Mimou
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Chapter 55 : Time Bead
🕑 Added 2024-10-06 21:15:26 +0000 UTCSora glanced at Kara, sharing his newly unlocked skill option with her. As she read the brief description of [Soul Pearl], she was as puzzled as he was.
"It doesn't really explain anything," Kara said, frowning.
Sora sighed. "Yeah, to know what the Soul Pearl does, I’d probably have to reset or figure it out somehow. But I don’t think it’s smart to ask around about something that’s likely important."
Kara nodded in agreement. "And resetting now? Not the best timing."
"Exactly. Hitting level 70 before the war was already hard enough. Doing it again after resetting? No thanks. I’ll just find out after the war," Sora replied, his voice steady with resolve.
Kara nodded, then tilted her head slightly. "So what now? Want to see what my [Time Space] can do?"
Sora grinned. “Yeah, leveling up is getting tougher, so we might as well.”
Kara took out the [Time Bead], the small orb shimmering faintly. The item description appeared before her:
[Time Bead: Absorbs mana to feed the Time Space Realm inside. Needs a certain amount to activate. Current amount: Empty.]
The bead began to pull mana from the surrounding air, but the process was slow, almost too slow for Kara’s patience. She instinctively brought her hand close to it and focused. The flow of mana quickened as she poured her own energy into it.
Seeing her draining herself to speed things up, Sora raised his hand to help. Mana began to pulse through the air around him, his presence acting like the eye of a storm as he fed the bead faster than before. His mana regeneration kicked in at full throttle, making the process feel like a constant surge of energy.
Minutes passed as they continued pouring mana into the bead, the energy cycling faster with Sora’s influence. Then, with a soft pulse, the bead shifted in her hand. Kara received a notification.
[Time Bead Charged: Activation Possible]
Kara glanced at the bead's new description, her eyes widening as she read the new information.
[Current Charge: 1 week]
A warning followed:
[Caution: Using mana inside the Time Space will reduce the remaining time left.]
She looked up at Sora, excitement dancing in her eyes. “It’s ready. We can enter the [Time Space] for a week… but every time we use mana, it’ll eat into that time.”
Sora smirked, anticipation building. “Then let's try that”
[Time Dilation Active – Inside Time Space: 1 week = ~20 minutes outside]
[You have entered the Time Space]
Sora glanced around, watching as the notifications flickered away, replaced by the barren yet expansive land around them. He took in the vastness, stretching a few kilometers in each direction, bordered by a shimmering white barrier that curved upward like a domed sky. The place felt surreal, almost like a dream.
A new notification caught his eye as he saw the remaining time in the space:
[Time Bead: Current Charge – 1 week]
Kara read through her own notifications, nodding at the details. She looked at him with excitement. “We’re in. It seems like every week we spend here will be barely a blip outside—a few minutes at most.”
Sora smirked, a thrill running through him. "A whole week in here with hardly any time passing out there. This is perfect."
Kara reached out toward the Time Bead, feeling a pull as it connected with her mind. A notification appeared, asking if she wanted to activate the [Time Space]. She nodded, then noticed an option to invite others, with “Ralph Eden” displayed as an option since they were in a party together.
She selected his name and confirmed. Instantly, they both vanished, along with the Time Bead.
When they reappeared, they were inside a strange world, almost like a pocket dimension carved out of reality. The space around them stretched a few kilometers wide, bordered by a barrier that shimmered with a milky, white glow. The land was eerily flat and barren, resembling an empty, expansive field. There were no trees, no life, nothing but an endless stretch of open ground. The sky was a pale, almost luminous white, stretching far above them.
Sora took in their surroundings, his gaze scanning the emptiness. “So… this is the Time Space?” he commented. “Not much to look at, is it?”
Kara didn’t answer immediately, her attention focused on a panel that had materialized in front of her. Her eyes widened as she read through it, and she let out a sound that was somewhere between a laugh and a groan.
“What’s up?” Sora asked, raising an eyebrow.
Wordlessly, she shared the panel with him. It was a customization menu, filled with all sorts of options: trees, lakes, mountains—even houses and furniture. They could seemingly create anything they wanted to populate this empty realm.
Sora skimmed the list, his initial excitement quickly fading as he saw the prices.
“Ten million gold for a house? One million for a bed? A hundred thousand for a chair?” Kara muttered, exasperated. “Who came up with this pricing? It’s like they’re trying to bankrupt us before we even get started! Setting prices for items within my own skill’s space…”
Sora shook his head, clearly amused. “Guess this space will stay empty for a while. Let’s stick to what we have and make the most of it.”
