could see the precise outlining and design, which looked unnaturally similar to the masterpieces she had seen in art galleries.

She walked continuously, feeling a weird sense of calmness permeating the place that even started to make her feel strange. She felt peaceful and welcomed here.

’I feel like I should stay here for a little longer... But it would also waste my time. I didn’t come here to have fun; I came here for the trial, and I should focus entirely on it...’

She shook her head, not wanting to cling to this small moment of peacefulness.

"There is no peace in my life. Not until I reach the very end of my path. This quiet moment will only waste my time, and it will not give any benefits to me."

She continued to walk for what felt like hours, though barely a few minutes had actually passed. Since she was alone, time felt slow, or at least that was what she thought.

Near the end of the long corridor, she saw a beautiful, giant door. It featured many intricate designs and was made of luxurious materials, standing tall right before her.

She looked at the door. Even after increasing her senses to their absolute maximum, she couldn’t sense what was waiting behind the door.

"It seems this place has various restrictions. It seems the ’laws’ of the ’world’ have highly suppressed the mana flow around this place. I think that is also the reason why this place feels so calm..."

Mana is an energy that flows through nature, containing different constituents of particles. This includes the minute ’affinity’ of every element, along with natural constituents like sunlight, air, water, and earth.

That is also the exact reason why Awakeners can survive solely by consuming mana; they get the essential elements necessary for their bodies directly through the mana itself.

Such a complex combination of energy couldn’t possibly stay calm. The mana around the world remains in a dense form and is present in each and every part of the environment. There is no place existing in the outside world where mana is not present, at least not any known places.

Because it contains different constituents of elements, it is naturally present in a chaotic form. Even though it doesn’t negatively affect some Awakeners, if normal humans go to places where the density of the mana is above normal levels, they feel immediate suffocation. Even the ’Law’ of ’Adaptability’ fails to protect them from adapting to such a harsh environment.

Just as there are various activities going on in the environment, mana is also the root reason for those activities.

Since dense mana fills everywhere around the world, an Awakener can always sense it consciously or unconsciously through their natural senses. That is the reason their minds remain constantly active and restless.

An Awakener cannot ever feel true calm. Not when they are constantly fighting against the ambient mana so that it will not consume their minds.

Just like how ’Darkness’ can corrupt one’s mind, mana is quite similar. Because Awakeners resist it and fight to control the excessive pressure of mana, their minds always remain under a constant burden of pressure.

That is also the reason why most Awakeners cannot grow much stronger beyond their natural speed; they are constantly affected by the ’Order’ of ’Mana’. The ’Order’ maintains this perfect rule so that no Awakener can grow beyond their limits too quickly. That is why no one has ever reached the ’Transcendent’ realm, a realm where their mind would finally reach a perfect, calm state.

So, that is also the reason why the stronger an Awakener becomes, the more their control over mana increases. Their mind feels calmer because it is easier to resist the pressure, and their mind becomes so strong that the chances of getting consumed by it become negligent.

But in this specific place, where the mana was highly suppressed and controlled, no excessive chaotic mana filled the air. Lyris couldn’t feel any mana pressure on her shoulders, and her mind was now feeling strangely calm and serene.

Lyris looked up at the large door. She took a deep breath before straightening her back. She clutched the hidden dagger under her dress, ready to face whatever lay on the other side. She pushed the heavy door open.

*CREAK—!*

As she stepped inside, what she saw made her violet eyes shine with pure clarity.

A sensation so pure and serene bloomed inside her chest, making even her skin prickle as she looked around the new space.

A massive ocean of golden water filled the area in front of her as she stood upon a smooth marble floor.

The waves of golden water were gently swaying, casting a warm, ethereal glow across the vast, endless chamber.

She looked back. The door she had come through was nowhere to be found. All she could see was that she stood in the middle of a vast ocean of golden water, resting on a circular marble platform situated at the absolute center. Every single place around her was filled with endless swaying waves of golden water.

She stepped forward, watching the waves of water swaying gently toward the marble edge.

She leaned down over the edge of the platform and gently scooped the golden water into her bare hands. A profound warmth flooded into her mind as the water absorbed straight into her body. Her mind and soul filled with a serene, undeniable tranquility.

She closed her eyes, absorbing these calm feelings. When she opened her eyes again, a sudden realization set into her mind as she looked down at the golden liquid.

"It is not water.... It is divinity..."

As the ocean of divinity spread all around the area, Lyris stopped in the center, not knowing what she had to do in order to get out of this domain. The warm waves of divinity continued to sway endlessly around her.