by L. M. Kerr
It wasn’t possible for him to have half his body at sped-up time and the rest at normal time, it seemed.
However, hand in hand with this discovery was a second discovery.
“I can resist the changes to time…” He discovered this when he let the spacetime envelop him fully.
The wash of cold that slammed against him was a distinct feeling that rumbled in his Soul. Micheal was actually able to directly sense this with his senses, a feeling he could push against and resist. He could also instantly tell that anyone that was enveloped in the spacetime bubble would also be able to feel this and push back against it.
By flaring his Ki against that feeling, Micheal was able to force it back. When he did this, the manipulated effects of spacetime vanished, returning him to his normal speed as he pushed back against the influence of the spacetime bubble.
This didn’t actually come naturally to him. While the cold sensation was clearly abnormal, there was no natural push against his Soul or impact on his energy. He had to go out of his way to purposefully direct his Ki to push against it, flexing his Ki like he would a muscle. In fact, it felt almost unnatural as he shoved it off, as if his normal state of being was to let things be.
After he discovered this, Micheal underwent a second round of testing.
This time around, he made two other notable discoveries.
The more energy he put into creating the spacetime bubble, the slower/faster time would become. And, as he put in more energy, the spacetime bubble would become harder and harder to resist.
While this wasn’t an absolute power that couldn’t be resisted, Micheal had a way to make it harder to resist, and resisting it was actually something that would take at least a few moments for any unaware person to discover.
However, even if other people could completely avoid the effects of the spacetime bubble, Micheal didn’t mind.
After all, that wasn't what he had been aiming for in the first place.
Micheal stood in the center of the room, enveloped by a small spacetime bubble as he looked at the world around him, a huge grin on his face.
To resist the effects of accelerated or slowed spacetime required conscious effort. Arrows, bullets, bolts of energy, none of these would be able to ignore the affected spacetime, meaning Micheal now had an effective counter to these types of enemies beyond blocking their attack with an Artifact or just dying.
But, even better than that…
As long as he let himself be affected by his own space bubbles, he had found a way to obtain superspeed.
Even if that boost in speed would be limited to a relatively small area within the immovable time bubble, this was an extremely useful power, especially for someone like him, a close-combat specialist.
As long as he placed the spacetime bubble carefully, he could keep the boost only for himself. While his stats were only a little above average here on the Second Layer, this overall boost would have much more impact than even if he had double his current Strength.
Being fast was one thing… but being able to think faster, react faster, move faster, and perceive things faster, all packaged into one, boosted up by a significant amount… Micheal didn’t need to ponder why something like this was incredible.
It didn’t mean he could take on a Dragon, or a Supreme Warrior. Even many First Rate warriors would still be very dangerous to battle against right now; the warriors of the Second Layer weren’t ones he would belittle.
But now… he was at least ready for a fight.
As this thought crossed his mind, a small beeping sound caught Micheal’s attention.
At the foot of his bed was the smartphone Micheal had used on the First Layer. He had set an alarm on it before he began testing to let him know when it was time to go. It was still a useful tool, though on later Layers, the increase in gravity would eventually cause the delicate electronics that it was made from to stop working.
He walked over and picked it up, silencing the alarm as he stored it in his Spatial Ring. He then double-checked the room, making sure he had left nothing behind before he began to head out.
It was time to find a Guide and cross the Dragon Mountains.
.
Chapter 28
“Iron Shield Necklaces, only 26 Spirit Crystals! Guaranteed safety across the Dragon Mountains!”
“Blue-Steel Shield Necklaces! Better than Iron, only 40 Spirit Crystals! Don’t stake your life on a few easy Crystals!”
“Arenore Shield Necklaces for sale here, 25 Spirit Crystals, but you get another free!”
A deluge of voices assaulted Micheal’s ear as he waited in the Leaving Courtyard of Tansol City, his gaze patient.
After he left the inn, he’d navigated his way through the city in his disguise. He’d opted to wrap his forehead again, just in case his robe hood got blown back. You could never be too careful.
It took him around ten minutes to reach where he needed to go. He had started his journey with an initial plan of just walking there, but eventually gave up on that idea as he realized how much time that would take. Tansol City was deceptively large; if he wanted to reach the Leaving Courtyard it would take at least 30 minutes of fast walking.
To avoid that, he crept down an alley and then took to the rooftops. He hid his Life Orbs in his leather boots as he flew across the rooftops, sticking close to them as he tried to remain inconspicuous. He made it look like he was running from rooftop to rooftop using a Martial Art-like technique instead of literally flying.
It was rather brazen, but given that he didn’t plan on staying here, he saw no issue with it. He even saw several dozen Byren Martial Artists taking to the rooftops as well, using movement techniques to jump from home to home while making almost no noise.
Like that, he managed to avoid any interactions with the official guards of the city and successfully made it to the Leaving Courtyard.
The Leaving Courtyard was, unsurprisingly, a large courtyard. More than a dozen long, wooden buildings were connected to it, all leading into said huge courtyard that dominated an area more than 100 meters long and wide. There were a sizable number of figures buzzing about in this courtyard, moving in and out of the various attached buildings.
