The black sun hangs high

Chapter 312 Tunnel
This wasn't the first time Hugh had tested his abilities and magic within the Dream Sanctuary.

Based on past experience, this is indeed an excellent "testing ground".

With the support of Theseus's power, everything within the Dream Sanctuary seems to be immune to true destruction. Or perhaps, the power that Hugh has always displayed is within the Dream Sanctuary's tolerance. In any case, every time Hugh comes here, he finds that the damage he previously caused to this dream world is completely repaired without him even realizing it.

Of course, those objects that were destroyed because of the "sacrifice" were the exception.

So, as usual, Hugh set his sights on a huge cabinet that was flush against the wall. He then held up the transformed Hound's Fang and gently placed his finger on the trigger.

With this movement, the dark abyss magic within Hugh's body began to surge, and the court hounds that had been resting in their territory slowly stood up, their deep red pupils opening one by one, and their sharp legs and limbs extending from their backs stretching out in all directions, as if they had spread out two ferocious wings.

A low, oppressive growl echoed in the mind's eye, causing the hound's teeth to tremble.

The magical threads that were originally in a state of nothingness began to change as if they were summoned. Hugh saw that these threads extending from the Hound's Fangs transformed into the shape of the Dark Abyss Spider's legs in an instant, and then the sharp claws at the ends of the legs fiercely grabbed at Hugh's wrists and forearms.

With a series of sharp pains, the physical claws formed by magical energy actually tore through Hugh's skin and dug into his flesh.

"hiss……"

Hughes couldn't help but gasp, but the pain only lasted for a moment.

He lowered his head, trying to use the light to observe the "connection" between the claws and his flesh, but was surprised to find that although they had dug deep into his flesh, they did not seem to have caused any real wounds. It was as if those spider-like legs were just incredibly real phantoms.

Hughes turned his palm over in surprise and examined the unusual magical weapon closely.

The magic had connected it to his body, making Hugh feel as if his body and senses had been extended. As Hugh's thoughts changed, a large amount of magic surged from the depths of his body and, guided by an invisible force, poured into the direction of the Hound's Fang.

Like bones colliding.

The moment the magic flowed into the Hound's Fang, the legs connected to Hugh's arm emitted a series of crisp sounds. Then, intricate patterns appeared on the surface of the Hound's Fang, and two strange shadows began to thrash violently within them, as if recreating the battle between the court hound and the Dark Abyss Spider.

As magic was rapidly injected, a terrifying roar, chilling to the bone, erupted from the Hound's Fang, yet Hugh couldn't help but frown.

Based on the current state of Hound's Fang, Hugh has determined that although this weapon has lost the previous limit on the number of shots of the "Wolf Fang Bullet," in order to unleash its power, it must expend an exorbitant amount of magic power.

"A single shot consumes the equivalent of three to four lake-level or valley-level spells..."

Hugh quickly assessed the situation in his mind, then took a deep breath, aimed at the target on the wall in front of him, and pulled the trigger forcefully.

In that instant, a violent tremor erupted in Hugh's palm.

An indescribable sound echoed within the dream sanctuary. It was not the howl of wolves or beasts, but an astonishing roar composed of the howls of two different creations.

All the magic power infused into the Hound's Fang was instantly depleted. As the shooter, Hugh only saw a black light mixed with a hint of dark red accurately hit the cabinet pressed against the wall.

The familiar disintegration effect has begun again, but its range of influence is obviously much larger than that of the Hound's Fang from the past.

Hughes saw the ordinary wooden cabinet and the wall next to it being swallowed up by an invisible force in the blink of an eye, but this was only the beginning.

As the collapse proceeded, Hugh suddenly saw a dark red light burst forth at the point where the "bullet" had struck, like a flower blooming rapidly. This light spread along the wall that was being violently gnawed at, and countless terrifying shadows resembling the limbs of a spider escaped in the process. Those sharp claws kept slashing, constantly capturing and damaging everything around them.

This process lasted for nearly ten seconds.

The enormous office cabinet that Hugh had originally chosen as his target had completely vanished. The thick wall behind it had also suffered unprecedented damage in the process. A large amount of deep mist escaped from the exaggerated gap. It should have been able to repair itself quickly under the rules of the Dream Sanctuary, but the power exerted by the Hound's Fang prevented this process from proceeding normally.

Hugh realized that, for the first time, he had actually caused substantial damage to the structure of this dream world.

"This is not good... Have I gotten myself into trouble?"

Hugh stared intently at the horrifying damage to the wall, cautiously taking a few steps back. He had intended to retrieve the Hound's Fang from his hand, but at that moment, a fragmented message surfaced from the depths of his mind.

That was a "hint" and "guideline" from a court hound.

Hugh calmed himself down and stabilized his mental state. He began to carefully analyze and understand the fragmented words, and the result surprised and delighted him.

The absorption and fusion of the Dark Abyss Spider's power not only brought about a qualitative change in the power of the Palace Hound, but also gave the "Hound's Fang" a special effect unique to the Dark Abyss Spider.

As one of the most widely distributed and numerous species in the Dark Abyss, the Claw Spiders possess a very special ability.

This involves gathering the strength within the tribe to create "tunnels" within the Dark Abyss that allow for free movement.

These special tunnels are often based on the magic of the Dark Abyss. The deep and dense mist is omnipresent in the Dark Abyss. It is the main component of all Dark Abyss creations and an important cornerstone that supports the actions of all creations.

