Endless Evolution: Last Star Chapter 1507 1507: Anomaly Grid

The Detached Mountains were undeniably a comfortable location. This fact was undisputed by everyone, including Adam, who was visiting for the first time, and the Phantoms, who frequently utilized the area for their own objectives.

However, he had no justification for lingering there much longer.

He and Damien were awaiting one final companion before they could depart for the Dead Lands—specifically, the Primal Lands, a region Adam had never previously explored.

Crack.

The sound of the door opening signaled Alexia’s arrival at the coffee shop. Her eyes swept the room until she spotted Damien and Adam seated in the corner.

"Here you are!" she shouted, rushing toward their table.

The mission wasn't the first thing on her mind; she had a different grievance to air.

"Damn it, those gates! Opening them was a nightmare! I had to expend so much energy!"

"Hahaha!" Damien let out a laugh. "That was exactly the point. You see, had you failed to open them, Adam would have proceeded with the mission alone. Those weren't just gates; they were a test that you successfully passed. Congratulations."

Alexia’s face betrayed her relief at having passed the trial, though her pride prevented her from admitting it openly.

"Pffft! I knew I could do it. No gate can stop me! I have to get the Ancient Frost if I want to get stronger, and I want to get stronger!"

"Huh, I don't doubt it," Damien chuckled.

Draining the last of his coffee, he rose to his feet.

"Alright, Adam is already aware of our destination, but for you, Alexia, it will be a surprise."

"Agh?"

Her eyes grew wide as she looked back and forth between Adam and Damien.

"Wait, wait, wait! Tell me about it now!"

"Nah," Damien replied, walking past her toward the door. "It isn't far, so just be patient."

Adam remained silent, finishing his waffle before following the pair out.

Eventually, despite Alexia’s constant questioning, the group reached the center of a plaza. Damien gestured toward one of the five towering peaks.

"Since you're going to the Primal Lands, this is our mountain. We could take a truck, but I think it would be better to walk, don't you think?" Damien said with a grin.

Adam and Alexia traded looks.

Their lack of knowledge regarding the Detached Mountains left them confused about the significance of his words.

"Damien, you mentioned the Anomaly Grid. Is it located there? In this mountain?"

Damien gave a firm nod.

"Exactly. But don't get me wrong. The Anomaly Grid is everywhere. All the anomalies you see around you, whether on mountain tops or underground, are all part of one big grid. It's the foundation of the Detached Mountains."

Alexia folded her arms across her chest.

"And? How do anomalies help us? We didn't come here to watch weak Artifacts being born! I want to go to the Primal Lands!"

Damien gestured for them to follow as he started walking again.

"You will. These aren't simple anomalies, more precisely, all these anomalies are of the same type."

Adam had already suspected as much.

"These are the spatial anomalies, right?" he asked, his expression turning serious.

Damien smirked briefly as they moved deeper into a tunnel carved beneath the mountain.

"Yeah, that's exactly right. There are several thousand different spatial anomalies here. Unlike the spires, which use artifacts to control the entry and exit points, everything here is much more chaotic, but for us, that's more of an advantage than a disadvantage."

"How so?" Adam asked, feeling puzzled.

He understood the mechanics of the spires; they were nearly perfect for transit. Their only flaw was their placement on the borders of various lands, as the inner regions were infested with monsters far too powerful to manage.

"Well, a spatial anomaly is simply energy with special properties that wanders unnoticed in a small area. It's almost impossible to get rid of them. If a spatial anomaly didn't appear right in the nest of a powerful monster, but somewhere nearby, it will remain in that place for hundreds or even thousands of years."

Damien continued, picking up his pace slightly:

"So, if you know where a particular spatial anomaly leads, it's no different from a portal. Sure, it's not as safe, convenient, or accurate as using the spires, but unlike the spires, spatial anomalies can take you both deep into the lands and to the borders of territories."

Adam and Alexia exchanged another look.

The reason they had never heard of the Detached Mountains before was now clear. There had simply been no requirement for it.

It wasn't just a matter of their previous lack of strength or their inability to bypass the iron gates; the spires had always been sufficient for their needs until now.

"But how do we know which anomaly to use?" Adam questioned. "I mean, Alexia and I know where we need to go. We saw the Winding Fragments, and only one of the hundreds was right for us."

Damien halted at a junction where over a dozen illuminated, paved paths branched out into different sections of the mountain.

"Well, you have two choices. Almost every spatial anomaly in this area has been identified. That means we know roughly what area it leads to. As I mentioned earlier, each spatial anomaly revolves around a specific area, but never strays beyond its boundaries. So, if it says that this anomaly leads to the ash forest, then you will definitely end up either there or somewhere nearby."

Before they could respond, Damien turned back to them, holding up two fingers.

"Or you can use the Winding Fragments to understand exactly which spatial anomaly will send you to the right place. Come on, you can do it right here and now. Focus, and very soon you will feel where your energy is leading you."

Without the specific requirements for their Third Grand Star, they wouldn't have been able to utilize their energy as a compass.

They would have been forced to rely on the Gamma Division's records of the Detached Mountains. However, because the Path Construct demanded their growth, their internal energy could guide them.

The method that worked with the Winding Fragments would apply here as well. Out of the thousands of possibilities, their energy would identify the correct spatial anomaly.

Though the Primal Lands consisted of hundreds of distinct territories, the number was still finite.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

Seconds later, the auras of Adam and Alexia vibrated as they opened their eyes.

A shared vision appeared before them: a glowing streak of white and blue energy darted down the tunnel, vanishing as it turned right into one of the side passages.

"Looks like you know where to go now, doesn't it?" Damien said, narrowing his eyes.

Adam gave a confident nod.

"Yes, I see it. No matter what the priority is, the Evolution Tree or the Path Construct, the energy will always help us find what we need, right?"

Damien shrugged.

"That's the point. But it won't always be that way. Talent, luck, and fulfilling all the conditions are not enough to reach the Second Rank. Otherwise, there would be many more Phantoms like me in this world."

Adam’s expression clouded. He grasped the logic, yet he couldn't yet fathom the hardships required to reach the Second Circle—the threshold where many K4-Phantoms stalled, unable to take the final step in their evolution.

"Alright, now that you've decided on your destination, it's time to get to work."

Adam and Alexia looked at each other. Their meeting at the casino had given no hint that they would be standing here just days later, yet they were prepared to advance toward their Third Grand Stars.

Step. Step. Step.

Following the trail of energy, they eventually arrived at a subterranean hall where numerous spatial anomalies drifted above the floor.

Each one existed in a state of perfect tension between stability and chaos.

As long as they remained undisturbed, these clusters of gray, blue, and purple energy would continue to hover like shivering currents of wind.

"Here we go. Which one?" Damien asked, turning to his companions.

Re-employing their tracking method, they stopped before a distant anomaly near the wall. It floated higher than the others, well out of reach for a normal human.

"Is there any information about where this anomaly leads?" Adam inquired.

Beth promptly transmitted the relevant data to Damien.

"Yeah, it's Spatial Anomaly 113PL. It leads to an area near the Frost Ridge territory. Given your description of the winding fragment, that's where you need to go."

Alexia looked at Damien, a hint of anxiety visible in her eyes.

"What... What should we do now?"

Damien grinned broadly.

"Just jump. If you want, I can help you. Hahaha, I have a lot of experience with this!"