Chapter 372: The Time Magic Scroll! |
After chatting with Lily for a while, the battle ahead was about to end as well.
There was no suspense whatsoever. Ellie and the others had defeated their opponents quite easily, chopping those three Level 21 magical creatures into pieces.
The group continued forward. Along the way, Lin Mo continued to give them opportunities to practice and fight.
However, when it came to the final cleanup stage, he would still step in to farm a wave of proficiency.
They advanced at a very rapid pace, clearing Level 41, Level 42, Level 43...
Gradually, as the strength of the magical creatures encountered in the stages grew stronger and stronger, Ellie and the others began to struggle. Towards the later stages, even when several people teamed up to deal with one creature, it was already difficult to achieve victory. But it wasn't a major problem, because there was still Lily in the team.
Lily's strength was formidable. Her current level was 25, but her actual combat power far exceeded that of a typical Level 25.
On one hand, she possessed the special Paladin profession, granting her stronger attributes and skills compared to other professionals. On the other hand, her identity was, after all, the Imperial Princess of the Violet Empire. That set of Quasi-Legendary Level armor meant that even if she stood still and let these magical creatures attack, they simply couldn't break her defense.
Furthermore, as an Imperial Princess, the resources she could access were extremely abundant. These resources included not only cultivation resources but also skills and alchemical reagents.
One could only say, an Imperial Princess was just too wealthy.
With Lily joining the fray, the battles became easy once more. Ellie and the others basically didn't need to worry about defense. Lily bore all the frontal pressure, and the remaining members only needed to focus on how to attack.
They pushed forward all the way to Level 50.
Like previous milestone levels, Level 50 was also a relatively large world.
Of course, it was only large compared to ordinary stages. If compared to the Nasadok Dungeon, this was just a very small independent world.
As they pushed through higher and higher levels, the number of magical creatures appearing before them was actually continuously decreasing.
This was also normal. After all, the higher the level of the magical creature, the rarer they became.
The level of the magical creatures in Level 50 was approximately 25, which posed absolutely no pressure for Lin Mo either.
He began to consciously use the [Void-Shaking Fist] skill to kill the magical creatures.
This skill was already very close to reaching Legendary Level.
He threw another punch, shattering the magical creature before him. Along with the proficiency prompt that appeared before his eyes, Lin Mo's second Legendary Level skill was born.
"Skill [Void-Shaking Fist] Lv8 (2000/2000) has leveled up!"
"Current skill [Void-Shaking Fist] Lv9 (Max)"
"Gained base attribute points: Strength +6, Agility +4!"
"Has automatically evolved into new skill—Shattering Void Fist!"
"Comprehended skill [Shattering Void Fist]! Gained base attribute points: Strength +6, Agility +4!"
[Shattering Void Fist] Lv1 (0/60): Transforms Qi and Blood into powerful fist force to attack the enemy, forming a powerful shockwave fist momentum that shatters space, dealing an additional 60% Shattering Void damage to surrounding targets (including the primary target) (ignores armor, shields). Upon hit, applies a powerful knockback effect to units with Strength lower than the user (units in knockback state cannot counterattack).
The [Shattering Void Fist] skill basically wasn't just a souped-up version of the lower-tier [Void-Shaking Fist]. It didn't have any fancy bells and whistles; it was simply more powerful and had greater functionality.
Shatter space?
This description was very interesting.
Normally, shattering space was an extremely difficult feat. The vast majority of Heroic Realm experts couldn't do it. Only top-tier Heroic Realm experts like Dean Aaron of the Imperial Academy had the possibility.
So, regarding this skill's so-called "shatter space," was it merely descriptive, or did it actually happen?
Lin Mo really wanted to try it out.
Coincidentally, they had also reached the end of Level 50. Ahead appeared another magical creature.
However, this creature's level wasn't 25, but a Level 27 magical creature, exceeding the conventional situation for the current stage!
Was the difficulty starting to ramp up? It came at just the right time.
Lin Mo smiled slightly. Watching the enormous magical creature roaring and pouncing towards him, he let out a fierce shout and threw a punch.
[Shattering Void Fist]!
