With Rey no longer having any real Spatial Skills at his disposal, getting to the Grand Calamity Dungeon would be a hassle.
He would have to locate the place somehow, and with the obscure nature of the entire structure, that was going to prove to be an extremely difficult task.
… At least, that was how it was supposed to be.
~VWUUSH!~
With a mere outstretched hand, and a thought invoked in his mind, a swirling purple gateway appeared right in front of him.
'Looks like the Spell activated; which means it's going to lead to my determined coordinates.' He said with a smile as he stared at the portal
'Having [Perfect Divine Magic] and [Divine Magic Supremacy] really is useful…'
Not only did he have access to a variety of abilities that would have previously been represented as Skills, but he could cast them without much effort thanks to the effects of his Passive Skill.
'I can probably still do stuff like Summoning, Healing, as well as other neat tricks. That makes this Magic my most versatile ability at the moment.'
Yes, using Magic had its downsides compared to Skills. For one, each Skill already had a specialized function, so there was no need to sort through its multifarious functions in order to get just one effect.
Activation of Skills had to be a lot faster and direct. However, since they took more space in the limited slot of Skills he was allowed to have under [Doppel], Rey felt having one umbrella Skill more than made up for the non-specificity of Magic.
'Also, using Spells has been somewhat mitigated thanks to [Divine Magic Supremacy]. If I had to start chanting Spells or learning their intricacies before using all the abilities I previously had as Skills, this would be a nightmare.'
Thankfully, having both Active and Passive Skills relating to Magic made his use of it as easy as possible. It also helped that they were in the Divine Tier, so there really was no ceiling on what he could or could not do with Magic.
'Since I have enough Mana to use it, then there really is no complaint here…' He found his lips slowly curling to form a smile.
The glowing portal that stood in front of him was a testament to his current reasoning.
His exposed right eye reflected the purple light, while the black eyepatch shielded his left from any of the radiant display. Ater stood right behind, watching his Master's display of power.
Based on how he fidgeted, it was clear that Ater was trying his hardest to render an applause to his Master for swiftly grasping his sudden switch from the use of Skills to Spells.
"Let's go." Rey said, slightly turning his head to look at Ater.
The latter instantly nodded, and they both stepped into the purple portal, instantly leaving the pristine comfort of their room to a dreary and ancient Mansion.
~VWUM!~
The transition was instant, and the scenery transitioned into the ground floor of the Grand Calamity Class Dungeon.
"Looks like we're here…" Rey said with a sigh as he looked around him.
"I was briefed about everything that happened, so I should have expected this much. It seems your classmates weren't exaggerating at all when they spoke about its size."
Rey flinched a little when he heard Ater mention his classmates, but he quickly recovered while maintaining his stoic demeanor.
"Yeah. It's quite massive, isn't it?"
The ancient stone walls, incredibly high ceilings, and long flight of stairs—all of which greeted their sight—seemed a little too dreary for comfort.
"It almost feels like a new experience…" Rey muttered as he stepped forward, looking around him with misty breaths escaping his lips. "Maybe it's because there aren't thousands of people behind me."
"Perhaps the Rey who stepped in here the last time isn't the same one who is here now."
As Ater added those words, still standing still behind him, Rey found himself chuckling a little.
"Well, you're not wrong." He muttered.
His sight made him aware of everything around him, so he could see everything in a sense. The walls, their texture, their moldy scent, the properties that made them up… he could sense them as he took everything in.
'It feels bigger…' Rey closed his two eyes, allowing the darkness to shroud the brilliance of the world around him.
In Dark Mode, he viewed everything as mere outlines, so he could easily see the structure of everything without being distracted by the details of their properties.
He could also see through barriers and layers, so he could see the upper rooms, and the surrounding areas.
He couldn't detect Esme's presence despite spreading his perception as far as he possibly could.
'Looks like the whole structure is bigger than my base sensory range.' He made a wry smile, opening his right eye to return his sight to Normal Mode.
"Then…" His Mana bubbled up as he activated the sole Skill that could assist him in such a predicament.
It almost felt like providence—how he now had to rely on the very Skill he obtained from this place.
"[Perfect Domain Of The Divine]."
The moment he activated this Skill, what felt like a pulse of invisible and intangible energy radiated from Rey's position, instantly consuming every facet of the Grand Calamity Class Dungeon.
It was so easy and effortless; reaching into the deep recesses of this place that had thousands of rooms and corners.
'I can go even further, but… there's no need to.'
Since Rey could sense literally everything within the Grand Calamity Class Dungeon, he could tell that there was no one present in it—friend or foe.
The whole place seemed to have been cleaned up as well.
Rey did notice one thing, though, and by instantly swapping out zones, he was able to send himself and Ater right to the location where he left Esme.
"She isn't here…" Ater's words echoed in the air as Rey looked in front of him, at the writing on the walls that caused his heart to skip a beat.
Once he was done reading the writing for the umpteenth time, a small smile formed on his face, followed by a bead of sweat.
The writing read:
~I AM COMING FOR YOU!~
"Yeah…" He muttered, chuckling as he felt a peaceful sensation wash over his heart.
Something told him Esme was probably fine.
"... Let's go back."
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Thanks for reading!
Prepare for her return! Or… perhaps… hehe… I shall say nothing.
As for Rey's reactions… they do seem odd.