Returning to the physical realm, I found myself standing on the boundary of the Chrono Grove, its surreal landscape stretching out before me.
The afterglow of the enigmatic vision lingered in my thoughts, but I knew that now was not the time for introspection. This place was a hidden stage of the dungeon, but at the same time, it contained a special environment.
In this world, dungeons are places that are mostly associated with monsters and destruction. Therefore, there is a certain view of them being thought of as a place that needs to be left immediately.
A place of danger and hazard alone.
But, this was not necessarily true.
Dungeons are essentially sub-spaces that each have their own environment. Therefore, they can also be described as <little worlds with different rules> in other words.
And not everything in the world is dangerous. There are things that are beneficial as well. It is one’s own responsibility to discern what is beneficial to them and what is not.
Even though this space is limited, there is still a lot to explore in this place.
And most importantly, this place is the ideal space to train.
‘After all, the time flows faster here.’
Thirty days of time here is equal to 1 day of the outside world, which means one simple thing.
‘I have exactly thirty days to train myself fully here and get out.’
In the game, if you couldn’t conquer the dungeon after thirty days inside or one day after the boss was slain outside, you would be forcefully teleported outside of the dungeon since the sustained mana core would have disappeared.
‘But, I need that reward.’
And, since I was going to need that reward, I couldn’t simply sit and train. I also need to conquer the dungeon here, and it is not an easy task.
‘The boss monster here is an intermediate-third-rank monster.’
“For Ethan, this task is not that challenging. But, for me, it is.”
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?Name: Astron Natusalune
?Occupation: Weapon Master (level 1)
?Talent Limit: 6
?Passives:
-? Vengeful Bane
?Attributes:
Variable Attributes: 𝑶𝗏𝐥xt.𝔠𝑶
-? Strength: 1.92
-? Dexterity: 2.32
-? Agility: 2.30
-? Constitution:? 1.73
-? Intuition: 2.51
-? Magical Power: 2.7
-? Mana Capacity: 1.9
?Traits:
-? Perceptive Insight (Unique)(Unchanging)
-? Lunar Enigma (????) (Growth Type) (Stage 0)
-? Shadowborne (Legendary) (Growth Type)(Stage 1)
?Arts:
-? Lethal Arsenal Ascendancy (????)(%13)
?Skills:
-? Dash
-? Keen Eye
?Body Imprints:
——————————–
My stats are right now on the border of 2, which is not enough. For an intermediate third-rank monster, I need to have at least 3 in my stats to confront it directly without any problems, but I don’t have such aside from one stat that is getting closer to it.
‘Magic Power.’
However, right now, I am still unable to use my power to the maximum. And, because of that, necessary preparation and training should be done.
And this is my goal here.
With cautious steps, I began to wander through the Chrono Grove; my senses alert to the ever-shifting climates and landscapes.
SWOOSH-!
The bizarre changes in weather and terrain were as disorienting as they were fascinating, creating a sense of constant exploration in this confined space.
SWIRL-!
However, my movements were soon restricted by an invisible barrier of mana that enveloped the area.
It was an impenetrable wall, preventing me from venturing beyond its boundaries, just like in the first stage of the dungeon.
‘Indeed, as expected, the barrier is still there.’
This was a mana barrier as well, but this one was not powered by the mana core of the dungeon but rather by a source outside of this place.
Therefore, it was impossible to break it from the inside, and I had no intention to do that as well.
‘I would die the moment I stepped there.’
Since that place is filled with literal ‘monsters.’ Not only in terms of appearance but also in terms of strength.
In any case, since I am ‘restricted’ to this place, as well as ‘protected,’ I continued my walk.
As I continued to explore, I finally reached the place with relatively higher ground.
‘Yes, this is the place.’
This stage was not that big, and thanks to my good memory, I remembered this spot easily since this was a good place to scout the small and chaotic landscape of the dungeon.
‘Keen Eye.’
Activating my skill [Keen Eye], I started observing the place. And there, I caught sight of the Time Guardian, the enigmatic being that inhabited this realm.
It moved gracefully through the grove, its spectral form shifting in and out of focus as it manipulated time itself. I observed its movements from a safe distance using my [Keen Eye], not daring to provoke its attention.