In the next moment, a terrifying fist momentum poured forth. A massive explosive roar made eardrums tremble.
The magical creature was instantly "frozen" in place. The next moment, its body seemed to be subjected to a terrifying heavy pressure, directly exploding and bursting into fragments scattered all over the ground.
And at the center of that fist momentum, one could clearly see a few cracks appearing out of thin air.
Did it really shatter space?!
In terms of pure power, this move still fell short of truly shattering space. So, this was a special effect of the skill itself?
Then the mechanics of this skill seemed a bit overpowered!
Shattering space wasn't just about looking cool...
The shattering of space was equivalent to opening a small crack in the world itself, thereby creating distortion. This distortion would also affect the physical body of the one struck, because living beings exist within the world and normally cannot separate from the space they inhabit.
And shattering from a spatial conceptual standpoint was completely different from ordinary injury.
The latter only required possessing a certain degree of recovery ability or using alchemical reagents, healing magic, etc., to quickly mend. However, the damage caused by the former was "unhealable."
To recover, one had to repair the shattered part. And the difficulty of repairing space was much higher than shattering it! It required an immense amount of energy and precise control to push the fragments of space to fuse back together.
Only true Legendary Realm experts could accomplish this!
Simultaneously, spatial rifts would also breed chaotic currents, forming powerful gravitational forces that affected enemy movement.
In short, as a skill effect, it was a special effect far, far stronger than effects like "Burn" or "Bleed," beyond comparison.
Additionally, since Lin Mo also simultaneously mastered Space Magic, this rift could potentially synergize with Space Magic, achieving a 1+1>2 effect.
This would be a key focus of Lin Mo's research in the coming period.
But for now...
Lin Mo set aside these complex thoughts.
There was still the evolution route to choose.
Please select evolution direction—
Evolution Route 1: Shattering Void I: Increases skill damage by 30% and enhances the skill's "Shattering Void" effect.
Evolution Route 2: Powerful Strike I: The knockback effect caused by the skill is increased by 50%, and during the knockback, seals the enemy's Qi and Blood and Mana for 2 seconds!
Both of these effects were quite strong.
The first was pure numerical value, boosting the skill's power and the "Shattering Void" effect. The second strengthened the skill's "forced knockback" effect. As long as the opponent was knocked back, their Qi and Blood and Mana would be directly sealed for 2 seconds.
And this skill itself had "forced knockback." Apart from an excessively large power gap or a very few special races, nothing could resist the "forced knockback" effect. This skill essentially came with a 2-second "silence" effect attached, which was extremely powerful.
After thinking for a long time, Lin Mo ultimately chose Evolution Route 2.
Power was certainly important, but for him, power could be compensated for through other skill combinations. Mechanisms, however, could not.
After choosing the evolution route, next, it was time to reap the rewards!
Looking at the large door ahead, Lin Mo eagerly stepped forward and pushed it open.
As before, what appeared before his eyes was a spacious lounge.
Everyone was tired and entered the lounge one after another to rest, while also casting curious glances towards the large chest in the center of the room.
This chest was peculiar, different from the previous ones. It wasn't a single color. The overall body was deep purple, and it was also adorned with shining gold edges. Clearly, it was a treasure chest a step above the one from Level 40.
Lin Mo walked up and slowly opened the chest.
What appeared before his eyes was only a single scroll.
Lin Mo wasn't disappointed because of this; instead, he became excited.
Previous deep purple chests had yielded one skill scroll plus one Epic Level equipment. This clearly more advanced chest only contained one scroll?
Then what skill would be recorded on this scroll?
Lin Mo slowly unrolled the scroll.
The words that appeared at the top of the scroll indeed made his eyes light up.
[Time Slow]
No need for further explanation. The weight carried by these four words required absolutely no explanation!
This secret realm truly contained Time Magic!
Lin Mo stood up excitedly, eagerly reading on.
This was his first contact with Time Magic, so many complex aspects were unclear to him at the moment. Clearly, compared to Space Magic, the difficulty of Time Magic had risen another notch.
If Space Magic was among the most difficult magics, sitting at the very top of the first tier, then Time Magic was almost an untouchable, forbidden power.
