The Corridor of Ashes

Spatial arrays were not widely available in the outside world. The materials and resources required to construct one were no small expense, and they were only found in the largest and most crucial cities.

Although Olifandor had the means to build one, due to its unique circumstances, it lacked a spatial array connecting to the outside world.

The journey to the Ashen Corridor was not short, and traveling by carriage was naturally out of the question—it would have been far too slow.

Just as Xia Lun was still wondering how they would reach the labyrinth, the sky suddenly darkened, casting a vast shadow below.

A massive silhouette appeared beneath their feet, as if some colossal beast had flown overhead.

Xia Lun instinctively looked up.

There, hovering above them, was an enormous airship nearly a hundred meters long.

From below, the airship appeared sleek and elongated, its outer hull plated with gleaming silver metal. A massive propeller spun at its rear, while rows of vents along its underside expelled billowing white steam.

"That’s the Olifandor," Kalinda said, her voice brimming with pride. "After Headmaster Wolund conquered the Ashen Corridor, he used the proceeds to commission the finest dwarven and gnomish craftsmen to build this skyship for our academy… The magitech onboard was also developed by Olifandor—it’s the most advanced of its kind."

"I can’t believe the Headmaster actually sent the Olifandor," Delyan remarked, a hint of smugness in her tone. "I didn’t realize I was so important in his eyes."

Kalinda glanced at Xia Lun but didn’t bother to correct Delyan’s assumption.

Xia Lun stared at the colossal vessel, momentarily lost in thought.

A skyship…

In his era, such a thing had not yet existed.

Skyships were a product of the rise of magitechnology, utilizing specialized array formations to directly convert the energy stored in magic stones into propulsion, allowing the massive vessel to take flight.

However, the consumption of magic stones was no trivial expense.

Olifandor was built atop a magic stone vein, giving it the resources to sustain the skyship’s operation… Beyond that, only a handful of the world’s most elite organizations could afford such a luxurious asset.

Aina patiently explained the mechanics to Xia Lun, and once he grasped the basics, he nodded in understanding, his curiosity somewhat satisfied.

"Let’s board," Kalinda called out.

The interior of the skyship was spacious, almost eerily empty.

The Olifandor could easily accommodate over a thousand passengers, yet this time, it was being used solely to transport Xia Lun and the others to the Ashen Corridor—an extravagant overkill. But since it was Wolund’s decision, no one questioned it.

The skyship moved swiftly, reducing a journey that would have taken days to mere hours.

Soon, the Ashen Corridor came into view below.

Xia Lun spotted numerous adventurers on the ground, all likely heading toward the labyrinth. As the skyship soared overhead, every one of them looked up in awe, their eyes filled with envy.

Below lay a dense forest, but what was strange was that its trees and foliage were all a ghostly white, as if drained of all color.

This was normal—the aura emanating from the labyrinth gradually warped the surrounding environment.

With no suitable landing site nearby, the group didn’t hesitate. They opened the hatch and leaped straight down from midair.

For these elite students of Olifandor, casting a flight spell was second nature.

Xia Lun, however, continued to plummet—until a sudden gust of wind rose beneath him, like an invisible hand, gently slowing his descent and setting him down safely.

It was Kalinda’s doing.

She gave him a curious look, as if surprised that he hadn’t acted.

Given Xia Lun’s physical prowess, a fall from that height would have been nothing… He hadn’t even needed to use a flight spell.

But Kalinda didn’t press the matter, assuming he had his own methods. Her intervention was, in a way, a gesture to foster goodwill.

Once on the ground, Kalinda retrieved several white robes and handed them to Xia Lun and the others.

Xia Lun complied without question, slipping one on.

The reason was obvious—it would help them blend into the pale environment and reduce the risk of being attacked. Seeing the forest, Xia Lun immediately understood why the students had been dressed in white.

Before long, they reached the center of the forest, where an enormous ancient tree stood.

They had spotted it earlier from the skyship.

The colossal pale tree towered nearly a hundred meters tall, its smooth bark gleaming like polished wax. Its skeletal branches stretched wildly in all directions, interlocking like bones, devoid of any leaves.

At its base was a massive hollow, thirty meters in diameter, leading into the darkness below.

"That’s the entrance to the Ashen Corridor," Kalinda said, pointing at the hollow.

Xia Lun wasn’t surprised. Labyrinth entrances were usually fixed—caves, hollow trees, bottomless pits… Some stable entrances even had gates built around them, with entire cities flourishing above.

This labyrinth was relatively new, having only been conquered by Wolund twenty years prior. Still, during the flight, Xia Lun had noticed small settlements nearby where adventurers rested.

And they weren’t the only ones here. A group of adventurers was already scaling the tree trunk, struggling to reach the hollow.

One man in leather armor lost his footing, slipping and nearly falling before jamming his shortsword into the bark to stop himself.

"Damn it!" he cursed.

"Captain, hurry up or we’re leaving without you!" one of his companions teased from above.

"Yeah, yeah, you bastards," the man grumbled, resuming his climb.

No earth-shattering magic, no soaring sword beams—just the raw, unglamorous reality of low-tier adventurers.

A small whirlwind lifted Xia Lun and the others effortlessly to the hollow’s entrance.

The adventurers below watched with envy.

"We really should recruit a mage for our team," one muttered.

"Please, a mage of that caliber wouldn’t give us the time of day."

"Best we could get is some rookie who barely knows how to cast a fireball… and might accidentally roast your backside."

They laughed among themselves, camaraderie thick in the air.

"Alright, enough daydreaming," the captain—now finally at the top—drew his sword. "Let’s move. Stay sharp. Once the job’s done… drinks are on me at the usual spot!"