After all, this was the boss monster of this stage, and fighting him right now was meaningless.
The distance was quite long, so the mana consumption of my skill was high, but that was worth it. I confirmed that the location of the boss was the same as normal, in the midst of space.
Alongside the Time Guardian, my gaze also encountered the Temporal Shifters and Eon Specters, the otherworldly inhabitants or ‘monsters’ of this surreal realm.
‘High-rank-2 monsters. Temporal Shifters.’
The Temporal Shifters were monsters evolved by the mana of time.
They were good at time manipulation, capable of speeding up or slowing down their movements at will. Their forms appeared distorted and fragmented, making them challenging to target.
Even their mass would change with their attacks, making the momentum and impact increase.
‘Relativity, huh? Developers certainly went crazy with this design.’
The Eon Specters, on the other hand, were spectral beings that phased in and out of existence, rendering them partially intangible.
They could move through solid objects and were known for their haunting, echoing cries.
‘High-rank-2, Phantom Class monsters. Eon Specters.’
They are not known to the world now, but later, there will be an event where they will appear and haunt people, and at that time, they will make themselves known.
They are not that strong if you know their weakness and have the necessary equipment.
‘Mana Bell.’
The bell that is in my Spatial Bracelet. When you ring the bell, it will momentarily disturb the mana around the environment. This will result in the Eon Specters having a physical form since Eon Specters are beings who are putting their physical forms into a different dimension using spatial magic.
That was the reason why they couldn’t be attacked when they wanted, and they could attack when they wanted.
Though, if you don’t have the bell, dealing with them is quite tricky.
In any case, from my vantage point, I continued to observe the space and identify the monsters around, where they were located, and which patterns they were moving.
‘This should be sufficient enough.’
After locating everything and gathering enough information about the place, I closed my eyes and started mapping everything in the 3D map I created in my head. Since the place wasn’t that big, it didn’t take too long for me to finish mapping.
‘Good. Let’s start the schedule now.’
With the layout of the Chrono Grove clear in my mind, I set to work on my camp.
I carefully selected a suitable location, taking into account both safety and strategic positioning.
The items I had purchased came in handy at this point.
The tent was made of high-quality material that even contained showers inside. The heating was also clearly impressive to the point where I was sure I would never get even when it snowed.
Once my camp was established, I began placing a series of traps and alarms designed to detect any approaching monsters.
This extra layer of security would provide me with an early warning system, ensuring that I could react swiftly to any potential threats.
With my defenses in place, I turned my attention to the primary reason I had ventured into the Chrono Grove—training my mana control and my body at the same time.
This unique environment, with its fluctuating mana density and the presence of the monsters when necessary, provided me with the perfect opportunity to hone my skills.
I started putting the necessary equipment down – simple clothing to sit on and a bunch of dummies when I would want to train—then continued with making the efficiency-increasing potions.
‘After all, the second stage of tempering my body, mixed substance – Korion.’
A special type of elixir whose formula was inspired by a secretion from a monster of a special place. It was a monster that tempered its own body using the mana in the atmosphere, making itself a lot stronger.
And what could be a better place than here –a place filled with dense mana?
Since it was already half-ready, I only mixed it and gulped it.
Feeling the slight sensation of my pores widening, I closed my eyes and started trying to draw my mana from the start. However, that proved to be impossible right at the beginning.
In a sense, the mana I had been using came from my trait, but how exactly it happened?
This was the perfect place to investigate how my mana worked.
I was going to investigate and learn about every color of my mana and their characteristics here. I even brought the book ‘Moonstruck Convergence: A Tale of Celestial Mana’ with me to study its contents more.
Before, my time was limited, and there were countless things I needed to think about, but that wasn’t the case here.
I had never questioned my trait before, and now I was just again using it mindlessly, but this time, it felt like trying to swim inside a swamp.
The density of mana was too high, and thanks to the unique nature of space, it was hard to even move the raw mana particles.
‘But this is a lot more interesting.’
The harder doing something means, the better you can see the difference between each color of mana and their traits.
In the end, what I was left alone was my own talent and what Senior Maya had shown me at that time.
“Don’t try only to feel mana; circulate it in your body. You need to find your own harmony with it.”
Just like that, one by one recounting what she said and what I observed, I started my training.