Just because of the sheer number of people that existed in both the territory of the Divine Might Sect and the Silent Sword Sect, there were always bound to be large numbers of people that wished to cross from one territory to another.
The relationship between the Silent Sword Sect and the Divine Might Sect was not too complex. Officially, the Silent Sword Sect was a ‘neutral’ Sect that was not allied with any of the other 5 Sects. It maintained relationships with all groups, sometimes even acting as an intermediary.
As a result, the border between the two Sects was relatively open. Trade flourished, though typical trade routes went around the Dragon Mountains, through the wide-open plains far to the west. It was mostly individual traffic that chanced the Tansol Pass.
Micheal was currently standing near the center of the courtyard, waiting for a few moments as he eyed one particular Byren.
This Byren stood near one of the connecting buildings, holding a large staff with a sign attached to it. The sign read ‘Hanben’s Guide Group’ in flashy letters. Several other Byrens stood around him, milling about and waiting.
The staff-wielding Byren was dressed in a green set of scale-armor, covering his chest, arms, legs, and neck. He had a short bow strapped onto his back and wore a longsword on his waist. His face was covered with a plain grey mask that had a hole for his eyes, his nose, and his mouth.
The scale-armor was unique to this Byren, but that grey mask was the tell-tale sign of a Guide. The mask wasn’t used to hide their identity — all Guides were publicly known. Instead, it was used to aid in crossing the Tansol Pass.
Hanben wasn’t the only Guide standing out in the courtyard with a sign. There were eleven other Guides doing the same thing at the moment, waiting or gathering up the people that had been assigned to
them. The reservations you had to make beforehand made this process mostly streamlined.
Micheal had actually spent the past 15 minutes observing the twelve Byren Guides that were waiting with signs, studying all of them. He had also taken his time to check out the surrounding buildings.
In them, he found a variety of merchants selling various products, including armor, Artifacts, and supplies. The current ‘craze’ at the moment was the very popular ‘Shield Necklace’ Artifact. It was a type of tool that Byren Spirit Smiths created using a mix of metal and Spirit Crystals.
Each Artifact could create a reflective field of energy that would surround the user’s body when activated. It was a useful Artifact that would break after usage.
Micheal was too poor to afford one unless he sold some of the treasure he’d obtained from Yvvtal’s Treasure Hall, like the King’s Rock or some of the extra Magic Gems he’d pilfered.
Given that he could die and come back to life a full four times now thanks to the power of his abnormally high Soul stat, a defensive treasure like that wasn’t exactly a pressing concern. It also might function like other Defensive Artifacts and interfere with his Aura Nullification Necklace, something he absolutely could not afford.
Abilities that could track or trace a person were stupidly overpowered, in Micheal’s opinion, but that was just life. There was no point in complaining about it. He needed to keep his Aura Nullification Necklace on at all times.
Of the Guides here in this courtyard, he had the pick of any he wanted, able to freely join any group and bump off someone else.
Eventually, after taking his time, he decided on a Guide named Hanben.
Of all of the Guides, he was the one that looked the most furtive. The way he stood off to the side, the way he gathered people around him but spoke in a hushed tone, as if he was constantly hiding from danger.
Micheal much preferred this type of Guide over the ones blazing with confidence. If nothing else, he could trust this Byren to always remain as secretive as possible when they crossed.
He walked over towards the Guide, his expression placid. As he drew close to the Byren, the warrior turned to glance at Micheal.
“This is Hanben’s Guide Group. Do you have the correct Entrance Pass?” The Byren’s voice was gruff but quiet. He spoke in a professional manner, giving off the feeling an expert should.
Entrance Passes were numbered and sorted in a specific way to help Tansol City keep track of them. Micheal would need the corresponding Entrance Passes that had been assigned to Hanben if he wanted to join normally.
“Not quite.” Micheal replied, matching Hanben’s quieter tone as he tapped on his Spatial Ring. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hanben tense up at this action, ever-cautious.
A small, white metal plate with a purple triangle engraved within it appeared in Micheal’s hand. Micheal raised the plate up and held it out, glancing back at Hanben.
Micheal could just barely see Hanben’s eyes widen as he stared at the Superior Entrance Pass. The tension in the man’s body vanished as he abruptly relaxed, his guard dropping.
“Ah, pardon me, sir.” Hanben’s tone and manner shifted entirely as he nodded his head, his voice gaining a hint of respect.
“I will see that you join us without issue.” The Byren accepted the Superior Entrance Pass and stored it away.
“That’s all I want. No need for any pleasantries or chitchat.” Micheal directly nipped away any chance that the Byren might try to curry favor with him or engage him. He wasn’t here to make friends nor was he here to talk casually. He needed to remain completely focused on his mission.
“Yes, sir.” Hanben took the hint and went back to his duties as he waited for other passengers to arrive.
Time flew by.
More travelers came up to join Micheal’s group. Gradually, their numbers swelled into the twenties, and finally stopped once they reached thirty, including him. All of the traveling Byrens were geared up for battle, dressed in various sets of light armor.
