Neo was drowned in thoughts when Air Elementals approached him.
The air around him swirled playfully.
‘We’ve made our choice!’
“And that is?”
‘We are not going to help you!’
The wind howled briefly, as if laughing at his predicament.
‘It’s funnier to see what is happening right now! More entertaining!’
Neo nodded, unfazed.
He had expected such a reaction from Air.
Their nature was fickle, driven more by amusement than duty.
Instead, he called upon another set of Elementals.
“Space.”
Silver motes of light appeared around him.
A deep, echoing voice resonated from the shimmering lights.
‘What is it, little one?’
“I want your help.”
‘Whether we can help you or not depends upon the weight of your wish. If it’s too heavy of a wish, not just us, but every Elemental won’t be able to help you unless you pay an appropriate price.’
Neo was not surprised by the revelations.
It would’ve been weirder if the Elementals helped him just because he could talk with them.
“It’s a simple request. Teach me about the pseudo-Gap Kane was talking about.”
On the side, Kane observed Neo.
He could sense the Space Elementals fluctuating.
It seemed like Neo could communicate with the Elementals.
The news was surprising, but not entirely impossible.
‘If it’s that alone is your request, we can teach you without any cost.’
The silver motes moved, forming a glowing pattern in the air to draw his attention.
They displayed the Dimensional Shift movement.
‘Gap is what people refer to as dimensions that exist on different, or higher, frequencies.’
‘Most people remain unaware of these dimensions and can never interact with them.’
‘By having Space Affinity, one gains the ability to perceive the Gap and manipulate it.’
As they spoke, some of the Elementals drifted toward Kane, circling him.
‘Unlike them, you and this child don’t have Space Affinity.’
‘You can neither perceive the Gap nor manipulate it.’
Neo frowned slightly, recalling something.
“Wait a second, I was able to see the other dimensions when I fell through the Gap. How could I do it if I couldn’t perceive the higher dimensions?”
‘When you enter another dimension, your frequency is adjusted to match it.’
‘That was why you were able to perceive the worlds when you entered them. In exchange, you couldn’t perceive your original world since your frequency had changed.’
The Space Elementals explained with the patience of a teacher addressing a child.
They ensured their words were simple and easy to understand.
‘Although you can’t perceive the Gap, it still exists. And since it exists, you can interact with it.’
The Gap could be thought of as hard clay.
Stronger children—those with Space Affinity—could touch the clay (interact with it) and change its shape (manipulate it) since they had the strength to do so (they had Space Affinity).
Normal children—those without Space Affinity—could touch the clay (interact with it), but they could not change its shape (not manipulate it) since they lacked the strength (lacked Space Affinity) to do so.
‘If you try to enter the Gap, you will fall into it uncontrollably. That can never change.’
‘Unless you have Space Affinity, it’s impossible for you.’
The words of the Space Elementals made Neo’s brows crease.
His fingers curled slightly as he processed their meaning.
There was no use in being able to move in the Gap—interact with it—if he could never control it.
Without the ability to perceive the Gap, he would always get lost within it.
‘It’s not useless,’ the Space Elementals suddenly said. ‘You can interact with the Gap, and you can, in a limited way, use it.’
“How?” Neo asked swiftly. His voice carried a hidden urgency.
He didn’t realize it, but he had started to become frustrated wih his growth.
He wasn’t strong enough.
Ranking up helped, but it was not everything.
If all he did was rank up, he would never match those on the same level as him, or stronger than him.
He needed powerful techniques of his own and a strong foundation.
Only then could he become truly strong.
‘Pseudo-Gap.’
Neo listened carefully.
‘Call it a technique, a state, or even a place if you want.’
‘Pseudo-Gap is the transitional phase between the dimensions you can perceive naturally and the Gap.’
‘Think of it as taking a step into the Gap, but not entering it fully, and keeping a foot in your own dimension.’
‘By doing this, you leave an anchor in your dimension, which stops you from fallling into the Gap, and allows you to utilize the Gap.’
“How do I enter this pseudo-Gap?”
‘By training.’
‘You know how to enter the Gap. Entering the Pseudo-Gap is same. It only require more careful control.’
Neo mulled over the Space Elementals’ words.
It sounded easy to do.
He had entered the Gap once already.
Now he had to do it again, but only halfway.
That should be easier than entering the Gap completely.
Neo moved.
He tried to enter the Gap.
The movements were fluid, but suddenly, he jerked and stopped.
Cold sweat covered his body when he realized what had happened.
‘I was about to fall into the Gap.’ My Virtual Library Empire
The moment he tried to enter, it was as if his entire body was being sucked into it.
An invisible force pulled at him, dragging him toward the place he could not perceive.
Had he not stopped in time, he would’ve fallen.
“Space, can you bring me back if I fall like last time?”
‘It depends on if you are willing to pay the price and…’
The Space Elementals hesitated, their glow dimming slightly before they added,
‘If you fall into Forbidden Lands again, it will be impossible to bring you back.’
Neo’s expression darkened.
He wanted to ask about the Forbidden Lands, but he could tell the Space Elementals did not want to talk about it.
Their usually steady presence wavered slightly, as if even speaking of it was dreadful.
Instead, he asked another question.
“What if I fall somewhere else, like another world or dimension, and I’m willing to pay the price to return?”