BANG! BANG! BANG!
Streaks of black and silver launched across the Lab Setting.
Leonel usually kept the Lab Setting exceptionally tidy. His father's blueprints were always neatly arranged, the ores he used were always placed within the snowglobes after he was finished, and any scraps he had remaining had their own place as well.
However… the Lab Setting was currently an absolute mess.
Leonel's Craft table was overturned. His father's blueprints were scattered and by some miracle managed to remain undamaged. At the same time, the snowglobes which were once neatly arranged by category and type were sprawled all along the ground.
The two clashing entities continued without a care in the world as though not noticing Leonel's presence at all.
Leonel's brow twitched several times..
"HEY!"
Finally unable to take it, he roared out in full force, fusing his Spirit Pressure into his voice.
As expected, it completely disrupted the rhythm of the two fighting streaks of light, causing them to fall over.
After rebounding along the ground, the streak of silver shot toward Leonel, landing on his shoulder and bouncing up and down as though venting its frustration.
By that point, the identities of the two became obvious to Leonel. The silver streak was Leonel's Metal Spirit Familiar, Little Tolliver. As for the black streak… well…
The little mink landed on the ground, a dissatisfied expression on its little face as though it was unhappy with the sudden change of events.
It shook its little head, clearing its vision. When it saw Leonel, its eyes lit up with a hint of fondness.
Leonel frowned. "What's going on? Is it possible to overshoot the entry limit of a Zone?"
Leonel took out the dictionary. He was extremely confused at this moment.
First, there was the fact the little mink exited the snowglobe without his permission. This was already questionable. But, beyond that, this Zone should have a limit of 12 individuals.
According to what Leonel knew, the universe didn't treat the life of a beast or a human any differently. Both were instances of life. As such, a beast should count as an entry, no?
Now that Leonel thought about it, shouldn't Little Tolly also count as an entry? Before, Leonel had ignored it because he assumed that since Tolly was his familiar, the both of them together counted as one entry. But, the appearance of the little mink made him rethink it.
Originally, he thought that maybe the suspended animation state the little mink had entered had allowed it to skirt the requirements of the Zone. But now, it had obviously, somehow, made its way out.
Was it so easy to circumvent the rules of a Zone?
Unfortunately, Leonel was thinking too simply. Spatial treasures capable of housing life were exceptionally rare to begin with. Someone like Leonel who had the Segmented Cube was so rare that one in a million didn't do it justice.
'Easy' was only a relative term to Leonel himself. For others, accomplishing the same feat would be impossible. That said… that didn't mean there weren't consequences.
[*Ping*]
[Replying to Seed, it is possible to overshoot the entry limit of a Zone]
Leonel blinked, his mind spinning. He froze a moment later, suddenly thinking of something and almost cursing the dictionary for being too blunt again.
"Is there a penalty for doing so?"
[*Ping*]
[Yes.]
"What penalty…?" Leonel's heart sank.
[*Ping*]
[The most frequent penalty is a time reduction.]
Leonel nearly cursed. This damn little mink, it was alway causing him problems.
The original time limit of 10 years was already pushing it. Though, now that Leonel had given up on perfectly completing the Zone, it was still hard to say whether whatever reduction penalty he faced would allow him to clear the main quest.
According to the dictionary, the main question was to 'save' King Arthur. With how complicated everything was becoming with Modred's actions, it was hard to tell exactly what that entailed. Leonel really couldn't afford a time reduction.
Leonel sucked in a cold breath and calmed himself. Worrying now wouldn't be helpful to him.
"How much time do I have left after the reduction?"
[*Ping]
[1 821 days remaining]
Leonel winced. That was a little under five years. The little mink's appearance really almost halved the time he had left, how infuriating.
"Could it be that Little Tolly doesn't influence the time?"
[*Ping*]
[Replying to Seed, Little Tolly's soul is fused with Seed's. As such, it does not count]
Leonel could only let his frustration dissipate. There was already nothing he could do.
Suddenly, arcs of lightning flashed within Leonel's Dreamscape causing his gaze to brighten.
"Two questions. How was the time reduction calculated? Secondly, if I meld my soul with the little mink, will the time penalty lessen?"
[*Ping*]
[Replying to Seed, only five of the initial entries still remain alive. Due to this, the penalty for an additional entry was reduced greatly to just a half reduction]
Leonel's eyes widened. There was such a thing? Seven of the twelve that entered died already? How?!
Leonel felt a cold sweat mat his back. The dictionary's meaning was that the penalty would have been even worse if not for these deaths?
He had been so lost in his own grievances and improvements that he had forgotten that this was an SS-grade Zone. It should be at humanity's limits to clear a Zone like this. It couldn't be done casually.
Yet, because of Leonel's actions, the well-planned teams designated by the Slayer Legion became imbalanced. He likely ruined much of their plans.
In truth, it wasn't Leonel's fault. It was the fault of the Adurna family. Leonel was originally slotted as an entry from the very beginning thanks to his performance. But… something told Leonel that this sound logic wouldn't be accepted by the members of the rebels.
Now that Leonel thought about it, he had also almost died. Had to not been for a stroke of fate, he too would be among the dead…
Thinking to this point, Leonel grew several levels more serious. In this place… His life was truly on the line. He couldn't take things lightly.
[Yes, becoming one with the little mink would remove the penalty, though only by a margin]
Leonel took a deep breath.
His plan was simple. The messenger mages of the frontlines had given Leonel no small amount of inspiration.
Usually, those beast taming mages could only control weak willed animals with low intelligence such as the falcons and hawks they used to pass on messages.
However, Leonel had several advantages over them. Firstly, his Spirit Pressure was several times more powerful. Secondly, he had several methods of lulling the little mink's mind into lowering its guard. He had to at least take the chance if possible.
All this said… Leonel couldn't have possibly guessed what would happened next.
The little mink blinked out and into existence. When it reappeared, it had already sat on Leonel's opposite shoulder, standing in opposition to Little Tolly.
At first, Leonel had his guard up. But this, his strong Internal Sight suddenly felt something stretch out from the little mink to him, tying them together.
Leonel's expression changed. He felt a subtle link between himself and the little mink. But, it wasn't through their souls but rather…?
Leonel took a step, his face twitching.
'Our shadows are connected…?'
Leonel subconsciously felt that this connection was no weaker than a soul connection. In some ways, it might have been even deeper.