Kara gave a reluctant nod, shifting her focus back to the barren land. She closed the customization panel, and as she did, she felt a stirring within her Supreme Skill. Life force began to flow out of her, and almost instinctively, she spread it around them, coaxing the land to life. Patches of grass sprouted from the ground, small plants appearing here and there, bringing a touch of greenery to the empty space.
She took a deep breath, feeling the flow of life force around her. “Well, if we can’t afford to decorate this place, I can at least make it feel less empty with my [Life Force Mastery].”
Sora watched as a faint carpet of green formed beneath their feet, a small smile tugging at his lips. “At least we won’t be training in a complete wasteland. So, what’s the plan?”
Kara nodded, summoning a [Life Source Clone] of herself. The duplicate stood beside her, an identical version, and began helping her channel the life force into the plants around them, making the area feel a little more alive.
Turning her gaze back to Sora, Kara said, “I’ll work on pushing my Supreme skill to the next level. Using life force here feels… easier as outside, somehow. This place is rich with mana, and the quality is excellent.”
Sora took a deep breath, feeling the abundance of mana surrounding them. It felt like his own mana... 'Wait, isn't this the mana i gave to this space ? No wonder she thinks it's high quality'
Dismissing his thoughts, his mind drifted to his recent battles, the fights he’d lost, and the areas he needed to improve. There were skills he’d neglected, powers he hadn’t fully explored. He thought about his Supreme Skills and how he could refine his abilities even further.
The details of his [Eternal Body Craft: Essence of Infinite Strength] skill came to mind. Its effects were potent, focusing on enhancing his body’s physical capabilities.
[Eternal Body Craft: Essence of Infinite Strength (Supreme Skill)]
Description: This Supreme Skill allows the user to tap into the essence of infinite physical potential, refining every part of their body. The skill offers the following abilities:
Effect 1: Essence Fusion – Merges mana with the body's cells, bones, muscles, and organs, constantly enhancing their structure and capabilities.
Effect 2: Adaptive Regeneration – The body regenerates based on damage received and adapts to become resistant to similar harm.
Effect 3: Strength Ascension – Each refinement permanently increases physical strength, endurance, and durability.
Effect 4: Unlimited Body Potential – No growth limit, provided sufficient energy is absorbed, allowing the user to surpass natural physical boundaries.
Warning: Supreme Skills cannot be affected by anything lower than Supreme level skills, including Innate skills, Special skills, or Racial Skills.
To make the most of this space, he needed a way to push his body to its limits, triggering the effects like [Adaptive Regeneration] and [Strength Ascension]. If he could somehow endure consistent damage while healing, it would force his body to adapt and grow stronger even faster.
Then there was [Mana Evolution].
[Mana Evolution] (Supreme Skill)
This skill evolves alongside the user's comprehension and application of mana. With practice and adaptation, the user's mana grows stronger, more efficient, and more versatile over time. Each breakthrough in understanding unlocks new effects, enhancing the user's connection to mana and granting powerful new abilities.
Effect 1 : Mana Eyes: Allows the user to see mana at all scales, zooming in and out depending on the need.
Effect 2 : Loved by Mana: Mana will assist the user and minimize rebounds from misuse. Mana will always try to help the user if possible.
Effect 3 : Mana Growth: Every time mana is used, it becomes more refined, efficient, and powerful.
Effect 4 : Mana Customization: The user can guide how their mana evolves. Progress depends on the user's talent and comprehension.
It allowed him to refine and customize his mana. When he had reached Level 70, he’d felt a pull, an awareness of the elements around him. He had barely touched the surface of what [Mana Customization] could offer. Maybe here, in this realm, he could experiment and start molding his mana to align with the elements, giving him access to new abilities.
“This space has potential,” he said, turning to Kara. “Let’s push it as far as it can go. I’ll focus on experimenting with my mana, seeing if I can finally understand this customization effect. ”
Kara nodded, the spark of excitement returning to her eyes. They had an entire week here, a blank slate to mold and shape to try all kinds of new skills
Sora took a deep breath, activating his [Mana Eyes] and letting his focus zero in on the air around him. Normally, he kept the skill running passively to track mana flows in battle, but now he wanted to look deeper, way beyond what he usually observed. He wanted to see if the air contained the same components he remembered from his high school Physics classes—mainly oxygen and nitrogen.
Oxygen and nitrogen… and there can be a bit water, he thought. Is the air here still the same as before the World Update?