Although Space Magic was difficult to learn, every era still had some people who could master it.
But Time Magic was different...
In the entire history of humanity, those who could master Time Magic were also extremely few. Each one left a mighty and renowned name in the historical records!
These people could no longer be described as geniuses; they were more like lucky ones favored by the gods.
Lin Mo's brows gradually furrowed.
The difficulty of Time Magic was extremely high. Many of the contents recorded on the scroll were difficult for even him to grasp immediately.
It seemed learning this magic wouldn't be that simple.
After reading for a long time, Lin Mo slowly let out a long breath, then closed his eyes to rest and entered a meditative state.
In the meditative state, he could completely empty his mind of distracting thoughts and concentrate on analyzing and attempting the contents on the scroll.
Time, bit by bit, passed...
Everyone, seeing his state, very tactfully did not disturb him. Everyone remained quiet, silently waiting.
One hour, two hours...
Half a day, a full day!
Finally, after an entire day, Lin Mo suddenly opened his eyes, his mind instantly blank.
After a good while, he recovered, slowly looking at the information appearing before his eyes.
"Successfully comprehended Epic Level skill [Time Slow], gained base attribute points: Mana +1, Spirit +4!"
Using Time Magic placed extremely high demands on both Mana and Spirit.
Those incredibly complex mana circuits couldn't have even the slightest deviation in any single link. The requirement for mana control reached a degree that could be called perverse.
And that was just the difficulty... Before that, simply comprehending the concept of "time" was enough to make countless Legendary Realm mages throughout history hesitate and retreat.
They simply couldn't perceive the "flow of time," and therefore couldn't use mana to interfere with it. To put it more plainly, they couldn't even get past the door.
Lin Mo used nearly half a day to barely manage to perceive the so-called "flow of time."
After that came the mastery of the mana circuits and continuous practice attempts.
Without a doubt, this was the skill that had taken him the longest to learn in his entire history.
As for the effect of this skill...
[Time Slow] Lv1 (0/20): Utilizes vast mana to interfere with the flow of time, causing time within a designated area to enter a "slow" state. Under the Time Slow state, everything will be affected by "slowness"!
Lin Mo gave it a try. After formally learning the skill, his usage no longer seemed as clunky. Although it still wasn't easy, it could barely be considered smooth now.
"Lin Mo!"
At this moment, seeing him finally exit the meditative state, everyone immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Ellie immediately pounced over towards him.
Lin Mo smiled slightly. With a thought, in the next moment, Ellie's movements instantly "stagnated" mid-air.
To be accurate, it wasn't stagnation, just "slowness." It was as if everything in this space had been put on slow motion.
Time and space were inseparable. To use Time Magic, there was another prerequisite: one must first master Space Magic and reach a very high level.
Everyone looked in amazement at Ellie, whose movements had been slowed down dozens of times. Ellie herself was utterly shocked. She could feel that everything around her, including herself, had been "slowed down," but there was nothing she could do. She didn't even have time to make a surprised expression. Only after the Time Slow ended did she widen her eyes and exclaim in surprise.
"So amazing! Lin Mo, how did you do that?"
The big wolf-girl, full of curiosity, circled around Lin Mo, clinging to his arm in a coquettish manner.
"Is that... Time Magic?"
Flora's face still held an expression of immense shock, unable to calm down for a long time.
Time Magic, which had appeared only a handful of times in the entire history of humanity, had just appeared before her eyes.
She then remembered the Water Element and Earth Element magic she had previously obtained through [Dual Cultivation]... Although it felt very unfamiliar and clumsy to use at first, through continued [Dual Cultivation], she gradually became proficient.
Then, through the same method, did it mean that in the future, she might also have the opportunity to learn Space Magic, or even Time Magic?!
Thinking of this, the look in Flora's eyes as she gazed at Lin Mo instantly became scorchingly hot, as if she wished she could "devour" him on the spot.
Lin Mo didn't notice her gaze, still savoring the feeling from just now.
The skill description for [Time Slow] didn't contain much information, so some important aspects weren't known before. But through the little experiment on Ellie just now, he had gained a preliminary grasp of some information regarding this skill.