Summoned with an SSS-Rank Portal Skill

Even while flying, traveling across the desert was no easy feat. The wind hitting William's face was scorching hot, and the view from above wasn't particularly beautiful. All he could see was sand, sand, and more sand.

From time to time, they spotted groups of people traveling through the desert. Most of them were riding camels or desert hounds—both magical creatures.

There were also oases, places where they could stop to rest before continuing their journey. William and Kier took advantage of these oases whenever they could.

They made sure to bathe every time they stopped at one. The oases usually had a central water area where people could wash up.

"To think we still have so much ground to cover," Kier said. "That place is really far."

The two had been traveling for about three days, and it would take a while longer to reach their destination. But at least they'd only be in the desert for another seven to ten days, which was a relief.

"Yeah, really. The good thing is that the journey is pretty safe," William replied. "Since we're flying, there's no danger, and we can always stop at one of these places."

Kier looked proud when he heard that. "And who made that possible? Yours truly, with my mounts. You should thank me."

William rolled his eyes. "Please. I could've gotten something like this if I wanted to."

The two laughed. During their time traveling together, they had talked a lot and grown somewhat closer—something William hadn't expected.

Before speaking with Kier, William had believed he was just a bloodthirsty thief, but that wasn't the case. Kier rarely killed people—William believed he had killed more than Kier—and he had only entered the world of crime because his parents were in it and forced him into it.

"I'm really glad my sister left the life of crime, and now I'm finally leaving too. I feel freer, you know? I can go anywhere without having to constantly hide to avoid getting caught," Kier said.

"But you know exploring that place won't be easy, right?" William reminded him. "I'm new here, but from what I've heard, that area is forbidden because it's so dangerous. Do we really stand a chance of coming out alive?"

This was something William had been wondering for a while. Was it really worth trying to obtain all the demonic knowledge in that cursed valley? Were there no easier places for him to start?

Despite his incredible progress, William knew his level of strength was still relatively low, and he had a lot of room for improvement—especially compared to the other heroes who were receiving training from the best instructors and using top-tier equipment.

"I think we can do it," Kier said. "We'll proceed cautiously and scout the area thoroughly before doing anything reckless. From what I know, there's a village nearby that attracts adventurers who want to explore that area. Maybe we can gather some useful information there before blindly charging in."

"Seems like you've done a lot of research on this, huh?" William said.

Kier laughed. "Of course. I'm not an idiot."

The two spent the night at the oasis. The only thing they had to worry about was their mounts. The fear was that someone might try to steal them, but the birds Kier had brought always made noise around strangers, so nothing happened.

Before the sun rose, the two were already back in the air, heading toward their destination. After a few more days, they finally left the desert behind.

The scenery changed completely. Gone was the endless expanse of sand, replaced by lush green forests, towering mountains, valleys, rivers, and lakes. It was breathtaking.

William was amazed by the stark contrast in landscapes. How could the same continent be so different? What had happened in the middle of the continent to create that desert?

That story about it being the result of a battle doesn't seem so far-fetched after all... he thought.

"Now that we're out of the desert, we need to be more careful," Kier said.

"Why's that?"

"In the desert, most enemies were ground-based, but here there are plenty of flying beasts. So we need to be more cautious."

Flying on a bird like this was great for speed, but it also meant drawing a lot more attention—so there were both benefits and drawbacks.

The two continued for a few hours after leaving the desert and made a stop on one of the mountains. Camping at the top was ideal since there weren't many magical beasts around.

In other words, it was much safer to camp there than near the road. Besides the beasts, they also had to worry about ill-intentioned people, who were common throughout the continent.

William sat by the campfire, reading his new book. Kier was impressed by how quickly William was improving.

"You've already mastered one spell and are moving on to the second. It took me much longer to get that good. Impressive," he said.

"It's nothing special," William replied. "But what about those shadow spells you were using? Are they in this book too?"

"Yes, they are. The book is divided by elements, so you'll find fire, dark fire, and shadow spells. From what I understand, these are the main elements demons used. Out of those, I'm best with shadow magic," Kier explained.

He didn't have a demonic lineage like William, so he didn't have the talent for all the elements demons used. William believed Kier only had a natural affinity for shadow magic, which was why he excelled in it.

"I see. And do you really think we'll find those books? You said yourself that many adventurers go there. Isn't there a chance someone already took them?" William asked.

Kier nodded. "Yes, that's true. But as I said, to access those books, you need someone with a demonic lineage, and I doubt anyone with that lineage has gone there. We have a good chance of finding them."

Despite Kier's optimism, William wasn't feeling as confident. If those books had been there for years or even centuries, was it really possible that no one with a demonic lineage had shown up? That thought made William uneasy.

But he had no choice but to go on this journey, so it was better to take the risk and see if they could find something useful. The worst that could happen was wasting some time.

After eating the provisions they had brought and chatting for a while, they each retired to their tents. During the night, William received a notification from the System informing him that his temporal magic had recharged and he could use it at any time.

'Should I go back to the past?' he wondered. Continue reading on My Virtual Library Empire

In the end, he decided to postpone using it. His focus was on the mission, and they were getting close to their destination, so it was better to stay on track.

The next day, they continued their journey. However, things didn't go as planned.

As Kier had mentioned earlier, flying beasts were common in the region, and they needed to be careful. But what they didn't expect was to encounter other people riding those flying beasts.

It was a group of mages. Kier recognized them and was visibly alarmed. "Those are slave traders! They're strong and dangerous!"

William didn't like what he heard, and he liked what happened next even less. Kier moved closer to him and used a dagger to draw his blood, cutting his arm! The blood floated into a small glass vial.

"What are you doing?" William demanded.

"I'm taking your blood to access the place where the books are. Unfortunately, I'll have to leave you here! No way we can take on these guys, and as much as I like you, I'd rather you get sold as a slave than me!"

After saying this, Kier used a teleportation spell and vanished from sight. William was furious.

Before he could do anything, the slave traders closed in and used a combined spell to create a magical barrier around him, trapping William. He wouldn't be able to escape.

Asura quickly spoke in his mind, "Put your blood on me. It'll allow you to retain your consciousness within the sword as well."

William didn't understand why he should do that, but he decided to follow Asura's advice. His blood was quickly absorbed by the sword, and the slave traders didn't notice a thing.

"Well, well, what do we have here? A young man with a sword that looks like it's worth a fortune. Seems like it's our lucky day," one of the mages said.

They were all laughing and looking at William as if he was their prey. Things were not looking good for him.

He even tried to use his spell to travel to the past, but it didn't work. It was like the barrier they put around him was locking him in place.

'Damn it,' he thought, 'I am fucked now, again!'

Things were always hard for William. One of the mages got closer to him and placed something on his body. It was a seal restraining some of his abilities.

"Now give me everything you have, and come with us," one of them said with a chilling smile.