Through these special "tunnels," the vast colonies of spiders can move freely and flexibly within the chaotic and disordered abyss, even undertaking awe-inspiring migrations and journeys across vast distances. Upon receiving this information, Hughes naturally recalled some of the words Theseus had spoken when he was still in Seren.

He remembered that when he was torn between the Dark Abyss Spiders and the Fate Roots, Theseus had subtly reminded him that if he wanted to change the script of fate, he should choose the strange Roots, while if he was determined to protect himself and escape, then the Dark Abyss Spiders would definitely be able to help him.

"So, the special ability of the Dark Abyss Spiders is to construct 'passages' connecting two different locations based on Dark Abyss magic? Could this be considered a special kind of teleportation magic?"

Hugh carefully examined the dark gap in the wall in front of him, and then he conveyed his doubts to the palace hound.

"Now, where does this passage lead?"

Faced with Hugh's question, the hound could not give a clear answer. Although it responded actively to Hugh's question, the message it gave was extremely abstract and chaotic. Hugh could not understand the specific meaning at all, but he could feel the hound's strong longing and expectation for the passage in front of him.

So he tentatively took two steps forward, wanting to observe the gap up close, but before he could get close to the flowing black shadows, a series of slightly hurried footsteps suddenly sounded from the other side behind him.

"I was only gone for a short while, and you've already made such a mess of this place?"

Theseus's words were clearly tinged with resentment, yet his tone remained as languid as ever: "Tsk tsk tsk... Did you used to like doing this too? Tearing down your own load-bearing walls for fun all the time?"

Hugh quickly stopped in his tracks. Looking at the damage he had caused, he spread his hands somewhat embarrassedly: "Uh, sorry, I didn't realize that the shelter had a structure similar to a 'load-bearing wall' inside..."

"I was just kidding, it wasn't here to begin with."

Theseus let out a delightful, eerie laugh, and then he strode quickly to the terrifying gap. As Theseus approached, the flowing mist trembled violently, as if time had reversed, and all the scattered shadows of the abyss began to flow back at an astonishing rate.

In just a few seconds, the huge gap that covered half the wall and even extended to the ceiling was completely repaired, but the huge office cabinet that Hugh had previously used as a target had completely disappeared.

After completing this "repair work," Theseus turned around, stared at Hugh for two seconds, and then sighed: "You guys are all the same. Whenever you acquire some new power or weapon, you can't wait to find a target to test it out..."

With that, Theseus snapped his fingers, and a large amount of mist immediately stirred up, engulfing all the nearby debris.

A powerful, invisible force caused the debris to instantly lose its original form and completely transform into a viscous black shadow. Under the shaping power of Theseus, a human-shaped target gradually took shape and finally stood upright against the wall.

Whether it was intentional or not, the humanoid target looked quite similar to Hughes now.

"If you want to practice again, use it... Don't use magic and bullets to shoot around randomly. Your strength is still growing, and if you don't control it well, it can easily cause some extra trouble."

"What kind of trouble are you referring to?"

Theseus then stepped back and sat down at a nearby desk, asking, "'Tunneling Path,' you should know what I mean, right?"

"That power from the Dark Abyss Spider?"

"Hmm... pretty much. Its essence is actually to 'dig a hole' in magic and successfully create a passage for the 'digger' to pass through."

Theseus explained slowly, “You’ll understand this analogy more easily once you start studying the teleportation magic within Vaan… After all, those spiders’ ‘tunnels’ are the true prototype of teleportation magic today.”

Upon hearing this, Hugh immediately realized what was going on and cautiously asked, "But when I was shooting, I didn't intend to go anywhere, so where does this passage lead to?"

Theseus nodded in satisfaction, a strange, wicked grin appearing on his chaotic face: "If you don't guide it, then the little dog responsible for releasing these powers will naturally dig the passage according to its own preferences and instincts... It has been away from its homeland for a very long time, and it might miss its clan very much, so guess where that passage just now led?"

Hugh's expression began to betray him: "The Dark Abyss Palace?"

"Perhaps, maybe it was its old 'doghouse'?"

Theseus casually uttered words that sent chills down Hugh's spine: "And don't forget, part of the power of this sanctuary is connected to the Abyss. This level of destruction could easily trigger a chain reaction. If a 'passage' is accidentally connected to a path created by other beings, then they can also use it to visit you."

As if to confirm Theseus's words, just two seconds after he finished speaking, Hugh heard a grating scraping sound.

The sound came from inside the wall in front of them, sounding like something scraping against it with sharp claws. The sound seemed far away, yet also very close. Accompanying this sound was a continuous, low murmur, as if it were probing or questioning something...

Hughes, of course, did not respond to it, and after a while, the eerie sound gradually disappeared, as if the guest who had come to visit through the "passage" had gone far away.

Theseus turned to look at the wall, saying things that Hugh would never easily believe: "Hmm, that's the situation. But what just came over should be some kind of common beast from near the palace. It's docile, slow-moving, and tastes good. It's one of the dogs' favorite prey."

After saying that, he turned his head and warned in a rather serious tone: "What I said also applies to Vaan. The power of the hounds is ultimately different from those teleportation spells. Although the latter are clumsy, they are safe enough."

"In short, once you've created a passage using the hounds, it's best to destroy or close it as soon as possible, otherwise the consequences... well, you'll have to bear the consequences."

(End of this chapter)