Most of the Byrens here were male, but there were several women, each one looking tougher than the last. Most of the Byrens looked to be in their 20s or 30s; there weren’t any elderly or very young ones here.
Their group was a motley collection but also decently strong, where even the weakest was a Third Rate Warrior. The Guide was also a Third Rate Warrior, Micheal could tell, but he was at the very peak of Third Rate, one of the stronger Guides.
The fact that he was one of the stronger ones here, yet still chose to act furtive and quiet, was another reason Micheal picked him in the end.
There had been a cancellation in Hanben’s group, a somewhat-common sight despite the reservation system, which meant no one needed to be kicked out to make room. When Micheal finally saw all of his team members, he felt even more pleased with his choice.
There were no teenagers, arrogant warriors, or any potential risk factors among those present.
If there had been, Micheal fully intended to switch to another group. Crossing the Tansol Pass with a Guide was typically safe, but he would not let his own safety be endangered by the arrogance of someone else.
“Alright, everyone. We are slotted to leave for the Pass in about 5 minutes. Please make your final preparations.” Finally, after what felt like forever, but was really only half an hour, Hanben announced their impending departure.
Half of the Byrens in Micheal’s group began to buzz with nervousness, while the other half seemed resigned and calm. One and all were experienced fighters, yet it was clear who had, and who had not, crossed the Dragon Mountains before.
Around fifteen hundred people crossed the Tansol Pass every day, escorted in groups of 30. There was a base on the other side of the Pass called Tansol Town, essentially a smaller clone of Tansol City, that received the Guides and escorted people from the Silent Sword Sect’s territory to the Divine Might Sect’s territory in roughly equal numbers.
This meant there were roughly 25 Guides available each day in Tansol City. Micheal had opted to join the Guides that would be available around noontime, using a bit of his knowledge from the future. The Pass was safest to travel through at this period in time.
The journey itself was not an extremely long one. The Pass was well placed to allow secretive travel and fast movement. There were special holding Artifacts that could be used to escort younger Byrens or weaker Byrens, allowing them to keep up, though that wouldn’t be necessary for his group.
In total, it was typically a 6-hour trek, spanning around 100 miles. Even considering that the mountainous terrain would slow people down, basically everyone on the Second Layer had superhuman strength. Crossing a distance of 100 miles for someone with 10 times the strength and endurance of a normal human would normally take only a few hours at most.
The real limiter was the need for caution, to avoid attracting Magic Beasts.
“Alright, everyone! Gather round, we are heading out!” Hanben’s voice took on a commanding edge as he began to lead Micheal and the rest out of the courtyard, headed towards the North Gate of Tansol City.
Micheal’s gaze never wavered as he fell in line, his eyes drawn to the mysterious, fog-shrouded mountains in the distance.
‘Soon, Myla. I'll be there soon, keep holding on.’ He thought, clenching his right fist as he adjusted the Silk Strider Glove, making sure it was secure.
‘I’m just a single day away.’
.
Chapter 29
As Micheal began his journey to traverse the Dragon Mountains, deep within that very same mountain range, a creature was stirring.
More than 200 miles (320 km) from Micheal, an ordinary-looking mountain existed. This mountain was lightly coated in fog and looked little different from its neighbors. It was grey, dotted with plants and trees in its lower area, coated in ice on its higher area.
If there was one single thing that set this ordinary-looking mountain apart from its neighbors, it would have to be that there was a rather large cav
e sequestered behind a few dozen trees at its base.
The entrance to this cave wasn’t enormous. It was about 3 meters tall and only a couple of meters wide. Glowing blue mushrooms faintly lit the cave up, granting it a small amount of light that could be seen from outside.
A small, Blue-Eared Goat was currently staring at this cave from just a dozen meters distant. This Magic Beast stood a full 2 meters tall and was covered in white fur, with two distinctive blue ears, two things that set it apart from a normal goat. It had a pair of small horns and beady blue eyes that never blinked as it stared at this mysterious cave.
“Chrr?” The Low-Tier Magic Beast turned its head to the side as it began to take a few steps forward, drawn to this dark cave. Its eyes flicked to the right and left tentatively, as if unsure.
It crept closer and closer, unable to help itself.
Just when it was about to enter the cave, the Blue-Eared Goat froze for a second. It titled its head for several seconds as it looked into the dark cave, indecisiveness once again swarming it. Tension built up in its stance, as if it felt like it was in danger.
Finally, the large goat made a decision.
It stuck a single hooded foot inside the cave.
“…”
“…”
“…”
Nothing happened.
“Chrr?” The Magic Beast exhaled, its body relaxing.
The moment it did that, the goat’s body froze up once more.
A heartbeat later…
The goat died.
All of its skin, muscles, organs, and tissue wilted away in an instant. The entire life force of the Blue-Eared Goat was instantly stolen, causing the creature’s body to collapse, leaving behind only a withered skeleton.
As the desiccated body of the Low-Tier Magic Beast fell to the floor, a rumbling sound rang out. This noise echoed throughout the cave, quiet waves that soaked into the rock and stone of the mountain itself.
After a couple of seconds, that rumbling noise stopped.
It was replaced by a light tapping.