[Find materials. Time remaining: 3 hours 57 minutes.]0

The moment I began my descent, the Spirit of Storms enveloped me as a steady current of cool air. The wind flowed around me, soft yet powerful, easing the fall. I could have easily handled the descent on my own, but there was a certain comfort in having the spirit’s support. It almost felt like standing on solid ground. 0

My surroundings were much the same, and storm energy swirled protectively around me, ready to act should anything unexpected occur.0

I still don’t detect anything below.0

Even as I plummeted at a tremendous speed, carried by the storm’s current, the bottom remained out of sight. My only sign of progress was the faint, silvery light growing steadily brighter deep beneath me.0

Something about it felt strange.0

The hole had reminded me so much of a crater at first that my mind had immediately pictured a meteorite creating it.0

There was nothing around the sinkhole, and the ground surrounding it sloped inward just like a crater.0

However, no ordinary meteor could have created such a clean, vertical shaft. Even a deeply buried impact would have left a massive, uneven crater, not a perfectly carved hole leading downward.1

It gave off an oddly artificial feeling.0

Perhaps it was the result of a spell, something like a Meteor spell I had read in novels. I had never seen a mage cast something similar in the tower, but theoretically, a mage could enhance their projectile...0